Umstead 100-Mile Endurance Run - RunUltra Marathon

Blake, the race director, counted down the minutes before the race. At one minute to go, I got a quick good luck hug, and I was ready to run. The gun and fireworks went off, and we were on our way!!
I immediately latched on to a group of three runners who were running about 9 minute pace and I stayed with them. Since I had no idea what this course was like, and I couldn’t see much at all outside the realm of the headlamp, I just decided to stay with some people who looked like they knew what they were doing. These three did. Two of them were chatting and laughing so I figured they must be pretty experienced. I stayed with these people for about the first three miles. One of them went ahead of the rest so I followed her. I immediately knew she’d be my rabbit. I followed her down the hill between Miles 3 and 4 and I came upon a guy wearing a Marathon Maniacs jacket. I had my Maniacs jersey on over my long sleeve compression T, so I said hi and we ran and chatted a while. His name was Rob and he told me he was Maniac number 266. We ran down the hill together and then up the other side…the hill on the other side was an entire mile long but wasn’t very steep. I had no problem running the whole thing at sub-9 pace. There was a water station at the top of it so I grabbed some water, took a gel, and kept going. After another mile and a half we were at the back aid station and I really was digesting food fast. So I jumped into a portapotty. I grabbed some food after finishing up, and Rob left the aid station before me so I was running alone again. Here’s where all the NASTY hills began. Between Mile 7 and Mile 8, the nastiest hill on the course, “Sawtooth,” reared its ugly head. It was about a 12% incline, I had to run on my toes to get up it. But I ran the thing. It was tough but it didn’t slow me down much. Another half mile and there was another steep hill, this one about a third of the height of Sawtooth though. Most of Mile 8 to Mile 9 was downhill. Then right at Mile 9, another crazyass straight up incline. OUCH!! After a bunch of switchbacks and false flats, I hit a nice three-quarter-mile downhill. At the bottom of that, another uphill…this one wasn’t long but it got steeper as you went up, and at the top was a very short very steep finish. There was a water stop right at the top there, so I grabbed some water, downed a gel, and went on. At the Mile 11 marker, there was the last hill of the loop. Shannon calls this “cellulite hill”…it’s a two-stage incline, I’d give it 8-9% on the steepness. Once I was up that, it was a mile and a quarter to the start finish area. Upon entering the headquarters area, the terrain got very rocky and VERY steep downhill. It was hard to run slow down the hill, but it was so rocky that it was hard to get my footing right. I ran down and then up another incline to the finish area where the aid station was. I finished the first loop in 1:53. I ate some food, and then went to my bag to get my supplements and gels for the next lap. Brian was still asleep in the car so I just headed out for the next loop.
On lap 2, I found my rabbit again, her number was 5. I stayed behind her as long as I could and then passed her. She definitely kept me going. I ran this loop pretty much the same as the last one and had no unique experiences. I felt good, my legs were strong, I had no knee, back, or leg issues. A couple times on this loop, I felt kinda giddy, like I did during my first Ironman. This was a first time for me…it’s been a while since I’ve done something for the first time so I felt happy to be doing something new. I came into the race headquarters area at around 3:47 elapsed, feeling good. I felt good about my speed thus far even though I knew it was a little faster than I wanted to be going. My original goal was to do the first 25 miles in 4 to 5 hours and complete 50 miles in 10 hours or so. Right now I was 13 to 73 minutes ahead of plan. I felt good though, so I went with it. At this time, Brian was sitting with my bag and helped me gather my lap 3 supplies. He was so helpful, I couldn’t have done this without him.
I changed my shirt from the long sleeve tee and my Maniacs jersey into my sleeveless Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler shirt…the race I never even started. It was much more comfortable though. As I left for lap 3, I saw my rabbit, number 5, heading out, so I needed to catch up with her. She was now running with someone. I left the “transition area” and headed out to catch them. I saw Rob coming in from his second lap as I went out. I was just about at the marathon mark. I crossed Mile 26.2 in 3 hours and 57 minutes. I was satisfied with that since I originally wanted to do 25 miles in 4 hours. Even though I was wearing an iPod, I could hear number 5 chatting and talking to her running partner. I have no idea why, but it annoyed me. Well, okay that’s a lie, I DO know why…cuz I was putting in a lot of effort to run these trails at 9 minute pace and she was out there just jogging and talking at that pace! I HAD HAD HAD to get in front of them. So I did at Mile 3. Normally, someone talking while running wouldn’t make a difference to me, so I don’t know why it did on this day. Hmmmm…weird. I ran down the long hill between Mile 3 and 4 and then ran up the hill between 4 and 5 as hard as I could without going too fast. I’d lost them. They kinda stayed with me though, I’d notice them coming into the aid stations and waterpoints as I left them. Just past Mile 6, I had gone 50K, so I recorded my split…4 hours, 40 minutes. Still decent. I started lapping other runners on this loop. On this loop I started talking to another runner who had just almost been run over by 15 deer sprinting across the trail. We chatted a while and ran the big hills on Turkey Creek together. At about Mile 10 of the loop, he dropped back. I should have run the whole race with this guy as he finished about 4 hours ahead of me later on but I needed to do this for myself. I needed to test my own limits. I came in from lap 3, and I was at about 5:48 elapsed. As I sat and adjusted my shoes and got my gels and supplements from Brian, I realized…I could have a 50-mile PR if I can do the fourth lap in 2:07 or less!! I knew this was a crazy goal to achieve, but I’d been feeling good all day so I figured why not at least go for that and then I can slow down for the rest of the race…at least it’ll be easier for me to get that sub-24 I want.
