Superior 100 2019

Superior RD, John Storkamp, wrote in his post-race email to runners that Superior is best described as an experience. After participating in this race for three years, I think he’s spot on. The rugged trail that gifts you with breathtaking views of Lake Superior, an incredibly supportive community, and impeccable organization offer an experience that puts this race into a category of its own. I’m grateful I’ve been able to run this race a few times (the 50 in 2017, and 100 past two years) and have no doubt why folks continue to come back year after year.

After finishing Superior 100 last year, it took me just a few days to decide to put my name in the lottery for 2019. Luckily, my name was drawn and was excited to try and better my time from last year. I went into this race with a goal to finish with a “25” in the front. Last year, I ran a 26:31 in near perfect weather and course conditions.  I knew that we most likely wouldn’t have that again this year but was trusting my training and experience to help improve my time.

I knew my aid station splits from last year but decided not to pay attention to them until the second half and if it made sense. The only number I knew was when I came into Finland (about mile 50) and I also knew where I was when the sun was coming up the next morning. I told my crew to keep the split information quiet until the second half – and only if I asked. Thanks to my coach Matt Flaherty, I’ve become a big believer of running by feel (especially for the really long stuff) and I did not want splits from last year dictating my race this year, especially early on. You never know what legs are going to show up race day and the last thing I wanted to do was make my legs go faster than they wanted to based on splits – which could potentially dig me into a deep hole later on. My hope was that my training, experience, and race day legs would all align to give me a good day on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT).

Pre-race with my crew! Cristi, Ross, Michele

Start – Beaver Bay (Mile 20)

There were lots of familiar faces at the pre-race meeting and race day morning. I was excited to see my friends Gretchen and April, who I met at other races and who’ve both won Superior 100 (and lots of other races). And other friendly northern MN faces like Tina, Tammy, and Amy. A fair amount of Iowa running friends were up north (which made the experience that much better!), including Josh Sun and Tim Bergan who were running the 100. And I can’t leave out my friend Mike, who I ran with quite a bit last year was there to hopefully set a PR of his own.

The race started at 8:00am and after a few minutes of pre-race announcements from the RD, we were off. (Side note: A few minutes before the race started, a woman was trying her hardest to get more women to front of the start line, saying “women deserve to be up front, too!” I appreciated that woman and her sentiment.)

The race starts with four miles on bike path that I honestly don’t mind too much. It’s an opportunity to spread out, take in the enormity of the day, and get a few glimpses of the lake without falling on your face. I spent the first few miles talking with another Kelly, an awesome runner I met at Ice Age earlier this spring. We talked about running and working in higher ed. After a few miles, she slowly pulled away and while I wanted to keep chatting, I knew better and kept running my pace.

After four-ish miles, we crossed under Highway 61 and made our way to the SHT, where roots and rocks were waiting. I found myself in a line of folks and had some nice conversations with a few fellas. We eventually crossed Split Rock River (where I did NOT fall this year) and soon after, I let the group in front of me know I was going to pass. They were kind and polite, and let me get around. I don’t mind running in a conga line but as soon as I feel myself “breaking” I try to get around.

I soon felt a painful sting on my hand. My first thought was that a pine needle had fallen and got me just right (stupid, I know). And then I heard someone yell “HORNETS!!!” I looked down and sure enough saw a hornet on my hand. Expletives soon followed and we were all running as fast as we could to get away from the ground nest. I felt something in my shorts and realized one of the jerks had found its way up my shorts. I got it out and found two more stings on my legs, one of which was swelling up nice and good. My hand was also quite swollen. Everyone around me had got stung but no one seemed too concerned. (For the record, the RD is very upfront that there are bees/hornets on the course and to be prepared for such incidents.)

I’ve been stung by a bee twice in my life and had no reaction. This was different. I started to feel a little off and realized my heart rate was sky high (170). I was hoping the further I got from the episode, the lower my heart rate would go but it didn’t seem to be going down. My lips and chin started to tingle. The guy behind me told me that as long as I didn’t feel anything in my throat, I should be ok.

I eventually got to the first aid station and as I left, I kept wondering if I should say something to someone. Was I overreacting? The tingling seemed to subside so I decided to just carry on. I knew there were enough people around me that if something DID happen, someone would be close.

While the tingling went away, I could not get my heart rate to go down and I was definitely feeling off. I backed off on the effort and was mildly panicking that my race was doomed. All I wanted was to see my crew so I could have a little freak out and have them tell me I’d be ok.

Photo credit: Tone Coughlin

Around mile 17, my heart rate finally started to go down a bit and I was slowly feeling better. By the time I got to the Beaver Bay aid station, I was still a little worried but things were moving in the right direction.

Beaver Bay (mile 20) – Silver Bay (mile 25)

My crew consisted of my boyfriend, Ross and two of my good friends, Cristi and Michele. My friends Julie and Romy were supposed to crew/pace, but Julie’s mom was dealing with some health issues (she’s ok!) and heading 10 hours north and pretty much being off the grid was not an option. While we missed Julie and Romy SO much, it was obviously understandable and encouraged that they stay close to family. Luckily, Michele was already going up to Superior and I was able to “steal” her from Josh’s crew since he had quite a few supporters already.

Rolling into Beaver Bay

It was great to see my crew but I’m sure I came in looking worried. They told me I looked good, was doing great and that I’d see them again in five miles so if there was something seriously wrong, I’d be able to see them again soon.

(Ross wrote up some brief notes and just read this about Beaver Bay: Kelly came in looking terrified. I guess “worried” didn’t quite cut it!)

I took off and tried to think about other things. I’d essentially been thinking negatively for 13 miles of the race and things were feeling better so I needed to change my tune. I was running a section I was pretty familiar with and thought of the last time I ran it with Ashley Nordell (2nd place at Superior 100 in 2018 and all around badass) a few months ago. Coincidentally, we were both vacationing in northern MN at the same time earlier this summer and we were able to make a run happen on the SHT. It was a great day despite somehow turning ourselves around (still don’t know how we did that) and so I focused on that experience. It didn’t take long to get to Silver Bay and I was finally feeling like the day could end up ok.

Silver Bay (mile 25) – Tettegouche (34.9)

I told my crew I was feeling back to normal and they seemed relieved. I re-filled gels and water and got out of there. While the temps were in the 60s, the humidity was pretty high for northern MN and I was draining my fluids fast. Glad I went with a bladder because there’s no way I would’ve had enough water between aid station with just my two bottles.

This section is where I started running with a guy named Scott. I’d run with him a bit earlier but was hard to keep track of who all I ran with since I never saw their faces. Scott had also run Superior 100 last year and we talked about our races, running history, family, and all the good stuff you learn on the trail.

This section is rocky and tough, but includes one of the best views on the course – Bean and Bear Lakes. We took it in but made a point to keep moving. We had passed quite a few runners by this point (according to Superior’s splits, we passed 13 people) and was wondering if and when we’d ever catch up to any women. I thought I was maybe in 5th or 6th place at this point.

Above Bean and Bear Lakes with Scott. Photo credit: Superior 100.

I knew we’d hit buffed out trails coming into Tettegouche and was excited to open up and see my crew again. We soon hit a section of trees and I commented “these seem like Tettegouche trees!”, excited that we were probably in the state park. I caught site of a red tank top and realized it was Kelly! We exchanged pleasantries and not soon after, we entered the chaos of the Tettegouche aid station.

My favorite photo of the day taken by Amy Broadmoore

My crew did crew things. I noticed April was also in the aid station, and both Kelly and April left before me. I headed out and Scott saw me as I was leaving, hurrying to join me.

Tettegouche (34.9) – Country Rd 6 (43.5)

We made our way down the wooden stairs to the suspension bridge that crosses the Baptism River. We were told to walk since there had been some issues with it earlier. I love the Baptism and tried to soak it in. Soon after, we were climbing stairs and caught up to Kelly again. We passed her, both cheering each other on. Not much longer, we caught up to April. She told me she was slowing down and that her body was just not cooperating today. I told her there was a lot of race left her things to turn around. That would be the first of MANY times I saw April throughout the race.

There was a climb  before we dropped down to Highway 1 and made our way up the Fantasia climb. With that behind us, it was mostly uneventful. We eventually made our way to a ridge and could see and hear the aid station below. We knew it was a trick and there was some distance between us and the aid station, but we both forgot exactly just how MUCH distance was between us and the aid station. I’ll just say there were plenty of colorful language (especially when we rounded a corner and saw steep climb ahead). You’d think we’d remember since we both ran this race last year but I guess our brains didn’t want to keep this memory. You can bet I won’t forget next time.

We eventually descended and ran the road about a quarter mile to the aid station. I went to the bathroom, got what I needed and asked for iPod since Scott had to deal with some blisters and wasn’t sure we’d be heading out together. April did not come in much later after me and I am pretty sure she left before me, too. I knew I had just 8ish miles before Michele joined me.

Country Rd 6 (43.5)- Finland (51.2)

Photo credit: Ian Corless

I think April did get out of the AS before me, because I’m pretty sure I passed her soon after leaving County Rd 6. (We seriously passed each other so much, it’s hard to keep track!) After the Section 13 climb and a few other technical sections, I found a groove. I had my music going and was clipping right along, feeling grateful for smooth miles.

Section 13. Photo credit: Tone Coughlin

It had rained a decent amount the week leading up to the race and it was juuust enough to keep things interesting with a bit of mud and slippery roots and rocks. A muddy section was up ahead and like a good trail person, I ran right through it. (For those who don’t know, you should always go THROUGH the mud, not around it to keep the trail as narrow as possible.) Unfortunately, this muddy section was more like a mud pit. My foot sunk into the mud past my ankle. I quickly pulled my foot up, and my foot came up without my shoe! Ack! I quickly situated myself to grab my shoe and pull, and the suction was too dang strong. My shoe was slowly getting sucked in. Panicking, I re-situated myself and put my two pointer fingers in the loop in the back of my shoe and pulled with everything I had. It worked! I scooped out all the mud from inside my shoe as best I could and shoved my gross mud foot in, knowing I had just a few miles and then I could change my shoes and socks.

I continued on, shaking my head at what had just happened and wiping my hands on my shorts. I was soon on the little spur trail leading to Finland. I saw my buddy, Mike, who told me I wasn’t far off the podium.

I got into Finland and changed my shoes and socks. Like clockwork, April came into the aid station, greeted by her cute son, Archie. I cheered for her and “aww’d” at Archie. I think I tried to eat some real food but my nutrition was still fairly on point with gels every hour, Tailwind, and eating what looked good at the aid station. I saw Gretchen’s husband and he said she was feeling good. I was also told that Mallory (first place female, past Superior champion 4x, AND the course record holder) was having a great day, fairly even with her splits from last year and waaay ahead of the rest of us ladies. Mallory has inspired me for years and I was rooting for her.

I left the aid station with Michele and my headlamp.

New socks and shoes!

Getting ready to take off with Michele!

 

Finland (51.2) –  Sonju Lake Road (58.9)

I knew I was ahead of last year at this point and was excited I was still feeling so good. It was great to have Michele with me. She loves this race (she has run the 50 twice) and the SHT so it was helpful having someone pace me who was familiar with the course. The trail was pretty forgiving during this section and somewhere along the way, we turned on our headlamps.

After a few miles, April came up behind us. I told her to go ahead and pass and she said she’d just hook in behind us if that was ok. Of course it was! This might’ve been one of my favorite memories of the race. I had met April had Chippewa 50k a few years back and we’d connected afterwards, but I never really got the chance to talk much with her since the first time we met. The three of us talked and laughed and it was exactly what trail and ultra running is supposed to be. Doing hard, epic shit and enjoying the hell out of it with good people.

We were ready for the next aid station but it was taking it’s sweet time to appear (this seemed to happen several times throughout the day…). Eventually, it appeared because they always do.

Sonju Lake Road (58.9) – Crosby Manitou (62.9)

We didn’t take long at this aid station and I was pumped because of the short distance between Sonju Lake Road and Crosby Manitou. Somewhere along the way, April pulled ahead. This section went by QUICK, thanks to my amazing pacer. We soon popped onto a gravel road and headed into the state park. I could see April’s headlamp not far ahead of us.

Crosby Manitou (62.9) – Sugarloaf (72.3)

We got into Crosby and I thanked Michele for her stellar pacing. Ross would pace me until Temperance. I decided to get rid of my bladder here knowing that most of the remaining aid stations were a bit closer together and the temperatures were obviously cooler.

Not sure why we thought this would work.

Ross and I left before April, but I was confident I’d see her soon. The next section was tough with technical downhills and some tough climbs. My weakness is hiking the ups and I know April is strong on the uphills. (As an aside, I never really felt like I was competing with April until I ran scared the last seven miles terrified she’d catch me one last time.)

Ross told me that I was actually in 3rd, not 4th like Michele and I had thought. The gal who was in 3rd had dropped at Finland without us realizing it. I knew there was still so much race left and literally anything could happen behind me. I did not ever think the podium was a given.

We made our way down to Manitou River Gorge, knowing what was waiting for us once we crossed the bridge – “an ascent with three demoralizing false peaks” as described by Kevin Langton. Demoralizing is a good word to describe this section. Somewhere during this demoralizing ascent, we came across someone sitting on the side of the trail. It was Gretchen!! Poor Gretchen had been puking and couldn’t keep anything down. She had a pacer with her, thank goodness and she urged me to continue – cheering me on, telling me I was in second place. I told her I hoped I saw her again, knowing that if she got her stomach under control, she could still finish strong. Gretchen is equally one of the most badass and supportive women I know. Unfortunately, Gretchen’s stomach would not end up cooperating BUT she still finished her race after a 5-6 hour nap and lots of hiking. I think that is more impressive than having a picture perfect day; a finish like that takes an insane amount of grit and determination.

Soon after, I heard someone yell “is that Kelly???” And it was Mike! It was great to see him. We ran with him for a bit and soon April caught up to us. Mike peeled off to go to the bathroom and then Ross and I ran with April for some time before she eventually took off.

We finally had some easier trail and Ross even commented “what did we do to deserve this?” I popped in my headphones to hopefully get my feet moving a little quicker with the tamer terrain.

We finally got to Sugarloaf. It had been a long time since we’d seen Michele and Cristi! It’s a longer section between aid stations and with the tough terrain, it’d been hours by this point. April was at the aid station when we got there. We didn’t take much time and headed out with April right behind us.

Sugarloaf (72.3)- Cramer Road (77.9)

I think this section was probably my least favorite or at least when I felt the “lowest.” April ran with us for a bit but we eventually got ahead of her. There isn’t a lot of climbing in this section but it was hard to run. I wanted to, but the roots and rocks are abundant and I remember a ton of sections with long grass covering up the trail; just makes it hard to get solid footing and feel confident to do anything more than a fast walk type thing. It was also pretty narrow and rutty at times. I remember getting pretty frustrated – I just wanted to RUN. I remember April caught up to us for a little while and said something like “I think this is the most I’ve had to walk.” I agreed. Luckily, it was only five miles until the next aid station. Pretty sure I was just annoyed the entire five miles. While I try to stay positive, there’s bound to be some low spots over the course of 100 miles and it’s a lot easier to let it out when you’re running with your significant other. (Sorry, Ross.)

Cramer Rd (77.9) – Temperance (85)

We hit the Cramer AS and was gearing up for a longer section but knew we were getting closer to Temperance, my favorite section. I think I was starting to come out of my funk but this is when Ross was entering his, ha. He runs a lot but is not really used to running for six hours. I’m sure he was also counting down the miles until he could be done.

About half way through this section, nature called and I popped in the woods. I saw April run right by me and pass by Ross. I remember thinking all day, “if April can run this strong when her body is not feeling it, what the heck could she do if both her body and mind were on point??”

I tried to run as much as I could but I think I was probably being a bit of a wuss and walking more than I needed to. I also remember getting really hungry, like stomach-growling hungry. We eventually hit some smoother trail and knew we’d soon be at the aid station. Cristi would be taking over from here.

Temperance (85) – Sawbill (90.7)

I’d been looking forward to a pancake at Temperance for quite some time. I have fond memories of a pancake at Temperance last year and I wanted to re-create it. I sat down and devoured a pancake. In hindsight, I probably should’ve had two since I don’t think my hunger totally went away.

Next up was miles with Cristi! I was excited to share time with her on my favorite section of the course. Last year, the sun was coming up right about when I was crossing Temperance. This year, that wasn’t going to happen. I was happy I was ahead but kind of sad I’d be doing my favorite section in the dark.

Cristi and I headed into Temperance and caught up. She told me about all the happenings of the day and her life. It was nice. She was also making me work pretty hard which I appreciated but also pulled back when I needed to. We made a good team. After a few miles, we passed April.

We started climbing quite a bit and I was confused. I know this section well and I do not remember this much climbing before you cross the river. The climbing got harder and harder and I kept thinking/saying “WTF is happening!!!??” Temperance is supposed to be nice and smooth and forgiving until you cross the river and climb Carlton Peak. WHY WERE WE CLIMBING SO MUCH. We weren’t off course because there were flags. The miles kept clicking by and I realized we were supposed to be less than two miles to the next aid station but we hadn’t even crossed the river! How was this possible?? And then there was a huge boulder. “THIS IS CARLTON!! ” I exclaimed. “Did we cross a river??” I asked Cristi, who said yes, we had. “And we took a left??” Another affirmative.

Apparently, we had crossed the river and for some reason it didn’t register. I do remember crossing a bridge, but it was so tiny I didn’t think it was “the” bridge. In my head, the bridge was grand – like the one in Tettegouche. But nope, this one was unassuming. And with it still dark, I got myself confused and terrified poor Cristi that we’d somehow gotten off course. Either way, it made those miles go by quickly and we were soon at Sawbill.

Sawbill (90.7) – Oberg (96.2)

A quick nutrition re-up and we were off again. I reallllly wanted to ditch my headlamp but it was juuust dark enough in the woods, that I couldn’t. I was looking forward to the next section. It’s fairly runnable and not many big climbs. It was magical for me last year and I was hoping for the same this year.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t magical but it was uneventful in a good way. Just kept moving, one foot in front of the other. I started to let myself think about placing second but knew I was no where near having it in the bag. A lot can happen in 13 miles.

One thing that was noticeable about this section and the last is we saw NO ONE except for April.

We saw the “Oberg Parking Lot” sign and I stupidly thought we were much closer than we were (you’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you?!). Finally, we hit the final aid station. Michele would join us for the last section.

Oberg (96.2) – Finish (103.3)

I joyfully took off my headlamp, grabbed some food, and started walking toward the trail head. I remember coming into the aid station and thinking I was going to find some food that would make me happy and put a pep in my step, but nothing really did the trick. Ross was tailing us a bit and said to Cristi and Michele, “Have you told her yet?” And they replied no. I asked what they were talking about and Ross said it was good and really exciting stuff. Like any normal human, I told them they must tell me now.

And then they told me I was in first.

My eyes got big. “What do you mean?!” I yelled.

They explained that Mallory had dropped at mile 77 and April and I had been going back and forth for 1st and 2nd since then, not 2nd and 3rd like I thought. They decided not to tell me so I could continue running my own race and until it made sense to tell me. I think they did the right thing because that news put a fire under my ass like nothing else could. I wondered what had happened to Mallory but no one knew. I hoped it wasn’t anything serious.

I ran terrified that last section, knowing that if April got a second wind and I slowed down at all, she could very easily catch me. And I had no clue what was happening behind April. Were there any women close to her? Did Gretchen figure out her stomach? I probably looked behind me every two minutes, with Cristi continuing to remind me that she was keeping an eye out and that no one was close. I could not and would not believe it.

We climbed Moose Mountain, a steeeeeep, short climb, breathing hard and with our hands on our knees. I worked hard and tried to keep moving as fast as I could. We then climbed Mystery Mountain, a long, gradual climb. I tried hard to run the easier uphills but had a tough time running anything that wasn’t flat or down. I tried hard to hike with purpose. I also tried hard not to be a baby on the downs. I remember last year just kind of tip-toeing downhill and down boulders and rocks. I knew it wouldn’t feel good to jump off a rock or whatever, but it also wasn’t going to hurt anything.

