Stump Jump 50k - Tumble and Roll

October 1

Darin & James before the Start

My feet begin to slide down the scree, and I start to fall downhill.  My foot catches on something, and I find myself hurtling downhill head first.  Ah, there is a small tree that I can grab in order to stop my decent.  Instead of catching the tree, I plow right through it with no measurable decrease in my momentum.  I make contact length-wise on a log with my hands and forearms taking the
brunt of the impact.  Sliding down the log, I finally come to rest in rocks and dirt.  Did I break anything?  Where do I hurt?  Can I continue this race as it is only mile 12?

This day started very promising.  The course is dry with temperatures beginning in the low 50s.  James and I drove over to Chattanooga yesterday afternoon.  I plan to try to finish in 7 hours flat.  It is going to take a push, but I think I am ready to push this race as this is my third time running this event.  My training has been solid this summer, and the only catch is my stomach issues that I hope are behind me.

Mile 4.9      55:42 (11:22 avg./mile) Edwards Point

This first section is nicely rolling terrain, and I run most of it in order to keep my place in the conga line of runners.  After the first few miles, the pack thins out, and I am able to set my own pace.  I wanted to get a quick start, and my time on this first section is faster than my two previous times at this race.  At the aid station, I don’t need anything so I pass right through passing a few runners in the process.

Mile 8.2      44:59 (13:38 avg./mile) Mushroom Rock #1

Katie, Christina
followed by Darin

Leaving Edwards Point aid station, I settle in behind two ladies that are setting a
very nice pace.  The lady in the lead for now is Katie, and Christina is following.  As we catch up to a runner, Christina will mention to Katie when it is time to pass them.  My effort on this section remains about the same as the first section, but the trail is more technical with rocks and roots and thus is slower.  At the aid station, I grab a PB&J sandwich quarter and a small handful of potato chips.  When I look up, Christina and Katie are gone.

Mile 14.2    1:31:50 (15:18 avg./mile) Indian Rock House

The trail is sharply downhill leaving Mushroom Rock.  I pass several runners going down the hill to the bridge across a creek.  I continue to run smoothly, only occasionally catching my toe on a rock.  I have fallen once with no damage, catching myself with my hands.  I cross Suck Creek and the road beside it.  After crossing the road, I catch up to Katie on the ensuing climb.  I ask her about Christina, and she says that she is a strong runner and always leaves her behind.  I chat with Katie a little bit, and then pass her near the top of the climb.  The trail on the ridge is mostly flat, but fairly technical.  It is difficult to get into a rhythm, but in attempt to try to stay in a rhythm, I am taking chances on the rocks and roots.  As was written in the opening, around 12 miles, I take one chance too many.  The fall was probably the second worst fall I have taken while running trail ultra-races.  The only one that was probably worse was my bloody chin and cracked fillings fall at Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 miler in 2005 in Virginia.  It takes me a few minutes of walking before I feel like I can run again.  When I arrive at the aid station, the workers are anxious to clean up my wounds, but none of the wounds are dripping blood so I decline their offers.  Speaking of wounds, here they are:  right forearm is scraped the worst from elbow to wrist, left forearm is lightly scraped, right cheek has a scrape that I don’t even feel and the scrape continues across the front of my chin, a gash in between the index and middle finger on my right hand, and the back of my left hip has a scrape and a bruise that is not visible as my shorts cover it.  Amazingly, my legs, ankles, and feet feel okay, so I press on after taking two PB&J sandwich quarters.

Approaching Indian Rock House aid station

Mile 16.7    35:35 (14:14 avg./mile) Snoopers Rock

After the sandwich quarters, I have a bit more energy and the pain in various places is starting to numb out a bit.  I gently push the pace and am rewarded with a decent time getting to this aid station.  There were a couple of guys that I chatted with during this section.  One is running his first 50k and didn’t hang with me for very long.  The other one is running this race for his third time and is trying to run nice and easy.  The past two times he has gone out too fast and blown up.  I grab a pickle and a handful of potato chips at the aid station.

Mile 19.4    57:07 (21:09 avg./mile) Haley Road

The guy trying to run a conservative race stays with me for this whole section.  At
some point he remarks that this is the farthest in a race he has gone without throwing up.  I guess everyone has goals!  I am in cruise mode and probably didn’t push my pace enough on this section, but my plan is to push after Mullins Cove.  As I am wondering when we will get to the aid station, we come out onto a dirt road that I remembered takes us to the aid station.  We hike up the dirt road for a few hundred yards and arrive at the aid station.  I grab another PB&J sandwich quarter and head out for the final section on this loop.

Mile 22.8    50:23 (14:49 avg./mile) Mullins Cove Parking

Navigating the rock garden

My goal on this section is to make it to the next aid station with something left in the tank for the last push to the finish.  I run most of this section with a lady who hasn’t done this race before.  I follow her through the rock garden that doesn’t seem as long as I remember.  I glide into the aid station and grab some potato chips and look to drink some Coke.  Unfortunately, this is a cup-less race so there is no cup to pour some Coke in for me.  So, I pour the Coke into my open mouth, fountain style.  I get two mouthfuls with this approach.

Mile 29.3    1:55:38 (17:47 avg./mile) Mushroom Rock #2

I press my pace leaving Mullins Cove, running the half mile to the steps leading down to the Indian Rock House.  I cover that half mile in six and a half minutes.  I am by myself at this point and feeling pretty good.  Two miles later, I mark the spot where I took my fall several hours earlier.  It doesn’t look that imposing if you navigate the trail carefully.  I catch and pass two other runners, but then I am passed by a runner as well.  When I think I am less than an hour from the finish, I take a caffeine pill to keep my energy up.  After this, I am still feeling good, but various muscles in my legs start to talk to me.  First it is my hamstrings that threaten to cramp.  Then as I near the downhill to the road crossing, my calves start to complain.  Just then Christina catches up to me and remarks that this is the last downhill.  I want to take it easy, but that isn’t going to help (much) my cramping legs.  We make our way down and cross the creek as I manage to keep Christina behind me.  As we are making the steep climb up to Mushroom Rock, my left calf seizes up.  She asks if she can help at all, and I answer in the negative.  It takes me about 10 seconds to resume my trek up the hill, and I make it to the aid station.  I grab a couple of potato chips as Christina pushes on through the aid station ahead of me.

