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1)      Tim Bauer.  Age 55 by the day of the Ghost Town 38.5. I live in Fargo, ND where there is no elevation other than a parking ramp. I’m a chaplain for a regional health system, as well as a pastor of Lutheran tradition, serving a small congregation in Fargo.

2)      I’ve been running for about 2.5 years. This began as I participated in a research study for a weight loss medication. It was a double blind study that also included meetings with a nutritionist and exercise professional. As I needed to count steps, it seemed more time effective to jog instead of walk. In August 2007, I ran my first 5K. My goal was to enjoy 5Ks and maybe move into 10Ks.  In the loss of 60 pounds, while examining my life, my goals, my challenges, and my motivation, I’ve made the leap into ultras.  Ultras, in my estimation are for my own challenge, while enjoying the community of others and some beautiful trails and scenery.  My goal is to die healthy!

3)      During the past 3 years I learned a great deal about coffee as a barista for Caribou Coffee. I enjoy hospitality and someday want to be the owner/operator of a coffee shop and bakery.  Part of the draw to the Ghost Town 38.5 was the sense of a small and hospitable event.

4)      Depending upon weather conditions I’ll wear either Saucony Exodus or Saucony Razors.

5)      I have many quotes from movies and books. From the movie, “Remember the Titans”, and assistant coach says to the practicing football team, “Champions pay the price.”  From my most recent read, “Born to Run”, during the description of a Tarahumara game played by throwing a ball with your feet and chasing after it, “We say the rarajipari is the game of life. You never know how hard it will be. You never know when it will end. You cannot control it. You can only adjust.”

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Laura Drake Barrett, 41, Pinedale WY (Only moved there last September; prior to that it was Central Florida); Attorney
My running history began when I started to do triathlons in 1990.  I was a cyclist before that, and when I started law school, I only had limited time & discovered that a 30 minute run could really give me a workout.  As the demands of school lessened in my second & third year, I began doing Ironman races (1991) I've done about 30 of them in the last 17 years - My first marathon was during the Kona Ironman in '91 :-) Youth & ignorace were bliss :-) (Until about mile 10!!) Anyway, I have always wanted to run ultras, but after "retiring" from IM races, I finally had the energy to attempt them.  Living in WY made it the perfect storm - Altitude, wicked trails etc...  So while I have paced several Ultras, this is my 1st solo effort.  I look forward to meeting everyone :-)

What you don't know? I rode English Hunter horses for about 8 years and still use the wool coolers (rectangle shaped horse blankets)that we won for end of the year awards for myself - No, the horse never even got a chance to use them - this was Florida - when the heck was the HORSE gonna need them?!? But I have lived in CO & ATL, so they came in handy :-)

I will run in SAUCONY shoes

My favorite book is either "Come on Seabiscuit" (Because I always related to that horse - he was smaller than most of the other horses, slept more than they did - naps! and loved to eat...He also had a huge heart and a lot of fight in him.  Or, "Prisoners of the Japanese"  - You can't believe what these men went through and came out sane.  'Nuff said.

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1. Basics - Steve Grossman, 49, Albuquerque-NM, Engineer
2. Running history - Switched from cycling to running ~ 3 years ago. Since
then have run 6 marathons and the JMTR-50K twice. Most memorable was 2008
Pikes Peak Marathon in the snow, PR was the downhill Saint George Marathon
course this year, and my slowest (but most fun) was JMTR-50K. Prefer to run
mountain trails than roads. Ultimate running goal is to complete a 100M.
GT38 will be by longest race to date and my only goal for GT will be to
finish.
3. Something others might not know - I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail
when I was 17, almost died of hypothermia in the Presidential Range during
that hike, and have been addicted to the outdoors ever since.
4. GT shoes - Probably Innov8's unless Jason Hoy converts me over to VFFs.
Just picked up a pair but have not tried them on any long runs yet.
5. Favorite quote (way to difficult to down select to one book) -
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it"

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1.      John Harrington, 47 (feel like 60), Rociada, New Mexico, Professor
2.      Started running as mid-life crisis, started with marathons for raising monies for charities, then converted to running marathons for mental & physical well being.  Eventually, regular marathons were not cutting it and got into ultras.  Don't really track finishing times as running for me is the time you have while running not the time you finish having fun.
3.      Not much, my life is pretty much an open book, just ask anyone who knows me.
4.      Running shoes.
5.      "Man, this is going to great."  Unknown, right before his project exploded unexpectedly .

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1. Jason Hoy, 40, Albuquerque, Software Engineer
 

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Mark Mackenzie, Age 47, Network Manager 

Running history:

            I was a runner in junior high and into high school but became a casual runner through college and the next 10 years. I used running as an ancillary workout to augment my Karate.  After “retiring” from my Karate career I picked up running and triathlon as my full time sport.  Since I started running again I’ve completed a bunch of marathons, three Ironman’s (hopefully 4 by the time the ’10 GT race happens), a bunch of half Ironmans and have just recently entered the ultra running scene.  To date, my only ultra was the Palo Duro 50k, on 10/17/09. 

