The Hobby Jogger Podcast
Welcome to The Hobby Jogger Podcast, where elite athletes and ham-and-eggers lace up their stories. We explore the common ground that running creates from the world-class runner to the hobbyist hitting the pavement, trail or treadmill. Expect a blend of inspiration, laughter and the shared joy that makes every step count. Join us on this journey, where every run is a story worth sharing.
The Hobby Jogger Podcast
E53 | From South Carolina to the Alps: Running OCC with Zero Elevation Training
What happens when a self-described "hobby jogger" from the coastal flatlands of South Carolina lands a coveted spot in one of trail running's most prestigious events? Jason Cox takes us through his extraordinary journey from the moment he received that unexpected 5 AM email confirming his entry into OCC—one of the iconic UTMB races in the French Alps.
Jason's adventure began with training on Hunting Island's modest trails, where he could gain about 500 feet of elevation over three miles—a far cry from the 7,800 feet of elevation gain awaiting him in the mountains. With remarkable honesty and humor, he shares how he prepared his body (and convinced his family to turn this race into a European vacation) for the challenge of a lifetime.
The vivid descriptions of race day transport us to the international starting line in Orsières, through fog-shrouded mountain paths, and ultimately into thunderstorms as Jason battled the elements alongside runners from dozens of countries. From water supply challenges at aid stations to locals emerging with pots of water to help runners, the story captures the unique spirit of European trail racing where community transcends language barriers.
Perhaps most compelling is Jason's account of his devices dying in the final miles, leaving him to navigate by feel and the encouragement of fellow runners. The emotional finish with his daughters joining him for the final stretch through Chamonix's streets—despite pouring rain—creates a powerful conclusion to this inspiring tale.
Whether you're a seasoned ultrarunner or someone who's never considered attempting such a challenge, this episode offers valuable insights into the physical and mental journey of tackling a dream race. It's a reminder that with determination, proper preparation, and perhaps a bit of lottery luck, even a self-proclaimed hobby jogger can experience the magic of running through the Alps.
Subscribe now to hear more stories of ordinary runners achieving extraordinary feats, and share your own UTMB dreams with us on social media!
Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Hobby Jogger. I am co-host Casey Koza. I am once again joined by my co-host, Mr Rob Myers. Rob, how are we doing today? I'm doing well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just standing here looking at the beautiful mountains, the French Alps, and enjoying the morning.
Speaker 1:Enjoying the morning. Yeah, we are recording this. We're recording it live from the French Alps, here in beautiful Saint-Gervais, france, where we got to witness the OCC finish yesterday. Utmb is currently taking place here this morning, but we are today joined by our good friend, mr Jason Cox, who just completed the OCC. Jason, how are you doing this morning?
Speaker 3:Good morning Jess. I'm doing great. All things considering, I'm feeling pretty good.
Speaker 1:Just ran OCC, as I previously stated. Now you have moved on to Italy for this part of the trip. Take us back to when you got into OCC. How was that process?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So I last year ran a couple of the UTMDE races in the States so it was Black Canyons and Canyons Got a couple of stones for those two races and then when the lottery opened up, I went ahead and threw my stones in there, not really expecting too much First time going. After it it was early morning, I think it was like 5 am. I woke up, checked my phone, like I usually do, and I got this email and I was, oh, that's curious. So I look at it and I go oh wait, I think I just got into TMB. So I texted my buddy, rob, and I was like, hey, man, did you get one of these? Is this just me? And sure enough I got in, which was just remarkable.
Speaker 3:So that was the start of our journey. I think that, like I said, that was back in, probably January, and we just started planning our Europe trip from there. So we started this trip off in Paris, france. We ended in CDG, spent a couple of days in Paris and then traveled to Switzerland, closer to the French side, so we weren't really staying in Switzerland, so I think it was right outside of La Huche. I think that's how I come out. My French is horrible. Yeah, it's close enough. Yeah, exactly. And then, yeah, we had a great time in both Paris and La Huche and started the race and it was good, it was all good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's go back to when you got that email, though it's remarkable, unusual, just amazing to get in First attempt.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, first attempt. Like I said, it was remarkable. I wasn't planning or threw my hat in the ring. I was like, oh, let's see what happens. It was amazing because, like I said, I got that email and I literally couldn't believe it. It was really cool.
