Days 4,066-7 —Hooray for the Huron 100! The Complete Edition with Pictures—

Part I: Leading up to the Start

  

       The 8 and half hour drive Down

Somehow, my phone took me by Chicago as opposed to Indianapolis, which meant that I would hit a toll and some crazy driving. Cars were going by on the right side of the road, easily 60 to 80 miles an hour, during otherwise standstill traffic waiting for the toll. It was an electronic one with the only direction “Pay Online.” I register for the site later, but I still don’t see any tolls I need to pay.

         The Packet Pickup

The place was a local running store, which was on a main strip in Michigan. The air felt light when I got out of my car. When I got to the store, the woman who opened the door said, “You here for the race? What’s your name?”

         When I told her my name, she didn’t know who I was, but it was a nice way to give me the impression that everyone was familiar. I wanted to video record more, but I don’t like my first impression of someone to be pointing a camera at them. It just seems rude, but maybe I could figure out a compromise in the future and ask them first.

         After getting my bib and stuff, I headed to the back of the store, where the two-race directors were taking before pictures of everyone. They were both super happy and excited about the race. I asked them if they thought I needed trail shoes for the course. They both told me something different, but it was good to see I wasn’t the only one who had mixed feelings about what shoes to wear. I decided to start in trail shoes but put my road shoes in my first drop bag, which is also what one of them suggested.

         I went into a local bookstore on my way back to my car and bought a copy of Stephen Fry’s Odyssey, which I had been meaning to buy. When I got to the campsite, the guy at check-in looked concerned and said, “Has anyone told you about the out-of-state fee?”

         No one had, but it ended up only costing me eleven dollars, but the way he said it, it was like he expected me to throw a fit. I got everything set up at camp and made food on a portable gas stove. I was in bed by 9 p.m.

I got up a little after 5 a.m. and drove to shuttle pickup at 6:30 a.m. I was still not 100 percent where it was, so when I got to the footpath trailhead and saw a bunch of other cars driving down the road, I followed them. When we got out, we all talked for a minute, and then one of them texted one of the race directors, and we found out we needed to go back to where we were before.

         Crisis adverted, and the shuttle was there when we all ended up back at the footpath trailhead. I sat in the front of the shuttle and ended up sitting next to one of the most successful ultra-runners I had ever met. His name was Rick Hohman and this was going to be his 56th 100-mile race! He also was at 26 states. He said that one year he did 10! It also seemed clear he had done some of the more challenging 100-mile races, like the Moab 240, Hurt 100, and No Business 100. I had never met anyone before who had completed that many 100s before and in so many states! He said his goal was to complete 100, 100-mile races, and at least one in every state.

         We both talked about time briefly, and we seemed to agree that 24 hours should be doable, but finishing around 22 hours might be possible. He did something that will I adopt in the future, which is to fold your bib, so it isn’t so difficult to wear on your shorts. Rick had a great attitude about racing and had never DNFed before! He told me how on more than one occasion he was struggling at the end with all kinds of things, but that didn’t stop him from not stopping. He said at Moab he was delirious close to the finish and had dreamed he had already finished the race, but some other runners found him and talked to him as they all made their way to the finish.

Once we got to the start line, there was everything I might need at the start of the race. The drop bag locations were marked, and there were different kinds of food. Even some vegan deli meat! They also had sunscreen and bug spray, which I used. I walked over to the start line with 10 minutes to start, and only two other runners had lined up. One of them joked with me about the duct tape on my shoes, commenting I had “custom shoes.”

         They both had big smiles on their faces, and everyone was in a good mood. The race director had every one come to the start line. The person talking on the mic was telling running jokes. Then, the countdown started! “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

Huron 100 Part II: The Trail Underwater and to the First Drop-bag!

Time of Day: 9-1:07 p.m.

Total Time: 4:07

Miles: 0-24.4

Average Pace: 10:08

         The course started with a 1-mile loop around the park area. The idea was to let everyone spread out before starting to run on the single-track trail. I wanted to run between a 10 and 11-minute pace, but ideally, go at a pace fast enough to get me away from the majority of the other runners. 90 runners started!

         I was standing near the front and went at a quick but comfortable pace and saw at least 5 other runners in front of me. There was one guy pretty close and two other runners not too far away after that. The two guys weren’t carrying a lot of water. One guy just had a 20-ounce handheld. I had 32 ounces to start in my vest, but I had my 20-ounce bottle in the back of my running vest. Also before the start, I drank 20 ounces of water mixed with the Right Stuff electrolyte additive. It was only in the 60s in the morning, but I knew how quickly I could get dehydrated, so I was taking any chances.

