Meet the Crew: David Donaldson

Name: David Donaldson

Residence: Littleton, CO

Position on the Crew: Crew Chief

Relationship to Jamie: Husband/Coach/Professional Support Crew

Longest race you’ve completed: 70 miles (there was a championship involved)

Craziest thing you have ever done: Married Jamie

Were you part of the 2008 crew? Yes

Favorite food during the race: the food at the Panamint check point

Favorite part of the course: The finish, one step closer to getting some sleep

Favorite memory from last year: Jamie running strong the majority of the race and finishing top girl.

Funniest moment: Jamie jogging and conditioning her hair at mile 90. I asked her what she was doing and all she said was “my hair is a hot mess.”

Hopes for this year: Not to hurt myself prior to the race this year!

Words of advice for Jamie: “Your arms move your legs!”

Would you ever run Badwater? No, I would like to think my IQ is high enough to recognize that running 135 miles in 130 degree weather on 200 degree asphalt is not healthy.

One thing most people don’t know about you: I was named 2009 “Crew Chief” of the year by Ultra Running Magazine

Meet the Crew: Sean Meissner

Name: Sean Meissner (pictured above running as Richard Simmons in a race)

Residence: Sisters, OR

Occupation: Running Store Manager

Position on the Crew: Pacer, Cheerleader, Waterboy

Longest race you’ve completed: Bighorn 100, Western States 100 (twice)

Craziest thing you have ever done during an ultra: Run up a reeeeaaaally long hill into sustained 50 mph headwinds, with gusts up to 80 mph.

Favorite race you ran in: Bighorn – the entire event is incredible!

Favorite food during an ultra: Besides lame stuff like gels, real beef jerky and greasy grilled cheese sandwiches really help settle the stomach during puke fests.

What is your dream race? Mt. Everest Stage Race

How did your man crush become Richard Simmons? I got invited to an 80s theme Halloween party. Now really, is there a better 80s icon than Richard?

Are you ready for Death Valley’s heat? Running through 115 degrees at Western States this year kicked me in to hot-gear.

How did you get roped into the 2009 crew? During an epic road trip that included going through Death Valley, I saw just how beautiful that area is. Then I drove the entire BW course, ran the last 7 miles up the portal road, and blogged about how cool I thought DV and BW were. I wrote that I didn’t know if I’d ever run BW, but would definitely consider crewing there. Jamie saw that and threw me a bone.

Words of advice for Jamie: No need to stop running when you’re puking.

Would you ever run Badwater? If it was held in November – absolutely!

One thing most people don’t know about you: I love 80s music!

Meet the Crew: Connie Kapfer

Name: Connie

Residence: Utica NY

Position on the Crew: Water Girl, but I think its time for an upgrade.

Relationship to Jamie: Sister in law

Longest race you’ve completed: Just recently ran a 6 person 200 mile relay race.

Craziest thing you have ever done: “None-ya”

Favorite race you ran in: Utica Boilermaker

Were you part of the 2008 crew? Yes

If so,
Favorite food during the race: I definitely would have to say the chicken fingers we cooked under the hood of the car, they were delicious!

Favorite part of the course: the climb up Mt. Whitney

Favorite memory from last year: When we found out not only was Jamie going to win the race but she was going to crush the women's course record.

Funniest moment: Being apart of the crew means being available to help Jamie with anything she may need during the race; water, supplements, ice, socks, clothing etc...you can imagine my surprise when she asked me to retrieve conditioner for her hair in the middle of the race...yep, that's right, Jamie won Badwater in record time while conditioning her hair.

Hopes for this year: Jamie to achieve all her goals.

Words of advice for Jamie: Have fun!

Would you ever run Badwater? Nope, I'm not crazy! : )

One thing most people don’t know about you: I'm lazy and I really don't like to workout but I do it to stay in shape.

How has your life changed since using Drymax socks? No more blisters!

Meet the Crew: Rob Kapfer

Name: Rob Kapfer

Residence: New York

Position on the Crew: Waterboy

Relationship to Jamie: Brother-in-law

Longest race you’ve completed: 50.00245k

Craziest thing you have ever done: Chased Jamie through the desert for 135 miles, for the third straight year.

Favorite race you ran in: Boilermaker

Were you part of the 2008 crew? Yes.


If so,

Favorite food during the race: The famous D’s Nuts chicken tenders.

Favorite part of the course: The start is full of adrenaline, climbing the mountains at night is awesome looking back on the headlights of the runners, but probably the finish is the best part of the course.

