I asked my daughter, Jovelle to bring me to the Phidippides Running Center in Encino, California without any plans of buying any running apparel or accessories. This store was where I bought my ASICS Gel-Cumulus 8 and my lumbar Nathan Water Belt last December 2006. This is the only running store in the Los Angeles area where you can buy everything or anything about running to include accessories.
There are ASICS running apparels but the store don’t have my size. I tried their Brooks running apparel but their sizes are big. There were at least five customers who were inside the store and constantly being attended by their staff. A lady staff approached me and offered to help me but I told her that I am still thinking what to buy in the said store. My daughter is a known customer in the said store and she had some conversation with one of the lady staff. A tall Singaporean guy was there also looking at the running apparels and I heard him telling to the sales staff that he is training for the Singapore Marathon this December. Continue reading “Visit At Phidippides Running Center”→
Please visit www.marathonfoto.com for my running pictures at The San Francisco Marathon. Scroll for the San Francisco Marathon 2008; type my last name; and my bib # 8586.
Sorry, I forgot to remove my cap at the Finish Line!
Recap of the 2008 The San Francisco Marathon (03 August 2008)
My children and I woke up at 5:00 AM and immediately started preparing for the race. We ate some “left-overs” from the previous night’s carbo-loading dinner from my wife’s relatives consisting of chicken barbecue, spaghetti, sotanghon guisado, fried chicken, and lots of rice cakes. At almost 6:00 AM, we were already at Mission Street brisk walking towards the Starting Line at The Embarcadero. However, we missed the mass start of the last wave of runners by almost 15 minutes. No problem with that because we had our ChronoTrack D-strip timing chip. So, at least ten (10) runners, to include the three of us, started the race with the last wave of runners at least 1 1/2 miles ahead of us. (We found out later that Dean Karnazes started the full Marathon race at least one hour late!)
By the way, somebody shouted “Bald Runner” when I just left the Starting Line and I just looked at him and tried to wave my hand to acknowledge him. Thanks for shouting my name! The race officials were surprised for hearing such words!
This picture was taken before we left our room at the hotel. My kids, being locals in the US, can withstand the low temperature in San Francisco by wearing singlets and I was wearing a full shirt.
As we approached Mile #2 (fronting the Fisherman’s Wharf) , we could see already the tail end of the last wave of runners and my son and I maintained our pace of 6:05 minutes per kilometer. My daughter was left behind us as she was trying to maintain her pace of 12 minutes per mile. As we had our first uphill at Mile #3 and we were already within the runners of the last wave. We started to overtake the slower runners and had a chance to stop to have our picture-taking with the San Francisco Bridge as the background. We also stopped for our first “pee” session at the Mile # 4. I guess, I was about to get my warm-up at Mile # 4 because of the ideal cool weather condition (52 degrees Fahrenheit), foggy surroundings and an overcast/cloudy sky. According to my kids, so far, this is the best weather condition that they had experienced for a marathon.
At Mile # 3 stop for a picture with the Golden Gate Bridge as the background. Note the foggy background and cloudy skies.
A pose of my son, John Paul.
My son and I had to stop and drink water in every water station as we were carrying at least 3 GUs in each of our hands which were tied with a rubber band and secured on our wrists. We had to take each GU every four to five miles. When we see that there is a water station ahead of us (at least 50 meters ahead), we start taking our GU and drink water as we reached the water station. I did not bring with me my Nathan Water Belt as I knew that the water stations here were efficient. As soon we we left the water station before the Golden Gate Bridge, my son did not know that I barely stopped to drink water and I immediately resumed my run towards more hills along the way.
Once I reached the Golden Gate Bridge, I was already at the middle of the pack and had to overtake more runners with a very narrow space alloted for the runners. One lane of the bridge was dedicated for the incoming runners and another lane was for the outgoing runners from the Vista Point. The bridge has six lanes and two lanes were alloted for vehicles in each direction. In my estimate, the width of the one lane of the bridge is only good for 3 runners running side by side. With this situation, I had to make a quick move to overtake the runners once there was enough space where I could squeeze my body while I was running along the bridge. It was a nice sight to see a lot of runners infront of my lane and at the same time see the runners at the opposite lane. I tried to pick-up my pace when I left the Vista Point, the northern end of the bridge, towards the San Francisco side and I was about to pass Mile # 8. The lane in going back to San Francisco side of the bridge was not as full of runners than the other side and I took this advantage to increase my pace.
