Day 3,642 —4th time! Best Time! Complete Edition of Ozark Foothills 100 (104)—

 

                                         Lap 1: 0-26 miles 

          We were there a little before 5:30 a.m. I decided to dress in long sleeves to start the race. It was 35 degrees outside. When the horn went off, I took off down the path and only two people were in front of me. I ran down the trail and tried not to think about placing at all. I ended up talking to two guys during this lap. The guy who came in second and another guy, Mark, who was competing in the 100k. Both guys were friendly and encouraging, and the miles went by quickly.

          I changed clothes at the first aid station and felt good wearing my new collared running shirt. I was consistently eating snacks that I brought. The Made Good bars and muffins, and I had pickles and pickle juice. The aid stations had some good food they were offering. I was steadily drinking water mixed with different hydration powders. I wasn’t sure what the aid sations had, but I wasn’t interested in trying something new during the race.

          I saw so many deer running around, and I could see some rides from Six Flags on the trail. I ended the first lap in 3rd or 4th place. My strategy was to not think about it too much and just feel out the course. I didn’t want to go too fast. I decided the next lap I would drink more water and slow down.

Lap 1

Distance—26 Miles

Race Time—5:04:00

Pace—11:42/mi

Time of day—11:04 a.m.  

                                                    Lap 2: 26-52 miles 

         I saw Joel at the end of the first lap. He and his brother were about to start running. They were doing the 50K, so their trail was a little different. His younger brother was there, doing his first 50K. He seemed very focused.

         I ended up talking to different people on this loop. Mostly, this guy Jack that I met. He was doing his first 100 and was focused and prepared. He said he had competed in other ultra-events, like the MO 350, which is a 350 mile canoeing race. 

         I was slowing down a lot because my stomach was bothering me. I slipped further behind. At the end of the lap, Jack and two other people who I had been pacing close to me pulled ahead. I would be in 6th or 7th place going into the 3rd lap. 

         I was thinking about how I wish my wife and daughter would come up to see me, but I understood why it was a struggle. I see them for only 5 minutes, but it takes my wife hours to drive to the race and then wait in a aid area to see me. I figured because I saw my mom at mile 31 it was unlikely my wife was going to make it up.

        

I made it to the end of the last stretch of the second lap, and I started running towards the start/finish area. I heard someone familiar, and it was my daughter! I looked to my right, and my wife was recording me finishing the second lap! I gave them all a hug, and I felt a million times better going into the third lap.

It is amazing how a familiar face can change your whole outlook. I went from feeling like I was doing awful, just struggling, to feeling strong and confident, like I knew what I was doing.   

Lap 2 

Distance—52 miles

Lap Time—6:36:00

Average Pace—15:14/mi

Race Time—11:40:00

Time of Day—5:40 p.m. 

                                                            Lap 3: 52-78 miles

         I felt so good after seeing my wife and kids, and starting this lap didn’t feel that terrible to begin with. However, after passing the first aid station 5 miles later, it was getting dark, and I started to feel it again. My mind started going to places pointing out that 40 miles left is still a lot of miles. I started drinking Coke at the aid station to get some caffeine. I wasn’t trying to drink a lot but I ended up getting too much at the Roundhouse aid station and after that, I started to feel like I was going to go to sleep.

         I was listening to music and just doing everything possible to prevent myself from thinking too much about anything except what I was doing now. I knew this would happen but it was hard. I hated running. I hated that I signed up to run this race. I thought about how stupid this whole thing is and that everyone who says something negative about these races is probably right. I hated that I was the kind of person who would do this, and I thought about what that said about me.       

         I also just felt a little sick and wasn’t feeling hungry anymore. I knew I had to keep eating something, so I had vegetable broth at every aid station and was still eating some bars. I didn’t have my vegan M&M's, though, which I wanted. I still don’t know where those went, or a couple of other snacks that I thought I brought.

         I also tripped a few times, so I pulled back trying to run more. When I finally made it to the end of this lap, I was so happy to get there but also defeated and felt like I just wanted to go to sleep.

         The race director changed my headlamp batteries and got me some water. It was good to be helped because my fingers were not operating normally. Part of one of the straps in my vest kept falling off, so I was spending a lot of time reconnecting, and my fingers just felt so fat. I thankfully stopped falling, but I bent my left finger on one of the falls.

I started the last lap in 6th place, if not lower, and I hadn't seen any other runners in hours.

