Masochist Run

Have you ever heard someone say “Let’s run up to Abilene today?” For a large group of regional runners, that is exactly what they plan to do on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Some runners will be doing the entire distance solo, while others will be teaming up to cover the

distance as part of relay teams.

They’ll leave San Angelo at the start location next to the Goodyear Proving Grounds, head north on the shoulder of highway 277 and finish their 100 kilometer (62 mile) run near the railroad tracks in View just south of Abilene.

Other solo runners or teams wanting to compete at shorter distances will start at the same place but finish near Fort Chadbourne (50K/31 miles) or near Bronte (25K/15.5 miles).

All of these runners will be competing in the inaugural West Texas Masochist Road Run.

The Masochist run is the brainchild of San Angelo ultradistance runner Jeff Lisson. It’s not his first encounter with long distance running events — Lisson is an experienced competitor in this type of event, and he’s also the race director for the Crazy Desert Trail Race held each March in San Angelo State Park.

“This will be a unique event for our area,” says Lisson. “A race of this type has never been done before out here.”

Runners competing in the Masochist will get to experience long-distance running in its purest form, as it will be a completely self-supported run.

No aid stations, no mile markers and no marked course to follow.

Competitors will need to carry their own water, sports drinks and energy food in a hydration pack, plant supplies along the route, or arrange for friends to serve as their support crew.

It will be a true “Forrest Gump” experience — just focus on the road ahead and keep on running.
Although the solo competitors will be completing an epic adventure, the relay competition could get really interesting.

There’s no limit to how many runners a relay team can have, so there will be teams that have runners each doing 10-15 miles, while other teams may be handing off the baton every 2-3 miles.

Several teams have already been formed, including a group from Angelo State University and a team of veterans representing Team RWB (Red, White and Blue).

ASU kinesiology professor Adam Parker has formed a team of ASU employees.

“I put a team together from ASU to run the 100K as a relay, because I thought it would a fun and different way to participate in the local running community,” Parker said.

The RWB team will be made up of four members who’ll each run 25 kilometers. Tim Masshardt is an Army veteran and captain of the San Angelo RWB organization.

“Team RWB looks for events such as the Masochist 100K that will both challenge the individual runner as well as the team,” Masshardt said. “It’s about breaking out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself mentally. We will be putting one foot in front of the other, attacking the hills and relaxing on the downhills.”

One of the interesting aspects of the team event will be to see how fast teams can complete the 100K distance.

In fact, if you happen to have 61 friends who are fast runners, think about putting together a “mile relay” team with you and the 61 friends each running a short one-mile leg of the race at maximum speed before handing off to the next team member.

The cost to enter is $25 per person, and all proceeds benefit the San Angelo Road Lizards, a nonprofit that promotes running and healthy exercise in our area. All registered runners will receive a long-sleeve ‘tech’ shirt.

For full information and to sign up, go to roadlizards.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/WT-Masochist-flyer.pdf.

 There is no day-of-event registration, so log on to the website and sign up now.

 Remember — there will be a lot of people running up to Abilene on Nov. 16.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 23: ASUFit cyclocross series, angelo.edu/asufit
Oct. 26: Heart Walk, http://heartwalk.kintera.org
Oct. 26: MDA Ride for ALS, www2.mda.org/site/TR?fr_id=7703&pg=entry
Oct. 30: ASUFit cyclocross series, angelo.edu/asufit
Nov. 2: Dinosaur Trail Race, roadlizards.org
Nov. 2: 6-hour Dinosaur mountain bike race, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
Nov. 9: Concho Valley Paws Hot Dog Run, roadlizards.org
Nov. 16: West Texas Masochist Run, roadlizards.org
Nov. 23: Turkey Trot 5k, angelo.edu/asufit