Uberman – Race Report
Prerace is always an exciting time. The night before Uberman I was able to do a Zoom call with my Rotary Club and other dignitaries from Rotary District 5280 (Los Angeles area) and most notably a brief presentation from Ana at 1736 Family Crisis Center about their programs and services to fight human trafficking.
The day of, we got our crew together, positioned our gear in the appropriate places and headed to the dock with the film crew of Luke and Phil as we began this odyssey over what would likely be a week. As we got onto the boat and were setting up supplies, my good friend Terry Carter came out to see me off, and my wife and kids had a chance to come on board and see the Bottom Scratcher where I would spend the next full day. Hudson managed to jump down off a platform without correcting for velocity and got a nice knot on the middle of his head. It was a bummer way to start the trip but served as a good reminder as we were doing our safety briefing. I pointed out how critical safety is and that our goal was to have that knot on his head be the worst injury of the week.
The Swim – 21 miles from Catalina to Palos Verdes
On Thursday October 8th at 8:55pm I was dropped into the water just off the shore in Doctors Cove at Catalina Island, 21 miles from my destination on the mainland at Palos Verdes. This was the start of the longest night of my life. Gareth Evans started as my kayaker and the plan was to rotate kayakers every three hours. I made my way to shore, swapped goggles, and raised my hand from the shoreline to indicate the start of the swim.
The first few minutes were smooth. I started to get into a rhythm and felt like this might be the start of a long calm night at sea. I adjusted my mindset into a cadence and prepared for the long dark night ahead of me. Within the first half an hour the waves started splashing a bit from both sides and the water was choppy. It took extra effort to pass through. It literally felt like taking gentle punches to the face at times, and I just kept my head down and did my best to stroke through it. I took food breaks from the kayak every 30 minutes and at the three hour mark took my first 5 minute break on the boat. I talked to Tom Overton and told him my anxiety level was about a 9/10. Usually I keep it at about a 2 or 3 during these events. The next three hours were more of the same. At one point I took off my open water swimming cap thinking it might help me having my head exposed. I quickly realized why people wear the caps. They act as a helmet to protect you from the elements. Within minutes I was a bit nauseated and realized how relentless the small waves were. I put the cap back on and kept on my way.
In the middle of the night the chop finally subsided, and I was able to hit normal strokes in the water. At this junction in the crossing my concern had shifted from the choppy water to my right shoulder that seemed strained and losing strength quickly. I began taking Excedrin every six hours to attempt to keep the inflammation at a minimum. Finally, after almost 12 hours in the water I could see the land masses before me and behind me. This was a welcome experience but also a terrifying reality. For about 45 minutes before my long break I kept taking looks at Catalina Island and then where I was in the water. I was pretty sure I was not quite halfway to the mainland.
When I finally got on the boat my fears were confirmed. The crew had talked to the boat captain Kevin and he assured me that they would stay with me until I finish. Since the crew had agreed to stay, I entered back into the water for what would likely be a fairly long night swim after being in the water for an entire day. The afternoon wore on and as I got into the later end of the day I could start to feel the water shifting. I did a long three hour push with Gareth on a kayak by my side and afterwards got out onto the main boat for a 5-10 minute break. I could tell the mood on the boat had shifted. I asked how far we had gone on that push thinking I would have made it 3 or possibly even 2 miles from shore. The answer I got was devastating… 0.72 miles in three hours. I went up to the Captain on the deck and asked him if the tide would shift back anytime soon. He said it looked like it might in about an hour. I was also starting to get more winded in the water which I believe was mainly caused by the salt water dripping into the back of my throat through my nose. My breathing started narrowing in my throat. I took an hour nap waiting for the tide to shift and got back in the water to see if my fortunes had changed. After less than 20 minutes, I was still struggling with my breathing and could feel and hear my pulse in my throat. I was told that we hadn’t made any additional progress. With that news, I called it a day and came out of the water. We called the swim at that point and I had the Captain bring me to within 100 yards of shore so that I could swim to Terranea Beach and see my wife and kids waiting for me.
