Blue Collar Runners

Pain and loss have followed Laurel McMahan throughout her life. “Loss, divorce, mental health issues, poverty, single-parenthood, the whole, entire beautiful and sometimes painful spectrum of life.” She lost her beloved little brother to complications from heroin addiction. She needed a thing to do, an action to take, to get back to herself again, and running was that thing.

In 2019, wind and rain pelted Lisa Irving’s body as she battled through the Canadian Death Race—a 125k foot race across the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. “If a puddle wasn’t big enough to swallow me whole, I went straight through it.” Lisa’s mental toughness is a constant force, whether she’s at work as an air traffic controller, volunteering with search and rescue, or crushing miles in the mountains.

I take great comfort in reflecting. It’s fun to relive and remember the highlights from these recent years and a way to constantly remind myself how much fun I’m having, even when times get tough. I’m also painfully aware that nothing is ever certain. These last three years have taught me as much. However, the older I get, the more I find myself leaning into uncertainty.

It was 2018, and Kevin Mathewson was in the zone. He was fresh off a personal best at the Bear Chase 50K in Morrison, CO, and had recently crossed the finish line of his first 100-mile race at Tunnel Hill, in Vienna, IL. A few months later, he found himself sitting in a doctor’s office, mind racing, awaiting the results from a biopsy. The news was not good. “I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.”

By 2010, Krista had completed the Vermont 100 seven times on multiple horses, finishing in the top 10 every year. In 2011, exactly 10 years after crewing Krista to her first VT100 finish on horseback, I stood at the starting line. What I thought would be a one-and-done for me has turned into seven finishes. Krista has eight finishes on horseback and three finishes on foot. More than 20 years after it all began, the magic is still there.

Tiffany Sivco is no stranger to pain. Living with Fibromyalgia for the past five years, she’s learned to overcome pain. “I have Fibromyalgia and anxiety. Running has helped me significantly with both of these diagnoses.” Tiffany is tenacious in her approach to life by living it to the fullest and not letting pain get in the way of her joy.

In January, Krista and I looked at our race calendar with excitement, which included Runamuck 50K and Infinitus 50-mile in the spring, Vermont 100 in the summer and a grand finale of the Tahoe 200 in the fall. It was a fool proof plan—until it wasn’t.

Tears of joy and relief fell from Sam Farnsworth’s cheeks as he crossed the finish line of the Vermont 100 in the summer of 2018. “Being out in the woods anywhere is so uplifting. And it has opened doors to achievements I never could have envisioned possible for most of my life.” At age 61, he is just getting started.

Sometimes, I get it just right and I can feel myself right in the sweet spot of balance. Other times, I feel off kilter, knowing that something is getting neglected. I ran my first ultra race 11 years ago, and there are ways I’ve juggled the many areas of my life, alongside a demanding, sometimes selfish sport, while managing to keep it fun.

As Kelyn Curitomay crossed over the Mexican border into Tijuana, she was both excited and nervous. The year prior, she had to drop to the 25k course during the Ultramaraton Baja 50K when the technical, hilly course got the best of her. In 2018, she was determined to complete the 50K distance and toed the line, feeling intense gratitude for how far she had come since she laced up her first pair of running shoes.

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of an ultramarathon, with pre-race nerves the night before and visualization of the challenges ahead. However, run an ultra from home and while the nerves might be less jittery, the excitement is still front and center.

Jeff Beaudoin had been waiting 10 years for this moment. On a cool September day in 2020, gusty winds blew high in the White Mountains of New Hampshire as three headlamps dotted the landscape and Jeff and his buddies ran along the rugged and rocky trail of the Presidential (Presi) Traverse. The 20+ mile point-to-point run brings runners and hikers along numerous peaks, and summits the highest mountain in the northeastern United States: Mt. Washington.

It was March of 1993, just a month shy of my 19th birthday, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the man speaking on television. Jim Valvano, the coach of the North Carolina State men’s basketball team, was speaking at the ESPY Awards, and that night he was accepting the Arthur Ashe Award for courage. He spoke that evening about living a meaningful life and doing three things every day.