Mile 31.2    21:06 (11:06 avg./mile) FINISH

As I watch Christina trot away from the aid station, I know I cannot run any uphill sections.  I would like to push this last mile or two, but I have to be careful to not cause my leg muscles to completely seize up.  So, I hike the slightly uphill sections, and try to run the flat and downhill sections.  About halfway to the finish, my right calf locks up.  It takes me the better part of a minute before I can do anything.  After that, I walk the majority of the section until I get to the final section of road to the finish line.  (Note, this section is not 1.9 miles!)  As I near the finish, I show the battle damage on my arms.

At the Finish

Battle Damage

Official Finishing Time          7:52:20

71^st out of 220 starters (2^nd of M50-59)

My time this year ends up being 10 seconds faster than when I ran this in 2019.  I pushed the pace and paid the price for it.  However, I am glad that I was able to test myself to that limit.  Falling as I did was never in the plan.  I am surprised to see that I was 2^nd male in the grand masters category.

My next event is to pace James at the Pinhoti 100 miler on November 5^th.  After that I have the 20^th running of the Hellgate 100k in December.  Despite the fact that my races recently haven’t gone as I planned, I feel confident right now for Hellgate.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin

Twisted Branch 100k 2022 - Warm and Dry

Flying up to New York

This is a new race for me, but one that has been running since 2015.  James, Peter, and I fly up to Penn Yan, New York on Friday morning at the aid stations.  We made it a non-stop flight as we had a nice 10-knot tailwind.  When we arrive at Penn Yan airport, they have our Hertz rental car waiting for us, but the nice lady wants to confirm my license.  After looking at my license, she says, “sir, your license expires tomorrow, and I can’t rent you this car.”  So, James pulls out his license, but he looks at it, laughs a little, and says that his license expired four days ago.  So, now I cross my fingers as Peter pulls out his license.  It is still valid and unexpired, so we are able to get our rental car!  We grab lunch at a local grill, and then check in to our VRBO before heading to the start area to pick up our numbers.  Dinner is at one of only two pizza joints in Naples. 

August 20

Before the start

I fall asleep around 8:30pm and sleep soundly until 1:05am when I have to get up to use the
bathroom.  I then lay in bed, mostly awake until 1:50am when my alarm goes off.  My first bathroom visit is successful, and then I eat a bowl of granola and heavy cream.  James is not successful on his first bathroom attempt and begins to pace around the house.  After eating breakfast, I finish my race preparation, and then use the bathroom one last time before we head to the start.  At the start, James is still trying to get his internal body moving and is unsuccessful.  The temperature at the start is 64 degrees, which is a few degrees warmer than forecasted.  I have a thin short-sleeve shirt on along with my buff, shorts, shoes, and Camelbak.  There are 169 official starters in the race.  The race starts promptly at 4am.

Mile 6.0      1:26:36 (14:26 avg./mile) Cutler, 116^th place

James and I start the race together and actually run together for about a quarter of a mile.  At that point, some eager runner paces me and gets in between us.  I am trying to start conservatively so I let a few other runners pass me as James pulls ahead.  The trail is a single-track trail for most of this first section.  It is not warm yet, but it isn’t as cool as I would have hoped.  There are brief pockets of cool air, but they are few.  I settle into a good rhythm and make it to this first aid station with only one trip and fall.  Crew is not allowed at this first aid station so I pass right on through without taking any food.

Here comes the sun!

Mile 12.5    1:27:41 (13:29 avg./mile) Naples Creek, 121^st place

This section starts with a bit of road.  I try to set a good pace on while I am on the road since the trail section is a little slow in the dark.  The horizon is starting to glow, but it will be most of this section before I turn my headlamp off.  The wooded sections are still quite dim in the twilight.  Two issues occur on this section.  First, I trip and fall again.  And then I miss a turn.  Before my missed turn, I was chatting with a couple of runners that were right behind me.  When I missed the turn, I realize that there are about 20 runners stacked up behind me.  I get shuffled back to the middle of this pack where I stay until we emerge from the woods and run through the town of Naples to a nice park on the other side of town.  Peter is eagerly waiting for me when I arrive.  I drink about a cup of chocolate milk and trade out my Camelbak for a full one.  Then I take half of a bagel with me for the trail.  Peter tells me that James is about 40 minutes ahead of me, so it seems like he is feeling good and off to a great start.

Taking off the headlamp

Mile 18.2    1:17:1 (13:33 avg./mile) The Sneaker, 119^th place

Leaving the nice park, we are greeted by one of the toughest climbs of the race.  It starts out with a few switchbacks, but then it just ascends directly up the side of the hill for about a mile.  The grade is so steep that taking a full stride is out of the question.  In fact, I think my “stride” is about a foot at best during the steepest portions of the climb.  After surviving the climb, there is then a steep little downhill section followed by a short, steep uphill section, which is then followed by a steep downhill section for about a mile.  Needless to say, I can now feel my quads complaining!  Somewhere in here, I take my first salt tablet of the day.  I have been totally soaked in sweat almost from the beginning of the race, so I need to keep the electrolytes in check.  Finally, the section comes to an end with a “gradual” (read normal) uphill climb to the aid station.  During the climb, I meet John Rynders and Marie Davis.  They are both in their 50s and are native to NY.  While they have not finished this race before, they are well familiar with the course.  At the aid station, I eat a handful of potato chips.

Mile 22.6    1:02:31 (14:12 avg./mile) Italy Valley, 123^rd place

After the Sneaker aid station, there is a fairly long stretch of dirt road to start this section.  John, Marie, and I chat while we jog and hike the road.  After a while, Marie drops back, and John and I press forward.  Both John and Marie state that their goal is just to finish.  I, conservatively, say that I am hoping to finish in less than 19 hours.  However, my original goal, which I quickly am revising was to finish in 17 hours.  After the first three sections, I realized this is not realistic for me on this day, but I am still thinking that I might be able to hit 18 hours.  This aid station has an Italy theme, but I don’t find any pasta.  Instead, I eat more potato chips as it is another aid station where crews are not allowed.

Fed and ready for more

Mile 29.3    1:55:11 (17:11 avg./mile) The Lab, 122^nd place

This section doesn’t have any long, steep portions, but it is mostly in the woods with many small up and downs.  Some are rather steep, but overall, it is kind of nice in the woods.  However, since it is past mid-morning, the temperature is definitely climbing.  The relative coolness of the early morning is long gone, and now the only time I feel cool is when we get the occasional nice breeze through the trees.  I take my second salt tablet of the day and am trying to drink as much water as I possibly can.  This section ends with a downhill road section followed by a short wooded, trail section to the aid station.  Peter is ready for me and has a grilled bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich that he says is about 30 minutes old.  He is busy making a fresh one, but I opt for the nicely lukewarm sandwich.  I eat about three-quarters of the sandwich while drinking over a cup of water.  I then decide that I will drink a little Long Haul beverage to see what effect that has on my stomach.  One of my objectives today is to determine the best stuff for my belly, so here we go.  After eating my “breakfast,” I visit the port-a-john where there is no toilet paper.  Fortunately, I have some in my Camelbak pack, so all is well.  While I was doing all of this John left me behind.  I leave the aid station feeling good, but wondering how warm it is going to get today.

