El Scorcho Dos is done. Official race photos are online at Cowtown Camera Girl's site (click on the "proofing" link and look for El Scorcho).

Results are here.

Here are some links to what other folks had to say about our midnight jaunt. (I'll update this post with other links as I become aware of them. Feel free to e-mail me with blog posts, articles, etc.).

Byron said -- "Nice race. Thank you to the organizers and all the volunteers for all the hard work."

TexMom said -- "I thought the race was very well organized, great New Balance singlet for the race shirt, lots of post race food and plenty of volunteers. . . . Overall it is a great race if you are up for running at that hour."

Eddie said -- "I just wanted to let you know how much fun I had running ES2. This was my first ultra and... I am now officially ”hooked.... Thanks again for the race—it will always be my first and therefore very special."

dblack1801 said -- "Once again, El Scorcho was a blast! . . . I love El Scorcho and will be back next year. 50K????"

KHS said -- "WOW! This race was FUN! I found my heaven! Running at night, with my music playing in my ears. I LOVED IT! I felt amazing. . . . I have to say, if you like being up at night, this is the race for you! Tons of fun. I can't say enough about how great it was. . . . This is only the second year they have done this race, but it was organized nicely. Lots of wonderful volunteers."

Bad Budha -- "[T]here’s just something about running around with a crowd of people in the middle of the night that lends the whole thing a sort of unique party atmosphere. . . . El Scorcho is a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it."

BWG said -- "The event was well-organized and they had a good idea of how to cater to the running crowd."

GeekGirl -- "This was a nice course, surprisingly well attended and volunteered for a race that starts are midnight."

Just12finish -- "El Scorcho is a first class event.... The volunteers, the course, water stops, food, timing, parking, all worked flawlessly literally in the middle of the night. Ryan, dude - I'll be back next year for sure!"

Welsh Runner -- "I have to say that the organization was spot on - everything was running smoothly, which was an amazing achievement since this race is only in its second year, and has grown up really quickly (they sold out with 400 runners this year)."

5ksandcabernets -- "Great finishing medal. Good support. I'm going to run it again next year."Kevin said -- "Dude, Just wanted to say that that was an awesome race, absolutely awesome."

Abilene Runner -- "Very good race considering the demanding conditions.... Overall this was a fun adventure like none any of us had experienced. I'll keep this on a list of runs to do again. It was well organized."

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers -- "This was RAW’s second trip to El Scorcho, and once again, both co-race directors Ryan Valdez and Jason Costantino, along with Jim and James Newsom of the Fort Worth Running Company, the flagship sponsor, did an absolute wonderful job organizing this event. Participants definitely got their money’s worth both in terms of fun and running in extreme conditions."

Pat W. commented -- "You guys put on one heck an event. This was my first ultra (with no marathon exp). Your volunteers were AWESOME!! Not once did they stop cheering."

Page said -- "As a spectator cheering on my daughter I can say the weather was great and the music was great and I really like watching my daughter go by every 28minutes or so."

Derek -- "The first thing I have to say, is that was the hardest thing I have ever done."

Running Through Time -- "It's over, what a run.... Overall this is a nice race. It's different with it's midnight start...."

Abilene Online Reporter News -- "Area runners compete in El Scorcho. Abilenians Andy Blessing and John Ring posted Top 10 finishes Sunday in the 50-kilometer race at the El Scorcho Run in Fort Worth."

Fort Worth Star-Telegram -- "In order to get their schedules in sync for the midnight jaunt, runners did everything from weeks of late-night training to sleeping late on the day of the race or just taking an afternoon nap. For others, caffeine was a necessity."

Hotels are booked pretty solid in and around El Scorcho. We tried to negotiate a special rate, but the hotels aren't budging. Not sure if there is a convention in town, but they are being pretty tough. If you're looking for a place to stay, we'd recommend anything downtown/Sundance Square, the Museum district, TCU, Ridglea, or even the Stockyards. All of these areas are no more than 5 miles from the race site.

p.s. It is much, much hotter this year....