We knew when we got to the campsite, we’d be a mile away. Not surprisingly, it took what felt like a long time to get to that campsite and we let out a big wooooop when we finally did.

We eventually hit a muddy road, something I wasn’t expecting. I hadn’t seen this in previous years but it didn’t take long for a bridge to come into view – the bridge that gives you your first glimpse of the finish and you know it’s essentially downhill from there.

I finally let myself think about winning Superior 100. I couldn’t really process it. We hit the pavement and I took one last look behind me. Cristi told me there was no one there and that I was going to win.

I let the downhill and the excitement carry my body and I took a right when the arrow told me to. Michele was hilariously yelling “Here comes Kelly!!!” I hit the grass and ran by the pool and then I crossed the finish line in 25:23:19. First female and 12th overall.

A week later and it’s still surreal.

After, we sat by the fire and waited for April and Mike to come in. April came in a little less than an hour after me and Mike was just under 26 hours. I’m so thankful to share this experience with both of them.

I spent the afternoon and evening cheering in my fellow runners (with a shower, and a nap or two intermixed in there). I saw Josh finish, who had a great race. And then Gretchen finished soon after! What a baller. Both April and Gretchen were so, so gracious and happy for me. It was incredibly heart-warming and made me feel so lucky to know them both.

It was a big party after the race and I soaked in the energy and the people and the experience. Thank you to John Storkamp and Rocksteady Running for another Superior I’ll never forget. And to the the volunteers: we literally couldn’t run these types of races without you. Thank you for being out there and making the runners’ experiences unforgettable.

And to my crew – THANK YOU!!! I wouldn’t have been able to execute this race without my crew. They kept me happy, fed, and moving. I am forever grateful for their time, energy, and support.

I want to thank Mallory Richard. She shared why she dropped at Superior on her blog and it is heartbreaking to read but incredibly brave and selfless of her to share with us what happened. Please take a few minutes to read this. And if you take anything away from her story, I urge you to refrain from commenting on peoples’ bodies. Even if you think if you’re giving someone a compliment, you don’t know what demons they’ve faced in the past or they are facing and how that person might interpret your comment. Mallory, you are both a badass and a kind, generous human – the most inspiring kind.

And finally, thanks to everyone who tracked my race, sent me messages/notes, etc. Your support means so much and I appreciate every single text, FB message/comment, email, etc. The support I received after the race was overwhelming and made me feel real lucky to have so many awesome people in my life. And it just goes to show that running ultras is anything but a solo venture.

 

Ice Age 50 2019

Ice Age is the race that made me an ultrarunner in 2013 and a race I love to go back to. This was my fourth time back, and third time running the 50-miler. I PR’d last year in 8:20 (you can read that race report here) and was hoping to PR again in 2019. My spring was very busy and left little room for the “extra” stuff that I feel like elevates training  (strength, nutrition, sleep). But the training runs were there, I felt like my fitness was in a pretty decent place, and the weather and trail conditions were shaping up to be nearly perfect. Also, I know the course pretty well now and feel like that is such an advantage.

Although I PR’d by nearly 25 minute last year, I didn’t really have a great feeling race. I think I went out too fast and the last ten or so miles were pretty unpleasant, both mentally and physically. I had been in third all day and was passed at mile 40, which was pretty demoralizing. I was hoping to be a bit smarter this year. I made a plan to run by feel and hopefully, if it was in the cards, I’d have another PR at one of my favorite races.

I was super excited to not only run Ice Age again, but go with a bunch of friends. We had five women running Ice Age; some running their first trail race, going for PRs, or running their first ultra. We decided to rent a house and make a weekend out of it. No matter what happened on the trails, I knew it would be a fun weekend with trail sisters.

Ross and my parents were once again going to crew me. They’ve done this enough that I barely have to give them instruction. And Ice Age is a pretty easy race to crew so that’s always helpful.

The 50-milers started at 6:00am and while my trail sisters weren’t there (their races started later), there were still plenty of friends to see, which is one of my favorite things about Ice Age. After a few announcements, we were off!

Start to Hwy 12 (mile 17)

The first 11 miles are pretty gentle and runnable, definitely a lot of rollers but pretty flat compared to the rest of the course. Looking at splits compared to last year, I took the first 11 miles a tish easier than last year. I didn’t necessarily plan that but was just trying to listen to my legs. A few women passed me in this section, including two who I realllllly wanted to run and chat with but knew deep down I should just keep running my pace.

Enjoying flat, beautiful miles.  PC: Mile 90 Photography.

I came through the first loop at the start/finish area and was told I was ninth. I knew there were several women in front of me but didn’t realize there were eight of ’em! At this point last year, I was in third and I tried not to let that fact impact my running. I figured if I had a good day, I’d pass some OR I’d just get beat by a bunch of women who are faster than me (even if I did have a good day). While placing high is nice, it’s also something that I can’t really control most of the time so I try not to let that get to me. Don’t get me wrong – I think I am a competitive person but I usually don’t try to “race” until the second half or last third of the race (and sometimes not at all).

Anyways, after the easy-ish 11 miles and some chatty miles with a few new friends, we entered single track. The last time I ran these trails was in March for a training run and the section seemed really hard. I think the trail was a little soft and muddy and just sucked the energy out of my legs. I also remember it feeling challenging in 2018. But today felt great. I got through the single track and and made my way to some nice runnable trails along a few lakes. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I got to the Hwy 12 aid station. Soon, I heard traffic and popped out to the parking lot and aid station.

I try to be really efficient in aid stations and was in and out pretty quick and on my way to Race Lake.

Hwy 12 (mile 15) to Hwy 12 (mile 26)

The section out to Rice Lake has some technical sections and was fairly uneventful. This is the first out and back section, which is fun because you start seeing the fast folks and you get to see where you are in the line up. I saw a few friends and cheered them on. I was running with a guy who told me he thought I was in fifth, which seemed unlikely considering I hadn’t passed any women unless I did at the aid station and didn’t know it. We started counting and sure enough, by the time we got to the aid station, I was in ninth, but I wasn’t far behind a few.

Coming into Rice Lake. PC: Mile 90 Photography

I ran into the aid station and went right out, noticing I passed at least one lady at the aid station but I must’ve passed two. I was feeling pretty good and knew soon I’d be at the half way point.  I was thinking I’d hit the half way point right around four hours, which I did. I started daydreaming of an 8:00 hour finishing time and then quickly realized how unlikely that was, even if I was having a great day since the second half of the race has more climb. It was right around here that I changed the display of my watch so it was only the time rather than pace and splits.  I can get pretty negative in my head when I see splits slower than I think they feel (which happened at Ice Age last year) and just decided to nip that in the bud and truly focus on feel. I made my way back to Hwy 12 and the only thing notable was a fairly comical fall.

Hwy 12 (mile 26) to Emma Carlin (mile 40)

I got to Hwy 12 and actually had to wait for traffic for about 20-30 seconds which happens. I rolled into the aid station, grabbed some gels and a swig of coke. I left the aid station just a few seconds behind another woman, Holly, who I wanted to run with early on, and ran with her for a bit. She had to go to the bathroom and we parted ways. I think I was in sixth at this time.

Holy cow, knowing the course was SO helpful. Just being able to mentally prepare for what was ahead and strategize is such an advantage. A few miles later, I caught up the other gal I wanted to run with, Kelly. I ran with her a bit and we talked races. We’re both running Superior 100 this September so it was fun to connect about that. I got ahead at the next aid station, around mile 30. I was feeling pretty strong and motivated. Once I got to mile 35ish, I was feeling so good and my head was in such a good place. At one time, I thought “Wow, I only have about a half marathon left”, which is a total 180 from last year when I was struggling haaard. Volunteers were telling me how strong which was another boost (and could’ve been a big ol’ lie they tell everyone 😉 ).

I felt like I was running pretty strong and was nervous that was going to bite me in the butt the last ten miles but just kept running by feel. As I got closer to mile 40 aid station, my friend Jeff saw me (who ran Ice Age in eight hours on a training run!) and seemed pretty surprised to see me so close to him. As I got closer, I saw two women heading my direction and realized I had closed the gap between us considerably (1 and 2 were waay ahead of me).

Emma Carlin (mile 40) to the finish

I got in and and out quick, determined to catch at least one female. After a few miles, I finally caught sight of fourth. We were in the section of the course that had some pretty decent climbs, which is not my strong suit. She said I looked a lot better than she felt as I passed her. I think me passing her gave her the motivation she needed to kick into gear because on the next climb she passed me right back – and then effin took off!! This was probably mile 45 or so, and my legs were definitely tired. I could still click off decent miles on the downs and flats but those climbs were just killing me and the last ten miles are not flat. I just could not keep up with her. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve tried harder. When she demolished me on the hills, I thought “DAMN, there she goes!” and I wish I would’ve thought “DAMN, maybe I can do that, too!” and tried to hang on. But I didn’t. Maybe next time. I continued on with my race, thinking maybe I’d catch her but I never saw her until the finish line.

Enjoying the downs (after slogging up an up). PC: Mile 90 Photography.

By this point, I thought a PR could happen but it still wasn’t inevitable. I was hoping my watch was off by a bit in mileage and I’d get a little cushion but realized that was not going to happen (darn accurate watches!!). The last 1.5 miles are flat until the last little section to the finish line. Last year, I feel like I kinda phoned it in so was prepared to finish as strong as I could. About half mile or so out from the finish, in a wide open prairie section, I caught sight of a blue shirt and realized it was the woman who was in third all day. I turned up my headphones and tried to reel her in. I saw her start to walk a shorter climb and knew if she kept that up, I could catch up. Then I saw her turn around and see me and she took off. I still tried as hard as I could but she beat me by about 30 seconds.

PC: Mile 90 Photography

I crossed the finish line in 8:19:43 in fifth place. Last year, I ran 8:20:36. So not even a one minute PR and really isn’t much of anything in the context of 50 miles. I was hoping closer to 8:15. But even though though my time was essentially the same, the way I felt and the way I executed the race was like night and day. I felt strong all day, I stayed positive, and ran my own race. I’m pretty happy with my race this year.

And what made the race even better? Celebrating and supporting my friends. We hung out at the finish line/post race party for a few hours, cheering friends in and celebrating PRs and new race distances. Not to to mention, Ice Age does a great job with their post race party so it’s a place you actually want to stick around after you’re done.

Trail Sisters with newly minted PRs, new distances, and first trail races.

It’s hard to imagine not running this race since it’s been such a big part of my race calendar the past few years. I really do love this race – it’s a super fun reunion with ultra friends and a great introduction for new trail runners to experience what the trail/ultra scene is all about. Huge thanks to the Ice Age RD Jeff Mallach and the volunteers for making the Ice Age experience one of the best.

A few other thank you’s: my coach, Matt Flaherty, who’s helped me become not only a faster runner, but a smarter runner. And of course, THANK YOU to Ross and my parents, sacrificing ANOTHER day to cheer me on and hand me gels.

 

 

 

Superior 100

Last year one of my buddies sent me a random message saying he was throwing his name into the Superior 50 lottery and inviting me to do the same. What the hell? I thought and in the lottery my name went – and then pulled out.

Superior 50 went better then I could’ve ever hoped. I had a steady day and a strong finish. I ended up first female and ninth overall, which certainly added to the experience, but it was the race itself – the volunteers, the other runners, the meticulous detail from the RD to give us the best experience possible, and of course, the Superior Hiking Trail – that made the race memorable.

As I was thinking about 2018 races, I kept coming back to Superior 100. It’s been bucket list race for awhile and  I always vowed to sign up after I was more experienced and had a few tougher 100s under my belt. For those who aren’t familiar, Superior is a pretty tough race – 103.3 miles, 21,000 ft of climb and a very technical trail (meaning lots of roots and rocks). I realized I could always make up arbitrary rules to determine when it was the “right” time to run a race.  It didn’t take long to convince myself it was the right time run Superior 100, regardless of my “rules.”

My training went well and if anything, I went in feeling a tish undertrained. I dealt with a minor hip flexor issue about a month leading up to the race and was a little cautious with my training but overall, I felt my fitness was in a good place. My coach, Matt Flaherty, helped improve my running drastically the past 18 months and I trusted his training plan. I was more concerned about my mental game. I switched jobs in June and while my new gig is a dream job scenario for me, I was putting in a lot of hours and things were slipping from my training: strength/core work was lacking, I wasn’t doing a good job stretching and rolling, and my nutrition wasn’t great. I was worried all these little things might come to bite me – whether I wasn’t mentally in it or my hip flexor would flare up or my hamstrings would blow up from neglecting my strength work (gotta keep those glutes activated!). Anyways, I went into the race thinking if I had a good day, I’d come in around 26-27 hours (I have no clue why I chose this, by the way) but was anticipating a tough race. I didn’t have time goals, just to have a steady, fun day.

The weather was shaping up to be nearly perfect and I had a top notch crew ready to roll. My crew consisted of my boyfriend,  Ross (who hasn’t missed any of my 100s); best running friend, Julie; Julie’s wife and my good friend, Romy; and Katie, my best friend from high school who was going to join the fun Friday afternoon. I was grateful for the support of this kickass group.

The pre-race meeting was where it all sunk in – that I was actually going to run Superior 100, a race that both scared and excited the hell out of me. The energy at the meeting was through the roof and I soaked it all in. I saw lots of familiar faces and friends I’ve met on the trail at other northern MN races. It was like a big family reunion.

Pre-race photo. Photo credit: Ian Corless

We headed back to the hotel to settle in for the night and get a good night’s sleep.

The race started at 8:00am which was by far the latest I’ve started a 100-miler. It was pretty nice to “sleep in” until 5 or so. Luckily, I fell asleep easily and slept the whole night.

Ross and I stayed in Lutsen (the finish) so we had about an hour drive to the start. The drive was pleasant and the sunrise above Lake Superior was lovely. I remember thinking that I’d see that same sunrise in 24 hours while on the trail.

Start – Beaver Bay (Mile 20)

After milling around the start at Gooseberry Falls State Park for awhile, chatting with folks and getting jazzed for the journey ahead of us, we were herded to the start line. John Storkamp, the race director, gave us a few pre-race words of wisdom and sent us on our way. The first 4ish miles are on the Gitchi Gami Bike Trail along Lake Superior. I settled into a comfortable pace and tried to be grateful for a few miles of looking around rather than staring at the trail. I kept checking my watch to make sure I wasn’t going too fast but essentially just let my legs do what they wanted. I chatted with a gal for while – her name was Tami and I met her at the pre-race meeting the night before. It didn’t take long before the trail led us underneath the highway adjacent to our left and up to the Superior Hiking Trail, our home for the next ~100 miles.

 

My plan for the day was to run comfortable, steady, and strong. I did not let pace dictate my actions all day. I ran by feel and I think most would say that’s the only way to run Superior. I found myself behind a line of 7-8 runners and decided to stay put for awhile. I eventually tried to get around after 10 or so minutes, which isn’t easy to do on single track. I made my way up and soon we ended up at the only river crossing of the day. I decided to charge in. A volunteer told us it was slippery but no one had fallen yet. No later than five seconds went by aaaand down I went. I jokingly blamed the photographer for distracting me and am pretty sure the photo below is evidence of me “yelling” at Todd, the photographer.

I crossed the river and knew we’d run along the river the opposite way for awhile. I was lucky enough to spend four days in July training on the first half of the course (since I knew the second half from running Superior 50 in 2017) and it was really nice knowing what was ahead. There isn’t any better training for a race like Superior than training on the course.

We eventually came to the first aid station and made our way down a little spur trail to a parking lot. This is one of the very few times you see anyone in front of you. I saw a few women, including Mallory Richard who would go on to demolish her own course record and place 5th overall. I didn’t see two of the other speedy women, Ashley Nordell and Gretchen Metsa, so knew they were ahead. I didn’t need anything from the aid station so turned around and headed right back up the hill I just came down.

There was a volunteer at the top of the hill who jokingly asked what took me so long. I laughed and told him it was early enough so I would allow his jokes. I don’t know who he was but I have a feeling he’s been part of the Superior family for a long time.

I made my way back on the Superior Hiking Trail and eventually found myself running with a few guys, Mike and Jeremy. I really enjoyed talking with them and the miles clicked by quickly. We caught our first glimpses of Lake Superior and took it all in. Both Mike and Jeremy are seasoned ultrarunners and we spent several miles talking races. I was glancing at my paces and was a little surprised how quick some of them were (for Superior, anyway!) – and realizing that I may come into the aid station way ahead of schedule. I also didn’t factor in four miles of bike trail into my predicted times for my crew. Oops.

Happy! Photo credit: Tone Coughlin

I made it to Beaver Bay and was so excited for a full on aid station with crew access. Not only to see my crew but the energy is usually SO GOOD with so many people hanging around. I ran in and I was blown away by the response – EVERYONE started cheering. Usually people at aid stations are supportive but I had never had so much fanfare. I felt so supported! I glanced around and didn’t see Ross, Julie, or Romy. A volunteer filled up my bladder while I kept scanning the crowd. They weren’t there but I also knew I had everything I needed and the next aid station was only five miles. I just figured it would be that much sweeter when I saw them next. As I left the aid station, everyone started cheering again. It was the best.

Feeling like a celeb at Beaver Bay.

Beaver Bay (mile 20) – Silver Bay (mile 25)

Jeremy and I joined up again and started running together. I was looking forward to the next section – a delightful stretch that runs along a pleasant, babbling river. It’s pretty rooty but still fairly runnable. Soon we were off that trail and ran a very tiny amount of bike path before we hit single track again. I remember this section being pretty rocky and my memory was correct. Soon we were climbing and popping in and out of ridge lines. While the temperatures were quite perfect, it was starting to get a little warm in the exposed areas.

Just a photo of the stunning Lake Superior and a girl who can’t stand up straight. Photo credit: Ian Corless

All of the sudden, I came across Gretchen sitting on the trail. Uh oh. I met Gretchen a few years ago when she kicked my butt at Wild Duluth 100k. I’d seen her at several races since then – she is a very strong runner (she won Superior 100 last year) and just an all around great person. I stopped and checked in on her. She said she felt like she had the flu and her legs were a little wobbly. I knew the aid station was just a few miles away and since she didn’t look delirious, I decided to get to the aid station so I could let volunteers and her crew know what was going on.

Soon I was at the Silver Bay aid station. I was super excited to (hopefully) see my crew for the first time! I’d been running for about five hours at this point. I came into the aid station and there was Julie waving my bottles around. Yay! I let them know I was feeling good and running comfortably after they told me I was way ahead of schedule.

I can’t tell from this picture, but I think I was happy to see my crew.

I also let Gretchen’s husband know Gretchen wasn’t far behind and that she wasn’t doing well. I would find out later that she dropped at mile 50. Side note: Gretchen was at the finish line when I finished and was one of the first to congratulate me. I think it’s pretty damn awesome she came to the finish to support her fellow runners after a DNF.

Silver Bay (mile 25) – Tettegouche (34.9)

Seeing my crew gave me a little pep in my step and I was feeling good. I knew some tough sections were ahead – the climb to overlooks of Bean and Bear Lake and the climb up Mount Trudee. The climb up to Bean and Bear Lake is pretty rocky and I kept thinking the reward would be the spectacular views over the lakes – definitely one of the best views on the course. I made it to the top and took a moment to appreciate the view and my body for getting me there. I knew coming down off the overlook was still rocky so I wouldn’t be making up any time on the downhill. And then the climb up Mount Trudee was soon after, which also provided more breathtaking views. A photographer was at the top to capture the moment. I’ll take a minute here to say Superior provided the best race photos I’ve ever had, hands down. There were photographers all over the course and I’m grateful they captured some very magical moments during my race.