I left for lap 4 just after number 5 and number 77…again, they were chatting and having a good time. Again I had to get in front of them. Again, I did at Mile 3. After a few more miles I started to notice I was getting tired sooner than I had on each lap so I decided to step up my nutrition. I ate more food and drank more water at each of the stations. I could feel the difference when I took in nutrition on this lap, unlike the others when I was working off of stored nutrients. I was coming up on Mile 11 when I realized I pretty much had the 50 mile PR in the bag. It was weird, I almost started to cry! Ultrarunning does weird things to my emotions. When I came into the headquarters area, I realized I was about to have a 10-minute 50-mile PR! I was thrilled. Came across the line at 7:45 into the race, and grabbed some much needed food and drink (they had sweet tea!!!) at the headquarters aid station. As usual, I sat down and got my next loop supplies. Shaun was there now. He and Bri helped me get my shirt changed again, back into my Maniacs jersey.
Since I’d now PR’ed my 50 mile distance I felt it was time to take this lap a bit slower. Brian asked if I wanted a pacer but I said no. I wasn’t sure if anyone else was coming, I thought maybe Shannon and Chris had something come up so they couldn’t get there. So I wanted to conserve my pacers. I figured I’d run this one alone, and if Shannon and Chris weren’t there when I got back from lap 5, then I’d run 6 alone too. I left the headquarters area at 7:49 elapsed time.
On loop 5, I purposely ran slower. Here is where I let number 5 go ahead of me, she’d done her job and I was done using her as a rabbit. She’d also dropped number 77, who I guess wasn’t fast enough for her either! I ran up the mile-long hill between Mile 4 and 5, but I walked up Sawtooth and the other steep hill. I lapped some more runners and I even re-lapped a few that I’d lapped before. To my surprise, I ran up the “cellulite hill” at Mile 11. I was pretty sure I’d be too tired to do that, but I felt okay. I completed lap 5 in 2 hours and 30 minutes which put me at 62.5 miles in 10 hours and 19 minutes. This was an hour and 17 minutes faster than my first 50 miler back in 2006. When I got back, Shannon and Chris were there with the baby, and Jenn was there as well. I wasn’t extremely coherent but I said hi to everyone and just sat down. Shannon massaged my quads while Brian and Shaun took care of getting me some nutrition, and I changed my socks. I kept the same shoes on, the Montrail Streaks were working VERY well. I asked Shannon if they told her about my 50 mile PR and she said “yeah, what the hell made you do that!? If I didn’t love you I’d punch you in the nuts for that!!” I laughed. I took my supplements, drank some Gatorade, and just relaxed for about 10 minutes. I was starting to get tired. I knew this next lap was gonna be a challenge to complete. But I wanted to get 75 miles in my midnight and I was MORE than accomplishing that, so I just put my mind to it. Chris offered to pace me on the next lap so he got dressed and we got ready to head out.
Lap 6 was the first lap that I really felt like “damn I wanna be done with this” and started to feel definite motion-stopping fatigue. Chris was a God-send. He made me run most of the first four miles. We walked about three quarters of the mile-long hill. We ran from Mile 5 to the aid station. We even ran up some of the steep hills, except Sawtooth and the other steep one. Chris kept me talking thru the whole loop, so I wouldn’t get too bored. We chatted about our first Sunmart when Chippy got us all sick, we chatted about how things change, we chatted about BT, and about our other halves. It was definitely cool, cuz I haven’t hung out with Chris in like 3 years. Before I knew it, we were walking up “cellulite hill”…Chris said, “let’s run this” and I was like “ARE YOU INSANE??”. Another 10 more minutes and we were coming into the headquarters area and the start/finish line. We slapped hands and I went across to get counted. This time I ate soup, had a cheeseburger, and had some more sweet tea. I definitely needed more and more nutrition now. I was really starting to feel the pain. My heels were in bad shape, my feet were hurting, my toes were cramped. Still though, my hips, back, and knees were okay. No problems there. Shaun was to be my next pacer. I had decided earlier that I would probably walk the last loop, and I wanted Brian to do it with me, instead of loop 7. Shaun got ready and we headed out. I was at around 13:45 into the race at this point, and I knew I had 10 hours and 15 minutes to complete the last 25 miles of the race. To me, it seemed like it might take that entire time. I was falling asleep while I was walking.
