Projo Running Blog

As his coach, Ray Nelson traveled to Canada with Jackman for last week's endurance event, providing him with ``the usual advice, strategy and lots of split/gap information'' during every stage of the race.

``Bob actually ran better than expected and held up better than I thought he would,'' Nelson said. ``It is a credit to his strength and ability to run smart, controlled, disciplined races, keeping his eye on the big picture, as the races went along.''

Here, Nelson provides an interesting play-by-play of Jackman's championship run:

Photo courtesy of Bob Jackman


“BOB’S BIG ADVENTURE” actually begins on August 12th, as we left for Waterloo, Ontario at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning We rented a gold colored Grand Prix which we both thought could be some sort of omen. But with 7 races in 8 days, totaling 100 miles (or 160K), and culminating in a marathon, there was much unknown as we ventured into new territory, not knowing how Bob would hold up throughout the week.

Checking into Canada near Niagara Falls, we waited a half hour to be interrogated about our destination, purpose, and belongings. It is OK to bring a limited amount of beer across the border, but at this particular station there was more concern about fruit . . . I told the inspector that we had some peaches, plums, and grapes. And after a small deliberation, we were allowed to proceed.

We finally got to the race director’s house – in Conestoga (a part of Waterloo) where we would be staying for the week, at about 5:45, and met our hosts – the Schmidt family. Lloyd is the founder and driving force behind the Endurrun and works extremely hard and diligently to put on a quality event. But it is a family affair for them, with his wife, Julie, and their 6 children totally invested in this series of races, working tirelessly to do all that it takes to stage this 8 day event.

They graciously opened their home to us, extended unbridled hospitality and made us feel welcomed right from the get-go. We were shown our quarters in the basement complete with a private bathroom, access to a computer, and a frequently used ping-pong table!

After settling in, we drove to RIM park, site of the first race – a Half Marathon, jogged a couple of miles to loosen up and shake the legs out, and familiarized ourselves with the course. Afterwards, back at the ranch, Bob ate some pasta and we called it an early nite.

STAGE 1 – RIM Park – Half Marathon.
At the 8:30 a.m. start, Lloyd took roll call. We got to see the competition for real, and learned there would be 5 brave souls attempting the entire ENDURRUN series or ULTIMATE Event, along with two relay teams (a different runner for each individual stage), and a small number of “guest” runners who would be running that one stage. In all, there were 14 runners in the field on day one. Bob would be the first and only American to run this grueling test of endurance – one that would determine, as Lloyd put it, the most “complete” runner. Using no gun or air-horn and with no fanfare, Lloyd started the race with a simple take your marks, set, and go. With that, the 4th annual Endurrun had begun.

Bob’s strategy was to hang back and run conservatively, and keep an eye on his chief competition – Brad Cunningham from Victoria, B.C.. We soon learned that Brad is a frontrunner, who likes to take the lead and set the pace. Last year, Brad ran 3 fast and impressive stages as a ‘guest’ runner. Not timid about taking on challenges, he picked the two mountain stages (10 miles and 15.9 miles) and a 30K cross country race!!! He has a 2:59 marathon to his credit, and had done his ‘homework’ for the Endurrun. This time, he was going for the win, and would prove to be a strong, gutsy, and formidable opponent.

A relay runner took the pace out hard, was way out in front, and went on to finish first in 72:19 (5:31 mile pace). But the real race was between Bob and Brad. Typically, Bob ran from behind, and trailed Brad by a small margin throughout the race – that was the strategy for Day 1, to use it as a feeling out process and just get the 13.1 under his belt. The gap widened from about 20 seconds at half way to 35 seconds at the finish.

Day 1 went to Brad who ran 1:20:30 (6:08) and was presented with the “GOLD JERSEY” to wear in subsequent races as long as he maintained the overall lead – remember that this event is modeled after the Tour de France. Bob ran 1:21:03 (6:10.9 pace) and was none the worse for wear.

