Bear Lake trifecta - Idaho- Wyoming- Utah 26.2 June 8-10

Bear Lake Trifecta – Idaho – Wyoming – Utah marathons June 8-10, 2023 sorry it's long but it's 3 marathons and I didn't know how to condense it further.


It all started in October after I ran the Arkansas Marathon and added another state to my map for the first time in 10 years. I grew excited to add a few more pins to my map and found this opportunity to add 3 states within driving distance of each other. I decided to use my 50K training plan I’ve used several times since it incorporated back to back long runs. Also, I couldn’t find any good information on running 3 marathons in a row.  Training went pretty well until my left knee started hurting in late March the week I was supposed to run 24 miles for a long run. I decided then to modify my training plan a lot so that I wouldn’t be injured for Flying Pig May 7 which I was using as a training run.
 
June 6-7 Brian and drove from our house in Lincoln NE to Rawlins, Wy, then to outside of Preston, ID. We stopped on the 7^th at Fossil Butte National Park for a 1.5 mile “easy to moderate” hike. I thought it might help me acclimate a little to the altitude. We live at 1,126 feet, the races were 6-7,000 feet elevation. Then we finished the drive to our Airbnb, I made gluten free pasta for supper with home canned pasta sauce and home canned beef strips (the home canning is why I know our exact altitude). We went to bed by 9, I think, and I was awake by 1:30. I think from 1:30-3:something I mostly just lay in bed  wanting to go back to sleep. We were all ready to go by 4:45 so headed to St Charles, Idaho about 1.5 hrs away.. We drove through the beautiful Cache National Forest every morning. We enjoyed seeing snow on the ground and even twin fawns one morning. All the drives were scenic between mountains, rivers, and of course, at our destination, Bear Lake. Packet pick up took all of one minute. The man gave me 3 bibs, 3 shirts, and I took 4 safety pins. I thought it was funny that the race director pointed out who “our winner is going to be today” before the start, but she was correct. We were to stay on the mountain side both out and back and stay on the shoulder and be aware of cars since it was an open course.
 
7:00 on time start. My main things I was keeping in mind were to not start out too fast so that I could conserve energy for the next 2 days and also to try to start eating earlier on the course (again, because I had 2 more marathons coming up). The course had rolling hills and a few bigger ones. I didn’t hesitate to walk the hills. I heard a lot of people complaining about the altitude and I was also short of breath. I told one guy that the altitude was no joke and he agreed. The course was so beautiful. It was amazing seeing the lake and the mountains and I wasn’t the only one stopping to take pictures.
 I was feeling pretty OK until mile 11 then really felt light headed. I was somewhat concerned I wouldn’t be able to finish but I really slowed down and then by the turn around felt OK. Brian saw me going out at miles 6 and 10 and then the reverse going back. Around mile 15 a guy (who I would later know as Jordan) caught up to me and said I was keeping him motivated to try to keep me in sight. I said I was doing the same thing with a lady in front of me. We ended up running the rest of the marathon together, taking walking breaks as we felt. The around mile 18 I found a 10 dollar bill on the side of the course! This was extra exciting because my running group always picks up any coins we find. It definitely passed the time to have another runner to talk with. We ended up finishing together at 5:58:26 (and :28 for Jordan but he crossed the finish line first but obviously started a few seconds before). During the race I felt pretty well other than the altitude. My left forefoot grew sore and my left knee hurt a little bit. I did take ibuprofen during the race, 1 salt caplet, 2 gels they had the one course but the 2^nd one didn’t settle well and that was it for gels for the week for me. Also had rice crispy bars, gummy snacks and potato chips. I stretched a little, and Brian and I headed back to the car after letting the announcer know that NE stood for Nebraska, not New England. I had been keeping track of splits on my watch but cleared them for the next day but they were all between 12 and 15 minutes, mostly slower for hills and slower miles 21-25.
Thursday late afternoon we had lupper (lunch/supper) of leftover pasta and then cereal for an evening snack.
 
