Well, the plan was to have two runner spotlights in May, but we got behind with all the ‘stuff’ going on in May.  Without further delay, let us introduce you to our June Spotlight Runner: Forrest Stuart.  After what Forrest accomplished this weekend, maybe it was better he got the whole month of June instead of splitting May.  We’ll get to that shortly, but the beginning of the story starts in 2008 when, at the age of 54, Forrest decides to go out and run his first marathon (Ogden Marathon of course) in a time of 4:50.  He came back the next year at Ogden and ran the half marathon and came back again in 2010 and ran the Ogden half marathon again. It was later that summer when the tides began to shift for Forrest after running the NUTS Trail half marathon on the Ogden Bonneville shoreline trail. Once you’ve experienced a little running on dirt and rock, it changes everything; colors seem brighter, food tastes better, life gets less complicated and all the daily trappings aren’t as daunting.  Anyway, Forrest started to hit the trails hard after the NUTS race. Up next was the XTERRA Xduro Trail race later that same year then the Buffalo Run 25K in the spring of 2011 followed up by another Ogden Marathon finish. Forrest topped off 2011 with the Logan Peak trail run in the summer.  In 2012 Forrest made another big leap into the ultra running world with a finish at the Buffalo Run 50 miler followed up by a PR at the Ogden Marathon by running a 3:59. Forrest dipped into insanity for 10 hours & 46 minutes at Snowbird Resort when he ran the Speedgoat 50K – (did you know the Speedgoat 50K course has more net climb per mile than the Hardrock 100?).  Not sure why the race directors call it Where’s Waldo, but Forrest ran that 100K too in 20 hours.  If you complete a race like Where’s Waldo (64 miles) you know 100 miles will soon be on the docket.  

That brings us to 2013 where Forrest ran the Moab Red Hot 55K in February and then ran another Buffalo Run 50 in record time (10:47).  This set Forrest up at his first attempt at 100 miles in Bryce Canyon last weekend.  Forrest said he was anxious going into the race; who wouldn’t be, it’s 100 miles?  The Bryce 100 is a first year race and boasts close to 20,000 feet of climbing.  With the help of HUMR’s Debbie and Breein, wife Pam and a little shoe called Hoka, Forrest conquered the distance in 33 hours.  The rumor is that at the finish line everybody was emotional and crying and because of all the drama Forrest ALMOST broke out in tears.  Congratulations Forrest!

There were many great and inspirational stories stemming from the Ogden Marathon this year but the one that caught our attention was Forrest pushing his friend Rich Abbey across the finish line in a four-wheeled contraption fabricated by Cory Johnson at Old School Body Shop.  Cory sent me a picture of this ‘wheelchair’ in April and I thought maybe it was something he was going to tether to a horse…or a Clydesdale.  The real story was Forrest’s good friend (Rich) was suffering from ALS.  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease and is a progressive degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS often leaves patients paralyzed and will eventually lead to death.  In honor of his friend, Forrest commissioned Cory to build the wheelchair then put together a relay team at the Ogden Marathon and pushed Rich the last 3 miles and through the finish line.  Well done, Forrest.  

It’s been our honor to become acquainted with Forrest and look forward to some HUMR running this year.  More on the Happy Utah Mountain Runners to come…In the meantime you can read all about Forrest at www.stridersrunning.com

Every month we like to introduce a runner in the community who has inspired us or displayed some mettle we believe should be recognized.  Our May Runner Spotlight, Don Mueller, not only inspires but 9 years ago Don introduced us (STRIDERS) to the running community.  In early 2004 when Kristin and I were just getting started, we had some friends and co-workers who were runners but we really weren’t connected to the running community.  Don helped us make that connection, and for that we’ll forever be grateful.  We officially opened the STRIDERS doors in February ’04, but in January we had a soft opening with family and some friends.  To this day I’m not exactly sure how Don found out about that ‘event,’ but he was there early and was almost the last to leave.  He bought a couple pairs of Wave Riders, socks, GU a hat and he left wearing a STRIDERS shirt.  We were thrilled and excited to know a real runner liked our shop and was even going to send all his running friends in to check out the new store.  Don knows some people; they started coming soon after and they keep coming almost 10 years later. 