That afternoon we drove to the Kitchener Mall, just south of Waterloo, to get some Canadian money at the currency exchange place, and then to Riverside Park to check out Monday’s 15K time trial course. The course has a major hill from 1-2 K, and is rolling the rest of the way.

STAGE 2 – Riverside Park – 15K
Participants would start at 1-minute intervals in reverse order of the half marathon finish, so Brad with his 35-second lead would start last, and Bob next to last.
Brad wasted no time in closing the gap on Bob, and by 10K had pulled even. They ran together for a couple of miles, but in the last mile, Bob surged to the front and looked to reach the finish first. But Brad would have none of that, and put out his own surge to regain the lead and break the tape just 4 seconds ahead of Bob.

It was an exciting and dramatic finish, and Brad ran an impressive race, adding a minute, plus 4 seconds to his overall lead. Bob had worked hard in the last 2K, but so had Brad.

Brad’s time was 54:18 to Bob’s 55:22. They averaged 5:49 and 5:56 pace respectively. How much it took out of them remained to be seen. Brad’s lead after 2 stages increased to 1:39, heading into Tuesday’s 30K trail race. That nite Lloyd and I went to Betchtel Park to mark the course with flags – that way I could report back to Bob on the course, and figure out where best to see the race unfold.

STAGE 3 – Bechtel Park – 30K trail and cross country
This race would add new meaning to the excitement and drama of yesterday’s 15K. It would turn out to be the Endurrun’s version of a “Duel In The Sun” a la Salazar and Beardsley at Boston. For the most part on this 6-loop course, Brad would be in front and set the pace, with Bob a step or two behind.

Throughout the race, Brad threw in quite a few surges, but Bob answered them all and even came back with a few of his own. The gap between them was never more than a few seconds the entire way.

With neither man giving quarter, it would come down to the final kilometer. At that point they were shoulder to shoulder – no talking now, and it seemed like they would hold pace together, tie at the finish and move on to the next day. But I was wrong. In this case the stage win was at stake and more unwritten statements were to be made by Bob and Brad to each other.

With 200 meters to go, Bob began a final drive to the finish and pulled slightly into the lead. Not to be outdone, Brad answered with a powerful surge of his own with 100 meters to go and was poised to win . . . that was, until Bob unleashed a furious sprint in the last 50 meters. With both warriors at breakneck speed, they crossed the line together with Bob ahead by a few whiskers or centimeters.

With both runners timed in 2:08:53 (6:54 mile pace), Brad maintained his overall lead of 1:39 heading into the first of two mountain stages on Wednesday. Like Salazar and Beardsley in 1982, Bob and Brad had formed a bond and had mutual respect for each other. In the aftermath, Brad jokingly called Bob a “jerk” for making it a sprint to the finish. They had been through a battle with the outcome of the war hanging in the balance.

At this point, both runners stated that they thought it would come down to the marathon on Sunday, and they were right. But next up was the 10 miler – one day at a time.

That afternoon, we went to Camp Heidelberg and drove most of the 10-mile course out and back, up and down monster hills that make our Scituate course look like Mary Poppin’s park. Most of the course is on a gravel road called the Wilmot Line. We drove out, but not all the way out, to the turn-around point. We had both seen enough - the hills were relentless . . . just one after the next . . . and the last kilometer made it even worse – a challenging uphill all the way to the finish.

This race would start at 6 p.m., so Bob would have a bit more rest (just 32 hours) before the next battle.

After touring the course, seeing that it was a “TUESDAY” and in keeping with turtle tradition, we went to uptown Waterloo and found a nice Irish Pub, and relaxed with a couple of pints. We wondered about the goings-on back in Rhode Island . . .

STAGE 4 – Camp Heidelberg – 10 miles – hilly / gravel road.
We got to sleep in a bit later due to the 6 p.m. race today, and got up about 9 a.m.
Bob became extra quiet during the day, and was somewhat unsure of this stage and how it would shake out. After all, this was ‘new territory’, and this would be his 4th race in as many days, and there was no telling how he would recover after the ``30k duel at Bechtel Park”.