From the website regarding Friday:
The road gently rises and turns thorugh the beautiful, gently slopping canyon. Dirt and rocks will be present on the road side. Be prepared for running in trail-like conditions. Elevation rise at mile 8 "heartbreak hill" - you'll hit it again around mile 16 on the return.
Mile 12- road turns to hard packed dirt.
Turn at mile 13 and return by same route. 26.6 miles
 1322 ft |  1322 ft 
ASCENT / DESCENT (RAW)
 
Friday morning again woke up at 1:30. Headed to Cokeville, WY for the only marathon that wasn’t held on Bear Lake. We started a few minutes early because the director said the mat was all ready so may as well just start. I didn’t know what to expect since I have never run even a mile the day after a marathon but surprisingly I was able to run at a 12:00 pace which I knew was too fast but kind of wanted to see how my legs would cooperate. They warned us there was a heartbreak hill around mile 9 with quite the elevation gain. We had to run on the right side of the road so I heard a guy yelling “car back!” when he caught up to me he apologized for using his coach voice but I said I didn’t mind and I use my hard of hearing voice at work most of the time. He was interested in hearing about my work since his parents and siblings are all Deaf. So we chatted for a few miles then he went off faster. The hill was huge! I walked it and then at mile 10 Brian was waiting by our car. At the halfway point there was someone keeping track of our bib numbers and said we were on track for a 6 hour finish but I knew I’d have positive splits. Even so, I passed a couple of runners between 11 and 13 miles and nobody passed me after the halfway point. The altitude again was a big factor in breathing and difficulty level. By the last 10 miles or more every time I ran I felt light headed. So I ran a few meters until I felt too light headed, walked to catch my breath, rinse, repeat. There was a lady who I caught up to at an aid station then she passed me later and said “tag, you’re it!” I told her I was feeling light headed when I ran she said she was feeling the same way and it was from the altitude. I used her as motivation to keep plugging away at the running when I could. She ended up finishing 2:42 ahead of me.  I finished in 6:12:50 which was again a new slowest marathon ever but I didn’t feel badly about it because it was also the first back to back marathon I had completed and again, elevation…Another runner asked if I was feeling sore. I said I was mostly just feeling tight. He said he had run 50 milers before but he wasn’t sure if the back to back or the 50 milers were more challenging because after a 50 miler you don’t run the next day. When I crossed the finish line the announcer said made a reference to it being my 2^nd day and said I was from Nebraska. We saw Jordan finish about 4.5 minutes after me. He said he had blisters. I asked if he saw the sign about blisters (Blisters are Braille for Awesome).
 
We headed back to our Airbnb to pack up as much as we could for a Saturday check out, and to try to get some sleep. By this point I was pretty exhausted. I think I tried going to bed at 7:30, fell asleep after 8:35 and unfortunately when I woke up at 11:30 to go to the bathroom, I couldn’t go back to sleep. I ate a bowl of cereal and a banana during the night since sometimes I have insomnia from low blood sugar. I put on classical music for sleeping and that didn’t help. I decided to finish the packing up and also  shower. By the time Brian got up at 4 I was all ready to go except for eating my usual oatmeal breakfast because my stomach felt quite ill. We checked out of the Airbnb before 5 and headed to Utah. We drove through a different part of Cache National Forest and by a river. I said I’d try to rest in the car but the mountains and river were so beautiful I kept taking pictures and looking out the window. I texted a few friends who had been praying for me and supporting me that I needed extra prayers due to being awake since 11:30. My heart had been just pounding lying in bed which I knew meant  my blood pressure was high. I told Brian if I thought I was having a stroke I’d stop (and I wasn’t joking, I would never joke about strokes since about half my patients are stroke survivors – reminder to edit this part out when I share with my mom).
 
We arrived at Garden City Utah in plenty of time for the 7 a.m. start. By now of course we were recognizing many runners. The race director said she had some important announcements for the full marathoners. She apologized for having to change the course Friday night but there was an excavator on the road blocking several miles from emergency vehicle access to runners and she could not allow runners to risk that. Friday night they had to make a new course. Full marathoners would cross the (fairly busy) road with police officer help, run a “finger” of I think .2 miles so that we wouldn’t have to cross the busy road again and see the finish at the half point, run down a bike path that was rocky, gravely and uneven in points for over 2 miles, turn right, head down a road then at the left see an aid station and sign that said “you’re in the loop – loop 1, do it again, loop 2, exit the loop” then run back towards the bike path to almost the start (but not crossing the road), turn around and do the loop twice more, bike path, then officer help cross road to finish. The loop was actually a lollipop and I am not the most directionally savvy person out there so I decided I would just have to ask volunteers and follow other runners who I knew were on the same lap as I was. Since they changed the course so late they didn’t put many mile signs out, and many of those were accurate for the half marathoners, but not the full. I was so exhausted anyway I don’t know that I really cared. Jordan lined up with me at the start and I warned him that I had been awake since 11:30 and didn’t know what would happen. But he started jogging and I kept up until a few miles later when his wife called and he started walking and I got a little ahead and found a few other runners to visit with. I saw a runner, Darrel, and he said he wasn’t worried about finishing. I said my goal was just not to die, he said the same. He said he’d pray for me when I saw I’d been awake so long. I agreed with him when he said he couldn’t do anything without the Lord’s help. Later when I saw him I said I was praying for him, too.  The course was paved in some portions, loose white rock on top of dirt packed roads in others, and the bike path and sidewalk in others. Brian parked in the loop. It was great seeing him. By mile 11 I got some sort of burst of energy and was able to run more. The people I passed miles 11-13 never passed me (though some of them were half marathoners and just finished so who knows). There was one beast of a hill after we entered the loop so we had to climb that 4x. Once I thought I might even crawl it but it didn’t come to that.