Lap 3 

Distance—78 miles

Lap Time—7:12:00

Average Pace—16:37/mi

Race Time—18:52:00

Time of Day—12:52 a.m.  

                           Lap 4: 78-104 miles

It felt good making it to the last lap, but knowing it was close to 1 a.m. was discouraging. I knew I was not only going to finish probably closer to 26 hours, but also, I was bringing up the back of the pack. The races started with 22, but I heard 11 had already dropped out, so I was out there on my own, still moving but still in 6th or 7th place out of 11.

          I was listening to music in the last lap, but I was so sick of wearing my headphones, so I was over it. Although, I needed a distraction. I decided to play my music out loud like all the cool kids. Normally, I am so shocked whenever I see anyone doing this?! Now, I am doing it.

          I played music loud and sang along to the songs for most of this lap. It would be odd and embarrassing normally, but I figure I am in the woods and there isn’t anyone else around, who cares?

          So, in a way, it was kind of freeing to sing along to my favorite songs as I kept moving. It was at the very least distracting. Now, when I was starting to feel negative (this is so stupid!). I at least had a direction of something to focus on. I was starting to feel that the finish line was close, but at the same time, I kept reminding myself how much 20 + miles is.

“Sure, you’re over 80 % done, but you still have a lot more to run! And aren’t you embarrassed if you finish around noon?” Man, that voice is never happy with anything I do. I just focused on moving.

          Suddenly, I noticed two lights in front of me. “Who could it be?!” Is it another 100-mile runner? Could I finally be passing someone?! It had been hours since I had seen another runner. When I got closer, I saw a woman standing with her light on looking over another woman who was lying on the ground.

          “Is everything okay?!” I probably shouted not knowing how to process what I was seeing.

          “She is just taking a 5-minute nap.”

          “Oh, okay, so you’re her pacer?”

The woman nodded. I hadn’t seen either of them in a long time, but the woman taking a nap, I remember seeing on the first lap. I immediately recorded a video for my daughter telling her what I saw. She had kept telling me that if she were to run on a trail all night, she would go to sleep. I told her that I would not be sleeping on the trail; however, this woman was, and I thought she would think it was funny.

          I hope this doesn’t sound hateful to those who sleep on the trail. To each their own! It is not something I have ever been inclined to try but if it works, it works and so much of running is figuring out what works for you.

I honestly don’t know how I would sleep for part of a race, but if I plan to run a 200-mile race, I will need to figure that out. My main complaint about the 200 + mile race right now is how expensive they are. They are in the thousands of dollars.

          The sun was coming up, and I was fast approaching the last aid station! This was it! Only 8 miles left! When I got there I stopped for a minute if not less to just get a bit more water, and then I was running up the hill. Jack was at the aid station! I thought I wouldn’t ever see him again, but here he was plugging along.

          He told me that he was done running and that he wasn’t even going to try to chase me. I told him how well he was doing and kept moving. I was feeling good and running now. The next section was the rocky parts with a lot of downhills and uphill, and I was planning to run down those hills as fast as I could.

          I made it to the top of the hill and there were two other runners I hadn’t seen in a long time. They were both walking, and I just felt energized. I didn’t know what place I was in now, but I figured I had to be close to the top 3, which I thought was impossible only a little while ago.

          Now, I was pushing it and running as hard as I could. I was thinking about how I need to run at least a mile today anyway, so why not now?!

I was screaming at the trail now and pushing my legs down with my hands as I went up the big hills. I didn’t want to look behind me, but I felt like the 3 runners I just passed had to be right behind me.

I made it back to the Roundhouse aid station and one of the workers there told me she checked the package, and the hash browns were safe for me to eat! I felt so bad telling her that I wasn’t hungry anymore, but it was the truth. My stomach had stopped wanting food about two hours ago, and I wasn’t predicting that things would change any time soon. I thanked her profusely for checking and kept moving!

I just hit 101 miles, and I was trying not to be too mad that I still had 3 to go. My 100-mile time was a little after 25 hours, so that means my time would be over 26 hours when I finished. I didn’t hear anyone behind me, and doing some math, I figured I probably banked about 10 minutes from running down those hills. When I saw the pavilion, I wanted to cry, I knew I was less than a half mile now, and I started moving as fast as I could.

When I got to the end, the race director and a few people were there to congratulate me. My dad was sitting in his chair and got up to record me as I was walking away to sit down. I was still wondering what place I came in when someone came by to tell me I was 3rd male and gave me the huge belt buckle! I usually don’t drink, but I sipped on a beer (which made me gag). I really should have gotten something else. There were plenty of other options!