Something others might not know about you that you’re willing to share:  I make great fried rice! Haha!           

Shoes:  Brooks adrenalin, might try the trail version for this race. 

Favorite book:  The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan  

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1. Michael Morrison, 42, El Paso, TX, Federal Law Enforcement.
2. I ran cross country in High School.  And, of course, ran a lot in the Army.  I still run because my job demands it.
3. I've been running barefoot and in Vibram five fingers for a little over a year.  Read the book, Born to Run, and decided I had plenty of running years left and I should go out start running ultras.  This will be my first.
4. Vibram Five Finger KSOs.  I may have some Cascadias on hand as an alternative
5. I don't have a specfic book as a favorite.  My favorite writers are William Faulkner and Philip K. Dick.
   
Favorite quote: A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.  Specialization is for insects.--Robert A. Heinlein

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a bio for Tom O'Connell:
1) 59 yrs. of age, Conifer CO(elev. 8,100 ft.) Retired(from various sales industries).
2) Began running competitively(in my mind, I guess) in 1978, road races, marathons, and then ultras starting in 1979.  Have run a combined 225 + events of marathon distance and beyond.
3) Went out for track in my junior yr. of high school....until the 49 yr. old coach beat me in a one mile run(hell, he was older than my father!). I immediately quit.
4) Mizuno Wave Ascend 4 trail shoe.
5) I've currently(for almost a year) been reading Traitor to his Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H.W. Brands. Maybe I'm going slow so that it never ends. :)

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1.  Janice O'Grady, 61, Conifer, Colorado (35 miles southwest of Denver at 8,100 feet), attorney (semi-retired).

2.  First 10K 1983, first marathon (Twin Cities) 1984.  Met my husband Tom O'Connell, who was already running ultras, in 1984 and SWORE I'd never do one of those stupid things.  OK, I'll do ONE 50-miler, just to be able to say I did one.  Did Ice Age 50 in 1987, but I'll NEVER do one of those crazy 100's.  OK, I'll do ONE 100, just to be able to say I did one.  Did Western States 1991.  And now, about 97 ultras (8 100s) later, I don't want to stop, even though I'm getting way too old and slow.  I just need to get that 100th ultra.  Coming soon!

3.  Not exactly a secret, but my greatest pleasure outside of running is singing and acting.  I've gotten back into it here in Colorado since I retired (almost).  I am loving it--just wish I wasn't too old now for all the good lead parts!

4.  I've gone back to road shoes, even for trails.  After all, we all ran in road shoes on trails for years before trail shoes came on the scene.  They just don't make trail shoes narrow enough for my skinny little feet.  So it'll be Asics Gel Cumulus at Ghost Town.

5.  Books, books.  Gosh, I read constantly and love almost everything I read.  How to decide my favorite?  Well, for just plain light reading, I love the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum books.  And, oh yes, the wonderful Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency series.  Robert Parker's Spencer novels.  Obviously, I get enough serious reading in my work, so my leisure reading is purely for fun.

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1. Mér Otis

53yo on race day

The Sonoran Desert (specifically Tucson, AZ)

Psychotherapist ~ work with trauma survivors from a Jungian perspective

2. Brief running history….brief is good since mine is brief……playing around with running for three years, but never serious until January ’09. Started off with New Year Day 5k, 8m trail run in February, half marathon in March and Whiskey Row marathon in May. Whew…. that was fun….truly….obviously something MORE was/is next, hence Ghost Town.

3. I am an avocado snob. Haas. The real ones from California ONLY please. My grandparents had a ranch in North County (San Diego) and I grew up eating thick avocado sandwiches with a touch of mayo and lots of salt and pepper on soft yeasty sourdough bread. Seemed to me every kid did this….. in New England many years later discovered  some peeps had never even seen the bumpy green-black skin of a Haas………..….can I have some guacamole please?  

4. Montrail Streaks of course…..is there some other kind of shoe?

5. All Nick Bantock’s creations…the whole Griffin & Sabine wonderment… most recently The Venetian’s Wife…..but of all times?......Saint- Exupery’s The Little Prince. William Least Heat Moon and his Blue Highways is also pure delight. And naturally I would be remiss not to say Collected Works, C.G. Jung.

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1. Name, age, location, occupation: Bob Read, 51, Denver, CO, Software Engineer 

Kathy Simpson grew up in Alaska, far away from the foggy streets of San Francisco she now calls home. As a result Kathy wore nothing but mukluks and cross country ski boots until the age of 18 when she moved from her family igloo to the Pacific Northwest. Upon entering the lower-48 she learned that other footwear was possible. She tried flippers, ballet slippers, and rollerblades before settling on running shoes. And she’s never looked back.