On top of Mount Trudee. Photo credit: Cole Peyton

I knew I’d soon enter Tettegouche State Park and see my crew again. I was pumped to run into the park on buffed out trails and see my people. The aid station was located on a little service road that intersects with the SHT. I saw my crew and let them know I was getting pretty warm. I put some ice in all the places and knew it was at a point in the day where the temperatures would slowly begin to drop.

Tettegouche (34.9) – Country Rd 6 (43.5)

After leaving the aid station, I looked forward to running through Tettegouche and across the Baptism River. As I approached the river, trails were replaced with wooden stairs and soon I was on a bridge running across the Baptism. This is one of my favorite rivers. We’ve stayed in two cabins that are right along this river and brings back very good memories of summer vacations spent tucked away in the woods and spending mornings running the SHT. Soon I was climbing and then descending back down to Hwy 1. After I crossed the road, I prepared to climb up to Section 13, a popular spot with rock climbers. If you know this race or the SHT, you’ll know I wasn’t quite remembering the trail correctly.  Section 13 was after County Rd 6, but either way, I thought I was climbing up to Section 13. I was by myself for most of this section and was feeling a little lonely. I decided to pick up my iPod at the next section since the earliest I could pick up a pacer was mile 51.

Photo credit: Markman Outdoor Photography

My legs were feeling good and I tried to get past the low spot. I thought of Mollie Tibbits, a young woman and University of Iowa student who was murdered while running country roads near her house in rural Iowa a few months prior. Her death impacted many, including me. After her death, many conversations revolved around women running alone and if it was safe. I thought of how she died doing something we both loved and dedicated my miles to Mollie. I thought of my vow to never let the act of one man dictate how I felt about running and how running made me feel.

I eventually found myself descending once again and thought I heard the faint sound of cars and hoped I was getting close to the next aid station. Luckily, my ears weren’t deceiving me (yet) and I eventually popped out on a road and ran to the aid station, feeling relieved and happy to see my favorite people again. I let them know that physically I was feeling good, just a little lonely. I grabbed my iPod and headlamp to be safe, more gels and blocks, and reapplied lube (side note: I did not get ANY chafing!). Julie and Ross did a great job of monitoring hot spots. Ross asked if I wanted a pacer the next aid station and I told him to be ready, just in case. I went to the bathroom and then off I went.

Country Rd 6 (43.5)- Finland (51.2)

This is when I actually climbed to Section 13. My mood was better after seeing my crew and I started enjoying myself again. I’m not sure exactly when this happened, but the trail got real technical – essentially just sharp rocks just waiting to twist ankles. I caught up with a guy and he said, “Someone told me this section was runnable!” And we both agreed that person was crazy. The trail eventually smoothed out a bit and I continued to run with my new friend, Ben. Ben and I settled into a fairly steady pace and good conversation. We realized we were moving pretty well and figured this is what the crazy person was referring to when they said the section was runnable. We were making good time and miles were flying by. I felt smooth.

Section 13. Photo credit: Tone Coughlin

Ben and I realized we had run both Superior 50 last fall and Ice Age 50 earlier in the spring. And after awhile, Ben realized we only finished two minutes apart at Ice Age. We chatted about trails, road running, and track and field. He was a really fast road guy (and still is) and I loved hearing about his transition into trail and ultra running and his previous life on the roads and track.

He told me he thought I was in third place, which was the first I had any idea. I thought I was maybe in the top five but it’s so hard to know and I usually don’t inquire until the second half of my races to ensure I’m running my own race.

I told Ben I had the option to pick up a pacer at mile 50 but if he was ok with it, I’d just keep running with him and hold off on picking up a pacer until mile 61. Luckily, he was totally down with that idea.

We eventually saw a few runners coming toward us, meaning we were getting very close to an aid station. We popped out of the trail and saw the aid station ahead of us. I saw my crew, which now included Katie, my best friend from high school. I ran into the aid station with a huge smile on my face and gave Katie a hug. I was feeling happy and seeing four of my favorite people just made me feel that much better.

Lubin’ up!!

I spent some time here taking in calories. I asked my crew if I was actually in third place and they said yes, but that fourth was only about six minutes behind me. I also asked about Mallory Richard and Ashley Nordell, the two favorites. Mallory has won the race several times and has the course record, while Ashley is a badass from Oregon who has dozens of wins to her name. They told me they were pretty much neck and neck. Exciting!! Knowing fourth was close behind, I was antsy to skidaddle. I looked for Ben to see if he was ready to go. He demolished a sandwich (Jimmy Johns, I think?) and we headed out. As we were leaving, I saw fourth place coming in and recognized her from earlier in the race. I had passed her around mile 20 or so and she seemed like a very solid runner. I gave her kudos and wondered if I’d be chased the next 50 miles.

Finland (51.2) –  Sonju Lake Road (58.9)

It didn’t take long to have to turn on our headlamps. It seemed so early in the race to turn on my headlamp because my other 100s had started either very early and/or they were in the early summer, which came with an abundance of daylight. Ben and continued to chat about everything and nothing. We talked about last year’s Superior 50 since we were now on the course and tried to recall upcoming sections.

After about five miles or so, I realized I didn’t hear footsteps behind me or see Ben’s light from his headlamp. I stopped and turned around and didn’t see anything. I was bummed to lose my running friend but it’s usually inevitable that this happens at some point. I put in my earbuds and sang to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” on repeat (highly recommend). I kept trucking (and singing), feeling good about how my body and mind were holding up, and generally just enjoying doing one of my favorite things.

I came up to the Sonju Lake Road aid station and if I remember correctly, was manned by the Superior Hiking Trail Association. As I was scanning the buffet, Mike came into the aid station, too. We greeted each other and I was hoping we’d continue on together but I was ready to roll and I saw him zoning in on the food options so just decided to continue on.

Sonju Lake Road (58.9) – Crosby Manitou (62.9)

I just had a few miles until Crosby Manitou and spent much of the next four miles replaying Superior 50 in my head and trying to remember the course in the daylight. I think I ran with a guy here for a few miles and we talked about ultrarunning greats and performances. I don’t think I ran with him for very long before I found myself alone again.

I eventually popped out of the trail onto a gravel road and knew I was heading into Crosby Manitou State Park and the aid station. The aid station was farther back into the state park than I remember – maybe a half mile. It felt good to just run and not worry so much about tripping. It was also a good opportunity to check in on how opening up a bit felt – and it felt pretty good. Or at least it didn’t feel terrible.

Soon I saw lights and my crew. Ross would be running with me for the next section and I was ready for some company. I greeted my people and checked in. I changed my shirt because it was wet from sweat and with it getting chillier, I thought it would be nice to have a dry shirt. I found out later that it got down to the low 40s overnight but I never had on more than a tank top. I remember my hands getting a little cold after leaving aid station, but they’d always warm up after a mile or so of running.

Crosby Manitou (62.9) – Sugarloaf (72.3)

Ross and I headed out for the next 10 miles. We were both familiar with this section because two summers ago we came out to run at Crosby Manitou and had a pretty miserable experience – it was super hot, the trail was (and is) difficult, there was some seriously muddy sections (like my leg got sucked in past my knee type of mud), and I was attacked by what I dubbed an “evil trail chicken” (which we found out was a grouse). I had made up with the section at Superior 50 last year but was still prepared to suffer.

It didn’t take long before we were climbing up and down boulders and clocking super speedy 20 minute miles (some slower). We eventually made it to the Manitou River and once we crossed, started a very steep climb that I had somehow forgot was coming. The climb was tough and felt like it would never end at times, but of course it did. I think we had a bit more technical running and then it smoothed out a bit. Last year, this section was really muddy and while there was a bit of mud this year, nothing compared to 2017. I was feeling pretty grateful for the terrific course conditions.

Ross mostly stayed ahead of me, pulling me a long. I am pretty grateful I have a partner who supports my dumb hobby 100%. He’s paced and crewed me at every 100 and not to mention, never bats an eye when I put in long training hours on the weekends.

While it was a very slow ten miles with Ross, the time went by fairly quick. All of the sudden, we were at Sugarloaf where my friend, Julie, would take over pacing duties until the end. A nice round 50k for Julie – what a pal.

I think I’m trying to confirm upcoming climbs using my handy dandy spreadsheet.

Sugarloaf (72.3)- Cramer Road (77.9)

I was really excited to run with Julie. She’s been my best running friend for a long time but doesn’t live in Iowa City anymore so we share less miles than we used to –  we had lost time to make up! I was also excited to run with Julie because she’d never run the SHT and was looking forward to finally showing off my favorite trail. We caught up about jobs, training, and life. It was good to be back out on the trails with Julie. I don’t remember much – just that the miles went by fast and I was content.

This section is one of the shorter ones, just five miles. When we got to the Cramer Road aid station, we looked around and didn’t see the crew. I ate some fruit and refilled water and we left, thinking they’d either fallen asleep or got lost. No worries either way – I didn’t need anything and Julie was there for support. We told the volunteers that if they did make it to the aid station that I had left. I actually think there was some confusion here about if I checked in or not at this aid station, and it may have even been reported I dropped – whatever happened, it all got squared away.

Cramer Rd (77.9) – Temperence (85)

Julie and I were off again. She’s paced me before so she knows what works – and eventually she started pulling a little bit ahead of me to pull me along and make me work, but not too much. It worked. I felt like I was working toward something and moving better. This section is a bit of a black hole but I do know I was really looking forward to Temperence. I remember absolutely loving that section last year – the trail is really runnable and there’s a slight downhill grade, making the miles feel smooth and easy. I knew it wouldn’t feel quiiiiite as nice since I’d be at mile 85 instead of 35, but I was looking forward to it, nonetheless.

I rolled up to Temperence and there was my lovely crew, looking quite sheepish for missing the last aid station. We, of course, told them not to worry and that we were doing just fine. We hadn’t seen them in 14ish miles so it was good be around their energy for a few minutes.

I don’t eat much “real” food during 100s – mostly just gels, blocks, and fruit. The real food doesn’t usually sound good. A volunteer was listing off items and I was politely turning him down. Then he said “pancakes” and it sounded like the most glorious idea I’d ever heard. I sat down and devoured the best pancake I’d ever had.

My crew got us up to speed on the women’s race – Mallory had passed Ashley and was putting some decent time between the two of them. Apparently, Ashley had spent some time at the aid station we were at and I jokingly yelled “let’s get her!” knowing she was hours ahead and it was quite impossible to catch, unless I was given a new pair of legs. It felt good to joke around and laugh at mile 85.

If you’re feeling good, mile 85 is when the finish feels tangible.

Temperence (85) – Sawbill (90.7)

Off we went and next up was Temperance! It took a few miles but we eventually made it some nice smooth trail. We could hear the river next to us and it was starting to get lighter.  I knew once we crossed the river, we’d have a mile or so before climbing Carlton Peak. I think it was right before this climb when we finally were able to turn our headlamps off. I also think it was right around here when I started hearing footsteps behind me. I don’t hallucinate visually, but it seems I have auditory hallucinations from time to time during 100s. I kept looking behind me, expecting to see someone but it was just my ears playing tricks on me.

Oooh doggies, Carlton Peak was bruutal. It’s very steep and once you get closer to the top, there are some fun boulders to hoist your weary body up – because we can’t make it too easy, can we? I grumbled about how I better get a freaking amazing sunrise out of the deal.

Once we climbed Carlton Peak, we saw glimpses of Lake Superior and the sunrise making it’s way up to greet us. I remembered how 24 hours ago, I was driving to Gooseberry Falls with Ross, thinking about what the next sunrise would look like and how I would feel. Luckily, the sunrise was beautiful and while I was tired, I was feeling pretty darn good.

We started making our way down and my technical trail running skills were nearly gone by this point. I felt like a snail. All of the sudden, this dude comes up behind us, just happy as clam and looking smooth as he passed us. He said he took a little nap and the nap, along with the sun coming up, had put a pep in his step. I was envious for his pep but he was just so nice that I couldn’t be mad at him.

We got to Sawbill and was very ready to hand off my headlamp. I felt lighter and was ready to tackle the remaining half marathon. We got what we needed and took off.

Stretching the quads and Ruby’s butt.

Sawbill (90.7) – Oberg (96.2)

This next section was honestly probably one of my favorites. The trail was more runnable and the climbs were minimal.  I felt like we were getting into a good rhythm. At some point, a guy named Greg caught up to us. I had run with him and Mike for a little bit earlier in the race.  Greg tucked in behind us and joined our rhythm. Every once in awhile he’d hoot and holler and I knew exactly why – we were cruising, feeling good, and were close to the finish. And it was just icing on the cake that we were able to share the miles with someone going through the exact same thing.

We came into Oberg, the last aid station. Aaah, it was so real! Katie was going to join us the last seven miles and I was looking forward to having my best friend of 16 years pacing me to the finish.

Trail Sisters Katie and Julie – and me unintentionally looking cool as a mf’in cucumber.

Oberg (96.2) – Finish

Greg got out a little quicker than us and in hindsight, I wish I would’ve tried to keep up with him and hang on to the momentum from the last section. But I just didn’t it have in me. That pep I had the last six miles was gone. I wonder if it’s because I knew the next section would be nothing like the last – two big climbs were waiting for me: the infamous Moose Mountain and Mystery Mountain. Either way, he was soon long gone (and would end up putting 20 minutes on me! Go Greg!).

Julie made her way to her normal pacing spot in front and Katie hung back with me. I think Katie felt like she didn’t know what to do but she was the perfect pacer. She talked about life, cats, Harry Potter, fall, and whatever else crossed her mind. It was just what I needed to distract me while climbing Moose Mountain. This is a very steep climb with no relief from switchbacks. We were passed by two runners and their pacers – two runners who I had played leap frog with all day long. We would continue to leap frog with them for the next few miles which is probably not uncommon in the last 6 miles of a 100. For many, energy and extreme tiredness come in waves, making it nearly impossible to hold a steady pace.

I was waiting for Mystery Mountain, a much more gradual climb than Moose. I knew once I reached the top, it was essentially downhill (for real) from there. The climb didn’t feel as bad as Cartlon Peak and Moose Mountain, the slight incline rather than straight up helped but it felt like it took forever.

We got to the top and soon after, Julie re-joined us. My mood changed – I knew we were close and  I was so happy to have two of my favorite women running by my side. I was over 100 miles by this point and could taste the finish. I kept talking about crossing a bridge – once we crossed the bridge, we’d be SO CLOSE. And then there it was – everyone’s favorite bridge. We could see the hotel when we crossed. I COULD LITERALLY SEE THE FINISH.

We took a right and soon hit pavement. It was jarring on my feet. I let gravity guide me down the hill and could feel my legs picking up speed. I saw Ross right before I turned into the path that led me behind the hotel and to the finish line. And then, I was done. 26 hours and 31 minutes. 3rd female and 19th overall.

Maybe one of my favorites. Photo credit: Mike Wheeler.

Done! Photo credit: Mike Wheeler

Lots of hugs followed and then I drank the most delicious lemonade I’ve ever consumed. Just six minutes later, Mike finished with this kids hand in hand. I was so happy I got to see his finish.

Gosh, I love these people.

I’ve been trying to process this race for three weeks now. Like many, this race is not just a race to me – it encompasses everything I love about ultrarunning: A tough, stunning course that challenges you both physically and mentally; a well-run, extremely organized race that takes care of not just the runners, but the volunteers and everyone involved; and of course, the people. The volunteers were amazing and I met so many awesome people on the course. And not to mention, having Julie, Romy, Katie, and Ross out there gave me an incredible feeling of support. Thank you to everyone who makes this race happen.

As for my race, I am really happy how everything turned out. I was expecting the worst and can honestly say it may be one of my best races. I was told at the first checkpoint I was in 46th place and over the next 95 miles, I made my way up to 19th. I’m pretty proud of that.

A day after the race, Mike sent me a message “See you next year?” I laughed when I saw it but knew that the answer was probably yes.

All for a buckle.

Ice Age 50

First off, Ice Age is a great race. It was my first 50k and ultra in 2013 and since then, I’ve been back twice. I ran the 50-miler in 2015 in preparation for Burning River 100 and again in 2018 as an “A” race. The trails themselves make this an awesome race, but the race director (Jeff Mallach), the volunteers, and post-race party bring it to another level. It’s really like a big party with all your trail friends.

The course is essentially a loop, and then two out-and-backs, meaning you get to see lots of people throughout. I really like this aspect – you get to cheer on friends and see the top runners (which is also helpful if you’re watching placement). And not to mention seeing friendly faces can be really helpful if you’re in a low spot. The course is deceptively hard, I think. Not a lot of long climbs or descents, just CONSTANT up and downs.

I had a pretty solid training cycle, kind of piggy backing on my Chuckanut 50k training. I was feeling pretty good and excited to see what my legs could do. I was hoping to PR (8:43) but really wanted to break 8:30. I thought maybe if I was having a really, really good day I could break 8:15 but thought that might be a long shot so didn’t want to get my heart set on that and then be disappointed.

It rained a whole bunch leading up to the race so the trails were a little soft with some muddy/slippery sections but overall in pretty great condition. The weather was perfect – 50s and overcast.

Ross (boyfriend) and my mom and dad were my crew, as they have been for several races. (THANKS!)

The start! Repping Team Trail Sisters!

Race start – mile 9

The first loop is on the Nordic trails and is pretty runnable. My plan was to run a bit quicker than my overall planned pace to take advantage and bank some time. I mostly hit 9:00s or a little quicker. I felt pretty good and ended up running with a guy I met at Chuckanut (in Washington state!) named Russell. I also ran a bit with my friend Jeff, who I met at Ice Age three years ago, and his friend Tom. We chit-chatted and the miles went by fairly quick. As I was heading to the mile 9 aid station, someone told me I was in third place. Hmm.. ok. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know that or not but I tried to put that in the back of my head and keep running my race.

I saw my parents at the mile 9 aid station and grabbed new water bottles and gels. I was trying really hard to take very little time at aid stations and think I was pretty successful.

The photos below show a hilarious exchange when my dad couldn’t find my gels in his huge pockets. The looks on our faces crack. me. up. Thanks to my mom for capturing this special moment between a father and daughter.

Mile 9 (start/finish area) – 17 (Hwy 12)

We had a few more miles of fairly flat running so kept the quicker pace going. After a few miles, we crossed Highway H and hit the Ice Age trail and some nice single track. I was ahead of a few guys and listened to their convo for a bit and eventually jumped in. One of the guys, Bill, had run this race several times. He knew the course well and let me know what was up ahead (even though I’ve run this race and Kettle Moraine 100 which is on a lot of the same trails, my memory sucks so the preview was helpful). We eventually caught up with Jeff and Tom, and the five of us ran together until the mile 17 aid station. They were a lot of fun and I was really enjoying myself. One funny tidbit – Bill apparently has a thing for number palindromes and he mentioned how his bib number was a palindrome (212) and I realized mine was, too – 424, double his bib number. Bill was pretty psyched about that and we all thought it was a little freaky and hopefully a good sign for the day.

We opened up a bit when we were running flatter trails by Lake La Grange. Bill said the aid station wasn’t much further.

Mile 17 (Hwy 12) – 26 (Hwy 12)

We rolled into the aid station at Hwy 12. This is the same location for an aid station at Kettle Moraine 100, except it’s mile 75 and 85. I was looking forward to running these trails on much fresher legs! I knew it was a bit more technical than the rest of the trail.

Can you spot my blue shorts?

I left and unfortunately, lost the fellas. It was four miles to Rice Lake and then four miles back. This is the first opportunity you get to see the folks in front of you coming back toward the start/finish. I was curious to see how far back I was from first and second female.

The trails were pretty rocky but they were much better than the last time I was running them at Kettle! I eventually saw first female and she was looking very strong and way ahead. Second female was a bit behind, but also looking strong. I also saw a few guys from Iowa City (Jasper and Mark) and they were looking good. I got to the Rice Lake aid station and just turned right back around. Heading back out, I’d also get to see close fourth place was to me.

It didn’t take long to see not one woman, but a string of them! It was super awesome to see but also made me a little nervous (in a good way, like a keep your butt moving kind of way).  I had a blast seeing other runners on the way back to the aid station. This is why I love out-and-back races – the good vibes are endless. I knew several people running so I always knew there was another friendly face on the way (shoutout to Tanya, Michele, and the QC-TURD(s) group!).

While climbing up a hill, I heard cars and knew I was getting closer to the aid station. I got to the top and saw the parking lot. Woop! I had a bit of a downhill and then saw my crew again.  I picked up what I needed (and FINALLY remembered to give them my gloves I had shoved in my waistband since mile three) and skidaddled.

Skiddadling (and probably eating).

Mile 26 (Hwy 12) – 40 (Emma Carlin)

I typically have a low moment right around the halfway point and sure enough, I started to get a little negative. The usual thoughts went through my head, mostly “my legs are getting tired and I’m only half way done” type of musings. I also grabbed my headphones at the last aid station and tried to zone out to the music. Sometimes the right tunes can really put a pep in my step. Usually it takes about five miles to get out of the funk but not this time. I started feeling really slow and thinking I was fading. I kept seeing my overall pace creep up higher than I wanted it to.

But then something magical happened. I came to an aid station and it said I was at mile 33. My watch wasn’t even at 32 yet. Hooray! This meant that I wasn’t going as slow as I thought AND I was on mile closer to the mile 40 aid station, where I would get to see my crew and begin the home stretch to the finish. I made a mental note to stop focusing so much on the damn watch. Running by effort is a lot smarter anyways and watches are unreliable. Not to mention, the dumb watch was the reason I was in a low spot to begin with.

Either way, I felt a lot better. As I got closer to the Emma Carlin aid station at mile 40, I started seeing the fast folks. Soon, I saw first female and she had made her way up to sixth place overall. Woohoo! I was pretty pumped for her and added to my new found joyful attitude. I saw my IC pals. Jasper was looking good. I saw Mark a little later and he told me his race was over and he’d be taking it easy on the way back.

I was getting closer and closer to the aid station (which still felt like it took forever to get to) and all of the sudden, a woman BOUNDED past me. Literally, just floated on by looking fresh as a daisy. I felt no sense of competitiveness, just “well, there goes third place.” It was a bit demoralizing. I got to the aid station and tried to be quick. I think I got out less than a minute after third place but knew there was just no way I’d catch up if she kept that pace up.

Last time I saw my crew! Probably pondering the near certainty of losing the podium.

Mile 40 – 50

Eventually, I saw fifth place heading toward Emma Carlin and felt like I had a decent amount of cushion and there was a little voice in my head saying, “you could prooobably just take it pretty easy in, if you waaaanted.” But then I got pretty annoyed with myself. just because I lost the podium doesn’t mean I should stop racing the clock. I still had goals I set out to accomplish that had nothing to do with placement. (And even though this didn’t happen, you never know what is happening in front of you and you might have a chance to pass someone.) I decided to try and run the last 10 miles as well as I could. And you know what? I started feeling a ton better.

My coach, Matt Flaherty, had sent a text the day before that had said (among other things) “be tough” and as simple as that sounds, just thinking of that concept was really helpful.  Anytime I felt like I was phoning it in, I’d challenge myself to run stronger. I’d ask myself, “Can I run stronger?” The answer was always yes.  I wasn’t hurting, I was just tired. There was no reason to lallygag. I ran every hill the last 10  miles except for the super steep ones and felt like I continued to run with purpose.

In that last ten miles, I saw lots of friends and they kept my spirits high. There was a group of runners from the Quad Cities that were all running together and it was so much fun to see them throughout the day.

I eventually got to an aid station and thought the sign said the finish was 3.5 miles out. Crap. I thought we were less than 3, maybe around 2.5. I had accidentally stopped my watch at mile 40 and it was off by over a mile to begin with, so I didn’t really know for sure how much longer to the finish. I was pretty disappointed to see I was still 3.5 miles out because that meant I was going to be REALLY close to breaking 8:30, like it might not happen if I didn’t really move. And I wasn’t sure if I COULD really move at mile 47. I ran right through the aid station and saw Mark right after. He started running with me and I asked him if hew know how much farther to the finish. He said 1.9 miles. WHAT?! Really!? I must’ve read the sign wrong! Yay! That really boosted my mood. Mark and I ran together the last few miles, which were pretty darn flat through tall, lovely pine trees. Looking back, I’m kind of mad at myself for not running stronger on that section. It was definitely doable.

Mark told me stories of past times he’d run this race and that helped the time go by pretty quick. We soon hit the trail that leads you back to the start/finish and we pushed up the hills. Not much farther. I soon saw a red Saucony flag and knew we were VERY close. And then the most beautiful sound of all – finish line cheering and the voice of the finish line announcer.

Photo credit: Jeff Karen

We both crossed the finish line in 8:20:36. For as disappointed as I got during the race, I was pretty darn happy with my finish. I found out that third place female finished in 8:05 (!!!) putting FIFTEEN MINUTES between us in the last ten miles. What a strong performance. First and second female had awesome races, too – 7:29 and 8:00.

I know at one point I was only a few minutes behind second place female so this tells me either I faded quite a bit or these gals finished really, really strong – or a bit of both. Either way, I essentially did what I wanted to do so I am pretty happy with how everything turned out. I was also able to meet first and third place females after the race and they were both super awesome and gracious (and fast!!).

I’ve said it countless times and I’ll say it again: thanks to my parents and Ross for spending a day on the trails feeding me sugar and keeping my spirits high. This sport would be so much harder without this crew.

I want to reiterate how much I love this race. There is a reason it sells out crazy fast! Thank you to everyone who makes Ice Age the great race that it is – the race director, runners, and of course, the volunteers. I’ll be back!

A post-race party is the only place where this outfit is appropriate.

 

 

No Business 100

I’ve run two 100-mile races. Both included a decent amount of research and signing up six or more months in advance. Meticulous training followed. Everything I did in the next 6-7 months was for whatever goals I had for my upcoming 100-mile race. With No Business 100, I threw that out the window. I essentially tacked the race on to the end of my season – four months after Kettle Moraine 100 and five weeks after Superior 50, both of which were ‘A’ races for me. So why do this? Well, a few reasons:

1.)  I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Yes, I know, running ultras already puts you outside of your comfort zone but I wanted to see how my body responded to running a 100-miler on my current fitness and experience – not so much from a six months training plan for that race specifically.

2.)  I raised money for Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa along the way. I’m very involved in our local Girls on the Run chapter. The organization turns 10 this fall and I wanted to celebrate in a big way.

It also helped that my coach, Matt Flaherty, responded to the idea with excitement. I value his opinion and would’ve second guessed myself if he thought it was a bad idea.

So, why No Business? Well, my friend Joshua Sun put it on my radar way back when as we were discussing fall races. It’s always been in the back of my head if and when I decided to actually go through with a fall 100. The course looked beautiful and pretty rugged, running through five public areas in both Kentucky and Tennessee. It was an inaugural race which adds another element of the unknown. No race reports to pore over or previous experiences to learn from. We were the guinea pigs essentially. I knew these guys (Ultranaut Running) put on solid races so I wasn’t nervous about organization and logistics.

A few other factors that put this out of my comfort zone:

• There were only 85 runners and the course was one big loop. This means no seeing other runners unless you pass them or you get passed. 85 runners of varying speed on a huge looped course could make for a potentially lonely day.
• The course itself looked pretty tough. Technical, remote, and hilly. Add leaf cover and you’re dealing with some pretty treacherous terrain at times. I should also mention both my 100-milers were on pretty tame courses compared to the trails of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Photo credit: No Business 100

So, knowing all this, I had no time goals – I just wanted to enjoy the trails and see what happened.

I was very lucky that my parents decided to make the trip to support me. This meant that Ross would be able to pace me for a few sections of the race. I was prepared to run without a pacer but also didn’t want to if I could help it.

At the pre-race meeting there were a few items that were mildly disturbing – there were bears (which I knew) and  we were warned about a really mean man that lived at mile 94 who was not a fan of the race or us running by his house. They told us that police would be patrolling the area. Neat! : /

Pre-race photo with Ross.

The race started at 5:00 a.m. at the the Blue Heron Mining Community. A really cool area where – you guessed it – there used to be a big mining community. I checked in and got my spot tracker. This race is pretty remote so every runner had to wear a spot tracker on our packs.

Mom and dad and a bunch of miners.

The start – mile 25 (Duncan Hollow)

We started a few minutes after 5:00 a.m. and off we went, right up a hill and across a cool bridge and into the trails.

I settled into a comfortable pace in a line of headlamps. Not much chit chat, just everyone taking in the enormity of the day/s ahead. Early on, maybe around mile 5 or 6, I went off course and took two other people with me. Luckily, I was skeptical early on and we didn’t go more than a quarter-mile or so when we realized our mistake and turned around. This course was clearly marked but I must’ve had my head down.

I started chatting with one of the guys who I went off course with. His name was Tyler and he had run Yamacraw 50k (put on in the same area by the same race director) every year and knew the area fairly well. He told me what he knew of the course and we talked about past and future races, training, etc. We got at the end of a conga line and after a few miles I decided to pass.

I was feeling good and wanted to open up on the down hills a bit. I remember feeling very float-y down the trails and smiling a whole bunch. I was grateful that I was feeling so good.

Around mile 12-15ish, the trails got pretty technical and I slowed down. I remember wondering if the rest of the day would look like this – and if it did, it was going to be a loooong day/night/day. But luckily, there were plenty of runnable sections on the course – just plenty of technical sections, too.

I was very excited to finally turn off my headlamp, which I think I did around 7:30ish. I could finally take in my surroundings and I wasn’t disappointed. Enormous trees surrounded me and I felt very small.

I should also mention it was very humid – 100% humidity, in fact. I could already feel hot spots early on and tried to take care of them by slathering Squirrel’s Nut Butter where my pack was rubbing, mostly on my collar bones.

I passed a few folks but didn’t really find anyone who was running my speed. I did see quite a few people on their horses. That was nice.

Probably around mile 22 or so. Photo credit: Misty Wong

I crossed a bridge and started climbing a hill. This turned out to be a really, really big hill. I knew there was a massive hill before the mile 25 aid station so I thought I’d be seeing Ross and my parents soon. More climbing and soon I saw a guy standing on the trail who looked to be a crew member. Yay!

Soon I saw an aid station and my crew. It was great to see them. They said I was doing really well and I soaked in the compliments. My watch was behind about two miles already so I realized I was probably moving faster than I thought which also gave me a mental boost. I grabbed my iPod, which I usually try to wait until the halfway point but I was ready for some tunes. Grabbed some gels and slathered on more Squirrel’s Nut Butter and I was off.

Ross has perfected the gel/nutrition handoff by using a method I call “the waiter.”

25 (Duncan Hollow) – 43.9 (Bandy Creek)

When I left the aid station, I felt aahhhh-mazing. I turned into the trails and had some lovely, runnable downhill singletrack. The music + seeing people + finally getting to run after a huge climb put me on cloud nine. I belted out songs as I floated down the trail. The next seven miles were probably my favorite of the whole day.

I saw my crew at 32 and next up was the Grand Gap Loop. This was an extremely scenic loop with breathtaking views over the Cumberland River. Right before these views and very high cliffs, I fell very hard. A week later, I still have the bruises on my legs. I got up and dusted myself off and just 10 feet away there was a sign that read “WARNING: DANGEROUS CLIFFS or something to that effect; essentially telling me that falling off the edge would lead to my death. I think I actually said out loud, “OK, Kelly, FOCUS.” Luckily, I stayed on my feet and every time there was a clearing or lookout, I made sure to take a moment to take it in.

Throughout this time I was playing leap frog with a guy named Sheldon. He was really nice and sounded like he had a lot of stories to tell. Unfortunately, our paces weren’t matching so we never ran more than a few minutes together.

It was starting to get really hot. We were up high and the sun was out in full force. I may have grabbed an ice bandana as early as mile 32. Either way, ice was now a staple.

Ice bandanas! Mile 32.

Mile 38 aid station included MR. FREEZIES!!! I’ve never been so happy to eat Mr. Freezy. The volunteers at Grand Gap #2 were awesome.

Around mile 40 I remember thinking how mentally I felt at mile 60. Uh oh. I was definitely expecting this to happen though so I didn’t let it get me down. I made it to the mile 43 aid station, Bandy Creek, and told my crew I was getting pretty lonely out there. They told me a woman had just left the aid station. Her name was Amy and she seemed really nice. I actually could see her about 100 yards away. But I needed to refuel and really had to go to the bathroom. There was a bathroom in a building a little bit off the course so I knew it would be unlikely I’d catch up to her.

Inhaling watermelon.

Miles 43.9 (Bandy Creek) – 61.7 (Pickett State Park)

I left Bandy Creek knowing I wouldn’t see Ross or my parents until mile 61. That was seeming like a pretty long stretch but I tried to focus that at mile 61 I’d also get a pacer. I didn’t catch up to Amy but the next six miles seemed to fly by. I can’t remember the terrain very well but I do remember the next aid station (Charit Creek Lodge) because the ladies running it were a hoot. They had music going and were drinking beers. I honestly think if it would’ve been a ho-hum aid station, I might’ve hit a pretty low spot. It was mile 50 and you can either go one of two ways: I’m halfway done already! OR I’m only halfway done. These gals were celebrating that I was halfway done, they were full of energy and super spunky. I danced a little bit to the music and drank some coconut water. They cooled off my hat by soaking it in ice water. They were awesome and I want to be their friends.

Even though I wanted to hang with these awesome gals, I knew I had to get moving. They didn’t mention anyone close by so I figured Amy was long gone by now. I tried to savor the energy from the aid station as I powered on. There weren’t a lot of big climbs but I do remember thinking that it was a lot hillier than I anticipated. My last 100-miler was 9k feet of climb so I didn’t think 11k feet would feel a whole lot hillier, but it definitely did. I wondered if they were wrong about the amount of climb.

I believe it was around here when we passed through the beautiful twin arches. There were quite a few people milling around and with good reason – it was spectacular. The arches made me feel really small. The course had countless rock formations that were extraordinary but the twin arches were definitely the most incredible.

Photo of twin arches taken during a spring training run. Photo credit: No Business

Photo credit: No Business

Around this time, I started having some low moments mentally. I still had so much race left! I thought of the donations from my friends and family in support of Girls on the Run and my race. I tried to fill my head with all the people in my life because of GOTR. Most of the time it worked but other times there wasn’t much I could do to lift my spirits.

I knew I was close to the mile 55 aid station because I saw signs for “Magic Pig Potion” ahead or something like that. I felt a smile come across my face. I came into the aid station and saw a few people and a few kids. One of the kids asked if I wanted some Pig Potion, which was in a pig-shaped canister with a handle and a spout. I asked her what exactly it was and she told me it was ice water and that she’d pour down my back. YES, PLEASE! I crouched down and she poured that magical ice water down my back and it felt sooo gooooood. Thank you, kind child! I ate some fruit and joked around with the volunteers. They were super nice and I enjoyed my time with them. I didn’t want to leave! I asked them if anyone was ahead of me and they said a woman left about a minute before I came in. WAS IT AMY?! I asked in delight. Sure enough, it was. They said there was a few miles trails and then of road. I was hoping to catch Amy on the road section. I left the kind volunteers in search of my soon-to-be-friend, Amy.

I headed back in the trails and when I popped out on the road a few miles later I SAW AMY. She was still quite a bit ahead of me. AAAMMMYYY, you have no idea how much I want to be your friend right noooow!! Slowly but surely, I got closer to Amy. After we entered the trails, I caught up to her in one of the many cave rock formations that had been along the course. I told her how I’d been searching for her all day and I was so excited to finally meet her. If she thought I was crazy, she didn’t show it. I thoroughly enjoyed her company and was sad it took until two miles before we picked up our pacers to catch up to her.

We saw the aid station come into view and I let out a big ol’ WOOOOOP!

It’d been awhile since I’d seen my people and it was great to see Ross and my parents again. I changed my shirt since it pretty much had been wet all day long. I changed my socks, too. I felt a hot spot on the bottom of my foot and thought a sock change might help. There were a lot of creek crossings so my socks were also wet and full of sand.

Ross gearing me up! I wasn’t as annoyed as I looked.

Miles 61.7 (Pickett State Park) – 77 (Hemlock Grove)

Ross and I got ready to take off and left the aid station shortly after Amy and her pacer (her dad!). I wouldn’t see my mom and dad until mile 77. We crossed a bridge and headed back into the trails. Soon after, Amy pulled off to the side and said she had to go to the bathroom. Ross and I went ahead and he caught me up on the day. It was so nice to have someone talk to! Or at least someone to just talk at me. it didn’t take long before we had to turn on our headlamps.

I don’t remember when exactly but I started to feel pretty low. I think it was after the mile 71 aid station (which was right on the state line, by the way! pretty cool and fun volunteers). I started to slow down for everything – little hills, technical spots, anything. I was slowing down to 16-17 min/miles. Eventually Amy caught up and passed us. She was moving at a pretty good clip – not crazy fast but what I thought was doable. I decided to hang on for as long as I could. Lo and behold, I could move just as fast! I guess I just needed to know I could. I looked down and saw 13-14 min/miles and I felt better. Even though I didn’t care about time, I also didn’t want to be out on the course longer than I had to.

I yelled ahead to Amy and told her that she didn’t know it but she was helping me out a ton right now. I got a little bit behind her but could still see them ahead. We eventually crossed a sizable stream and on the other side was the mile 77 aid station. This is where I was going to lose Ross. He would pace me again at mile 91.

I wanted to pop what I thought was a blister on the bottom of my foot – right in the middle. I’d never had a blister there but I think because my feet were constantly wet, I was more susceptible to blisters. I took off my sock and saw a 2-inch crevice thing down the middle of my foot. It was like the skin folded together. I think what happened is the blister I did have popped and the skin created this weird fold thing. Anyways, two aid station angels took care of me. Tony and a woman whose name I can’t remember. They taped up my foot and put my socks back on. THANK YOU, AMAZING VOLUNTEERS!!

Amy and her dad stood up and asked if I wanted to run with them.  They knew I was losing my pacer and said they’d wait for me. I was blown away by their kindness. I said yes and got up to go. Both of these kind acts by the volunteers and Amy are perfect examples of what makes the ultrarunning community great.

Miles 77 (Hemlock Grove) – 91 (Bald Knob)

We crossed that stream again and took a left. We had two miles until the next aid station but we had to climb Peter’s Mountain during these two miles. We joined another runner, Jeff, and his pacer, Karen. These two run a ton of ultras and Jeff had just run Superior 100 five weeks prior.

Amy and Jeff were both climbing way stronger than I was. I had actually felt decent all day on the climbs but now I was struggling. The second I started to climb I felt my heart rate shoot up. Before we climbed, it felt like we were essentially running alongside/in a creek for a bit. Once we started climbing Peter’s Mountain, I fell back.

I caught up again at the next aid station and tried to leave when they did. The next five miles was along a gravel road. Even though I much prefer the trails, I welcomed the gravel road and a break from worrying about catching my toe on a rock or root.

Amy fell back a bit and she told me to go ahead if I was feeling good. I knew I’d see her again in the trails. I tried to listen to a podcast to make the five miles go by quickly but I couldn’t focus so I just unplugged. I stopped and turned off my headlamp and looked above. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the stars so bright. It was incredible.

I rolled through the Spring Branch aid station pretty quickly. I wasn’t eating much at this point but still taking in gels. I stopped taking in Tailwind long ago because it was making me really thirsty. There was no sign of Amy but I did catch up to Jeff and Karen again. They were from Illinois and we chatted about Midwest races. Jeff has run 16 or 17 100s and had a lot of insight on different courses. He said this was one of the hardest 100s he’d ever run. I felt grateful that I had so much company the last part of the race. Considering how few people were actually on the course and how few I ran with early on in the day, I was surprised I was running with others this late in the game.

We started climbing a big hill and they put me away. Karen said that Jeff’s wife was a mail carrier and taught them how to power hike really well. I tried to mimic them but it didn’t work. I couldn’t believe how fast they were moving. I felt like a sloth.

Soon after, I saw a few headlamps behind me. I figured it was Amy and her dad. As they got closer, I realized I was right. And she looked FOCUSED. She barely said a word as she passed. Her dad barely had time to say, “Is that Kelly?!” as he scrambled to keep up with her. I was happy for her and how strong she looked. A few miles later I made it to the mile 91 aid station. Karen and Jeff were there and Amy had just left as I ran in. Apparently, Amy didn’t even stop – just took off. I knew I wouldn’t see her again.

I saw my parents and Ross who I hadn’t seen since mile 79. Ross was all ready to get me through the last 9ish miles. I told my parents I’d see them at the finish.

A smile at mile 91!

Miles 91.2 (Bald Knob) – 100 (Blue Herron)

Ross and I chatted a bit about how the race had played out the last few hours. I let him know my climbing was shit. Soon after, my watch died. I didn’t care too much but later on was wishing I knew how many more miles were ahead of me. It was so humid that the trees were dropping water on us.

I started to feel really bad on the climbs, a few times stopping at the top to get my heart rate down. A was feeling a bit light-headed, too.

We popped out of the trails and on to a gravel road. I saw a house. And I knew it was the crazy man’s house. The lights were off and I didn’t see anything alarming. He did have a few signs he took the time to make that said “You are not welcome here” and “F-ing go away.” I bet he is a joy to be around.

The aid station was just about 50 yards from his house. Again, I didn’t eat anything. I did use a bathroom though.

We thanked the volunteers (from the local American Legion I believe) and soon after, had a huge hill to climb. Five more miles. We were almost done but holy buckets, it felt like a long way to go.

We came across a park sign that said “Blue Herron 4.3 miles.” I was happy to see evidence we were getting closer but 4.3 miles still felt like a million more miles. A few miles later, we saw headlamps through the woods going the opposite direction. We heard a “MARCO!” and I yelled “POLO!” At least someone was having fun! We passed the two guys soon after. They were in good spirits.

We shuffled on and wondered how close we were – we didn’t want be too optimistic. At one point, I thought we were for sure less than a mile. Then we saw a sign that said “Blue Herron 1.3 miles.” NOOOOOOO. I know, it’s stupid – what’s another half mile or so? But if you’ve been there, you know.

We eventually came to a bridge. Ross asked if it was the same bridge we ran across after the start. COULD IT BE?! Pleaaase let it it be. And then we saw lights at the other side and we knew we were there.

I crossed the finish line in 24:45.The race director was there to give me my buckle. I told him what a beast his course was but also gave him kudos on putting together such a solid race. I ended up 4th female and 9th overall. Just 34 runners finished the race. I was super stoked to hear a woman won the race overall in an incredible time – 20:30. Hell yeah.

Amy’s dad was there and told me congratulations. He left soon after so I’m thinking he stayed just to see me finish, which was incredibly sweet and thoughtful. I was hoping to catch Amy but she and her sister (her pacer for the last 9 miles) went to change.

All for a belt buckle.

I sat down and thought “what just happened?” Where did Saturday go? This race felt more surreal than my previous two. I’m not sure why. But even though it’s my slowest, I’m just as proud of this finish. I wanted to run beautiful trails and put myself in a very uncomfortable place mentally and physically to see how I responded. Quite honestly, I’ve never wanted to quit a race so bad. But there was literally nothing wrong with me – I just didn’t want to run anymore. This was definitely a mind over matter race. A “one step in front of the other” race. These are the kinds of races where you can learn a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of.

I was starting to get really cold so we headed down to the car. We had about 20 minutes to the hotel and I laid down as best I could and dozed in and out of sleep.

Words can’t really express how thankful I am for Ross and my parents crewing and pacing. Having their support was invaluable and I am beyond grateful they take time out of their lives to essentially sit around for 25 hours waiting to see me for a few minutes every 3-4 hours.

I’m also blown away how much my friends and family raised for Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa. GOTR-EI received $2,250 through my SoleMates campaign. My goal was $2,000 and I thought even that was a stretch. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who donated – whether it was $10 or $100 – you made a difference! And knowing I had so many people supporting my fundraising efforts kept me going on the course.

Next year, the No Business 100 course will be run in reverse. I would 100% recommend No Business to anyone who is looking for a well-organized, beautiful, and challenging race. The guys at Ultranaut Running know what they’re doing! The fact that they got so much right on the first year on a point-to-point remote course speaks volumes. Thanks, No Business, for an incredible experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kettle Moraine 100

Kettle Moraine 100 was my second 100-mile race and I had a few specific goals:

• run sub 22 hours
• finish the dang thing (last 25 miles) a lot stronger than my last 100-mile race

I also had a “would be nice goal” to podium but I didn’t want that to influence my running at all until the second half and if it made sense (i.e. I wasn’t dying).

I turned 30 this year and my boyfriend got me a super awesome gift: he paid for six months of coaching leading up to KM100. I’ve been interested in hiring a coach, but they are a bit expensive and I kept thinking “does someone like me REALLY need a coach?” With Ross saying he’d pay for it and me realizing that I can hire a coach if I want to, I made the decision to hire Matt Flaherty.

If you’re interested in how I made this decision, here’s quick back story: I met a guy named Jeff at a race a few years ago. Jeff and I met around mile 15 of the Ice Age 50-miler and ran the rest together. Since then we’ve kept in touch. He hired Matt a few years ago and saw some seriously impressive improvements. He had nothing but good things to say about Matt so after an initial conversation about what his coaching entails, I hired him.

This six months of training was entirely different than how I normally train but like Jeff, saw many improvements. I focused more on quality miles rather than just “run all the miles” and cut down on back-to-back long runs. I was a little apprehensive about this at first but it proved to be a successful strategy for me. My “b” races (Clinton Lake 30-miler, Naked Prussian 50-miler, and Chippewa 50k) all went great and left me feeling confident about my training.

Anyways, fast forward through six months of training and I felt ready. It’d been two years since I ran 100 miles and I was anxious to try again and do it better this time.

Start-mile 15

I was lucky enough to have three people take time out of their lives to crew/pace me. Ross (boyfriend), Natalee (trail sister/badass), and Stephanie (dear friend who always has a smile on her face). Steph lives in Madison and was going to meet up with Ross and Natalee in the afternoon. Natalee was going to pace from 70-100 and Ross was going to pace 62-70 if I felt like I needed it. Part of me thought I might want some time to zone out solo so we decided to play Ross’ pacing by ear.

A very beard-y Ross and I before the start.

Natalee! Fun fact: she braided my hair.

Remember Jeff who introduced me to Matt? He was also running Kettle for the third year in a row. He decided he would run with me for the first 100k to help keep his pace in check and keep me company.

Me and Jeff

We got there a half hour early and did pre-race things: got our ankle timing chips (not nearly as annoying as I thought it would be), took photos, exchanged pleasantries with other runners, etc. I was happy and anxious and ready to go.

The race director said a few words about course markings and weather and all that good stuff and then it was go time! The 100-milers and 100k-ers started at the same time so there were about 500 folks on the trails. Luckily, we weren’t dealing with single track at this point, so it didn’t feel like 500 folks.

The first seven miles of the course is a section that you do four times total so you get to know it pretty well. It’s filled with a bunch of short, steep pitches. I walked every hill and if I wasn’t sure if I should walk it or not, I just did to be safe. I knew these would feel like mountains the last time (93-100). I made a mental note of the flat sections, too, which made up more of the section that I thought it would.

Jeff and I caught up and talked about training, races, and life. It was good to properly catch up since most of our communication the past few years has been via Strava and e-mail. He was super helpful since he knew the course so well.

I remember checking my mile splits and was a little surprised at how slow they were but then mentally slapped myself across the face. You’re running a 100 miles, you idiot, just run comfortable. So I did.

The weather was perfect. Overcast and still a little cool. The forecast had been mostly predicting rain but the morning of, it was right around 30% chance. I was fairly confident it wouldn’t rain (I would be very wrong).

Miles 15-36.6 (Emma Carlin – County ZZ)

I first saw my crew at mile 15. I was mindful about getting in and out pretty quickly. I switched my bottles, got some gels, and got out of there pretty fast. I lost Jeff at this point. This happened pretty much all day at aid stations and poor Jeff had to hunt me down every time. But hopefully he enjoyed getting to open up a bit more for a mile or so (he’s a lot faster than me).

I knew the next section would include the dreaded meadows. At some point before the meadows, we also went one through of my favorite sections of the race where pine trees envelope you on both side and the pine needle covered trail makes you feel like you’re bouncing through the woods. I remember both Jeff and I commenting on how much we liked this type of trail.

The “meadows” is stretch of open prairie with hardly any shade and a naturally humid area. We’d do this section twice. Luckily, it was still overcast the first time though and this is when it started to rain. It felt pretty good but I just kept thinking “pleaaaaaaase, sun, do not come out after this rain” (the sun didn’t listen). Then it started thunderstorming.

We got through the meadows and went back into the trails. The trails started to get pretty muddy. And then extremely muddy. Certain sections were incredibly slippery and some were like straight-up mud pits where you just hoped you didn’t lose your shoe and maybe your entire leg.

Anyone who’s run in constant mud will tell you it’s really annoying. They’d be right. But I just kept any negative thoughts out of my head. Tried to have fun with it and know that nothing will last forever. Natalee had also reminded me that after mile 47 the course drains pretty well.

Jeff and I talked about how much fun the single track trails would be if they were dry. I remember us thinking the rain had finally let up and then BAM – it just starts POURING on us. I got really muddy since I had to use my hands at times to get myself up slippery hills.

I was able to see my crew three times in 15 miles in this section since two of the aid stations are at the same spot (County ZZ) and the other (Scuppernong) was just a hop, skip, and a jump away (for them anyways). I’m sure that helped keep my spirits high in not-so-great conditions.

Coming into Scuppernong – mile 31.6

Lookin’ sexy at Scuppernong.

We also saw a lot of other runners since it was an out and back. I enjoy seeing and cheering on other folks so I think this also kept me in a good mood.

The rain slowed down and then eventually stopped. I remember seeing little strips of sunlight bouncing off the trails and was dreading what was next – heat and humidity. It began to look straight up steamy. Gross.

36.6-47.4 (County ZZ – Emma Carlin)

I saw my crew at 36.6. I got some gels and new bottles and said I’d see them at Emma Carlin (mile 47). I knew the next 10 miles would be a little rough – we had to go back through the meadows under the full sun and a few really sloppy sections.

County ZZ aid station and MUD

This is when I put on my first ice bandana and boy, do I love these things. If you’re ever running a hot race, I highly recommend keeping yourself cool by rolling up ice in a bandana and tying it around your neck.

Pondering the mud.

Anyways, I left my crew, anxious to get the meadows over with as early as possible. Once Jeff and I entered the meadows, it was like a full on sauna. Jeff said, “Doesn’t this feel great?” and I’m like, “WTF?” and he says, “It feels like an oven!”

I know Jeff kinda well, but am not super familiar with his sense of humor. I still don’t know if he was joking or not but it made me laugh regardless.

We saw lots of folks walking the meadow section and I don’t blame them. That heat just sucked the energy right out of you. I kept trucking since I still felt alright. Figured the faster I can get done with this section the better.

One of the most glorious moments of the day was the first unmanned aid station I came across where I actually needed the ice water bucket with a sponge. Ooooh doggies, that felt SO GOOD. I’d squeeze the ice water on top of my head and it was an instant refresher. I also put ice in my bra and shorts. Can life get any better?

I was getting closer to Emma Carlin and my shoes were actually starting to get clean. I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to change my socks which I had been planning on doing. But then I got to a section of trail I had totally forgotten about – maybe a quarter-mile section of muck. No way around it. Just gotta trudge through it. I knew the aid station was on the other side and realized a sock and probably shoe change was in order.

47-62 (Emma Carlin to Nordic)

I arrived at Emma Carlin and was elated to see my good friend Stephanie! Steph came straight from her Girls on the Run 5k and was decked out in GOTR gear including a face tattoo (temporary, of course). This made my heart so happy. I am so thankful to call Steph one of my dearest friends and that she spent her day supporting me at Kettle.

I told my crew I was doing well but needed to change my socks and shoes. I peeled off my nasty, mud-covered socks and put some fresh ones on. My toes were happy. I put on new shoes and stood up – and my Achilles told me it didn’t like these shoes (side note: I’d been having minor issues with my Achilles and we (physical therapist and I) determined part of the issue was my shoes). I was hoping the issue would magically go away (not sure why??) but that didn’t happen. Ross went and hosed off my original shoes and I put them back on. Good as new!

 

Mile 47 – Emma Carlin aid station. This is the face I make when I eat watermelon that’s been sprayed with sunscreen.

I also picked up my iPod shuffle at this point. I don’t train with music unless I have a speed workout and I’ve found that the right music (pretty much just Beyonce) can put me in a pretty peppy mood.

I bid farewell to my crew. By this point, Jeff and I had been yo-yoing a bit, just running our own races and what made sense for us. After Emma Carlin, we met up again. We chatted a bit and I let him know I was going to listen to some music for awhile and zone out. I felt bad but knew I needed to do what I wanted to keep me moving happy and with a pep in my step.

This section was probably my lowest mentally, but I didn’t get nearly as low as I did during my first 100. At mile 47, I had mentally put myself at the 50 mile mark and I was happy about that. But then I’d look at my watch and not be to 50 yet. And I feel like that happened like 20 times. Time was moving so slow! And I still had 50 miles left! I took a step back (figuratively) and thought about getting to the next aid station rather than the next 50 miles. That helped. I let Ross know at Emma that I did want him to join me for miles 62-70 and I thought about that, too.

With a little help from Beyonce, my mood lifted and I eventually got past that dang 50-mile mark and to the mile-55 aid station. It was still really hot and my crew had ice water and a sponge waiting for me.

Mile 55 – Bluff Aid Station. HOT.

Off I went to complete the seven miles of trail back to the start/finish. I felt good during this section and was excited to get back to Nordic. I knew there’d be a lot of people and I was ready to tackle the next out and back section.

62-70 (Nordic – Bluff)

Jeff and I arrived at Nordic (the start/finish area) and this would be the last time we would run together. He said he needed to change clothes and he went to go find his crew. I found my crew quickly and said I was feeling great. There were tons of people and the energy was infectious!

Ready to run with Ross and his beard! He looks a little crazy here.

I didn’t waste too much time and soon after arriving, Ross and I took off. Another woman left right before us. I would find out her name was Tina. I passed Tina soon after we left the aid station but then she passed me right back and took off. She looked strong.

I asked Ross what place I was in – I had an idea, but didn’t really want to know early on in the race. He told me I was in fourth. I felt a little competitiveness bubble up but knew I needed to continue to run my own race. We still had nearly 40 miles to cover.

Ross told me stories of the day and what the crew had been up to the past 14 hours or so. It was really nice to run with him. We got to the Tamarack aid station, which was probably one of my favorites. It was about five miles from start/finish, so you end up going through four times. They were super nice, cheerful, and helpful.

As we rolled in, I saw Tina. I think I took a swig of Coke and went through pretty fast. I passed her right after the aid station and I told her I’m sure I’d see her again and that she was looking great.

Side story time: Of the three women I “met” on the trails at Kettle, I’ve connected with all of them since the race, whether they reached out to me or I reached out to them. This is one of my most favorite things about the ultra community. #trailsisters

Ross and I kept moving and I told him I was going to put my headphones in for a little bit. Time to zone out again. I am not very shy and I am especially not shy during a 100-mile race. I started belting out songs and Ross kept me entertained by dancing in front of me. I had him try to guess songs based on my renditions. Turns out my renditions suck which is a surprise to me because I thought I sounded pretty good. (that was a joke).

We saw a lot of folks heading toward the start/finish and I want to apologize to every single person who was put through my singing and hand-dancing (that’s totally a thing, right?).

I saw another gal in front of me – Steph Whitmore, another Iowa trail runner who I’d met at other races. I’d chatted with Steph at the start of the race and she told me she was having issues with her calf. We eventually caught up to her and gave each other kudos.

Soon after, Ross got me to the Bluff aid station and Natalee was ready to take over pacing duties.

70-77 (Bluff -Hwy 12)

I thanked Ross and said good-bye to Steph who had to get back to Madison. She told me how gross ultras are and I agreed.

Steph!!

Then it was time to cruise with my good friend and hella good runner, Natalee. I train often with Natalee and knew she’d do a great job of pushing me to the end. Natalee caught me up on life. She had been holding back some news from me so she could tell me during Kettle and have a fun topic to talk about during pacing. Ultrarunners, amirite?

It was finally starting to cool down as night fell. I’ve never been so happy to see the sun go down. There were stretches of open prairie and my oh my, did the breeze feel gooooood.

It was hard to know who we were passing once it got dark. There were “fun run” runners out, who were running the last 38 miles of the course. I put in my headphones for a little bit. I liked listening to music during the flatter sections because I felt like it made me move faster. Not sure if this is true but feeling like you’re moving well is almost just as good as actually moving well.

We rolled into the mile 77 aid station and the volunteers asked me if I was first female. I said nope – second. Natalee corrected me and said I was first. I had no clue we had passed the first female. That gave me a boost. I ate some fruit and headed off. I knew the next section was technical and I would probably be moving pretty slow.

77-86 (Hwy 12-Hwy 12)

We left Hwy 12 aid station, crossed a road, and pretty much immediately hit single track, technical trail. I knew we’d have four miles until the Rice Lake aid station (turnaround point) and then four miles back to Hwy 12. Eight miles of probably the toughest trail of the day. Breaking it into two sections helped. I asked Natalee about her job and she told me stories of what a day is like being the assistant principal of a large high school. That passed the time considerably. If running 100 miles in a bonkers time doesn’t make you a badass (she ran and won Arkansas Traveler in 19:51ish) being an assistant principal certainly does.

This is also when I began to trip a lot. And then fall a lot. I never hurt myself and bounced up pretty fast. It was just annoying. Natalee said she wishes she would’ve kept count because I fell so much.

During my first 100-mile race, my quads got reallllly sore. Running downhill became pretty painful and I was essentially walking everything but flat, non-technical sections. I also got really down and mad at everything, like stairs and rocks – anything that got in my way. Kettle was different. My legs were still feeling surprisingly good. No soreness or pain. I was able to run everything except for the ups. This felt good and kept my spirits high. I was tired, of course, but I just kept checking in with myself if I started to get a little low –

Me: “How do you feel?”

Me: “Pretty damn good considering the circumstances.”

Me: “What hurts?”

Me: “Nothing!”

Me: “Hooray!”

Me: “I know, right? Nothing to be down about.”

I also recently got a tattoo on my left forearm of a little runner girl who is part of the Girls on the Run logo. One of the reasons I got this tattoo (and put it on my arm near my watch) is because I knew she’d be a source of inspiration during races. She is a reminder of how far I’ve come in how I view myself and my body (used to have somewhat serious body image issues), my girls I’ve coached over the past six years, the friends I’ve met (including Steph!) through volunteering, and the mission of the organization. I looked at it several times during the race and each time my train of thought shifted to a positive force.

You can see my little running buddy on my left arm.

We got to Rice Lake and it seemed like a fun place to be. We got what we needed and headed back on the trail. We saw Jeff soon after. He was in good spirits and said he’d see us soon. We also saw another woman who I thought was a 100-miler but Natalee told me at the next aid station that she wasn’t.

The next four miles back to Hwy 12 aid station were full of more falls but it went by super quick, which was surprising. We could see the aid station lights while on top of a hill while still in the trails and we knew we were close. WOOP!

Still movin’ and groovin’.

86-100 (Hwy 12 – FINISH!)

At mile 85 of my last 100, I was in a bad place. Fifteen miles seemed like a freaking long time to still be running. This time around, it seemed totally manageable. Seven miles to Bluff aid station and then the last seven miles of the trail I had gotten to know so well.

When I got to the Hwy 12 aid station, they had a buffet of fruit and it was awesome – watermelon, pineapple, blueberries. The volunteers were great and took care of me. Ross gave me more gels (yes, I was still eating them GROSS). My friend Ross (not to be confused with boyfriend Ross) was there, too. He had run the 100k and was now along for the crew lyfe.

Ross said I was still looking good and had some cushion between me and second female, which was now Tina.

I don’t really remember much about miles 86-93 really so will just skip right to 93. I was still feeling good but was really ready to be done running. It also started lightning and raining a bit off and on.

Off we went to do the last seven miles for a fourth and final time. As predicted, the steep little hills seemed more like mountains but I knew they were coming so they didn’t bother me too much. Once we got past Tamarack for the final time, there were mile countdown signs to the finish. We’d cheer every time we saw one. We talked about how great the day had gone. My legs were still feeling good and I wanted to pinch myself.

We passed the one mile sign and hoot and hollered about how close we were to the finish. And then a mile later we saw lights and the finish line and then I crossed it in 21 hours and 12 minutes. First female and ninth overall.

I sat down and took off my shoes and socks. Both my big toes were not feeling great and I told Ross at the last aid station to please have my sandals ready for me at the finish line. They didn’t feel great because one of them had a big ol’ blister behind the toenail (I’ll spare ya pictures).

A volunteer gave me a large kettle for first place female. Lots of photos and thank yous and smiles followed.

Jeff wasn’t far behind and we waited for him to finish and congratulated him on first masters just 15 minutes later. And then I started feeling super nauseous and we went back to our Airbnb, took showers, and went to bed.

It’s been two weeks and I am still very happy with how the day went. Talking with my coach before the race, the plan was to start out quicker (sub 20 pace) to get a little extra wiggle room for inevitably slowing down. This worked out perfectly. I keep wondering if I had better conditions (no mud) could I have run faster? Maybe sub 21? Or did the mud keep my pace in check and allow me to finish strong? Guess I’ll never know.

I realized throughout this race report that I kept comparing to my last 100. I still can’t believe how much better this went, both physically and mentally, even though my last 100 still went pretty well. I chalk this up to:

• Experience. I’d done it before and knew what to expect to a certain extent. I had two more years of running ultras under my belt and I’ve learned a lot in that time.
• Training. Like I said at the beginning, my training was entirely different – and worked for me. A big thank you to Matt for his guidance during this training cycle. Was by far my best training cycle to date.

A huuuuuuge thank you to Ross, Natalee, and Steph. A day like this would not be possible with a top-notch crew who kept me fed, hydrated, and smiling all day long.

Jeff also played a big part of the day. 62 miles is a long way to run with someone! He gave me invaluable insight to the course which helped me prepare mentally.

The race itself was well run and the volunteers were second to none. They had everything I needed and took care of me at every single aid station. The runners out there were also super nice. Every time I passed someone, smiles and kudos were shared.

With friends like these, I am a lucky gal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Canyon R2R2R

“Maybe I’ll go to the Grand Canyon after my conference in Las Vegas.”

That eventually turned into, “Maybe I’ll run across the Grand Canyon and back after my conference in Las Vegas.”

Not surprisingly, my friend Julie didn’t even bat an eye when I invited her to join me for this adventure, known as the rim to rim to rim (r2r2r). We were both in different places training-wise. I ran the Wild Duluth 100k four weeks prior. A pretty tough race with lots of climb and I was a little nervous I wasn’t fully recovered and would discover this fact while in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Luckily, this didn’t happen and I actually think I hit the sweet spot – recovered but also still able to use my 100k training and race to my advantage. Julie was peaking in her training for a 100 mile race in December.

My conference was November 9-11 (Wednesday-Friday). Julie flew into Vegas on Friday, picked me up, and off we went, making our way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, a little over four hours away. The North Rim was closed since it was the off-season.

Julie and her wife, Romy, had hiked the GC 10 years before, but I had never been, so needless to say I was pumped. We wanted to get there before the sunset – and we barely made it. If you’ve never been, the GC is indescribable. Go see it for yourself.

After taking in the view, we made our way to our hotel, the Kachina Lodge on the South Rim. Our plan was to run South Kaibab – North Kaibab – Bright Angel. Staying at Kachina Lodge was perfect since it’s just a few steps away from the Bright Angel trailhead, meaning we could walk to our hotel room after our adventure. We had a cab pick us up on Saturday morning a little before 4:00am for $10. Small price to pay for easy logistics.

Here we gooooo!

South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch

Most recommendations say to take the first 6-7 miles easy down the South Kaibab trail to save the quads (unless you’re Jim Walmsley of course). We followed the recommendation and took it pretty slow down. My quads never felt blasted and I give this strategy a lot of credit. It was dark when we started and it was exhilarating to know that I was making my way down into the freaking Grand Canyon, even though I couldn’t see more than a few feet around me. We turned off our headlamps at one point to take in the abundance of stars above us and I was lucky enough to see a shooting star overhead.

Every once in awhile, we’d turn our headlamps to the side to reveal a huge drop off or a giant canyon wall surrounding us. I was so anxious for the sun to come up.

Here comes the sun.

We started to see an outline of the canyon against the sky as the sun started to rise. We could hear rushing water – the Colorado River. It became light enough to turn off our headlamps. We crossed the river and ran into the famous Phantom Ranch. Here we filled up our water. I had a 70 oz bladder in my pack and two 10 oz flasks. This felt pretty heavy, but we weren’t quite sure how much water we’d need and wanted to play it safe.

Phantom Ranch – North Rim

We left Phantom Ranch and were enveloped by tall canyon walls on both sides. I didn’t realize this until after, but you’re essentially going uphill from Phantom Ranch to North Rim. Obviously, you know you’re going up when you’re climbing out of the canyon, but it’s less apparent when you’re in the bottom. Since I didn’t realize I was going slightly uphill, I was bummed that I was feeling a little sluggish so early. I thought it probably had something to do with the extra weight of the water, but I thought maybe my legs weren’t as recovered as I thought. I didn’t let it get me down too much, but it was still very early on in the day and I wasn’t looking forward to 40~ more miles of heavy legs.

Look how teeny Julie looks compared to these massive canyon walls!

After a few miles of running in the crack, it eventually opened up. The sunlight was starting to hit the tops of some of the canyons. It’s incredible how the sun can totally change the way the canyons look – the colors look much different, more vibrant.

We rolled into Cottonwood Campground and checked to see if the water was on in case we needed it on our way back. It was and we realized we did not need to fill our bladders the rest of the run. There was a sign that said we had 6.1 miles to the North Rim – and roughly 4300ft of climbing. Oof.

At some point, I realized I stupidly forgot my map. Granted, there are not a lot of opportunities to make a wrong turn, but I was still mad at myself for being careless. We only had one instance of confusion near Ribbon Falls. There was a fork in the trail with a sign that said something about Ribbon Falls. We didn’t think the trail went by Ribbon Falls, so we went the other way. We came to river and we weren’t sure we were going the right way. Neither one of us remembered reading anything about a river crossing. We both went across and Julie went ahead to see where the trail went and came back thinking we went the wrong way.

We made our way back to the fork and I was able to pull up a map on my phone and I quickly took a screenshot. The map seemed to show we went near Ribbon Falls, so we followed the sign. A few guys came up behind us and they reassured us we were going the right way. They said they were from Salt Lake City and one of them actually went to grad school in Davenport, Iowa. Small world (it would get even smaller). They said they started at 6:15, which meant they were booking it.

We eventually started climbing. A lot. The higher we went, the more beautiful the views. I kept thinking about how lucky I am that I am able to do this – physically, mentally, financially. I spent a lot of time feeling grateful.

what is this life

At some point, I thought we had a little less than two miles left. We passed a hiker and he asked if were doing r2r2r and said we were making great time. He told us we had about four miles left. UGH. He seemed confident, but it just didn’t seem plausible. I know my watch was getting goofy but could it really be THAT far off?

The climb started to get steeper and the sun was starting to feel a little warm. We took breaks to get our heart rates down. We knew the climb was going to be tough but we didn’t expect to have to take breaks. The altitude probably played a factor, too. It was a grind making our way up and it was obvious we were both focused on getting out of the canyon, one step in front of the other.

We passed a couple guys who said the trail head was about a mile away. Hooray! We knew we’d run into a group of women who started about an hour earlier than us. I “met” one of the gals via the r2r2r Facebook group (great resource, by the way). We almost started at 3:00am with them, but decided against it to get another hour of sleep. We saw a few women, and one of them yelled out, “Are those our runner gals?!” We introduced ourselves and talked for a few minutes about our days so far. They were a great group and I hoped we’d catch up with them when we turned around. They said we didn’t have much left.

We finally made it to the North Rim and we gave ourselves 10 minutes to eat our sandwiches and sit down for a few minutes. We met a few guys up there who were also doing r2r2r. One from LA and the other from San Diego. Apparently, there was some misinformation about the water being on at the North Rim. It wasn’t and they needed water so they hitched a ride about a mile or so away to get water. They took off a few minutes before us.

North Rim to Phantom Ranch

Julie and I didn’t stay long – it gets cold sitting around in sweaty clothes. Now it was time for the run part! I was feeling pretty good so I ran ahead of Julie for a little bit to open up. I realized soon after that that it might be a stupid idea to split up. I waited for her to catch up and we made our way down, taking in the bonkers views the whole way. We stopped to take a few photos along the way. For realz, the views from the North Rim are magnificent.We caught up to the fellas we had met at the North Rim and then eventually to the group of women.

Side note: Maybe I’m making this up but I swear whenever we passed another pair or group of women hiking or running, I felt like there was this mutual sense of recognition. Of course, we exchanged pleasantries, but there was something more. Like both groups were so happy and proud to see another group of women exploring and adventuring together. Maybe this is all in my head but it sure did make me feel good. #girlpower

We ran with the group for awhile but eventually ended up getting in front of them. We had a goal of getting to Phantom Ranch before 4:00p.m. to buy some food. Phantom Ranch closes at 4:00p.m. every day to prepare food for the campers. We hit Cottonwood Campground and were making pretty good time but Julie’s legs were starting to get a little tired and she wasn’t sure if she could make it by 4:00p.m. I was still feeling pretty good and offered to run ahead and see if I could make it. She was jonesin’ for a Coke so she sent me off.

This was probably one of my favorite few miles because it was the slight grade downhill (remember that slight uphill out of Phantom Ranch?) and I felt like I was fllllyyyyyiiiiing. There’s nothing like opening up on smooth, slight downhill on the trails. I was probably smiling the whole way. I was a little worried of tiring out my legs but knew after Phantom Ranch, I’d just be doing a butt-ton of climbing anyways, so who cares? Weeeeeeee!

I made it to Phantom Ranch at 3:45 and grabbed us some food and a couple of their famous lemonades (no Cokes at Phantom Ranch!). I sat next to a few other runners, one who was doing r2r2r with a big group and who also ran ahead to get food for his buddies. He was with a gal who was joining them for the climb out. I soon learned that Kurt lives in Salt Lake City but went to grad school at the University of Iowa! Then a few of his other friends ran in and I found out he was born and raised in Iowa City and was just back in IC visiting his parents the previous weekend. I swear, Iowans are everywhere.

Julie got into Phantom Ranch right at 4:00p.m., yelled to a girl who she thought was me saying she was getting some food, and then ran into the shop to get some food. She came out a few minutes later looking much calmer and joined us at a picnic table. We stayed for maybe another 10-15 minutes and then headed out. It did not feel great to start running again after sitting.

Phantom Ranch to South Rim

Well, this was pretty much just a looooooot of hiking. After a few minutes of hobbling, we ran out to the Bright Angel Trail and across the Colorado River, which was magnificent. We took lots of photos and then went on our merry way.

Julie and the Colorado!

The sun was starting to go down so we knew we didn’t have much longer before it got cold and dark. I think maybe we ran a mile or so and then it turned into hiking. And then we pretty much hiked all the way out. So. Many. Switchbacks. The group we met at Phantom Ranch eventually caught up to us and passed us. They were looking really strong. We caught up to them at Indian Gardens campground where we stopped to use the bathroom and take in some food.

I remember thinking we were closer to the top than we actually were (don’t trust your watch in the Grand Canyon, folks!) and being a little bummed but just put on my game face and kept on truckin.’ I think I thought it was like a six mile hike from Phantom Ranch, but it turned out to be more more like nine (I think, it was awhile ago. why didn’t I write this way sooner?). It was dark by this point so we couldn’t see much, although the moon was looking real pretty.

At some point, I smelled cigarette smoke and was confused. Who SMOKES in the Grand Canyon? Come on, people! We eventually came across a group of 4-5 women who were sitting at a rest area on a switchback. I noticed a pack of cigs in one of the girls’ pockets. I felt a little bad for them since they seemed waaaay out of their element. I also felt annoyed because they clearly didn’t do their research or properly prepare for doing a hike of this caliber. They said they had been hiking all day and were all feeling really tired. Julie told them to just keep going and rest at every switch back if they needed to. One of the women asked if they could hike out with us and Julie replied, “If you can keep up!” Needless to say, that’s the last we saw of them.

We continued on, wondering how many more damn switch backs we’d have to switch. Grand Canyon, I love ya, but we were ready to be out of the big ditch. It started getting a bit windier, which was a good sign we were close! We had already put on our jackets a few more miles before but our legs were getting a bit cold.

All of the sudden, BAM, we popped up out of the trail! We were done! Yahoo! It took us about 16 hours and 30 minutes total. 46 miles and roughly 10,000ft of climb and descent. A little later than we anticipated but not by much.

All done!

We took a few pictures and then Julie got a look in her eye. Kinda crazy but not mad. She needed food. PRONTO. We went into one of the visitor centers and she hit up a gift shop but she didn’t find anything to hold her over until we got to our room and ordered food. She found out there was a restaurant in the building we were in and that was it. She pretty much sprinted (ok, not really) to the restaurant telling me I didn’t have to go but she needed to – it was a matter of life or death. I followed her in, wondering if everyone could smell us.

We sat down, ordered a few IPA’s and burgers, and cheers-ed to a most epic day.

LOL

Ok, this next part is for my pal Joshua Sun, who wants to know what are three things that went well and three things that didn’t go well. This is actually really difficult because Julie and I got soooo lucky on so many occasions. The weather was perfect and the water was on. Those two factors are the ones that most scare me since you can’t control them. But we had a perfect weather day and most of the water was on. But here’s what I’ve got:

Three things that went well (that I could control):

1. My gear worked great. I bought another hydration pack with more room (Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta) and was really pleased with how it performed. I had only used it on one other occasion so wasn’t sure – but I had no problems and it held a ton of stuff. We both used poles which were very helpful. The only thing that bothered me were my gaiters. I don’t wear them ever but was worried about sand/rocks getting in my shoes. They ended up being super annoying so I took them off. That was really the only gear hiccup. See gear list below!
2. The company! Julie and I run together often so we knew we could handle 16+ hours of each other. Neither one of us was trying to set any records and were both a-ok with taking it easy. Our pace and personality complemented each other. Truly, I wouldn’t have wanted to do this with anyone else!
3. I was really pleased with how my body held up. Like I said before, I was really nervous that I wasn’t recovered from my 100k. But it seemed to be the perfect amount of time off. I was pretty sore for awhile afterwards, while Julie was able to jump back into training right away. Taking South Kaibab super easy probably also helped with this.
4. Oh and one more – the logistics worked out perfectly. $10 cab to get to the South Kaibab trailhead? And being able to walk to our hotel after? These two things made our adventure so much easier.

Three things I’d do differently:

1. I put way too much water in my pack at Phantom Ranch. Definitely wasn’t necessary and just weighed me down!
2. Moved out of Phantom Ranch a bit quicker on the way out. I’m all for taking everything in and we definitely did that. We stopped and took pictures when we felt like it and soaked in the beautiful views. But it takes a long ass time to climb out of the canyon. And once the sun goes down, those views are gone. I mean, it’s still an incredible feeling to know that we’re climbing out of the Grand Canyon – but those views definitely help.
3.  I forgot my map! Make that list and check it off when it actually gets INTO your pack.
4. Ok, another. I don’t think I brought enough food food. Ya know, like non-gels, real, actual food. We ate a few sandwiches at the top of the North Rim but I wish I had more of those tasty squished avocado sandwiches later on in the run. I can use gels through a race, but a long slow effort like this would be a lot nicer with some food food (for me, anyways).

The only photo of both of us in the Grand Canyon. Good one, us.

Gear list

• Shoes: Nike Terra Kiger 3 (dude version cuz my feet are supa wide)
• Clothes:
  • Patagonia Stride Pro shorts (LOVE these shorts, have multiple pair. if you dig lightweight material and a high split, buy these shorts)
  • Merino Wool tank
  • Injinji socks
  • Brooks Sureshot sports bra
  • Trail Sisters hat and buff. yay #trailsisters
  • Patagonia Houdini jacket (wore this in the morning and when the sun went down)
  • Gloves
  • Arm sleeves
• Poles: Black Diamond Distance Z Z-Poles, Oxide Black, 110cm
• Pack: Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta
• Water Filter: Sawyer Pen. We both had one just in case but never needed them.
• Water: Two 10 oz flasks in front, 70oz bladder
• Watch: Garmin 910XT
• Food: Lots of gels, bagel/avocado sandwich, dried bananas, Larabars, Tailwind in baggie
• Misc: Rocket Pure Friction Therapy lube, headlamp, sunscreen, chapstick, gaiters, kleenex in baggie

Wild Duluth 100k

First of all, a little recap on my year thus far (if you don’t care, head on down a few paragraphs): 2016 was supposed to be the year of PRs. My plan was  to train for (and PR) the LA Marathon, use the base and speed gained to race well at Ice Age 50-miler and a 100-miler in the fall, which probably would’ve been Hallucination 100. But I ended up with a stress reaction in my femur from all the road running/speed work that my body wasn’t used to. I actually didn’t know I had a bone injury at the time of the marathon so I ended up running the marathon and held on for 20 miles, but the injury and the heat made for a disappointing finish.

Once I found out that nagging pull in my groin was actually a stress reaction, I took 7 weeks off and had to re-evaluate my goals. I decided my goal for 2016 was to run in amazeball places. And that’s exactly what I’ve done so far.

I was able to to still run most of the Chattanooga Stage Race with my friends in June, which I thought I wouldn’t be able to do after I found out about the injury. Then in July, Ross and I headed up to northern Minnesota to run the Eugene Curnow Marathon in Duluth and then spent the rest of the week in a cute cabin nestled in the Tettegouche State Park. I spent the week “running” the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). This vacation came to fruition after I decided that my “A” race for the fall would be the Wild Duluth 100k – and realized I better get some solid training on what the SHT has to offer (which is lots of climb, rocks, roots – and gorgeous views).

A week later, I went to Oregon to attend the Mazamas Ultrarunning Camp, which was by far the highlight of my summer. During the 3-day camp, we learned from ultrarunning greats Krissy Moehl and Jeff Browning, I met amazing folks, stayed in a lodge nestled between Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson and on Saturday, we circumnavigated Mt. Hood. I can’t describe how incredible the experience was, especially for a Midwesterner.

I chose Wild Duluth 100k for a few reasons. Mainly, it covered the “amazeball” description. Two other reasons: I’d never run the 100k distance before and the course terrified me. The course is about 10,000 feet of climb (my watch had over 11,000 but it tends to be optimistic) on the very gnarly SHT. Coming from fairly flat Iowa (although it’s hillier where I live than most people think), 10,000 ft is quite a bit, especially on terrain that is way more technical than I can find on the trails I run.

Ok, so for the actual race! My parents met me and Ross in Duluth on Friday. We headed to packet pick-up and ran into the a large group of QC-TUR(d)s (Quad City Trail and Ultra Runners). They had a big group running all three distances – 100k, 50k, and half-marathon. Said hello and well wishes, got my packet, and then we went to dinner.