Speaker 1:You're a hobby jogger like us. How much convincing did it take at home to plan this trip?
Speaker 3:Yeah, when you tell the family, hey, I think we're going to Europe, you know that doesn't take much convincing. So the wife and the kids were, were on board with it. It was wonderful. Yeah, yeah. So, being a I consider myself a true hobby jogger. So, like I said, when we put my hat in the ring, there really wasn't expecting much and started my training, started training a little harder after that and convinced, like I said, convinced the family to follow me to Europe. I think the Paris trip actually probably is what convinced them the most. They're like well, yeah, we need to get to go to Paris.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because there's two questions you can ask the family, right? Two different answers. One, you're going to get kind of a stare and what do you think you're doing going off with your buddies. And the other is hey, let's take a trip to France Memory, the kids are going to love it. Right, and you chose the right question to ask.
Speaker 3:Yes, true.
Speaker 1:Didn't sound like. It took a whole lot of convincing once Paris was involved.
Speaker 3:Found a bucket list item for NoLives, so she was very pleased.
Speaker 1:Nice. Always good to check one off the bucket list.
Speaker 3:And it was not just one, though. Right, I mean running UTMB, that's a huge one for me. So it was like I said, it was just a kind of a dream come true. I guess you could say yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:Now you're training Jason. You're a low lander, you're in South Carolina. You got a couple hills there, maybe some stadium steps to run up. How did the training go for OCC?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, it's fun because being we call I think last time I was on we mentioned the low country so there's not a lot of elevation gain when you're out there running. So you know, in the summertime the humidity um makes it a little harder because super humid air is very thick Um, and with the heat that also stresses the body a little bit. So you know, you get, you get stressed and you get training that way Um, but when it comes to actual, uh, vertical elevation gain, there's really not a lot. So, um, where I live in South Carolina is on the coast just just outside of Hilton Head, there's a state park called Hunting Island that has a great trail. It's about a three-mile trail where you can get about a 500-foot elevation gain.
Speaker 3:Just running back and forth just a bunch of times would really really help For the training purposes. That's really what my training looked like, where it was just running in the soft sand going through those trails as much as I could, just getting the time in. But really honestly, and we'll probably get there, but nothing can prepare you for the amount of elevation gain of the OCC. But yeah, that's what my training looked like. It was really just trying to get out there and living in the low country, getting as much vert as possible.
Speaker 1:A little bit of verticle to deal with out here. Yeah, the brunt of that, I believe, Rob. What does the course top out at? I know you have that figure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like 7,800 feet, I think. Yeah, the 500 feet of elevation gain in your training, jason, I'm sure that helps, but definitely doesn't compare to 7,800 feet. No, no, it sure doesn't.
Speaker 1:I guess it's better than zero. Oh, 100%, jason. The start line for OCC. I actually don't know how to pronounce. I haven't heard anybody pronounce the town name. It is Osiris. We'll say that it's probably wrong. I maybe should have looked into how to pronounce the town before starting this episode, but I didn't.
Speaker 3:No, thank you, because I actually thought it was just me. I could not pronounce that town. I don't think I ever heard any. Maybe I heard somebody say it once where there was no R, but the R wasn't pronounced. But you know, only hearing it once, I'm going to say it as you. I do have no idea how to say it.
Speaker 1:Perfect, perfect. So you sent us a couple of pictures. We saw a little bit on the live stream of the races beginning. What was the start line atmosphere like?