The Bike – 400 miles from Palos Verdes to Badwater Basin
After the swim we decided to take the night to recover and hit the ground running at 9am. I went to bed around 10pm and was wide awake at midnight, but I decided to just lay there for the night and stick with the plan. At around 6am we got moving and prepared for the day ahead. As we arrived at Terranea Beach Resort I scouted out where to best start and also to see where Catherine was on the swim. Catherine is a marathon swimmer that was on the relay team which included James (The Iron Cowboy) on the bike and Casey the run segment. As I got my gear together I saw the sprinter van of the relay team and took the opportunity to get a photo with the Iron Cowboy before hitting the road. In hindsight, I had wished I waited an extra 30 minutes and watched Catherine come in, but I had my time set in my mind so I stuck to the plan. I was meeting a group of Rotarians at Tony P’s Dockside Grill at around 11:30am when they opened up and as I was cycling I realized I would be there about half an hour early at my current rate. I decided to slow roll it and just enjoy the first few hours and appreciate not being in the water.
I arrived at Tony P’s at 11:20am and had a great visit with some good friends and family. At that point Ron, Board Chair from 1736 Family Crisis Center, joined me for about an hour as we made our way through Venice and out to the end of the bike path past Santa Monica. I said my goodbyes to this inspiring man and was on my way at an increased pace. I was loving the time heading up the PCH. I ran into my crew a little down the road. They stopped for lunch with a group of cyclists who knew Jamaica, my mechanic, so I took some time to fully restock on food and fluids and then went into a good rhythm after the break.
The trip up to Point Mugu went smoothly and just after the iconic landmark I took a right and worked my way inland towards the desert. On this stretch the Dronen family came out to support us. It was great to see some familiar, kind faces. We kept pressing through the night and just after midnight the reigning record holder for Uberman and my good friend Adam Scully-Powers caught up with us. We pushed past midnight, and I had to do “hero’s work” for about three hours to make it to the hotel in Mojave. Hero’s work is when you are dead tired and it’s all you can do to press forward and you just have to suck it up and get through whatever obstacles lay ahead to arrive at your destination. We were fortunate to have a fair amount of tailwind, although as we covered the last 10 miles the winds pressed towards us. The last bridge up and over the freeway to the town was so gusty that I was blown into the guardrail with my back tire coming off the ground. About a mile after that experience we were safely at the hotel room where I was able to get a quick shower and then have the rare privilege of sleeping in a bed on this event.
Day 2 of cycling started off well just after sunrise. We had arrived around 4am the night before, and I was ready to go with the new day. We rode past some windmills and up through some hills into the California interior. In the afternoon around 3pm I ended up getting so tired that I fell asleep while riding and woke up when I was about a foot away from slamming into the ground. It was definitely a startling way to wake up. Unfortunately, I scraped my left hip and bumped my thigh and knee. The worst was the impact on the outside of my left ankle. I took a 20 minute nap and had the crew patch me up and was back on my way. I ended up hitting Towne Pass at night and jammed up the 4,000 foot climb pretty comfortable. On the other side of Towne Pass is an 18 mile downhill stretch. We ran into the Iron Cowboy team and I had a chance to talk to Casey and Catherine for a few minutes. Earlier in the day I had the thought cross my mind that I could reach out to Dan Bercu, the Race Director, and see if he would let me continue the last section of the swim for an official finish. I called up my life coach JoDee Ahmann and ran the thought by her. I told her something to the effect of, I think I’m supposed to head back out into the water. I know I have a few monsters still ahead of me, but it just feels like what I’m supposed to do. When I talked to Catherine I asked her if she would help me identify the best water conditions to make the last 4 miles into shore after I completed the Badwater 135 hike/run. Their relay team was extremely helpful, you could tell they were having a blast and based on where I ran into them on the course they were crushing the speed record.
The rest of the ride into Badwater Basin was fairly uneventful and fast. My left ankle continued to get sorer and would hurt every time I had to unclip from the pedals. We made solid time and arrived at the Badwater sign just after 2pm. I left a message for JoDee Ahmann pretty concerned about my ankle leading into the Badwater 135. I headed to bed without knowing if my ankle would even hold up for a few miles without having a compromised gate and having to look at our options.
