Starting Off

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have tried to keep a bit mum on this event, but at the encouragement of my wife, I have started this blog to document my experience leading up to what will be the hardest race of my running career. On the 23rd of June, I will be honored to toe the line at Squaw Valley, California, with some of the world's best ultrarunners to travel the insane 100-mile course of the Western States Endurance Run. This is arguably one of the most recognizable ultramarathons in the country, if not the world. While the running community can debate which course, based on length, terrain, elevation gain/loss, quality of the field of runners, or any other factors, all of those involved in ultrarunning have heard of this race and the challenges it poses to the mind and body of those participants in it. The race director, Greg Soderlund, was kind enough to accept my request for entry, and I thank him profusely for the opportunity.

The run begins at Squaw valley, and from there climbs an initial 2,550 vertical feet within the first 4 1/2 miles, before ascending another 15,540 feet and descending 22,970 feet, finishing in Auburn, California. 100-mile races by themselves are brutal competitions against the self, but the elevation changes at WS100 rises it to amongst the elite. It has been the stage for some of the greatest ultramarathoners in history, including: Tim Twietmeyer (a living ultramarathoning legend), Goeff Roes, Kilian Jornet, Scott Jurek, Hal Koerner, Ann Trason, Jim King, and Anton Krupica. Many of these may seem foreign, but in the ultrarunning community, these names might as well be Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, etc. etc. Overall, it is an honor just share the same running route with these legends.

I decided to try to enter this race during my year-long deployment to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, with the US Army. For the majority of the deployment, I was in charge of civil-military operations and development, attempting to aid in the reconstruction and development of the local Afghan government and economy. Needless to say, every day required at least one run at the beginning or end of the day. Running around a FOB that is less than 3/4 of a mile in circumference, on 4-inch gravel, is not very conducive for running, but it was a critical part of my day. This running led my friend Luke Reece (a Signal Officer in our Battalion) and I to conduct our own mini-ultra of 50-kilometers (approximately 31 miles) in November 2011 to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project (the DoD article is located here: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/80394/stryker-brigade-soldiers-complete-50-km-run-wounded-warriors#.T3MBMXncM4l). After that, I continued to do approximately 7-10 miles a day until I moved to another FOB.

Now back at Kandahar Air Field (KAF), running has been a bit easier with larger space and non-gravel routes. I have upped my running to a 9-10 mile run in the morning, and a 4-5 mile run in the evening, with long runs ranging from 15-20 miles on the weekends.

Although the WS100 has always been a challenge that I wanted to face, there is a secondary, though no less important, reason for this race. As I have done in the past, I am looking to raise money for a phenomenal veteran's charity that helps to take care of both the veteran and their family: the Fisher House Foundation. The Fisher House Foundation is truly an incredible charity, recognizing that the care for veterans goes beyond their medical needs, to include that of being close to their families, who are the strongest foundation on the road to recovery. In that sense, the Fisher House Foundation helps to provide free lodging military families in the immediate vicinity of military medical treatment centers, so that families can instead focus their time on spending with their recovering loved ones. Having a wife and young son, I continue to see how important this can be for Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen who have families when they are injured. The impact of having family nearby is almost incalculable.

I welcome any and all donations, no matter how large or small. Please visit http://www.active.com/donate/2012TeamFisherHouse/CariusHeadsWest for more details on how to give.

I will update periodically when I can. Thanks for all of your support!

-Brandon