Courtesy Photo | Danny Rogers, pictured around the 47-mile mark, sports his headlamp and cool-weather...... read more read more
FORT DETRICK, Md. -- It wasn’t much of a vacation, but a trip into the mountains out west resulted in Danny Rogers crossing off another item from his bucket list.
Rogers, an avid endurance trail runner and cyclist, took on and conquered the challenge of the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in northern Utah, a premier ultrarunning event that “will test the endurance of any runner.”
Held annually the first Friday and Saturday after Labor Day, the grueling race subjects participants to roughly 24,000 feet of elevation change over the route, starting from East Mountain Wilderness Park about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City and heading south before ending in Soldier Hollow, just south of Midway.
A total of 322 runners started the day, but only 205 finished. Rogers, a 49-year-old resident of Frederick, Maryland, was one of those runners who made it through to the end, placing 116th with a time of 33 hours, 13 minutes.
“I’ve wanted to run this race for a while,” said Rogers, a lead logistics management specialist for U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command at Fort Detrick. “Wasatch has been going on for 20-plus years and it’s always been on my list. Since I came back from Germany, I got my name into the lottery and got picked to run.”
He also used the opportunity to raise money for a good cause, supporting the Fisher House Foundation with a donation of about $750.
"The majority of their funds go back to the warfighter," Rogers said, highlighting the foundation's mission to provide comfort homes for military and veteran families during a loved one's hospitalization.
The race begins
After flying out to Utah the day before, Rogers picked a classic, carb-heavy prerace meal the night before -- pizza and beer.
He knew the energy he would need to overcome the challenge, with the 5 a.m. Friday start time quickly approaching.
In the predawn darkness, Rogers joined with 321 other runners, donning their headlamps and trail gear, as they began their trek into the Wasatch wilderness.
“For the first hour or so, it’s just a nice conga line,” Rogers recalled.
The initial miles were a slow, steady climb to the top of the ridge. It was a test of patience as much as endurance.
The scenery, however, provided a welcome distraction. As he crested the ridge, the view of the Salt Lake City suburbs and the surrounding mountain range was "pretty at night," a luminous blanket of lights spread out below as the sun began to rise over the valley.
The first five and a half miles came with an unexpected sting -- literally. A wasp attack, a first for him on a trail race, reminded him that nature can be as unpredictable as the course itself.
Preparation pays off
After traversing the first ridge, Rogers said he enjoyed the scenery during the downhill stretch as the miles passed by, but he knew tired, heavy legs and swollen feet wouldn’t be far behind.
Rogers is no stranger to what it takes to complete a 100-mile journey. Having finished a dozen other 100-mile events over the past 13 years, he knows a thing or two about how to prepare.
Rogers said he began preparing months in advance, gradually building up his endurance to about 70 miles per week with about 10,000 feet of incline. He trained locally in the Frederick area, mostly in the Gambrill and Cunningham Falls state parks, though he noted the trail inclines were far less intense than the Wasatch mountains.
“I did some hill repeats to get the vertical climbs and so my legs could get used to it,” Rogers said.
Despite his experience, the low points are an inevitable part of every ultrarunning race. Rogers said it helps to compartmentalize the 100 miles, breaking it into smaller, more manageable sections.
“Instead of imagining the finish line, I just always think can I make it to the next aid station?” he said. “That helps me out.”
Along with the dedicated volunteers who staff aid stations to refuel along the way, the camaraderie among runners on the trail also helps to push through, he added.
“The other people are in the same boat as you,” Rogers laughed. “You go through the misery together.”
The finish line
As Rogers neared the end of the race a full day-plus after he started, his wife joined him for the final five miles, providing a boost that helped propel him to the finish line early Saturday afternoon.
“It wasn’t easy by any means,” he said. “It was definitely a big challenge … my wife running with me really helped get me to the finish.”
His priority after the race, aside from getting something to eat and drink, was tending to his “beat up” and dirty feet. Rogers said the fine Utah dirt had wreaked havoc and gotten into every crevice of his shoes and socks, a problem he tried to solve at the 50-mile mark by washing his feet and changing his socks.
However, he made a mistake -- only putting back on one pair of socks instead of his usual two -- that came back to haunt him over the second half of the run.
The result? Black and blue feet and toenails, and a “big cherry tomato (blister) on the end of my toe.”
Despite the physical toll, Rogers said it felt great to achieve his goal of completing the Wasatch, one of the five races that make up what’s known as the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning.
He's even more proud to have gained the support of his civilian coworkers and military colleagues at AMLC, who helped him support a worthy cause in Fisher House. The charity has saved families an estimated $610 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation since its inception in 1990.
“I appreciate everyone's support,” Rogers said. “That money will go a long way.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2025 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 548976 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Civilian shows grit, adds to list of 100-mile ultrarunning finishes, by C.J. Lovelace, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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