The Start

I was able to fall asleep easily and got a full night’s sleep. Woohoo! Woke up at 4:15am, had some breakfast (bagel + avocado) and coffee, did pre-race things, and left around 5:15am. The race started at 6:00am and we were about a 15 minute drive away. Soon it was 6:00 and we were off!

Before the race. Typical. Notice TUR(d)s in background.

I decided to get out in the front-ish because I knew we’d hit single track after less than a mile of pavement. I didn’t feel like getting caught in a conga line. We soon hit the single track and I think I was the 2nd or 3rd female in, which wasn’t intentional, just how it happened. I was in a line of about 6-7 people and we popped out of some single track and hit a road. The leader headed right to another trail and we followed. We soon realized we were not on the course. Ugh. We stood around looking for the reflective flags and soon saw a huge line of people across the street. We all headed that way and over the next mile, I tried to make my way up the conga line – exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Oh well.

The first aid station came quickly at mile 3 and like those in front of me, didn’t stop. We headed back into the trails and I found myself behind two women. I felt like I was strong on the ups and would get right behind them, but as soon as we hit a long stretch of down, they would just take off at a speed I couldn’t keep up with. I found this happening more often than I would’ve liked and I vowed to work on not being so timid on the downhills.

We were already gifted with a few incredible views of Duluth. This course is known for being beautiful and this is certainly accurate. The whole day was sprinkled with gorgeous fall colors and beautiful views.

I came into the Highland/Gretchell Rd. aid station and saw my crew and Josh and a few other TUR(d)s who were were waiting for Steve and Geoffrey. They told me the other two women didn’t really stop but were only about 10 seconds ahead of me. I dumped my head lamp, grabbed some Gus, and took off, a little nervous they’d put a lot of distance in between us that I couldn’t make up. I really didn’t like how much I was thinking about placement so early into the race, but I had it in my head I really wanted to place in the top 3.

Miles 8.8-15.7

Have I mentioned how freaking beautiful this course is? Just want to reiterate this point.

This section is a little fuzzy, but I ran with a few folks during this section including a fella named Dan. He’s run some amazing courses and we chatted about past races. We discovered we could use each other since he was stronger on the downs and I on the ups. We’d switch leading the way to drag the other along. It was a pretty good strategy, really. We soon came to the Spirit Mountain aid station which was water only. We just kept going and we saw the ski lifts, which probably meant we had some hills ahead of us. This was accurate. We climbed and passed a few folks, I think.

The trail came to a road which we had to take for a short period of time. I had passed one of the gals in front of me at this point and so I thought there was one gal in front. All of the sudden, said gal came up behind me. What? Where did she come from? She said she’d stepped of the trail to use the bathroom. We soon came to the Magney-Snively aid station and she just zipped right through. I stopped to see my crew and get a few gels. I got out of there pretty quick.

Miles 15.7-20

This section was tough. After the aid station, I went back into the trails and soon found myself climbing a bunch. I crossed a road and continue climbing. I was pretty far away from the road, but Ross and my parents must have seen me as they drove by because I heard a honk and Ross cheering for me. As I was climbing, I heard a women’s voice behind me talking to another guy. We eventually began running together and I found out her name was Mollie. She had run the 50k a few years back. She was in good spirits and the company was nice. I wasn’t feeling super strong and the hills were getting pretty tough. Lots of boulders and technical trail. This was definitely the most technical section of the race, which I found out later was Ely’s Peak. I took a wrong turn and Mollie guided me back the right way (thanks!). She took the lead for awhile and she got a bit ahead of me. I took a pretty hard fall and kinda laid there shocked for a second. I kept going but she was moving a lot quicker than I was and was outta site. I was seeing a bunch of 50k folks at this point, too (the 50k starts at the 100k turnaround and they run to the the start/finish). At some point, I must’ve started going down Ely’s Peak and was soon on some flat trail close to the Munger Trail aid station. A female 50k runner passed me and said, “Hey! I recognize you! You’re doing great, third female.” I racked my brain trying to figure out who this was and I’m almost positive I ran with her at the Eugene Curnow Marathon back in June. Anyways, I rolled in to the aid station and was greeted by Ross, my parents, and a few TUR(d)s.

I had Ross re-fill my bladder, grabbed some nutrition and headed on, knowing it would be awhile before I saw them at the 50k turnaround.

Everyone looking in different directions.

Miles 20-31

I had been looking forward to this section because I heard the 10 miles leading to the turnaround were a bit more runnable than the previous 20 miles. I would say this is true to an extent. The next five miles were pretty uneventful, I think. There was an aid station at 25.6 that wasn’t accessible to crew. I grabbed a cup of Coke and kept going. I passed a few fellas here.

I soon came to the dreaded power lines section. If you aren’t familiar with this, it’s a few incredibly steep hills that are under – yep, you guessed it – power lines! I’d already had the pleasure of running this section in the Eugene Curnow Marathon. It seemed we went up way more than we went down and I made a mental note that the way back should hopefully be easier (it was).

After this section, I was soon running some lovely MTB trails. THIS was what I was waiting for. Smooth and runnable.  I was able to open up a bit and really enjoy running for an extended period of time. There were still some hills but they didn’t seem long or steep enough to walk. There was a guy who was behind me for awhile and we eventually started chatting. His name was Joe and I really enjoyed his company. We chit-chatted and the time flew by. We eventually saw Mollie ahead and she took a very graceful tumble. She let us go by (after we made sure she was ok, of course). We were seeing some of the faster 100k folks head back towards the start. The first place female went by us and a few minutes later we were at the 50k turnaround.

Just about to the 50k turnaround.

Dad realizing how deceptively sweaty I am and immediately regretting his decision to touch me.

I was in good spirits. It was good to see my crew and I think I took some time to get some annoying rocks out of my shoe. I saw Joe leave and I took off shortly after, hoping to catch up and enjoy his company for a bit more.

Miles 31-42

Well, my plan to keep up with Joe did not work. He was moving pretty quick and he soon left me in the dust. I enjoyed the MTB trails again, soaking up the smooth and runnable trails knowing I would soon be back on the technical SHT. I remember trying to really appreciate the fact that I was running such a beautiful course and that I was able to do what I loved. The next 10 miles are pretty uneventful, really. I’ve never done an out and back course, so it was nice knowing what I had ahead of me. After about 5 or so miles after the turnaround, I stopped seeing 100k runners. I think I saw one 100k runner around mile 38 and that would be the second to last runner I would see (and no, the last runner I would see would NOT be the first female).

I got to the mile 42 aid station and my spirits were a little low. I was getting pretty lonely and was regretting not bringing along any music. I also knew I had Ely’s Peak ahead of me. You can legit see Ely’s Peak from the aid station so I had a tough time pulling myself from my crew. They said first female was about 10 minutes ahead – but looking really strong. I knew I was slowing down and if she didn’t end up doing the same thing in a big way, I wouldn’t catch up to her. Oh well, I wasn’t really bummed about this. I was just focused on getting the last 20 miles done.

Miles 42-46.3

I only had a few miles before the next aid station, but I knew they’d be tough. They were, but again, the views were dynamite. I never use that word to describe things but it just seems appropriate. I paid a lot of attention to course markers and the SHT blue blazes because this is where I took a wrong turn when I was running with Mollie on the way out. And what do you know? It worked. I knew after Ely’s Peak I’d have decent downhill to the next aid station. I think this is where I passed that other runner, but it’s a little fuzzy. Might’ve been in the next section. Anyways, I got to the downhill section and crossed a road, so I knew I was close to the next aid station. I definitely was in a better mood. I saw Ross who had come down the trail a little bit to greet me. I re-filled on necessities and debated taking the headlamp. A volunteer said it would be a good idea because “their were some forested areas ahead.” I looked at him and said, “Forested areas ahead? Oh, really?” in a pretty sarcastic tone. I felt a little bad about ribbing him but it was all in good fun. And it’s nice to be in a good enough mood to joke around. I took the headlamp and off I went.

Coming into Mangey-Snively Aid station – mile 46.3

Miles 46.3-53.2

Man, my memory sucks. Nothing notable. Just trucking along. I do know the aid station came a little later than I anticipated and I was a little sad about that. I knew the aid station was on a bridge and every time a bridge came into view, I’d get excited, but it was the third or fourth bridge I saw that was actually the aid station. Once it came into view, my crew and volunteers started cheering. There was a steep climb to get up and I just powered up that sucker. My crew told me I was sitting in 9th overall and that I was pretty isolated. Which explains why I was seeing NO ONE on the trails. I headed out, knowing I wouldn’t see my crew until the end. There was one more aid station at mile 59, but I told them not to bother unless they realllllllly wanted to. I just planned on moving right through.

Miles 53.2-finish

The sun had started setting and once I made my way back up to the ridge, the views were totally different than during the day. The clouds had broken up so I enjoyed some really lovely views of the sunset. Breathtaking, really. Although I kept trying to stay positive and embrace where I was, I definitely could’ve used some company.

I started noticing some deep aches in my quads when I took big steps down the boulders. But for the most part, I felt pretty darn good. Just fatigued. As the sun went down, I eventually turned on my headlamp. This is when the trails started to get pretty tricky. It’s one thing running leaf-covered trails in the dark with fresh legs. It felt like a different beast doing the same on legs with 50+ miles on them. I remember thinking how I still felt pretty good and to just push past the fatigue to lay down some quicker miles. I tried my best and honestly felt like I was running at a pretty quick clip, but then I’d look down at my watch and it would tell me otherwise. Ah, such is life. This is also when I realized that 14 hours probably wasn’t going to happen. I knew I wouldn’t be much longer though.

As it got darker, the moon got brighter. And it was like one of those big ol’ harvest moons or something because that shit was BONKERS. I felt like I could touch it when I was up on the peaks. We so lucked out with the weather – overcast during the day, but clear at night.

I got to the mile 59 aid station and just kinda jogged on through. There was a little hill just past the aid station and I attempted to run up it. I was halfway up it and RIGHT when I stopped to walk, the volunteers started cheering for me to keep running. I did a little signature “raise the roof” move (god, I have to stop that) and started running again. Less than a 5k to go. Woohoo!

I knew the first few miles was a good chunk of climbing so I knew I’d have a lot of down. Unfortunately, it was pretty steep down so I wasn’t moving very fast. In fact, I think I moved slower going down than I did going up at the beginning, which I guess isn’t too surprising.

I kept popping out into roads so I knew I was getting close to the finish. Finally, the last road I came to was the main road crossing. I knew I had less than a mile left. I crossed the road and headed toward the pedestrian bridge and then I spotted Ross waiting for me. He ran the last little bit with me and that was very nice. I turned into the last straightaway that led to the finish line and finished in 14:07. We didn’t stay long. It was 8:00 and both my crew and myself needed food! (and beer).

All in all, it was a good day. Ended up 2nd female (first place female finished 37 MINUTES ahead of me – YOWZA) and 9th overall. Ran amazing trails and raced a new distance on a really tough course. I slowed down more than I would’ve liked in the second half, but you live and you learn. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for an ass kicker of a course.

Thank you x a million to Ross and my parents for once again, spending the day on the trails, most likely bored out of their minds.

For those who care:

• Nutrition: water in my pack and a bottle of Tailwind, Gu’s every hour, fruit at the aid stations when it sounded good
• On my feet: shoes –  Nike Terra Kiger 3s. NO BLISTERS! FIRST TIME EVER! I chalk this up to going to a men’s shoe for more width; socks – Injinjis
• Clothes: Patagonia Stride Pro shorts and a Merino tank
• Pack: Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta. This was actually my first time racing with a pack and it didn’t bother me a bit.

Also, BONUS! I only fell one time. I was expecting no less than 5, so this was a real treat. I tripped a bajillion times though.

Burning River 100

Warning: this is long, folks.

I don’t know why, but Burning River 100 always felt like “the one.” You know, like how you feel about your future wife/husband. I just knew it was the perfect first 100 miler for me. It was terrain I could train for, it was close enough that I could drive and it worked well with my schedule. I signed up on my 28^th birthday – December 2. It was my birthday present to myself; a birthday present that made me want to throw up every time I thought about it (that only lasted a few hours).

My training went really well and I felt confident about my ability to finish. I knew I would cross that finish line unless something unexpected happened that couldn’t be fixed (i.e. injury). I was aiming for a 22-24 hour finish based on previous 50 miler times.

Fast forward to race day, July 25, 2015. I am lucky that I had four people take time out of their lives to make the trip to Ohio and support me: Ross (boyfriend), Julie (best running buddy), and my parents. Ross and Julie were crewing, and would both pace me at some point. Julie from miles 71-91 and Ross from 91 to the finish.

START

The race started at 4:00 a.m. which was nice because it was supposed to get pretty hot out so we could get in some good, solid miles before the heat was out in full force. It also wasn’t nice because we had to get up at 2:00 a.m. and I had poor sleep the two previous nights. I wish I would’ve taken a sleeping aid Thursday night to make sure I got good sleep, but hind sight is 20/20, eh? Next time.

Our selfie game is not strong.

I took some pre-race pictures with my crew and then lined up. The first 11.5 miles were all road. I kept my pace at 10:15-10:30. The goal was 10:30 but I am almost positive every split was probably closer to 10:15. I will never know because my garmin deleted the file the next day (I’ll try not to bitch about that too much).

When it started getting light out, the farms looked incredibly picturesque, especially with the fog. It was almost like a dream. On the other side of the spectrum, a dude in front of me farted a bunch real loud. I stifled back my laugher.

I came into the first aid station at 11.57 feeling great. I dropped off my head lamp and refilled my Tailwind and gels. I went to the bathroom and got out of the AS pretty quickly.

Next up was trails. Yay! This section was mostly Bridle Trail, which was wide and runnable. Not very hilly either. I remember the miles ticking by very quickly.

This is when I first met and ran with Nick, who I would run with periodically throughout the day. Really nice guy who had run BR two other times. He let me know the second half was considerably tougher than the first. Thanks a bunch to Nick for running with me a decent chunk of the day. Our convo made some of those miles fly by.

I saw my crew again at mile 22 at Shadow Lake aid station. I was ahead of my predicted times – enough that Ross was asleep in the car and I didn’t even get to see him. Again, got in and out pretty quick.

My “I can’t believe Ross is sleeping” face.

MILES 22-53

Honestly, this section (yes, I know 30 miles is a lot and more than a “section”) went by super quick.

Nick and I started running together again in this section. Probably around mile 25, I saw a woman for the first time since the first 5 miles and passed her and really had zero clue what place I was in (nor did I want to know).

There was another aid station at mile 27 and this is when I was I got my first back ice rub down from Julie and it was splendid. Ice (mostly in the form of ice bandanas around my neck) played a big part of my race to keep myself cool as temperatures climbed to 87 degrees. Stocked up on gels and grabbed some watermelon (ate a TON of watermelon that day). I also ate a small turkey sandwich, which I’m pretty sure was my only time doing so. I didn’t have any PB and J’s either, even thought that’s usually my staple. The heat just made dry food seem gross so I stuck to fruit. I think I got out of the aid station pretty quickly. Nick and I met up again soon after.

Ice rub down and stretching support. What a crew.

I remember my watch clicked 31 miles and I told Nick how crazy it was that 31 miles was essentially the longest most people’s training runs got. And we still had 70 miles left! I was pretty good about not thinking about the “big picture.” My mind usually thought about the next aid station. Soon after we came upon some happy ladies in santa hats a the Alexander aid station. I passed two ladies right before and made a point to get in and out quick.

Alexander aid station  and the volunteers were FANTASTIC. They had ice water buckets and volunteers sponging runners off. I got sponged down, ate some watermelon, filled up my bottle, and was off. I took off a bit quicker than Nick at this aid station and left solo.

I knew I was going have a few miles of tow path (crushed gravel) before the mile 31 aid station. I really wasn’t looking forward to it – Nick had warned me it was boring and could get hot. I made it to the tow path and he was right –boring and exposed. I think a lot of folks suffered on this section. I passed a few people and kept a pretty decent clip (10:00ish if I remember correctly). There were a lot of non-runners on the path so that was kind of nice. Some people knew that a 100-miler was going on so the encouraging words were good to hear. My fav part was when a woman asked if I was doing the relay and I told her no (meaning I was doing the 100 solo) and all she said was “God love ya.”

Gettin’ hot in hurr. Oak Grove Aid station.

Soon after I came up to Oak Grove aid station, which serves as two aid stations. It was mile 37 and I felt really good. I saw my super duper crew here and took a few minutes to get another ice bandana, some watermelon, and refill water. I’m pretty sure I took an S Cap too. It was really good to see my crew. I AM SO LUCKY. Seriously, I can’t say that enough. Every aid station lifted my spirits, even if my spirits were already high, because seeing them was just so awesome.

The next section was a little 4 mile loop. This was pretty fun. Ran with some fun guys for awhile who asked me why I was so chipper. While we were running, a dude came flying by and warned us that he has missed a turn in this section and had to re-run the loop. Gah!! That made me nervous so made sure to really pay attention. Turns out more than a few people did the same thing, including the woman who won.

Coming into Oak Grove a second time with these fun fellas. Sorry I can’t remember your names!

I came back to Oak Grove and saw my crew again, still in good spirits. I ate some Pringles and ditched my shirt. The red bandana had bled to my white singlet anyways (which freaked me out for a second before I realized what had happened). Restocked gels, refilled water, and off I went. Probably stayed a little too long. It was just so nice to be around my crew.

Pringles and ice.. mmm.

I still didn’t know what place I was in and that was fine by me. I didn’t want to care about it until later and not knowing was really the only way to do that.

I left Oak Grove knowing I wouldn’t see my crew for 10 miles. Things were feeling great – stomach good, no hot spots. I could not complain. The next section is where a few things happened that put me back a few minutes.

• I realized I had to go to the bathroom asap. But I was no where close to the next aid station, so off into the woods I went. I’m not very experienced with crapping in the woods, so this probably took me longer than it should have. It was also wasn’t super woodsy and I really didn’t want anyone to see me, so I went in pretty far. As I was making my way back to the trail, I saw Nick go by but it would be awhile before I caught up to him again.
• I came across two guys looking like there were searching for something on the ground. Turns out one of the guys fell and his glasses few off his head. I helped him search for a little bit and luckily, another guy found them.
• Once I got out of the “bathroom” and back on the trail, I ran by myself for a good while. I ended up catching up to a 50-miler and running behind him for a while. All of the sudden he asked when the last time I saw flag was. Crap. I was just following him. We kept going for awhile and didn’t see any flags. We came to a steep downhill and decided we didn’t feel like climbing up that thing if we had in fact missed a turn. So we turned around. We were running for a few minutes (I think??) when we ran into the two fellas I had run with during the Oak Grove loop. They thought they were on course so me and 50-miler guy turned around again. Sigh. I’m not really sure how far we had backtracked, but couldn’t have been too long.

We came through an aid station that had buckets of ice water and sponges. Ooooohhh that felt sooo nice. I was pretty quick through and off I went.

The next aid station was at the Stanford House, which was the 50-miler finish. It was a cute little town and there were a lot of people milling around. Ross met me a little before the aid station and gave me a smooch. It was nice to see him.

Stanford Aid station.

Every aid station was like a pit stop.

I wasn’t sure if I was on track still for 22 hours, but still felt great so didn’t really care. Julie said I was doing well and that was good enough for me. I changed my shoes at this aid station because I knew I had a blister that I wanted to take care of and I wanted to change my wet shoes and socks. I was probably at this aid station longer than any other. Once again refilled my gel stash and tailwind.

Julie popping my blister. How many blisters have your friends popped for you?

I also grabbed my iPod at this point. Time for some Beyonce. Julie mentioned that I was now at the point I could take a pacer at anytime, which I didn’t feel like I needed, but it was nice to know that from now on the option was on the table. I said goodbye to my crew for another 13 miles.

MILES 53-66

The next 13 miles are a little blurry and also not super eventful. I left Standford house and sang along with my songs very loudly. I figured no one cared and I certainly didn’t. I ran through some grassy areas and I believe this is around where I took my one and only fall. 100 miles and only ONE FALL. THIS IS REALLY AMAZING.

