Born for Fun: A hidden egg, mediocre athletes, and the greatest race report the world should never see

Mind the Ducks 2010 Race Report

"Hmmm... what would it be like to see someone get Tased?" I pondered as Mark vaulted from the car.  The squad of Customs officers seemed to spring from nowhere amid the frantic orders of "SCOTT, GET BACK IN THE CAR!"  It was at this point I anointed this the sweetest road trip ever.  The next 48 hours would repeatedly reinforce that title.  Let's start at the beginning.

Chapter One: The Seeds Are Planted

I knew Shelly Viggiano (aka Shellerz) from the Barefoot Runners Forum on the Runners World Website (not to be confused with my wife Shelly.)  She had a dream about directing a race.  She convinced her ultramarathon club to host the race at a local park.  It was a 12 hour race run around a tiny lake on a half-mile asphalt loop.  She called it "Mind the Ducks" on account of the waterfowl in and around the lake.  The thought of running such a race sounded ridiculous, but she sold it well.  She's a proponent of barefoot running and tried recruiting some of us forumites to run due to her club members' skepticism.  I'm always up for proving people wrong, so I expressed mild interest.

A few months went by.  I was training for my second attempt at finishing a 100 mile race, so I half-heartedly followed Shelley's progress.  During the actual race, one of my crew members and pacer-extraordinaire Michael Helton informed me that Shelley would comp my entry fee if I finished.  Admittedly it didn't help motivate me at 3:00am after 70+ miles of running.  I did finish the race, though.  As soon as I got back on the forum, Shelley reminded me that I have a free invite to the race.

As I limped around in recovery mode, I started pondering the logistics of making a 500 mile trip.  I still wasn't sold on the idea... mostly because the Western States 100 lottery was coming up.  This is one of my dream races.  If I were picked, I would not be able to make both trips.  Mind the Ducks seemed like a remote possibility at best.

When the Western States lottery came in early December, I was giddy with anticipation!  The lottery is broadcast live on the 'web.  I spent several anxiety-laden hours staring a hole in my computer monitor waiting for my name to flash on the screen.  Every time a "Jason" came up, I could feel my heart burst out of my chest!  As the open spots dwindled, so did my optimism.  At the end of the lottery, my name had not been called.  Once I overcame the crushing disappointment, Shelley reminded me of the offer to run Mind the Ducks.  Hmmmm... the race was in Mid-May, maybe it would be good to run an ultra early in my running season.  This could be interesting.

I spent the next few weeks pondering this 12 hour ultra.  How could I convince Shelly (my wife) that it could be fun to drive all day, run for 12 hours, then drive another day.  Shelly is a tough runner and loves to be challenged.  As it turns out, it didn't take too much convincing.  The appeal of the 12 hour is simple- you can stop at any time.  After pondering it for a short time, she committed.  We mailed her registration to make it official!

Now that we were committed to the race, I could begin training.  I thought this race would motivate me to train over the winter months.  I was wrong.  My training consisted of a lone weekly run, usually on trails.  Why so little training?  I'm lazy.  I also hate the cold.  I also got sucked into planning a Guinness World Record run for barefoot runners.  I did manage a 21 mile and 24 mile back-to-back weekend about five weeks prior to Mind the Ducks.

At some point, I decided it would be fun to recruit a few others to suffer with Shelly and I.  Enter our friends Mark and Jesse.  I asked several other people, but these two were the only individuals foolish enough to agree.  Suckas!  [editorial note- that's an inside joke that will make sense later.]

Mark and I share a last name.  We met after we both suffered through a tough trail marathon in 2005.  He heard my name called as I finished and waited around to introduce himself.  We ran a few common races over the next year or two.  Eventually we started doing some training runs together, became Facebook friends, and became unofficial brothers.  Shelly and I even went to his family gathering last summer.

Mark is a very good trail runner and has been running marathons for a number of years.  I've been trying to plant the ultra bug as I knew he would love the atmosphere.  I finally convinced him using the logic I used on Shelly... you don't HAVE to run for the whole 12 hours... you can stop whenever you want.  It worked.  I knew Mark would do well despite the fact that he was the lone runner wearing foot coffins on his feet.

