Joe Fejes Interview Jul 11, 2013 -- Zane: Joe, you have done a lot of great interviews lately so let me say up front I'm sorry if I ask any of the same questions. But you are a damn interesting guy, so I see why everyone wants to interview you. Let's start with your childhood. Where you active in sports or where did your interests lie?
Joe: Thanks Zane for the opportunity to talk shop! Actually I find myself to be rather boring and somewhat shy but what the hell let’s get this interview started. Yes I loved all sports (basketball, baseball, football, tennis, golf) as a kid but being scrawny in size and wearing large hearing aids I was usually the last kid "picked" on sport teams. Especially as a six year old yankee kid from Cleveland Ohio moving to rural Norcross Georgia in 1971. Being the last picked kid is a tremendous motivator. I knew the quickest way to gain acceptance with the other kids was to prove them wrong. I made sure that I played every sport full throttle. If I wasn’t skilled at a sport then I practiced until I became good. My primary sport from grade school through my sophomore year in high school was basketball. Both of my neighbors were 6 foot 5 and I learned how to scrap playing against them. I couldn’t shoot worth a damn but I played a mean defense. Coach would put me on the opposing team’s point guard and let me run him ragged chasing the ball and disrupting play. I was also an avid golfer but I quickly learned that I sucked no matter how much I practiced or played. I took up distance running during middle school and ran a 3:05 marathon in my first marathon as a 15 year old. I also ran cross country and track in high school and lowered my 800 time from 2:14 my junior year to 2:00 as a Senior despite having below average 400 speed. My high school times were good enough to allow me to compete in college Emory University’s team under the legendary Coach Steve Keith.
Zane: It seems like you got started in ultra running at a relatively late age. Your first results on Ultrasignup are from 2008 at age 43. What drove you to ultra running?
Joe: After I graduated law school from the University of Georgia I decided in 1995 to try to qualify to run the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. After 8 months of rigorous training I ended up qualifying at the Twin Cities marathon with a 2:47. The day after the Boston Marathon I stopped running cold turkey for approximately twelve years. From 1996-2008 I really didn’t exercise or play much sports other than an occasional round of golf. In 2008 I weighed 192 pounds and knew I had to get back in shape. I started training with Ryan Kyranikis, the owner of a local running store "Runners Fit" and a former standout runner for the University of Alabama. I ended up running the Blue Ridge Relay with Ryan and 4 other guys and had a blast running a total of about 35 miles with several legs at night. I then decide to try an ultra. I signed up for the inaugural Pinhoti 100 mile trail race in Alabama. Prior to Pinhoti I had not run a 50k, 50 mile or any other ultra distance. I had not even run a marathon since the 1996 Boston. I ended up DNF’ing at mile 80 when my right hip flexor seized and I couldn’t walk even though I had ten hours to finish 20 miles. Despite my initial failure I was hooked on ultras.
Zane: Looking through those results, what are some early races that really stand out to you?
Joe: (1) In 2010 I decided to redeem myself at Pinhoti and was running a sub 24 hour pace until I made a wrong turn at mile 90. I ended up running six miles before I realized my mistake. I backtracked and ended up finishing 112 miles in 28 hours! Damn!! The memory still haunts me!
(2) The Big Dog Backyard Ultra hosted by Laz is another great memory. The Big Dog format is unique in that you have 60 minutes to run a 4 mile loop on the hour every hour. The last man or woman standing wins. I finally beat out Marcy Beard for the win after 28 hours of running. I didn’t think the race would ever end!
(3) Superior Sawtooth 100 mile. 32 hours of hell after being dehydrated beginning mile 15. Tough terrain with brutal elevation changes. I am going back this year to improve.
Zane: When we look at your results about mid-2011 on up until today, you can really see a shift toward some very high place finishes. What changed around this time for you, if anything?
