Cameron Cozac finished TPU in 2016. Throughout the race, he was a cheerful, smiling runner. He obviously had a good time, so I contacted him to tell us more about his experience. It is worth mentioning that his beautiful fiancée, Jess, now his wife, was a TPU volunteer that year, and was waiting for him at the finish line each day. That may have contributed to his big smile.
How did you find TPU and how far ahead of the event did you register?
I was looking up routes in Big Bend on Google Earth for an off-road motorcycle trip I was planning with friends. In the process, I found some photos of TPU from the year before. I had never heard of a stage race happening in Big Bend, so I did some research and signed up immediately.
I registered in February for the race in October, so I was committed around 8 months ahead of time.
What was your primary goal for registering?
It was just the challenge of it. I’ve done a lot of hiking and running in Big Bend, and I knew how difficult it would be. When I saw other people had done it already, I thought I’d take a stab at it.
How far ahead of the event did you begin really serious training?
I’m always running, biking, swimming, hiking and doing other stuff outdoors. It’s always nice to have a goal, though; it helps to really motivate me.
But I only really started serious training around 2-3 months before the race. My main goal was to try to get 100 miles a week in. I only managed to do that twice before the race, though.
What did your training look like?
My goal was to get some 100-mile running weeks before the race.
It was always some version of this:
Monday: active non-running day (walk, bike, hike, paddle board, etc.)
Tuesday: 10-mile run
Wednesday: 5 miles easy run with the dog.
Thursday: 3 easy morning miles, then 15-20 miles in the evening.
Friday: marathon minimum: 26 miles
Saturday: marathon minimum: 26 miles.
Sunday: whatever it takes to make it to 100 miles for the week.
Obviously I built up to that gradually, over time. I started at around 20 miles a week.
How did you integrate your training into your work/personal life?
My wife, Jess, works nights as a nurse at Texas Children’s Medical. So normally I would try to get my long runs in overnight while she was working.
I commute 104 miles a day for my job. So sometimes sitting in Houston traffic made it especially difficult to fit a long run into my schedule. I developed a habit of just pulling over to any parking lot I could find off the freeway whenever I hit heavy traffic. I would just run from the random parking lot until traffic died down.
Anytime I had to take my car or motorcycle into the shop, I would just run home and then run back when it was ready to pickup.
Was there anything you would change in your preparation if you were doing TPU over?
I would leave all of the oatmeal I brought at home. A waste of space. It just made me want to vomit after day one.
What do you think of the new 3-stage “mini” TPU?
It’s a nice option for someone who doesn’t feel ready to make the full commitment.
Did TPU meet your expectations? What was the best part of it for you?
Yes. TPU was great. I really enjoyed how small the field of runners was. And the setting was unbelievable.
My favorite part was the Solitario section.
Note: El Solitario is a long-extinct volcano crater. It’s big, about 50 square miles; the caldera is 10 miles across. The Solitario resembles an impact crater (as from a meteor strike) but it is actually a result of complex erosion and later uplift. Geology enthusiasts will enjoy reading more about its formation.
The Singular Geology of El Solitario
A Sense of Place: El Solitario
TPU athletes will be traversing parts of El Solitario during Stages 1 and 2, and will be part of their horizon view during Stage 5.
