Fat Dog 120

I started the 2024 Fatdog 120 full of apprehension and doubt. I had my first 100 miler DNF in the 2023 edition of Fatdog and performed poorly in my buildup race – Devils Gulch 50 in mid July. The dreaded DNF weighed heavily on my mind for the entire year and even though completing the Wonderland loop provided some relief, I knew I would not be satisfied until I completed Fatdog. Dad and I headed up to EC Manning Park in the mid morning and made it just in time for gear check in. We set up the tents at Sky View Campground and I went for a run around Lightning Lake. At this point everything was very similar to last year, but I hoped with a conservative pacing strategy, I would be able to complete the race.

I woke up quite early in order to catch the 0715 shuttle bus to the start line, because of the wildfires, there was no crew access to the start line. So upon arrival at the starting area I tried my best to sleep and conserve energy. Finally at 1000, the race got underway. The air felt thick with smoke and the sky was hazy with temperatures around 19 degrees celsius. This low temperature was a welcome change to the sweltering temperatures and unobstructed sun of the 2023 edition. We started up the gradual climb of the East Gate Forest Service Road and I practiced restraint by simply walking uphill and jogging the declines. We transitioned onto the Bonnevier trail, which passed through a partially burnt forest. I found myself in a large string of runners and the most memorable part of this section was the shocking number of wasp stings sustained by the runners as we ascended through the forest. From the starting line to Heather Aid Station we climbed from 3477 feet to 6717 feet (11.3 miles 2:34:27).

That latter portion of the Bonnevier trail reached the alpine and there were excellent views of the surrounding ranges and this wide open scenery continued past the aid station. The weather turned to ominous and rainy, which I was quite happy with. I got my first, second, and third wasp stings along this section in the upland meadows. Our group was whittled down to Alexa Johnston, Meredith Wilson, and Hank Rubenstein. The Heather trail was stunning, perhaps the most beautiful of the entire race. In every direction there was beautiful snow capped peaks in the background and wildflowers in the foreground. The weather turned back to sunny and warm with temperatures around 23 degrees celsius. We hit a highpoint of 6960 feet and the trail generally undulated between 6900 and 6200 feet transitioning between subalpine tree stands and upland meadows. Eventually we dove steeply tracing narrow switchbacks to Nicomen Lake. I spent a short time refilling at the Nicomen Aid Station (20.8 miles 5870 feet 4:36:52). Our pack of four continued down the trail which descended into the forest along the Grainger Creek trail. 

The Grainger Creek trail was runnable and the trees shaded out the sun, so this whole section was quite pleasant. Our pack got passed by several other runners, which I was not concerned about at this time in the race. I reached the Grainger Creek Aid Station at mile 27.2 (3113 feet) in 6:01:33 and there were several runners all trying to refill bottles. I decided to fill up out of Grainger Creek and keep moving down the trail. Our group stayed together as we continued descending the Hope Pass trail until we reached the Cayuse Flats Aid Station at mile 31.6 (2630 feet) in 6:59:18. We then followed the Skagit Bluffs trail, which was surprisingly steep and quite undulating (weighing more heavily on the upward direction). 

Skagit Bluffs trail followed Crowsnest Highway but at times was high above it and the narrow trail was steep and technical. I reached the Cascade Aid Station at mile 35.2 (2500 feet) in 7:54:50. I was looking forward to this aid station because Dad was going to be there. This was a fairly long stop, I refilled waters, ate quite a bit of real food, chugged almond milk and rootbeer, changed socks and finally hit the trail along Snass Creek. While I was walking I tore apart my bag to find my 2L bladder had a leak, rendering it useless and while I was emptying the bladder I got my fourth and worst wasp sting of the race. The creek valley was pretty with impressive Western Redcedars and Douglas Firs towering above. The Dewdney trail ascended sharply and the pack composition changed to myself, Hank, and Andrew Lester. We transitioned from the Dewdney trail to the Watcom trail and crossed East Snass Creek and fortunately there were many opportunities to refill bottles. 

The climbing finally stopped at the Punch Bowl at 5765 feet (mile 40.7), 10:04:39 into the race. Nearing the top of the climb I began running with eventual women’s race winner Jessica Temple. The views of Snass Mountain were impressive especially after 5.5 miles of ascending over 3265 feet. We followed the Tulameen River along the Watcom/Dewdney trail as it crossed over several dilapidated wooden bridges. At this time the temperatures were slowly dropping and my surroundings were darkening. I recall seeing mostly upper meadow with willow thicket intermixed with low fir stands. At 2055, just before the McColl Creek crossing I decided I finally needed to pull out the headlamp. We transitioned onto the Old Tulameen River trail which turned into the Tulameen Forest Service Road en route to the aid station. The conversation made the miles click off quickly and we reached the Tulameen Aid Station at mile 48.5 (4455 feet) in 11:58:41. I left the aid station before Jessica and for the first time in the race continued on alone. 

After 1.5 miles on the out and back portion, I turned back onto the Dewdney trail and kept a fairly comfortable pace. I first got my feet wet in the Tulameen River and then again with a creek crossing. The trail trended mostly uphill and I transitioned from the Dewdney trail to the Whipsaw Wells Lake trail at Paddy’s Pond. I got passed by one runner and their pacer moving fairly smoothly. I did not let it affect my attitude and continued pressing onward. The trail transitioned on the Whipsaw Creek Forest Road and continued climbing to an alpine zone (as best I could determine in the dark). There were some campers that cheered for me on the road, I heard additional cheers several minutes after I went past, meaning there were several close pursuers. In the distance I could see a spot light shining upward, I assumed that was Hope Pass Aid Station. 