Joe: I believe the primary drivers of my improved performances were related to five factors: (1) increasing the frequency of my workouts and building a decent mileage base (instituted regular weekly am training runs with Beth McCurdy, Ami Roach, Sean Oh, Phil Canning, et al); (2) overcoming the hump of nagging injuries (Sesamoiditis, Plantar Fascitis, and Metatarsalgia) by wearing Hokas and Lynco 405 Insole; (3) smarter race management (i.e. stay on the course) (4) dropping 30 pounds from 172 to 145 (crash diet) and (5) gaining confidence from Rich Schick and Mike Morton.
Zane: It looks like the 2011 Hinson Lake 24 was your first 24hr race and you put down 132 miles. That's pretty impressive. Did you know then you were going to be a great 24hr runner?
Joe: No, I didn’t consider myself a great 24 hour runner at Hinson nor do I today although I consider my 156 miles at Desert Solstice to be excellent. My perception of the 24 hour mileage performance rating is as follows:
130+ miles = decent,
140+ miles = good,
150+ mile = legitimate (Michael Henze, Serge Arbona, Phil McCarthy, Joe Fejes,et al)
160+ miles =excellent (Jon Olsen, Scott Jurek, John Dennis, Mark Godale, et al )
170+ miles = phenomenal (Mike Morton)
180+ miles= mileage worthy of a higher power
188 miles= YK
Actually Hinson Lake was my second 24 hour race. I had previously run 116 miles at the Black Mountain Monster 24 hour a few months prior which was the course record but I was somewhat disappointed with my mileage. I knew I could run further. My 132 mile at Hinson was much better but I got shellacked by Mike Morton who ran 164 miles and beat me by more than 50k. Mike told me after the race that I could run 150+ miles under decent weather conditions. I thought he was just being nice but then I realized he meant it. His confidence gave me confidence.
Zane: 2012 was your first trip to the 24hr World Championships in Poland. You finished in a respectable 27th place, but I understand you had some unfinished business?
Joe: Absolutely. I knew I could run further than 147 and our team could win gold.
Zane: How did your experience in 2012 shape your preparation for the 2013 24hr World Championships?
Joe: I knew I really had to run 150+ to contribute to the US team if we wanted to have a shot at the podium and the gold medal. I revamped my training by focusing on shorter high intensity two a day workouts to develop leg speed and ensure that I could comfortably reach 100 miles in 15:00 or less and have a chance at 150 plus miles.
Zane: In Dec of 2012 you go out and crush the Desert Solstice 24hr with 156 miles and a few weeks later set a 72hr race record with 329 miles (becoming one of the few people to break a Yiannis Kouros record)! That's a pretty impressive month for anyone.
Joe: Hell yeah—actually two weeks prior to Desert Solstice on Dec. 1 I also ran 139 miles at the Shazaam 24 hour. That is a total of 624 miles of racing during the month of December! Desert Solstice turned out to be a fantastic 47th birthday run for me. I set American Records (age group 45-49) with my splits in the following categories:
12 hour = 132k
100 miles = 14:41
200k=18:40, 100 miles, and
24 hours = 252k
Zane: Of course I have to mention your World Record 24hr Sand Run at the 2013 Destin 50, where you broke the old record by 50 miles! You seemed to come into that event very prepared and ready to put down some serious miles. Tell us a little about that experience.
Joe: I was mentally focused to run hard at Destin. I fully expected Mike and Connie to hammer it and I didn’t want to be left behind. I was nailing my workouts the weeks leading up to Destin and was ecstatic to learn that the weather would be nice and cool during the event. I was also pumped that the race would start at 7 pm instead of the normal am starting time. I looked forward to being fresh and running hard during the night portion of the race which is usually the toughest part. I swear the pm start time adds significant miles to your distance and I really wish other 24 hour races would try pm starts. I thought my 134 miles at Destin on the sand was the equivalent if not better than my 156 mile Desert Solstice performance. Destin is a must do race for ultra runners. A festive atmosphere and fantastic rewarding event that the local restaurants and businesses have really embraced. It is also great to see the support that people have for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. A lot of money was raised for a great cause.