The Run – 135 miles from Badwater Basin to Mt. Whitney Portal
We started the run just past 8am on Monday morning and Adam Scully-Powers hiked/ran right next to me from the start. I was highly concerned about my ankle, but within the first few miles the low level pain subsided to just pressure. For now, I would be good to go. We covered the first 17 miles to Furnace Creek uneventfully and at a swift pace and took a nice 30 minute break to grab food and cool down at the pool with the kiddos. From there the hiking kept on at the same pace but the time began to slow as the day wore on. The temperature at the main detection site had it pinned at 105 degrees for this particular day. After Furnace Creek is what is called the “Death Zone”. It’s rolling flat hills all the way to the 42 mile mark where you hit Stovepipe Wells for the long 18 mile, 4,000 foot climb up to Towne Pass. The mileage went slowly but at a consistent pace with one little power nap in the midday to recover my stamina. I reached Stovepipe Wells and started the ascent up to the summit. I couldn’t have timed the major hills on this event any better and pretty much every climb was done at night where the temperatures were much more bearable than during daylight hours. We pushed as fast as we could and I managed to make it to within five miles of the summit before daylight.
My good friend and fellow producer Brady Connell had a location scouting trip come up. Since Death Valley was only a few hours out of his way, he took the time to bring me some coffee and a breakfast burrito. It was a pleasant surprise seeing his friendly smile as he took a few minutes to give encouragement and connect with my crew. It’s those little things in the midst of these grand odysseys that often speak volumes to our hearts and minds. The last push to the summit went smoothly, and I was accompanied by my 14 year old niece Madisyn up to the Peak. I took a nap for a few hours at the top to prepare for the next push. Checkpoint to checkpoint is how you chip these ultra’s down. During my nap the ”Iron Cowboy Team” that completed the relay stopped by and connected with Gay Hunter from my crew.
On the way down Towne pass I talked to my crew about when Dan Bercu, Race Director, was planning on coming out to the course. They responded that he had something personal come up and was not going to be able to make it out. I thought for a few minutes and realized I had a team of media around me. The next time I ran into Luke, my lead Videographer, I asked him to film something. We walked away from the support team and I recorded a message for Dan telling him my reasons for this race, my desired to finish, and asking for the opportunity to go from the Whitney Portal where the run concluded and travel straight back to Los Angeles, get on a boat at the first opportunity available with a good tide and complete the last four miles of this swim 100% under my own power for not just 99% of the Uberman course, but that last 1% and to become an official finisher.
I sent Luke on his way to deliver the message to my wife Kristin to e-mail Dan and we made our way down the backside of Towne Pass. After making it down the pass we had another eight miles to our next checkpoint at Panamint Springs. This section was very familiar to me and I remembered how deceptive the miles were. It looks like such a short distance but can really knock you off your game. Two years ago when I completed the Badwater 146 in the middle of the Valley crossing my crew was doing a shift change. I was left alone for probably twenty minutes and quickly had my ice on my neck melt and drained my water bottles. I ended up ducking under one sign within miles for a tiny bit of shade and sat down for about five minutes until my crew returned, not wanting to run the risk of having an overheating issue. Where I stopped was probably three miles from Panamint Springs and I was well aware that without my crew returning if I ventured out on my own to cover that distance I would have been in dire condition coming into town and needing a full recovery/refueling if I was even able to move forward. The desert is beautiful but I don’t underestimate how unforgiving it is for any error as I have the privilege to pass over its surface.
When I reached Panamint Springs it was the first time where pretty much my entire run crew was together. We had some lunch, took some photos and I took a nap in the RV which Reed Finfrock brought down and ended up being a nice comfortable life saver more than a couple of times. Manly shared a story from a few months ago when he was crewing for Mauricio and shared that this was where he had to pull him from the course because he was cramping up and screaming in pain. Mauricio is an exceptional trail runner and completed the Badwater 146 course numerous times. He is not unfamiliar with its intricacies and what to be aware of as you cross. Apparently what had happened was on this particular crossing Mauricio had switched his fueling frequency to every three miles instead of every two miles and not been aware of what the reduction in fueling was doing to his body. By the time he hit this point in the course his electrolytes were all messed up and he was toast. They ended up eventually calling an ambulance and after evaluating him found that his potassium levels were at a dangerous high level and had him transported to the hospital in Las Vegas for a three night stay.
