Day 3,647 —Hard to believe it was just a week ago: Final thoughts, Review and Reflection of Ozark Foothills 100—

I made hash browns this morning in memory of what happened during the race. They had hash browns, but I wasn’t sure if they were vegan or not, so I said no thanks. During most of the race, I didn’t mention that I was vegan; I just kind of took what I could eat and said no thanks to what they offered that obviously wasn’t vegan. Only one time did I succumb to something that wasn’t vegan during a race, which was a pancake during the Fall Creek 100. At the time, I wasn’t thinking straight, but I didn’t want to know. I could have asked, but my throat was sore and I needed something.

     Now, I feel like races are better about having veggie broth, which this race had at every aid station. So, while I didn’t have any of the hot foot options, they did always have veggie broth, which felt amazing and hit the spot when I required it.

     But, this woman checked the package on the hash browns for me, but by the time I got back, it was so late and the race was over. My stomach was screaming at me, so I didn’t want any kind of food. I felt bad for saying no after she had gone out of her way to help me, but that’s how things turn out sometimes. I have been reflecting on the race more, and I enjoyed it. I haven’t been that sore this week, but it is crazy. I used to feel so bad after a 5K.

—something important was missing

=what you would expect

+wow! That was remarkable!

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.