Tortoise or Hare?

Tortoise or the Hare?

53rd 100-Miler(+) | 135th Ultramarathon

I just arrived at the finish line on race morning, and the shuttle van was there to provide me a ride back to the start line. YES!! Another point-to-point adventure lie ahead of me where I'd have basically no choice but to run my way back to my vehicle. This adventure has brought me to the Ozark Highlands Trail in N.W. Arkansas. I was excited based on some of the prior website pictures to experience this area and get to run through this rugged landscape. It was just prior to sunrise when about 9 of us loaded up on the van shuttle (Ford Transit XL 12-seater) and we settled in for about 90-minute drive back East towards Hagarville, AR where the start line was.

Shuttle van ride pre-race (finish --> start line)

We arrived in this small campground with a small tent-like shelter area set up where the race bib and GPS trackers were being distributed from. The whole entire 100 Mile field was only 12 runners (plus a runner sweep who was going to follow the entire course - so 13 people total). I came over to the campsite picknick table and got checked in with my nice Hare 100 sun hoodie and some stickers along with my bib and assigned GPS tracker that I placed onto my hydration vest. The morning was crisp and chilly there as the area was covered and shaded by very tall trees and the surrounding hills blocking any direct light. After ensuring my pack was all set and placing my one drop bag into the pile I retreated back into the van with a few other of my peers who were also taking advantage of the warmth as we waited for the start time. 

The Race | Running the Ozark Highlands Trail

Now being 10:00 am we all lined up in this small campground and under the homemade wooden arch. After a literal few last-minute instructions from Race Director Stephanie it was a quick thanks for being here and "go"! The runners were off and the adventure had begun.

Hare Mountain 100 start line.

The course instantly left the campground and headed directly into the woods and started climbing. The Ozark Highlands Trail is marked and so our instructions were essentially to follow the blazes on the trees and the signs along the way. As stated in the runner's manual this is an unmarked run. 

We DO NOT mark the trail with plastic ribbons or anything extra. You will use the GPX file with waypoints to guide you along (virtual confidence markers) and the numerous trail markers and wooden signs.

This is exactly the type of small grassroots race that I like. No extra fluff, and down-to-Earth trail running out in the woods and mountains. The trail was rocky and leaf covered as expected for a fall time race in the South region. The weather was warm to start on the first day, but luckily the tall trees basically kept the sun away directly for almost everything. I don't recall much of any full-on direct exposure, except the couple of road crossings.

I started off running with the lead runners for maybe 10 Miles or so before the pace was just slightly too upbeat for me. So, I settled into my own rhythm and continued on my own race-feel pace as I normally do. The first third of the race went quite well as I was on a decent pace (for me on a mountain 100Miler). Looking back, in fact, I was fairly close to a 24-hour or just over that in terms of on-pace. I thought thus might be a little fast as this race has been historically slow in terms of finishing times, all be it a smaller sample size of total runners in the past couple years. Around this point in the race a made a small navigation error (i.e. took a turn I should not have) and climbed up for about 0.25Mi before noticing and looking at my watch and the GPS track. I turned back around and ran back down to where I had deviated. In the end it was maybe half a Mile at most of extra mileage, however it was all up & down, steep at that! I did make a couple of tiny navigation later on, but nothing where I went off course for any extra measurable mileage.

The climbs on the Ozark Highlands Trail maybe short, but steep and punchy! This one pictured even had stairs (sort of).

The second third of the race is where my race really started to slow in pace. The terrain was rocky and quite awkward in terms of acquiring and getting settled into any sort of flow for the majority of it. Now the sun was setting and it was darkness time. Since the trees were tall and provided shade in the day time it also covered and prevented the moonlight in the night and thus was very dark out there in the woods. I spent a lot of the night power hiking and moving slowly forward. 

Coming into the wee hours of the second day and approaching sunrise I was in the one out & back "loop" section down to the Redding Aid Station and returning back up to the main trail. I personally often persevere through the early morning hours and then get smacked by the first light and this is exactly what happened this time. Wave of tiredness just washed over me and I was moving very slow for a many Miles before finally snapping back into the reality of the second day. (Perhaps a short 10-15 minute nap might have help me reset, but it was chilly in the woods and not sure how well a dirt nap would of functionally worked in that regards). I had exhausted a bunch of queued up podcasts to get me through this low point in my race and take my mind off things.