This was the sight of the runners while I was running along the Golden Gate Bridge towards the northern side, Vista Point.
This was taken after leaving the Vista Point and going back to the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Feeling the strong winds that blow on the bridge while running was a wonderful and memorable experience.
After leaving the Golden Gate Bridge, I was already towards Mile # 10 and there was an uphill road (along Lincoln Street) where most of the runners started to walk but I just maintained my running form by shortening my strides and taking one step at a time. I knew that if the hill is high, the road after the peak is another easy downhill road and I can gain more speed in the process. I kept on silently saying to myself my mantra, “Oh, I love this hill”, whenever I approached the hills and I can overcome those hills comfortably. Later, it was all downhill towards Mile # 11.
After running along the 27th Street (Mile # 12), we entered the Golden Gate Park and the next six (6) miles were spent running on those snaky and rolling roads of the park. This was where I started to see and hear load music from speakers being played by disc jockeys at least in every 500 meters. After entering the Golden Gate Park, the Half-Marathon runners had to take another route and got separated from the Full Marathon runners and our road became wider with lesser runners. Running along the said park was a sight to behold because of the manicured grass and gardens filled with ornamental plants. There were a lot of cheerers along the way saying, “Looking good” and shouting encouraging words. There was a continuous ringing of cowbells along the way at the park and most of the streets where we had to run.
Once I got out of the park, I was already hitting Mile # 19 and started to run along Haight Street which is a straight but rolling street with uphills and downhills. The said street is 1 1/2 miles and I would overtake more runners, taking advantage of my non-stop running when I was faced with uphill parts of the road. When I reached Mile # 21 at Guerrero Street, I was happy that I haven’t felt any pains on my legs. At Mile # 22, where I expected to have some muscle cramps, I was still painless and without any problem but I started to slow down. It was already a warning for my body to take my last GU and drink electrolytes (Cytomax which is available in the water stations). So, at Mile # 23, I took my last GU and maintained my pace.
At Mile # 24, my son, John Paul came at my side and told him to keep his pace and gladly overtook me and he gained more distance from me. From this point, I maintained my 6:30 mins/km pace. From the AT & T Park (Home of the San Francisco Giants), I could see already the Finish Line and I just maintained my pace and finished surrounded by women finishers!
I finished the Full Marathon in 4:36:23 hours without any muscle cramps or any pains on my legs and without walking along the way. This was an improvement from my Pasig River Heritage Marathon last February of this year. I was able to improve my finish time by almost 13 minutes. If not for those photo-ops, “pee” & water drinking stops, and the traffic of runners in narrow parts of the route, I could still improve more my finish time even with those hills along the route.
This picture is for Bards aka Banana Running! Ha!Ha!Ha! While waiting for my daughter, my son and I ate a lot of bananas and potato chips with lots of water and Cytomax while sitting along the sidewalk.
John Paul finished the race in 4:34:02 hours.
Jovelle finished the Full Marathon in 5:41:28 hours, a new PR best for her!
While walking back to the hotel, almost all the people that we met along the way would say “Congratulations” or “Good job” to us and we have to smile and say “Thanks” while trying to walk without any limp.
The race was an unforgettable experience. My kids told me that they love the course and started planning to run the SF Marathon next year. Of course, I will be with them again!
For the complete results of the race, visit www.runsfm.com.