I was glad I was wearing my trail shoes because there was so much mud at the start! There weren’t a lot of rocks, but rolling hills through some sections of mud, but overall the hills that I needed to walk felt few and far in between. I was able to keep my momentum through the uphill because there were enough downhills that led to them.

         When I got to the other side, I was glad to be done with it, and it was reassuring to know that was the only one on the course! I wasn’t planning on changing my socks until the first drop-bag aid station at mile 24.4, so I had a while still go to in my wet shoes and socks, but I figured with the sun shining bright it wouldn’t be long until I was dry again. Once I made it to mile 18 at the next aid station, I had some watermelon and filled up all of my hydration. They had a station dedicated to letting runners dry off and change their socks, but the next aid station was the drop bag station, and I was determined to get there and finish roughly the first quarter of this race! One of the aid workers said I was in 5th place overall!

         There was some running by lakes and rivers. There were these long bridges that took you through what seemed like swamp land. At this point, I was running with John, and he encouraged me to switch to my road shoes. He said he wasn’t having any issues with his and they would be faster. He also confirmed his watch was a little off too. We made it to the first drop-bag aid station at the same time. The aid workers took my bottles to fill up, and I quickly dumped out all my running stuff. I thought I might need my headlamp now, but I decided I was pacing fast enough to leave it. I changed shoes and socks and put on my Vaseline on my feet. The Vaseline was almost melted, sitting out in the sun for hours. They had veggie burgers, so I ate one quickly, as well as pounding lots of watermelon. They even offered lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes, but I said no before I even knew what I was saying! I love lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes!

         I was determined not to waste time at the aid station, so once I saw that I was getting close to 10 minutes! I grabbed my burger and ate it as I started to walk down the next section.       

Part III: Slowing Down and Just Halfway

Time of Day: 1:07-5:58 p.m.

Total Time: 8:58

Section Time: 4:51

Miles: 24.4-47.1

Average Pace for Section: 12:49

         There was a decent amount of road sections at the start of this part. We were running through neighborhoods and not getting the shade from the trail. I was happy to finally get back on the trail, and it didn’t take long for John to catch up to me. We ran a little more together to the next water-only aid station at mile 30.1. I was starting to hurt some and had run out of water, so I needed to fill up and drink a lot at this station. However, when I finally got there, another runner had the water jug lifted to their head, so he could get some. I was able to fill up my 16-ounce bottles, but it didn’t look like there was a lot of water left. There was plenty of Tailwind, but I was staying consistent with water and the Right Stuff and didn’t want to start switching things up. I noticed one of the guy's clothes were dry, so I figured he most likely changed at the last aid station, but said he didn’t. The guy he was running with just had one 20-ounce bottle, and I wasn’t sure how he was still making it at this point. The three of them were almost immediately going to start again after I filled up my two 16-ounce bottles. Part of me was saying, “STOP! LET THEM GO! YOU NEED MORE WATER! DRINK THE TAILWIND! DON'T KEEP GOING!”

         I asked one of the guys how far to the next aid station, and he said he thought it was 4. Officially, it was 5.5, but my watch had it closer to 6. I screwed up and kept running and ended up paying for it by having to slow down and dealing with the potential of getting seriously dehydrated. It was only in the 70s, but there were more road sections without covering. John and I both passed the two runners we started with, but John went ahead of me shortly after.

         I was struggling and having to go slow, walking some, and two other runners started getting close to me and passing. First, a woman, Johanna, passed me, and then a guy, Arcadio. Johanna was running really consistently. I was able to catch her when the course was straight or downhill, but both Johanna and Arcadio were beating me up the hills.

         I was so thankful to get to the 35.6-mile aid station! I had been out of water for about two miles, and now I was drinking ginger ale and filling up the water again after going through it. I also ate more food, and one of the aid workers who was wearing a shirt that said, “Medic,” showed concern for me and said it looked like my legs were getting heavy and offered to let me use his Theragun massager. I surprised myself by saying yes and sitting down for a few minutes to use it on my right calf. Both my calves were cramping, and I knew I needed to be safe now even though it sucked, having screwed up, and now having to slow down to not make it worse.