Zane: So coming off of that performance you had to feel pretty good going into the 2013 24hr World Championships?
Joe: Absolutely although about a month prior to the race I tweaked my left hamstring that began acting up a few days prior to the race. I was really worried whether I would perform up to expectations.
Zane: Now let's get to the 2013 24hr World Championships. I had the great honor of crewing you for this event and I have to say, it was one of the greatest team performances I have ever witnessed by any US sports team in person or on TV. And you were a big part of that. What was it like to represent the United States on the world stage for the second time?
Joe: Zane, I want you to know that I had the great honor of having you as my crew chief. Your involvement was a main reason for my success personally as well as contributing to Team USA bringing home the gold. I won’t ever forget your assistance and friendship. Representing the USA in the World Championship is a numbing experience. I really don’t think any other ultra event (including Badwater, Western States, IROC, etc.) can compare to putting on a USA jersey and competing with 35 other countries in a 24 hour World Championship. No disrespect to the 100k US team but racing for 24 hours instead of only 6 hours probably has more emotion and drama.
Zane: There has been a lot of talk about how terrible the weather was, but you knew coming into the race that you generally ran well in the cold. Did this give you a mental advantage when the wind, rain, and sleet started?
Joe: Absolutely! I kept telling myself the cold rainy weather is my playground and would work to my advantage. I kept thinking about the childhood story of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox. "Please don’t throw me into the briar patch". The cold rain was my briar patch—at least until it turned into freezing cold sleet. I instantly went from a comfortable chill to a nasty borderline hypothermia. Worst of all I had to stop and put that friggin bulky rain jacket on with the hood that acted as a ice water bucket!
Zane: We had come up with a pretty detailed game plan before the race to get you over 150 miles. I just happen to have some of your actual splits here (26m-3:25, 50m-6:48, 100m-14:48). A lot of people would be happy to have those splits in any race. How did this fit (or not fit) into your game plan?
Joe: As might be expected I went out way too fast. "Joe" had no business being in front of the other two Go Jo’s (Jon Olsen and John Dennis) for the first 26 miles. John Olsen (12:29 100 mile PR) and John Dennis (14:07 100 mile PR) are both much much faster, stronger runners that I am (14:41 100 mile PR). I believe my early fast pace zapped my legs the last 9 hours. As you know I sat down for quick rest breaks WAY too much the second half of the race! The good news is that I was able to hold it together enough to run a solid effort to contribute to the team scoring.
Zane: So you went out a little fast. How did this affect you later in the race? What was the low point of the race for you?
Joe: Looking back my lowest point was the first couple hours after the sleet started and I had to put that rain jacket on.
Zane: At 20hrs you were 11th overall, the 10th male. Around this time it was also clear that the men's team had pulled into first place overall. Tell us about your mindset the last 4hrs of the race.
Joe: At 20 hours I was in "panic mode" worried that I was flirting with the redline and I didn’t want to end up death marching the last couple of hours. I knew I had to continue to run steady since I was the #3 man on the team and we needed three runners to score.
Zane: You finished up 10th overall (9th male) with 154+ miles and won your age group. That met your goal of over 150 miles and also secured you a spot on next year's team. Did you take some time to think about what an amazing accomplishment that was? You are in the top 10 best 24hr runners on the entire planet.
Joe: Yes I was super pleased that I exceeded my 150+ goal and contributed to the team scoring. Finishing in the top 10 among the World best 24 hour runners is still a dream. My only disappointment is that I think I had a PR in me if I had run a tad slower the first few hours and if the weather hadn’t deteriorated.
Zane: You travel a lot for work and for running. How does your family handle you being on the road a lot?
Joe: My wife and my ten year old daughter are super supportive of my running hobby and enjoy tracking the races online. The good news is that for the past year my office is only a few miles from our house and my daughters school. Several times a week I either have lunch with her at her school or she does her homework after school at my office. She calls it her "quality" time with daddy. Works out great for me too--can’t beat the yummy school cafeteria lunch for $3.95 especially since I am a cheap bastard.
