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Giancarlo Nisimblat

Hometown: Alice, Texas

Age: See hints below.

Marital status: Over 2 decades but whose counting?

Children? Yup

How many? Enough

Occupation? Undecided.

Member of any running clubs or groups? No, but I recently received an invitation to join AARP.

Other ultras you’ve done: I did a 208+ mile solo bike ride around Alpine last year named after a book by my favorite author, Cormac McCarthy. I’ve done a handful of long distance triathlons and recently chased Rickey Gates, not the convicted felon, but rather the accomplished trail runner, up and down some mountains. I did not catch him.

Favorite race so far, and why: Any race I am about to do. As an Olympic coach once said: “Nothing changes about you as an athlete when you train. Racing is an opportunity to step-up, to express yourself, to be better, go further.”

How did you first hear about TPU? Smallish ad in Trail Runner magazine earlier this year. I thought it was swingers ad at first, but the entry fee dispelled that rather quickly. Figured how cool is that - a local, multi-stage race with glowing tents. Plus West Texas in the fall can be quite nice… or hell depending on your perspective.

Have you been to Big Bend Ranch before? First time visitor, long time interested.

What are you most looking forward to? Meeting the fellow participants, race organizer, and race crew. Bonding over shared suffering, as well as spending time with my brother who will be my race sherpa or I am I his? I can’t quite remember.

Do you have a goal for TPU? Several. 1. Have fun. 2. Make each day’s cut off with a smile while basically wearing the same stinky clothes. 3. Avoid triggering the helicopter evacuation rider on my trip insurance policy.

Are you satisfied with the training you’ve done for the event? Heck no, that is part of the adventure, am I right? Plus my brother can always just drag me along by the straps of my pack.

Were you coached? Yup. Did it help? Too soon to tell.

Have you got all your gear? Yes, and then some. I am totally packing my fears and candy. And potato chips.

What has been the most helpful thing for your preparation? Fear. Kidding aside, Youtube and thinking of ultra lightweight hacks you can find at Buc-ee’s, Wal Mart and Target. I have left an algorithmic shopping trail on Amazon that signals that I am preparing for the zombie invasion and setting up a minor emergency center stocked with really cool running gear.

Do you know anyone else who has done or will be doing TPU? Adam Harmon. Dude is a total rock star at Raid Light. Adam has been very generous with suggestions and advice on the race and gear. Probably helps that he holds the course record over the 6 day event (35 hours, 17 minutes.) Also, my brother; I hope he forgives me for getting him into this adventure.

Anything else you’d like to add? Hats off to Chris and the race crew for putting on this event. Pretty unique to have a multi-stage race in the United States, and even better that it is in Texas. Good luck and a safe travels to all my fellow participants.

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Rani Freeman

A highly experienced athlete, Rani is returning to her favorite place on earth to test herself.

Hometown: I have lived in Dallas for more than 30 years and call it “home”

Age: 58

Marital status: Happily Married

Children? One furry girl with four legs

Occupation: Surgical Technician; assistant to orthopedic surgeon for 31 years

Member of any running clubs or groups? No running clubs, but several cycling clubs and circle of hiking friends.

Other ultras you’ve done: Runner for 30 years(stopped running 2 years ago), 10 years of ultra marathon cycling. Multiple triathlon events including 2 full Ironman events.

Favorite race so far: Paris-Best-Paris ultra cycling event. Loved the interaction with people from all over the world.

How did you first hear about TPU? Found on the internet Dec 2017.

Have you been to Big Bend Ranch before? Yes. I have hiked, mountain biked and road biked in this area. Favorite place on earth!

What are you most looking forward to? Solitude in the desert and meeting new people.

Do you have a goal for TPU? Finish with a smile on my face and a few new friends.

Are you satisfied with the training you’ve done for the event? Yes

Were you coached? No

Have you got all your gear? Yes

What has been the most helpful thing for your preparation? My love of organizing and planning.

Do you know anyone else who has done or will be doing TPU? No

Anything else you’d like to add? I am looking forward to meeting everyone and once again testing my endurance.