It was this uneasy sense of not knowing what would happen, knowing the extreme difficulty of this “mountain” stage, and also wondering how Brad would hold up as well, that was weighing on Bob’s mind.

He said he was still feeling good, and that he wasn’t sore, but didn’t know how he would feel in the actual race. I think that aside from Bob’s conditioning, his strength, and his ability to run smart / strategic races, credit for his remarkable recoveries and lack of soreness (so far) goes to a team of chiropractics / massage therapists from Price Chiropractic in Waterloo. Jason Price worked on Bob daily, and was able to relieve the soreness before it set in and ready Bob for the next day’s race.

The slow early pace played right into Bob’s hands as he and Brad (of course, running together with Bob in his customary spot just behind pace setter Brad) went thru the first K in 4:09 – that’s 6:40 mile pace. They picked it up but were “only” at 6:18 pace thru 8 K (4.97 miles).

Bob had been tagging along in Brad’s shadow for all of it. On the way back, Brad tried to break Bob on a long downhill at about 12 K (7.4 miles or so), and opened up a small gap of a few seconds, but then Bob would come right back and cover the move as he had done so many times before.

At just before 15 K, with about 1200 meters to go, they were still together, but now they were shoulder to shoulder . . . To this point it was another “duel in the sun” and the stage win was at stake. At 15K, Bob took the lead and inched ahead of Brad. Would this one come down to another final sprint to the finish? Not here, not at Heidelberg – Bob put it into overdrive and powered his way to the finish, winning the stage by a margin of 12 seconds.

Bob’s split from 15-16 K up the last ‘monster hill’ was 3:21 (or 5:23 pace) at the end of a grueling 10 miler. His total time was 60:42 (6:04 mile pace), and he had cut Brad’s overall lead down to 1:27 – still extremely close after 28.6 miles of racing in 4 days !!! Brad retained the GOLD JERSEY, but on this day, after 15 of 16 K’s, cream rose to the top, and Bob made yet another statement to Brad.

But there were still 3 stages to go, including Sunday’s marathon . . . The Endurrun championship was far from over and it was up for grabs. Lots could happen in the last 3 races, plenty of room and time for doubt, ebbs / flows, comebacks and mishaps . . .

By the way, Bob’s and Brad’s time in the 30K trail and cross country race on Tuesday was 2:08:53 – that is the same time that Beardsley ran at Boston, just 2 seconds behind Salazar. Coincidence? Maybe . . . At any rate, read on for the last three stages.

After the 10 miler on Wednesday night, Thursday was a needed REST DAY. We took a drive to a local running store. Then we went to the Price Chiropractic clinic where Jason gave Bob some more treatment. That was real nice and generous of Jason to work on Bob for free on the ‘off’ day – the Waterloo folk are very nice indeed !!!

Then we drove to the Chicopee Ski Club in Kitchener, and got to see the gigantic ski slopes that the Endurrunners would run down, up and then down again.

The 5-loop course (each loop is 5.12 K – 3.18 miles) besides the ski slopes not meant for running, includes some narrow and twisting trails, and a long uphill section on loose gravel road. Lloyd said that last year, the runners were swearing at him with increasing frequency as the stage wore on, loop after loop. This would be the 2nd mountain stage and combined with the Heidelberg 10 miler would determine the “Mountain King” - the runner with the fastest time for those two stages.

Later in the day, we played some ping pong, rested and watched TV, and got a good night’s sleep for Chicopee.

STAGE 5 – Chicopee Ski Club – Kitchener – 25.6 K (15.9 miles)
We got up at 6:15 and began to get ready for the day . . . I noticed that Bob had a small smile, so I asked him what he was smiling about . . . His reply was uncharacteristic of Bob, and in the manner of the ``Babe” calling his famous shot, stated matter of factly and with confidence that he was going to win this race!