Zane: During the World Championships someone asked why I was always yelling at you. Obviously they did not know that you normally wear hearing aids and you take them out during most of the race. Can you tell us when you started wearing them and if there have been challenges with that?
Joe: I was born with nerve damage and have been wearing hearing aids virtually my entire life. Yes some challenges especially in my basketball days when many times the ref had to stop the grade and high school basketball games because I would get head slapped during the game and my hearing aid would fly across the court. Additionally even with the hearing aids it is often difficult for me to hear in noisy environments or if someone is speaking in low volume. If I am running on a trail and you are either in front of me or behind me chances are I can’t hear you. If I agree with you and say yep most of the time—that is a pretty good sign that I can’t hear a damn thing you are saying. On the positive side I usually sleep great without them except if I room with Coach Nippert and have to put up with his god awful snoring! My hearing loss also helps when I run with my good buddies Wayne "Weezy" Downey and Kelley Wells since they chit-chat non-stop during ultras! lol
Zane: You seem to be a guy who can overcome almost any challenge, but at the end of this year you have a very big challenge that you want to conquer. Please fill us in on your plans for the 6 day race.
Joe: I am cautiously optimistic about my chances in the 6 day event at Across the Years in Phoenix Arizona. I believe my strengths as a runner are better suited for multiday events compared to the 24 hour. If the weather conditions are favorable and I avoid any major issues during the six days I believe 500+ miles is feasible. I am however plenty concerned about how I feel days 4-6. The 3 day event beat t hell out of me and I don’t know what to expect after 72 hours. It should be a fantastic event. Several tough competitors have already signed up including the world class 6 day runner William Sichel from Great Britain; Ian Mcllvenna from British Columbia; and the hometown favorite James Bonnett. There is also a possibility that YK may join. Connie Gardner and Sabrina Little have also expressed an interest. It has the makings of a daunting but epic adventure.
Zane: You are a very humble guy, like nearly all best ultra runners I meet, but there has got to be a pretty strong competitive fire in your belly to want to take on these immense challenges.
Joe: Hell yeah I’m competitive--it is really the primary driver for my running. As I have mentioned before—Joe don’t do fun runs. Having said that I almost always "compete" against myself rather than others although I won’t shy away from competition during the latter stages of a race. Probably my favorite ultra race ever was the Black Warrior 50k in Alabama a few years ago when me, and my ultra buddies Lance Steele and Michael Green battled it out the last two miles of the race which ended in a dead sprint to the finish the last 800 meters. There is nothing finer than dry heaving at the finish line knowing you left it all out on the course. Although I am highly competitive I am a huge believer in good sportsmanship and also do not take my "hobby" too seriously.
Zane: You are already among the top runners in the world in distances 24hrs and over, but like so many others in our sport it is tough for you to get any kind of a sponsorship. What can we do as a sport to get more companies excited about, and investing in, the real ultra runners who are putting up tangible results?
Joe: Monetizing ultras is admittedly a tough sell. Despite tremendous growth Ultrarnning is still a relatively small participant sport and has limited spectator interest. The 24 hour World Championship though may actually offer greater appeal to mainstream audiences compared that many trail ultras since people off the street are probably more intrigued by running for a full 24 hours compared to only a 50 or 100k. They want to see the crash and burn effects of running all day and night! Sexy Xtreme appeal like the XGames! It seems to me that the only real money that has been made by a few ultra runners has been in the form of books offered to the mainstream population (i.e. Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes and Born to Run). The other possibility for monetization might occur if a few of the ultra events could be sanctioned for sports betting with the oddsmakers. Mainstream gamblers might get hooked on taking "long shots" since anything can happen in an ultra event.
Zane: Well that is probably enough for one interview. I look forward to doing it again after you finish the 6 day race at Across The Years. Can we look for you at the 2014 Destin Beach Ultra Runs beating that sand into submission for 24hrs?