         I saw one of the two guys I had passed earlier, and a guy commented, “Did you just run 35 miles while only carrying one water bottle on purpose?!” I knew listening to his tone that he wasn’t trying to be mean, but I was thinking the same thing. The guy had to be hurting and went straight to the bathroom.

         I was able to get up and start back out, feeling finally refreshed and caught up some on hydration. The next aid station was in a little over 5 miles, but getting close to 40 was exciting because that meant 50 wasn’t that far away! And I was still doing great on time! I figured as long as I got the first 50 done in close to 10 hours, I would be sitting in a good place to finish between 20 and 24 hours.

Now I was trying to make up ground a little and was pushing myself down the hills, and I ran into a guy who had been out in front for a while. I said I was passing, but he didn’t hear me. I noticed later he was wearing headphones and was out of it. I passed him, but then he was back running fast and passed me within a couple of minutes. When I saw him again not too much later, I ran behind him for a while and asked, “You doing okay?!”

         I don’t think he heard me, but he got off to the side to let me pass. I was running by myself now and not listening to music. I wanted to wait until at least after mile 50 to start playing music. In my mind, the race doesn’t start until after mile 50. Also, I kept catching up to the 50-mile runners who had started their race 2 hours before us, so I did think it was crazy how soon I started seeing them. It was also a little disappointing every time I passed someone who was doing a different race. The last I heard about place, I was still in either 5th or 6th overall.  

         I was occasionally catching Arcadio whom I would run with a little, and we made it to the 47.1 aid station at the same time. There was an aid worker there who was nice and helpful, getting me a chair while I changed my socks and put more Vaseline on my feet. I also changed my shirt, and shorts, which meant I had to take my race bib off and put it on the new pair. Everything seemed to take forever. I had a bean taco and grabbed one of my BOBO muffins from my drop bag. I also put my headlamp in my hydration vest with the spare battery. I was so glad I hadn’t brought my one from before. I still had at least 3 hours until it was going to get dark. I heard the woman who was helping me tell Arcadio that she would help with a lot, but not on putting on the Vaseline. A joke she laughed at after repeating to me later as she was helping me put my shoes back on.

         “How far to the next aid station?” I asked as I was gearing up to leave after at least 10 minutes.

         “Not far, less than 3.”

It was more than 3 to the next aid station, but the 50-mile race ended in fewer than 3 miles, which must have been why she got confused. However, I had all the aid station distances on my phone from the race packet. I needed to stop asking people and just look for myself! 

Part IV: the Last Drop Bag and a Powwow

Time of Day: 5:58-11:42 p.m.

Total Time: 14:42

Section Time: 5:44

Miles: 47.1-70.6

Average Pace for Section: 14:38

         I was on a bike path to start, and I was passing 50-mile runners as I went. So many of them commented on how a 100-miler was passing a 50-mile runner. I didn’t want to make them feel bad about their pace, even though part of me was thinking that they did get a full two-hour head start. The 9 a.m. start time wasn’t awful, and it did prevent getting passed by a bunch of 50-mile runners, so I am thankful for that, but I was jealous of getting to run during the early morning. This was my first 100 miler to start at 9 a.m.

         I was fully stocked with water, carrying my 20-ounce bottle, but at the same time, I thought it was unnecessary because I would be at an aid station around mile 50. Suddenly, a bunch of people started cheering wildly. When they saw my bib, they stopped and proclaimed, “You're almost. . . halfway there!” This was the same thing that a bunch of 50-mile runners told me when I cheered them on as I passed them, saying things like, “Great job, runner! Almost done!”

After passing that cheer section, I turned off the bike path onto a road and quickly realized that there was no aid station at mile 50. The aid worker most thought I was only doing the 50, possibly? The actual aid station wasn’t going to be there until mile 55, so I had a while still to go. I started hearing what sounded like chanting, and all I could think of was that on the course it showed that one trail was called the Potawatomi. I was confused because having done the Potawatomi Trail run in Illinois, how random was it that there was also a Potawatomi trail here hundreds of miles away?

         When I got closer to the aid station, I turned into what looked like a park. The chanting was getting louder, and there was a sign pointing right, indicating that a powwow was in progress. I saw on my left that the aid station was under a pavilion, far from the powwow. I went over there, and the guy told me he remembered seeing me at mile 18 and commented that I looked well. I had a vegan sloppy Joe, which was amazing! I was skeptical at first, but it was so good. I wish I had eaten more of the vegan hot food along the way, but it was weird having so many options! I asked him about the powwow, and he said he was enjoying the cultural experience.