The following data were taken from my GF 305:
Distance—42.94 kms Time—4:36:23 hrs
Average Pace—6:27 mins/km Average Speed—9.3 kms/hr
Maximum Speed—15.4 kms/hr Total Calories—3,145 cal
Average HR—152 bpm Maximum HR—168 bpm
Total Ascent—1,525 meters Total Descent—1,568 meters
Running Kit—The North Face Running Shoes—ASICS Gel-Kayano 13
Music—ABBA, Beatles, Bee Gees, Bob Marley, Foo Fighters, Debelah Morgan, Julio Iglesias, Barry Manilow & Michael Buble
The following pictures were taken on Saturday when we picked-up our race packets at the SF Marathon Expo:
These were the portalets aligned at the vicinity of the Starting Line and more of these were positioned in almost all water/medical stations along the routes of the Full Marathon and 2 routes of Half-Marathon.
Dean Karnazes, the Ultra Marathon Man, with my daughter, Jovelle before we reached the Marathon Expo.
Well, talking of coincidence? I have another photo-ops with the Dean K. He said to my daughter that I am crazy! Well, I think we are both crazy!!!
This is San Francisco Marathon’s version of their Project “Donate A Shoe”. Wow! The six (6) containers are 200-liter drums filled to the rim with donated used running shoes!
These are my race bib with my name printed in it and a strip (pasted above my name) of the ChronoTrack D-strip timing chip which is disposable; the map of San Francisco with the route of the course (yellow colored route) and a Finisher’s T-shirt.
Before I left for the United States, Captain Ferdie Espejo told me that our runners in the Philippine Army would like to run in the TNF 100 and they were looking for sponsors who would support them in terms of registration fees, support and miscellaneous expenses. So, I told him that I am willing to support and finance their entry and participation in the said event with the condition that the runners will carry the name of Bald Runner and they will bring home what ever prizes they would earn or win. I wanted the runners to win and get the cash prizes for their respective families and for themselves. Thus, the BR’s Team was born. (Do you think the AFP or the Philippine Army or the PSC/NSA or any corporate entity will give support for these runners with two weeks to go before the race?)
The BR’s Team entered three (3) runners in the 100K Solo Run—Mamerto Corpuz, Esmeraldo Ondoy, and Ellen Tolentino; and one team for the 100K Relay Run consisting of Cresenciano Sabal and Reynaldo De Los Reyes. Three (3) of our runners registered in the 20K and 10K events.
Our BR Team won 1st Runner-Up (2nd Place) in the 100K Team Relay (Cresenciano Sabal & Reynaldo De Los Reyes); Mamerto Corpuz won Third Place in the 100K Solo Race; Esmeraldo Ondoy won Fifth Place in the 100K Solo Race; while Ellen Tolentino was the Female Champion in the 100K Solo Race and Seventh (7th) Overall; Ailene Tolentino also won as the Female Champion in the 10K Trail Race.
The BR’s Runners brought home five (5) Belt Medallions; P 5,000 worth of Gift Check and P 50,000 Check to be encashed this Friday. All of these prizes went to the runners. Spending Eleven Thousand Pesos (P 11,000.00) to these elite runners was a worthy investment for their effort, experiences, and the belt medallions/cash prizes they received.
I was happy to receive the news about how the BR’s Team runners’ accomplishments in the TNF 100 from Captain Espejo (who was constantly sending me text messages) and from the other runner-bloggers who joined the race. I was happier with the thought that I was made to be “an instrument” for these deserving elite runners to experience ultra trail running with the prestigious The North Face as the main sponsor.
The following pictures were taken by Captain Espejo which he sent through e-mail to recap his report to me on the said race:
Eighty-four (84) ultra trail runners for the 100K Solo run and 100K Team Relay run started the TNF 100 Race at 7:30 AM on 26 July 2008 with team runners from Singapore and Hong Kong.
There they go!
Cresenciano Sabal (right) and Reynaldo De Los Reyes (middle) won 1st Runner-Up in the 100K Team Relay Run finishing 12 minutes behind the Champion Team. They received P 15,000 check as their cash prize.