Melanie Arleth never dreamed she’d be a runner, let alone an ultrarunner. In March of 2018, she felt a shift in her mindset. “I decided to go for it. I had just turned 41 and after putting my family first, I was consistently losing myself along the way. It was then that I decided I wasn’t going to just be a runner, I was going to be an ultrarunner.”

2020 was a year full of problems and sorrow that none of us saw coming, but it was also a year of adapting to change. While it was also a year of cancellations, for Krista and I, that meant it was also a time to try new things and climb more mountains.

After serving his first tour in Iraq, Jason Mosel came back home to a whole new set of struggles. Ones that training hadn’t prepared him for. “From everything I saw, everything I did, I may have physically left the country of Iraq, but my head was still there.”

Eve was an active kid who grew up in rural Indiana. She started her running career early, running both cross-country and track throughout high school. Her running coach was instrumental in her growth. “He taught me to love heat running, to run easy when needed, and to race smart.”

As the Vermont 50 race weekend approached, sadness hung in the air, as the void of the race was evident. When Laura Farrell, founder of the Vermont 100 & 50-mile races and Vermont Adaptive, texted us four days earlier, asking us if we’d like to join her and her family for an impromptu 50k to keep the Vermont 50 spirit alive, we were immediately on board.

Chip Howard felt his adrenaline pumping as he began buckling himself into the thrill ride Superman, alongside his family at Six Flags New England, but he had a problem. The buckle was not big enough. An attendant approached him and explained he would have to get off the ride.

Kevin Draper grew up in the coastal town of Guilford, CT, where his adoptive parents helped him cultivate a love of nature. Yearly trips took them to the mountains and lakes of New Hampshire where they swam in Lake Winnisquam and spent time exploring Gunstock Mountain together.

Just 10 years prior to finishing third at the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania, alcohol was slowly killing Margaret Smith, and she knew she needed a change. So she joined the United States Army. It was the best decision she’s ever made.

Ten years ago, Robert Gantz had just arrived at the Little Rock Air Force Base for C-130 airplane training and his mentor and best friend, “Seabass,” asked him if he’d like to run a 10k the next day. Always up for a challenge, Robert said “Let’s do it.” He ended up placing third in his age group, and the fire was lit.

We had just heard about this really cool challenge inspired by David Goggins, where people run 4 miles every 4 hours, for 48 hours. We quickly came up with our own variation that included a 100-mile twist: we would run 4 miles every 4 hours, until we hit 100 miles.

Imagine waking up to a sunrise in a new place every morning with the next adventure waiting around the corner. This is the life of Amy Margolis and David Wilson. Van life has taken them all over the United States for the past two years.

When Chad Prichard reflects on sobriety, running and life, he pauses, “I wouldn’t want it any other way. I call it, “life without crutches” and the ability to feel everything. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but the ability to see life in a new light is a gift. I have been able to attack the traumas in my life from combat and other areas, and face my demons.”

Ruthie Loffi hung up her bib at mile 50 of the Rocky Raccoon 100 in 2018. Amid tears and disappointment, Ruthie had an epiphany about a nagging worry that had consumed her most of her life. It took this DNF (which Ruthie loves to refer to as Did Not Fail) to realize that not trying was far worse than failure itself.

As 2020 begins, I look back with gratitude to the year 2010—a decade that began with darkness and confusion, and ended with hope.

In the fall of 2014, Maribel Dichard felt herself hitting rock bottom. Outwardly, she had it all. A successful career, loving marriage and two healthy children. However, she also had a drinking problem, “I hit a point where I realized my kids could see it.” That evening, she took her last drink and quickly discovered running.

In 2017, Vin Framularo’s marathon plans were derailed when a snowboarding accident sent him to the emergency room with a broken back. Now he has a ritual that he follows each time he toes the starting line of a race. “I tell whomever is around me, guys, the hardest part of the race is over.”

“My life was pretty much gymnastics and school. We worked out in the gym 20-30 hours per week.” After a string of injuries in high school and her gymnastics days behind her, Meghan had a big void to fill. Her dad was a marathon runner, which intrigued Meghan, and at the age of 18, she decided to join him for a run.