Speaker 3:Oh, the atmosphere was wonderful and you know, it's really what's really neat about um DOCC, which was new to me it was just the diversity of the crowd, you know, seeing all the people from different countries and nationalities, and it was just um, everyone was very. It was just lively and energetic, I guess is the way that I would describe it. So it was very lively. There's music playing, people were going through their morning routines, stretching. Actually, we had some people that would go into the little shops just before the starting line and grab some coffee. So yeah, it was unique.
Speaker 1:Nice and obviously very big crowd to start out the race. For sure, yes, Very big crowd.
Speaker 2:Which wave were you in again, were you in the first wave? Yeah, I was in the first wave.
Speaker 3:I arrived pretty early to the starting line and as I started to fill in, I was more towards the front and, even being in that first wave, there were just a massive amount of people. I tried to take a picture, put my hand up as high as I could, and I was really surprised with the number of runners that were there. So yeah, I was in the first wave.
Speaker 1:Forget the amount of participants that participated, but it was a pretty big, sizable field.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think there was a little more than 1,500, maybe between 1,500 and 1,800.
Speaker 1:Sounds about right. So the race starts, and we just mentioned how many participants. What was the start? Like the proverbial running of the bulls.
Speaker 3:Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The road that we started out on was, um, was wide enough, and I actually remember being pretty surprised that once the once the they announced the start of the race, um, the crowd moved very well, and that could have been because I was in the first wave and you know 10, you've got like the top 10 runners uh, women and males um at the very front of the line, so it moved really quickly. So I didn't feel like I didn't feel like I was like I was being herded or anything. Again, once that race started, it was moving pretty good. It was moving at a good pace.
Speaker 2:So how long did it take before you were actually running? Is it a move at a pretty good pace? You know the front goes out really, really fast. I mean, were you standing there for three minutes or was it go, and you know you're already in a jog? No, like I said, once that race kicked, were you standing there for three minutes or was it go and you're?
Speaker 3:already in a jog. No, like I said, once that race kicked off, we were in a jog, people were running. I didn't start slowing down because of traffic jams, so to speak, because until we got one there was a single track, but that was way down. I mean, that was probably mile 10 where it started to jam up a little bit, but at the beginning of the race there was no walking, everyone started off. It was actually really cool too, because at the beginning of the race, it being a weekday, there were kids. They bussed them in, but there were, it looked like, classes from all ages of, like you know, kindergarten up to probably, you know, k through 12, we'll say. And they were all on the start, not starting there, but on the road leading up towards the mountain, you know, just rooting people on, and that was really cool. I wasn't expecting that at all. But yeah, it's from the very beginning, people, the line moved very easily, smoothly.
Speaker 1:You know there was no walking, no traffic chances. It was very good, nice. You like to hear that, because sometimes with crowded races, even smaller races, if there's not a wide path, road trail or or whatever, you do get kind of squeezed in, and I do hate when a race you have to fight in order to get a decent position in the end of the single track starts right away. So that's good to hear. You know from from your perspective that, hey, there was no. You know, you were obviously near people, you were very close to a lot of people, but you were freely able to move it at your pace.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, there was no jam.
Speaker 1:It was a very easy start, which was good, so the first section of the course all uphill.
Speaker 3:Yes, all uphill.
Speaker 1:So right away you're straight into the vert. Yeah, how did that feel out of the gate.
Speaker 3:So, out of the gate, the first incline wasn't actually too bad. I was feeling strong, I was moving fast, you know fast for me, right, the hobby jogger that I am. So it was good the first incline. Not too bad. Not too bad, I think I want to say it was. I think I had like a 20-minute pace, which again not fast but I was moving, say it was a. I think I had like a 20 minute pace, which again not not fast but I was. I was doing it a good clip, trying to keep my, my, uh, heart rate in zone two. So I didn't blow up later in the race. And you know that the first, we'll say a thousand 2000 feet, it was. It was good it was. It was uh, the, the incline, the slope wasn't too too steep, steep, um, and it was a very, very good, uh, very good incline nice.