Joe: Absolutely! although I am in heavy negotiation with my Daughter as this year’s race falls on her birthday. I’m selling her on the race as a "beach" vacation for her!
Joe: Thanks Zane for the opportunity to talk shop! Actually I find myself to be rather boring and somewhat shy but what the hell let’s get this interview started. Yes I loved all sports (basketball, baseball, football, tennis, golf) as a kid but being scrawny in size and wearing large hearing aids I was usually the last kid "picked" on sport teams. Especially as a six year old yankee kid from Cleveland Ohio moving to rural Norcross Georgia in 1971. Being the last picked kid is a tremendous motivator. I knew the quickest way to gain acceptance with the other kids was to prove them wrong. I made sure that I played every sport full throttle. If I wasn’t skilled at a sport then I practiced until I became good. My primary sport from grade school through my sophomore year in high school was basketball. Both of my neighbors were 6 foot 5 and I learned how to scrap playing against them. I couldn’t shoot worth a damn but I played a mean defense. Coach would put me on the opposing team’s point guard and let me run him ragged chasing the ball and disrupting play. I was also an avid golfer but I quickly learned that I sucked no matter how much I practiced or played. I took up distance running during middle school and ran a 3:05 marathon in my first marathon as a 15 year old. I also ran cross country and track in high school and lowered my 800 time from 2:14 my junior year to 2:00 as a Senior despite having below average 400 speed. My high school times were good enough to allow me to compete in college Emory University’s team under the legendary Coach Steve Keith.
Zane: It seems like you got started in ultra running at a relatively late age. Your first results on Ultrasignup are from 2008 at age 43. What drove you to ultra running?
Joe: After I graduated law school from the University of Georgia I decided in 1995 to try to qualify to run the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. After 8 months of rigorous training I ended up qualifying at the Twin Cities marathon with a 2:47. The day after the Boston Marathon I stopped running cold turkey for approximately twelve years. From 1996-2008 I really didn’t exercise or play much sports other than an occasional round of golf. In 2008 I weighed 192 pounds and knew I had to get back in shape. I started training with Ryan Kyranikis, the owner of a local running store "Runners Fit" and a former standout runner for the University of Alabama. I ended up running the Blue Ridge Relay with Ryan and 4 other guys and had a blast running a total of about 35 miles with several legs at night. I then decide to try an ultra. I signed up for the inaugural Pinhoti 100 mile trail race in Alabama. Prior to Pinhoti I had not run a 50k, 50 mile or any other ultra distance. I had not even run a marathon since the 1996 Boston. I ended up DNF’ing at mile 80 when my right hip flexor seized and I couldn’t walk even though I had ten hours to finish 20 miles. Despite my initial failure I was hooked on ultras.
Zane: Looking through those results, what are some early races that really stand out to you?
Joe: (1) In 2010 I decided to redeem myself at Pinhoti and was running a sub 24 hour pace until I made a wrong turn at mile 90. I ended up running six miles before I realized my mistake. I backtracked and ended up finishing 112 miles in 28 hours! Damn!! The memory still haunts me!
(2) The Big Dog Backyard Ultra hosted by Laz is another great memory. The Big Dog format is unique in that you have 60 minutes to run a 4 mile loop on the hour every hour. The last man or woman standing wins. I finally beat out Marcy Beard for the win after 28 hours of running. I didn’t think the race would ever end!
(3) Superior Sawtooth 100 mile. 32 hours of hell after being dehydrated beginning mile 15. Tough terrain with brutal elevation changes. I am going back this year to improve.
Zane: When we look at your results about mid-2011 on up until today, you can really see a shift toward some very high place finishes. What changed around this time for you, if anything?
Joe: I believe the primary drivers of my improved performances were related to five factors: (1) increasing the frequency of my workouts and building a decent mileage base (instituted regular weekly am training runs with Beth McCurdy, Ami Roach, Sean Oh, Phil Canning, et al); (2) overcoming the hump of nagging injuries (Sesamoiditis, Plantar Fascitis, and Metatarsalgia) by wearing Hokas and Lynco 405 Insole; (3) smarter race management (i.e. stay on the course) (4) dropping 30 pounds from 172 to 145 (crash diet) and (5) gaining confidence from Rich Schick and Mike Morton.