Anyone out there interested in or still in need of a hotel for El Scorcho Dos? I have contacted a few of the local hotels, but I want to hear back from you El Scorcho crazies before I start negotiating for an El Scorcho discount. The more people we can get on board the better the room rate will be. Let us know if there is still a need for lodging and we will see what kind of rates we can get for you.

El Scorcho Dos is SOLD OUT!

That's it, amigos. El Scorcho is done. No more runners. 400 is our limit and we're there. If you didn't register and make it, we're sorry.

Since we reached our field limit, I've gotten several e-mails asking if folks can come out and run the race anyway without registering.

Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to do so. We have very specific requirements that allow us to use Trinity Park after hours.We have insurance and permits and City Codes and you-have-no-idea-how-much beaucracy. There are serious liability issues with having unregistered runners participating in El Scorcho.

"Banditing" the course (i.e., running without registering) puts the entire race in jeopardy. If you care about the future of El Scorcho and Fort Worth ultrarunning, DO NOT "bandit" El Scorcho. If you didn't get in this year, come out and volunteer and run next year.

If everyone plays by the rules and has a good attitude, then El Scorcho will be around for many years to come.

El Scorcho is the feature article on The Final Sprint!

Check out the article here. Special thanks to Cheryl Lowe for interviewing Jim, James, Jason, and me.

The Final Sprint article is great, but I want to emphasize that Jim and James Newsom are also co-race directors, and Jason and I couldn't put the race on without their expertise and help. Fort Worth Running Company--Jim and James' store--is, in my opinion, THE best specialty running store in Fort Worth. If you find yourself in Cowtown and are in need of anything running-related, you should definitely stop by their establishment.

Here's what the article had to say:

The 2nd annual El Scorcho “Dos” 50K and 25K races are being held in Fort Worth, Texas on July 20, 2008 at midnight. Runners will complete a 3.1-mile crushed gravel loop on the Trinity Trails a total of five times for the 25K (15.5 mile) race, and ten times for the 50K (31 mile) race.

Yes–you read that right–the race starts at midnight. Don’t expect the runners competing in the event to lay down their heads for sleep anytime earlier than 7:00 AM that morning. Ryan Valdez, the race director, does not expect to catch any shut-eye for hours that weekend, either. “Body rhythms are going to be off. Most runners are used to going to bed early and waking up early for races,” said Valdez.

Valdez, along with fellow race director Jason Constantino, are working hard to deliver a fun and slightly crazy ultra-endurance event.

“It is a fun concept, and that’s why the running community has embraced it as much as it has,” said Valdez. “It’s crazy and not your typical run by any stretch of the imagination. The feel of the race is tongue-in-cheek. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Last year, Ryan Valdez’s 30th birthday was coming up on July 16. Valdez had a list of things he wanted to accomplish before that day, and on that list was completing a run of at least 30 miles.
He and his friend Jason Constantino brainstormed the idea when they went for a run together, and then the thought struck Valdez that they should team up and organize an actual ultramarathon race. “We thought it was crazy, nuts, and it was never going to work,” joked Valdez.

Valdez and Constantino worked hard to gather resources, sponsors, and race management support and – before they knew it – they had a race. Over 200 individuals from all around the United States signed up for the inaugural event. Even more were on the waiting list.

“We thought at most we’d have 20 to 30 people sign up,” said Valdez. “We ended up having 226 runners last year–much larger than we thought.”

Valdez and Constantino contacted Fort Worth Running Company for organizational support. Father-and-son duo Jim and James Newsom, co-owners of the local specialty running store, agreed to help sponsor the event because they thought that it was unique and off-the-wall.

“The whole idea of the race is to have fun. If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it,” said Jim Newsom. “We know that for eight hours we’re not going to have anything but laughs.”
Newsom helped Valdez to establish a charity for the race. Part of the proceeds go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

According to Valdez, the race course is unique and safe. Just like last year’s event, a full medical staff will be ready to treat any ailing runners. Spectators and friends watch all along the race course and nobody gets left behind and lost in the dark. This year’s race course will be adequately lit, and many participants still bring their headlamps just in case. Both races are restricted to a trail loop that runs within Fort Worth’s Trinity Park.

