Canyon De Chelly Ultra 55K Race Report 2019

This race is one of the main reasons I love running! This was my most favorite race experience that I’ve had to date! (so hard to say this as I’ve had so many but overall, this one takes it!)

First I have to thank Maria Walton. I remember scrolling on facebook several years back seeing pictures that she posted about this epic race. I hadn’t heard of Canyon De Chelly but it looked amazing! I remember googling it and finding out that the race sold out within minutes of it being posted because they only allow 150 runners in the canyon each year. A few years back, I did the Monument Valley 50K (another epic experience) and my Mom suggested we go visit Canyon De Chelly on the way back….and we did….and then I remembered about the race. Last year, I signed up but was on the waiting list and didn’t make it. I signed up again and couldn’t wait for the facebook live in the group. Shawn Martin (race director) has everyone’s names on pieces of paper and pulls them out one by one out of his Mom’s stew pot. I remember a few of my friends tagging me in the feed but I hadn’t heard my name yet….until there it was….I was #149 of #150! I made it in! I was beyond excited! This race was on my bucket list and I was going to get to do it!

Due to my job as a running coach, I don’t always get to train the way I like for events because I do so much running during the week with my peeps. I’ve done enough ultras so I was definitely comfortable with the distance but there were a few things I was a bit concerned about going into the race. First, I knew that if there was a lot of rain there would be a lot of water crossings (I always google blogs or race reports for races to read what others have said about them and this is also why I normally like to write a report so I can help someone else). Honestly water crossings are not my favorite…but depends on how deep and how cold the water and outdoor temperature is. There was not much rain so it was all dry. That was great but it also meant quite a bit of deep sand. I hadn’t done any training in sand but having done Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley which had a ton of sand I knew what I was getting myself into. The other big concern was the steep hill. Not because it was a hill but because I am afraid of heights and had seen some pictures that looked pretty scary. I knew it this was also going to be the longest, hardest mile up and down and my main goal was to make sure I got to the top by noon so I could make the aid station cutoff.

Start of the race (and end because it’s an out and back) with about 4 miles of deep sand.

Thanks to my Dirty Girl Gaiters, Altra Superior 4s and ChiRunning, I never had sand in my shoes to remove!

Elevation profile of the race!

One of the reasons this race is so epic in my opinion is the tie to the Navajo culture. My best friend from high school is Navajo so I’ve always been fascinated by their culture. As a matter of fact, she came up with me. I didn’t want to miss the pre race info session as we were going to hear about the tradition and history of the canyon and the race. Here is one quick video from Shaun and you can google others.

My key takeaways from that info session resonated with me so much as it’s why I do what I do as a running coach. He talked about how running is a way to pray, celebrate life, is a mentor (teaches you how to overcome obstacles in life) and a healer. The logo changes every year and he shared how he came up with it this year. A profound story that involved the eagle, warrior of one and a personal experience he had running with a herd of horses ….so profound I can’t even explain it. As warriors of one, we experience the spiritual depth of running individually, but together we can bring our learning into practice to change the world. (this still doesn’t do it justice but I tried)

Race Start
Another great experience soaking in the Navajo culture. Shaun’s Dad did a prayer and blessed us with a ceremony that involved fire, eagle feathers and facing the east which is where the sun rises. Sunrise is the birth of a new day. This was done mostly in Navajo with some english but regardless, you just knew it was powerful. We all lined up at the start line and in Navajo tradition, started the race yelling as we headed into the canyon. We were encouraged to yell often during our race as a way to communicate and be one with the canyon and announce are presence to Father Sky and Mother Earth and the holy people.

Morning Navajo blessing and prayer

The first 4ish miles were all deep sand. I knew this was coming so felt pretty prepared. I chose my Altra Superior 4s for the race. (I was texting with Danny Dreyer, the cofounder of ChiRunning/ChiWalking, the day before with last minute doubts of shoe selection and how to get through the sand with technique). He confirmed my shoe selection and gave me some last minute tips: focus on lifting through the crown of my head and staying as light on my feet as possible. I also added quicker cadence so my feet wouldn’t sink in the sand too much while moving from my center so I could avoid using my calves as much as possible (they were barely sore the next day!). Ironically, that morning, one of my athletes had posted a red balloon that was floating above a sewer in her neighborhood. I made pretend that red balloon was attached to my head and the sand really didn’t seem that bad. Danny also suggested floating like a butterfly so both of these visuals helped a lot!

This visual helped me float through the sand

Between my Superiors, my Dirty Girl Gaiters, and ChiRunning technique, I never had to take my shoes off to remove sand!