Zane: It looks like the 2011 Hinson Lake 24 was your first 24hr race and you put down 132 miles. That's pretty impressive. Did you know then you were going to be a great 24hr runner?
Joe: No, I didn’t consider myself a great 24 hour runner at Hinson nor do I today although I consider my 156 miles at Desert Solstice to be excellent. My perception of the 24 hour mileage performance rating is as follows:
130+ miles = decent,
140+ miles = good,
150+ mile = legitimate (Michael Henze, Serge Arbona, Phil McCarthy, Joe Fejes,et al)
160+ miles =excellent (Jon Olsen, Scott Jurek, John Dennis, Mark Godale, et al )
170+ miles = phenomenal (Mike Morton)
180+ miles= mileage worthy of a higher power
188 miles= YK
Actually Hinson Lake was my second 24 hour race. I had previously run 116 miles at the Black Mountain Monster 24 hour a few months prior which was the course record but I was somewhat disappointed with my mileage. I knew I could run further. My 132 mile at Hinson was much better but I got shellacked by Mike Morton who ran 164 miles and beat me by more than 50k. Mike told me after the race that I could run 150+ miles under decent weather conditions. I thought he was just being nice but then I realized he meant it. His confidence gave me confidence.
Zane: 2012 was your first trip to the 24hr World Championships in Poland. You finished in a respectable 27th place, but I understand you had some unfinished business?
Joe: Absolutely. I knew I could run further than 147 and our team could win gold.
Zane: How did your experience in 2012 shape your preparation for the 2013 24hr World Championships?
Joe: I knew I really had to run 150+ to contribute to the US team if we wanted to have a shot at the podium and the gold medal. I revamped my training by focusing on shorter high intensity two a day workouts to develop leg speed and ensure that I could comfortably reach 100 miles in 15:00 or less and have a chance at 150 plus miles.
Zane: In Dec of 2012 you go out and crush the Desert Solstice 24hr with 156 miles and a few weeks later set a 72hr race record with 329 miles (becoming one of the few people to break a Yiannis Kouros record)! That's a pretty impressive month for anyone.
Joe: Hell yeah—actually two weeks prior to Desert Solstice on Dec. 1 I also ran 139 miles at the Shazaam 24 hour. That is a total of 624 miles of racing during the month of December! Desert Solstice turned out to be a fantastic 47th birthday run for me. I set American Records (age group 45-49) with my splits in the following categories:
12 hour = 132k
100 miles = 14:41
200k=18:40, 100 miles, and
24 hours = 252k
Zane: Of course I have to mention your World Record 24hr Sand Run at the 2013 Destin 50, where you broke the old record by 50 miles! You seemed to come into that event very prepared and ready to put down some serious miles. Tell us a little about that experience.
Joe: I was mentally focused to run hard at Destin. I fully expected Mike and Connie to hammer it and I didn’t want to be left behind. I was nailing my workouts the weeks leading up to Destin and was ecstatic to learn that the weather would be nice and cool during the event. I was also pumped that the race would start at 7 pm instead of the normal am starting time. I looked forward to being fresh and running hard during the night portion of the race which is usually the toughest part. I swear the pm start time adds significant miles to your distance and I really wish other 24 hour races would try pm starts. I thought my 134 miles at Destin on the sand was the equivalent if not better than my 156 mile Desert Solstice performance. Destin is a must do race for ultra runners. A festive atmosphere and fantastic rewarding event that the local restaurants and businesses have really embraced. It is also great to see the support that people have for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. A lot of money was raised for a great cause.
Zane: So coming off of that performance you had to feel pretty good going into the 2013 24hr World Championships?