 Before I entered the loop the 2^nd time I saw a sign that said mile 16. I asked the director, who was at the loop if that applied to me now since I had passed the halfway point and she said yes and apologized for the sparse signs. I said it was kind of fun, actually, like a little surprise. I said I only just that day got blisters so I figured that was pretty good and that it was fun to see some of the same people every day, kind of like camping (I must have been thinking about the camping I did on the Bike Ride Across Nebraska with my dad 15 years ago) and it was ridiculous but fun. One of the young boys at that aid station asked what he could get me. I said he knew what I wanted and he quickly replied “you want your water bottle refilled!” Most of the aid station volunteers were there all 3 days and I think many of them were relatives of the race director.

 I kept plodding away, walking with running thrown in when I could. I warned Brian that morning that I might just all-out walk it because I didn’t know what I’d be able to do. The last time I saw him in the loop he offered to join me. A runner ahead of me suggested it to him. He knew that Brian was my husband and of course by now everyone was recognizing him in our car. So he got out, carried my water bottle for me and my phone and we walked that 5K loop together, with a little running thrown in. I was very grateful. Jordan caught up to us, he had accidentally crossed over and missed the halfway turn around point and when he saw Brian he said he was worried the mountain gnomes had snatched him. After we finished that 5K I think we had just a 5K left to the finish. Jordan and I ran about 2 miles of it together then he was able to run more the last mile which was just fine. Brian parked at the finish line then walked toward me to run-walk the last little less than a mile with me. We were almost at the finish but it was still a few blocks away. I was excited but tired. When we were almost there, I picked up my pace to run it in and finish! 6:19:51 (basically every day I was adding 10 minutes to my overall time) The man put the medal around my neck and then confirmed that I had run all 3 days. Then he gave me a holder for all 3 medals to hang on the wall. They are all square and have magnets to stick together. 6 minutes later Darrel finished saying “thank you Jesus!” and we gave each other high fives, as well as Jordan and a few other runners whose names I don’t know. I stretched a little and we got in the car to drive 5 ish hours of Laramine, WY for the night. We arrived home Sunday afternoon and were so excited to see our kids. We surprised my parents by telling them I ran 3 marathons. I hadn’t told them because I knew my mom would worry. I hadn’t told my running friends because I didn’t want to have to say if I didn’t complete all 3, and I didn’t want to hear that it was too hard or crazy.
 
So that was my big triple marathon event. Thanks for the support. It was an experience. I can’t say if I’d do it again, but I am glad I could do this one.

Nicely written, Julie.  Again, congratulations!

So, what were the temperatures and did that help or hinder you?  You have a great story to tell as to why 6:19 is your slowest...and your 2nd slowest, too.

Don't forget to edit out the stroke comments!

ounce wrote:Nicely written, Julie.  Again, congratulations!

So, what were the temperatures and did that help or hinder you?  You have a great story to tell as to why 6:19 is your slowest...and your 2nd slowest, too.

Don't forget to edit out the stroke comments!

Thanks! 

Temperatures were great. Lows in 40s highs upper 60s. The only thing was getting a sunburn day 1 and it was weird that upper 60s felt hot but the altitude made it seem more intense. And the lake reflected the sun day 1. Very light breeze. We weren't in Nebraska anymore, ha.

 Yes, I made a version 2 for my parents and grandma and mailed grandma (age 96) a large print version.

Wow...just wow.  What an accomplishment.  I'm so impressed with your ability to deal with whatever was thrown your way.  The sore knee requiring training adaptation, the altitude, the sleepless night, the course change...

Your race report was a fun read.  Love the mention of the blister sign and also your connections with your fellow runners.  Brian was such a great support person!

Hope you remembered to edit your report before you sent it to Mom and Grandma.  I struggle to communicate my concerns at times.  I don't want to hide things from my family that they might need to know but also don't want to worry them.  They...and I...both worry more after my cardiac event.

Once again, congratulations on a huge accomplishment.  I hope I can use your experience as motivation to pick appropriate goals and allow running to improve my life.

