Andy Wacker has been racing all over the world this summer. He finished August with a win at the USATF trail 50k championship in San Francisco, and because of it is our August “The Runner Box” runner of the month. In this interview, the Boulder runner tells us all about his racing, training with marmots, and what’s kept him in Boulder.
Andy, congrats on the recent USATF 50k trail championship win. That was just the latest in a long string of races though. How many times have you raced this year? What’s your post-race recovery routine?
I’ve raced 16 times since January 1st and 10 times since June 1st (nine of 13 weekends), or enough where I had to look it up.
Immediately, post-race, I drink Skratch Labs to rehydrate, and then usually a beer. That evens out, right?
Besides that, I like icing in a creek and using my Roll Recovery R8. Given that I don’t stretch, or even do a cool down run these days, it’s kind of a miracle I’m able to bounce back so quickly.
Just thinking about that race, the USATF 50k trail championship, it was in the San Francisco Bay Area on a lot of the same trails that December’s The North Face 50 Mile championship is on. That race pays out $10k to its winner. Clearly you can run on that kind of trail/terrain, so any thoughts about stepping up to the 50-mile distance come December?
Marin County, and San Fran are excellent running venues! I plan to be back for the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in December.
I have no plans to run any more ultra length races this year, so no The North Face 50. While $10k is tempting, for me, it’s not about the money; it’s more about having fun. At this point running 50 miles doesn’t sound fun. I won’t rule it out for the future, and I would love to challenge some more of the country’s best ultrarunners.
Looking back, I don’t want to sound like a negative Nancy, but at Pikes Peak where you finished second, you and race winner Miyahara both took a wrong turn and went up a shorter, but more steep part of the mountain. Some on the Internet were saying that, if staying true to the rules, you both should have been DQ’d. During the race, did you think about returning to where you’d gone off course? Was the wrong turn that big of a deal or no?
It’s funny that I didn’t even think about turning around and returning back on course until you just asked.
Honestly, I was in so much pain, I would have taken a DQ rather than going back down 100 ft in elevation. The slow death of a 19-minute mile or three is hard enough.
I’d say the wrong turn was not a big deal. It’s a difficult unmarked trail above tree line, so it can be hard to follow. We got back on course relatively quickly. I don’t think our wrong turn gave us an advantage, nor changed the order of the top runners. My GPS data immediately recognized my run as the Pikes Peak Ascent (so, I’m assuming small margin of error).
You moved to Boulder for college. What kept you around after graduation?
Legalized marijuana. No, I’m kidding!!! Great trails, great food, great people. So, Psychedelic magic-mushroom trails, farm-to-table edibles, and da dankest dope bros? Come on Justin, stop thinking about weed!
For a guy that’s raced in Colorado, Oregon, California, and Switzerland – just this summer (!) – I’m curious, when it comes to Boulder then, what trail/route do you like best?
Recently, I’ve enjoyed going up to NCAR on Baseline Road, then hopping on Mesa Trail. At sunset, its unnaturally beautiful, or I guess, naturally beautiful. It’s beautiful, ok!
What about training partners, and a coach? There are lots of possibilities in Boulder, who did you up running alongside most often?
Unable to escape my own hubris and desire to be a free spirit, I’m self-coached. I train, or rather am trashed by, marathon legend Jeff Eggleston when I’m training for the roads. As for the last several months, I’ve been running solo, cranking out trail miles while listening to the Stephen King anthology.
Unless you count marmots. Yes, let’s say I train with marmots.
What’s your favorite thing in the Runner Box?
The Beet Juice!
“Leave the research to us, and we’ll leave the training to you,” says Runner Box. The Runner Box is a subscription-based service that delivers a “box” of runner-friendly goodies to you every other month, items like gels, bars, and other accessories hand-picked to add to your running. Many items are new to the market, and new items are expected with each box. A great service for yourself, the boxes also make great gifts and are often themed around holidays.