Sunday, June 27, 2010

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than That

Obviously I have a lot to say about my day yesterday. First though I shall catch up on sleep tonight and fly back to Alaska tomorrow morning. And then I'll try to post a full race report sometime in the next couple days. This one was EPIC. Unlike any race I've run before. Then again, they're all like that in their own way.

53 comments:

Matt said...

Totally inspired and inspiring.

Thanks, Geoff. Congrats and enjoy this one. You deserve it!

Charlie said...

Yeah amazing run Geoff. One of the best things i have ever seen in sport, and I mean any sport!

T quote Hannibal from the A-Team:

"I love it when a plan comes together"

Anonymous said...

One For the Ages

Anonymous said...

And I thank you.

Kim said...

Wow. Cannot wait to hear the race report on this one!
Congratulations on the win and the new course record. You are right, "it doesn't get much better than that" finish!

Anonymous said...

congrats! Awsome race and win and course record!

Mom said...

This was truly an amazing race - one of a kind finish - epic - you ran "your" race and came through with flying colors - sure was an intense one to watch on line - sure glad the coverage was as good as it was - the live finish (even though the sound was bad) was great. This was a phenomenal race and one that will be remembered for a long time - next on to France - we are all so proud of you and thrilled that you are "ours".

To Anton and Kilian - good race - glad it ended the way it did but you guys were awesome and it was an extreme effort on your part.

TonyP said...

Incredible, amazing, epic race you ran. Many congrats!

runtodeath said...

Kick ass race man. I was glued to my computer. It was even more than EPIC. The Roes-Krupicka showdown more than lived up to the hype. Congrats.

Pete Rodrigues said...

inspirational!

Jeff said...

Congratulations, Geoff! It was amazing to watch, even just from checkpoint to checkpoint on the WS tracking site.

Jay Greenfield said...

Dude, great run! Very inspiring to all us middle of the packers. I am amazed at how fast you fly for so many miles. Enjoy the victory!

Derrick said...

Huge congrats Geoff. Amazing. Looking forward to reading all the details as they come out.

Derrick
(from Plevna)

DirtProof said...

Congrats on a great race!

AJW said...

Extremely special. You are a great Champion!

Sara Montgomery said...

What a race!!!!! Congratulations!

Really enjoyed the interview on irunfar.

Anonymous said...

Awesome Geoff!

Billy said...

Epic is right. Huge, huge congrats Geoff.

GZ said...

FUMBLING TOWARDS ENDURANCE? We all need to fumble more!

Phil said...

Sick race! Congrats.

Bryon Powell said...

Geoff was kind enough to chat with iRunFar for 20 minutes after the race, so if you want a sneak preview of his thoughts, check out the interview here: http://www.irunfar.com/2010/06/geoff-roes-2010-western-states-100-champ-interviewed.html .

Congrats, Geoff. I was at the race and it's still hard to fathom!

Unknown said...

I've never spent 15+ hours staring at a screen hitting the refresh button as much as I did on Saturday. Epic is an understatement. Hope to run into you at Crow Pass in a few weeks. Great run, thank you for an incredible day.

Unknown said...

And Yes Geoff is now $2000 richer! Thanks Pearl Izumi for rewarding a amazing perfomance!

Remarkable Geoff!

Olga said...

Seeing you entering the track was truly endorphin high. What a race. Congrats. You looked like a kid in Disney at the finish line. Nah, Disney has nothing on how you felt:)

HappyTrails said...

Hats off to you Geoff - that was one for the ages.

Evan said...

Holy crap, Geoff! That's awesome. Psyched for my little 5 miler today through midtown Anchorage.

sean.clancy said...

Looking forward to the report! What a mind-blowing phenomenal performance..by you but also by the guys you beat!

Hone said...

Bananas!

See you at Crow Pass in a few weeks!!

Inca Princess said...

I spent a beautiful day indoors - glued to my computer - just in awe. Great job Geoff! Congratulations on a fantastic race!!

Anonymous said...

In awe. You deserve it. That was a gutsy performance.

godfreyfolsom said...

Geoff,

As someone who came in at nearly double your time, I have to say you and the other front runners put on one hell of a show. Major congrats on another race well run.

Looking forward to WSER 2011 and what that will bring.

Steve
bib #214

Eeva said...

Fantastic, Geoff! Looking forward to seeing how far you push Crow Pass record this year!

Anonymous said...

geoff-- the sac bee said you were feeling bad at mi 40. what exactly went wrong? how did you deal with it? did you slow down? did you maybe go out too fast? in the end, was it maybe a blessing in disguise? if you had done something differently could you have possibly done the race faster? exactly where did you pass the last guy? did he try to respond and keep up with you? did the heat slow you down at all? where was the heat the worst? did you train on snow? if so, did this help you during the race? where did you pass the french/spanish guy? did he try to respond? any idea what happened to hal koerner? please do not just be a 1-time champion. please come back next year and take on all comers. hal koerner was not only a great competitor as race winner but also a stand up guy after the races-- very accessible and respectful to everybody. like tim twietmeyer he was a great ambassador of the sport. this cannot be said about all of our past champions both male and female over the years. let me be the ten-thousandth person to offer you my hearty congratulations on your epic feat

Unknown said...

Geoff, I wasn't there, but I felt like I was while following you guys on the webcast. You ran the smartest race. Some reason I knew eventually, the front runners TK/Jornet would run themselves into the ground. Then you pounced and closed the deal. A huge congrats. One that will be talked about for may years to come. 15:07! Just WOW. Rest up and go cook yourself a great meal. Good luck at UTMB. -cr

Algers said...