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Edward Wolf

Family man and Special Forces veteran, Edward is inspired by a great cause.

Hometown: Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina

Age: 36

Marital status: Married to my awesome wife, Bri

Children? Yes, I have 3 amazing sons who are my best friends.

Occupation? I homeschool my sons. I now design innovative privacy products and lifesaving rescue equipment for use in austere environments. I am also in the process of starting a wellness program set to launch in 2019, to help people manage addiction and negative exogenous factors in their lives utilizing my experiences as a US Army Special Forces veteran.

Member of any running clubs or groups? Not yet. I enjoy running on my own but I may start running once a week from time to time with the local running club starting next week actually.

Other ultras you’ve done: None so far. I’ve enjoyed completing military events that are similar to unsupported multi-stage races however.

Favorite race so far: I have no past races under my belt but I would like to compete in the Transvulcania, Transgrancanaria, JFK 50k, Gobi March, and the Barkley over the coming years.

How did you first hear about TPU? I was researching the 4 Desert Series, primarily the Gobi March, and events similar to those races that were stateside.

Have you been to Big Bend Ranch before? No, I have not yet had the pleasure. It looks beautiful, and I am looking forward to my time getting to run in this National treasure.

What are you most looking forward to? I enjoy the solitude of long range solo-movements. I enjoy challenging myself under austere conditions. I also look forward to spending time between stages with my fellow racers- other people who also enjoy living and running outdoors with minimal resources and minimal support.

Do you have a goal for TPU? My goal is to set a new course record and to raise awareness for all of the great kids and adults with special needs and disabilities. And to make my sons proud.

Were you coached? Yes! I have the privilege and honor of being coached, mentored, and inspired by Karl “SpeedGoat” Meltzer, the winningest hundred-mile runner on earth. Coach Meltzer is awesome! Thanks for the knowledge, support, patience, and faith in me, Sir!

Are you satisfied with the training you’ve done for the event? Yes, very much so. My family, Coach, and others have given me tremendous support in order to succeed in this endeavor.

Have you got all your gear? Yes. I began researching and purchasing gear specific to this race in April 2018.

What has been the most helpful thing for your preparation? The most helpful thing was having fun with my training. I have only had one day since January where I did not actually feel excited about running. I’m fortunate enough to live in the mountains so I run, climb, and explore 3 great peaks that are only minutes from my house 6 days a week. I go running and exploring whenever my travels take me away from home as well. This enjoyment allowed me to run over 70 miles per week and train through multiple injuries.

Do you know anyone else who has done or will be doing TPU? I am familiar with Travis Rolph. He ran in TPU 2015 I believe. I have had great custom military kit made by his company Mayflower Tactical in the past.

Anything else you’d like to add? I am racing to raise awareness for special needs and disabled children and adults. I used to volunteer and work for an awesome non-profit named Via Services that helps kids and adults in our society with disabilities and special needs achieve greater self-sufficiency and lead richer lives.

As myself and my fellow competitors ready ourselves for this event, I would like to share the perspective I have gained from those I had the privilege of serving at Via. I believe it is similar to the perspective that Errol “Rocket” Jones articulated in his write up in Ultrarunning Magazine this past August.

As ultra-runners and outdoor enthusiasts we don’t face adversity in this event. We voluntarily face a challenge. We chose to do this. We can stop doing this at any point. We can run fast or hike slow. We are fortunate enough to have the ability to pay a fairly large sum of money for the privilege to run through the desert over the course of a work week. We are simply facing a challenge.

Adversity is being born with a severe disability or illness. Adversity is having and caring for a child with cancer. Adversity is being born into poverty, abuse, prejudice, and bigotry. Adversity is having no choice in the matter and still living life to the fullest.

I used to help care for a girl that had to put her prosthetic legs on every morning to go play outside with her friends. Her spirit had a profound impact on my life. She was all smiles and that’s what made her a bigger bad-ass than myself and every other Green Beret I have ever served with. I’m running for her, all of the other great folks that I met at Via, and to set an example for my own sons.