Mile 35.6    1:51:43 (17:44 avg./mile) Patch, 119^th place

It takes about 10 minutes after drinking the Long Haul to determine that it was not for me.  The drink feels like a slug in my stomach—hopefully, it will pass through within the hour and won’t cause any long-term issues for me on this day.  This section is mostly all wooded, single-track trail. Initially, I was hoping to catch up to John, but I don’t see him at all on this section.  That being said, I don’t see much of anyone on this section.  Obviously, I passed a couple of runners, but otherwise, I am just making my way at my own pace.  I consume my third salt tablet on this section in my attempt to keep my stomach from getting any worse.  This aid station at Patch is another non-crewed aid station.  I grab a handful of potato chips and a pickle, and then wash it down with a couple swallows of Coke.  I am hoping that the little bit of Coke will turn my stomach around.

Mile 39.8    1:31:10 (21:42 avg./mile) Bud Valley, 117^th place

Initially, the Coke gives me a little pep in my step, and somehow I manage to pass a few runners on this section according to the website.  However, my stomach continues to go in the wrong direction.  At some point on this section Marie catches back up to me.  I tell her that I haven’t seen John since mile 29, and she says he is a very strong runner that under estimates his ability.  Marie leaves me behind before too long.  I walk most of the half mile road section leading into this aid station, even though I should have been running the majority of it.  About 30 minutes before the aid station, I consume my fourth salt tablet.  In my younger running career I would consume these things every hour in hot weather, but now I only take one every couple of hours as more often than that will give me heartburn.  My pace has definitely slowed down, but I guess I am slowing down with everyone else.  At the aid station, Peter is ready for me with a chair, bagel, and bottle of water.  I sit down and choke down half of the bagel while drinking over a pint of water.  Meanwhile, a guy about 10 yards to my right is puking his guts out into the weeds.  He has several full-throated heaves with all of the sound effects while I sit here with a queasy stomach trying to consume a few calories.  I trade out my Camelbak and decide to continue down the course, hoping my stomach will get better at some point.

Mile 46.2    2:13:24 (20:51 avg./mile) Glenbrook, 117^th place

I keep pressing forward while trying not to push my pace much at all because of my upset stomach.  I haven’t thrown up myself, but I know the edge is just in front of me if I push the pace at this point.  Somehow, Marie ends up behind me again.  I think she took longer at the last aid station than I did.  This section has a decent early climb that several people catch up to me.  There are about half a dozen of us struggling along, but then here comes Bill Sergison from Virginia.  He has a VHTRC hat on so I strike up a conversation.  He knows some of the older runners in the club that I know very well.  Of course, he leaves me behind as we finish the climb.  When I make it into the aid station, John is sitting there with his shoes off.  I ask him how he is doing, and he says he is struggling.  Well, I guess I am struggling too, but I might be better off than John?  I am still surprised to see him as I didn’t expect to again.  Peter is all prepared with a nice grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  I choke about half of it down while drinking more water.  I yell over at John that it is about time to go.  He doesn’t look like he is getting ready, but his pacer (his daughter) is tending to his feet.  I trade out my Camelbak and tell Peter to stuff my good headlamp into the main pocket.  It will be a couple more hours until I need it, and I will dig it out at that time.  When I leave the aid station, John is still sitting there with his shoes off.

Mile 50.6    1:57:00 (26:35 avg./mile) Lake David, 118^th place

I passed six runners while I was in the Glenbrook aid station as I was 111^th place when I left.  I make my way through a half mile of a wooded section, and as the course emerges from the woods onto a dirt road, John and his daughter catch up to me.  It is good to see him, but I am trying to figure out how he got his shoes on so quickly and then caught up to me.  I stay with John and his daughter Lindsey for the road section, and even some of the next wooded trail section.  Eventually, I can no longer stay with them as they walk away from me.  As they are pulling away from me, I take my fifth salt tablet of the race.  I feel like I am still doing okay, and when two other runners come by me, I ask if they think we are close to the next aid station.  Their response is yes, we just have to continue down this current downhill and then up a hill.  All goes well until I reach the hill.  It is steep and long enough to just about kill me.  I stop about two-thirds the way up to sit down on a log and try not to die.  Then when I get to the top of the hill it is still another quarter of a mile around Lake David to the aid station.  Somewhere up the climb, I make the decision that it is best that I DNF (i.e., do nothing fatal or a.k.a., do not finish).

119 out of the 169 starters finish under the 20-hour cut-off.

James finishes in 12th place!

Basically, only two runners that arrived at Lake David after me end up finishing.  I sit at the aid station sipping some ginger ale for about 20 minutes before I decide to make it official.  The aid station worker has to send a message to the next aid station so they can tell Peter to come get me.  I enjoy the evening sitting in the chair and chatting with other runners coming and going.  There is another runner dropping at the same time I am.  His name is JT, and he says he has no balance left.  He fell and broke one of his hiking poles on the last
section.

When Peter arrives at the aid station, I am thrilled to see that he has James with him.  After I left mile 46, Peter drove to the finish line and was able to see James finish and get his picture.  We drive back to the house, and I manage to take a shower before lying down for the night.  I sleep decently and in the morning, I am able to eat some.  My next race (which is also James’ next race) is The Stump Jump 50k in Chattanooga on October 1.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin

Last at the Lake - Last Man (or Woman) Standing 2022

July 23

It is the latter half of July, and I am in LaGrange, Georgia to run an ultra.  Unsurprisingly, the temperature is warm and the air is thick with humidity.  For weather aficionados, the temperature at the start is 75 degrees, and the dew point is 73 degrees.  It is supposed to warm up to 90 or so, but for the first couple of hours, it is supposed to stay overcast thus limiting the temperatures for the morning.  What am I thinking?  Well, this is a little different race.  This race is a race with no definitive ending; the race continues until all but one runner has called it quits.  The rules are simple:  we run a 5k loop each hour.  The loop must be completed within the hour so that at the top of the next hour, all remaining runners start the next 5k loop.  Under ideal conditions, I can run a 5k in a little over 20 minutes or so.  But, for this event, speed is not the goal; avoiding attrition is the goal.  My goal is to walk as much of the first few loops as I can stand.  There are 13 of us in the Last Man Standing event, but we start with the 17 runners attempting the 50k.