Jesse was a bit more of a chance meeting, but it did involve Mark.  Shelly and I were running the Muskegon Seaway run.  Shelly saw Jesse running barefoot and briefly talked to him.  She told me after the race, but I couldn't find him.  A few days later, Mark told me he knew of Jesse.  Apparently Mark's friend's daughter was friends with Jesse's girlfriend.  Once I learned his name, I sent him a message via Facebook.  We exchanged a few messages, then I finally met him in person when he helped me with a barefoot running clinic in December.

Jesse's presence originally was for a singular reason: he's fast.  He would be running the race in Vibrams.  As such, he would be a better barefoot/minimalist representative than I would.  He didn't disappoint.  I think Jesse has an excellent chance to reach the elite level in ultras.  I was hoping this race would help him realize his potential beyond the 50k distance.

The unexpected benefit of bringing both Jesse and Mark... both share mine and Shelly's weird, somewhat twisted sense of self-depreciating juvenile humor.  The four of us all have a hint of social awkwardness that adds a bit of spice to any social situation... this would prove to be the gasoline that fueled 60 hours of goofiness.  The trip and race would have been fun without them, but it was a non-stop riot WITH them.

The Week Before The Race

I ran a 25k road race the weekend before Mind the Ducks.  Originally, this was supposed to be an easy run that would cap my taper for MTD.  The weather did not cooperate.  A large number of barefoot running friends were in town for our World Record event.  As the organizer of this merry band of misfits, I felt pressure to actually run the race barefoot despite temps dipping below 40°, cold, wet asphalt, and gale-force winds.  The conditions were brutal, but I survived without blisters.  I do, however, experience pretty severe "top of the foot" pain.  This bane of barefoot runners has never been a serious problem for me.  I was a bit panicky, though.  If I could barely make it through 15.5 miles, how would I be able to run for 12 hours the next weekend?

The one saving grace about Mind the Ducks- I wasn't considering this an "A" race.  I had signed up for the Burning River 100 miler a few weeks earlier.  This was to be my "A" race for the year.  I knew if I experienced trouble, I would be able to simply stop Mind the Ducks without feeling too defeated.  Of course, I also knew I would likely have a very difficult time jumping ship if it came to that.  This conundrum caused significant distress throughout the entire week.  Luckily, the last-minute flurry of procrastinator-induced packing made for a great distraction.

Before we knew it, Friday morning was upon us.  We loaded the car, dropped the kids off at the babysitter, and headed back to our house to meet up wth Jesse.  And the journey begins...

Continue to Part Two

Kigo "Shel" Minimalist Shoe Review

 [edit]- 20% off coupon added at bottom of post!

The Kigo "Shel" is a minimalist shoe that has not received the attention some other minimalist shoes have.  This is unfortunate because this shoe, while not designed specifically as a minimalist shoe for running, is a very good option worth considering.

Before I begin, I must always add the disclaimer- I am a barefoot runner.  My preference is to always run barefoot.  I view shoes as a tool to help run when conditions are not conducive to barefoot running because of weather or terrain.  For me, the perfect minimalist shoe must have two qualities: it must have a flat, thin sole that will allow me to feel the ground and it must allow toes to splay when the foot comes in contact with the ground.  I will assess the Shel based on this premise.

At First Glance:  The Shel looks somewhat like a high quality aqua sock (or beach shoe depending on naming convention.)  The shoe consists of a slightly flexible upper and a rubber outsole.  Some have compared their apprearance to rock-climbing shoes.

Close Inspection: Upon close inspection, the quality is much greater than aqua socks.  The upper material is not as stretchy, the sole is thicker and of a much higher quality rubber, and the stitching is excellent. The shoe is very light.