Don’s marathon running career began in 2002 when he ran the Ogden Marathon in 5:27 then came back the very next year and ran it again in 3:55.  Since that first marathon he’s shaved his Ogden Marathon time down to 3:36 (2010) and in 2007 ran his PR at the St. George Marathon by running 3:32 – he was 54 years old!  Don will run his 10th Ogden Marathon this month and be the newest 10 year club member.  I don’t know; Don says he’s 60 years old but I want to see his birth certificate – he doesn’t seem to age and the older he gets the stronger he becomes.  In 2010 at age 57, Don ran his best Ogden Marathon (3:36) and then his first ultra distance at the OV50 with a 10:07 finish.  In 2011 Don decided he wanted to be a swimmer and a tri-athlete too and completed the Boise Half Ironman in 6:50.  2012 was his biggest year yet: It started with the Buffalo Run 50 (11:35), the Ogden Marathon (3:48), the Spudman Triathlon (2:44) then the Skyline Mountain Half Marathon (2:52). 

Here we are in 2013, Don is 60 years old and he’s getting ready for his first Wasatch 100 Endurance Run in September.  Don’s first marathon of 2013 was the Boston Marathon a couple of weeks ago.  The Boston Marathon was Don’s 60th birthday present; he had completed Boston twice prior and was thrilled to have the opportunity to go back. Don had just turned the corner onto Boylston Street and was about to finish when the bombs went off.  His wife (Kim) was at the finish line waiting for him.  Kim heard and saw the second explosion, but luckily was not in harms way.  Don was rushed off the race course by military personnel and the next 3 hours were pure chaos as he and Kim tried to find each other.  Exhausted, cold, hungry and panicked, Don spent the next 3 hours after the explosions walking around downtown Boston looking for Kim.  It was their son, Matt, who finally connected with both of them on the phone and set up the rendezvous where Don and Kim finally found each other.  We were all relieved to hear Don and his family were all okay. We can only pray the rest of 2013 will be peaceful and happy.  

We're sure Don will have many emotions as he finishes the Ogden Marathon in 2 weeks. Boston affected us all, we'll never forget but the best way to show we're not afraid is to keep running.  

Many of you already know Don, but if you're just getting acquainted, it was a pleasure and an honor to make his introduction.  You can read Don's questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com  


May will be a 'doubleheader' Runner Spotlight month.  Some stories just can't wait...stay tuned for more local awesomeness.  

We love to spotlight runners who have achieved the near impossible; or at least really hard stuff.  Running 100 miles on Antelope Island is tough!  Sometimes I really don’t buy into the talk about ‘ultra runners being crazy or mental,' you don't have to be crazy to enjoy running long distances. But running 100 miles on a deserted (Antelope) Island in 20 degree temperatures with freezing cross-winds and in the dark with wild animals at every turn IS crazy, mental and completely insane.  Who can train for 100 miles in March anyway?  I’ve been on a treadmill all winter. 

Our April Spotlight Runner, Marty Harward (who must be crazy) achieved the near impossible last weekend by completing the Buffalo Run 100 in 29:52 (that’s 29 hours running around Antelope Island!).  I saw Marty at the 70 mile mark of his run; I lied then but I won’t lie now; he looked like a man who had just suffered the beating of his life.  He looked beyond exhausted, cold, pale and defeated.  I asked how he was doing and he responded with ‘It was a long night but I’m still moving.’ The fire wasn’t out yet, but if I was a gambling man I would have bet he was finished. 

It was about 10am last Saturday morning when Cory Johnson and I set off on our own little run around the Island; I wasn’t sure if we would see Marty again.  Before the race and the night before, Marty and I had a conversation about dark moments during 100 mile races and overcoming them; I knew Marty was battling common sense at that point  when it came to the decision whether to go back out there and suffer through another 30 miles.  As Cory and I set off on the trail, I hoped Marty would go against everything his body was telling him to do, and begin running again. 

Cory and I got back to the finish line just after 5 o’clock Saturday afternoon while the race was starting to wind down.  This was the 29th hour of the 100 mile race.  It was still cold and windy, so we camped out in the truck with the heater on waiting for the last runners to come in.  As 6 o’clock approached, it was time to leave and get back to the civilized world. 

After dropping Cory off to his truck and as I was driving out of the campground, there was Marty running the last stretch with his family into the finish line.  I gave a quick honk and a wave; Marty looked like the walking dead and the happiest man on the planet all at the same time. I was very excited for him; it was the coolest finish of the day…well, a little over a day :-)

Marty’s journey to finish his first 100 miler started in 2008 with the STRIDERS7 trail race and TOU Half Marathon.  From 2008 through 2012, Marty finished a couple of Ogden Marathons, the Huntsville Marathon, a bunch of finishes at the Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon, and all the trail races on Antelope Island (Mountain View Half, Buffalo 50K & 50 mile). Will Marty run another 100 miler?  If I were a gambling man, I would say Marty isn’t done running 100 milers yet. I've been wrong before, but 100 mile adventures are a hard habit to break. 