Lap 1:        54:06

The race director says go, and all of the 50k runners and about half of us last runners start running.  James and I and a few other last runners start walking.  The first couple hundred yards is a flat, wide grassy road and could be easily run.  However, we want to find out how slow we can go.  After the grassy road, there is about a mile of single-track trail before a road crossing and then another section of single-track trail to the halfway point.  Then we loop around on a road section before rejoining the first mile section of single-track trail.  James and I jog the road section, but walked all of the trail section on this first lap.  Before getting all the way back to the grassy road section, the course makes a hard left turn that takes us up a hill, through a parking lot, around the corner on a road and back to the start/finish pavilion.  This time might be a little slower than I wanted, but we definitely didn’t go out too fast.  I sit down in my bag chair, pour myself a cup of water, and fill up my handheld bottle.  I decide not to eat anything this first lap.  Before getting up to walk down the steps to the starting line for the second loop, I take my shirt off.  It feels almost cool when I do as it is still overcast.

Lap 2:        52:21

The start of lap number two has still 13 of us ready to go.  The race director says go, and we start off.  For this lap there are more walkers with me and James.  There is the guy in the yellow shirt and the older guy in a gray shirt.  There is also the lady in the jean tights that is in the vicinity.  We continue to walk the first half under the paved road that marks the halfway point of the loop.  We learn along the way that the guy in the yellow shirt is a scout in the Army.  He mentions that he will have to call his unit if he is still in the race when we get to Sunday evening.  He doesn’t look like he is quite that fit, but I have learned not to judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to ultramarathon runners.  We made a little better time on this loop by running sooner over the last quarter of a mile on pavement.  I sit down, refill my water bottle, pour a cup of water, and eat a couple of small blueberry muffins.  I also drink a little bit of chocolate milk.

Lap 3:        51:58

We start lap number three with 13 runners again.  The number of walkers with us stays about the same at five or so.  The other half of the runners look like they are running easy, but they are definitely running more than us.  A few of our fellow walkers have already talked so much that James and I look forward to the paved road portion when we will run a little and get ahead of the rest of the walkers.  I have my split times marked in my mind already.  It is 25 minutes to the halfway point.  Enter back on the single-track trail at 30 minutes.  Emerge from the woods after the sharp left-hand turn at 45 minutes.  We stroll into the finish feeling good, but the clouds are leaving us, and it is warming up quickly now.  I stick with my routine of refilling my water bottle, pouring a cup of water, and putting an ice towel around the back of my neck.  I have decided I will try to only eat every other lap so that I don’t eat too much.

Lap 4:        48:56

Thirteen runners begin the fourth lap.  James is calling that the start of lap five will see the first runner drop.  I think it will be lap six before we see our first runner drop.  We are starting to trot a little on the downhill portions of the single-track trail.  And, when James and I enter the trail again after the road portion, he is in the lead and is walking and shuffling quickly.  I note this to James at one point, but he doesn’t slow down until we emerge from the trail after the hard left-hand turn.  We reach this point in less than 42 minutes, so James says, “well we can just walk through the parking lot.”  So we do, managing to coast into the finish area not as quickly as we would have otherwise.  Halfway through this loop, I consume my first salt tablet.  It stirs my hunger so I am ready to eat when we get to the finish.  I refill my bottle, pour a cup of water, and then make a PB&J sandwich.  I thought I would just eat half of a sandwich, but without thinking about it, I made a whole sandwich.  So, then I think, I will just eat half of it.  As I am about three-quarters of the way through the sandwich, I realize this and decide to eat the whole thing because it tastes pretty good.

Lap 5:        50:31

Surprisingly to James, all 13 runners line up for the start of the fifth lap—well sort of.  One runner is hurrying down the steps as the race director is counting down the last few seconds before the top of the hour.  For this lap, James concedes that it might be better for me to lead and set the pace.  When we hit halfway right at 25 minutes, he says that I am the pace master.  We emerge from the woods at 44 minutes and then shuffle into the finish line six minutes later.  I refill my bottle, pour a cup of water, and relax with an ice towel around my neck. 

Lap 6:        49:25

All 13 runners are lined up and ready to go this time.  James and I continue our very conservative pace by walking most of the trail sections.  On this lap, we notice that one of the older runners is looking rather haggard.  James and I both figure that he can’t last too many more laps.  We pass him, along with a few other runners, after the halfway point as we are running the road.  The heat of the day is now upon us, and it is critical that we maintain an even pace so that we don’t get too hot.  At the aid station, I drink another cup of water, refill my water bottle, and then grab a hot dog from the aid station.  They had them out last lap, but I decided to stick to my plan and only eat substantial food after the even laps.

Lap 7:        50:09

The older gentlemen that looked poor last lap is right with us for the first half of this lap.  James is wearing a blue and yellow cap, and the guy asks if that is for Ukraine.  Apparently, the guy is Ukrainian, but he lives in Marietta, Georgia.  He seems to be doing well despite the fact that he is bent over quite a bit.  I continue to set a steady pace so James is mostly content to let me lead the way.

Lap 8:        49:07

This lap finally finds the first drop.  The rest of us line up and head out for our 8^th lap.  The interesting thing is that James and I were both off by several laps on our prediction for the first drop.  It seems like everyone is ready for the challenge, but there are definitely signs that some runners are starting to hurt a little.  One Army guy, who has been running out of the gate, decides to walk with us for the start of this lap.  We learn that he ran a 50k about 10 years ago and decided to train for this race to lose some weight and get back into shape.  His patience doesn’t last long as about 10 minutes into the lap he starts running on the trail and leaves us behind.  We continue our consistent pace with me leading most of the way.  I follow my usual routine of drinking water and refilling my water bottle.  I probably should have made myself another PB&J, but instead, I eat a small blueberry muffin and four chocolate chip cookies.

Lap 9:        48:24

Another runner drops out, so we are down to 11 now.  The rest is rather monotonous at this point.  I lead a pack of walkers that includes me and James and only one or two others.  The Army guy that annoyed us early on has dropped out and the rest of the runners are not annoying.  I am a little quicker on this lap, but still about where we want to be.  I pour myself a cup of water, refill my water bottle, and proceed with eating potato chips.

