The Long Haul

Orange’s Scott McKenzie had a lot of catching up to do as a runner. Not much of an athlete growing up, he peaked as a member of the B track and field team at Whittier La Serna High in the 1970s.

But in ultra-distance running, patience is a virtue that is measured in years and thousands of miles. Now, at 44, McKenzie has worked his way up in the pack to become one of the best ultra-runners in Orange County.

His progression is remarkable but not surprising. It shows that in ultra running, regular people can do amazing things if they’re persistent.

“He’s a perfect example of what can be done when you stick with something,” said John Loeschhorn, who has coached McKenzie since 1993.

McKenzie, a machine technology professor at Fullerton College, has been an avid outdoorsman for years. He took up hiking and soon decided to walk the Pacific Crest Trail, 2,650 miles along the mountainous spine of California, Oregon and Washington between the Mexican to Canadian borders. In 1980, McKenzie and a friend hiked the trail in 6 1/2 months.

Then McKenzie started bicycling and eventually rode the length of the California coast and did a couple of long tours in Baja California.

“I have a habit of getting involved in something and jumping in with both feet,” McKenzie said. “I’m the kind of person who would rather do one thing and immerse myself in it rather than do several things with light involvement.”

His reintroduction to running came in the early 1980s. “I ran into a friend,” McKenzie said, “who told me about this thing called a 10K.”

In 1986 he ran his first marathon and continued as a strong but recreational runner for years. Then in 1993, he read about Baz Hawley’s winter trail running series. McKenzie did some of the shorter runs in the Santa Ana Mountains that year--8 kilometers, 12K, 15K, half marathon. When someone asked whether he was running in the 50K race, he figured he would give it a try.

“It was a great experience,” McKenzie said, “something like your first marathon in that it’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to go that extra distance.”

That was only the beginning of McKenzie’s experience with extra distance. He had sought out Loeschhorn as a coach and started training with other Orange County ultra-runners, such as David Warady, the winner of the 1992 Trans-America Footrace, and Fred Shufflebarger, a winner of the Angeles Crest 100-miler.

“The first runs with Fred were survival trips for me,” McKenzie said.

Loeschhorn gave McKenzie a long-term training plan, cautioning him not to expect immediate results. Many of the runners he works with, Loeschhorn said, quit too soon.

“In the U.S. we expect everything that’s worth doing can be done in 90 days; that’s why we have quarterly reports,” Loeschhorn said. “Well, distance running doesn’t work that way. It rewards years and years of hard work.”

McKenzie stuck with the plan and made steady progress. He finished the Angeles Crest 100-miler in 1994, ’95 and ‘96, the Western States 100 in 1997 and the tough-even-for-an-ultra-race Hard Rock 100 in Colorado in 1998, but discovered that he did best in 50-mile runs.

He started last Saturday’s San Juan Trail 50 as the defending champion (he also won in 1996). Thirty-nine runners left Blue Jay Campground in the Cleveland National Forest in the misty morning just before dawn.

“There was just enough light to go without a flashlight,” McKenzie said.

The San Juan Trail is a single-track route through the rugged Santa Ana Mountains. It’s popular with mountain bikers because of its severe terrain and makes for one of the toughest 50-milers in California.

McKenzie, who says he has lost count of the number of times he has run on the trail, led the race for most of the first 26 miles. Close behind were two friends and training partners, Tom Nielsen of San Diego and Rob McNair of Huntington Beach.

Temperatures, which can soar into the 90s even this late in the year, were mercifully cool and McKenzie was running strong. He finished in 7 hours 34 minutes 55 seconds, a personal best by 15 minutes on the course.

But Jonathan Worswick of San Diego ran an even stronger race, passing McKenzie to win in 7:16:16. McKenzie was second, Tom Cheese of Wrightwood was third in 7:49:57 and McNair was fourth in 8:12:48. Nielsen dropped out near the half-way point.

Ann Langstaff of El Cajon won the women’s race and was ninth overall in 9:22:50. Sena Hoodman of Huntington Beach was the women’s runner-up and 15th overall in 9:55:08.

Loeschhorn believes distance runners are at their best seven to 15 years after starting serious training. McKenzie is entering that zone and has no plans to slow down. Ultra-distance trail running allows him to blend his love of the outdoors and running a long way.

“I’ve never thought of myself as a person who was too into competitive sports,” McKenzie said, “but I’ve gotten a little taste of it here.”