The road reached a highpoint of 6156 feet and then transitioned onto a trail paralleling Whipsaw Creek. From there I descended the Hope Pass trail and Whipsaw Creek Forest Service Road to the Hope Pass Aid Station at mile 61.5 (5260 feet) in 15:18:29. I refilled my bottles and calorie sources and ate several substantial foods. I saw a few of my friends from earlier in the day descending the road as I was ascending back out of the aid station. After returning 2 miles on the out and back portion I turned onto the Hope Pass trail and subsequently Nicomen Lake trail. The following miles were my most challenging of the race. I had to stop and lie down in the dirt on 2 or 3 occasions to rest my eyes because I was swaying on the trail. The time right before dawn is often one of the most challenging to stay awake. I was otherwise enjoying the night weather and the ability to move swiftly without the sun or heat. 

My first headlamp lasted just long enough to reach Nicomen Aid Station at mile 69.8 (5856 feet) 17:53:14. This means my headlamp functioned for 7 hours before failing (not too bad). I sat for the first time in the race at Nicomen and refueled for a while. While I was at the aid station Conor Furey came into the aid station and subsequently dropped me on the climb out of the Nicomen Valley. With my second headlamp shining at full brilliance and a couple of salt tabs, I was moving at a descent pace. The Heather trail looked very different in the dark. I recall seeing a cute rodent scurrying on the trail and I moved a Western Toad (third of the evening) off into the vegetation in hopes it would not later get trampled. I turned off the headlamp as the sun rose and I generally struggled to keep a good pace through this section. I thought for sure I would get passed, but I managed to hold my position. There were many Grouse that flushed from the trail into the vegetation, but it seems the temperatures were still too cool for the wasps and bees.

I ran strong into the Heather Aid Station at mile 79.6 (6715 feet) 21:08:43. I refilled the bottles, ate a few snacks and then ran out of the aid station towards Blackwall Aid Station. The Heather trail mostly descended to Blackwall Road from the Heather Aid Station and I ran nearly the entire stretch. Once on Blackwall Road I picked up the pace even more and enjoyed the panoramic views from the wide open smooth forest road. I reached Blackwall Aid Station at mile 86.1 (5932 feet) in 22:26:59. My dad was at the aid station and I took some time to refuel and change shoes (first change of the race), but quickly hit the Dry Ridge trail before Conor left the aid station. Conor caught up to me and we passed another runner but he eventually dropped me before we reached Crowsnest Highway. I continued up Gibson Pass Road until I reached the Windy Joe Aid Station. The road was quite hot with the suns rays being absorbed into the asphalt and my construction vest trapping in even more heat.

I crossed the Similkameen River and collapsed into a chair for the second time in the race. The Windy Joe Aid Station was buzzing and there were half a dozen runners at various stages of recovery. I knew I was in the top ten, but was not sure of my official place. I arrived at mile 93 (3923 feet) in 23:57:03, and after a day of running, I predicted my Windy Joe arrival time perfectly. I took quite a bit of time to cool off, take in calories and refill at this aid station since it was a gnarly climb towards Frosty Mountain and there would be no aid for nearly 15 miles. I took the most water of the run, filling up all 2L, because of the limited stream access. The first 1.5 miles along the Similkameen Windy Joe trail was flat but upon hitting the Windy Joe trail, we gradually started climbing. I joined a group of 3 and we stayed together for the entire climb. The group consisted of Conor Furey and Eric Scott and we hiked the inclines and jogged any flat grade and managed to pass 2 runners on our way to the highpoint. 

The conditions were sunny and hot but we heard thunder rumbling in the distance and saw clouds rolling in. Unfortunately, it did not provide us with any relief from the heat. The trail became quite challenging, transitioning from dirt to rocky scree slopes with some elements of scrambling. We finally reached the highpoint after the steepness of the gradient was becoming unbearable. We all through down our packs, rehydrated, ate, and enjoyed the views. We reached the highpoint of 7457 feet (101.8 miles) in 26:45:11. Conor negotiated the scree/boulder field best while Eric and I chased. Finally, I caught up to Conor, but did not see Eric any longer on the descent. The rain started as we neared Lightning Lake and we reached Tom’s Bench Aid Station at mile 107.9 (4134 feet) in 28:36:20. I refueled and we left along the lake just as Eric arrived at the aid station. We followed the South Gibson trail to the Strawberry Flats Aid Station. It was a strange mix of sun with dark clouds and the weather was becoming more humid. 

We stopped very briefly at Strawberry Flats Aid Station at mile 111.3 (4483 feet) 29:26:53 and began the climb up the Skyline trail. Conor and I were moving like a well oiled machine. As we climbed the Skyline trail through the forest we passed the 6th place runner. Then upon clearing the tree line we passed the 5th place runner. The weather turned cool and rainy, thunder was cracking and lightning flashed nearby. The humps along the Skyline trail just kept coming and even after topping out at 6391 feet, the undulations continued. The ridgeline was mostly exposed offering amazing views but also rendering us exposed the elements of the thunderstorm. I was mildly concerned about getting struck by lightning through this stretch which motivated me to move quicker. We passed the 4th place runner near the end of the ridge line and dropped him on the technical descent. As we reentered the forest, I began to pull away from Conor and by the time I crossed the Rainbow Bridge I fully opened my stride. I ran my last mile in 7:16 and crossed the finish line along the beach of Lightning Lake in 32:12:26. 

I ended up 4th place overall in a time of 32:12:26. The total distance was 122.47 miles with 23,655 feet of elevation gain. Thanks to all my fellow runners that made the miles click away quicker (Hank, Meredith, Alexa, Andrew, Jessica, Eric, and Conor). Thanks to Erik Bird and all the race volunteers for putting on an amazing race. Most importantly thanks to Walt, my dad, for all of your help and crewing me throughout the race.