Lap 10:      50:54

Two more runners drop out, and the field is now down to nine.  I am able to scale back the pace a little to keep us from going too fast at this point.  I continue to set the pace for me and James, and I think we have it dialed in pretty well.  The decrease in the field of runners is interesting.  We waited all that time for the first runner to drop and now they are dropping steadily.  It seems weird to me as this lap feels the same as the last few.  I am on autopilot, and I think James is as well.  The one difference this lap is that I consume my second salt tablet.  This only my second of the race, and I probably should have taken my second one sooner.  We stroll into the aid station, sit down, pour a cup of water, refill the water bottle, and then I go to the aid station to see if they have any more hot dogs.  They do, so I fix one with some mustard and suck it down before I get back to sit down for a few minutes before it is time to get up, walk down the steps, and start the next lap.

Lap 11:      49:55

Another runner bites the dust, I mean drops out, and we are only eight runners left.  About this time, we learn that the winner of the 50k finished in 6:23.  Both James and I have the same thought:  we could have run the 50k that quickly!  Actually, James could have run it a lot faster than that, and I probably could have gone a little faster.  The pace is dialed in and on autopilot, so the routine continues.  Jog into the aid station, sit down, pour a cup of water, refill the water bottle, drape the ice towel over the back of my neck (I did this every lap, even if I didn’t mention it every time), and then decide what (if anything) I want to eat.  For this lap, I take in another blueberry muffin and some potato chips.

Lap 12:      50:45

The runners are falling steady now as two more toss in the towel to put us at six.  One of the six stays with me the whole lap.  This is his first ultra-event, and he is well pleased with his effort.  However, he tells me this will be his last lap.  James is pushing ahead a little, but is running with the lady in the orange shorts.  It is nice relating to this new ultra-runner some of my experiences.  I hope he finds them interesting and maybe even motivating.  I stay on my set pace, but James is getting a little quick.  As I approach the halfway mark for this loop, I see James on the road heading back, several minutes ahead of me.  I yell at him to tell him that he is going too fast.  I stay with the other runner on my set pace assuming that I won’t see James until the aid station, but then just before the hard left turn there is James.  He says he didn’t realize he was going so fast until I yelled at him, so then he slowed way down.

Lap 13:      51:28

We are down to just five runners—me, James, Andrew, the lady in orange shorts, and John.  It is now twilight, but not dark yet, so we press on without headlamps.  I consume another salt tablet to make it three so far in the race.  Too many salt tablets will give me heartburn, but so far that is not a problem.  With the longer shadows, I think my perfect pace slowed slightly.  Regardless, the pace is still solid, and we jog into the aid station having hit our marks within a minute on each one.  I pour another cup of water, refill my water bottle, and then contemplate what I should eat.  At this point, I should probably eat something, but I am not sure what.  So, I grab some chips and eat a couple of cookies.

Lap 14:      52:08

Night is now upon us, and all of us have our headlamps ready for this 14^th lap.  There are still five of us for this lap, but John is indicating that this might be his last lap.  The lady with the orange shorts apparently didn’t hear this, but I will talk about this more next lap.  With the darkness, I let James take the lead on the trail portion.  He is walking very quickly, but I am figuring that we need to pick up the effort in order to maintain the same pace in the darkness.  We hit halfway in 26 minutes, which tells me we aren’t going too fast and need to maintain our effort.  I stick with James through this lap, and we make it into the aid station in good shape, albeit a minute or two slower than we have been averaging.  James’ dad is now keeping the generator running all of the time to keep the lights on for the pop-up tent.  I pour a cup of water, refill my water bottle, and eat another muffin and some potato chips.

Lap 15:      52:38

John decides to call it quits after 14 laps, so there are only four of us that start lap 15.  The lady in the orange shorts is very disappointed that John is quitting.  She says something about him running one more with her and then they can both drop out tied for 4^th place.  Well, that isn’t going to happen, and I tell her that she can have 4^th place all to herself.  At the same time I am telling her this, I am thinking that tied for 3^rd with her wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.  I mean how many more of these laps do I care to do given it has been a long, hot day?  James and the lady press on ahead of me at the start of the trail section.  It isn’t that they are running; it is just that I am not walking as fast as they are.  After a few minutes of deciding how motivated I really want to be, I decide that I want to definitely finish this last lap in less than 60 minutes, so I start running.  I quickly pass the lady, but never catch up with James.  When I get to the parking lot, I run hard enough while trying to see if the lady is going to put any push in to try to catch me.  She doesn’t, so I am able to finish this 15^th lap jogging comfortably into the aid station.

3^rd out of 13 starters

This was an interesting race format, and one that I had not done before.  Now that I have done it, I am not sure I need to do it again.  I wasn’t trying to see how far I could go, and I wasn’t really out to win it.  And, I think this would be true if I did a race like this in the future.

I am slightly nauseous when I am done running.  James’ dad helps me pack up my stuff in my car, and then I drive back to my hotel room for a quick shower and a long night’s sleep.  I now have four weeks until the Twisted Branch 100k on August 20^th.  James ended up running 18 laps, and he will be joining me for the Twisted Branch race.  This will be another new race for me, and it is in the finger lake area of New York.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin

Kettle Moraine 100 Miler 2022 - Perfect Weather

 June 11

Ready for the start

This year marks my fourth try to finish this race.  On paper, this race shouldn’t be too difficult.  Last year the finishing rate was 28%, but the weather was not ideal with the temperature rising to 94 degrees.  This year the forecast is much better with mostly cloudy skies on Saturday and the temperature in the mid-70s.  There is a 50% chance of a passing shower Saturday evening, but otherwise, the weather should be close to ideal.  100-mile races are very interesting for me as it is almost a coin flip on whether I will finish or not.  My current 100-mile race finishing record stands at 12 finishes and 11 DNFs.  I need a finish today for two reasons—first, I need my Western States qualifier to be able to enter the lottery in December with 16 tickets, and second, I need to stay above .500 for my finishing rate.

My training this year has gone very well after I had Covid in January.  I feel as ready for this race as ever, and if everything goes right, I think I can finish in about 27 hours or less.  Of course, on an ultra, patience is the key, especially on a 100 miler.  The motto is to start off slow and taper off.  I have a rookie crew, but I have no doubt that he will do great.  Brandon works with me at Lockheed, and I think he is up for the challenge.  I start the race with a shirt on, but I do not plan to have it on the whole day.

Mile 5.1      55:23 (10:52 avg./mile) Tamarack

There are 199 runners in this race today with another couple hundred spread between the 100k, 50k, and 38 mile night fun run.  I ease into a comfortable pace and make sure I am walking all of the uphill portions.  This first section has a lot of PUDs (pointless up and downs).  To finish in about 27 hours requires about a 16-minute per mile average.  Obviously, the early miles will be a little quicker than the later miles.  The temperature is around 57 degrees, but it is 100% humidity.  My shirt and shorts are drenched by the time I pass through the first aid station without getting anything.