Speaker 1:The weather, I know the course got changed because they felt that there was severe weather that was going to be in play. Race also got delayed a couple hours, which meant you got to sleep in, which is always good, especially when you're in a different time zone, like we are, and a little bit out of it time-wise. So how was the weather?
Speaker 3:So the weather was good. I actually like running in different weather patterns, so I think we had, outside of snow and sleep, we had pretty much every other weather pattern. So it was. You know, the morning was a very it was a decent morning. I think it was probably around 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning. There was a lot of fog, but that, you know, that was pretty easy. As we started getting up into the mountains it got a little cooler. So I want to say you know you can start to see your breath after a certain point. So it was probably, you know, 40, 45. So that you know, that was the cooler weather pattern.
Speaker 3:One of the things I was. You know you mentioned the later start. I was actually happy to see a later start because, you know, wake-up time went from 3, 3.30 am to a more reasonable time, which was good. But you know what happened was the weather, the clouds and the fog really kind of blurred. Your visibility was super low so you couldn't really see the mountains at first. You know, as the rain started getting going and the sun was up around noon those clouds started to clear out a little bit so you could start to see Mont Blanc and the other surrounding peaks, which was really nice. But yeah, so as far as weather, we had all. It spanned all the different weather patterns from nice to cold to hot and then more towards the end of the race it really started to downpour, which I like.
Speaker 3:Running in the rain Not only keeps you cool, but for me it just feels better. It feels good I shouldn't say better, it feels good, but this was a downpour. It was really coming down in buckets. And then the lightning. There was like a lightning and thunderstorm, which was it got a little hairy. There were a couple that were super close, little hairy. There were a couple that were super close One of the times. The lightning hit and it lit up the sky like it was middle of the day from a light perspective. So it got a little hairy towards the end. But we had all those different weather patterns, which was nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you're climbing the hill, you make it to the top. I think that's what Champaillac Probably butchering that as well. What was that like at the first summit?
Speaker 3:The first summit was good. That's where the I'm trying to think back now. So the first summit, I think the first three was really where a lot of the elevation gain came from. So we had mentioned before, like, that first climb, which wasn't so bad. We had mentioned before that first climb which wasn't so bad, but then as you get higher and higher it did start to get a little bit difficult for me in the climbing. But yeah, the first aid station there was water, which was good.
Speaker 3:Moved on to the second aid station and I think that was the one that they might not have had water. I can't remember which which aid station it was. That was a bit of a problem not having the water at one of you know those first three aid stations. They and they were spread out really over a large um, over a large trip. So they were I want to say there was 10 kilometers between it's really pulled up, um, but I can't remember. But there was a large gap in between the aid stations, I think three, and then there was a large gap from three to four and I would have liked to seen a little bit more water at those aid stations, but yeah, Now, jason, that's pretty inexcusable to not have water in a race.
Speaker 1:At an aid station they had zero water. Get a little bit more detail on that, because I did read a couple things online of maybe there was some water issues and obviously we have spoken. But Jim Walmsley, you know, was looking for water at and I forget which aid station. But what did the volunteers, who do a great job? They don't control the water supply. What did they say at the aid stations with no water?
Speaker 3:So, yeah, volunteers were outstanding. So I don't think it was. I think it was more a logistical issue possibly. So at the aid stations so the first one, there was water, and I want to say it was the second one, your traditional you walk up and you fill up your bladder and that's all fine. And then at the third one I think it was the third one there was no water station. All there was was just like a little, I think that, and some guy was like pressing a button on the wall to try to get not to try, but to get the water out, but it wasn't coming out very fast and you just had this long line of people and I think that was the one where the distance between that aid station and the next one was there was a large amount of. There was a large distance between those two. So if you didn't fill up your water at that point, you were out of luck essentially.
