Niwotian Completes Ultra Marathon

For most people, a 10k would constitute a long run. But Niwot resident Pete Brandes has a different definition of "long."

On Sept. 17th, Brandes, 30, completed the Run Rabbit Run 100-mile ultra-marathon in Steamboat Springs with a total time of 27 hours and 37 minutes. Brandes took 26th place out of a field of 315 dedicated runners. He logged 185,000 steps during the event. The course had 20,391 feet of total ascent and 20,391 feet of descent.

Brandes said he started seriously thinking about an ultra-marathon after joining Rocky Mountain Runners, a group of trail runners in the Boulder area. "The group is relaxed but serious about running," Brandes said. "They talk a lot about the 100s (100 mile runs) they are training for or running in, and it just became intoxicating." He said that the group is so supportive of each other that suddenly an ultra-marathon "becomes not really a crazy thing anymore."

Brandes started training in earnest for the race in January with his biggest training weeks usually encompassing 90 miles total, with one long and one "less long" run back-to-back. Aside from training for distance, one of the most important components of training for this kind of race is night run training as runners will be on the move all night.

One thing that helped Brandes with night training was the fact that, on top of everything else, he became a first-time father to son, Jack, in May. "Sometimes, because of Jack," Brandes said, "the only time I really could run was in the middle of the night."

Carissa Brandes, Pete's wife, said he was absolutely respectful of family time during his training. "Pete ran when it was convenient for Jack and for me," she said. "Sometimes that meant he'd run at 8 p.m. after Jack was in bed and sometimes, he'd have to train at 4 a.m. before we were up."

And if all that weren't enough, Brandes was in the middle of his first-year teaching as a science teacher at Niwot High School. He's also, unsurprisingly, an assistant coach for the NHS track and cross-country teams. "Juggling work and a new baby wasn't easy," Brandes said. But he said running with the team at practice helped him get miles in and allowed him to combine work and training.

In an ultra-marathon, race support is vital and Brandes said he couldn't have made it without a crew and pacers. The crew, made up of family and friends, met him at different spots along the route with clothes, shoes, food and, most of all, encouragement. Two good friends and fellow runners served as his pacers from mile 45 to the end. "Despite what it sounds like, pacers aren't there to gauge your speed. Their number one job is moral support. They are there to lie to you and tell you you look amazing, but also to let you know everyone else feels just as miserable as you do," he joked.

Although the forecast for the two race days was for clear skies, Mother Nature didn't get the memo. Runners suffered through no less than six rainstorms and four bouts of hail. Carissa said she woke up in the middle of the night to lightning and thunder. "All I could do was envision him out there in the middle of all that. It was really intense."

Brandes indicated that one of his favorite moments of the race took place around mile 60 in what the racers call the "lane of pain." "It was the middle of the night and there was this horrendous loop with a straight up climb. I was really at a low and could barely run," he said. In order to verify you made it through the loop, each runner picks up a playing card which has to be turned in at the next aid station. "My card was a jack of diamonds. Because of my son (Jack) it made me smile. I thought it was a sign."

Brandes' last mile was an 8-minute mile. "In that last mile, all the pain went away. I was so excited to see everyone...and to stop running." He said the race isn't finished until you "hug the designated hugger." In talking about the experience, Brandes said, "I never thought I'd quit. But there were definitely moments of 'this is going to be a lot worse than I thought.'" Asked if he would ever do it again, Brandes sheepishly said, "I have another one (100-mile run) scheduled for November."