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 Athlete to Athlete Interview
 Mark Synnott with Tim Twietmeyer August 2002 The North Face athlete Mark Synnott uses his unique perspective to get to know the rest of our athlete team - who they are, what inspires them, and what lies ahead. Tim Twietmeyer, a man who once ran 128 miles in less than 24 hours, has this to say about his favorite sport, endurance running: "If you give-up easily, you won't have much success in this sport." Obviously, Tim is not someone who gives up easily -- just the opposite in fact. He's run the grueling Western States 100-mile Endurance Run 21 times, winning it five times and setting the over-40 course record of 17:17. Most people can barely stay awake for 18 hours, let alone run up and downhill nonstop all day and all night long. Truly, this is a sport for only the toughest athletes in the world. And amongst this group, Tim Twietmeyer is widely admired as one of the best in the game. Mark: So Tim, it's great to finally meet you, at least over the phone. I've heard a lot of amazing stories about you. Tell me how you got started with running? Tim: I grew up in Redwood City, which is just south of San Francisco in the Bay Area. When I was in college I worked at Menlo Country Club as a caddie and started running with my older sister who was a budding runner. I'd played competitive golf for three years and also played a lot of basketball so I was in good shape. After work one day they had a 24-hour track run at the high school near the country club and I watched it for several hours. Amazingly enough, it was fascinating to watch and I started learning things from the runners in the race. That was in 1978, and I was nineteen. Two years later I ran my first 100-miler on that same track and in 1981 ran my first Western States as a 22-year old. Early on I realized I wasn't really a fast runner but I could run slow for a really long time. Mark: So you started out small and worked your way up to the ultimate, the Western States. You just ran this again recently. Tell me about it? Tim: This year was exactly opposite of my experience last year. In 2001, I had almost a perfect race and ran a 17:17, which established a new over-40 course record. Everything seemed to fall into place and I felt good for about 99 of the 100 miles. This year was a major struggle after the 50-mile point. Although I was still moving at a decent pace, it just wasn't what I'm used to doing. I finished fourth in 18:08, which I certainly won't complain about, but I know it could've been better. That's what makes the race interesting though, each year presents a new challenge. This year the course was a bit different, as we had to avoid the remnants of the Star fire, the weather was about 10 degrees hotter and I was a year older. Each year presents different challenges and you have to be prepared for them. Mark: How many times have you run the Western States? Didn't you win it like four times? Tim: This year I completed my 21st Western States. I've won the race five times. I've been extremely fortunate that in the 21 times I've run the race, I've really only had one stinker and that was in 1982 - but I was still able to finish in under 24 hours. Mark: The longest I've ever run in one shot is 16 miles, so believe me, I have the utmost respect for anyone who can run 50 miles, let alone 100. How does that feel? What does it do to your body? Tim: Like fellow The North Face athlete Dean Karnazes says: "The first 50 you run with your body, the last 50 you run with your mind." By the end of the race it's hard to stride-out and the miles seem to crawl by, especially when we're running in the dark. It's really difficult to stay positive as every mile seems to get exponentially more difficult as you approach the last few miles. The good part is that it all melts away when you finish and get that nice post-race massage. It's not just your body, but it's the mental and metabolic load too. Sure, running 100 miles is physically hard, but the longer you're out there the harder it is to keep your mind focused. Since we don't sleep much the night before and we're running into the night during the race, it seems like you burn as many brain cells as you do muscle cells. That's why it's nice to have a pacer, so they can think for you and all the runner has to do is put one foot in front of the other. Even that is difficult late in the race - and don't trip or you'll cramp and it may take awhile to get up. One example of the load on the body is easily measured by blood samples at the finish line. For example, from a blood sample you can measure CPK a marker enzyme that's an indicator of waste products in the blood that has to be flushed by the kidneys. A normal reading of CPK would be between 100 and 200 but it's not unusual to see finishers in a 100-miler in the 25,000 to 100,000 range. We've seen finishers over 200,000 before at Western States. That gives you an idea of the load to the internal part of the body - internal loads of 250-1000 times normal. You better have solid kidneys if you want to excel at 100-milers in the heat. Mark: Do you have to be a little sick in the head to be really into this sport? Tim: It sure doesn't hurt! Actually most of the people in the sport are very motivated and grounded. Sure, there are a few outliers, but that's true in any sport. Most of the people I've met in this sport just embrace a challenge and enjoy spending time on the trail. Whether we're all part crazy, I can say that from the first finisher to the last in this sport, there's a level of respect you won't see in other sports. One thing is for sure - if you give-up easily, you won't have much success in endurance running. Mark: What have you learned about yourself from doing this? Have you learned any lessons from ultra-running that have helped you in other aspects of your life? Tim: Yes. You might think you know your limits, but you don't. You won't find out what you've really got to offer until you're really pushed to the brink and even then you can do more than you think. You find this a lot in this sport and it's why there's a delicate balance between what your body can deliver and what your mind thinks you've got. At times your mind can run off with your body and you really pay. The main thing you learn in this sport is that there are going to be times when you feel absolutely miserable, but it's part of the experience, and if you keep working, things will turn around. A great example of this was Topher Gaylord at Western States in 2001. He was wasted at the 55-mile point and wanted to drop out, but he continued and finished strong. Sometimes it's impossible to understand but you learn that things might look bad, but you just have to keep plowing along. Mark: How much of your time does this demand? Are you a full time runner or do you have a real job? Tim: I don't run as many miles as most ultrarunners. I run about 2800 miles a year, which turns out to be about an hour a day. One thing that I try to do is never get too far out of shape. I've been very injury free and have run between 2500-3000 miles for the last 20 years and have never gone much more than a week without running. I do have a