Speaker 3:So I actually went over the gateway to start the race again and then I had to come back because I realized there was no water and I had to figure out where it was, Because I remember seeing it on the map that there was going to be water at this aid station and it was kind of hidden and tucked away into the back and then there was just a long line to get to it. So again, it was probably more logistic issues. As far as getting water to that location, I don't know what the problem actually was, but there was only one spigot and it was in a very fast. The water was not coming out very fast. So, you know, that was a bit of an issue, you know. Know, for me just going through there and enjoying the, the run, and you know, not being, um, you know, not being an elite runner, right, it wasn't too bad, but I could imagine that would be really that would really frustrate me if I was, you know of, of the of the type of the jim walmsley right, where you would. You know, this is this, is this is your race and you don't have water. That's not a good look.
Speaker 3:And then we had what was interesting was later on on the trail, you know, you would go through some of these towns and what's really great, you know, some of the locals came out with like these giant saucepans filled with water and they were filling people's bladders up, which was really nice, and that kind of speaks more towards the atmosphere and how cool it was to see people come together and the different nationalities and even the locals coming out and helping out. So that was super neat to see. But yeah, I mean we worked through it. I don't think it was a deal breaker. It was very, it was inconvenient and it wasn't the best. But yeah, there was a bit of a water issue there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's interesting when you look at the map? The first aid station has the little water symbol, the second one does not, on the descent and the third one in the valley does not. And then the fourth one at mile 14.2 does have the little water symbol. And you would think an aid station table stakes you have water. I mean's the basics, mm-hmm. But looking at the map it looks like they did clearly mark that there was no water.
Speaker 3:that's kind of weird, I don't know well, what was the distance between the fourth and the fifth? What was the distance?
Speaker 2:there force. And fifth. The fourth is at the beginning of the second climb coming out of the valley. That was at fourteen point two miles. And then the fifth is at the beginning of the second climb coming out of the valley. That was at 14.2 miles, and then the fifth is at 20.2 miles. That's over the first little climb of the second mountain. That's interesting.
Speaker 3:Okay, yeah, I don't remember. I thought there was only I remember looking at it on my watch and there was a large distance between the aid station that didn't that had that, you know that spigot, where it wasn't coming out very fast, and the next one. So when you're in the moment it's really hard to remember these things, but it was an issue. Yeah, exactly it was an issue. But yeah, so maybe next year they can clean that up a little bit.
Speaker 1:Water icon or not, there should be water at every stop. That's pretty basic standard, I feel. I. I don't want to just harp on this, because otherwise it was a. It was a tremendous event and extremely well organized. And one thing I want to ask you about oh yeah, jason, that you touched on atmosphere and support your middle of the pack. What was the support like for you throughout the race, from from the fans, from the spectators?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, like I said, it was amazing. I mean, that was um. That was probably the most surprising, because you know normal, normal races that I go to and that we've been on, you know you'll have people at the start and you'll have people to finish Um, at the start and you'll have people at the finish. But what's really unique about this race is that all throughout the race, all 61 kilometers of it, you had people that were either part of support crew or they were locals coming out and it was funny. I would actually see the same locals rooting people on. You could tell that they were going from aid station to aid station and checkpoints and all along the way, which was really nice. So the atmosphere of it was just amazing to just to see people all along the way. They're always rooting you on and clapping and it was wonderful. It was a beautiful experience.