         I tried to use the bathroom on my way out, but it was so stressful because I didn’t want to waste the time if I didn’t have to go, but I had been debating trying for so many hours, so it was time. The next aid station was in 9 miles, so I made sure I was fully hydrated before leaving. I didn’t want a repeat of my mistake during the first half, but part of me knew a lot of the pressure was off at this point. The sun was going down, and the breeze felt nice. I hadn’t done a lot differently, but I started peeing regularly and decided now was the time to start drinking caffeine. I figured I was in for a really big boost with how long I had gone without.

         It was also getting dark, and I passed one runner who had stopped to put on his headlamp. I was talking to Arcadio some, and when we were together briefly, I asked him to get my headlamp out of my vest for me, and I offered to reciprocate. He got it for me but said he didn’t need my help because he had some other stuff to get from his vest. Once, a little after 9 p.m. I finally turned on my headlamp.

         The next aid station felt like it was on a beach. As I started getting closer, I was suddenly running in the sand, and then when I made it there, the guy was wearing rave lights and offered to give me one to put around my neck. I was not interested in having anything around my neck, so I drank some Coke and Ginger Ale and ate more watermelon. I headed back out, knowing that by the next stop, I would be at mile 70 and my last drop bag!

         I had still been running with Arcadio and then getting passed by Johanna throughout this time. When I finally made it to the mile 70.6 aid station, I was feeling the effects of the caffeine and just didn’t want to waste any more time. I took nothing out of my drop bag and almost immediately went back out after filling up drinks. I asked about their vegan hot food, and they said they had chili, but I didn’t want chili because I didn’t know how I would carry it as I ran. One of the aid workers said they made vegan hotdogs, but the other one said they decided not to make them because they didn’t have a place to cook them where they wouldn’t be contaminated by the animal fat from the other food they were making. I appreciated their honesty and help. Even though I didn’t have any vegan food, I liked that there were options, and they were thoughtful.

Part V: the Highway, the Mystery Train, and the Finish Line

Time of Day: 11:42 p.m. – 7:11 a.m.

Total Time: 22:11

Section Time: 7:29

Miles: 70.6-100

Average Pace for Section: 15:17

         I felt good as this section started. I was thinking how it felt like it could be 2 a.m., but I reminded myself it wasn’t even midnight yet. I had been drinking caffeine at each aid station, but it hadn’t been giving me the boost I was hoping it would. My stomach was bothering me some, but I hadn’t stopped eating food yet. At the same time, as the night progressed, I stopped being as hungry and was getting into the mode that I was ready to be done. I missed so many good opportunities for pictures because I was too busy running the race.

         It didn’t take long for Arcadio to catch up to me, and he asked me why I didn’t get anything from my drop bag. I told him I just wanted to keep moving, and there wasn’t anything I needed. I had a lot of treats in that bag to eat and another change of clothes, but I wasn’t thinking about food anymore. I had started to think about this mystery train that was supposed to appear at mile 90 possibly. The race director said that if it did, we would have to take a 2-mile detour to get back on course. I am not going to complain about 2 miles in general, but when you’re getting down to the last 10 miles, it makes a huge difference.

         I made it out into an open section, and I was on the side of the highway. I looked left and right, but I didn’t see a flag, so I got out the Gai app to see which way to go. I went right and saw that I was going this way for a while, and then I was going left over the road and left again, heading back to the same section. I wondered if this was a part they had to change because of some construction on the trail.

         It was so loud! The cars were whizzing by me. I had been listening to music, but I turned it off. When I finally made it to the spot where you turn around, I noticed a bike path. We were still next to a busy road, but the bike path was much better than being on the side of the highway. There weren’t as many flags, but there were some small solar-powered pathway lights. I knew I should be running the entire time on the paved surface, but I found myself wishing to go uphill, so I would have an excuse to walk.

         At the end of the bike path, there was a water-only aid station at mile 76.4. Johanna caught up to me and started on the trail before I did. Now both Arcadio and Johanna had passed me. I was happy for them, but at the same time, it motivated me to try to move faster. I ran a few miles, close to 20 minutes, and I was getting annoyed with myself that I wasn’t moving any quicker. A lot of it had to do with how I was adjusting to the darkness. I would see a section of downhills and be careful instead of sprinting.

