Dena Doublex

Describe your experience with the Equinox.  Have you participated in the full marathon, the relay, and/or the ultra?  How many times?

I’ve run the full Equinox three times.  I started running it in 2008 as a fundraiser.  I didn’t think I was going to enjoy running it, so I was very surprised.  

When do you start training for this race?  How much of the course itself do you incorporate into your training?  How often do you incorporate the Dome into your training?

I don’t have a real training program.  I’m very inconsistent one week to the next.  When I ran with Team in Training, that was great.  This year is very different… My husband has pancreatic cancer and we’ve been out of state and our lives have been very disrupted.  We haven’t had any routine to our lives… Everything changes all the time.  I decided that regardless of what state we’re living in at the time or what was going on that I was going to do the Equinox as a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer.  I just recently have been back in Fairbanks so I haven’t done a lot of running on the course.

What’s your favorite thing about this race?

I love the trails and the trees.  I can’t imagine wanting to do a marathon anywhere else.  I really like the hills; I walk them.  Because I rest on the hills, I can enjoy running down them.

What’s your favorite part of the course? Your least favorite part?

I enjoy the part right after the chute.  I really don’t have a least favorite.

Describe the best moment you’ve experienced during this race. Describe the worst.

My favorite moment was my first Equinox – crossing the finish line with two other people together (Peggy Sullivan and Bonni Brooks).  

I had a horrible moment at that Equinox that was so cold.  It snowed on the top (of Ester Dome).  I was going too fast and I was cold, and I got a cramp early in the race.  I had to keep running.  When I slowed down, it would hurt.  

Do you consider yourself a competitive runner? What are your running goals/fitness goals?

I consider myself competitive in that I like to do better than my previous years.  But in terms of competing with other people, no.  I’m not under an illusion that the reason I’m first in my age group now is because I very cleverly aged out of the group that had Dorli and Jane in it.  I do like to try to do better each year.  My goal this year is a very personal one to raise money for pancreatic cancer because there’s a real need there.  My goal is to do the Equinox no matter where we are.

I really do believe in a lot of recovery.  I like to have a good time.  I want to train more than I do.  I understand that I under train, but I would rather do that than overtrain. I’m the type of person if I ran too much or trained too hard, I wouldn’t like it.  I’d like to be more consistent and run more than I do, but not everyday.  

What’s the best advice or training tips you can share with others who are new to this race?

Enjoy it and walk as often as you need to walk.  Have a good time.

Any plans on participating in the Equinox this year? This race has been described as one of the most grueling marathons in the country!  What keeps you motivated to participate in this event?

Yes.  Definitely, this year is different.  I’m very motivated.  I think that’s why I’m faster because I really do think of David (husband) and it’s a very difficult thing.  David’s getting a blood transfusion tomorrow.  That definitely keeps me motivated to put one foot in front of the other.  It’s nothing compared to going through all that.

 Visit this link to donate money for pancreatic cancer research:

  Dena Doublex’s Fundrasing Page