Niwot's Pete Brandes completes fourth ultra-marathon

While most of Niwot was suffering below zero temperatures on Jan. 13 and 14, Niwot resident Pete Brandes was basking in the sunshine and 70+ degree temperatures in Hawai'i. But don't think he wasn't suffering too.

Brandes was there to compete in the aptly named Hurt 100, an ultra-marathon on the island of Oahu. Brandes said the joke at the race was to be prepared for overnight temps to be five (degrees) below..."below 70 degrees that is." Brandes finished in an impressive 16th place with a total time of 28:50:49. Yes, you read that right...almost 29 hours of running.

The Hurt 100 ("Hurt" is short for Hawaiian Ultra Running Team), is one of the most prestigious ultra-marathons in the country. A trail run, its motto is "We wouldn't want it to be easy"... as if running 100 miles at once ever would be easy.

The group loosely organized in the early 1980s and the first HURT 100 had eight finishers. Since that meager start, the HURT 100 has become known worldwide as one of the most challenging 100-mile races. Though limited to 135 runners, hundreds of runners apply each year. The race spreads the 100 miles over five 20-mile laps in what is described as "semi-tropical rainforest."

The cumulative elevation gain in the event is a shocking 24,500 feet and if that weren't enough, each mud-laden lap has four stream crossings. Additionally, in the group's spirit of giving back to the community, each participant is required to perform eight hours of trail maintenance by November prior to the event.

Brandes said his favorite part about the race (aside from finishing) was "the community that surrounds it. From the race directors to the volunteers, it was by far the best event I have taken part in. HURT really cares about the people that run here, their trails, and the overall experience. I was sucked into the intoxicating environment that they created and am proud to be a part of their adopted 'Ohana.'"

This is Brandes' fourth ultra-marathon, having previously completed the Leadville 100, Run Rabbit Run 100 and Boulder Badass 100. Brandes said the Hurt 100 was "a truly once in a lifetime opportunity to run this race with my friends and family being able to join."

"I run these (ultra-marathon) races for a lot of reasons. I am not the fastest or most talented runner by any means. At the end of the day, I am looking for the absolute limit of what I am capable of both mentally and physically. Running in general allows me to explore those limits like most other sports have not in the past," explained Brandes.

As the event goes throughout the night, participants are allowed to have pacers or "safety companions" during the last two laps. Matt Baier, a fellow ultra-marathoner, paced Brandes through loop 4, through miles 60 to 80. Baier said, "it was so hard. I can't imagine doing that five times over."

Brandes' wife Carissa, co-owner of The Niwot Inn & Spa and a winning trail runner in her own right, paced Pete throughout the last lap, miles 80-100. "Pete had just run through the night and I knew I had to flip his switch mentally," she said.

"It was 4 a.m., and still pitch black out as we began moving into the jungle. One thing that never ceases to excite Pete is telling others about his adventures. So right away I began asking him about the course. What is your favorite section? What other athletes have you met on the course? Where's the best view?"

She said she wanted to do whatever she could to keep him occupied. "I kept my energy high and positive and talked a lot," she said. "Pacing at this point in the race, the runner is tired, they've been moving all day and night and into the next day. Distracting them with different topics at least takes their mind off the monotonous movements a little bit."

Carissa knew they were going to be able to make it once they got to the last climb. "It's a 2-mile out and back section (four miles total) where you go downhill about 1,100 feet in the first mile... Steep. At the end there's the Nu'uanu aid station, then you turn around and have to climb right back up that 1,100 feet. I could tell he (Pete) was dreading it."

But then, she said, once they hit the aid station Pete seemed to get a second wind. "Pete looked at me with a devilish twinkle in his eye and excitedly said 'let's go.' I knew I would have to keep up with him from here on out."

Carissa said the last four miles of the race was an absolute adrenaline rush. "It's hard to breathe at the end because it's just so emotional. You know the finish line is near and your body can finally rest. I was so proud of Pete in that moment and the best part is how much fun we had doing it together."

Finishing the event certainly isn't a given. Out of the 135 entrants only 75 finished, with times ranging from 20:50 for the winner to 35:48 for the final finisher. Brandes, a science teacher and assistant cross country and track coach at Niwot High School, said he hopes his accomplishment helps to motivate the students he coaches and teaches.

"I take my job as a role model very seriously. I am dedicated to showing my students that someone like their teacher or coach is capable of doing what seems impossible to most." But, he admits, they motivate him as well. "When the race inevitably hits its low points and I need to dig deep to keep moving at mile 75 in the middle of the night, I find my mind wandering to the people that I surround myself with. I think of my amazing wife and son, my family and friends I work and train with, and all of the students and runners I work with every day. I imagine all of them right there with me, supporting me and pushing me to keep going."

He said that continuing to act as a role model is vital to him. Thinking back on the race, Brandes said, "I imagine the feeling of telling them I gave up, which is an unacceptable option. Then I imagine giving them the good news and that I did the very best I could, that I gave it my all and then some more. That is the feeling that pushes me. It is so rewarding to share success stories with these kids."

This isn't the end of the ultra-marathon road for Brandes. His goal is to eventually complete 10 ultras. But he may have to wait a bit. "The lottery gods only blessed me once this year and I was turned away from all of the other big races I entered a lottery for," he said. "I plan to get some much needed time with my family while I have a summer off of racing. I will keep training and running with the Niwot High School team and probably go for some shorter races over the summer while paying back some much needed pacer miles. I can't wait to share every moment with my friends, family, and the community I have built around me in Niwot and beyond."