I spoke with Jerry at his house on the westside of Tucson and had an in-depth discussion about his running life and his outlook on the future. I found Jerry to be a consummate professional. He truly loves the trail and the outdoor experience. He has an impressive resume of 100-mile finishes over 10 years and counting. What follows is his profile and a transcript of our conversation. Enjoy!
PROFILE OF RUNNER:
PROFILE OF RUNNER:
A. Name, age, city and state, how long lived there?
Jerry Riddick /59/Tucson AZ
B. Place of birth, where did you grow up, high school, college, military, other?
C. Other than running – hobbies, interests, pets, kids, current employment? 2 dogs/2 kids / Engineering Lab Manager Texas Instruments / Backpacking-hiking -cycling/ fixing my house
D. Favorite distance to run or race on trail and on the road?
50K (race or run) but 100 miles is a special experience
E. Favorite race course or event?
Old Pueblo 50Mile- still fun and beautiful
F. Favorite Tucson area trail to train, run, hike?
Tucson Mountains/SNP west. Hiking the canyon can’t be beat
G. Favorite vacation destination?
Mexico although I haven’t gone there for several years.
H. Favorite post-race/run food, drink and activity, ie. hot tub, ice cold river soak, etc?
Sitting in a chair.
I. Pet Peeves?
Laziness and Extremism. I work hard and think of myself as extremely moderate.
J. Current book you are reading or favorite author?
I just finished the Millenium trilogy by Steig Larrsson
I love reading Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
K. Favorite quote or saying to live by?
Nowhere is too far to run if you have the time.
L. Person you look up to, emulate, hero?
Dalai Lama
M. What has been your worst running injury?
Broken hand- it hurt a lot. Torn Meniscus- all better
TA: Thank you for having me over to your home and the excellent dinner. I forgot you lived on a dirt road.
Jerry: Don't mention it. You were here once before but probably don't remember much. It was when you and Chris attempted the Four-headed Monster and dropped out at my house.
TA: Oh...I remember. We will have to revisit that someday. Well, first of all, let's talk about your most recent 100-mile race completion.
Jerry: As you know, Chris and I both went to the Pine to Palm 100 and did the usual…we'll start out together and see how things go. We ran together for a couple of miles and then nature called for him and I went ahead. I hit a bad spot at 36 miles and bonked. It was a typical 100 mile story where I felt like death and then a half an hour later I felt like I could dance. I came into a later aid station feeling great. The course ran around a lake and then went up a long climb . At 50 miles there was Chris sitting in a chair.
TA: Did he look ok?
Jerry: He looked tired but ok. He hadn't had the opportunity to bonk and then take the time to recover. He had kept going to this point , got tired and started to refuel. We spent the last 50 miles together from here. This is the first time I really just took my time to finish and not worry about getting under 24 hours. We had 34 hours to do this thing. We could walk backwards and finish.
TA: Looking at the course profile it has a lot more elevation than what you are used to from previous 100s?
Jerry: It was over 20,000 feet of climb...a Hardrock qualifier. We did a lot of walking. It was around mile 65 when Chris suggested taking a nap. We both lay down on the side of the road in the dirt and took a nap and it was cool.
TA: Did you actually fall asleep?
Jerry: I didn't, I was just staring at the sky but mentally that was good enough. We were way up high and the sky was crystal clear. It was ok to not be moving. We were only there about 10 minutes and then we headed out. We never got sick or experienced cramps. We hooked up with two other guys and leapfrogged throughout the night. The four of us finished together. It was fun...a great experience!
TA: How did you handle the erroneous mileage on that last aid station? You know, when you thought you had 5 miles left and found out there was still 9 to go?
Jerry: I was unhappy because I was in the "ready to be done" mode and I find out there is an extra 4 miles. I grumbled a bit and it changed my dynamic. When we left (what we thought was) mile 92 there was a lot of steep downhill and Chris and I really hammered it and ran hard. So when I got into the aid station and thought there were 5 miles to go we were just going to take off and run that thing in. When they said it was 9 miles I went into first gear and said, "Let's just walk again." It was casual after that. It was still the end of the race.
TA: So neither one of you planned to have a pacer. How do you decide whether you need a pacer or not?