The field settles out
(photo credit: Jenny Thorsen/@luoyunghwa)

Mile 7.4      33:00 (14:21 avg./mile) Bluff

My legs don’t feel as fresh and springy as I would have hoped, so I will start my relaxed, not pushing it pace.  I ran with a guy in these early miles, who says he is running Western in two weeks.  I am not really sure why he is even running in this race, but he says he is only going to run 30 or so miles.  I believe he told me his name was Jason, but I cannot find any Jasons on the results page that includes those that didn’t finish.  I roll into this aid station where I see Brandon for the first time, and I drink a little chocolate milk and take half of a bagel with me to munch on while I maintain forward progress.

Mile 12.3    1:04:24 (13:09 avg./mile) Horseriders

Leaving Bluff I continue to settle into a very nice pace.  The trail doesn’t seem to be as crowded this year as it was last year.  I am able to keep my own pace, but I do follow other people when their pace suits me.  I am so relaxed about my time and pace this year that I don’t even know the splits between aid stations.  This section is one example:  when I complete this section in a little over an hour, I really have no idea if that is faster or slower than a 15-minute per mile pace.  I am thinking that I am still going faster than 15-minutes per mile, but how much faster, I do not know.  The group of runners that was around me stops at the aid station while I walk straight through it since this is a non-crew one.

Mile 15.5    38:51 (12:08 avg./mile) Natalie’s New Station

I pick the pace up slightly after I pass through Horseriders.  There were about four of us together before the aid station, and I want to leave them behind.  I am also feeling good as my legs aren’t any springier, but they have warmed up nicely, and I feel like stretching them out a little.  I get to Natalie’s, which is another non-crew aid station, but they have sandwich quarters, so I grab one of them.  They didn’t have any jelly, so the sandwich quarter is just peanut butter.

Mile 19.5    52:19 (13:05 avg./mile) McMiller

This loop, which culminates at the McMiller aid station, was put in last year since they needed to move from the previous location of the aid station that was at Emma Carlin.  A benefit is that this adds enough additional miles so that the Scuppernong loop is only run once at the north end of the course.  There is one big tree across the trail as we start the climb up into the loop.  They mentioned this tree before the race, but it doesn’t slow me down much as I am able to straddle over it.  On this climb there are several ladies that at first appear that they are running together, but then they separate.  I talk with a couple of the ladies.  One of them has run another 100-miler and the other is attempting her first.  They both are more motivated than me at this point of the race, and I let them proceed on ahead.  At the aid station, Brandon is waiting with some Tailwind and another half of a bagel.  My total time is 4:03, and I know this aid station is just less than 20 miles.  So, quick math tells me I am running a little slower than 12 minutes per mile.

Mile 23.8    58:21 (13:34 avg./mile) Wilton Road

I am happy with my time to this point.  I try to limit thinking about how 20 miles in four hours can equate to a 20ish hour finish as that would get me excited, and I would probably start running faster due to my excitement.  Instead, I relax, make a point of running slowly, and walk all of the uphill portions.  On this section I meet Ann for the first time.  My first thought is that I read on the website about Ann Scholl being the race ambassador.  She is quoted as saying that she would rather run 100 miles than drive 100 miles.  So, I wonder if this Ann is Ann Scholl.  Well before too long another runner passes us and says hi to Ann, and I figure out that it is indeed Ann Scholl.  Wow, I am running with Kettle Moraine royalty!  We run into Wilton Road aid station together, and we each pass through rather quickly only grabbing a little bit of food.  In my case, I grabbed a handful of potato chips.

Mile 27.1    52:29 (15:54 avg./mile) Highway 67

Ann and I introduce ourselves to the other.  This process will repeat for me several times throughout the race.  I usually start it off with, so have you done this race before?  However, since I now know it is Ann, I skip that question and move right to the how many of these have you run?  She has finished three of the 100-mile race, but has done several other races on these trails.  She is also trying to finish her 10^th 100-mile race.  It seems like everybody in the race or at the aid stations knows Ann, so we usually have company while we make our way past the first quarter mark.  At the aid station, I find Brandon, take off my shirt, and then head to the port-a-john.  This race is great in that almost every aid station has port-a-johns, but the problem is that the two at this aid station are both currently occupied.  I have to wait about a minute for one of them to open up, and then I jump in and do my business.  When I come out, I go back to Brandon and sit down to eat about half of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich he has cooked for me.  I had planned to wash it down with chocolate milk, but decide that Tailwind sounds better.  As you can see, my time was slower, but I really didn’t run any slower as this time includes the time I spent in this aid station.

On the boardwalk with Ann following close behind
(photo credit: Jenny Thorsen/@luoyunghwa)

Mile 29.4    28:39 (12:27 avg./mile) County Road ZZ

Given the time I spent in the last aid station, Ann is long gone when I get back to running.  I mostly run by myself for this section which I enjoy.  I think this section is a little more downhill than up, and I jog into the aid station feeling good and ready to start the Scuppernong loop.  At the aid station, I eat a pickle a grab a handful of potato chips.

Mile 34.3    1:16:06 (15:32 avg./mile) Scuppernong

Leading a group into Scuppernong

I begin this loop at the northern end of the course feeling good and motivated, but I still try to hold myself back as there are still about 70 miles to go.  I pass a runner or two on the technical trail portion of this section, which has plenty of PUDs.  Just as I am almost through the technical single track, a lady catches up to me.  So, we start the wide trail portion running mostly together.  Her name is Jessica, and she is a software programmer.  When she finds out that I work for Lockheed on mostly a software program, she asks if we use Jira.  So, we spend about a mile or two comparing experiences with using Jira and working for programs that are trying to be more Agile.  About a half mile or so before the aid station, I catch back up to Ann.  As can be seen in the picture, I lead the group into the aid station.  Here I drink some more Tailwind and eat another half bagel.  It is now time to head south, finally!

Mile 36.8    34:17 (13:43 avg./mile) Highway 67

Andy Garza has linked up with me and Ann after we leave the Scuppernong aid station.  Of course, Ann had to stop and talk to a few people at the County Road ZZ aid station, which is just across the street from Scuppernong.  After that the three of us stick together for quite a while.  The joke becomes that I am running with Raggedy Ann and Andy.  We are setting a nice pace, and Andy mentions that we are walking quite a bit, which is very good at this point in the race.  I get to this aid station again in great shape, enjoying the company and making good time.  Brandon has another half of a bagel for me, and I drink some Tailwind.