Of course that remained to be seen, and for the first loop it was the same as in past races – Brad and Bob were again running together with Brad setting the pace. The styles were unchanged . . . it was another case of here we go again. For how long would it stay this way, and who would emerge on top? It all made for interesting drama, and spectators were getting caught up in this epic duel between them.

At the end of the 2nd loop they were still together but then there was a style change – Bob took the lead and Brad followed. Bob’s move to the front, by taking a shorter tangent, was unintentional, but once in front Bob decided to stay there and keep it that way.

Bob pressed on, he got to the top of the ski slope 40 seconds ahead of Brad, and by the end of the loop extended his lead to 1:20. His 3rd loop was 1:13 faster than his 2nd loop and he was showing no signs of slowing down.

The rest of the way was a dynamic display of power running, as Bob kept widening the gap. He finished at 1:58:59 which comes out to 7:28 mile pace – an amazing accomplishment, given the terrain!! Brad finished nearly 5 minutes later.

As a result, Bob took over the overall lead and the GOLD JERSEY was his!! Going into Saturday’s 10K time trial, he had a lead of 3:17 over Brad. It would still come down to the marathon, as not much time was going to be won or lost in the 10K, and 3+ minutes is not insurmountable in a marathon.

Bob would also win the Grey Jersey for winning the two mountain stages and earning the title of “MOUNTAIN KING”.

Later in the day, Bob and I took the 10K drive to the start of the 10K, which is a point-to-point certified course – very flat with a slight loss in elevation, finishing at the Schmidt’s house. This would be quite a change for the previous two mountain stages.

That night Julie asked Bob what he wanted for dinner – she is very accommodating !!! Bob asked for pizza, so it became pizza night for the Schmidt family and Bob!

STAGE 6 – Conestoga – 10K Time Trial
For this time trial, Bob would start last, and Brad next to last. I would be out on the course providing “gap” information to them both. The course was flat with long straight-aways finishing at the Schmidt’s house. I told Bob that he could break 36 minutes even though he had already completed 5 of 7 stages, or 70 miles of racing 6 days, and fresh legs were long gone. Bob dismissed that as too tall an order.

Spotting Brad a 1-minute lead, Bob opened up with a 3:22 K – that’s 5:25 pace, faster than planned. Running solo, he was on pace for a 33:40 10K ! The 2nd kilometer was also fast (3:23), and quite surprisingly, he had gained 6 seconds on Brad – the gap was narrowing! The idea was to cruise along and conserve energy, and if Brad gained 30 seconds or so, it would still come down to tomorrow’s marathon.

As the 10K unfolded, Bob settled down, running 5:48 mile pace for the next 6 K’s, allowing Brad to take over the lead. With 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) to go, Brad was up by 9 seconds and it would not be wise for Bob to bust a gut to go for the stage win. With a final K at 5:30 mile pace, he did manage to gain 3 seconds back, but the stage went to Brad, 35:30 to 35:24, proving that sub 36 minutes was within reach. With a marathon to go, Bob’s overall lead was cut to 3:11.

Brad was declared the “SPRINT KING” for the fastest time for the 15K and 10K time trials, and would win the Blue Jersey. Thus far, Bob and Brad had split 6 stages, with each winning 3. The ‘stage’ was set for the final and decisive stage – the marathon, and with an uncomfortable lead of only 3:11 both runners knew that anything was possible.

Bob’s strategy would be to hang with Brad, and let him dictate the pace, as he has done so many times before. But if Brad took it out real hard, he would let him go, but maintain contact and monitor the ‘gap’ time in hopes of running a strong 2nd half. As long as Brad did not gap him by more than 3 minutes, Bob knew he would be safe . . . but there was the uncertainty of it all, and Bob was feeling the pressure, as was Brad.

That afternoon, we toured the marathon course. Starting and finishing at RIM park in Waterloo, site of the half marathon on Day One, the certified course consisted of 2 identical loops, and each of the 42 K’s would be clearly marked – thanks to Lloyd who meticulously sees to all the technical aspects of the event.

