[Editor’s Note: This article is part of an occasional series on the unique opportunities and challenges of growing older as a runner.]
This weekend, I will be running the Javelina 100 Mile in my home state of Arizona. This will be my third time toeing the line at this fantastic event. The first time I ran Javelina back in 2007, it was a smaller, more intimate affair than it is now. That year, as a 40-year-old, I competed for the win with my long-time friend and rival Jorge Pacheco, who ultimately prevailed in a winning time of 15:49. I ended up second place in 16:34. Last year, after 17 years away from the race, I returned to Javelina and finished again, this time in 116th place in a time of 22:42.
AJW proudly displays his 2024 Javelina 100 Mile belt buckle.
I have spent a fair bit of time over the last year reflecting on the experience of running the same race 17 years apart. Of course, I cannot help but dwell on the fact that I have slowed by over six hours in those intervening years. On the other hand, I take pride in the fact that I am still going and healthy enough to train for and run 100-mile races, however slow my times may be. Going into this year’s race, I am savoring the fact that running significant races with big challenges is not only a privilege, but also a gift — a gift that we older runners should never take for granted.
This year, my race plan will be simple: Run a little bit faster than last year. In my build-up to the race this year, my training has followed a familiar pattern that I have developed over three decades in ultrarunning: long runs on the course, a three-day training camp, occasional tempo runs, and consistent daily recovery runs. Looking back over a couple of decades of training logs, this familiar pattern emerges as an example of, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
The author running the nighttime section of the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile.
Back when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and trained often on the Western States 100 course, one of my regular training partners was the late Mark Richtman. Mark was always a pleasure to train with as he had a relentlessly positive attitude and seemed to enjoy training almost more than racing. I recall at the end of our last long training run for the Western States 100 back in 2006, he said something that always struck me:
“Well, AJW, we’ve split the bananas, scooped out the ice cream, added the hot fudge sauce and all the toppings, now all that’s left to do is put the cherry on top.”
Mark Richtman on the coastal California trails he loved. Photo courtesy of Gary Wang.
My 2025 Javelina 100 Mile, being the gift that it is, will certainly be the cherry on top of my training. Coming toward the end of a year when I took on a new full-time job, ran my first 250-mile race, and welcomed my first granddaughter into the world, it seems like an entirely fitting gift with which to complete the year. I hope to see some of you out there!
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Marin County, California, where Mark Richtman called home. Fieldwork Brewing Company in Corte Madera, is known for its hazy IPAs, and in my opinion, their best one is Postcards from Fiji. It is a slightly bitter hazy, brewed in the old-school style of classic New England IPAs. It’s a great beer to have with barbecue or a burger, or just on its own as the cherry on top of a perfect run.
Call for Comments
- Have you had an experience of returning to a race or route after a long time away? How did it feel?
- In what other ways do you mark the passage of time as a runner?