Mile 40.1    44:20 (13:26 avg./mile) Wilton Road

(photo credit: Jenny Thorsen/@luoyunghwa)

I am not sure when exactly it happened, but Ann and Andy gap me before we start to cross the prairie again.  I see them several times on the prairie, but they are almost a quarter of a mile ahead of me.  I need to remain patient and not push too hard to catch up to them.  As you can see from the split, my pace is a little quick, if anything.  I pass through the aid station without getting anything.

Mile 44.4    1:13:59 (17:12 avg./mile) McMiller

On the way to McMiller, I catch back up to Ann and Andy.  The climb up the hill to the aid station probably made this section a little slower.  I think my effort remained about the same, and I come into the aid station ready to eat.  Brandon has a perfectly made grilled ham and cheese sandwich, which I practically devour leaving only a small slice of the bottom.  I drink more Tailwind to wash it down and trade out the Camelbak, hoping I can make it to Bluff without having to refill the Camelbak.

Mile 48.4    59:02 (14:46 avg./mile) Natalie’s New Station

I continue to make good time, mostly running with Ann and Andy.  I learn that Ann has four girls in their 20s, and two of them are married.  It is neat running out here with another person who is a grandparent as we attempt to hold off Father Time as long as possible.  At this aid station, I grab a handful of potato chips before pressing forward.

Mile 51.6    49:19 (15:25 avg./mile) Horseriders

It is after 5pm when I leave Natalie’s.  I am confident I can get into Bluff before dark, but the question is can I get to Nordic before dark.  In 2018, I got to Nordic before 9pm.  I am not sure I am moving that fast this year.  Mostly, I lead the group as we make our way back towards the south.  Between the three of us, we have quite the credentials.  Ann is going for her 10^th 100-mile finish.  Andy has never finished a 100-miler, but has some fast times at the marathon through 50-mile distances.  In fact, he qualified for Boston with a sub 3-hour marathon, and then ran Boston at 3-flat.  Impressive, and unlike my best marathon times, they were in the last decade as opposed to my best marathon times that were in the last century.  We arrive at Horseriders, and I grab some Fritos, and then ask what is in the Crockpot.  The answer is pasta.  Oh, why yes, I will take some of that.  They hand me a small cup with pasta covered with sauce.  I basically pour it into my mouth.

Mile 56.5    1:27:41 (17:54 avg./mile) Bluff

For the first few miles after Horseriders, Ann, Andy, and I remain close together.  But then I feel the need to press on ahead.  As I leave them, I hear Andy saying that I am looking really strong.  Do I have enough to really start pushing?  Is it too early?  I like this section as there are a few good views, and the trail has a couple of rocks to keep things interesting.  Unfortunately, I run out of water in my Camelbak about 25 minutes before I get to the aid station—but this is nothing to worry as it isn’t very warm today.  I roll into the aid station thinking that I am due for Ramen as I saw another runner eating some back at McMiller.  Unfortunately, this is not what I had planned, and Brandon is standing there with a bagel in his hand.  I sit down to take a quick break and drink copious amounts of Tailwind, and there in front of me and Brandon is an aid station volunteer asking me what I want.  She runs down through a list of food items, which includes a cheese burger.  I voice my desire, and Brandon and her go over to the aid station table to retrieve a quarter of a cheese burger for me.  It is delicious and hits the spot.  I still take the half of bagel with me along with a full Camelbak and a small headlamp.

Mile 58.8    44:18 (19:16 avg./mile) Tamarack

Ann leaves Bluff before me, and she is only about 100 yards in front of me.  However, she quickly pulls away from me on this section.  Andy and his pacer catch up to me with in the first mile.  We chat enough for me to learn that Andy’s pacer is also a running coach like Andy.  We stick together into the aid station, but never again catch sight of Ann.  At this aid station, I grab some potato chips, but move through it rather quickly.  It is about 7:30pm, and Andy’s pacer is encouraging us to run as clearly we have slowed our pace a little bit.

Night fall is coming soon
(photo credit: Jenny Thorsen/@luoyunghwa)

Mile 63.9    1:35:20 (18:42 avg./mile) Nordic

We leave Tamarack, and Andy says something about finishing in 24 hours.  I tell him that this is very ambitious given that while we might be on that pace (if we continue to run the next 40+ miles as fast as we have run the first 59 miles), we are bound to slow down due to darkness and fatigue.  He sounds optimistic that he can avoid slowing down during the night.  I then tell him that Ann is shooting for a 26.5 hour finish, and she is well ahead of us.  To which he responds that she is planning on slowing down and he isn’t.  Okay, it is time for me to let you and your pacer push on ahead.  About 30 minutes out from the aid station, I turn on my headlamp.  It isn’t completely dark yet, but the gullies are getting rather dim, and I don’t want to miss a rock in one of them.  I arrive at the start/finish feeling good with motivating thoughts to get in and get out of this aid station.  Brandon has the Ramen and hash browns for me.  I sit a bit and eat quite a bit of them, while I trade out my Camelbak, rig up my good headlamp for the night, and get the iPod ready for the tunes.

Mile 69.0    1:22:54 (16:15 avg./mile) Tamarack

I didn’t see Andy in the aid station, but as soon as I leave Nordic, I see Andy and his pacer walking ahead of me.  I pass them quickly, telling them that the warmup is over, and it is time to go finish this thing.  I have the music pumping in my ears, and I drank my first bit of Coke at Nordic since I was starting to get sleepy.  It seems a little early to go to the caffeine, but I do what I have to do.  About an hour out of Nordic, I pop my first NoDoz pill to keep the caffeine in my veins.  I get to this aid station in great shape and feeling pretty good.  If I can maintain 20-minute miles (or better) during the night, I will have a very good finish time.

Mile 71.3    1:07:39 (29:25 avg./mile) Bluff

My time on this section obviously slowed down, but I also visited the port-a-john again in the dark at this aid station.  After finishing my business, I get back to Brandon and the oatmeal he has fixed for me.  I eat at least half of the oatmeal and drink some Coke before deciding it is time to press forward as I am not going to finish sitting in this chair.  I haven’t seen Ann or Andy, and I won’t see them again during the race.  It is just me and the night.

Mile 73.8    1:02:43 (25:05 avg./mile) Duffin Road

I continue to keep the caffeine flowing by popping another NoDoz pill on my way to this aid station.  It is strange that there aren’t more runners out here at this time.  The 38-mile fun run runners seem to be well ahead of me, and the other runners in the 100-mile race must be moving about as slowly as I am.  When I get to the aid station, the volunteer tries his darnedest to get me to take an S-cap or at least some pickle juice.  To placate him, I dig out another salt tablet to take.  I used to take salt tablets every hour or so, but now I only take one every couple of hours.  It has been a few hours since I took one so I am probably due anyway.  The volunteer was telling me that my face had lost some of its color (as if he knows what I normally look like).  My stomach is sour, and despite my efforts to keep caffeine in my veins, I am not totally awake.