Jerry: I like a pacer but let me tell you this. The last two times I DNF'd at a 100-mile I had a pacer waiting for me. The last time was at Western States with Bruce. I had a torn meniscus and was puking my guts out. I ended up having surgery after that. These are valid reasons for dropping. But the point is that I got to the pacer pick-up and there was Bruce, all dressed up and nowhere to go. He didn't say a negative word. We all know that's part of the game. At that point I said, "You know, I think I'm going to have to do this by myself from now on." That's what I've done ever since.
TA: Initially then you used to always have a pacer?
Jerry: Oh, absolutely. I think a pacer is really a good thing. They can help knock an hour off of your finish time. I also think a pacer can help drive you to keep going. Just knowing they are there waiting will push you past smaller problems. Like at San Diego earlier this year I got sick early on at mile 30. If I had a pacer waiting on me I probably would have continued and still finished. That's really the allure of the 100 to me is when you are able to push through the times when there is no hope.
TA: Very insightful. How do you manage your calorie intake?
Jerry: I eat a gel every hour for the first few hours. I fuel up from the aid stations...7-Up and potato chips. I've had negative experiences with gels later on in the race...shall we say...where I had the opposite effect that I wanted to. Basically, I try to pound the calories early on and then after that I eat whatever my stomach can handle. For this race I tried this bag of stuff called CarboPro. It’s long chain maltodextrin; no taste whatsoever. Each 20 ounce bottle provided 200-300 calories. It's pretty much what I survived on the last 50 miles.
TA: How about electrolytes?
Jerry: I also have a problem taking pills after awhile so I took maybe 3 E-caps during the race. The rest was from potato chips. That worked out for me...this time. When I did 100 in the Hood my stomach got queasy at 75 miles. I did the last 25 miles with 7-Up in my bottle. I was able to run real hard the last 5 miles.
TA: I think it is amazing that you have been able to complete at least one 100-mile race each year for the past 10 years except for one.
Jerry: I was injured that year.
TA: Why are you attempting a second 100-miler at Javalina this year?
Jerry: Because I signed up before Pine to Palm. I had a DNF at San Diego earlier in the summer. It really hung over me like a black cloud. So I signed up for Javalina because it was convenient. In the meantime I started to think I wanted to do a race that was more beautiful and challenging. The stars aligned - Chris was doing P2P and we had Cathy and Denise to crew us.
TA: What is your goal for Javalina?
Jerry: I would like to finish at night. It's been my goal at all of these races but I think at Javalina it's a lot more achievable. Historically on courses where I can run a lot I always do OK.
TA: I see that six of your 100-milers are faster than 24 hours?
Jerry: My first one was Vermont. There was 15,000 feet of elevation gain but I didn't know any better. Arkansas had a fair amount of climb as well...nothing terrible. Rio Del Lago only had about 12,000 feet. That was a disaster though. I got sick, lost 11 pounds, 100 degrees temps and got lost at mile 98 for about half an hour. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. It was a satisfying finish though. I ran Leadville faster than that.
TA: I couldn't have done it.
Jerry: I was on a mission. Ultimately the question was, "Could I walk 32 miles in 10 hours?" and the answer was, "Yes." At a 100-mile race...any finish is a good finish.
TA: That’s hard to remember when you still have 24 hours to go. How important is it to you to have a crew?
Jerry: Half of my races I did without a crew. A crew is a psychological boost; to see my wife, Cathy. Pampering is nice but to be honest what I get out of it is seeing people at the aid station and sharing the experience with them.
TA: Do you ever feel the temptation to use your crew as a sounding board when you’re not feeling well? You know…a chance to bitch to someone who might be concerned?
Jerry: No, I am typically very low maintenance. Unlike an event like Badwater where you are up for two days; that can be a lot harder.
TA: Why does the 100-miler appeal to you?
Jerry: You start touching the boundaries. The challenge of putting it all out there and finding out what you have. Only in the 100-miler and beyond do you get the point where you think you can’t possibly go another step and yet you do. That is the appeal. When you succeed under circumstances where you could fail, that’s really a long lasting feeling.
TA: I agree. It’s a lifetime reward that also impacts other areas of your life.
Jerry: A friend and I were at the Grand Canyon this spring. He had a boulder roll over his leg and he got injured. We were about 5 miles down from the rim. He started talking about calling for a helicopter although he could still walk. I said, “I know you’re injured and hurt but trust me, you can do this! I’ve personally been much worse off than this. You can walk out.” I made multiple trips carrying our gear out. The 100-mile experience tells you what you can do. I know if that was me I could walk out. It’s an affirming experience…so to speak.