WOW!

Thanks, Nancy! Yeah, it's hard to discern what to share and what not to when dealing with family. Don't want them to worry but sometimes need to communicate things like that. 

I'm still needing more sleep than usual. Then again, I didn't sleep much all last week but feeling more normal. Knee still hurts. But I'm really glad I ran this. Thanks for all the support throughout training and everything!

Holy moly, that's quite an accomplishment! Congratulations on this marathon hat trick ... at altitude, no less!

Any thoughts about exploring even longer multi-day events? There are some out there that look insane, but kind of fun if you can do it.

KBFitz wrote:Oh My Julie ...that's a monumental accomplishment!
Three marathons back to back to back! That's WILD.
Good on yer for taking on the challenge, completing it with aplomb and writing up a generous and detailed report.
I enjoyed reading it immensely.
Because I've completed several ultra-marathons, I can assure you that I'll never join your club -- my bones will not allow it. I know how substantial your accomplishment is -- and I'm pleased to applaud you for taking it on and getting it done -- well done!
Keep on keepin' on

Thanks so much, Kevin! I'm thankful for the opportunity and definitely don't take it for granted, especially with the kind of patients I see in the hospital. It's all a gift! Thank you for reading!

Mark B wrote:Holy moly, that's quite an accomplishment! Congratulations on this marathon hat trick ... at altitude, no less!

Any thoughts about exploring even longer multi-day events? There are some out there that look insane, but kind of fun if you can do it.

 
Thank you, Mark! Hmm...I haven't thought about anything else back to back let alone farther. For the rest of the year I do want to work on speed in general to make any future event take less time and really be more diligent about my physical therapy exercises which , I hope, will mean fewer injuries in the future. But I did think, back 15 years ago when I did the Bike Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) with my dad, that it was fun, but it would be more fun if we had been running every day, because I like running many times more than bicycling. If you have ideas, let me know.

Julie wrote:

Mark B wrote:Holy moly, that's quite an accomplishment! Congratulations on this marathon hat trick ... at altitude, no less!

Any thoughts about exploring even longer multi-day events? There are some out there that look insane, but kind of fun if you can do it.

 
Thank you, Mark! Hmm...I haven't thought about anything else back to back let alone farther. For the rest of the year I do want to work on speed in general to make any future event take less time and really be more diligent about my physical therapy exercises which , I hope, will mean fewer injuries in the future. But I did think, back 15 years ago when I did the Bike Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) with my dad, that it was fun, but it would be more fun if we had been running every day, because I like running many times more than bicycling. If you have ideas, let me know.

Hm. The one that comes to mind is the Destination Trail ultra-ultra marathon race company. They have things like the Lake Tahoe 200 and a few others. 

There also the Oregon 200 by my favorite local RD, Go Beyond Racing. Seems like a long ways, but you seem to be suited for extra-long periods of exertion, so why not?

Wow, Mark! Those initially made me laugh and think never, but after watching the video twice for the Tahoe 200 I thought, how cool. But I am really really not ready for anything that long. I need to run a 50 miler first.

Mark B wrote:

Julie wrote:

Mark B wrote:Holy moly, that's quite an accomplishment! Congratulations on this marathon hat trick ... at altitude, no less!

Any thoughts about exploring even longer multi-day events? There are some out there that look insane, but kind of fun if you can do it.

 
Thank you, Mark! Hmm...I haven't thought about anything else back to back let alone farther. For the rest of the year I do want to work on speed in general to make any future event take less time and really be more diligent about my physical therapy exercises which , I hope, will mean fewer injuries in the future. But I did think, back 15 years ago when I did the Bike Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) with my dad, that it was fun, but it would be more fun if we had been running every day, because I like running many times more than bicycling. If you have ideas, let me know.

Hm. The one that comes to mind is the Destination Trail ultra-ultra marathon race company. They have things like the Lake Tahoe 200 and a few others. 

There also the Oregon 200 by my favorite local RD, Go Beyond Racing. Seems like a long ways, but you seem to be suited for extra-long periods of exertion, so why not?

Julie wrote:Wow, Mark! Those initially made me laugh and think never, but after watching the video twice for the Tahoe 200 I thought, how cool. But I am really really not ready for anything that long. I need to run a 50 miler first.

I can not even start to imagine running that far or that long...but I do think that you may be cut out for it Julie.  I guess the key would be making sure that the pace was slow enough and the cut-offs generous enough.  Could I run and not race?  I don't know and I think that is what it would take.  

Boy would I love to follow along if you did decide to train for something like that.

Hope recovery is going well and the knee is feeling better.