The last third of the race was now about getting it done at just pushing through. My poor watch has been slowly dying, especially using the navigation feature. I recall reaching for my backup battery back and noticed it was gone - boooo! - it must have bounced out of my hip pouch without me noticing. Combined with this fact and my watch battery performance I started to take 15 minute plus break at each aid station just sitting down and charging my watch while I got some fuel in. I was for sure taking a lot longer non-running time that I normally would, but I just wanted my watch to last along with the fact my first goal is always just to finish. That may seem obvious, but it is truly my first goal thus even if I slow down significantly, my goal is still there to chase and focus on. This was one of those runs. The few aid stations I was running around a similar paced runner, Jeff McMahon and his pacer. This company gave me a little break to help keep the momentum going toward the end goal. 

My overall pace had kept me from finishing in the daylight of the second day as my time was creeping well over 30 hours. I knew that my small battery pack had only limited juice left to power my waistlamp, but I still had my backup headlamp if needed. I just always get nervous with only 1 source of light out on mountain courses (I always have 3 sources at least 2 lights combined with various power sources/backups). I had passed the final aid station and was only 7 Miles to go. I got some late run adrenaline going and ran/jogged in a lot of that last segment as I just wanted to get it over with. I finally came off the trail and emerged near the campground and ran towards the finish line, only half mile to go. Then I realized after glancing at my watch, I had missed the campground loop, and so I ran back about quarter mile and completed that paved loop around the campground, where Jeff and his pacer also missed that turn (but they continued onto the finish). I came in as the 5th overall finisher and ended up running in right behind them with an official time 1 minute behind Jeff. 

fin.

In the end was I the Tortoise or the Hare? Just remember kids, the tortoise finished (and won) the race against the hare. So, when things seem bad and your goal time(s) are slipping away, just go with want the day is giving you and push on and get that buckle! That is the #UltraRunningDad spirit I want to embody in my adventures.

Course Summary

The race high point is Hare Mountain at ~2400 feet. (This was around ~73 Miles in).

The Hare Mountain 100 is a point-to-point, graduate level run on singletrack, through some of the most isolated, rugged terrain in Arkansas. -from HareMountain100.com website

There are also several creek/river crossings that *usually* have very low levels around race time. This is very true. Lucky for us that this year there was no actual water crossing that required to get your feet wet. However, if there was rain in the days prior, or a real wet season year, I could see that your feet would be soaked for most of this race (which would just add more complex variables into the race equation).

The course is beautiful and the point-to-point route is great. Highly recommend for anyone wanting an adventure in an area you probably have not seen before. 

my STRAVA HM100 elevation profile.

Results & Stats

• 36:12:03 | 106.01 Mi (170.61 km) | 18,970 ft+ (5,782 m+)
• [STRAVA] Moving Time: 30:21:27 (83.86% of total)
• 5th overall (M5)
• STRAVA: Hare Mountain 100 (5th overall), Hagarville, AR | Run | Strava
• UltraSignUp: 2026 Hare Mountain 100 100 Miler - Results
• My 135th ultramarathon run and my 5th ultramarathon YTD in 2026.
• My 53rd 100Mi(+) completed

my poor swollen post-race feet.

Gear Used

• [mandatory gear] Lighting setup - kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & a Micro-Mark BRYTE Band LED Headband Light
• [mandatory gear] Jacket- rabbit Treeline rain jacket (rabbitELITEtrail team edition)
• [mandatory gear] LS Shirt - rabbit Layer One (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
• SS Shirt - High Country rabbit trail
• Shorts - rabbit 5" Shredders 2-in-1 trail
• [mandatory gear] Pants - rabbit Runners (rabbitELITEtrail team edition)
• Headwear - rabbit (Boco) RADrabbit team kit
• Eyewear - Tifosi Optics
• Shoes - Altra Olympus 6.0
• Socks - injinji (2 pairs)
• Hydration - UltraSpire Traverse Hydration Pack 20L with x2 20oz soft flasks & Katadyn BeFree™ Water Filteration System™ (0.6L soft flask).
• Watch (with GPX track of course) - Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
• [mandatory gear] Cell Phone - apple iPhone 16e (also with Gaia GPS app)
• [mandatory gear] GPS Tracker - SPOT Gen3 (rented via race org)
• [mandatory gear] Headwear - rabbit beanie
• [mandatory gear] Gloves- rabbit (Boco)
• [mandatory gear] Emergency Bivy - SOL emergency bivy
• Post Race- rabbit RADrabbit hoodie & rabbit EZ slides

My HM100 buckle (with display collection in background). This was buckle #53 of 100Mi or more. A huge thanks to my family as always for being my biggest supporters!