TA: Interesting story. Let’s talk about when you started running. What got you interested in running?
Jerry: I was an avid backpacker in my 20s. I wanted to get ready for a 100-mile Grand Canyon backpack trip. So I started running to train for it. I almost keeled over after a half of a mile. I built up to 45 minutes. After the trip I forgot to stop running.
I never entered a race until 1998 when someone suggested I run a marathon. I had gotten to 45 minutes 5 days a week with the occasional hour and a half run. My first race was the Tucson Half-Marathon in ’98.
TA: Coincidence…guess who won the half that year?
Jerry: Was it you? All I know, I got dropped off on the side of the road on the highway leading to Florence and it was freezing. There was frost on the road. I ended up running a 1:45.
TA: That’s respectable for your first half-marathon.
Jerry: The following year I ran the full marathon in 3:45. I then I did a couple more and qualified for Boston. Then I had to decide between Zane Grey and Boston. They were the same week.
TA: Now wait a second. These two races are nothing like the other. One is a road marathon; the other is a long technical trail. How did Zane Grey enter your sights?
Jerry: I didn’t really enjoy the road marathon experience. I didn’t like the outfits and the “I Run 26.2.” I didn’t care for the competitive attitude. If you fall down in a marathon, everyone steps over you. If you fall down on an ultra, the first place runner, I don’t care who he is, is going to stop and help you even if he blows his race to make sure you’re ok. That has been my experience at trail races. I enjoy the people; the more casual atmosphere; the camaraderie of, “We’re all doing something hard and we’re going to help each other get through it.”
My very first ultra was at Crown King 50K. I ended up running in with Amanda McIntosh who won the race for women. We talked along the way. It was casual. I met up with a guy on my first 50-miler and we ended up running in together. I still see him at races. I like the people.
TA: When did you discover TTR?
Jerry: I had already done a 50-mile race before I found TTR. I knew Bob Nardone from track workouts. Bob used to tell me, “Those guys are all nuts.” He also told me, “If you want to run with these guys, you have to take a psychological evaluation and fail.”
TA: HaHaHa…
Jerry: And then he said, “You’ll fit right in.” So I went to my very first TTR with Bob on an Agua Caliente Ascent. Bob would only run for two hours. He turned around and got a ride and I ran in and finished at Ross’s house. We sat around and shot the breeze. I was hooked.
The following year I met Chris Fall on a TTR run a week after the Tucson Marathon. I ran 3:09 at Tucson and felt pretty proud about myself. So I’m running along with Chris and said, “Yeah, I ran a 3:09 last week in the marathon.” And he said, “Oh yeah, I ran 2:50-something.” So I realized that these people are in a different category as far as running goes.
TA: So Bob was correct?
Jerry: I think he is completely correct.
TA: Ok, so where is the connection that makes you say, “If I can do 50 miles then why not do it twice?”
Jerry: To be honest…my friend Billy Still is responsible for my signing up for Vermont. He said, “I just signed up for Vermont 100 and I think you can do that too.” I didn’t feel like I had done enough 50-mile events to do this. But it sounded appealing…kind of mythical.
TA: Like a leap of faith?
Jerry: A huge leap of faith…every time. So we planned to do it together. He got injured and bailed. I ended up running it anyway. I did ok…something like 21 hours and 30 minutes. Part of the mystique is running through the night.
TA: Any problems staying awake all night?
Jerry: No. I’ve never had the pleasure of hallucinating. It’s one less than thing that I have to deal with.
TA: You will be 60 years old in a couple of weeks. What kind of long term goals do you have?
Jerry: Just to keep doing it as long as I can. Things are getting harder than they used to be but that’s OK. I’m fine with slowing down and enjoying the trail.
TA: What do you think the trade-off is between mental strength gained and physical strength lost? Does it equal out? Does this apply to you?
Jerry: Well physically I’ve definitely slowed down. The mental strength comes and goes. It’s not one for one. I’m getting different things from my running now. I’m getting the intrinsic pleasure of the run without worrying about the time. Now I take more time to enjoy the moment.
Last year at Old Pueblo around mile 35 I kept thinking that if I pushed it I could knock off some time. But if I run just a little bit slower I’m going to enjoy being out here for the day. And that’s just what I did. At no time did I not enjoy myself. My new mantra is, “Are we having fun?” I want to keep the pleasure in it even if that means running fewer races. I’ve been doing more exploratory runs. I know you like that stuff too.
