Tim VanOrden’s Running Raw Update – February 15th, 2011
A Huge hello to all my friends and supporters of the Running Raw Project.
In This Update:
• Race Report – Empire State Building Success
• Getting to Nationals
• Breakfast of Champions
• Upcoming Events
The Race Report:
• Empire State Building Run Up:
On February 1st, months of hard work and preparation came together in brilliant fashion in the mother of all stair races – The Empire State Building Run Up. Unlike other stair races around the world (which are run as time trials with individual starts), the ESBRU sends athletes stampeding in a mass herd of confusion towards a narrow door only 20 feet away. The start of the race is scarier than the race itself. This massive injection of adrenaline can cause an athlete’s body to behave in strange ways… some positive and some negative. Due to this anomaly, this race has a very steep learning curve, and success in this event can take years to achieve. In my case, it took four years. When all was said and done, I had run the fastest time of any American in the event, finished 4th overall only ten seconds behind 2nd, and demonstrated that someone in their forties eating a plant based diet can hang with the best in the world for 86 floors. I can’t wait to see what happens in my fifth attempt.
• ESB Media Buzz
The Empire State Building Run Up brought about my biggest day in the press yet. Hopefully, this will open an eye or two. Here are a few examples.
• Race press release – VanOrden 1st American at Empire State Building Run Up
• Fun excerpt from the article that ran in the London Guardian – http://www.irasabs.com/?m=20110203
• WMAC/Dion Snowshoe Race Series:
The largest snowshoe race series in the world is more than halfway done and I’ve been having my best season yet. At this writing I’m tied for 1st in the series with fellow teammate Jim Johnson with 5 wins a piece. The newly formed Northeast Snowshoe Federation, which adds New York and Maine races and athletes to the New England snowshoe scene is off to a great start. This organization aims to increase the competitive nature of the sport of snowshoeing. In the NSF Cup standings, Jim Johnson and I are also tied for the top spot.
The final test in the world of snowshoe racing takes place on March 12th in Cable, Wisconsin as the best shoers from around the country compete in the Dion Snowhoe National Championships. This past weekend in Wilton, NY I won a National Qualifier event, by narrowly nipping 2005 Snowshoe National Champion Aaron Robertson by one second at the line. I am in the best shape of my life and I think I’ve got a pretty good shot of winning the Masters National Championship… But I need your help to get there.
Getting to Nationals:
In order to get to the Snowshoe National Championships in Wisconsin, I’m going to raise some funds in the next few weeks. I normally pay for race and travel expenses by putting on talks in the area. I’ll most likely be driving or taking Amtrak to Wisconsin to limit expenses and this would allow me to put on talks in MI, IL, WI and MN. If you live in any of these areas and would like to host an event please get in touch with me. Travel dates would be in the range of March 7th – March 16th. Or if any of you have any fundraising ideas I’d be grateful to hear your ideas.
Does anyone have a connection with Amtrak? What an amazing sponsorship that would be 🙂
The more big events that I do well in, the greater the awareness that we raise.
Breakfast of Champions:
I’ve changed up my pre-race regimen a bit and the results seem to support the changes. On race day I’m now drinking a smoothie 3 1/2 hours before the event start.
Pre-Race Smoothie
1 Banana
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1 Cup Kale
1 Cup Broccoli
5 Medjool Dates
16oz Water
Upcoming Events:
• February 26th – Northeast Snowshoe Championships – Northfield, MA
• March 11th – 13th – US Snowshoe Championships – Cable, WI
Paying it Back and Forward:
Please support my sponsors Larabar, Dion Snowshoes, Garmin, and West Coast Labels.
Your Support:
Your donations help more than you can imagine. Even very small contributions help to pay for event registrations, travel, etc.! Thank you in advance for your support. Your generosity allows me to do what I do and hopefully touch lives in the process. You can make your donation through http://paypal.com to the address donate@runningraw.com. No amount is too little, and every dollar is greatly appreciated.
In Conclusion:
If you’re excited about Running Raw and would like to be a part of the team, please get in touch. I’m always looking for new contributors, technical help, sponsorship and enthusiastic athletes to help make this project all it can be.
Please pass this newsletter along to anyone that you think might be interested in this journey. If you have any suggestions on how to make runningraw.com better, please pass them along.
Thank you for your continued support.
With Love and gratitude
Tim VanOrden