After my nap we once again set out at night for a climb up to Father Crawleys. This climb went smoothly and I enjoyed the time with my niece Madisyn and Adam once again. My good friend Darren Sweeney started walking occasionally with us as well which was a major blessing to have the guy that took the risk to share his faith with me over 20 years ago, joining me on the toughest ultra-experience of my life. We hit the summit in the middle of the night, and I took another couple hour nap in the RV at the top. I was on my way for the long next checkpoint to Lone Pine pretty much a marathon distance away. The next section was the toughest section for me on the run. Time slowed a bit in my head and thankfully the company of Brian Sarvis, Madisyn, Adam, Gay, Manly and Darren kept me in good spirits. The plan was to take another break at the halfway point about 13 miles after my nap. As I got within a few miles of the RV I started feeling off. For some reason my body wasn’t regulating my temperature well and I began to overheat and my pulse rate and breathing increased. I put more ice on my neck, filled my cap with ice and slowly and steadily made my way to the RV.
When I finally reached the RV and Reed walked me in the last half mile, my goose was cooked. I told the crew I needed a full recovery and would take a cold shower, turn the AC on all the way and probably be down for two to three hours. As I laid down with my feet propped up to reduce the swelling in my feet which were about twice the size as normal I realized I wasn’t sleepy. Instead of just lying there until my temperature came down and my pulse reduced, I decided to call people and capture those conversations so that I could hold onto them in my mind for the last marathon push ahead of me. Four marathons down, one to go. I talked to my pastors including Mike Jones, Aaron Bacon, Rankin Wilbourne. I left messages and had opportunities to speak with JoDee Ahmann, Ray Pulsipher, Christina Heistand, Rich DeCou, Lila Betts, Jan Stanton, and many more. About an hour and a half into it I could feel my pulse starting to normalize. I waited another thirty minutes and was on my way.
The next thirteen miles flew by. We rotated having Gay Hunter and Brian Sarvis pace me and made our way step by step towards the hotel in Lone Pine. Once we arrived in Lone Pine I was able to rest for a few hours before making the final ascent up to the Mt. Whitney Portal. The ascent up the portal went fast and comfortable. I made it so quickly that the non-active crew barely had enough time to get to the summit before we arrived at the portal. The last three miles I walked with my wife Kristin and we took a breather just before the portal to ensure that Brian Sarvis was there for the moment we got to touch the signs. As we arrived at the summit it was Brian, Kristin and me, along with Manly and Gay for support. It was very obvious by the multiple signs that the summit trail was closed to hikers and even though I felt completely ready to take on that challenge we had unfinished business in the water.
It was about 5:18am Thursday morning and I looked at my phone to see a text from Badwater Ben Jones asking if I was still in the area. I said we would love to meet up for breakfast and he indicated a café that opens up at 6am. We made our way down to our rooms, freshened up and spent almost an hour with the legendary mayor of Badwater. I started fading out pretty quickly and left early and had the opportunity to jump on for 10 minutes with my bi-weekly meeting with a group of guys that are absolute Legends.
After sleeping for about three hours we made our way back to Los Angeles to a new hotel in Redondo Beach and relaxed for the evening preparing for the swim ahead. Kristin had reserved a 23 foot inflatable boat with Kevin Bell, Captain of the Bottom Scratcher who would captain this boat for us as well. I had a nice catch up meeting with the Rotarians at 6:00pm for about 30 minutes and the rest of the night is pretty much a blur as I went in and out of sleep getting ready for the plunge into the water the next morning. I had my former pastor send me encouraging thoughts which are long but worth repeating. This is a lot of what got me through the long swim the following day…
When David faces the Giant Goliath:
When David faced what was obviously impossible he held to a deep secret in his heart.
His brothers rebuked him with shame and the accusation that he should not be at the battle but home tending sheep. But David held something deep in his heart.