“The course is unique. It’s in a city park but parts of it feel like a trail race,” said Valdez. “This race has an all-night party feel to it. People come to hang out and cheer each other on, and there is music playing all night.”

This year, there are already near 400 runners signed up for the race which will be held on July 20. Even though the entry size has doubled since last year, there are still people on the waiting list.

What's new? 275 registered entrants, amigos. Wow -- 25 more spots and the price goes up. Whaddayathink? I think you ought to sign up today!

If you signed up early, good work. We're in the second tier (and have been for awhile now). Sign up soon before the price jumps again. Put that economic stimulus tax refund to good use.

10 spots left before the price goes up $10, folks. Register today!!!

We're about to blast through the first tier with more than 150 entrants. (So if you haven't signed up, do it soon before it gets pricier.)

Here's some questions we just got:

Will the race be chip timed?
- Yep.

Are headphones allowed on the course?
- We're not USATF certified, so headphones aren't banned. Just keep in mind that you'll be running in the dark all night. Keep the volume low enough to be aware of your surroundings.

Will we still need flashlights now that all the park lights are working?
- It's up to you. I'd say bring 'em just in case. Cause you never know -- the lights may be working now, but race day is five months away.

111 folks have signed up for El Scorcho '08. Are you one of them?

The price goes up once we hit 150 entrants, so if you haven't registered yet, save some dough and get on it, amigos.

Great news everybody. The city has finally fixed all the lights along the El Scorcho course. I have heard through the grapevine that Coach Jim has made a few night time loops around the area and verified this.

My last few trips to the course have been in the daytime, but I will try and get out there during the evening time in the next month or so and check it out what the course is like with a few more lights on.

It's damn cold in December. Even in Texas. 27 degrees cold. Brutal. Makes me long for those comfortable mid-July days and nights. You know you want it. You crave it. The steam rising off the Trinity. The salty residue caking on your brow. The sting of the sweat as it pours into your eyes.

El Scorcho 08: Numero Dos is coming. July 20, 2008. Midnight.

Long Overdue Race Director's Report

The Saturday morning before El Scorcho started off like most others. I got up and went for a run. Only 6.5 miles this time (I had done 21 the week before) because I was trying to conserve my energy for two main reasons. First, I had the San Francisco marathon in two weeks. Second, I had El Scorcho, the all-night 50K run notion, taking place in Trinity Park.

So... Jballs and I took off from his new apartment and cruised around downtown trail for about an hour.

Then we grabbed breakfast and headed to the music store to pick up the PA system for the run.
That was an experience. And that's all I can say about it.

After dropping off the PA system at FWRunCo, I made my way home and attempted to take a nap. Surpisingly, I got about an hour of sleep before the evil cats began to howl for food and attention. Evil, evil cats.

I hung around the house some more, did some work, tried to lay low to conserve my energy for the race. While not running, I was one of four organizers in charge of El Scorcho. And I was the guy who had initially come up with the idea of putting together an ultramarathon starting at midnight. (My fellow organizers referred to me affectionately as "The Instigator.") Needless to say, I knew that however the run turned out, I would be on the receiving end of praise or ridicule.

Around 5:30 p.m., Nell and I grabbed an early dinner, with the hope that it would inspire another nap.

It didn't. Oh well.

At 9 p.m., I packed up my bag, loaded my bike, and drove the 2 miles to race HQ inside Trinity Park. Coach Jim (co-owner of FWRunCo) had already marked the course with cones and signs. I chatted with some volunteers who had arrived early, and we began stuffing goodie bags for the runners.

A few minutes later, James (the other co-owner of FWRunCo) showed up with his trailer full of aid station supplies, music equipment, and just about everything else for the race. We spent the next hour or so unloading and setting up our two aid stations along the 3.1 mile loop course, the PA system, and the rest of the gear.

It was coming up on 10:30 p.m., and some runners had already arrived in the park. Wow, there were already a lot of them. This might be a bigger deal than we thought.