Esmeraldo Ondoy receiving his Belt Buckle Medallion for finishing 5th Place in the 100K Solo Run
The BR’s Team with their prize and the our BR’s Tarp
Captain Espejo (left) as the Team Manager of the Bull Runner’s Events Team
BR’s Team Members: From left: Quisay (BR support staff); Ondoy (5th Place 100K Solo Run); Sabal (2nd place 100K Team Relay Run); Ellen Tolentino (Female Champion 100K Solo Run & 7th Overall); Ailene Tolentino (Female Champion 10K Run); De Los Reyes (2nd Place 100K Team Relay Run); and Corpuz (3rd Place 100K Solo Run)
Practice Run And Orientation Tour At The Bulldog Trail Run Route (9:30 AM-2:15 PM 26 July 2008)
According to Sun Tzu, the Chinese Strategist, that if you know yourself and you don’t know the enemy, you are are not sure to win in every battle you fight; but if you don’t know yourself and you know the enemy, in every battle you incur some casualties and “lapses” and chances of winning the battle will be costly; but if you know yourself and you know the enemy, in every battle you are sure to be victorious!
Since I am a warrior runner, I should be able to know the enemy and be able to conquer it victoriously. Knowing myself as capable and ready to run my first ultra trail run (hopefully), I have to know the enemy, the Bulldog Trail Course. So, this morning, my son and I went to the Malibu Creek State Park and orient myself with the trail and route of the race.
My son is very efficient on locating places, using the Internet to get from Point A to Point B, and driving to any place where I would want to go. So, we woke up at 7:00 AM of Saturday, took our breakfast, changed to our running gear, and prepared our water supply and we were out of the house before 8:00 AM. We took the CA Highway 110 South and then took the Interstate Highway 10 West towards Pacific Coast Highway (CA Highway 1) and later reached the City of Malibu. We passed by the famous Pepperdine University and we were on our way going east towards the mountains. In a few minutes, we were in Las Virgenes Road towards the entrance of the Malibu Creek State Park.
We paid $ 8.00 for our entrance and parking fee to the said park. It was almost 9:00 AM when we entered the park. We prepared our water supply and tried to look on the map at the park the trails we are going to take as part of the Bulldog Trail Run. It took us sometime to orient ourselves but with the help of one of the Park Rangers (an old guy) and explaining our route in detail, we were able to get some basic information about the trail routes in the park. I’ve observed that there were hikers and mountain bikers preparing to enter the trails around the park.
A pose before the practice run with the mountains on the background. I was wearing an all-out The North Face Kit to include my trail shoes. I had my Nathan Lumbar Water Belt and a Hand-Held Water Jug
Since this was our first time to run on a trail in California, I told my son that we came here to the park to orient myself and have a feeling on how to run trails and we’ll make this run as a tour of the place where we have to stop for a while to take some pictures of the surroundings and the route. Once we hit the trailhead of Crags Road, we started our slow run. I was surprised that the wide road became narrower, only to find out that we were actually running on the rocky portions of the Malibu Creek without any water. And then the trail would become wider as a dirt road but the elevation is slowly increasing. We continued to slowly run at the Crags Road until we reached the intersection with Bulldog Trail Road, which was turning to the left. We stopped briefly on this part to take some pictures.
This is the rocky part of the trail along the Malibu Creek without any water. I could just imagine all the runners lined-up along this narrow trail during race day.
This is where the start of most of the trail going up to the highest peak of the mountain.
This part is the intersection of Crags Road and Bulldog Road which is about 4 kilometers away from the Starting area.
From the intersection of Bulldog & Crags, the trail road becomes higher and higher in its elevation and the heat of the sun was already hitting us. I think the temperature in the area was already at 85-87 degrees Fahrenheit and we started to sweat and breath heavily while jogging. We continued our slow run along the way and stopping by places where I want my pictures to be taken by my son. Sometimes we had to stop when there are intersections along the way and most of the time we take the wrong trail and we had to go back to the bigger trail or “fire road”. The first 6-8 kilometers from the Crags-Bulldog Trail intersection were uphill and it was really hard for me as this was my first time to run an uphill climb with such a long distance! At this point we met two mountain bikers who just stopped for some rest and another mountain biker whom we met at a higher elevation along a curve which surprised me and gave him the left side of the road which he appreciated by saying “Thank you”.