Congratulations to Marty on his awesome accomplishment!  It’s our honor to spotlight Marty this month, you can read his questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com. We’ve also posted his 100 mile race report below:

It was a cold morning in October a few years back when I first met Beth Furton at The Daily Rise.  I had just got done running in the freezing rain along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Ogden and desperately needed something hot to drink.  I had heard about this cool new coffee place on Washington Blvd, so I went to check it out.  Despite the cruddy weather, I remember Beth and her crew being super friendly and upbeat; which made me feel like the most important dude on the planet, and at the same time, not care so much about the miserable run I just had in the mud.  I got myself a ‘skinny VanHalen’ and drove away in a far better mood than when I arrived.  The ‘VanHalen’ was awesome and to this day whenever it’s raining and crappy outside, I go help myself to a cup of the rock & role drink at “The Rise.” 

Over the years we got to know Beth and her husband (Jeff) better because they were at every cool community event from Layton to Ogden.  Even at a temporary booth in the park, on the Boulevard or at an expo, Beth is always ‘Promoting Positive Energy.’  That energy is really contagious too as all the baristas at The Daily Rise are incredibly happy and upbeat…I’m convinced working at The Daily Rise is the best job on the planet. The drinks are the absolute best too.  TDR imports all their coffee beans from around the world then they roast them all here locally in Layton.  Their roasting recipes and procedures are top secret and one-of-a-kind, but I got a peak behind the curtain as we worked with Beth & Jeff on a unique blend of coffee beans exclusively for STRIDERS (more on that in a minute).

After Beth & Jeff opened a second location in Layton and in addition to launching The Daily Rise Roasting Company, Beth is out running with the crowd these days.  In 2012 she competed in the Ogden Marathon 5K, The Skirt in the Dirt, and recently she and her crew have been conquering some hills in the 2013 Winter Racing Circuit. Beth is getting ready for her first half marathon, but I think she’s going to discover after running the WRC 10 miler that any half-marathon compared to what she’s about to experience on Saturday will seem easy...or less hard;-)

For the past couple of years, Beth & Jeff have come to the finish line of the circuit races and provide hot chocolate and coffee to all the runners.  At STRIDERS, we are very fortunate and grateful to have them on board as sponsors of the WRC.  We’re all in for a treat at the WRC 10 miler, Half Marathon and 30K...

As I mentioned before, Beth & Jeff have blended a coffee exclusively for STRIDERS based on our taste buds.  The “Ultra Umber” Runners Blend is a combination of dark coffee beans and a lighter & nuttier coffee bean to create the perfect coffee brew.  The Ultra Umber will perk you up before a run and bring you back to life after a hard run. It’s all natural, organic and roasted, packaged and produced here locally.  The logo was created here locally, the labels were printed locally, and it was packed by Jeff last night in Layton.  The Daily Rise will brew some up at the remaining 3 WRC races so you can all have a cup.  We also have half-pound and full-pound bags for sale at STRIDERS and on this blog.  It’s all very exciting!!! 

It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Beth Furton (she’s the one holding the cup in the picture) and it’s an honor to have her as the STRIDERS March Spotlight Runner.  You can read all about her at www.stridersrunning.com     