The hour and a half before the start of the run was a blur. Finalizing the aid stations, coordinating with volunteers, setting up packet pickup, etc. I was running from place to place, introducing myself to runners, talking to spectators, and generally acting like a chicken with my head cut off.

The first semi-major problem surfaced just after 11:00 p.m., when we were informed that the City of Fort Worth had not turned on all of the lights along the trail. A big reason we had chosen Trinity Park for the race was the proliferation of streetlights throughout the park. We had told entrants on our website that the course was lit. So discovering large pockets of darkness was not good. And it was extremely frustrating, since we had made multiple calls to the City about lighting for El Scorcho and had paid extra money to ensure that the park would be well-lit. We had even insisted and were given the cell phone number of the City electrician responsible for Trinity Park. Naturally, he didn't answer when we called.

After a brief moment of panic and a quick brainstorm, James at FWRunCo sent Mary, one of FWRunCo's wonderful employees, to the store to raid their supply of headlamps and clip-on lighting. I think Mary must've been flying down Camp Bowie Boulevard, as she made it to the store and back in record time. We made an announcement over the PA system about the darker than anticipated conditions and offered to give out portable lighting to anyone who felt they needed it. Our supply was diminished in about 2 minutes. $300 worth of inventory was given away. That kind of sucked, but runner safety was the main concern.

About 11:55 p.m., I made an announcement over the PA system asking the runners to make their way to the starting line. Once the herd of anxious athletes was ready, Coach Jim gave some advice (start slow, stay hydrated, watch your electrolyte intake) while I awaited my chance to get the run underway. Jballs got set up on the bike to lead the runner out.

With the megaphone in hand, I decided to give the group a friendly greeting:

"You're all officially nuts!" Some laughter and applause. "Thank you all for coming out to run circles around the park while the sensible world is sleeping comfortably in their beds! Thanks to our foreign visitors for making this the first annual international El Scorcho!"

"Are you ready?!" Some cheers. "ARE YOU READY?!?!?!" More, louder, more enthusiastic cheering.

"On your mark... get set... GO!!!!! GO!!!!! GO!!!!"

The gun fired and the runners were off. Lap one was underway. El Scorcho had begun.

After the runners had taken off on lap one, we had about 15 minutes or so to get our bearings before they made their way back around. I spent about 5-10 minutes being interviewed by a reporter with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about El Scorcho.

And then I received a panicked call on my walkie-talkie."We're just about out of water at aid station two!"A mad scramble ensued where we tried to get in touch with David, our official water volunteer, to ensure that he was on top of it. (The park did not have a good water source, so we had assigned a volunteer to pick up water jugs from the aid stations and take them to my house--a few miles away--to fill them up throughout the night as needed.) Naturally, David was one of the few volunteers without a walkie-talkie. So Jballs got on the cell phone and found David--who was already on top of things.

I spent the next hour and a half running taking care of anything and everything I could. More water... toilet paper for the porta-potties... 350 pounds of ice... post-race bbq and pasta.... As things happened, we dealt with them.

Greg Maschal, the 25K winner, crossed the finish line in 1:41:20. Absolutely smoking the course amid humid, sticky conditions. Ten minutes later, Megan Newsom became the first 25K female finisher with a time of 1:51:52. I recall announcing over the PA system that both runners were way too fast.

Around 3 a.m., Jballs and I decided to borrow David's truck and go for a water run. It was strange leaving the park--where so much activity was taking place--and entering the "real" world where most folks had long since retired for the evening. We filled up 7 water jugs at my place and made our way back to the park just in time to catch the 50K winner, Steven Richard, claim his victory in 3:51:07. Laura Nelson, the female leader, crossed the tape in 4:28:43.

As more and more runners finished, the course began to quiet down. I decided to hop on my bike and ride the route backwards to check on runners and visit some of the volunteers. It was a great decision. Over the next two and half hours, I circled the 3.1 mile loop. I got a completely different sense of the run and what the runners and volunteers were going through. The runners still on the course had been going for more than 5 hours since the midnight start. Fatigue was setting in, but they were gutting it out. It was inspiring. They trudged along throughout the night, gritty and determined.At the same time, the volunteers were incredible.