Running on trails in California made my throat very dry in almost every 100-200 meters running uphill and I have to take a sip of water from my water jug. It was my first time to experience such situation. In the Philippines, I could run 12 kilometers without drinking any water but running trails here is entirely a different experience. I hope I will be able to acclimatize with more practice runs on the said route.
This is another portion going to the peak of the mountain through the Bulldog Trail and at the top of the road was where I met a mountain biker whom I gave more way on my left as he curved down the trail.
What I liked about my first trail run in the mountains here in California (except my previous training runs at Griffith Park and Mt Hollywood) was the view of the surroundings—different rock formations in different colors; the view from atop the mountains with the sight of the Pacific Ocean in the west and mountains/vast lands and communities saddled on top and on the sides of the mountains in the east, north & south; the clean air that I breath even if it was hot; and the refreshing wind coming from the Pacific Ocean.
My new M Arnuva 50 Boa Trail Shoes from The North Face was very versatile and responsive during my trail run most especially during the downhill part of the course. It gave me the much-needed traction on the road to prevent me from sliding on the ground.
At the end of the Bulldog Trail, we started to brisk walk and slowly jog until we reached the Corral Canyon Trail where we saw two white guys riding on two big horses going towards us. We had to give way to these horsemen and they uttered words of encouragement for making up to the peak of Bulldog Trail. This is what I liked when I ran for my first time in this trail—ALL The People you meet along the trail would greet you (Good Morning/Good Afternoon or say Hi!) and smile at you. We had to do the same too to other people we met along the way.
These are the directional signs along the intersection of each trail along the route. In between such trails, seldom you could see directional signs and there were times that we got lost along the way.
On our way going down the Corral Canyon Road, we met a family and kids on mountain bikes going to the peak of the mountain (about ten persons). The last kid (12-14 years old boy) of the biking group just dropped his bike and just stopped and stand on the trail while the other kid was shouting at him to continue to carry/push the bike up to the peak of the mountain. I was smiling while I was passing this kid who was almost crying and full of sweat because of being tired or due the effect of the heat.
A pose at the TV “Star Trek” shooting location.
My son, John, ran the whole one-half of the entire loop without his shirt and he was “sunburned”.
The Corral Canyon Road was not all downhill ride as there were other uphill roads and we had to walk again. We went through rock formations which according to my son were used as filming locations of the TV series “Star Trek”. We took some pictures and we saw a couple walking ahead of us who was familiar with the trail. We even saw an Oriental woman (Japanese or Korean) whom we tried to ask for directions but she did not understand us! Anyway, we just followed the wider trail road and started alternately walking and jogging. I had to pee at Kilometer # 16.
This was part of the Corral Canyon Trail-Backbone Trail which was going uphill where three other guys running the trail overtook us.
At the middle of the stretch of the Corral Canyon Road, two big guys who were consistently running overtook us and after a couple of hundred meters another one passed by us and we could see them running farther from us. We just maintained our brisk walking and I was getting worried because our water supply was about to be gone. I had only one-half full of my water jug (half-liter full) with almost 10 kilometers back to the base camp and my son had the same water supply on his water bottle.
This pose was taken at the peak of the Corral Canyon Trail /Backbone Trail before we ran downhill towards the Las Virgenes Road. The background is the Pacific Ocean and we were about 8 kilometers aways from the Finish Line.
When we reached the downhill portion of the route, I started to run and just let the weight of my body carry my feet along the route. My pace became faster and faster until I was able to overtake the last guy who overtook us. I realized that using a specific trail shoes is a must in this kind of situation. An ordinary running shoes could not hold the feet and body in a downhill trail with all the loose rocks and soil on the ground and I can say that running shoes lack the traction needed to prevent from having a slip or slide along the route. My fast downhill pace made me overshoot to the direction of a small trail that leads to a narrow Tapia Trail and I ended to a secured gate of a Water Reclamation Facility ( Water Filtration Facility) at Tapia Camp which is a Restricted Area. I have to go uphill for about 100 meters to reach the detour trail and waited for my son who was having a problem with his shoes (he was using a Nike cross-training shoes which he used for his alternate training).