The Fit: I received the largest pair Kigo makes: size 11.5.  This pair is slightly too small.  Even with the insole removed (my standard practice), my feet had little extra room.  While it was possible to get a feel for the shoe's performance, it would be diifficult to run more than 15-20 miles due to foot swelling.  Regardless, the fit closely approximates my Vibram Treks.  The shoe hugs your foot like a glove.  This allows your foot to move in a very natural way with minimal interference from the shoe.

Sizing:  The Shel runs small.  Normally, a size 11.5 would have ample room.  The 11.5 Shel is snug.  I would recommend ordering at least one size larger, maybe even 1.5.  They will stretch a bit, but a larger size will allow for slightly better "barefoot" performance.

Toe box:  The toe box is slightly narrow.  The material and sole did allow my toes to splay, but not to the degree of Vibrams or Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot's shoes.  If I were to make one single improvement to the shoe, I would add a few millimeters to the toe box width.

Sole:  The sole appears to be relatively thick, but proves to be somewhat deceptive.  At it's thickest point below the heel, the sole measures about three millimeters.  Ground feel is better than expected, but not great.  It is on-par with Terra Plans's Evo and Vibram Treks.  The one disappointing feature- the heel is raised about two millimeters above the forefoot.  This slight heel raise is noticable.  The sole would be MUCH better if it were a uniform thickness close to the thickness of the forefoot area.

Traction: The traction is excellent on asphalt and concrete, and very good on wet surfaces.  Traction on trails is not as good; it is about the same as Vibram's KSOs.

Durability: Durability is almost impossible to predict.  I rarely wear my review shoes for more than 100 miles.  As such, my durability assessment is more of a construction quality assessment.  Having said that, I believe the shel should last longer than most traditional running shoes.  Quality is definitely much higher than even the best aqua socks I've encountered.  The materials, stitching, and consistency are all top-notch.  I would be curious to hear more reports of this shoe's long-term durability.

Price: The retail price of the Shel is $49.99.  This is one of the most pleasant apects of this shoe.  I would consider this to be a serious minimalist running shoe.  Compared to it's competitors, this shoe is a very good value.

Conclusion: The Shel is one of the better minimalist running shoes I have encountered.  For barefoot runners looking for a good shoe to approximate barefoot running, the Shel would be a very good choice.  The shoe could use some improvements to make it more effective.  The toe box could be widened slightly and the raised heel could be eliminated.  I would also like to see larger sizing.  Being limited to size 11.5 (closer to 10.5 in actual sizing) eliminates a large chunk of potential customers.  This shoe would be ideal for people with smaller feet that either do not like the articulated toes of Vibrams or cannnot find them due to availability issues.  The price is very good considering the quality and the cost of competing shoes.  I would give these shoes my stamp of approval.

Look for Kigo's new line to be released soon.  The new line will feature some models with a wider toe box which will result in an even better minimalist running shoe. 


The Shel can be purchased here.  Enter "BAREFOOT" at checkout and receive 20% off!  This coupon code will only work for a week, so hurry!



This product was supplied by the manufacturer.

Mind the Ducks... and the winner is...

Well, the Mind the Ducks 12 Hour was a huge success!  Our barefoot/minimalist shoe crew did extremely well.  Jesse Scott racked up 65 miles in VFFs, good for second in the open age group and sixth overall.  Mark Robillard ran for 51.5, about 17 in Injinji socks.  This was Mark's first-ever quasi-barefoot running.  I'll elaborate on this in the official race report.  Shelly ran 41 miles in VFFs.  All three nearly DOUBLED their previous long run.... ever!   This was Shelly and Mark's first ultra.

I ran 55.5, all barefoot.  That means Daniel is the winner with a guess of 54 miles!  Daniel, when you read this, send me an email at robillardj "at" gmail "dot" com.  I'll get the book to you as soon as possible.

Stay tuned for the race report... this was the greatest race weekend I've ever had!  It will take a few days to write this one!

Mind the Ducks... Let's make this fun by giving away a free book!

In a little over 48 hours, I'll begin the Mind the Ducks 12 Hour Run in Rochester, NY.  To make it fun for my readers, I'm giving away a copy of "The Barefoot Running Book" to the person that can correctly guess the mileage I manage to put up over the course of the 12 hours.  