Shaun and I headed out on loop 7. We ran most of the downhills and the flats on the first half and walked the inclines. We walked the entirety of the long hill. During our ascent we saw a runner sleeping on the side of the trail, with her pacer standing watch. I tried to run a little at the top of the long hill to the water stop but my feet said no. I even made Shaun walk most of Mile 5 and 6 because my toes and the top of my right foot felt like someone had put nails in them. It was here that I decided a.) we’d walk the rest of the loop, and b.) I’d change after this loop into my Asics Trail Attack 3 trail shoes and my Thorlos socks, which would be more comfortable for the long loop 8 walk. At the aid station I nearly fell asleep in the chair as I ate and drank. I had more soup, a burger, and a hot dog. They were good but I was so out of it, I hardly remember them. We walked up the hills on Turkey Creek Trail, and even walking, my feet were in major pain. My legs were okay, but cramping a bit from the distance. Back and knees were still fine. I was basically sleepwalking though. I just kept imagining myself sleeping beside the trail like the girl we saw on the long hill. Soon enough, we were on “cellulite hill” again. It was weird. Being dark now (we were wearing headlamps), I didn’t feel like I was walking uphill. I felt like if I stopped, I might fall forward, like I was walking DOWNhill. Darkness does weird things. It took about 20 minutes to go the next mile and a quarter back to the headquarters and start/finish. Seven loops down…one to go.
I sat down…I didn’t wanna get back up. I had grabbed some soup, another burger, and some sweet tea at the aid station before sitting down. I just wanted to stay sitting. I had 7 hours to do 12.5 miles. I just wanted to sleep. Brian had to force me up out of the chair. I took my last bit of supplements (which by the way, were Tylenol, Glucosamine/Chondroitin, and Endurolytes) and drank some Gatorade. I was pretty much out of it. I was slurring my speech, making incoherent sentences, etc. I didn’t even notice that there were other people around. Brian got his fleece on and I put on pants, a fleece, and my socks and shoes that I wanted. I was more comfortable in these but in a lot of pain. We left, and I knew it’d be a LONG time before we got back. We were at almost exactly 17 hours on the clock.
I had nothing left. I just wanted to be done. I felt like a big ball of pain. My feet were at least a little more comfortable but I was completely unable to run. We left the headquarters area, and walked up the hill that seemed to last forever. We walked the entire first mile. I was still somehow worried about finishing in under 24 hours, but it was obvious that it was just my mind leaking away that wasn’t letting me realize I’d do so with time to spare. So that’s when Brian told me that on lap 4 I had been in 7th place overall. It made me want to run. So we did! We ran most of the mile from marker 1 to 2. And then again, all the way from Mile 2 to Mile 3…and then AGAIN…from Mile 3.5 to 4.2 where the long hill started. That was the last time, effectively, I ran at all in the race. The pace for the rest of the time was over 20 minutes per mile. I don’t really remember ANYTHING from Mile 4 to the back aid station. I remember grabbing the last of the fruit punch that was available at the back aid station. I remember leaving the aid station. I remember walking up Sawtooth and hearing Brian ask me how I ran up this thing 5 times. I remember telling Brian that I was seeing people on the trail when there was no one there. I remember hearing people when there was no one there. I remember hearing owls on the trail…that WERE there. I don’t remember much other than that, except when we got back into the headquarters area and I knew I’d be done soon. When we got back, I started walking about 15 minute pace…faster than I’d walked in the last 4 hours. I told Brian I wanted to RUN to the finish line. And so I did. The timing crew was cheering for me and I ran across the finish line in 21 hours, 13 minutes…2 hours and 47 minutes ahead of my goal time. Interestingly enough, one of the guys I latched onto at the start finished right behind me, no more than 20 seconds after I crossed the line.
After the race, the aid station crew basically attacked me with food and drink, to make sure I stayed conscious. I was dizzy, basically walking with no direction. Everyone kept asking if I was okay, to which I replied “yes, I’m fine” around what seemed a million times. They made me go inside the headquarters building and I got some pizza and a little bit of water. The volunteers and aid station crews were just simply amazing. There’s no way a race like this could be run without these people. Plain and simple. HUGE thanks to them!!
After a few minutes I went outside to have my picture taken for a project that a student from NY was doing as a Master’s Thesis…a study of extreme exhaustion after ultrarunning. My face may be in a gallery in New York City soon!
After I’d regained some wits, Brian and Shaun gathered up the stuff and got ready to head out. We had to be at the gate by 4am or we’d have to wait til 5 to get out. I hobbled as best as I could and followed them to the car. The air mattress was all blown up in the back of the FJ. I climbed in. I think I was in the car about 30 seconds and I was asleep. Shaun headed back to his parents’ house but Brian and I went to Waffle House. I needed some food!! After eating lots of food at WH, we headed back to Shannon and Chris’s place and there I slept from 5am til noon on Sunday.
My first 100-mile run is in the history books. I feel great for having done it…but damn…IT HURT!!! Ironman is now on my list of EASY races. Will I do another 100? Probably. I think with the right training I can do Umstead in under 18 hours. For now, I’ll focus on being a coach and trainer…and kicking butt at the Sunmart 50 miler in December.


Not sure...maybe go a little slower in the first 50? But hell, I love running fast. I blew away my goal time, should I really have done something differently??

SLEEEEEEEEP!!!


The distance.


World class ultrarunning. Can't get any better than this. I had a blast!