Speaker 1:Quite different from American races, where you don't see too many people outside of aid stations Well, the the crude aid stations generally and during 50 Ks, when you don't have any crew, generally no one at the aid station. So yeah, huge difference. We got to see you come through a Triant Switzerland and Argentine where pretty big crowds, and uh, it's good to see that they stick around until the end too. They're not just there for the Jim Walmsleys, they're also there for the guys in the back and the women in the back of the pack.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and especially towards the end of the race, when it really started, the weather got nasty and I fully expected the finish line and all along the way to be just deserted, right, nobody, because it's just horrible weather. It wasn't true. People were out, they were clapping. I was really impressed and it was like you said, the atmosphere that was amazing. I couldn't believe it. So you know, again, it's nasty weather and people are on their balconies and clapping and rooting you on and it just gives you energy and it pumps you out. So it was really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on the topic of people, did you meet any unique characters out there in the race? Befriend anyone out there.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, someone alongside you, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I met a couple people. So there was, I think I had a couple conversations with some guys from Germany. There was a woman from the UK that you know ran for a little bit with and got to learn a little bit about, you know, their journey. It was funny. There was there was one guy, um uh, from Hong Kong and you know we started chatting up a little bit at a certain point during the race and, uh, somehow we got on top of how we got into you know talking about putting my stones in for the lottery and and uh, he was like, oh well, how many stones did you put in? And I put two in and he goes oh, you're a lucky man. So I thought that was really funny because, again, just the remarkable nature of this whole trick and journey and how wonderful of an adventure this is to get into OCC as a hobby jogger and to experience this beautiful country and the trail and track. It was just a wonderful thing.
Speaker 3:More to the point about your question, like the diversity of people and meeting all these people on the trail, and I was actually really surprised with how well some of the more international folks spoke English. Like the guy from Hong Kong. He spoke English very well. That was really great to see all those people out there and the diversity and everyone was very friendly. Yeah, it was really great to see all those people out there and the diversity and everyone was very friendly. Yeah, it was wonderful.
Speaker 1:Speaking of well, I guess this will be diversity of the crowd. We were at the finish line waiting for you. It was pouring down rain. We were under an awning. Rob, how many people do you think were in that group with us? Maybe 50? Or at least Tons of different countries, but everyone was sticking around. Most of them didn, or at least tons of different countries, but everyone was sticking around. I, most of them didn't seem to have anyone in particular that they were rooting for, but going pretty crazy. Uh, whatever time we were there, which was very late for me, my, my time is all messed up. My, my sense of time from the time. Change that crowd at the finish line. Jason, how far away could you hear?
Speaker 3:us Uh at the finish line. Jason, how far away could you hear us Uh at the finish line? So, surprisingly enough, I didn't hear. I didn't hear the crowd as much uh until we got, until, basically, we got right on top of it. But I think that had probably more to do with the weather. Um, I don't know that sound travels as well in the rain. But yeah, so we, you know, at the other aid stations leading up to the finish, it was great because I could hear the crowd cheering. Again, it gives you energy, so I could come up on these aid stations, the larger ones Everybody was just rooting for either their crew or not their crew, but their runner or all the other runners that are coming in, and it was wonderful.
Speaker 3:The end of the race, however we haven't talked about this yet but all of my devices, because I was out there so long, died. So I had no, my watch was dead, my phone was dead. So towards the end of the race, I had no idea how much longer we had to go. So I was asking some people like, hey, you know how many kilometers to finish and you know'm thinking, okay, well, two, two and a half kilometers, we're looking at about a mile and a half, doing it in my head and based on my pace and how I'm feeling, it's like, okay, well, that was I think.
Speaker 3:I just went through a mile and I was like, oh man, I don't, I don't hear anybody yet. So I was like I wonder how long this is. Uh, you know where the where the finish is. And then so I was like I wonder how long this is, you know where the finish is. And then probably got half a mile out and you could start to hear people at the finish. So it was good. It was good. That was again. The energy started to get that adrenaline rush Like here comes the finish and it's pouring down rain.
Speaker 2:Speaking of gear, occ is pretty unique. Uh, we found out. All right, can you uh kind of dig into that a little bit as far as what the required gear is and uh give everyone a heads up? They're under the same situation you did.