We had chosen to donate all profits from El Scorcho to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so Team in Training had gotten on board to provide us race volunteers. (Team In Training is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk a whole or half marathon or participate in a triathlon or century bike ride in honor of blood cancer patients and survivors.) The TNT folks were cheering, excited. I even had one runner ask if we had "liquored up" the volunteers to increase their enthusiasm! Throughout the night, their devotion to the runners never wavered. As the sun was coming up, we decided to let several of the volunteers go home, especially those who were out to help guide runners along the dark course. They all chose to stay until the end."We've bonded with these runners," one volunteer told me. "We know each of them as they come by and we're not leaving until they finish."

Fantastic, unbelievable, and inspirational.

The last official runner crossed the line in 7 hours, 43 minutes. The sun was shining. The city was stirring. Runners and bikers, oblivious to our midnight run, were making their way to the park for a morning workout.As we folded up the aid station tables and loaded up the last of the trash, I took in a deep breath. We'd done it. We'd pulled it off. It felt great.

Just as I was getting into my car to head home, one of the last runners hollered at me from the parking lot, "Hey! When's next year's El Scorcho?"

El Scorcho results are here!

We did it! Thank you to everyone for making the first annual El Scorcho 25K/50K endurance run a success!

I'll be posting a race director's report here once I catch up on sleep, as well as lots of photos.

In the meantime, here's an article about the run from this morning's Fort Worth Star Telegram:

Midnight run was a shot in the dark
By RICKY TREON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

More than 200 runners ran under the lights in the inaugural El Scorcho at Fort Worth's Trinity Park.

By 11:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 225 people were gathered in Trinity Park, waiting for the clock to reach 12.

They were there for Ryan Valdez's birthday party. But instead of beer, chips and dip, everyone brought sports drinks, oranges and bug spray.

It was a midnight jog through the park. Or, to be more specific, a midnight ultramarathon in July.

The appropriately named El Scorcho 25K/50K started as a laughable idea dreamed up by Valdez and his buddy Jason Constantino during a long run together. Both are ultramarathoners, so Valdez posed the idea of running 30 miles before today, his 30th birthday."Jason was the only guy crazy enough to say, 'Sure, sounds like a good idea,'" Valdez said. "You brainstorm when you run for three or four hours at a time, and by the end we thought maybe we could turn this into just a small little event."

With a guest list of 30 or 40 people, tops. After all, they thought, how many people would be far enough out of their minds to run on one of the hottest days of the year?

That's exactly what James and Jim Newsom, who own and operate Fort Worth Running Company, said when Valdez first e-mailed them the idea for El Scorcho and asked for organizational help. But a midnight run seemed crazy enough to work."From a safety standpoint, we wanted to make sure nobody died," James Newsom said. "So we knew we wanted to run it at night, and we figured midnight was as good a time as any."

Jim Newsom also helped Valdez find a suitable charity for his event, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

With a clear plan and someone to help him, Valdez decided to get word out about his project by putting up a Web site and a blog.

That and some word-of-mouth were enough to rope in more than 200 runners, including first-time ultramarathoners such as Robin Hudson of Tulsa.

Like many runners in Trinity Park, Hudson learned of El Scorcho on an Internet message board. She then e-mailed Teresa Ellington, and soon the Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runners, or TATURs, were in on the action.

"Where else could you go with this many people around and enjoy yourself and be goofy?" Ellington said. "We're just enjoying the camaraderie. It's nice."

Although the 225 runners made for a great party, it was all Valdez, a lawyer with the Cantey Hanger firm, could handle."I'm a first-time race director, so I'm doing what I can here," Valdez said. "I was not expecting it to be this crazy."

Although he'd been at Trinity Park for hours, and he'd likely be there until 9 a.m. cleaning up, Valdez was excited and already thinking about next year.

At 11:50 p.m., Valdez thanked everyone for coming, then began herding runners toward the 3.1-mile course's start/finish line.

Then at midnight he thanked everyone for coming and watched as the gun signaled the start of his "grassroots ultramarathon."