Joe: Absolutely although about a month prior to the race I tweaked my left hamstring that began acting up a few days prior to the race. I was really worried whether I would perform up to expectations.
Zane: Now let's get to the 2013 24hr World Championships. I had the great honor of crewing you for this event and I have to say, it was one of the greatest team performances I have ever witnessed by any US sports team in person or on TV. And you were a big part of that. What was it like to represent the United States on the world stage for the second time?
Joe: Zane, I want you to know that I had the great honor of having you as my crew chief. Your involvement was a main reason for my success personally as well as contributing to Team USA bringing home the gold. I won’t ever forget your assistance and friendship. Representing the USA in the World Championship is a numbing experience. I really don’t think any other ultra event (including Badwater, Western States, IROC, etc.) can compare to putting on a USA jersey and competing with 35 other countries in a 24 hour World Championship. No disrespect to the 100k US team but racing for 24 hours instead of only 6 hours probably has more emotion and drama.
Zane: There has been a lot of talk about how terrible the weather was, but you knew coming into the race that you generally ran well in the cold. Did this give you a mental advantage when the wind, rain, and sleet started?
Joe: Absolutely! I kept telling myself the cold rainy weather is my playground and would work to my advantage. I kept thinking about the childhood story of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox. "Please don’t throw me into the briar patch". The cold rain was my briar patch—at least until it turned into freezing cold sleet. I instantly went from a comfortable chill to a nasty borderline hypothermia. Worst of all I had to stop and put that friggin bulky rain jacket on with the hood that acted as a ice water bucket!
Zane: We had come up with a pretty detailed game plan before the race to get you over 150 miles. I just happen to have some of your actual splits here (26m-3:25, 50m-6:48, 100m-14:48). A lot of people would be happy to have those splits in any race. How did this fit (or not fit) into your game plan?
Joe: As might be expected I went out way too fast. "Joe" had no business being in front of the other two Go Jo’s (Jon Olsen and John Dennis) for the first 26 miles. John Olsen (12:29 100 mile PR) and John Dennis (14:07 100 mile PR) are both much much faster, stronger runners that I am (14:41 100 mile PR). I believe my early fast pace zapped my legs the last 9 hours. As you know I sat down for quick rest breaks WAY too much the second half of the race! The good news is that I was able to hold it together enough to run a solid effort to contribute to the team scoring.
Zane: So you went out a little fast. How did this affect you later in the race? What was the low point of the race for you?
Joe: Looking back my lowest point was the first couple hours after the sleet started and I had to put that rain jacket on.
Zane: At 20hrs you were 11th overall, the 10th male. Around this time it was also clear that the men's team had pulled into first place overall. Tell us about your mindset the last 4hrs of the race.
Joe: At 20 hours I was in "panic mode" worried that I was flirting with the redline and I didn’t want to end up death marching the last couple of hours. I knew I had to continue to run steady since I was the #3 man on the team and we needed three runners to score.
Zane: You finished up 10th overall (9th male) with 154+ miles and won your age group. That met your goal of over 150 miles and also secured you a spot on next year's team. Did you take some time to think about what an amazing accomplishment that was? You are in the top 10 best 24hr runners on the entire planet.
Joe: Yes I was super pleased that I exceeded my 150+ goal and contributed to the team scoring. Finishing in the top 10 among the World best 24 hour runners is still a dream. My only disappointment is that I think I had a PR in me if I had run a tad slower the first few hours and if the weather hadn’t deteriorated.
Zane: You travel a lot for work and for running. How does your family handle you being on the road a lot?
Joe: My wife and my ten year old daughter are super supportive of my running hobby and enjoy tracking the races online. The good news is that for the past year my office is only a few miles from our house and my daughters school. Several times a week I either have lunch with her at her school or she does her homework after school at my office. She calls it her "quality" time with daddy. Works out great for me too--can’t beat the yummy school cafeteria lunch for $3.95 especially since I am a cheap bastard.
