Mary Knott

Y'all, grief is a strange process.  I still have not been able to put into words my feelings on the life and loss of Ashley.  I do hope that those words will come soon, but in the midst of that loss another friend has passed on.  This woman had one of those brief, but wildly impactful marks on my life.  This is Mary Knott.

I met Mary during my IRONMAN training and was deeply inspired by her.  The year I ran my race she ran in KONA after qualifying the previous year.  She and her husband at the time owned Cadence Running which was a sponsor of my AZ TRI CLUB.  Mary was ethereal to me and yet once I met her felt instant commraderie and kindness.  She a multi time IRONMAN and me a rookie.  She was inspiring and motivating and one of those people who came into my life when I needed it.  

She followed my entire training journey and even reached out to tell me what my race number was before I even knew it.  She was there on race day, she took me out to breakfast after the race, and she encouraged me to try big things (like a 10,000 meter birthday swim). She just inspired.  A strong athlete willing to share and be and do with any athlete around.  Plus she just had a smile that was catching.

Mary died last month in a tragic and awful situation.  An avid open water swimmer, cyclist, trail runner, endurance athlete, and power house, out of all the ways she could have left this world none of us in a million years would have said at the hands of someone.  Truly shocking, saddening, and deeply tragic.

As a way to remember her a big group of us gathered to run one of her favorite trails the Pemberton Loop in McDowell Mountains.  Some of us ran or biked all 15 miles, some of us didn't, but out there on the trails in the outside Mary was the happiest.  She truly would always #optoutside and she will forever be known as the woman who was always Finding Kona.

Mary will always have a special place in my heart and hold a special spot in my story.  I am grateful for her relentlessness and boldness and willingness to do really big things.

I will continue to do the same.  Rest peacefully friend.

Pacing Dream Team

"You win only when you help others win."

Last year Bob had the opportunity to be pacer for a group of friends tackling the Black Canyon 100k.  He had such a great time doing it that when my girlfriend Bridgit asked if I wanted to pace for her this year I jumped all over it!  Last year Bridgit had horrible stomach problems (sometimes the plight of the ultra runner) and had to drop out of her race early.  It was such a bummer for her and I was so excited to help her get across that finish this year.

For those wondering (and possibly googling the math) yes, it is 62.2 miles of running, on trails, sometimes in the dark, over rocks......ALL DAY.  Its big and can be brutal, but an ultra runner's average weekend.  Seriously we know people who do multiple events like this every year.  

Bridgit and Chelsie trained together so it worked perfectly that Bob and I paced for them.  With COVID, we were only allowed at the last large aid station leaving 11 or so miles to do.  We had hoped to be able to pace the last 25 for them, but safety and caution prevailed.

We met our fearless Crew Leader Jamie and she drove us up to the aid station right as the sun was setting.  So gorgeous.  We were gifted these incredible hand painted hats by one of the runners (Heidi Garner) who is a master artist and ultra runner.  She literally made special hats for runners, crew, and pacers in our little group.  Such a cool thing.

We were able to track the girls reasonably well and were early to our meeting spot.  I was worried about cold, rain, and wind while we were waiting, but Jamie came prepared.  I mean we had blankets, hand warmers, snacks, and a wind shield.  

Our runners pulled in at 8pm and 8:40 respectively.  Both of them, although tired still looked awesome.  Bob and Chelsie took off a bit after 8 and Bridgit and I got on the trail a bit before 9.  It was fully dark, mildly raining, and chilly, but so exciting.

Pacing Bridgit was AMAZING.  I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.  First, helping your friend achieve a BIG goal is incredible, but there is something so empowering and fun about running in the desert, in the dark, with only your light.  The whole world and time kind of disappear.  (I can say that because my feet weren't on fire at this point).

Bridgit and I crossed the finish line right around 12:30AM and it was so great to turn to her and say, "You did it, friend."

It was truly a gift helping these 2 get to the finish.  Both Bob and I crawled into bed at 2AM feeling so happy and looking forward to the next pacing event.

We had a couple people ask us if we would ever do the full 100k race.  I know better than to say never, but the above picture should tell you all you need to know.  And we only did 11 miles! 

I think Ill stay team pacer for a while! Apparently both of us Longmires turn into pumpkins if we stay up past 10.

Congratulations to all the runners who did the thing and have the belt buckles!  We mere mortals are just thrilled to have shared a few miles with you!