Speaker 3:yeah, no, that's funny. So again, full disclosure, being a true hobby jogger here, right? So you, I do these races in the States and sometimes they'll have required gear, but I mean, no one's really checking and a lot of times it's just a suggestion. So you know, coming into this, and I read through the list a couple times even before I got here and I'm like, okay, well, I've got most of this stuff, surely it'll be fine. I get here and I start going through and talking with you guys and surrounding people and I think it was you. You're like, no, this is required gear, you have to have this. And that was a bit of a surprise to me. So what's really great, though, convenience and Hookah's kind enough and they're in their tent to have most of the required gear that they're happy to sell it to you. Which was, which was nice.
Speaker 1:Amazing how that works. By the way, Right, right.
Speaker 3:So you know, things like the emergency blanket, like I didn't have any of that stuff and, being a hobby jogger, I don't, I don't, I don't carry those things. So, but yeah, I was able to put that together. I think I actually had to go through the Hoka tank three times because the first time I was trying to find my big pickup and I couldn't find, I didn't know where the heck it was. So I went through in order to, basically, I just bought a couple of flasks to say, hey, you know where do I go to pick up my bib, and they were kind of. And then, you know, show me where to go.
Speaker 3:And so after I got my uh, after we went through and did that and knew where the big pickup was, then I started to go around and like, okay, well, I need a rain jacket, I need, you know, the trousers, um, so I don't know if you already got some of those, and that was the second camera they got me, but they gave me three times. So the third time around was when I found the first aid kit in the emergency blanket. So yeah, in that sense it was a bit of an expensive trip to basically just sell more on my behalf because it wasn't planning properly. They were trying enough to sell that to us, so it was good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very important that you read the required gear at the TMB events here in the mountains. They are restricted. Did they end up checking you?
Speaker 3:no, no, ironically, um and I, I had everything my. You know, I've never really run with a pack that heavy, so I'm surprised with how heavy that stuff was. Um, but ironically, uh, at the starting line when I was waiting there, there was a, there was a guy in that vest and, um, you know, he started talking to the guy that was directly in front of me. Um, and at this time this was pretty early in the uh, the before the race, so there wasn't a lot of um people around us just yet, so it was really just me and this guy was kind of standing around. I hear, you know they I think they were speaking French, I'm not exactly sure what the discussion was, but then I see, I see him point at his pack and then they start ripping out his pack and checking all his gear and I was like, oh man, I dodged a bullet on that one. Had I been in front of that guy, I'm sure I would have been the guy taking everything out of his pack.
Speaker 1:So note to any listeners, they do check for the required gear. Absolutely, you do need to have it at the start line and throughout the race, which is, I mean, it's not a bad idea to have the gear when you're going up that high into the mountains, should something go poorly for you on your day. So not the worst idea.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I was actually pleased with that aspect of it because I did. It was nice to have those things not necessarily, you know, the emergency blanket in the first aid kit, because thankfully I didn't get hurt, but some of the some of the cooler weather gear I was really glad to have because you know the weather patterns here. To kind of go back to what we were talking about, they changed so drastically, you know. You know, 40 degrees Fahrenheit is way different than 65, 70, obviously from a running perspective and what kind of gear you need to have. And it's not just that it was 40 degrees, it was also that it was wet, raining, and so it got very cold. And I was very thankful to have all of those things and I think honestly I probably wouldn't have had it had I not had that checklist of the required gear. So I was very thankful for that.
Speaker 2:I think what you're saying is it may seem a bit excessive for OCC, but at the same time you were thankful that you had to meet the requirements because you used some of the gear 100%, yeah.
Speaker 3:No negative things to say about that and you know we kind of joked about Hoka selling it to us. But I'm very thankful that it was available and convenient and the prices weren't too bad. If you wanted to get something super fancy like a couple of rain jackets, that were way too expensive for my taste. But they did have things. There was a variety of stuff there. You didn't have to spend a lot of money.