Zane: During the World Championships someone asked why I was always yelling at you. Obviously they did not know that you normally wear hearing aids and you take them out during most of the race. Can you tell us when you started wearing them and if there have been challenges with that?
Joe: I was born with nerve damage and have been wearing hearing aids virtually my entire life. Yes some challenges especially in my basketball days when many times the ref had to stop the grade and high school basketball games because I would get head slapped during the game and my hearing aid would fly across the court. Additionally even with the hearing aids it is often difficult for me to hear in noisy environments or if someone is speaking in low volume. If I am running on a trail and you are either in front of me or behind me chances are I can’t hear you. If I agree with you and say yep most of the time—that is a pretty good sign that I can’t hear a damn thing you are saying. On the positive side I usually sleep great without them except if I room with Coach Nippert and have to put up with his god awful snoring! My hearing loss also helps when I run with my good buddies Wayne "Weezy" Downey and Kelley Wells since they chit-chat non-stop during ultras! lol
Zane: You seem to be a guy who can overcome almost any challenge, but at the end of this year you have a very big challenge that you want to conquer. Please fill us in on your plans for the 6 day race.
Joe: I am cautiously optimistic about my chances in the 6 day event at Across the Years in Phoenix Arizona. I believe my strengths as a runner are better suited for multiday events compared to the 24 hour. If the weather conditions are favorable and I avoid any major issues during the six days I believe 500+ miles is feasible. I am however plenty concerned about how I feel days 4-6. The 3 day event beat t hell out of me and I don’t know what to expect after 72 hours. It should be a fantastic event. Several tough competitors have already signed up including the world class 6 day runner William Sichel from Great Britain; Ian Mcllvenna from British Columbia; and the hometown favorite James Bonnett. There is also a possibility that YK may join. Connie Gardner and Sabrina Little have also expressed an interest. It has the makings of a daunting but epic adventure.
Zane: You are a very humble guy, like nearly all best ultra runners I meet, but there has got to be a pretty strong competitive fire in your belly to want to take on these immense challenges.
Joe: Hell yeah I’m competitive--it is really the primary driver for my running. As I have mentioned before—Joe don’t do fun runs. Having said that I almost always "compete" against myself rather than others although I won’t shy away from competition during the latter stages of a race. Probably my favorite ultra race ever was the Black Warrior 50k in Alabama a few years ago when me, and my ultra buddies Lance Steele and Michael Green battled it out the last two miles of the race which ended in a dead sprint to the finish the last 800 meters. There is nothing finer than dry heaving at the finish line knowing you left it all out on the course. Although I am highly competitive I am a huge believer in good sportsmanship and also do not take my "hobby" too seriously.
Zane: You are already among the top runners in the world in distances 24hrs and over, but like so many others in our sport it is tough for you to get any kind of a sponsorship. What can we do as a sport to get more companies excited about, and investing in, the real ultra runners who are putting up tangible results?
Joe: Monetizing ultras is admittedly a tough sell. Despite tremendous growth Ultrarnning is still a relatively small participant sport and has limited spectator interest. The 24 hour World Championship though may actually offer greater appeal to mainstream audiences compared that many trail ultras since people off the street are probably more intrigued by running for a full 24 hours compared to only a 50 or 100k. They want to see the crash and burn effects of running all day and night! Sexy Xtreme appeal like the XGames! It seems to me that the only real money that has been made by a few ultra runners has been in the form of books offered to the mainstream population (i.e. Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes and Born to Run). The other possibility for monetization might occur if a few of the ultra events could be sanctioned for sports betting with the oddsmakers. Mainstream gamblers might get hooked on taking "long shots" since anything can happen in an ultra event.
Zane: Well that is probably enough for one interview. I look forward to doing it again after you finish the 6 day race at Across The Years. Can we look for you at the 2014 Destin Beach Ultra Runs beating that sand into submission for 24hrs?
Joe: Absolutely! although I am in heavy negotiation with my Daughter as this year’s race falls on her birthday. I’m selling her on the race as a "beach" vacation for her!
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