Favorite memory from last year: Pacing Jamie into the lead around mile 100 and Jamie setting the record.

Hopes for this year: To leave last year’s record in the dust.

Words of advice for Jamie: Believe in yourself.

Would you ever run Badwater? Yeah Right!

One thing most people don’t know about you: I’m secretly in love with Tony Horton.

How has your life changed since using Drymax socks: Drymax socks are money! I have placed 6 new PRs this year and all I have changed was my socks.

Meet the Crew: Eric Meech

Name: Eric Meech (pictured above with his wife Cecilia in the San Diego 100)

Residence: La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya), California

Occupation: Professional Lifeguard (and pacer)

Position on the Crew: Pacer, whistler, and cheering coordinator.

Relationship to Jamie: Friend

Longest race you’ve completed: The San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run

Craziest thing you have ever done: Hmm, there is a long list… but a spur of the moment, no preparation bike ride across America fits in there.

Favorite race you ran in: San Diego 100.

Were you part of the 2008 crew? Yes, a last minute addition.


If so,

Favorite food during the race: Lots of calories, and lots of flavor. I’ll eat just about anything. Ohh, Hammer Gel!


Favorite part of the course: The hot part, and the climb to the finish.

Favorite memory from last year: “Hi I’m Eric, I guess I’m going to run with you, is that O.K?” *see below

Funniest moment: Getting kicked out of Luis Escobar's car and hearing him say, “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad!” laugh and drive away. The beginning of my ultra career. *see above

Hopes for this year: Provide laughs, smiles, and assistance as needed…no limit.


Words of advice for Jamie: Stay focused, calm, and have some fun.

Would you ever run Badwater? You betcha’!

One thing most people don’t know about you: My new found affinity for Opera.

2 Weeks to Go

Badwater is 2 weeks away and I really can't believe it! After following Western States all day and night Saturday, it is hard to not be pumped up right now. But I still have 2 weeks. A lot is going on in that time...I am decreasing my running, increasing my sauna time (even doing 2-a-days), working on race logistics, and relaxing.

I am feeling better than ever thanks to my amazing friend, Meredith Terranova (pictured below with my dog Morrison). She was visiting from Austin, TX a couple weeks ago to attend a friend's wedding on Pike's Peak. Meredith is a dietitian who works tons with athletes. Being an awesome ultrarunner, she understands. She spent one of her days here with me going over my diet and revamping it for optimum performance. It was really eye opening because things I thought I was doing right with my day to day nutrition were really wrong. She even went to the grocery store with me and we looked at what to buy and why. It has only been a couple of weeks since, but I am feeling better than I ever felt! Thanks Meredith! Feel free to contact her through her website if you are interested in her services!

In the coming days, look for the Meet the Crew postings. I will go over who the amazing people are that will help me on my Badwater journey this year! Also, the Run Across Alabama for Elliott starts on July 1st. If you'd like to follow their run or donate, here is the link: http://runacrossalabama.blogspot.com/.

Anniversary Extravaganza

David & I on the top of windy Mt. Bierstadt (14,060 Ft.) Sunday

It has been an anniversary extravaganza for David & I! Today we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary and 14th year of being together! David doesn't like to start over so he prefers to say 14 years! Last year, because David was in the hospital due to his fall, we didn't get to celebrate at all. So this year, we tried to pack a lot of fun things in this weekend and today. On Sunday, we went up one of the most accessible 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado--Mt. Bierstadt. It was great to hike together again! The weather was really cold and windy when we got to the summit!

We got a lot of good training in this weekend too. Yes, I said we because David is back! After they removed the screw on June 9th, he has been a whole new person. He's running again and finally back to himself. He hasn't announced his "comeback" race yet, but is secretly planning something for late September or early October. Back by popular demand, here was his training week for June 15th-21st:

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Monday: walked Morrison

Tuesday: 1st run in a year (60 minute trail run)

Wednesday: too sore to do anything

Thursday: Heat trained with Jamie (David 12 min., Jamie 45 min.)

Friday: Highline Canal trail run 50 minutes

Saturday: Rest day; heat trained with Jamie again

Sunday: 4 hour hike up Mt. Bierstadt (7 miles round trip, almost 3,000 feet vertical elevation gain)

My training this week went well. I got in 210 quality miles and over 5 hours in the sauna. I am feeling really strong and healthy going into Badwater. I am ready for a 100 mile week and then the taper begins! Good luck to all the runners competing at Western this weekend...hope you did your heat training since the forecast is in the 100's for Saturday!