TA: Yeah, I do. I end up doing a lot of the same trails over and over again for training but if I can find something different then I’m there.
Jerry: I used to read about trail runners that were doing these epic runs but hardly ever entered races. I want to run the Kokopelli Trail in Colorado someday. It ends in Moab, Utah; something like 150 miles.
TA: Sounds like a 2-day event?
Jerry: It’s not a race; it’s a journey. I think it would be a lot of fun, really beautiful. I also want to do more multi-day backpacking. Backpacking is the ultimate in relaxation. Basically I can sleep 10 hours a day, read a lot, eat, and go to beautiful places. It just doesn’t get any better.
TA: You might be interested in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of Santa Fe. There is an excellent circuit of trails that could be covered in 3-5 days. There are several 12,000 foot peaks.
Jerry: Let me know if you want to go. That is similar to near our house in Silver City, New Mexico. The Continental Divide Trail also goes nearby. It would be fun to get dropped off near the border and hike the whole length.
TA: The Continental Divide Trail goes within a half-mile from our property in the Blue Hills outside of Quemado. There is a lot of dirt road involved though.
Jerry: It’s a patchwork of routes. There are stretches of 40 miles of single track where there are water and streams.
TA: That’s good to know. Any pre-race rituals that you have to do before you run a race?
Jerry: I don’t eat breakfast; just a cup of coffee. If I eat something I experience a blood sugar spike a half hour into the race and get really bonky. I start eating after I start the race.
TA: Tell me about running accomplishments that you are most proud of?
Jerry: My best run was Javalina Jundred. It turned out really well. A lot of elite runners dropped which enabled me to place quite well; 4th overall and second male. But aside from that, things never went wrong. I had run Western States earlier that year in 27 hours when I should have broke 24. Then I ran Man Against Horse and got lost; I ended up finishing over 10 hours. So when I ran Javalina, things just worked out. Chris deserves credit for pacing me that year. He knew I was way out in front and kept pushing me. Really what it was is that I just ran for 20 hours.
I am not really proud of these things; more satisfied with the accomplishment.
TA: Any advice that you can give to a newer trail runner?
Jerry: Remember to enjoy the place where you are. Take a moment to enjoy the trail. You can forget to stop and stand on the ridge and realize it’s Saturday or Sunday morning and everybody is in bed. I’m 15 miles away at 8,000 feet looking out over everything. It’s an awesome place to be. Don’t forget why you’re doing it.
TA: Excellent insight! How about a piece of advice that you have picked up somewhere?
Jerry: Nothing particular comes to mind. I’ve always listened to Ross and Gene, and Rick Kelley. Those guys were crazy a long time ago. I have always listened to the stuff that they said. I remember Gene talking about his unbelievable splits at the end of Western States after he was near death and all of a sudden he’s back in the game. No matter how bad you feel, in a half an hour you could be a completely different person. It’s something to keep in the back of your mind to help push you through.
TA: Very good advice! Now I have to ask you, why do you avoid Facebook?
Jerry: I am an electrical engineer. I live on computers. I’ve been on computers since the ‘60s. I just don’t see the value in it. I don’t look down on social networking; I just don’t have any interest in it. I call people and speak to them on the phone. I send individual e-mails to people I want to talk to.
You know that commercial where the girl is staring at her computer in her bedroom and she says, “Yeah, my parents are on Facebook and they’ve only got 19 friends.” In the meantime the parents are out riding mountain bikes and hanging out with people. Gee, do you ever actually talk to anybody?
TA: Well, I guess I am a lot like you in that respect. Who would you like to see interviewed next?
Jerry: Julie. She is an interesting person who has a lot of history with this stuff. She is one of the toughest people I know.
TA: I’ll see what I can do. Ok, last question; what is the meaning of life?
Jerry: I’ve got several uninteresting answers for that. I think it is just to be happy and not cause anyone else any grief. Enjoy your journey while you’re here and leave it a better place when you depart.
TA: You can’t go wrong with that. Thank you, Jerry and Cathy, for your hospitality and dinner. Good luck at Javalina Jundred.
Jerry: It really was a good conversation.
I'm really enjoying these interviews, Chase!
ReplyDelete