It was big. It was fun. And it was one heck of a birthday party.

Just over 18 hours until the start of the inaugural El Scorcho 25K/50K endurance run. 9 months in the making, and it's finally here. I still remember running with Jason back in November and throwing out the idea of going for a 30 mile run on my 30th birthday. Somehow, that notion morphed into an organized race with over 200 entrants and 30 volunteers. We've obtained park permits, insurance policies, and extra portapotties. And at the end of the day (night?) we'll be making a nice donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Last night, we had an information Q&A session about El Scorcho at Double Dave's, the pizza joint next door to Fort Worth Running Company. About 20 or so runners showed up, including Sid, a dedicated fella who drove to Fort Worth from South Caroline for the run.

It was fun chatting with the runners and hearing their stories. We (Jason, James, Jim, and I) gave a short presentation about where the idea for our crazy all-night ultramrathon came from and then fielded inquiries ranging from the location of the aid stations to the number of portapotties to a description of the course. Everyone was visibly excited about the event.

At the conclusion of the meeting (around 8 p.m.) I bid everyone farewell, reminding them to get plenty of sleep before the start of the race--which began in 28 hours!

Wow! Less than a week until El Scorcho!

Everybody check out the Dallas Morning News for the next several days. We got a call from Debbie Fetterman, the running columnist for the paper. Looks like they're going to do an article on our little run. Very cool!

So the question was just posed:

"Is the course underwater?"

Hmmm... not yet. The Trinity River is high and the trail is definitely muddier than anticipated. we've still got just under two weeks until race day. Here's hoping this system eventually moves on and stops dumping truckloads of rain on North Texas.

For those of you coming to run and/or volunteer, be ready to slosh around a bit.

Two and a half weeks until El Scorcho! Wow--it's getting close. We're scrambling around and putting together the finishing touches. It's very exciting! With the run at capacity, we're still looking for volunteers. Send Coach Jim an e-mail if you're able and willing.

How cool is this? The Fort Worth Star Telegram just ran a quick blub about our run:

RECREATION INSIDER
Spots in El Scorcho race a hot commodity
By TROY PHILLIPS
Star-Telegram staff writer

It seemed reasonable. For Ryan Valdez's 30th birthday, he and buddy Jason Costantino, 24, would run 30 miles in the middle of the summer.

How hard could it be? Both had ridden the Hotter 'N Hell 100 bike tour in Wichita Falls, that legendary dead-of-summer beast.

"I won't say [running] is harder, but you don't have nearly the cooling effect of a bike," said James Newsom of the Fort Worth Running Company, which Valdez and Costantino approached for help organizing a small race for friends and family.

Newsom and his father, Jim, one of the area's top running coaches, convinced the duo to hold the July race after dark. Thus, the first El Scorcho 50K was born.

Scheduled for midnight July 15 at Trinity Park's 3.1-mile oval, El Scorcho grew from a goofy idea to a full field of 200 runners. At 31 miles, this ultramarathon will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

"When we first talked about it, we said, 'OK, that's fine and everything, but we don't want to kill anybody,'" James Newsom said of the July date.

Valdez and Costantino never expected more than 50 runners, but that was "150 more entries ago than we thought," Costantino said. He's had to call the city about 20 times to re-up the park permit number. People are begging in e-mails to get in. Next year, the event might move to the Trinity Trails.

Costantino wants to fit in a 201st runner, local ultramarathon specialist Dr. Stephen Hudgens, who is set to run the Badwater Ultramarathon on July 23, a ghastly 135-mile race starting in Death Valley. Hudgens has run ultramarathons in China, Greece and Antarctica, among others.
"Badwater is our race on steroids," Costantino said. "Hey, I'd ride the course and hand him water. I'm pretty sure we can fit him in."

Hudgens said he's considering a warmup at El Scorcho, which at this point would be easy for him.

"I don't think [finishing El Scorcho] would be a problem," Hudgens said. "If you want to do your first ultra, I think this is the best way to start. You use up your reserves in a marathon and hit that wall. The extra five miles is a way to push a little further and get past that fatigue."