I can’t believe its February already; there’s a lot of exciting stuff going on and time is just flying by.  We’re super excited about the temperatures rising a little bit so we can rest our backs from all the snow we’ve been shoveling and get out there and run some more.  The Winter Racing Circuit has started, the Buffalo Run is around the corner and the Ogden Marathon is only 14 weeks away (98 days). February, March and April are big training months for the Ogden Marathon.  After having a great year of running in 2012, Jennifer Arciaga, our February Runner Spotlight, is poised for an even bigger year in 2013.  Jennifer ended 2012 with a fantastic run at the St. George Marathon by running a new personal best of 3:44 and qualifying for the Boston Marathon..  She tuned up for St. George by running a fast 49 minute tough 10K course at the Classic race in September; afterwards she knew she had a fighting chance to better her 3:56 Ogden Marathon time the previous May.  The really cool thing with Jennifer is running is a family activity; her husband (James) ran the Ogden Half Marathon while Jennifer and her son Garrett were running the marathon.  Jennifer has triplets…triplets (!), and a daughter in high school, Garrett goes to University, and Jennifer still manages to be a runner, a wife, a mom and she works at Striders part-time on top of all of that.  Jennifer is like the CEO, COO and CFO of a small corporation – whew!  So, in 2013 Jennifer will be back out there running the Ogden Marathon in May and in addition to training she’ll be ‘running’ kids to and from school, practices, games, appointments, coordinating dinner, shopping for food for dinner, putting clean sheets on the beds, folding laundry, unclogging the sink, staging birthday parties and helping with the Algebra homework.  With all that going on, Jennifer does an amazing job for us at STRIDERS.  We’re lucky to have her on our team and honored to call her our friend.  You can read Jennifer’s spotlight questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com     

Here we are already, 2013!  It’s going to be a busy year for a lot of runners.  Before you know it, it will be Christmas again.  2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for our January Runner Spotlight; Curtis Thompson.  He’s coming off a spectacular 2012...it all started last March with a 10 hour finish at the Buffalo Run 50 miler on Antelope Island.  If you remember last March at the Buffalo Run, there were record temperatures with the thermostat getting up to 80 degrees.  That makes for a long, miserable day when you’ve been training all winter in sub-freezing temperatures.  Curtis continued on and had solid finishes last June at the Pocatello 50K (8:58) in Idaho then the Kid Custer 25K (2:44) at Snowbasin.  We previewed that Kid Custer course last summer: it’s 16 miles of brutal climbing, but man-o-man, it is an awesome course with some unbelievable views when you get to the top.  In July, Curtis traveled to Snowbird to wrestle with the Speedgoat 50K; it’s 32 miles that feels like 100 miles.  Curtis finished that monster in 10:08.  With all those good miles under his belt, Curtis went toe-to-toe with the Bear 100 in September up there in Logan. This was Curtis’ first attempt at 100 miles and he did awesome with a 33:48 finish.  The Bear throws 22,000 of climbing at you with elevations ranging from 4,800 feet to 9,000 feet while traversing a very rugged and remote trail from Logan to Bear Lake.  Temperatures at the Bear 100 can range from the 20’s to the 90’s, so as you’re thawing out you start to cook all while running up and down a mountain in the middle of nowhere – no cell phone coverage and no city lights; the whole 100 miles are in the backcountry with nowhere to go but up.  Seriously, if you have issues at the Bear 100…let’s just say it will end badly for you.  But alas, Curtis is the hero of our story and he survived and conquered many mountains in 2012.  Oh boy, he’s taking the bull by the horns in 2013 with entries at Moab, Buffalo, Pocatello, Speedgoat, El Vaquero Loco and has a lottery ticket at the Wasatch 100 draw next month.  Good luck, Curtis!  Hopefully he’s not driving around with handicap license plates in 2014.  Just kidding, we’re all excited for the year Curtis is about to have and we feel extremely fortunate to know him.  You can read Curtis’ spotlight questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com     

Being a sales rep in the outdoor industry is not an easy job; you’re traveling all the time, dealing with needy and grumpy shop owners, working countless trade shows and sitting through long sales meetings.  On top of all of that, everywhere they go they’re carting around at least two full clothing racks, four ‘body’ sized duffle-bags full of shoes and a box of catalogs, order forms and credit applications.  You can’t get all that stuff on an airplane; it all has to all fit in the back of a Prius, Outback or Corolla…anything that gets at least 25 mpg with a good stereo to keep you company while driving trough the Wyoming plains. Without our sales reps, small independent retailers like STRIDERS would have a rough time trying to stay in business.   The good reps make it look easy and fun, and Rhielle Widders is one of the better ones.  Rhielle took over the Pearl Izumi running line of shoes, apparel and accessories a few years ago and has done an amazing job with the brand.  She not only comes into the shop every season with all the goods, she understands our business and how it differs from her other accounts.  So, she’s able to recommend orders, modify orders before they ship, select color schemes and styles and always steers us in the right direction as to what to stock and what to special order.  Pearl Izumi, Feetures socks and NUUN hydration are like little sub-businesses within STRDIERS and Rhielle manages them all for us.  I want to believe we’re special, but I know she services all her accounts like that. 

