How far can you pedal in 24 hours? Andrew Willis rode 448 miles
Runners encouraged to donate blood during Blood Runs Deep drive.
Chalk up another long-distance cycling accomplishment for Andrew Willis, who gets kicks out of riding a bicycle for hundreds of miles through fryan-egg-on-a-sidewalk heat.
Willis won the World Ultra Cycling Association’s National Championship event 24 Hours in the Canyon earlier this month by pedaling 448 miles in a single day.
The race started at the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon State Park at noon, when it’s nice and hot. Cyclists rode up to the rim, pedaled 100 miles, then dropped back into the canyon to complete as many 5-mile loops within the park as they could before noon the next day.
“I really get into the math behind it, trying to squeeze a few seconds out of every lap with less power and a lower heart rate,” Willis said by phone while spinning on a bike trainer inside his home. (Always training, that man.)
It took Willis about 16 minutes flat for each 5-mile loop. The hardest part? The heat. And then the cold. Temperatures rose to about 105 at the bottom of the canyon during the day, then dropped into the 40s at night.
“That was really hard on a lot of people’s bodies,” said Willis, whose company, Holland Racing, puts on the weekly Driveway Series of bike races each summer.
Willis spent a lot of time pedaling on his bike trainer, along with riding and working in the yard during the heat of the day, to prepare for 24 Hours in the Canyon. He also paced himself by starting slow and building intensity after the sun set.
“Everyone else went out hard and had huge gaps on me,” Willis said. “At the end of the 100 miles, I came into the canyon in third place. It was hard to not freak out and try to hunt them down then — I had to remind myself I still had 15 hours. Sure enough, they pushed it too hard in the heat, and by hour 12 and 13 they were falling apart and throwing up, and I hadn’t pushed myself at all yet. That’s when I turned it on.”
Two years ago, Willis completed the Race Across the West, a 930-mile race from California to Colorado. He’s now considering competing in the Race Across America, a 3,089mile race from the West to East Coast of the United States.
A blood drive for runners
Most runners tend toward the obsessive when it comes to their health. That’s why a local running coach wants them to donate whole blood or platelets during a drive he’s calling Blood Runs Deep.
“It’s as simple as the fact that I believe running can be a huge force for good,” says Rob Hill, community outreach manager at We Are Blood and head of the Team Spiridon running group. “Runners, given their focus on health, understand
how critical blood is — not just for performance, but for the community.”
One in seven people will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives, Hill says, and summer is typically a slow time for donations. All blood types are needed.
Runners are asked to drop by one of three Central Texas locations of Blood Runs Deep, which supplies blood to hospitals and medical facilities in 10 Central Texas counties, between June 21 and 30 to donate. Two running groups, Gilbert’s Gazelles and Rogue Running, have already vowed to participate.
Concerned that donating blood will put you off your running game? Don’t worry. You could experience an 8 to 10 percent decrease in performance the day after donating, and a slight decrease for a day or two after that, but it won’t last. Just time your donation for after a run and before your rest day, Hill suggests.
Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh 115 pounds. Some travel restrictions apply, too.
Book an appointment at weareblood.org or call 512-206-1266. You can donate at any of We Are Blood’s three locations: Austin North, 4300 North Lamar Blvd.; Round Rock, 2132 North Mays, Suite 900; or Austin South, 3100 West Slaughter Lane.
Tyler’s Dam That Cancer
Cast an eye toward Lake Austin on June 25 and you might spot a flotilla of people aboard stand-up paddleboards.
Nearly 200 people will paddle 21 miles from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam during Tyler’s Dam That Cancer. The event raises money for the Flatwater Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides access to mental health services for those affected by cancer.
The public is invited to celebrate their finish with a party at the Lower Colorado River Authority offices, 3701 Lake Austin Blvd. To attend, make a donation, either in advance at tylersdtc. com or at the door. The party will feature music from D J Abe the Assassin, food from Texican Cafe, and beverages from Landshark, William Chris Vineyards, Live Soda and Chameleon Cold Brew.
Paddlers are expected to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. The party runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Organizers hope to raise $700,000 at this year’s event. All proceeds will help support families in need.
Gym merger
Pure Austin is joining the Life Time family of fitness clubs.
The home-grown gym operates two Austin locations — one at 907 W. Fifth St. in downtown Austin, and another, which has its own small lake, at 4210 West Braker Lane.
“Pure Fitness members should expect business as usual,” Pure Austin founder Beto Boggiano wrote in an email to members.
Membership dues will remain in accord with each member’s Pure Austin agreement, and members will have the same club access and programs they now have, he said.
“Ultimately, as I looked at the long-term future of Pure Austin, I decided to join with Life Time, which has a tremendously successful, 26-year history of delivering incredible, resortlike clubs, great programs and member service and support,” he said. He added that club staff would remain the same, and he will stay involved as a member of the Life Time team.