Speaker 1:Nice Again we joke about they have it for sale. But thankfully they do have it for sale so that you can meet the gear requirements and have the day that you're wanting to have without getting checked there by the equipment marshal, so to speak. That'd be a bad end of the day, and it is much, much colder up at the top of the race 7,000 feet or so compared to down here. Rob and I experienced that Yesterday. We went up a lift and had a couple beers at around 7,000 feet. Oh yeah, that wind is chilly, yeah it was very chilly.
Speaker 1:So on to the finish. You get a special time. You got to have your two girls run in with you through, I guess, the last little section there of town in Chamonix. What was that like?
Speaker 3:Oh gosh, that was so wonderful. It was a beautiful experience. That was the first time that I think. I think that was the first time that the girls were able to, you know, run with me into the finish, and it was just, it was excellent. You know, what's funny was, you know, I passed the gateway where they track you right, so where you have your RFID or your badge that tracks your times, and then there was probably another half mile between then and where you actually cross the finish line.
Speaker 3:It was interesting because I'm like I'm kind of jogging through the finish line. I'm like, okay, well, they've already clocked my time. Where the heck is the darn thing? So they kind of had to snake through this little the gates that they have up on either side to kind of snaking around. But once you get there, you go the corral. Thank you, I was a lot lost for words there. Yeah, so there was a corral that had to snake around for probably longer than it needed to be, but then once it opened up and my girls were there and we really just, you know, sprang to the finish and that was just a wonderful thing. I actually can't wait to see the professional photos because I think they're going to turn out pretty good, but that was a magical experience, um, you know, I'm sure, I know, I know that I'll never forget. I think my girls will probably keep that with them as well. So excellent and great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was awesome to be there, you know, Rob and I, at the finish line, uh, to see it, and awesome to see you with your, your girls, run through the finish line, and how happy your wife was to to see you finish. When, like you said, she doesn't. She oftentimes, you know, she when you, when you go run these races, it's, it's, it's tough on her too Good to good to see her able to to see the finish as well.
Speaker 3:The race could not have gone better in that sense. Um, you know it didn't get hurt. Uh, finish the race. Um, you know, family got to enjoy a beautiful country and support me in this adventure, so it was really great.
Speaker 1:We were happy to be able to come out here and support you as well and just be able to take in the whole atmosphere of the race and watch you go through Switzerland into France and finish, and awesome finish, with your girls and and all your friends there waiting. Yeah, that was that was, you know.
Speaker 3:Again, just to kind of really highlight how important that was. So you know, when you're going, I think the total total elevation again was let's say it was like for our race, 11,000 feet, 12,000 feet. It gets, as I'm sure you, you know, and everyone knows, there are points where it gets really difficult, those aid stations where you have your crew like you guys were there and the family was there you get this burst of energy right. So it was so at those points, that is what I needed in order to get to the finish. So you know you don't do these things without having the appropriate support. So you know you don't, you don't do these things without having the appropriate support and, um, so anyway, I think you got the family. It was great to share this adventure with you and the family and it was, um, I, I can't wait, uh, for the next, the next race.
Speaker 2:Always the next one up. Yeah, well said, jason. I think it's important, you know, for the listeners to know all the hobby joggers out there that love the trail, they love running. You know utmb seems so far away, right like it's a dream that they'll never be able to to actually experience. And you can't. I mean, jason's is an unusual story but it does happen and you know you can go, you'll run that. That dream trail that all of us talk about all the time, I mean utmb really is the super bowl of trail running. Dude, you just did it awesome.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, I'm still on it. I'm still so stoked. I just can't. I still can't believe it. It's just so amazing. So, yeah, to all the hobby joggers out there, I mean, just keep on running, you know, put your hat in the ring and it is achievable. So I'm very thankful that I was picked in order to run this beautiful race and, yeah, it was a great time.
Speaker 1:Once again, jason, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your story both in person, with Rob and I and our families as well. So hats off to you, jason. I hope you recover, get some more wine and cheese, because Lord knows, I've had a lot of wine and cheese on this trip. So hats off to you, jason. Thank you, james, appreciate it.