Mile 77.9    2:02:50 (29:58 avg./mile) Highway 12

The salt tablet had no effect on my sour stomach, but at least it doesn’t appear that it is making it worse.  I am now looking for the next bench along the trail to sit down and possibly take a little nap.  There are a couple of benches on this section, but I never am able to fall asleep.  Instead the process goes like this:  I sit down, close my eyes, and almost doze off when another runner or pacer comes by, shines their light in my face, and asks if I am okay.  By this point, I have been sitting on the bench for about four minutes and decide that I should get up and keep moving.  When I finally get to this aid station, Brandon is patiently waiting on me with Ramen and hash browns.  I sit down, eat about three spoonsful of Ramen and then go use the porta john.  I sit back down; drink a cup of Coke and a small cup of pickle juice.  I know that I need to turn this thing around, but I am not sure I can.  Dropping is definitely a thought in my mind, but I push that to the back recesses of my mind and decide to press forward.  I will either finish this thing, or throw-up trying.

Mile 82.2    2:02:43 (28:32 avg./mile) Rice Lake

Leaving Highway 12, it dawns on me that there is something I haven’t tried yet.  That something is what I used at the Indiana Trail race in 2017 and that is, stop putting more stuff in my body.  It is cool out, and I am still peeing regularly, so I can’t be dehydrated.  I decide that I will only take a sip or two of water every 15 minutes.  After about 30 minutes of this strategy, my stomach starts to turn around.  It isn’t like I am peeing copious amounts, but I did pee twice on this section.  When I arrive at the aid station, dawn is here.  Brandon has an egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich for me.  I eat half of it, saving the other half for later.  I drop off my headlamp and iPod, and hit the trail for the return towards Nordic and the finish line.  I need to pick up the pace a little bit if I am going to make the cut-offs.

Mile 86.5    1:28:27 (20:34 avg./mile) Highway 12

Daylight and a better stomach, along with only one quick sit on a park bench, allow me to make much better time on the return trip of this section.  If I can continue to average about 20 minutes per mile, I should be in great shape.  Brandon says the cut-off at Bluff is 10am, but that would leave no margin for the last 7.5 miles.  When I see Brandon at the aid station, he notices the change in my demeanor.  I eat the other half of the egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich and wash it down with some more Coke.

Mile 90.6    1:31:15 (22:15 avg./mile) Duffin Road

Focus on the cut-offs and daylight are great motivators for me.  I stay focused on making good time, and start to run the numbers in my head for what time I want to get into Bluff.  The 10am cut-off is not going to cut it.  I want to be there by at least 9:30am at the latest.  My legs still feel good, and I think I could run hard if I have to, but running hard at mile 95 equates to about a 15 minute mile, not the 10 minute mile it would have been at the start.  I get back to this non-crew aid station, and get a couple of pancakes to eat.  I also get a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.  It may be daylight, but I still need the caffeine to keep the heart rate from falling.  It is 8:26am when I leave this aid station, so I don’t have much margin to play with.

Mile 93.1    47:22 (18:57 avg./mile) Bluff

The coffee helps, and I continue to drink my water sparingly.  I can almost smell the finish line at this point, but it isn’t quite time to go crazy yet.  I am power hiking the uphill sections and able to trot the other portions of the trail.  I pass a couple of other runners on this section, and that is always a motivator to me.  It is about 9:10am when I get to the aid station.  I eat some salt and vinegar potato chips and drink some more Coke.  I am holding off taking another NoDoz tablet until I reach the next aid station.  It is 9:13am when I leave this aid station.  That gives me over two and a half hours to cover the last 7.4 miles.  I think I might get this done in time.

Mile 95.4    46:04 (20:02 avg./mile) Tamarack

There are a few runners right in front of me as I leave Bluff aid station and start on this penultimate section.  I pass a couple of them, and then there is a group of four people, which I pass, but cannot pull away from.  They may all be fun run runners, or one of them might be in the 100-mile race.  Either way, they are carrying on a spirited conversation, but it is nothing that interests me, and I would like to just get ahead of them so that I can’t hear their conversation anymore.  Just as the aid station comes into view, I manage to gap them.  At the aid station, I grab only a handful of potato chips only slowing down enough to thank the wonderful volunteers.  It is 10am, and I have two hours for the last five miles.

Mile 100.5 1:23:29 (16:22 avg./mile) FINISH—Nordic

Mission accomplished!

After I passed through Tamarack, I pop my fourth NoDoz of the race.  I want to finish this thing strong.  I pass a few runners in the first mile or two.  I am striding out on the downhill sections, and most other runners are barely running them, if at all.  As I mentioned earlier, hard running at this point on trails equates to about 15 minutes per mile.  My legs feel good, but I am tired and want this to be over.  My stomach is starting to feel off again, and I start to wonder if I should take one more salt tablet.  So, with about two miles to the finish, I take a salt tablet—big mistake!  Instantly, stomach acid bubbles up into my esophagus and throat.  I don’t throw up, but I wish I could.  The heartburn is full and present.  So, I walk the next mile to let things calm down a little.  My heartburn subsides a little bit, and I run the flats and downhills into the finish line.

Official Finishing Time          29:23:14

117^th out of 199 starters (133 finishers under 30 hours)

As far as I can tell there were 199 runners that started the 100 mile race.  At one point, the results page was showing 270 starters, but this has since been refined to 199.  So, in the end with near perfect weather, the finishing rate was almost 67%.  Unfortunately, Andy Garza is not one of the finishers.  Ann Scholl is though, as she finishes in 26 hours and change.  It was great to run with both of them from several hours on Saturday afternoon and evening.  I was hoping for a faster time given the conditions, but I achieved my primary goal, which was a finish.  I now have my qualifier for this year’s Western States lottery in December.  I will have 16 tickets in the lottery, which should push my odds of getting into the race to about 10%.

I cannot thank Brandon enough for the outstanding support he provided me throughout this race!  He was right on point and never missed a beat.  It was an excellent job, especially for his first time crewing for me.  I will recover from this effort, and then look to my next event in July.  James (another co-worker) has tempted me to run the Last at the Lake with him on July 23 in LaGrange, Georgia.  This is a last man standing event, where we run a 5k loop every hour.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin