In east-central Kansas, Paola, specifically, there’s a small lake. Midwest endurance race company has had and intends to have races around this lake.

On 11 March 2023, I ran the 3rd installment of Miola Madness. Miola Madness-spring into daylight savings! This is the first in a series of 4 events. 32 runners in 4 different available time increments. 3/6/9/12 hours. I ran the 12 hour. Nobody ran the 9 hour. Sydney ran the 6 hour and held the record for about an hour.

This event has been fun. The weather is always garbage. There aren’t a lot of people. The trail condition is challenging in places. It’s a long loop. I love it!

I’ve done pretty well in this event, I think. I’m currently the record holder for the men’s 12 hour group. My dream is to someday hit 60 miles. It’s right there! Maybe if I could stay out of the port-o-johns?

This time, I was using this event as a tune-up. It’s just a few weeks from the first hundred of the slam. I am nervous! This event really helped with my nerves.

I ran 54 miles in 11 hours and change. I was working pretty hard, and the whole situation was less than ideal. I worked the night before, so very little sleep. My fueling was sketchy. I really did not eat enough. I should constantly ask myself, “Are you eating?”

My foot hurt, but I’m fairly certain that the pain is all in my mind. It’s been hurting since cactus roulette, but not all the time.

It was drizzling the entire 12 hours. That was fine. There were big, unavoidable puddles all over the trail. I am trained for that. My shoes and socks didn’t hold the water, so it wasn’t bad. Just splash through the puddles! It was chilly when I stopped but warm when I ran.

Walking was okay, but frustrating. Ive been practicing my race walk technique. I have had paces up to 14 minutes per mile. This day, though, I was really slow.

The last Miola Madness event had a very exciting finish. Last minute heroics, etc. Very dramatic! This time, it was kind of “meh.” Let me wrap it up so we can all get out of here. My legs were trashed! They were cramping all the way home. A hot, salty bath and cold beer took care of that, though.

So, overall, a success. I ran over 50 miles in less than 12 hours. I got some real good advice about pacing, and ideas about tapering. I got even more experience running in less than ideal weather conditions. A very good day!