With all that going on, many sales reps can’t manage anything else in their lives…like a family, their health and often times just the simple task of waking up and taking a shower.  I don’t know how she does it, but Rhielle can still compete as a runner and triathlete.  In 2012 alone she completed the Canyonlands half marathon, St. George triathlon, Memorial Day (No More Victims) half marathon, River Rampage triathlon, Haunted half marathon and set a new PR at the Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman triathlon by 45 minutes (5:55).  It gets even crazier; Rhielle is also the race director of the Park City Trail Series which consists of a 5K, 10K, 15K & Half-Marathon.  I ran the 15K last year and it was unbelievable; she’s a sales rep so the prizes and giveaways alone were worth it not to mention the great course up there in PC. 

Rhielle came to Pearl Izumi by way of the SLRC; I bet they hated losing her because she’s a great talent.  Kristin and I and our STRDIERS crew are fortunate to have gotten to know Rhielle; she’s helped our little business more than she knows.  We wish they could all be like Rhielle; she’s truly an asset to the Utah running scene.  It’s an honor to spotlight her as our December runner.  You can read her questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com

You can meet Rhielle this Saturday, December 8th at 8am at STRIDERS for our demo days event at the shop.  Rhielle will be there to talk about the new line of shoes coming from Pearl Izumi in 2013. You’ll have the opportunity to go out and run in a pair of the new N2 from Pearl.   In addition to Peal Izumi, you’ll have the opportunity to demo any pair of shoes in the store on our 5 mile run.  The course is flat; we’ll have it marked and is absolutely FREE.  Afterwards we’ll have breakfast in the store and if you decide to buy the demo shoes you picked to run in, they’ll be 20% off.  You don’t have to run in a demo shoe to participate, we would love to have you if you’re just looking for a fun 5 mile run.  Call us at STRIDERS if you have any questions.  We’re running rain or shine, so be ready. 

If you want more information about the Park City Trail Series, you can visit www.r-u-nevents.com  Here are the dates for 2013:

            5K – June 15th

            10K – July 6th

            15K – August 10th

            1/2M – September 14th 

A couple of years ago; late September 2010 to be more specific, I was out riding my 10 speed bike in Syracuse with Matt Connors.  We like to ride out there on our $200 bikes with our Levi brand cargo shorts and pass all the cyclists with the ‘Running is for Criminals’ jerseys with bikes valued higher than my Bronco.  Along the way and after a while, there was a runner coming at us with a head of hair resembling Prefontaine.  We zipped by him but not before I got a quick glimpse at his face.  I couldn’t make out very many features with all that hair, but he looked really familiar.  I thought to myself: ‘Well, I do own a running store, maybe I’ve helped him in the shop before.’ We got from the sewer plant to Black Island Farms before I finally realized it was Spencer Blodgett! 

Kristin and I worked with Spencer’s Dad (Ray) at Iomega for years.  Ray was  ‘the’ running authority at Iomega; he had pictures and medals of a few of his marathons in his office.  I remember a collage of pictures Ray had of himself and Spencer running the Boston Marathon together.  Ray was the guy that inspired me to start running (Ray has an unbelievable story that deserves telling someday). In fact, it was either 1999 or 2000 when I ran the Top of Utah Half Marathon with Ray and Spencer.  After taking some pictures together at the finish line, it would be the last time I see Spencer until that day a couple of years ago.

Matt thought I had lost it as I did a quick ‘U’ turn to go back and confirm it was in fact Spencer.  It was. He was training for the Layton Marathon and wanted to run sections of the course.  I knew Spencer was from Bountiful, so running into him on a quiet county road next to the sewer plant in Syracuse while I was riding a bike seemed a little surreal.  We got caught up for a few minutes, asked him to say ‘hi’ to his Dad for me, wished him luck in the marathon, then we were off.  Spencer has since cut his hair, but he really did look like Prefontaine.  I would kill for a head of hair like that!

In 2010, Spencer was on a comeback tour into the marathon scene after running some fast marathons as a youngster in the mid-1990’s, culminating in the Boston Marathon in 1996.  He kept running marathons after 1996 with finishes at the San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Marine Corps marathons, but he was a newlywed and was starting a family and took a couple years off.  His comeback marathon at Layton was 3:52, the next year he ran the Utah Valley Marathon in 3:39 and Layton again in 3:40.  Then he jumped into the OV50 in 2011 and ran a very impressive 9:48 in his first 50 mile ultra marathon (he still had the hair then). 