That evening, as if they hadn’t done enough, the Schmidt’s hosted a barbeque for all the participants and volunteers. We got to meet a lot of nice people, and were given a nice keepsake – a CD containing about 400 pictures form the 2006 ENDURrun.

At one point, Julie asked Bob if he was nervous about tomorrow, and to our surprise, he admitted that he was. And rightfully so. He had now raced over 73 miles in 7 days, and there was no telling how or if he would hold up – this was all new and unexplored territory. There would be no tapering for this marathon – not at the ENDURrun.

STAGE 7 – RIM PARK – Marathon
At a few minutes after 8 am, Lloyd started the race with his trademark take your marks, set, go for the last time at the 2006 ENDURrun . . . They were off, and 26 miles later a new ENDURrun champion would be crowned.

Brad and Bob assumed their customary positions, running together with Brad a step ahead.

At 4K (2.5 miles) Brad was an insignificant 2 seconds ahead, running at 2:58 marathon pace (6:48 per mile).

By 8K (5 miles) the average pace had quickened to 6:41 per mile. The 2 second gap gone, they were running together at 2:55 marathon pace.

Bob figured that if he could break 3 hours that would that would be enough to win, but here they were running strong working off each other, and picking up the pace.

They ran the next 2 kilometers at 6:31 pace – and were now on 2:54 marathon pace.
Brad’s strategy was to try to gap Bob with surges . . . and had several leads of about 3 seconds. Bob covered every move, and by 20K they were back running together at 82:48 (6:39 mile pace) and were still on pace for a 2:54 marathon.

At half way, they were still together at 1:27:02 (6:38 mile pace) – there was no slowdown. The race would come down to the 2nd half.

They continued to run together – it was yet another version of “Duel in the Sun” but how long would it last? It could not come down to a 100 meter sprint, as it did at the 30k on Tuesday, something or someone had to give . . .

But at 31 K (19.3 miles) there they were, still running together just as they had for most of the entire ENDURrun series. With Brad’s surges, the overall pace had quickened. They were now on 2:51 marathon pace, averaging 6:33 mile pace !! Then it happened.

At just before 32 K, Bob opened up a small lead and began to take charge. Brad was maintaining pace, but Bob was pulling away in steady smooth fashion as opposed to a surge. At 20 miles the lead was 5 seconds, and from there Bob went on to extend the lead . . . by 28 seconds at 33K, by 44 seconds at 34K and by 1:20 at 36K. Bob was in full command of the race and it was his to win, but nonetheless he still wanted to know the gap time as he went along.

At 38 K (23.6 miles), Bob was on 2:50 pace and had averaged 6:30 flat. I assured him that the win was his, and told him that he had a chance to break 2:50, but to do so, he would have to run 6:20 pace for the last 2.6 miles. Time to pick it up.

Bob bore down and unleashed a 3:58 kilometer (6:23 pace), making a sub 2:50 look possible. But a headwind from 40-41 K slowed him down. He finished strong coming down the final straight-away, breaking the tape at 2:50:12 (6:29 mile pace) to win the ENDURun championship.

This was a truly amazing accomplishment considering all he had endured. Brad hung in tough and finished at 2:55:51 – running a PR in his 7th race in 8 days !!!

On Saturday, when nerves spiked, if Bob had known that Brad would run a 2:55 marathon, he would have been sweating bullets!! Both runners ran extremely well, and I knew that Brad would not go down without a fight – one in which he proved his mettle and gave it his all.

After the awards, saying our good-byes, and packing up, we hit the road at 4 p.m. and expected to make it back to R.I. by 1:30 a.m. But a 2-hour delay at the border and a flat tire somewhere near Albany cost us considerable time. We finally got back at 4 a.m., but it was all worth it. We had a weeklong experience we will not forget. Bob experienced new running territory, held up better than expected, and came out on top !

Fellow and long-time Turtle, Tim Porter, put it this way: “Bob Jackman adds his name to the list of Turtles who have achieved something very special in the world of running!” We can all drink to that.

Photo courtesy of Bob Jackman