Geoff Roes! For some reason that name seemed familiar when i read about the Western states winner on letsrun.com. Geoff is certainly a tough one. For me as a 14:00, 29:33, 2:19 runner, he was tough to beat even in HS. During 93-94 I (Kristian Algers from Sweden) spent a year as an exchange student in Watertown NY. In the fall of 1993 I was running XC for Watertown HS (upstate New York) on weekends we would go to invitationals and most of the time I managed to win theese. However at one meet, I was facing tough opposition, one guy refused to drop back, I learnt after the race that his name was Geoff Roes (I won the race since Geoff took a wrong turn near the end). We were to meet again, don`t remember the name of the invitational but I got 2:nd after Geoff. We were to meet one last time that fall, it was in Geoffs home invitational. As always Geoff went out super hard and it took me half a mile or so to catch up, from then on it was Geoff against me, I finally managed to pull away for a 6s victory but it was on dead legs. At states later that fall we did not clash since we competed for different size of scoles. I have continued racing ever since and it was a pleasant surprise to read about my nemesis from back in the day. Keep it up!

robidanc said...

Congratulations from Juneau. Amazing.

Charlie Nickell said...

I was stalking you the whole way:) Very, very smart race. There are reasons you're 7/7 (100s) and last weekend made all those reason even more evident. You're it. The real deal. Congratulations.

Libby said...

G.Roes--you are an ANIMAL! Can't wait to celebrate with you when you get back to town.

Bree said...

Geoff, I don't know you but have run some of the same races. You are a gifted runner and I appreciate and respect your love for the sport. Congratulations on your BIG win!

Andrew said...

holy blast from the past in Kristian Algers... glad to hear you are still running! (fellow Central Square XC Runner here).

Goeff... WOW!! now sub 20 @ UTMB!?!?! ;)

john.goodie said...

Congratulations Geoff! What an awesome run!

dvroes said...

Geoff,
This was an amazing experience for both Shawn and me. When you arrived at Rucky Chucky about 16 minutes back almost everyone had it down to a two man race between Tony and Kilian. Right after we left there Shawn said that you were ready to make a move and would be within four minutes by the rte. 49 crossing. I can't honestly say that I had that much confidence, but you did even better than that - way better!!! The confidence that you have been able to build has been amazing, but even more amazing is the humble attitude that all of the runners have. Can't wait to see you at the river after UTMB. I hope that you will be ready to relax and catch some fish. One more thing - how about the note from Kristian Algers. Brings back some memories....
Love,
Dad

Shawn said...

Geoff, I am so glad that dad and I got the chance to see this race. I always got a rush out of a good race of yours like you against Engelhart, McSherry, or Algers. (speaking of which what are the chances that he wrote on here when I just asked you if you ever hear from the guys you competed against then.)

However, the rush from one of those races was 1/50th as exhilarating as what all the fans experienced this Saturday. Every race that I see of yours makes me want to see the next one that much more.

A true champion is someone who responds to being down just like you did... Fights through it and holds on until he is ready to make another move. Everyone there (except me) thought this race was a 2 man show with 25 to go. What you did over the next 3 1/2 hours was the best action I have ever seen in a sport in my life.

Thanks Geoff!

Jeff B. said...

Incredible! Way to earn this one in style. I cannot wait to see the race reports from you and Tony! I must admit I thought Tony would pull it off, but my hats are off to you both, because you have incredible guts and I'm sure you both fought an incredible battle. How does it feel to post a time faster than the "legand" Jurek?

Jill Perry said...

Geoff,
Rock on! Not only am I impressed with your amazing racing ability but also your all around humble ways - you are one cool dude! When you are visitng NY - please, contact me! I'm not far from your home - FLT is my favorite place to run here! OK, rest up for the next victory! Jill Perry

Anonymous said...

you are the KING of ultrarunning and crushing the WS record is just one of the many races you have done that prove it.

annette bednosky said...

Great race Geoff! Congrats! I loved the photos of you welcoming in Anton at the finish. You are a hell of a runner-and a GREAT ambassador for our sport and humankind! The person who posted earlier who talked about finishing in nearly double your time certainly gave perspective. I was in mid River CRossing as you crossed the finish! Well done!

Fairbanks said...

Great job Geoff. F---in' awesome!

Jon said...

Nothing I can say hasn't been said, but I'll say it anyway...most excellent work at WS and congrats on the new Course Record!

JenRunner said...

The pride and love showing in the postings from your parents and family are so precious. With that kind of love and support, it's easier to see how you can summon this sort of super-human effort and still be so grounded. You are talented and lucky to have such a great family support system. Congrats on an amazing race.

anna sinden said...

geoff, you are amazing! i feel so proud of you! and the thought of your ws100 race kept me going on my run the other day as i was trying to climb uphill for good 6 minutes...
hope to see you in august and i hope you will let me know next time you're doing wasatch100 and i'll be honored to bring you a cheeseburger!

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Congrats Geoff!

ras said...

hi Geoff

I had seen that you posted a race report a while back and hadn't read it. today I read the post about your Alaska run and remembered to scroll down to read the Western states report.

at this moment I am fully inspired by your story and your commitment. -although I've run a couple of events, I am not a racer. but to me what ultra-runners do is infinitely inspiring.

we have these muscles and tendons and bones and will and we have to use them. thanks for sharing.