When mocked by Goliath as he laughs at a young boy coming at him with no armor, David knew something in his heart that Goliath did not know.
David runs out eagerly to meet the giant because he knew what he held in his heart.
David refused to wear the armor of the king because he knew the weapons he had were more powerful.
David did not listen to the outward cries of defeat and discouragement but listened to the voice in his heart.
Rob David’s secret is your secret. His secret was: God is with me, God is for me and together with God I cannot and will not be defeated.
David,as you Rob. was doing all of this for the glory of God!
So press on my brother, as you hold fast to the secret within you, which enables you to conquer the giant and proclaim the victory!!!
Praying for you my brother and God’s “Uberman”
At 4:00am we all met at the boat dock in San Pedro. It was Gareth Evans, Brian Sarvis, Holly Cunningham, Phil Lellek, Joerg Rose and myself. After getting all loaded up we took a slow cruise out to the drop point four miles off the coast of Palos Verdes and were ready to go. There were stars on the ride out and then when we got to our location the fog rolled in and Gareth jumped into the water to swim side by side with him guiding me in as the left flank. My wife had reached out to Gareth the night before to see if he wanted to come. Gareth insisted he wanted to kayak, but there was no room for a kayak. Kristin responded a few times and then said, you can swim in with him. Gareth has completed some Ironman competitions years ago but hasn’t been really in the water the last few years.
With minimal training for both of us we were off into the darkness and figuring out how to find the shoreline ahead. The first twenty minutes was a little readjusting. The water was nice on my feet and would likely reduce some of the swelling from the desert experience. Once we got going we found a good rhythm and I attempted to be as consistent as possible. We took food breaks every 30 minutes and then right back to the rhythm in the calm waters off the coast. After about 45 minutes I started flagging and losing perception and connection to my body. When this happens you basically lose track of time and 5 minutes might as well be an hour or a week. You’re pretty much lost in eternity and trying to find your way back into your own thoughts. On one of the breaks I had them pull me into the boat for a few minutes thinking I might nap. Once in the boat I decided a better idea was to drink three cups of warm coffee, pound a coke and two caffeine pills and jump back into the water. That worked for about a half an hour and then my mind wandered again and I was back into “hero’s work”. I went through a few cycles of this phasing in and out of full consciousness and then with about 15 minutes left I was completely out of it and asked to take another break on the boat. I couldn’t see the shore through the fog and it was hard to tell where exactly I was. Kevin said, you literally just need one long push and you’re there, so I ducked my head into the water and pushed forward. A few minutes later through the haze I could see the people on the shoreline and made my way to the rocky shore of Terranea as the waves pushed me up and then I was helped up by a kayaker. So many of my friends and fellow Rotarians were there including Melody St. John, Dan Bercu, Terry Carter, Alex, Cozette, and so many others. I had a great short visit, was given an Uberman official finisher pin making me the seventh person in history to finish solo Uberman and got some photos with the hammer.
After the congratulatory session and a shot of Balvenie Scotch with Melody St. John we were off. Joerg, Gareth, and I jumped back into the water and were pulled on a rope by Brian Sarvis back out to the main channel where we could easily get back into the boat. We had an enjoyable ride back to San Pedro, drank my first beer in over a year and could finally start to relax after the most intense experience of my life.
When people ask what’s next, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I feel that still small voice inside of me telling me to take a couple of years easy on my body. Focus on my work, my family, building community, and being a resource to other athletes as they seek to push their limits, raise money for notable causes and do the internal work to be the best they can. I firmly believe that God gives us our platform for one reason and one reason only and that is to pour back into those around us. It’s the work of sharing our journeys and lessons learned and the power of humbling ourselves and putting every ounce of energy, drive and focus into what we are called to become. For me, last week, that purpose was the Uberman. It was all I needed to focus on in the world. Once we decided to start and take that first stroke in the water off Catalina I had made the decision to not stop. When you make a decision like that there is only one path and that is forward. One stroke, pedal, or step at a time. As our fortune would have it, we found a way through this epic Odyssey with unbelievable friendships, compassionate moments, and stories to tell for a lifetime.