I wanted to stay until Jack made it to congratulate him. He made it about 15 minutes later, still moving, still looking strong. I left shortly after and went home with the aspiration to take a shower but feeling better than I have felt in a long time. 

Lap 4 

Distance—104 miles 

Lap time—7:23:00

Average Pace—17:02/mi

Race Time—26:15:08

Time of Day—8:15 a.m. 

                 Review and Reflection

— Something essential was missing.

= What you would expect.

+ Wow! That was amazing!

Aesthetics and beauty of the trail =/+

         There was no major body of water, but there was the amusement park Six Flags, which was visible on some of the trails, and that was cool a night to see some rides with the lights. I couldn’t tell what I was looking at, but one part looked like a water tower. During the day, I could hear people screaming, which was not great but still an interesting distraction.

         At night, it was much cooler because it looked otherworldly and was just suddenly there. There were also so many deer! I saw dozens of deer throughout the day. At night, they were hanging out and sleeping; some would run off, but after a while, I think they got used to me and didn’t move at all.

         Also, this was 26 miles of unique tract without repeating anything major, so better than the Shippey by comparison which is only 20 miles of unique tract.

Weather =/+

         It was overall nice, and not being too hot gives this a huge plus because it makes hydration easier to manage. It was cold in the morning and at night, and it rained for a few minutes, but these were minor issues compared to some other 100-mile races I have done. The only other nicer day would be the first 100-mile race I did in the fall, which was almost a plus, but the cold did make it tricky at times. Thankfully, I had enough changes of clothes and towels that I was able to manage without getting too cold or getting behind on hydration.

Hydration +

         No hydration issues to mention. I was ahead most of the day and was able to nod and drink as much when it got colder at night.        

Technical (difficulty of terrain) =

         There were a lot of rocks and roots, but nothing that you would need polls for. Three tough hills felt like they just kept going and just as many tough downhills that I couldn’t run at night, and there were switchbacks, so not nearly as tough as the Shippey was. I screwed up by not running more during the daylight. It is very difficult to run the majority of this trail once it gets dark because of all the rocks and roots. During the day, it is mostly runnable, so I didn’t even think that nighttime would make me slow down as much as I had to.

Cell phone coverage and crew access +

         Easy to access the majority of the aid stations, plenty of room for my dad to set up a tent. Also, I had cellphone coverage throughout the race.

Aid Stations Availability and Food =/+

         They had what I wanted (pickles, ginger ale, veggie broth), and they were all nice and helpful. There weren’t a lot of workers, but every person I interacted with was helpful and friendly. The race director helped me out by changing the batteries in my headlamp on the last lap. However, there is a section where you go 7 miles between aid and a section where you go 6—not a huge deal, but not ideal. Also, there are not a lot of vegan hot food offerings, but I am not complaining. I know I am in the minority, and I appreciate what they did have, and that is something that I could use at each part of the race.

Course Markings +

         You don’t need to use the GPS file for this one. It is mostly single-track, and every section where there is an intersection is marked clearly. Also, every course marking had reflectors on it, so at night it made it easy to look ahead and make sure you were on the right track. I checked the breadcrumb on my watch maybe three times, but the later it gets, the time can get weird, so I can feel like it has been forever since I saw a marker, but that’s just not true.

         You could get lost if you weren’t paying attention and just walked the wrong way, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most experienced trail runners. If this is your first trail 100, you might want to upload the GPS file just for extra security, but it is not essential.

Swag and Medal +

         I think it is possible that my buckle was bigger because I placed, but it is huge. I also liked the shirt, so I am not complaining, so I got a 3rd place plaque thing and a belt buckle that is too big to wear.

Access +

         If you live in the area, this is a great option. It is about 30 minutes away from the county, close to hotels and food places if you’re traveling.

Overall +

         The only thing I am really annoyed about this race is the distance being 104 miles and not 100 miles. I mean come on! Now, it doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but that day and night, it was driving me crazy! It was just hard mentally to kind of deal with my brain. I just kept saying, Why? It is like I was doing a marathon that just was an extra 2 miles, but they were still calling it a marathon. I am just like, “I am sorry, but that is not an accurate description of this race.”

However, everything was great! Like I wrote about above, so I would and probably will do this race again. It was an amazing experience, and I am so happy I was able to do it this year.