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Thanks for reading and following my race report blog.

What is Next? Loup Garou 100 (Dec-04th), but I might have one beforehand: not yet signed up!

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Ultramarathon #134 | Habanero #04 | Year-to-Date Ultra #04

If you have read my prior race reports or perhaps talked to me in person in the past couple years, you may know that I have sworn off running Habanero Hundred ever again. I was quite adamant about that after my most recent D.N.F. out there on the ranch. So how did I find myself back at 7IL Ranch once again? Why on Earth would I do back after swearing off this place, and the stupidity of this hottest race format just to further torture myself? Why oh why did I want to subject to myself of that awful combination of exposure, sand and humidity?

"the reason"

Collegiate Mountain Fun

Second Time Around in the Collegiate Mountains

51st 100-Miler(+) | 133rd Ultramarathon | 2nd HiLo

Colorado bound.

Felt pretty lucky to get into High Lonesome for a second time since the lottery is a true 50/50 split, meaning I was only 1 of 125 males to get into the race of the hundreds that applied. Blessed for the opportunity and so could not turn down another run in the Collegiates.

I had to interrupt our bi-annual California family trip, yet again, and make a side quest out to Colorado to get some true mountain time in. I mean yes, I really had to. As the saying goes the Mountains are calling and I must go. It rings true to me as I do love the mountain scene! Leaving from the West Coast I hopped into a rental car (a Honda Civic) and started my way inland towards the Rocky Mountains. After the 15-hour drive time I arrived in Buena Vista, Colorado the evening before race check-in and race meeting. I got some rest and then decided to make the most of my trip into the Collegiate Mountains area and drove out to Denny Creek Trailhead which was the start of the Mount Yale summit trail. I spent a nice 3.5 hours hike up and jog down to bag my first 14er. It was an awesome day just enjoying the mountains and seasoning my quads for the following day(s). A nice little creek dip at the trailhead near my parked car to cool of my legs, and then I headed back into town and complete my race check-in process. After the race meeting, I finally found a local restaurant that was not too crazy compared to the rest in the overrun town (due to the race crowds). I sat down for large burger, fries, and nice cold NA Beer then it was off to the cozy seat of my rental for some rest.

Pre-race portrait
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Rick Mayo

The Start
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Kristi Mayo

Awake bright and early at 04:30 to drive out to the start line and get my parking spot nice and close. Volunteers were there assisting already parking cars lining them up nice and neat within the vastness of the open ranch field. I took a couple minutes to enjoy my cold brew coffee (I had bought the night before in preparedness) before heading over for race check-in which included a full mandatory gear check before being allowed to start. I was ready. The sun was slowly bringing a glimpse of light over the silhouettes of the Rockies to the East. As the clock ticked close to 06:00 there was a larger and larger buzz of people and crew gathering and running back and forth. The chute was lined with runners and all the supporters formed an outgoing chute of cheering and filming spectators. We all took off as the top of the hour arrived and the adventure began.

The first 2.5Mi was on pavement down from the ranch, which sat up on a plateau down through the Chalk Creek area and hot springs. Emerging past the housing you hopped onto a gravel dirt forest road for another 1Mi until we arrived at the Colorado Trail (CT) where the ascending began. Having done this course before I recalled the initial looooong climb, however I was mistaken on where it was. I kept expecting to come around the corner and recognize the climb I had recalled in my mind, but it never showed up (at least not yet). I just cruised in a nice train of about 7 of us runners as I kept to the back and paced off their effort which was a nice easy start to the day. Just shade after 7 Miles we arrived into Raspberry Gulch, which was the first aid station. Lots of friendly volunteers there with a high vibe still. I topped up water and then continued on.

Photo: Mile90 Photography | Rick Mayo

Not too fat after leaving the aid station I came to some familiar trail that I knew was the beginning of that long 7 Mi climb I had been recollecting in my mind. "I knew it was at the start of the race!" I noted to myself. This was the long grind up Antero Pass, which we passed just below the 14er summit of Antero and crested above 13,100' ourselves. This was the high point of the race and provided great views up there. Crossing over the pass was followed by a long descent broken up by the second aid station. It was a real quad crusher to continue for about 10km all the way down to this next low point. 

Cresting Antero Pass (~14Mi). Photo: Mile90 Photography | Jordan Chapell

The next section was the iconic cresting of Law's Pass and down Popular Gulch Trail to the Cottonwood road and aid station. This is the only out & back section of the course, so it was ~3Mi up followed by 3Mi down. You then got checked in at the aid station and turned around to do this 6Mi again back to the main HiLo loop. This was the time in the race I got to experience a bit of adverse weather. The clouds came in early and slight thunderstorms were approaching. It was still warm out, so the combination of approaching rain and the heat caused humidity to rise. As I got higher up on the Law's Pass it started to rain as the clouds surrounded the area. It was a nice refreshing light cooling rain mist at first as I crested up and over the first time. The rain picked up a little as I ran down towards the Cottonwood aid station at the bottom. Since it was the only out & back I started passing all the faster leaders on their way back again. Arriving at the bottom (i.e. the Cottonwood AS) it was really raining now. I got some fluids and fuel there underneath the aid station tents attempting to stay dry. Before leaving was a mandatory Divide gear check and so I had to unpack and show everything before leaving. Since I was already doing this, I put on my rabbit Treeline rain jacket before heading out on the trail. The rain continued heavier as I climbed back up Law's Pass, again this time from the backside. The trail even began to have slightly running water in some of the rutted-out spots. By the time I got back to crossing the Pass it was somewhat clear at the top again. I had climbed through the cloud, because I could see from the top the other side of the mountain was clouded in below. 

Descending from Law's Pass (~35Mi). The clouds are fully parted here just barley below the Pass.
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Kristi Mayo

2 Moose were hanging around Tin Cup AS.
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Kristi Mayo

It was now just over 38Mi into the run as I arrived back at St. Elmo aid station and was about rejoined the main HiLo loop. Here I even got to visit with my friend Leo Fung whom was there volunteering as a Rescue Medic helping out at the aid station. We chatted and caught up for a bit as I sat down and emptied my shoes and took care of my gear, stowing my rain jacket safely back in my race vest. Just a  couple miles down the trail to Tin Cup aid station where I got to spot a coupe moose just hanging out. From there it was onto arguably some of the most scenic sections of the course on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

Entering the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

Full rainbow. Photo: Mile90 Photography | Jordan Chapell

The CDT took us into some of the most remote areas of the course which provided amazing views and scenery of the surrounding mountains. Here in these longer remote sections then night came after passing through Hancock (which marks the halfway point).

Up and over Chalk Creek Pass.

A sharp 3Mi climb as night fall arrived up pass Hancock Lake was one of these climbs I remembered from my prior run here. It seemed to go on forever since you can see the string of headlights above you without seeing the top of Chalk Creek Pass in the darkness. 

The night provided nice cool temperatures but never really got too cold even at the higher Colorado elevations. A brief stop at Lost Wonder Hut was a nice break as I was passing and being passed by fellow runners in the nighttime hours. A long trek to the last big landmark on the course, Monarch Pass, was next on the route. Passing through the high ridgeline at night I passed the makeshift aid station (Purgatory) in the middle of this section at the leading edge of the Monarch Ski Area. From there following the Ski Resort roads and trails lead me to the large main aid station at Monarch Pass right on Highway US-50. This had to be the biggest aid station of the course, easily accessible so the vibe was upbeat even for the wee hours of the night, errrr morning now at this point in my race. 70 Miles now complete. Only 30% of the race remain which is the equivalent to basically a 50 km distance left between me and the finish line. The sleepies were trying to catch me since I was entering the witching hour, as some call it, which is the point of circadian rhythm associated with highest Melatonin level and the lower Cortisol levels.

Managing through those last couple hours of night and into the first hour or so of sun up was the hardest part for me this go around. I really fought to stay awake and keep moving efficiently. My paced had slowed considerably, but at least my direction was...well...forward. After the sun crested over the mountains the heat of the day really started rising here on the second day. It was already warmer than the mid 60s from the fist day. In fact, I think overall it got up into the high 80s or perhaps even 90s (ambient wise) by the time the final cutoff rolled around. This made it challenging for the majority of people as the mid-pack in this race is between those 28-34 hour times, and of course even perhaps more grueling for the very back of the packers whom put up with everything, having the most grit of all, and coming in for that sub 37 hour official cutoffs.