In accepting this challenge I hope to raise awareness and funds for members of our society that have had to face adversity, many of them every singe day since the day they came into this world. They do so with happy hearts.

Please check out Via and my history with them at http://www.viaservices.org/news-events/ed-wolf.

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Jared Moore

Hometown: Pearland, Texas

Age: 29

Marital status: Single

Children: None

Occupation: Fire Protection System Designer

Member of any running clubs or groups? No

Other ultras you’ve done: None

Favorite race so far: I just did my first marathon early September of this year and was happy how it turned out. I finished.

How did you first hear about TPU? Chris, the race director, contacted me via Craigslist about a vehicle I had for sale and we got to talking about why I bought it and why I was selling it…. He said he does a race in Big Bend and thought I’d might be interested since I hiked the Appalachian Trail last year. Few months later I called him up and said I’m in!

Have you been to Big Bend Ranch before? No. I’ve never been to Big Bend, but I’ve always wanted to go based on what people have said about it.

What are you most looking forward to? Besides the people, I’d say the challenge of completing the race under the time cut off.

Do you have a goal for TPU? My goal is to give it everything I have no matter what the outcome is.

Are you satisfied with the training you’ve done for the event? Not yet. I’ve had some very minor set backs and delayed my training to make sure I didn’t re-injure myself. But I’ve just started training a little over a month before the start date.

Were you coached? No.

Have you got all your gear? Not yet.

What has been the most helpful thing for your preparation? YouTube.

Do you know anyone else who has done or will be doing TPU? No.

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Doug White

One of our trusty volunteers in 2017, we are happy to have Doug back this year as a racer!

Hometown: Waipahu, Hawaii

Age: 48

Marital status: Never married. That train has left the station.

Children? Zero.

Occupation? Machinist

Member of any running clubs or groups? TPU Tribe!

Other ultras you’ve done: Ice Age Trail 50 mile (DNF, 12-hour time limit), North Face Endurance Challenge 50k (twice), Run to the Sun (Maui)

Favorite race so far, and why: Run to the Sun 2009. My first ultra and an *epic* 36-mile course from the sea to the 10,000 foot summit of Haleakala volcano on Maui. Plus, I was in probably my best running form ever at that time.

How did you first hear about TPU? A small advertisement or mention in Trail Runner magazine back in early 2017.

Have you been to Big Bend Ranch before? Yes. I was a volunteer for TPU 2017.

What are you most looking forward to? Testing my limits and sharing the experience with like-minded people. Rocking a killer belt buckle if I finish.

Do you have a goal for TPU? Relentless forward progress. Have fun.

Are you satisfied with the training you’ve done for the event? I think so, but ask me at the finish line again. To avoid injury, I didn’t do any back-to-back long runs, so that will be unknown territory for me.

Were you coached? I was not coached. I followed a training plan I found on the internet and adapted it to my available training time.

Have you got all your gear? Yes. Going “gear geek” was one of the motivating factors. Every few months I’d buy something that I may never use again, Check out my eBay store in November!

What has been the most helpful thing for your preparation? I listened to an audio course by a sports psychologist while walking on my rest days. It helps with my confidence, or minimizes my anxiety. The concepts really helped on long training runs, so we’ll see if that continues. I also learned the dao of walking before I’m exhausted. That was a big breakthrough.

Do you know anyone else who has done or will be doing TPU? I know all the TPU 2017 racers (and volunteers) since I was a volunteer last year. Hopefully that means I already know some of the 2018 racers…

Anything else you’d like to add? I’ve done backcountry backpacking and I loved it. I love to run. I love extended time away from civilization (including dozens of ocean crossings on sailboats and research vessels). I had a great time last year when I did my recon for this adventure as a TPU volunteer. I am a Marine Corps veteran and I still savor a challenge. THIS SHOULD BE EPIC.

Thinking about joining The Ultimate Big Bend Adventure?! Click here to save up to $500 - Join TPU2019 Pre-Sale List