2009 TNF Ultra Trail du Mt. Blanc!

Mt. Blanc, the rooftop of Western Europe, 3 countries, 9 mountain villages, 51 nationalities, 2500 trail runners, 104miles, 30,000ft of climbing, rocks, roots, mud, stream crossings, dirt roads, paved roads, single track trails, talus fields, glaciers, and unsurpassed mountain views! The 7th Edition of The North Face Ultra Trail du Mt. Blanc starts on Friday, August 28th at 6:30pm Central European Time in the center of Chamonix, France. Runners will have 46 hours to complete this epic loop around the Mt. Blanc Mountain massif passing through France, Italy, Switzerland, and returning to Chamonix. Every runner starts with the excitement and apprehension of running into the "unknown" and exploring their physical and mental limits. Months and perhaps years of preparation, dedication, and commitment bring this global field of kindred spirits together to embark on a adventure of epic proportions. Each runner will be pushed to their physical capacity and beyond, they will be tested mentally in ways they never thought imaginable, and they will need to dig deep inside their soul to find resolve to make it to the finish line in Chamonix. I applaud every runner who have the courage to take on this challenge and start this epic adventure! Good luck to all of you!

To follow the event live go to: www.ultratrailmb.com and follow the links to the live web-cast. The web-cast site will be in French, but quite easy to navigate.

Topher is running the UTMB race - 104 mile full circle of Mt. Blanc. He is racer number 11
Kim Gaylord is running the TDS race - 66 mile race from Chamonix France to Courmayeur Italy. Start time 5:00AM - Saturday, August 29th. She is racer number 9543.
Randy Gaylord is running the TDS race -66 mile race from Chamonix France to Courmayeur Italy. Start time 5:00AM - Saturday, August 29th. He is racer number 9405.

TDS (Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie) – approx. 105km and 6700m + altitude change; starts Saturday, August 29th at 5:00am from the centre of Chamonix Mont-Blanc.

Thank you to all for your encouragement, energy, and support from around the world! It is greatly appreciated will be a great source of energy during those most challenging moments in the run!

Ragnar Relay - Gaylords by the Dozen!

When times are tough, what do you do? You GO BIG, You RALLY, you FOCUS, you PULL TOGETHER, and GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! When you come from a family of 10 children, you need a pretty big project to RALLY around. Well the 2009 RAGNAR RELAY - California seemed to have all the right ingredients. 187 miles of running along the California coast from Santa Barbara to Dana Point. 12 "team runners" relay day and night down the California coast as fast as possible. We have assembled the first and only ALL family team, "Gaylords by the Dozen" for this historic run down the California coast. The team includes 7 brothers/sisters, 3 nephews/nieces, 2 spouses, along with a family support team of 3.

Team Roster: Terry Gaylord, Randy Gaylord, Tim Gaylord, Mark Gaylord, Peter Gaylord, Topher Gaylord, Kim Gaylord, Travis Gaylord, Colin Gaylord, Courtney Gaylord, Sarah Gaylord Williams, Ron Williams.

Team Support/Coaching: Laura Gaylord, Marny Gaylord, Tina Graham.

Team Start Time: 12:00pm Friday, April 24th, 2009

Terry as the "most seasoned" member of the team, will lead us out from Santa Barbara and Colin, as the "sprouting bud" member of the team, will bring us home into the finish at Dana Point.


Ragnar was a 9th century Norse King. He was a pirate, a raider, a conqueror, an explorer, and a wild man. The tough, fearless, rugged attributes of this Norse King are shared by all who participate in a Ragnar Relay. In much the same way, a Ragnar Relay provides runners the freedom to roam, to explore - a free-spirited curiosity to get out there and experience outdoor adventure. And as a family, we will RALLY, PULL TOGETHER, FOCUS, and GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!

Follow the team's progress live on our Twitter feeds posted on our site. You can also see more info on the event at:

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/losangeles/index.php


Long live the Ragnar in us all!

Greatest Snow On Earth!

We have travelled the world over the years in search of the best snow on the planet. Deep in the Canadian Rockies in BC, California's Sierra Nevadas, Colorado Rockies, The French, Austrian, Swiss, and Italian Alps, The Dolomites, South America, Japan, Russia, etc. we have found tremendous snow, friends, mountain culture, cuisine, glaciers, steep terrain, and some wild stories. However, when it comes to pure snow quality and powder skiing, the Wasatch Mountains in Utah simply deliver "the greatest snow on earth!" Little Cottonwood Canyon, just 25minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport provides two of the world's best ski areas: Snowbird and Alta. With an average of 500inches of annual snowfall, these mountains are a powder skier's paradise! The strong pacific storms pound California's Sierra Nevada with wet "Sierra Cement", then they dry out across the great basin of Nevada's desert, hit the Wasatch, pick up "lake effect" moisture from the Great Salt Lake and drop the lightest, champagne power in world, aaahhhhhh.

We have been enjoying many weekends back at our "home mountains" this year, skiing at Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley, and the Wasatch backcountry, re-connecting with friends and planning skiing adventures. This year is proving to be another epic year, come experience "the greatest snow on earth" for yourself!

Winter in Santa Monica

Santa Monica in the winter is fantastic. We have been enjoying tremendous weather, with Santa Ana winds, crystal clear skies, and warm dry weather the first few weeks of the new year. Rain is such a novelty in Southern California, when it comes, it is a welcome change, cleaning the city, refreshing the mountains with moisture, and lining the trails with green grass.

We've had some great skiing in the Wasatch Mtns this winter re-connecting with family and friends and getting after "the greatest snow on earth"! Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley, and the backcountry. We still miss many of the ways of life we left in Cortina during the winters, but there is no replacing the superb snow in Utah.

Living in Southern California has its share of Star sightings on a regular basis, and we have become accustomed to the common spots: Reese Witherspoon at Starbucks, Dennis Quaid and Toph exchanged words out on the trial as Toph came running by Dennis riding his grey quarter horse, Seal and Heidi Klum at Via Veneto, one of our favorite Italian restaurants, and others at the beach and shopping along the streets of Santa Monica.

2009 is shaping up to be a transformational year for everyone around the world as the global economic crisis has created a new paradigm for everyone at every socio-economic level. We have a new president and a change of course for America, which sits at the epicenter of the economic crisis, and the most influential global partner to free market society. In challenging times with such radical changes happening hourly and daily, it can be difficult to remain grounded in life. It is amazing how much we draw upon our ultra-running experiences in the times we are in. In a 100 mile race you live a lifetime, in a single day. You hit multiple walls and manage through extreme duress and multiple crisis'. And when we experience these challenges in running, we do what we know best and put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, but never stop, never give up. We focus on smaller objectives, make it to the tree up ahead, the top of the next hill, the next aid station. And we string these small victories together and push through knowing that if we are moving, we are making progress where we need to go. The elation of completing a 100 mile race is highly emotional as you have spent a day living on the edges of life and exploring the depths of your resolve and what you are really made of, and you feel more alive than ever. Challenge and adversity has a way of making you stronger and feel more alive than ever. Embrace these times we are in, and keep yourself balanced and grounded in what you know, and put one foot in front of the other, then enjoy the ride. Here's to 2009 being one of the greatest years at testing our resolve, it won't be an easy year, but it should be one of the most growing years of our lives!