Shawangunk Ridge Trail Run: 9/13/25 - Anything is Possible

[Brownski]

How did you feel on Sunday, Rip?

 

[Ripitz]

How did you feel on Sunday, Rip?

I felt pretty good. I could’ve been out and about but I stayed horizontal. Rest was needed for a busy week ahead. Had to go down the stairs backwards this morning to get Peanut on the bus and go to work.

 

[Ripitz]

Absolutely inspirational! Beast mode! An ultra is no joke. For anyone trying to get a perspective on the work and strategy that goes into something like this, mortals are on the couch for a few days often after a plain old flat marathon (26.2 miles). This must have had some insane elevation change.

Besides all of the hard physical and mental toughness, practice runs/hikes, hydration, fueling, and sodium are really important for any kind of long run. (side note: I wonder if your 10 mile crash was a hydration/sodium/fueling thing.)

Rip, thank you for sharing - very inspirational.

Would love to compare notes sometime on fueling/hydration/sodium. Something this long you can even eat like real food.

Straight Offta Couch Bro! Training is for wussies. JK

Yes, Dom, it is not a joke. You have to be prepared.

The 30 mile is around 4,000ft of elevation change and I think the 70 is 10,000ft. The terrain is rugged and technical. Some places are exposed and require rock climbing moves.

Yes, my crash last year was most likely a sodium deficiency since I was only drinking water. I’ve done big days in the mountains with only food and water, like the Great Range Traverse and the Devil’s Path in a day. These were hiking challenges though and running requires more replenishment. People offered me salt tabs on the trail to alleviate the cramping but I stuck to the unsupported effort and refused them.

This year I used a Liquid IV drink mixture. I drank it daily the whole week before to get used to it and pre-hydrate. If you drink only water you will flush out needed minerals. I used a caffeinated mix in the morning and switched back and forth with a non-caffeinated one throughout the run. I had the drink mix in 2 550ml bottles in my fanny pack and had straight water in 2 532ml insulated hand held soft flasks. I sipped the water and used it to cool my neck, back and head.

I hardly had any food on trail. I crossed the finish with lots of it in my pack. I had a Cliff bar, some dark chocolate with coffee and toffee and small amounts of buffalo and chicken jerky between miles 10 and 15 and some GORP with chocolate around the marathon mark.

I worked a little bit on mental toughness beforehand like running straight through a downpour at night when I did the Creeklander and a few other solo stunts on unfamiliar terrain. My biggest hurdle was the fact that I don’t run at all and I’m a night owl. To get my mind and body adjusted, I set my alarm for 5:30am everyday the week before. I tried to poop when I got up and again at 7:15. At exactly 9am I would take off running a 10 minute/mile 5K with my race pack and all of my gear with full bottles. Then I would bike my 20 mile commute and work all day outside. Later in the evening I would try and run again to replicate my finish. This schedule coincided with race day, including its travel times and helped get me comfortable for what was to come.

And what sneakers/trail runners do you use for pavement and /or trail?

I ran Altra King MT 2s on race day with Injinji toe socks under Darn Toughs and gaiters. This has been a proven recipe for me that I don’t mess with. At the finish my feet were completely clean, with no blisters. I wear Altras daily and switch between Mont Blancs with Boas and Lone Peak 7s.

 

[JK_PA]

Kudos for the dedication to the long-term training and planning that enabled you to complete a race of this magnitude in the way that you did! Thanks also for taking the time to write it all up and the pictures were beautiful. What a fantastic experience all around! Truly inspirational!

 

[DomB]

Straight Offta Couch Bro! Training is for wussies. JK

Yes, Dom, it is not a joke. You have to be prepared.

The 30 mile is around 4,000ft of elevation change and I think the 70 is 10,000ft. The terrain is rugged and technical.

Yes, my crash last year was most likely a sodium deficiency since I was only drinking water. I’ve done big days in the mountains with only food and water, like the Great Range Traverse and the Devil’s Path in a day. These were hiking challenges though and running requires more replenishment. People offered me salt tabs on the trail to alleviate the cramping but I stuck to the unsupported effort and refused them.