This is how it will work: Post a comment to this message.  Make sure your comment includes your name and the mileage.  You must post the comment by 7am est Saturday May 15th.  The person that is closest to my mileage without going over (Price is Right rules) will win the book!  I will post the winner then ask them to email me.

Relevant information:  Course is a flat asphalt loop approximately 1/2 mile long.  My longest runs were a 21 and 24 mile back-to-back run.

Good luck!

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Why we run: A treatise on motivation

Okay, so this really isn't a treatise.  It's barely an essay.  It sounds better than "Why we run: A string of nonsensical drivel."  At any rate, this is a question I like to ponder.  Why do we run?  What is it about the physical act of placing one foot in front of the other over a given distance that is so damned addicting?  What drives us to do what we do?

Some would suggest we're evolutionarily and biologically designed to run.  It's known as the "running man" theory.  The oversimplified version goes something like this:  Humans evolved as long-distance runners for persistence hunting.  Persistence hunting is the process of chasing an animal to death.  While the logic of this theory is very appealing, it is the primal sense of satisfaction and inner-peace I experience after a very long run that sells this theory for me.

Others suggest we run as a form of therapy or self-medication.  Us runners are a little messed up.  For us, running serves as an escape.  Or maybe it serves as a masochistic penance.  At the very least, running serves as a stress reliever.  I like this idea, too.  I certainly have my own inner-demons that seem to be silenced while running.  Sometimes that takes the form of dissociating from my inner turmoil.  Sometimes it allows me the solitude to work through problems and issues.

Of course, some run for fitness.  That fitness may manifest itself as losing weight, lowering blood pressure, or reducing the probability of heart disease.  While I like the fitness benefits of running, it is a a secondary benefit at best.  Maybe even a tertiary benefit.  Running does allow me to pretty much eat what I want, which alleviates the cognitive dissonance from eating 3,000 calories worth of pizza in one day.

Some people run to gain the approval of their peers.  If you are relatively fast or run relatively long distances, the amazed comments from friends and family can be a powerful ego boost.  I have to admit, I like the response people give when they find out I run very long distances.  I generally consider myself to be fairly humble most of the time, but that's motivated by my desire to inspire others.  Deep down, I like knowing that I have done what few people even consider possible.  Never mind the fact that I'm one of the slowest ultrarunners in any given race...

Running is a fraternity, and some will do it simply to belong.  As humans, the vast majority of us have a strong desire to be part of something.  Running affords that opportunity.  Running itself gives people endless topics of conversation.  We talk about training, racing, diet, injuries, shoes (well, some of you guys talk about shoes), and clothing.  We also share the bond of mutual suffering in the waning miles of races.  All of these experiences bond us; they create a family.  It feels good to be part of that family.

Some people actually make a living off this.  Running can be very lucrative.  If you are fast, there are plenty of corporations in existence that would love to slap their logo on your chest.  Even if you are not fast, there are other opportunities to make money from running.  I'm starting to get a taste of this now with the exposure of this blog, my website, and my book.  For some, making money off your hobby is the pinnacle of success.  For me it is scary as Hell.  Nothing drains the intrinsic joy of a hobby like cold, hard cash.  A quick study in the power of secondary reinforces will reveal a disturbing trend- as soon as the focus shifts from fun to profits, the hobby becomes a job.  I'll write about my solution to this problem later.

Running can be a method to achieve personal goals.  In his book "Ignore Everybody", Hugh MacLeod talks about all of us having our own personal Mount Everest.  At some point in our lives, we all have to give it one serious shot.  Otherwise we will be burdened with the regret of never having tried.  For me, this is a major motivator.  My Everest changes.  Right now, it is the Burning River 100.  I failed to climb that Everest last time.  THAT fuels my current fire.

Each of us has our own reasons for running.  Some are acutely aware of the reasons, others only have a vague understanding of their own motivation.  What do you think?  Why do you run?