         The next aid station was at mile 80.8, and it took longer than I expected. Now, I was focused on maintaining my pace and not letting any other runners pass me. I wasn’t going to beat myself up about the 3 people who I ran with before that were now ahead of me. I needed to focus on my race. I reminded myself that I was still doing well and could finish this thing in under 22 hours!

         They made me an Impossible sausage at the aid station, and I ate about half of it. It was still hot when they gave it to me. They also had vegan eggs! But nothing was made yet, and I wasn’t about to sit around for 10 minutes when I needed to get back out there, especially with how slow I was going. The next aid station was at almost 8 miles, so I fully stocked up on hydration and threw away half of a sausage before I left. When I made it the 8 miles to the second to last aid station, I was excited.

         I had been struggling, but I was getting so close to the finish! I was still worried about this mystery train and would feel so much better once I passed it. I figured I was only a few miles away at the most once I headed out from the 88-mile aid station! I asked if there was any news from one of the workers. She told me that multiple runners had made it to the 93.5 aid station without seeing it, so I was hopeful that I would make it through without adding the 2 miles.

         I ran as fast as I could when I started, thinking I would let myself slow down once I passed the train tracks. I was past 90 miles, and I still hadn’t seen anything yet, so I was getting worried. Finally, I saw what looked like a lot of reflectors way out in a field. I continued to walk forward until I saw out of the corner of my eye a flag going back into the trail on my right side. I took off, thinking that had to be the right way to go, but I was disappointed that I hadn’t found the train yet.

         Now, I was way past mile 90, and I started to hallucinate trains everywhere! I would look out and see some buildings and think it was a train standing still, and I was too late. Sometimes I would realize later it was an RV, a row of cars, or a building, but other times I would never know for sure what I had noticed. I had started to convince myself that I must have taken the alternative way by accident! I had already added two miles, I figured. I looked at the route on Gai, and it was clear I was on a course, but not clear I was on the right one. I was so happy when I saw the last aid station! This confirms I was 6.5 miles from the finish! The first thing I asked was where the train was.

         “There was no train! You didn’t miss it.” One of the workers told me.

When I went on to explain I hadn’t seen any train tracks, they didn’t have a lot to say.

         “ARE YOU OKAY?!” One of the workers was shouting at me.

         “HAVE YOU EATEN RECENTLY?”

         “WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT TO THE BATHROOM?”

I confirmed I had been routinely peeing, but I wasn’t as hungry at this point in the race. When I went to leave, he acted like I hurt his feelings. I looked at him with a question on my face. I didn’t know how I looked, but I knew I felt okay to run in the last 6 and a half miles, and I did start running as fast as I could.

         The miles were going by, and even though each one seemed to take forever, I saw my mile pace was going down! I ran a 12-minute mile and then an 11-minute mile. It wasn’t long until I climbed over some train tracks. No train to be seen, and I was almost a mile 96 when I saw it. I was just thankful nothing was blocking my path and kept going. Part of me was hoping I would catch up to one of the runners who had passed me earlier. How were they all still pacing faster than me?!

         When there were fewer than two miles left to go, I saw Johanna. I passed her and hoped I would catch up to Arcadio too, but I was running out of time. I ran as fast as I could those last two miles. It was a trail and all downhill. Then there were a hundred signs with personal messages. I read as many as I could and felt the emotional push from the many will-wishers.

         I was at 102 miles on my watch, so I figured it had to be so soon! And then, I saw it on the top of a hill. I heard someone say, “A runner is coming!” People started to cheer, and one of the race directors got his camera out and was recording. He greeted me warmly when I made it and confirmed that I had finished 5th overall in 22 hours and 11 minutes.

Part VI: Reflecting after the Race and Driving Home

  

       Someone got me a chair and asked me if there was anything I needed. Adam, one of the race directors, told me he had set up an area with various compression devices to aid in recovery. For once, I didn’t have any reason to be in a hurry. The goal now was to hang out at the finish line for as long as I felt like it, and then make my way back to the campsite. I was so happy there wasn’t any rush to go anywhere quickly, and I could just focus on breathing.

         Adam got me into a chair where I had these towels with cords sticking out of them wrapped around both of my legs. Someone else went and got me ginger ale to drink. I was living the life! Then, a bunch of mosquitoes started relentlessly attacking me. Part of me didn’t care, but the other part was so annoyed with the insects. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I asked someone for help getting the comprehension devices off of me. I watched Johanna finish! She was only a couple of minutes behind me, and she set a new course record on the trail! She got to sign a paddle! I was so happy for her.