While waiting for my son on a shaded portion of the trail, the white big guy whom I overtook was about to run the wrong way when I told him that he has to take the trail where I was standing. The guy stopped by where I was waiting for my son and we had a brief chat. I found out that he is with a group of runners from Simi Valley who will be running the Bulldog 25K Trail Run and it is his first time to run along the 25-K loop. He told me that there is another guy from his group who is at the back and he is trying to wait for him. Anyway, it was nice talking to him and his name is “Bob”. I told him about this blog! Later, I saw him and his running mates/friemds at the parking lot of the camp after finishing my tour of the Bulldog Trail Run route.
At the end of the Corral Canyon Trail, we met two guys in backpacks going up the trail. We also saw a Restroom and stopped there to refuel ourselves with our water supply. We got lost on this part of the route and we decided to run along the Las Virgenes Road until we hit the entrance of the Malibu Creek State Park which was another 2 1/2 miles of brisk walking and jogging as this paved and busy road was going uphill. We learned later on the map that we should had followed the single trail that goes up towards the mountain for another distance, the same distance as the one we took along the Las Virgenes Road, before the trail ends at the Parking Area of the camp.
My last pose at the entrance of the Malibu Creek State Park before we ended our practice run.
We ran & walked along the Bulldog Trail 25K route of about 25.5 kilometers in 4:45:40 hours with an accumulated ascent of 4,593.6 feet (1,392 meters) and descent of 4,217.4 feet (1,278 meters). Our run started at an elevation of 600 feet (182 meters) and reached the highest peak of 2,528 feet (766 meters).
My practice run and orientation tour of the Bulldog Trail was a nice experience and a good feel of “knowing the enemy”. I will be back on the next weekend after the San Francisco Marathon for another practice run and be able to hopefully simulate the race with more consistent running, lesser brisk walking and more water to carry.
I am beginning to love trail running in the mountains!
The path along the lake has a distance of 1.5 kilometers and by walking/jogging along the streets that surround the park, it has a distance of 1.6 kilometers or 1 mile. This picture was taken last September 2007 but the only difference now is that the lotus plants are gone.
The following pictures were taken during Day 1 of the Badwater Ultramarathon.
This is the Support Vehicle of Pam Reed where at least 5 big Coleman Ice Chests are intact inside where ice cold provisions are properly organized depending on what segments along the route they are being used. Each participant is allowed one Support Vehicle and one Crew Vehicle with proper and visible markings on the back and sides.
David Goggins (DNF) talking to Lisa Renee Smith-Batchen (Bib #7) from Tucson, Arizona who finished # 67 overall with a time of 47:17:30 hours.
Pam Reed finished #5 overall with a time of 27:42:52 hours.
Jamie Donaldson is the cute lady with a white cap infront David Goggins. She won the ladies category in 26:51:33 hours breaking the women’s record time which was established by Pam Reed in 2002 by 1 hour & 5 minutes. She finished 3rd overall beating Dean Karnazes by almost 20 minutes who placed 4th overall. Read her Badwater recap story in her blog.
Akos Konya (#2) finished in 2nd place with a time of 23:49:44 hours. Jorge Pacheco, behind Konya in the picture, finished as the Champion with a time of 23:20:16 hours where he improved by almost two hours from his 4th place finish last year. David Goggins (behind Pacheco) declared himself as DNF upon reaching Panamint Springs (Mile Point #72). Dean Karnazes finished 4th overall with a time of 27:11:00 hours improving his time and standing from last year’s event by 4 hours & 20 minutes and from 10th last year to 4th place overall.
Eight (8) lady participants finished on the top 14 overall finishers in the Badwater Ultramarathon.
For more results, pictures and stories, please log on to www.badwater.com.
Ten minutes before the start of the 10AM Group in the Badwater Ultramarathon, I followed Pam Reed to her support vehicle and called her attention and she faced me immediately after she heard her name. The following were the details of our brief conversation:
Bald Runner (BR): Hi, Pam! I am a runner fan of yours from the Philippines who just arrived in the States last Saturday to witness the start of the Badwater Ultramarathon. My wife accompanied me here to Badwater (introducing my wife to her)
Pam Reed (PR): From the Philippnes? Wow, that’s great!