real job - I'm still trying to figure out how to become a full-time adventurer like the climbers! I work for Hewlett-Packard Company as a technical marketing manager. I've worked for HP for over 20 years and it's nice, as I have a locker room and health club in the same building where I work. I often workout at lunch or during some other break in the day. Working in technical marketing is fun as I spend more time directly with customers than I did when I worked in research and development. I have a great team and I really enjoy working in this business. Of course, I'd rather spend all my time in the backcountry, but I know that's not going to happen. Mark: You're a family man, like me, which is cool. Tell me about your family. Are your kids interested in running? Do they think you're crazy? Tim: My wife, Kathy, and I have been married for over 16 years and we have three boys age 8, 10, and 12. My wife runs recreationally and my boys are just starting to get into running. My oldest ran cross-country and track last year and my youngest paced me for a mile or two at Western States this year. My middle son doesn't run much as he was born with Down syndrome and running is difficult for him. He's a swimmer. What's funny about the kids is that they, even though they watch the 100-mile runs, they have no idea how hard it is. They see me go on training runs but they don't see where I go and in the race they only see me at the aid stations and the finish line, which are usually very upbeat. They don't yet understand how hard it is! Mark: What about your wife? What does she think of you? Tim: She gets tired of being known as the wife of that running guy! She keeps me grounded and makes sure I don't forget that I have three kids that are really important. Endurance running can have a way of stealing large chunks of time from the family and it's a tough balancing act to make sure the pendulum doesn't swing too far in the running direction. She's been great in supporting my running although I think she knew I was a bit nutty before she married me. Mark: Tell me about your most memorable running adventure? Tim: That would be our John Muir fastpack trip in 1992. Four friends and I fastpacked the John Muir Trail in just over five days, unsupported. And, we did it in the hard direction - north to south. We didn't hike at night and averaged 35 miles a day with about 44,000 feet of elevation change while carrying our own gear. The best part was that we all stayed together for the entire trip and were able to share in a great experience. When I got to Whitney Portal it was the most exhausted I'd ever been in my life. I'd never want to do it that way again, but it was awesome to do it once that way. Mark: What is the wildest, hairiest, most demanding thing you've encountered so far? Tim: That would have to be the Western States in 1995. That year it was a record snow year and the first 20 miles of the course were covered in snow. Running in the snow is very tiring and we spent five hours running in the snow that year. Once out of the snow, we had 75 miles to go and it was 107 degrees that day. It was your basic survival march but we continued to race. It turned into an epic as at the 90-mile mark; two others and myself were only separated by five minutes. In the end, I won the race by five minutes and had to push the entire time. Nothing like running 99 miles and having someone right behind you the entire way. I could barely move the next day! Mark: Any injuries? Ever sprained or broken an ankle way out in the middle of nowhere? Tim: Miraculously enough, I've never had a serious injury. I blew-up an ankle once in a 100-miler in Leadville, but it just swelled, got numb, and then everything was fine until the next day when it was hard to walk. It didn't really matter then, as I didn't plan to run for a few weeks. Mark: What do you have planned for the future. I know guys like you are always scheming the next mission? Tim: Well, Dean and I want to run the Western States trail in the winter in snowshoes. That would be interesting and has some historical significance as it was done regularly by the miners in the 1850's as they moved between the silver mines of Nevada to the gold mines of California. I'd also like to fastpack the Pacific Coast Trail some year, probably when my kids get a bit older they could do part of it with me. Mark: Do you run in other countries? Tim: Not too often as my job and family tend to restrict that. I have run the Vienna marathon, which was great, but trail running isn't as prevalent in other countries, particularly in Europe. The Europeans like running the 100-kilometer distance on the road and they don't have as many trail events which is unfortunate as they have the Alps, Pyrenees, and other mountains to use for their trail races. Mark: What's the furthest you've ever run? Tim: I ran 128 miles in a 24-hour track run one year. Now that's really hard on the legs - always turning to the left. Mark: Tell me a little about logistics, strategy, etc. What do you carry with you, what clothing, how much water, food? Tim: The main trick in 100-mile running is finding the right pace and keeping it. Like my friend Dr. Walter Bortz says, "The race doesn't go to the one who starts the fastest, it goes to the one that slows down LAST". My strategy has always been to run hard in the good terrain and throttle-back in the difficult terrain. That allows me to run strong late in the race when the course has some easier running -- it's all relative. During the race I'm always carrying water and an electrolyte drink, some food like GU, aspirin, and salt/electrolyte tablets. The trickiest part of running 100 miles is eating and drinking enough to keep the engine running at optimal pace. In 100-milers I drink a pint every half-hour for 18-hours. That's a lot of fluid but it's required to keep the body hydrated. The more you dehydrate the more you suffer. If it gets really bad, they'll take you out of the race and it may require an IV to get your body back in sync. Of all the things endurance runners fear, it's getting sick from dehydration and having to drop out of the race. Mark: What have you learned about planning? Is it important? Tim: As for planning, it's great to plan, but you have to be flexible. A lot of things can happen - some good, some bad - when you compete for 18 hours and pushing the whole time. Now that I've run for many years I know more about what to expect and don't get caught by some of the more common mistakes. The interesting part is that in endurance running it's not like being a jockey or Nascar driver. When you want more speed in our sport, you've got to generate the energy yourself. I've been jockeying the same body for over 20 years and I'd like to think I know the old mule pretty well, but it's ornery and acts up every once in awhile. Mark: Why do you do it? Tim: I just love the challenge and it's a great contrast to what I do day-to-day. I never spent any time in the backcountry when I was a kid so I'm making up for lost time. I love running the trails and the freedom it provides. I may not run my whole life, but you'll always see me on the trails. |
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