Her love affair with running started out casually, running a few afternoons a week to clear her mind after class, a run at 11:30 at night when home visiting the family igloo [cause it never gets dark in Alaska in the summer, remember that movie with Al Pacino?], a fun 5 or 10K with friends. One day Kathy woke up and realized that this seemingly casual relationship had become something much more. Running had become her therapist, her close friend, and her favorite activity.

A design engineer by day, and an endurance runner always, Kathy loves the never ending challenge of running farther and pushing herself further. She has three marathons under her belt and is looking forward to finishing two more before the close of 2009. Though none of these accomplishments hold a candle to the flame Kara Goucher lit after waving and saying hello specifically to Kathy.
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1)  Eugene Smith, Las Cruces, NM, Lead Maintenance (translation: handyman)

2)  If you were to open the pages of my running history book you would barely find yourself  at the preface, maybe page 2 or so... I have been running consistently for close to a year after transitioning from lightweight backpacking long distances.  That move from 'fastpacking' to trail running developed quite naturally in the late winter of '09 while training with a friend who was attempting to thruhike the Pacific Crest Trail.  Our fast hikes in the wee hours of the morning quickly turned into trail runs, my buddy left for the PCT and I kept running here in Las Cruces.  At first I considered myself a 'trailrunner' solely, a lover of the natural challenge of running variable terrain, I didn't see it any other way, however as I've grown in my running and my training I am finding that I enjoy running anywhere my feet take me. 

Racing history is pretty small but somewhat fruitful:  A handful of 5K, 10K races, and a 1/2  marathon trail race in the Jemez Mtns.  No 1st overall finishes but consistent 1st and 2nd age group finishes and some Top 10 finishes as well.  My running highs are frequent, I find myself running with a smile on my face all the time filled with joy that I simply get to run and challenge my body and mind!  Running Baylor Pass and the Aguirre Springs area is my favorite trail network in my area, technical, lots of steep climbs, and almost always devoid of crowds.  My running lows are usually found bonking on long runs, which doesn't happen too often, but my most memorable bonk was returning on the Sierra Vista Trail and literally stumbling back to the car at mile 22 due to improper fueling and lack of sleep.  My goal right now is to continue to train consistently through the winter and bring my weekly running total up to around 60-70 miles a week, right now I'm consistently at 50-55 miles a week, the biggest goal right now is to finish my first official marathon and beyond distance, The Ghost Town Ultra!  Maybe, if I enjoy the ultradistance I can take a stab at the Jemez 50 miler next May.            

3)  Sometimes when I see other runners out on the trail I secretly view them as competitors in some imaginary race and I quickly push my pace to pass them, sometimes it is just the boost I needed to get me out of my comfort zone!  I love brewing beer and drinking craft beers, however I don't indulge much anymore as I drank too much and gained too much weight.  Since last February I have lost 50lbs., from running and lifestyle change.   

4)  New Balance MT100 -  My new found shoe, I've logged about 150 miles on them so far, excellent shoes, thank you Anton Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs for developing an amazing shoe!  Unless it is bitterly cold and snowy, then I may run in my retired Montrail Mountain Mashochists.

5)  My favorite set of books is the Bible, if I had to pick one book in the Bible it would be the book of Psalms.  I recently read Christopher McDougal's book "Born to Run", that was entertaining and inspiring.

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1) Pete Stevenson, 36, Fort Collins CO, Marketing Consultant

2) I just started running seriously 3 years ago. I ran the Colorado
marathon in May 2007 shortly after I ran Pikes Peak. After that I was
hooked. Ghost Town 2008 was my second ultra. I've run a handful of
50k's, 50 milers, and a couple 100's so far. Future goals are a pretty
long to-do list of 100's, slams, multi-day adventures, and at some
point a run or two beyond 100. ...I'm not really sure if there is
anything shorter than 50 miles that isn't on my to-do list. I'm less
interested in PR's than tackling the next challenge or going out on
some new adventure.

3) I grew up in the sticks in Maine and New Hampshire and I'm and
honorary Texan.

4) Probably Montrail Streaks.

5) You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
But on you will go though the weather be foul.
Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems whatever they are.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!

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2. I've run 17 marathons and never officially qualified for Boston. Qualified once unofficially - the race was a mile too long, and all the times were thrown out. 

3. I taught high school English in Louisiana for 13 years.

4. Probably my Adidas Supernova trail shoes, but I'm always on the hunt for a better trail shoe.

5. I have favorite quotes and favorite books. One of my favorite quotes is by Jack Kirk, The Dipsea Demon: "You don't stop running because you get old; you get old because you stop running."

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(Jan Tarr)