MY MEETING OF THE "RUNNING ON THE SUN" CAST

Running on the Sun had a huge impact on me. I used to think I would never want to run Badwater. But the movie made me second guess that. Soon, I ran Badwater. Now, I have had an opportunity to meet and run with many of the cast members of Running On The Sun.

Eric Clifton:

Eric won the race in the movie. He and I battled for second place in SF One Day (he won) and have exchanged the occassional e-mail ever since. He was at my first 100 (TRT), Quad-Dipsea, and other races. He is a great person and I am glad I have met and run with Eric. I snapped the photo below as he ran past me at the Quad Dipsea.




Jack Dennis:

Jack was quite a personality in the movie. His wife Mags taped a can of beer on the vehicle to help entice him to keep running. He has become an ambassador of the sport and the race. I met him pre-race at BW and at the Panamint Springs aid station where he and Mags volunteered,



Nick Palazzo:

Nick was my favorite character in the movie. His smiling face, his upbeat personality and his rant about the lack of soup was fantastic. I met Nick at the 2010 Vermont 100 mile run. It was great meeting him and he was so helpful and supportive. It was the highlight of my VT 100.



Marshall Ulrich:
Marshall was the guy in the movie that demonstrated how he had all his toe nails surgically removed to help his running. He is an awesome athlete and has climbed Everest. I saw him during my Badwater run as he passed me at Lone Pine. But finally at Leadville 100, he and ran down Hope Pass together and I had a chance to chat with him. He was very nice, but unfortunately I never thought of snapping a shot of us running down the pass.



Lisa Smith-Batchen:
Lisa was the heads on favorite in the movie but ultimately medical issues doomed her late into the race. I met Lisa at the Keys 100 race. She was so supportive and she and her crew helped me during my run. The next year she gave a presentation at the Keys about her efforts to raise funds for orphans. She really is a great person.


Dan Jensen:
Dan was another person with a great story and a great personality. He lost a leg in Vietnam and the movie showed his efforts to complete Badwater. When I started up Townes Pass in my Badwater run I came across Dan and his daughter. I had to stay with them for a bit. I told my pacer this was like meeting a movie star. He must have passed me as I slept at Panamint Spings as I came up on him again around the 100 mile mark later in the race and we ran together for a bit. He ended up finishing that year. Again, unfortunately I did not snap any photos of Dan and I together during the race.


Badwater Ben Jones:

Ben was the race director in the movie and had great lines about the race, the desert and the challenge. I only shook his hand at the pre-race meeting but still it was great meeting him (again no photo of us together).


Hopefully I will continue to meet other cast members in my future.