         I was telling the guys it wouldn’t be too long until some other runners would finish, but even as I said that I realized I didn’t know for sure. Who knows how many other runners have slowed down in the past four hours? I knew many of them had been right there with me for most of the race. Dan asked if I was interested in a massage, and I figured why not? The masseuse was nice and massaged my calves and feet for roughly twenty minutes. 

Then, the guys doing the live stream on YouTube called me over. I felt so honored to be interviewed for the livestream, and it was just fun talking about the race. Dan and a woman who was helping me had collected all my drop bags, carried them to my car, and driven my car closer to me! I was overwhelmed with appreciation! I was not looking forward to that second walk back to my car while trying to carry my drop bags. I remember thanking Dan and Adam profusely and giving one of them a hug. What a great team! They did an amazing job to make this race memorable for me and all the other racers! They also provided the best vegan options I have ever been given at any race! I still love my local race directors, but I also want to highlight what an incredible job these two guys did! Not an easy task to create a point-to-point.

I barely remember the drive back to my tent, but the first thing I did was take a shower when I got there. I enjoyed it so much, I forgot my soap! I figured it would still be there when I was leaving hours later, but I was wrong. However, my tent was still up, and no one had messed with any of my stuff. I laid down to go to sleep and woke up two hours later, long enough to hear an argument from a couple that was in the site behind me. They were getting to the point where I was considering leaving my tent to check that everyone was safe, but I remembered there were so many other campers close by, so I tried not to think about it. There was also a new group right next to me. They must have arrived on Friday night. I was annoyed at first with how loud they were, but I was asleep before I knew it, and everyone was gone when I woke up late in the afternoon.

         Part of me had thought I might go back to see the other runners finish, but I knew there was only one direction I needed to go in now, and that was towards home. I packed everything up, going slow and trying not to think about how many hours it would take. I made sure I was going the way without tolls this time, promising myself I would stop at the first Burger King I saw, so I could get my post-race meal of an Impossible Whopper, no mayo, add mustard, with a large fry unsalted.

Reflecting

         I hadn’t run a race like this before, so I didn’t have a lot of expectations. My focus was on enjoying the experience, but I did want to try to see how fast I could complete it. I knew there wouldn’t be the same hydration and elevation challenges that are present at Shawnee Hill, and it wouldn’t have the same kind of dangerous weather either. So, I thought this would be a good run to see how fast I could do a 100 miles on a trail. I was also happy to go to a race where the race directors seemed so motivated.

What Went Wrong

         I could have paced myself better and focused on hydration more in the early afternoon, which would have prevented my need to slow down later. I could have eaten more. However, I don’t foresee myself having gone faster by more than an hour, so I am happy with the result, and how I handled potential issues.  

         So many nice and helpful people who made the day so much better! Also, I can’t emphasize enough that there was vegan hot food! The course was also marked well for how long it was! There were so many turns, but the only time I went off course was for possibly a tenth of a mile. There was a turnaround that I didn’t see. However, it didn’t take long for me to use the Gai app to confirm which way to go.

         It is so much easier than a loop because in a loop I will look at my GPS and every direction I have gone before, so it isn’t always as clear which way to go when you get turned around like it is in a point to point.

What Went Right

         So many things! My early pace was perfect, not pushing myself too much but staying ahead of the bigger groups. I also didn’t listen to music until early in the evening. Whenever I wasn’t sure where to go, I used the Gai app to confirm my position, which made the whole race a lot less stressful. The markings were prevalent throughout, but there were still a couple of sections where I got to a turn and I didn’t see them right away, so having something like Gai to use, made everything a lot easier. I also ate a lot of food, starting early with some veggie burgers. I had so much watermelon. At every aid station, I tried to eat something, which I did with only a few exceptions.

Would I Run it Again?  

         Yes! I would recommend this race to any experienced ultrarunner, but I think it would be especially good for those who haven’t had as much trail experience, and any first-time 100-mile enthusiast! Still, a lot of fun for runners with more buckles at home, but what a great opportunity to do a run that is both fun, scenic, and not technical, but not boring either. There were even some decent hills at times, but also a lot of downhills, bike paths, and roads. There was a lot of mud early on, and I fell one time during the race and tripped a few times. I give this race five belt buckles! No major issues, but at times the aid workers and the directors went above and beyond expectations to make this race memorable for all the participants.