This year I used a Liquid IV drink mixture. I drank it daily the whole week before to get used to it and pre-hydrate. If you drink only water you will flush out needed minerals. I used a caffeinated mix in the morning and switched back and forth with a non-caffeinated one throughout the run. I had the drink mix in 2 550ml bottles in my fanny pack and had straight water in 2 532ml insulated hand held soft flasks. I sipped the water and used it to cool my neck, back and head.

I hardly had any food on trail. I crossed the finish with lots of it in my pack. I had a Cliff bar, some dark chocolate with coffee and toffee and small amounts of buffalo and chicken jerky between miles 10 and 15 and some GORP with chocolate around the marathon mark.

I worked a little bit on mental toughness beforehand like running straight through a downpour at night when I did the Creeklander and a few other solo stunts on unfamiliar terrain. My biggest hurdle was the fact that I don’t run at all and I’m a night owl. To get my mind and body adjusted, I set my alarm for 5:30am everyday the week before. I tried to poop when I got up and again at 7:15. At exactly 9am I would take off running a 10 minute/mile 5K with my race pack and all of my gear with full bottles. Then I would bike my 20 mile commute and work all day. Later in the evening I would try and run again to replicate my finish. This schedule coincided with race day, including its travel times and helped get me comfortable for what was to come.



I ran Altra King MT 2s on race day with Injinji toe socks under Darn Toughs and gaiters. This has been a proven recipe for me that I don’t mess with. At the finish my feet were completely clean, with no blisters. I wear Altras daily and switch between Mont Blancs with Boas and Lone Peak 7s.

Awesome. For fueling, I am switching from Gu gels (now $2 a pop) to a mix of maple syrup and espresso and table salt. Then I drink water separately. I have a half in 4 weeks. 2x week interval training or long repeats, 2x slow runs, 1x long slow run.

Interestingly, maple syrup has the best blend of simple sugars (basically one part glucose to one part fructose) for your body to absorb (it can absorb those two simple sugars by 2 different pathways, whatever that means). I moved away from Gu when they raised the price 45 percent over the summer. And it is better for the environment because I bought a reusable squeeze bottle for my concoction that fits in my running pants. Gu has a 2:1 blend, which your body can't absorb as well. There are other brands that use closer to one to one. Maple syrup also ends up cheaper anyway. The math was around 50 cents equivalent to a gel pack.

My new fuel recipe for half marathon distance: (take at start, 45 in, 90 in, 135 in): [TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK, I tend to drink a fair bit of coffee any way, and I know what my plumbing tolerates]
For 4 Gel packs/Gus (using on my next 2:15 hour plus run):

- 120 ml (8 tblsp) maple syrup (450 calories) / 4 = 110 per pack
- 30 ml (2 tblsp) espresso (130 mg caffeine) / 4 = 32.5 mg per pack - ¼ cup coffee or so, maybe half
- ½ teaspoon salt (1150 mg sodium) [note you lose like 400-700mg sodium per an hour so people should be careful with their own sodium intake - it is very person specific and I am still experimenting with this]. Drink equal amounts in the four blocks.

I am a big fan of liquid IV. For running, I just keep fuel/sodium separate from water. No particular reason other than I don't want to deal with mixes during races. During a race, I now drink 8 oz at the start, and try to get 32 oz/1 liter per half marathon. Over a marathon 64 oz (I am big sweater). Two days before a race I try to drink one liter liquid IV mix and the day before 2 liters to hydrate.

Yes, the body plumbing is a thing. I don't really do it for long practice runs anymore but do practice and before race day make sure I do not eat or drink 2 hours before (subject to drinking 8 oz right at start). I will also make sure I practice this for at least one long run in a cycle and do 'dress rehearsals' in all the kit as you noted above.

 

[DomB]

PS there was a ton of mental training in your training schedule - doing the runs and biking and then working and then biking - definitely checks that box! Solitary running or biking is no easy feet (I don't bike much but am guessing there). I have grown to love running. Entering races just helps to keep doing it on a regular basis. After races I recover for a week or two, come to a base, and then see if I will train for something else.

Whether you did it intentionally or not, your awesomely active lifestyle has resulted in what I would guess is a high base level fitness. Great job!