TLDR: I finished. My time was 24:23:04. Pacers and crew were key to my success.
Today is Monday, 27 March 2023. My feet are a bit tender, and my calves are kinda tight. Running 100 miles will have an effect on a body. Mainly, hunger. I am SOOO hungry! And sleepy. Not in pain, though. Like, I’m in less pain than normal.
The weeks leading up to this race I was having some serious heel pain. I was really starting to get worried. My right foot would hurt so bad I could hardly put weight on it. I wondered, “will I even make it to the start?”
Of course, I didn’t say anything about this to anybody. Especially not Sydney, my girlfriend and crew chief.
Sydney is the H.B.I.C. of this outfit. She recruited some great pacers and crew. She kept them up to date through a group chat, and shuttled them to and from aid stations. Sydney did all the pre-race shopping. She designed and ordered shirts. She put together gift bags for the support team. She updated a Facebook group page and shared Instagram stories. She also managed my aid station stops and kept a log of all my food and drinks. She recorded every time I ran into an aid station. She took a bunch of great pictures. After staying up all night doing that, she drove us home while I slept.
A week out I continued to just work my scheduled shift. I did no running or working out. I stopped drinking beer. I tried cutting out caffeine. I drank SO much water. I ate about the same as I always do.
Friday afternoon, I got together with Chief Syd, and we prepared for the morning. I surprised her with the news that if I wanted drop bags for the race I would need to either take them to packet pickup that night or get to the start by 5 in the morning. So we packed up and labeled my drop bags and drove down to Ottawa. We brought Brooksie the dog with us, because why wouldn’t we? I asked the volunteers if they had any tips: “if you get confused, think, ‘what would a train do?’” The volunteers at this event were great!
We got to the start at 5:40, filled my water bottles, completely missed the briefing, got pre-race photos taken, and socialized with a few of our running friends. Isn’t it weird how sometimes you can be simultaneously late, early, and right on time.
The route begins with a run one mile north, then south to Iola. Then run back. BTW just picture quotes around the word run throughout this post. Like: “run.”
My strategy was simple. Try and keep an even, consistent pace until Colony. At Colony, about mile 41, I can have a pacer. Then it’s their problem.
I immediately disregarded my plan. I had sub 24 hours on my mind. I had my liked songs playlist going. The weather was beautiful! Chilly if you stayed still, just right for running. I was going fast. Too fast. Every time I thought “okay, let’s slow it down,” another rockin’ tune would come on. I was feeling okay, anyways. My aid station stops were running like clockwork. I was on pace to make it to the turnaround by dark.
At Colony I picked up my first pacer, Ryan Ortiz. Ryan would pace me to Iola and back to Colony.
Ryan is an interesting guy. He and his family just made their charity, Ollie’s toy box, a 501(c) charity. He started a 5k and timed ultra in his hometown of Chanute, KS.
We arrived in Iola and I was feeling pretty uncomfortable, if you know what I mean. This feeling would plague me the rest of the race. I believe now that it was caused by simple dehydration. I was emptying my bottles. I was really pounding fluids. The humidity was something, though. I switched to plain water from Heed, and that helped.
After a rushed stop in Iola, Ryan and I booked it back to Colony. We saw the “run trails, eat bacon” YouTube guy. I got some advice and encouragement from a seasoned trail runner named Ben. He told me, “run slower. Walk faster.” Great advice, I just don’t listen.
Back at Colony, I used the restroom again. I was done with aid station food at this point. I met up with my next pacer, Clint. Clint has a YouTube channel, “Clint is a tall runner,” where he documents most of his running. He only recorded a bit of our leg, though. He says it’s because it was too dark. I was feeling great and looking forward to this leg, because Clint has a bit of a slower pace. Except, not this time! Lol! We were going pretty fast. I liked the pace, though, and I liked talking to Clint. He’s an interesting guy. We got to Welda in no time.
Sydney had gone to Sonic and bought a bunch of food, trying to get me to fuel. I rejected the burger (that’s how delirious I was), but said I’d eat the chicken and tots. Ben was my pacer for this leg. I know Ben peripherally from team rwb, and kc ocr, and just different events around town. We immediately fell into a good vibe. It’s a good thing, too, because not only is Welda to Garnett a long leg but the weather was turning bad. Bad. Ben was cracking me up with the Forrest Gump quotes. The rain was coming sideways, though. We were jogging, trying to get through it, when we saw the lights on the trail. I said, “Let’s go to the lights!” And we booked it. We went a little quick, but it did feel good! We ran into the Garnett train station aid station, and I used the restroom.
The Garnett aid station, especially on the inbound, is heaven on the trail. The best hot food, pre-packaged snacks, a friendly trail dog named Miles, and nice volunteers (but not so friendly that you don’t want to leave).
My pacer for this leg was a retired marine now farmer named Karin. She was brilliant! Like, literally! Sydney gave the overnight pacers these light-up toys to keep me in a good mood. They mostly worked. We did a pretty consistent minute run/minute walk interval throughout the leg. We only broke routine so I could eat and she could text Happy birthday to her husband, RC.
Arcenio, or RC, is Karin’s husband. Also a marine, he crewed with Sydney while Karin and I ran from Garnett to Richmond. Sydney says he was very funny and also that he made sure she ate something. And it was his birthday!
We got to Richmond, and I was feeling it. My pacers for the next two legs both met us at Richmond. Leigh was scheduled for the last leg, but met us to lift some spirits. I didn’t recognize her at first because she was wearing a “slimer” costume!
Laura, my pacer for this leg, had ran the 50k earlier that day. We hike/walked the whole leg. A first time hundred mile runner that I chatted with early on named Bryce caught up to us, passed us, then ran back for his pacer. His mother was pacing him on this leg. She sent him on ahead and finished the leg walking with us.
The final leg, and my watch was dead. And I was dead. I was tired in my soul. My legs felt okay. My stomach was a mess. My poor pacer! Leigh is always a superstar cheerleader. Every race, every event. She was exactly the pacer I needed for this leg. My hopes of a sub 24-hour finish were pretty much crushed when I saw the “93 miles” sign on the aid station. Leigh was not going to let me drag, though. The entire leg was me “let’s walk” vs. her “just a little shuffle.” Me: “this is Bull#@!*” vs. her “Look at the frost! So pretty!”
Finally, about a million years later, we get to the finish. We run it in at 24:23:12. Very respectable! I run straight to Sydney’s loving arms, and we hold each other until someone tells us to “cut it down or get a hotel room!”
Mile 90 is taking the finish portraits, and I’m trying to keep it together, but there’s just too much built up emotion. I lose it. I ugly cried for probably 30 minutes or more.
Our friend Emily showed up with an Irish coffee and some really nice beers. I drank some of that and chatted with the overall winner. Wes finished in 18 hours and said he couldn’t sleep. I didn’t have that problem.
Huge “Thanks” to all the volunteers, crew, pacers, and especially Sydney for getting me through this first 100 miles.
If I didn’t mention anyone, I apologize. There’s a lot, you know? And if it feels like a long recap, remember it’s over 24 hours of living.
W.W.R.H.D. 