After his 2011 OV50 finish, you could see the wheels start to turn when he started asking questions about Wasatch and running 100 miles.  In 2012, Spencer completed the Winter Racing Circuit, ran the Ogden and Huntsville Marathons, but he was one of the first entrants to register for the 2012 OV50.  After I saw Spencer volunteering at Wasatch this year, I knew he was definitely on the slippery slop to a 100 mile race. 

Spencer had another great 50 mile run in Ogden Valley a week ago and now he’s aiming at the Wasatch 100 in 2013.  I hope he gets in; if he does he has to bring the hair back!  Spencer is such a great guy, we’re so lucky to get reacquainted with him.  It’s an honor to spotlight Spencer as our November Runner.  You can read Spencer’s questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com 

Last month we introduced you to Daren Koldewyn just before he went out and conquered his first Wasatch 100.  We’re excited to bring you part 2 of the Koldewyn running saga by introducing you to Jennifer Koldewyn, our October Runner Spotlight.  Jen has been running a long time; she ran her first marathon in 2000 at Top of Utah with a 4:12 performance, but it would be the last time she sees four hours in a marathon.  After that first marathon, she rallied the very next year at the St. George Marathon and ran a 3:58. For the last 11 years, Jen has strung together an impressive run of marathon finishes: Her first Ogden Marathon in 2004 was 3:52; the last Ogden Marathon she ran in 2009 was 3:34.  She’s been back to Top of Utah many times since 2000, with her new PR on that course a 3:39.  She’s shaved 32 minutes from her first St. George Marathon down to 3:26 with her run in 2009.  She even qualified for the Boston Marathon at the Des News Marathon in 2010 (3:45) and then made the trip to Boston with Daren in 2011 where she ran a 3:37 – awesome!  Keep in mind, Jen’s been running and getting faster and stronger all while raising 4 kids and keeping Daren in line.  Her first son was 3 when she ran her first marathon, and then she had 3 more children in between setting marathon PR’s over the last dozen years.  We haven’t even talked about the Buffalo Run 25K yet; it’s only 16 miles, but it takes a marathon effort to finish that race and Jen has finished it 5 times!  She’s even run several half marathons in that 1:35-1:36 range.  After recovering from a fall during a trail run last year, recovering on her bike, competing in triathlon and supporting Daren with Wasatch this year, Jen is queued up to have a big year in 2013.  Jen is a competitor, it’s always fun to see her and Daren get after it at the Buffalo Run every year.  You can read all about Jen from her Runner Spotlight questionnaire at www.stridersrunning.com 

Well, summer is over; the kids are back in school and the vacation pictures are all we have left.  Most of the hard training miles are over, now it’s time to run some big races like the Top of Utah Marathon, XTERRA, Layton Marathon, St. George Marathon, Mountain Trail ½ Marathon, and the OV50.  One runner who had a tremendous summer of running was Daren Koldewyn.  Before we tell you what Daren just did let’s rewind to 2007 when Daren started running the Buffalo Run 25K as a way to spend some time with his wife, Jen.  For 5 years Daren ran the 25K with Jen (’07-2:36, ’08-2:18, ’09-2:22, ’10-2:18, ’11-2:22).  In 2009 Daren ran his first marathon in Ogden and finished in 3:27:50.  The plan for 2011 was to get to the Boston Marathon with Jen, so Daren trained hard and busted out a 3:15:09 at the 2010 Ogden Marathon to qualify for Boston.  Last year, Daren made the trip to Boston where he and Jen ran the marathon, Daren finishing in 3:36:23.  During all this time, Daren never really called himself a runner.  He was just out having fun with his wife, who was considered the ‘real’ runner in the family.  Last year on a trail run together, Jen fell and got injured and started riding and competing a little in  triathlons, but Daren was still running and started having thoughts about the Wasatch 100.  He put his name in the lottery and got in.  This year at the Buffalo Run, instead of running his annual 25K with Jen, he ran his first 50 mile race and did great with a time of 9:30:50.  Daren spent the rest of the summer running in the mountains and last weekend started the Wasatch 100.  Daren killed it, finishing Wasatch in 32:44:27!  It was a really cool progression to witness as Daren would get better and better each year.  Now that he’s conquered Wasatch, we’re all excited to see what he does next…after a little bit of rest of course.  Daren is a great and humble man, we really enjoy he and Jen.  Daren is our September Runner Spotlight, you can read all about him at www.stridersrunning.com