Second Day. Mile90 Photography | Jordan Chapell

Passing Blanks Cabin was a notable point as I am knowledge of this area just from the fame of being one of the end point for Nolan's 14. Besides it also signaled that there was only 1 more aid station that closed the HiLo loop and then it was just the 7.3Mi trek back to the ranch for the finish. Lots of people were out here at Blanks as the morning crews and volunteers were all awake and cheering people on now. My tiredness was left behind me somewhere on the mountain now that I was well into the second day. Back at Raseberry for the second and final time I ran into Leo Fung again, this time in his morning volunteering shift there helping runners staying cool and hydrated in the now scorching Rocky Mountain sunshine. He even found me a non-advertised (as he called it) flavored popsicle. It was magical and cold!

Glancing at my watch I knew there was now well under 10 Miles to go and so I knew it was just a couple more hours of grinding through the forest back towards the Chalk Creek area and into the finish line back on the ranch. I kept my running pace up pretty good as I was chasing a female runner and her pacer for a good part of this section trying to keep pace. I had given up the fact on my goal times this go around and was now just focused on my ultimate goal of finishing and getting that buckle. 

The final climb up Rodeo Road.

Side Note my original goals were as follows. I was aiming for:

• A= sub-28 hr
• B= sub-30 hr
• C= sub-31:54 (prior time)
• D= finish/buckle!. 

I feel it is always good to have layered goals I order to keep yourself not only honest, but motivated when your first one slips away.

Running up that last hill coming out of the Chalk Creek hot springs area seemed like a daunting task at the time, but in reality it was only a couple hundred feet and less than 1 Mile to the finish. However, being the very end of the race, on the pavement with cars passing by, and in the heat of the day it was not the most pleasant way to "run it in" but heh that is part of the deal here.

My 2nd HiLo finish.
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Kristi Mayo

Finish Line vibes for my 51st 100+ Miler overall!
Photo: Mile90 Photography | Kristi Mayo

Results & Stats

Photo: Mountain Outpost Livestream (via YouTube)

• 32:11:29 | 101.17 Mi (162.82 km) | 23,258 ft+ (7,089 m+)
• 85th overall (M52)
• My 133rd ultramarathon run and my 3rd ultramarathon YTD in 2026.
• My 51st 100Mi(+) completed
• STRAVA: High Lonesome 100 (85th overall), Buena Vista, CO | Run | Strava
• OpenSplit Live Runner Tracking: OpenSplitTime: Full results - 2026 High Lonesome 100
• slower than my prior 2022 HiLo (31:54:05) by 17m25s (-0.91% delta)

 LAWS Whiskey House HiLo Special Edition Bourdon & Finisher 2X Buckle.
There is only one way to earn both of these!

Gear Used

• [mandatory gear] Lighting setup - kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & Black Diamond Storm-R (headlamp)
• [mandatory gear] Jacket- rabbit Treeline rain jacket (rabbitELITEtrail team edition)
• SS Shirt - High Country rabbit trail
• Arm Sleeves - rabbit UPF

• 

  Ultrarunning sock tan!

  Shorts - rabbit 5" Shredders 2-in-1 trail
• Headwear - rabbit (Boco) RADrabbit team kit
• [mandatory Divide gear] LS Shirt - rabbit Layer One (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
• [mandatory Divide gear] Pants - rabbit Runners (rabbitELITEtrail team edition)
• [mandatory Divide gear] Headwear - rabbit beanie
• Eyewear - Tifosi Optics
• Shoes - ASCIS SuperBlaze
• Socks - injinji
• Hydration - UltraSpire Traverse Hydration Pack 20L with x2 20oz soft flasks & Katadyn BeFree™ Water Filteration System™ (0.6L soft flask).
• Watch (with GPX track of course) - Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
• Cell Phone - apple iPhone 16e (also with Gaia GPS app)
• [mandatory gear] Emergency Bivy - SOL emergency bivy
• Post Race- rabbit RADrabbit hoodie & rabbit EZ slides

Finish Line 2X buckle photo with RD (Caleb Efta).

Hanging out with friend Dena Carr at the finish line after getting our LAWS Whiskey.
Photo: Frank Carr.

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Thanks for reading.

Here is a throwback to my first HiLo race report in 2022 if interested.

What is Next? 

It is Habanero season! 

(NOTE: I vowed to never ever go do again. However, the brand new 135 buckle looks very-very-very cool. As someone who considers buckle prospecting a hobby I just could not stay away, even if this is a stupid (in a good way) race concept.)