I came to the next aid station and got my watermelon and water refill. The nice volunteer told me that I’d run some trail but then mostly road. When I hit the road, I played leap frog with a dude and his pacer for awhile. He would walk the hills but I’d keep running. When he would run, he’d pass me. This happened a few times.

We entered some trails again and according to my watch, I should’ve been coming up to the next aid station in a few miles. I was super excited to see Ross, Julie, and my parents. The trails were a little rocky, as in lots of big rocks to jump around and maneuver. There were plenty of people milling about so I figured we were close the aid station. My water was gone and I was getting thirsty!

I climbed up some stairs out of the trail and saw a bunch of cars and a shelter house thing. Hooray! Aid station! Then I saw a woman smoking in fancy clothes. Hmm.. that’s not what people look like at an aid station. I soon realized it was actually a wedding and I had to go back in the trails. NOOOOO!!! This put a damper on my mood. I was seriously SO EXCITED TO SEE MY CREW. And then it was ripped away from me.

Ok, keep going. You’ll get there. I did get there, but two miles later than I thought I would. This really soured my spirits. When I finally did get close to an aid station, I saw Julie running toward me all ready to run. She wasn’t supposed to join me for another 5 miles, but I was more than ready for some company. Especially because I was so annoyed at this point. I greeted my crew, excited to see them. Made silly faces at the camera. Ate some (more) watermelon. It was still pretty warm so I was still getting ice bandanas at every aid station. This was such a good idea.

Pissed the wedding wasn’t the aid station, but trying to forget about it with silly faces.

I think I look like a child in this photo.

MILES 66 – 80

Julie and I took off. Yay! Running buddy! I think it took me awhile, but I eventually came out of my funk. We had about 10 miles before we’d see the crew again. Julie started telling me how everyone was rooting for me back home. I found out she had been updating Facebook at every. Single. Aid station. And people were being super awesome and supportive. Julie read me some really nice comments and words of encouragement. I have to say, it was really nice to hear. I appreciated this so very much.

Taking selfies and running is hard work.

We ran some more technical stuff, where I bitched about rocks and stairs and such. We generally had a good time, as we normally do. Julie’s is my best running buddy who I have shared a bajillion miles with. I’m really lucky to have someone who wants to run trails for hours as much as I do. She’s taught me a lot and obviously is a great support to me. I’m excited to repay her the favor when she races Pinhoti 100 in November. She also got some great photos while pacing, which are really nice to have and look back at.

Probably around mile 67 or so?

Hello, hill.

One of my favorite memories of this race is when we were running some grassy trails right around mile 70. I looked up ahead and saw an enormous hill and said ‘GROSS.’ We walked up the hill and then lo and behold – a huuuuuge downhill and a huuuuuuge uphill after. This is what they call the “Sound of Music” hill. I think I like this memory so much because Julie and I were joking around so much even though we obviously had a really tough section ahead of us. It was also very gorgeous.

The gross hill.

Almost to the top!!

We having fun yet?

Get to the top and see ANOTHER massive hill. Embrace that shit.

 We made it up that hill and we were at the mile 70 aid station. I think this was my favorite aid station. One volunteer told me how great I looked and that I was probably one of the least exhausted looking runners to come though. Another volunteer put ice in my hat and held it on my head so it would stay. This was one of my favorite pictures of the day.

Thank you, kind volunteer!

I put on my hydration pack at this point because I was sick of carrying my bottle. Off we go for a 4ish mile loop before we came back to the aid station. My dad jokingly said “see you in 20 minutes?” And I said “Yeah, I’ll just go PR my 5k right now.” Good times.

Looking sexy at mile 70.

Off we go to do a very tough loop. I actually can’t remember much of it, but I know when we got back to the aid station, I told Ross and my parents, “That was HARD.”

Oh, stairs, I hate you.

One of my fav pictures of the day.

Ross also said the quote of the day, “Just think, you only have a marathon left!” I think he was trying to be nice, but I wasn’t super thrilled to hear that.. I’ve since forgiven him.

Julie and I left again, knowing that it would be 15 miles before we saw Ross or my parents again. And when Ross would take over pacing duties. These 15 miles were probably the hardest and lowest mentally of the race. Not only was it getting dark, but the trails were probably the most challenging. Lots of roots, stairs (which I repeatedly called stupid), mud, ups and downs. I felt like when I finally was able to start running, I’d have to slow to a walk to get over, up, or down. I wasn’t trusting my legs anymore on steep downhills or stairs so I was taking them pretty slowly. That being said I am so lucky I had Julie along for the ride! I am sure I would’ve been much lower if she wasn’t there.  At one point, Julie said, “Fresh legs Kelly would love these trails!!” In which I replied, “Fresh legs Kelly would still think these stairs are stupid!!” That was pretty funny.

We came to some “trails” next to cornfields. I remember being so annoyed – the “trails” were just ruts that tripped me every few steps. I told Julie that this section was stupid (do you sense a theme here?) and that I would be faster walking. So that’s what I did.

Every once in awhile I’d pop in my ear buds to get a little boost from Beyonce (I listened to a LOT of Beyonce). Julie mentioned this was the quietest she’d ever seen me. I knew I was quiet, but it seemed like so much energy to talk. I’d notice Julie getting ahead of me a bit, which I didn’t think much of at the time, but she told me after she did to get me going a little faster. She noticed when she was running near me, I slowed down. She was the most excellent pacer. She told me how awesome I was doing at the right time, and just generally made me feel better.

MILES 80-85

After 5 miles (which felt like they took fooreeeever), we came to the Covered Bridge aid station, an aid station we’d go through twice. This also when my watch died, which sucked, but maybe it was for the best. On one hand, knowing how slow I was going the last 20 miles would’ve been pretty demoralizing BUT it might’ve also made me go faster. I’ll never know I guess.

The Covered Bridge loop was pretty tough. I honestly don’t remember much of it, I just know it was mostly single track. When we got back to the Covered Bridge aid station for the second time, we saw a few people going out the way we were coming in. Glad we caught them so they didn’t do the loop the wrong way. We also saw another female 100 miler. She didn’t look very good. She sat down in a chair and put her head down. I know that she had been ahead me all day and my crew was calling her “skirt.” Apparently, they gave everyone near me nicknames. I guess that’s what you do when you’re just waiting all day long. I felt really bad for her. Julie and I stopped for a few minutes to eat and things, and then kept going. Julie thought I was now in 4^th place.

MILES 85 – 90

After Covered Bridge, I had 5 more miles until we would see Ross and my parents. Yay! I was feeling a little mental boost because a.) I passed a girl and b.) I WAS LESS THAN 15 MILES FROM THE FINISH. We would get passed by relay runners every so often and they were so apologetic. “Good job!” we’d say and they’d reply “Oh no, I’m just a relay runner!!” We’d tell them “don’t say that, you goober*!! You’re still doing awesome!” It was really nice to see people – just another little pick-me-up. 100 miler runners were pretty hard to come by so having the relay folks pop up every once in awhile was nice. Even though I probably still wasn’t talking much, I think mentally, I was feeling better.

I knew 24 hours was probably out of my reach at this point. Or it would be very close. Julie reported I had to hold a 15 minute pace (I think?? I can’t remember anymore) until the finish. Even though that’s pretty damn slow, it seemed hard to accomplish, especially with a bit of trails to do and another aid station.

MILES 91 – FINISH

When we got to mile 91, I was so happy to see Ross and my parents. It’d been hours since I saw them last. I didn’t have any sense of time pretty much all day, but I know now that it was around 1:30 a.m. Ross gave me a hug. Julie had sent him a text to tell him I was looking for some human contact. It was true. I sat down in a chair to change my shoes one last time. My other shoes were very open at the top and had kept getting little pebbles in them which was annoying as hell. I put the new shoes on and they did not feel good at all, but I didn’t care. Let’s just get this 10 miles done.

Mile 91 aid station. This pictures makes me laugh. I look like I’m either a zombie or trying to psych myself up for 10 more miles.

Evidence that smiles happen at mile 91.

I thanked Julie for running with me for 26 miles and just being awesome in general and then Ross and I took off. I knew the last 10 miles was probably the easiest part of the course. Mostly flat and wide tow path trail or road, with a few miles of single track. Running with Ross was nice and comforting. I made him hold my hand a few times. Why? I don’t know. You want weird things after running that long. He also saw a bat eat a bug right in front of his face and he thought that was really cool. I’m sure he’d be disappointed if I left that part out.

I ran for most of this, but if there was even a hint of a hill, I would walk it. 5 miles went by and we were at another aid station. I went to the table ONE last time and ate my last piece of watermelon. I wonder if I ate an entire watermelon that day. Like at every aid station, the volunteers were incredible. I didn’t waste much time because we were almost done!! I bid farewell to my parents and told them I’d them at the finish line. Julie was going to meet us about a mile out and run in with us.

LAST PIECE OF WATERMELON!!

As we left the aid station, a police car escorted us across a bridge so we didn’t get hit by oncoming traffic, which was incredibly nice of him. Then we ran some sidewalks in town, which was kind of weird after being in the woods for so long. It was pretty late but I remember there being a surprising amount of traffic. A car of girls went by and honked and yelled words of encouragement. That was nice.

Either we came up on a dude or he came up on us – I can’t remember. But he was in a pretty weird place – saying some odd things, but I guess probably not that odd considering we’d been running for 97 miles or so. We entered the trails and there was a big climb. We started walking and the fellow said he was going to lie down when he got to the top. Umm.. are you sure that’s a good idea? Yeah, he told us, I’ve been doing it all day. Alright, then, see you later!

We eventually came to what I knew was coming – a ton of stairs. Tons of stairs meant close to the finish. Alright, let’s do it. I used my arms to help with the brunt of it. We got to the top and heard a raging river. It was so loud! We ran along some pretty flat trails for awhile and eventually the trail spit us out into town. I knew we were close. The trail section was over, and it was just a few miles until the finish. I asked Ross if 24 hours was achievable and he reported that it probably wasn’t. I was kind of bummed, but I was ok with it.

We started running on a sidewalk. Of course, there was a HUGE hill looming. Ross asked if I could run up half and then walk. Yes, I could. So that’s what we did. I picked a light post and ran to it. Then I walked. At the top, we started running (although I’m using the term running pretty loosely at this point). One foot in front of the other.

Soon after, I saw Julie. YES. I asked her how far out we were and she said probably less than a mile, maybe around .7 miles.

ALMOST THERE I’M SO HAPPY

She had her phone with me and said, “Kelly, it’s 3:54.” 6 minutes to finish under 24 hours. “Are we doing this?” I asked. I answered my own question by picking up the pace. We kept going. I saw our hotel, which was a block or so right before the finish line. Hooolly shiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!! We could see the finish. There was a car coming toward us and Julie said, “move over, you idiot!!” while waving her hands, or something along those lines.

And then we heard someone yell “ONE MINUTE!!!” And then I ran as fast as my little, tired legs could go. Julie’s watch had us clocked at going a little under sub-8:00 min pace right before the finish line. Kinda crazy what your body can do when you know it doesn’t have to do it for very long. The folks at the finish line were cheering. I was so close. And then I crossed the finish line. At 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. 100 miles. Three weeks later, I still can’t comprehend it.

Blurry.

I hugged Ross, my parents, Julie. Thanked them for everything. I honestly can’t say thanks enough. I honestly cannot IMAGINE doing this without such these guys. Took pictures. I tried to eat something but it didn’t taste good. We probably hung around for about 20 minutes and then we went back to the hotel.

My favorite people!!!

My other favorite people!!!

Oof.

I took a painful bath. And then a shower to wash away the disgusting bath water. I got in bed and realized I didn’t brush my teeth, but couldn’t get up again. Julie brought my toothbrush and a cup of water so my teeth wouldn’t rot out from all the gels. And then I went to bed, every once in awhile hearing cheers of other folks finishing.

What I learned:

• I am pretty mentally tough. I am most proud of never, ever thinking I’d quit. It never even become an option.
• My crew was essential. They were supportive, smart, and helpful. I didn’t have any major set backs and I owe a lot of that to them.
• I can handle the heat pretty well. It got up to 87 degrees and I don’t think it really ever “got” to me. I owe this to: ICE BANDANAS, ice rub downs, hot yoga, humid Iowa.
• My stomach is awesomely weird. I am totally grossed out I ate like 27 gels in 24 hours without a problem. I’m super thankful that my stomach can handle this, but was also very surprised. I’ll take it – it makes things easy.

What I’d do differently:

• I wish I would’ve pushed harder in the last 25 miles. Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of what I did, but I think I could’ve gone faster. Nothing was hurting me. My legs were tired, yes, but I had no serious pain.
• Spend a little less time at aid stations. I was pretty good at getting in and out pretty quickly in the first half, but think I spent too much time in the aid stations in the second half.
• Study the course more. There was a lot of elevation in that second half and it kicked my butt.
• Put more music on my iPod. I bought an iPod oooh about a week before the race. Then I realized I didn’t have any music to put on it. And I ended up with an iPod full of songs that didn’t really do much for me. Good thing I can listen to a few songs over and over again.

Overall, I am very happy with how the day turned out. My two biggest concerns were my stomach and feet and both held up incredibly well. I did have a huge blister on my right toe, but that literally happens anytime I run 50 miles so I was expecting it. I think I paced myself well in the first half. I don’t think I would want to go much slower or faster.

One question I get asked a lot is if I’d do again. And I can say with 100% confidence, that yes, I would, and am already planning my next 100 miler (not for a looong time though!). I remember thinking during the race “I won’t do this again” which was literally immediately followed by “Yes, you will, you idiot.” I think it’s in my blood.

The race day stuff, for those who care:

What I wore:

• Pearl Izumi ultra shorts
• Asics singlet
• Injinji socks (2 pair total. )
• Shoes: Terra Kigers 2 (3 pairs – last pair I put on at mile 91 was a half size bigger than normal to account for any swelling).
• Ultimate Direction – Jenny hydration pack, which I only wore for ten miles, I think. Maybe not even.
• Moving comfort sports bra
• Thorsday hat (represent!!!!)
• Lots of $1 bandanas
• Garmin 310XT

What I ate:

• Gu’s. A lot of them. All different flavors. Every 45 minutes to an hour I’d eat one.
• Lemon or naked flavored Tailwind was put into my bottle at every aid station my crew was at.
• Watermelon and grapes. Mostly watermelon.
• Pringles
• A few twizzlers
• 2 s-caps

Thanks for listening, folks!

* We didn’t really call them goobers.

Hawkeye 50k

Finally, I was able run the Hawkeye 50k. I ran the 25k two years ago and DNS last year due to a bum hamstring. I was pretty pumped to run this race, mostly because I run these trails almost every weekend and it would be fun to run them in a racing atmosphere.

The race is two 25k loops around Lake Macbride, 5ish miles of gravel trails, 6ish miles of fun trails, and 4ish miles of road. Me and the Rosses got there a little early and socialized with all the local runners. Tons of friendly faces and it was so good to see everyone out at one of my favorite places.

My foot has been bothering me (inflamed tendon in the left side of my  left foot) so I was planning to take the first loop easy and see what happened. I was ready to DNF if it really flared up. But luckily, that didn’t happen. In fact, it felt pretty damn good.

The first loop I ran with mostly with Wendy, an amazing trail runner from Cedar Falls. I met Wendy almost three years ago at my very first trail race – a 10k out at Sugar Bottom trails. Since then, I’ve run into her at so many local trail races and it’s always a pleasure to see her. This was the first time I’ve been able to run with her and it was awesome learning more about her, her running, and her family.

We ran most of the gravel portion together and then she got ahead of me.  Then came my favorite part of the course – the spillway. I only wish there were more sections like this – essentially you’re crossing a spillway from the Macbride State Park into the Macbride Nature Recreation Area. I got my feet wet which I loooove because it’s so refreshing. My shoes and socks dry quickly so I never have any problems.

Spillway!

One of the volunteers, Julie (thanks for being out there!), told me she thought I was 6th female. I didn’t really have my eye on placing at that point, but felt a little disappointed where I was in the line up. But I shrugged it off and just reminded myself: TRAINING RUN.

Then I entered what I deem the fun trails. Cross country trails with decent climbs and pretty sites. This is probably where most people who aren’t familiar with the course might realize they went out a bit too fast. It’s easy to do because that gravel section is so flat and it’s easy to just let go and move fast.

I had a great time on the fun trails. I walked up two of the steepest climbs (right outside of the spillway and another right steep single track section in the middle of the fun trails) but I didn’t want to walk anymore than that.

Eventually I caught up to another running acquaintance, John. Another runner I’ve seen at other races and kind of know. I had a great time learning more about John and his upcoming races. We hit the road section and Wendy caught up with us. It was so nice to have this company on the 3.5 miles of hilly road.

I was feeling pretty good and was going faster than I thought I should’ve been, but hey, when in Rome, right? We came in at the half way point and thanked all the awesome volunteers, many of whom I knew. Ate some m & m’s, refilled my water, and took off again with Wendy. John took a bit more time at the aid station so we didn’t see him again. I should mention he had a marathon coming up and he was using the 50k as a training run 🙂

We started off for the second loop and I thought, “Ok. Foot good. Legs good. Let’s keep it up.” A few miles in, Wendy backed off a bit and I was on my own. And I would be for the rest of the race. Ended up hitting decent splits on the gravel section. I was still not concerned with placing or catching up to females at this point – just wanted to run strong.

I crossed the spillway again and was excited to hit the trails again. Wee! Still felt good in this section, feeling a little tired yes, but overall, feeling pretty darn good. Around mile 23, I saw a girl. My heart jumped a little bit. As much as I was telling myself I wasn’t racing, I couldn’t help but get a little competitive. I saw she was walking on a flat section, which told me she probably wasn’t feeling great.

I caught up to her and she confirmed my suspicions. She told me she was in second, and so now I would be in second when I passed her. Cool! We exchanged pleasantries and off I went.

The next few miles went by quickly without a hitch, mostly I was just dreading finishing on the road. Tired legs and pounding pavement sounded awful. I saw Ross around this point and talked with him a bit. I’d been looking for him a bunch since he was volunteering at the race – it was nice to finally see him.

I got to the last aid station, around mile 27 and spotted a girl at the aid station, taking in fluids. A GIRL. She passed me early on in the gravel section, so I knew she was a 50k runner, not a 25k. And then my competitiveness really kicked in and all of the sudden I WANTED FIRST. I whizzed by the AS and entered the trails, with the goal of getting as much distance as I could between us.

There was a mile of decently tough trail before the roads so I tried to run that section as strong as I could. I just kept thinking, if she’s a strong road runner, she’s going to catch me on the road. And was envisioning this epic battle to the finish. That would’ve been fun and hard, but it didn’t happen.

I got to the road and just zeroed in on counting. Keep the legs turning fast (which is relative at this point), power up the hills, don’t think about how many miles you have left. Ross passed me in the truck and told me I had put a decent amount of space between us. I didn’t care – I wanted more space between us so kept pushing hard.

The road is hilly and a little curvy so you can’t see too far behind you. A few points you can, but anytime I looked back I couldn’t see far back and never saw anyone.

I finally turned onto the last little bit of road and was finally on the last little stretch of paved trail to the finish.

Almost done!

I crossed the finish line happy and tired. Finally, a first place finish! One of the volunteers said, “Congratulations! You’re second female!”

wat.

Apparently, a badass woman finished about 9 minutes before me. Woops. The gal I passed must’ve been wrong about what place she was in. Oh well! To make matters even more hilarious, the girl I passed at mile 27 (who I thought was first) took her time with the last 4 miles and finished quite a bit after me.

If anything, at least I know I can push it if I need to, right? This race was full of my favorite things: GREAT weather (which is huge since this race is notorious for bad weather), my fav Iowa ultra runners, trails I love, and great volunteers. ‘Twas a good day.

I only added this picture because Ross looks hilarious.