BR: I read your book and it is a very inspiring one. I am advertising it by posting a review in my blog, bald runner.com.
PR: Ha..ha..ha! Thanks! Did you bring your book? I can sign it now before the start of the race!
BR: Unfortunately, no. I prefer to have a picture with you as the ultramarathon woman! Can I have a picture with you?
PR: Sure!
My wife took the picture.
BR: Thank you very much, Pam & Good luck!
PR: You are welcome & Thanks
Pam Reed proceeded to her support vehicle to drink more fluids before going to the starting line.
While Pam Reed was running towards Furnace Creek, I parked the car on the side of the road and took some pictures of her. However, when she saw me from a distance infront of her, she shouted to her crew (who was about to give a water jug to her) and while pointing her finger to me and said, “The guy who is taking a picture is from the Philippines!”
After taking a picture of Pam Reed and after passing on my position, the lady crew approached me and we had a brief chat.
Crew: Are you from the Philippines?
Bald Runner: Yes, I am a runner and I came here to meet Pam Reed and watch the start of the Badwater.
Crew: Pam and I just visited Malaysia!
Bald Runner: That’s good! I hope you can visit the Philippines, too!
Crew: We will!
The following is the picture I’ve taken while Pam Reed was on her way to Furnace Creek:
The lady crew of Pam Reed was giving a water jug to her while telling that I am from the Philippines.
After the pictures of the 10AM Group had been taken and the final instructions had been delivered by the Chief, Race Organizer, some of the runners and crews and even the members of the race organizer had their pictures taken with Dean Karnazes. I finally approached Dean when he finished taking some pictures with the race organizers and my brief chat went like this:
Bald Runner: Hi, Dean! I am a runner from the Philippines and they call me as The Bald Runner in my country.
Dean Karnazes: Hey, you are not bald! You still have a lot of hair sticking out on your head. (Loooking at my head with his smiling face)
BR: I read your book and you instantly became my idol in ultramarathon and intend to join an ultra running event in the future. You are very popular to the runners in the Philippines. I have a blogsite and I posted your book and your accomplishments as the ultramarathon man. It’s baldrunner.com.
DK: That’s great! I’ll check it out.
BK: By the way, I will be running the San Francisco Marathon with my kids, son and daughter.
DK: This coming San Francisco Marathon?
BR: Yes
DK: I will be at the Runner’s Expo for two days before the San Francisco Marathon and you have to see me there. I want to meet your kids!
BR: Yes, we’ll meet you at the Expo. Can I have a picture with you, Dean?
DK: Ok! ( I asked one of the race organizer’s photographers to take a picture with my camera)
BR: Thanks, Dean! (I offered my hand for handshake & he grabbed my hand)
DK: You are welcome. I will check your blog.
After that brief conversation, Dean left the place and went to his support vehicle to change his cap and get his hand-held water jug and later lined up with the rest of the runners at the starting line.
After the runners left, my wife and I took some pictures at the Badwater Basin; checked and reviewed the pictures taken; drank a lot of water and Gatorade to replenish the sweat while I was taking pictures; and took some time to use the comfort room in the area. It was already almost 40 minutes had lapsed when I started to drive the car along the direction of the runners.
While Dean Karnazes was running towards Furnace Creek, barely one hour after the start of the run, I slowed down the car and stay beside briefly with him and I opened the window of the car, brought out my head and shouted:
BR: Good luck, Dean!
DK: Thank you, Bald Runner! (in a loud voice while pouring water on his cap/head from his hand-held water jug and he was smiling!)
Later, I took the following picture as he was running #4 from the leading runner on his way to Furnace Creek:
Being sponsored by The North Face, Dean Karnazes wears running shoes and apparel of the said sports company. His running apparel is now lighter and different from his clothes when he ran the Badwater Ultramarathon in 2005.
Bald Runner 
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