Race Goal
My goal was to enjoy every single moment. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be back in this canyon and wanted to stay as present as possible. As a back of the packer, we joke that we get our money’s worth for the race entry and I was going to stick to that plan! I didn’t want it to take me the full 11 hours but I was going to enjoy every minute of my experience! I needed to make sure I could meet the cutoffs (had to be at the halfway point in 5 hours). I didn’t think this wouldn’t be a problem although I had some reservations about the 2 mile climb at the halfway point. It’s very rare that I run by myself but this race was all mine! I really wanted to enjoy running with myself in this majestic scenery. I chit chatted here and there as people passed or vice versa but I think many of us were in this space of contemplation and gratitude. I told myself many times before the race that my goal was to simply enjoy every minute. And that’s exactly what happened. Any time my mind went into a negative place, I quickly recognized it and changed my attitude right away (I thank my meditation practice for this level of self awareness). I stayed as present as possible while stopping to take some pictures along the way (more pics at bottom of blog). Every time I felt my Garmin buzz telling me I had gone another mile, I was surprised as they were going by pretty fast.

The sun rising lighting up the canyon

Although ChiRunning is about body mechanics and how to move as efficiently as possible, the other side of it has everything to do with Chi (life force energy). As a ChiRunner, this gave me another vantage point of being in the canyon. Between the blessings, prayers and surrounding beauty, I couldn’t help but feel the energy flowing in the canyon. I used it to “fuel” my body and mind and felt strong during the entire race.

My Experience
I always tell my runners to try not to be attached to any particular item or anything that you have to have while running/racing. For example, if you are tied to having your Ipod and then get to the race and realize it didn’t charge. That could mess with you mentally and all of the sudden that’s all you are focusing on. Even though I say this, I have a bit of an attachment to my sunglasses. We started while the sun was rising so I didn’t need them right away. Even as I progressed through the canyon and the sun kept coming up higher, I didn’t want to have anything to do with them! Intuitively I felt that the lens of the sunglasses would filter out those beautiful views and change my experience. At one point, about mile 20, I decided to try it out for the heck of it and I just couldn’t do it. My meditation practice coming to the rescue again…I was self aware and not attached to needing them.

My biggest concern about this race was the 2 mile climb in the middle. You can see by the profile (and by reading those race reports) that it was a tough climb…a scramble really….and I am working on my fear of heights. I knew this would be the slowest and hardest (not because of the hill but the fear of heights) part for me (as would going back down it for the same reasons). Most of the race was jeep road with plenty of room but this is where the single track began. Not only did I have my own challenges but the faster runners were coming down and I had to keep moving over to let them by. I hugged big rocks, kept my focus on the markers and thanks to the kids at the top that were cheering the runners on letting us know we were so close…..slowly but surely I made it! I had about 15 minutes to spare on the cutoff and I was jazzed up! As I celebrated getting through this on my own, all the sudden I realized, I had to go back down AND run another 17.5 miles. I was so focused on getting to the top that this thought had not occurred to me. But I got out of my head again and was ready to turn back around after some fueling at the aid station. The way back down was more challenging then going up for me as I was facing the heights and closing my eyes was not a good option! But I took my time and was finally down to the bottom. My legs were shaky from crab crawling my way down the rocks but I got that done too!

Made it to the top, the halfway point, and worked on my fear of heights

See behind me? that’s along way down but we were running down there!

Going down was just as scary, if not scarier, than going up. My Superior 4s Altra shoes kicked butt all the way around on this race: from the sand to the rocks!

Even though I had ran through that canyon on the way in, there were something differnt about seeing at a different time of day and from a different perspective. I was getting more tired at this point but ChiWalking always plays a huge role in my ultra running. I kept focusing on getting to the next aid station and even skipped one because I was flowing pretty good and had everything I needed with me.

I ended up leap frogging with a few girls at the end. The last 4ish miles were deep sand again and it felt way worse this time around. We ended up walk/running the last few miles and crossed the finish line together at about 10:04 hours. We were greeted by Shaun with our finisher award, mutton stew and fry bread.

Post race finish with race director Shaun Martin. What an honor to be part of such an amazing experience!

Had to get the hat. Love that all profits go to supporting Native American Youth running programs.

Words cannot truly express how this race impacted my spirit and my being. I am still reveling in it. We received beautiufl necklaces as our finisher awards! Something much more practical and meaningful than a medal in my opinion. Depending on the amount of times you complete this race, you got a different color. As first timer, I got turquoise. I went into this race thinking I would never do it again. It’s so hard to get into the race and I wanted to keep that spot open for someone else to have the chance. But after seeing the different necklace colors and the amount of peole that got in multiuple times, I may have changed my mind. I will wait it out a bit but I’m planning on going back…not sure when, but I want to experience that one more time.

Thank you so much to Shaun, his family and everyone who is involved in this experience. I am definitely a different person because of it. 🥰

Here are some more pictures from my experience. I got permission to use a few from Mark Griffith because his were better than mine.