An Unexpected 100 Mi PR

A Jog in the Ouachita Woods 

AT100 | Ultramarathon #046

Well I set off to Arkansas this weekend in hopes of somewhat redeeming myself from my last couple race performances. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed per say in how things went, it was just a combination of bad luck and conditions that made it so they were not my best runs (check out my prior blog on it here).  The Arkansas Traveller 100 was my fall A-race as it was my Western States qualifier for 2020. I did not have a backup plan for this, so it was all or none in that regards. With that I set off to Arkansas on a solo trip because sadly we could not make it logistically for my family to come and crew and cheer. Arkansas was to be my 13th state to run in thus far (check out my heatmap in my data section for more nerd stats like this).

Friday was a mandatory per-race meeting and so i had planned ahead and booked off work on Thursday for travel. This means i could take my time, which is a rarity in my normal planning of things. So later on Thursday morning after getting my 2 oldest daughters to school I took off and headed out on the drive north to Arkansas. I made to Lake Sylvia campground safely and set up my tent for the weekend. The campground was nearly exactly 1 mile from the start line, which was perfect logistically. At the check in we actually had to weigh in - which is extremely old school method of tracking runners. This might be the only race left in the country doing this.

When i travel solo i use this convenient 1-man tent. Better than sleeping in my car, which i used to do.

Right before race start. (L to R: Trevor Meding- rabbit, TROT, Victory | 
Sean Nakamura,- rabbit, altra | Martin Schneekloth- altra)

The night went fairly smoothly as I slept well and only woke around 04:15 when all the other tenting runners around me started to get ready (my alarm wasn't scheduled to go off till 04:30).  I got up and put on my rabbit attire and double checked i had all my gear in my Victory Sportdesign drop bags and my Nathan pack. I flung on my headlamp and started to trek towards the start line. A nice little 1.1 mi walk to the start area in the cool Arkansas morning. Arrived and got my bid...#120. Met a couple fellow ultrarunners I knew including my rabbitELITEtrail teammate Sean Nakamura who was about to complete the "Great 8" of 100s (check out that story here). And just like that the race director called us all outside and lined up on the road.

Saturday | The Race

The course is an old school course that consists of only 2 miles of pavement (1 at the start, and the incoming mile at the finish). The remainder of the course is made of up mostly double track unmaintained jeep roads and old gravel roads that appeared to rarely be used save the odd hunters and campers with ATVs. For a full detailed description on the course the AT100 website provides all the details you need. Basics it a large 18 mi figure 8 loop (that nearly returns to the start) and then is a long 41 mi ish out & back.

Chasing runners on the singletrack of the Ouahita Trail

Knowing my own stupidity and previous record in races i purposely held back on the start and was not near the front. I just casually started off and did a medium pace for the first mile as we got to the first turn and veered off onto some side gravel road. From there i just settled into a comfortable pace for the remainder of the first 9 miles which brought us to the 2 aid station. Here was where the course dove into Ouachita Trail for the next 8 miles which was some awesome singletrack section through the woods. This was by far my favorite part of the course as i really enjoy singletrack trails. It was also fairly condensed with runners at this point and i found myself at the back of a 6-8 person congo line for the entire section. This was good as it kept my pace in check and i didn't go to fast but yet had people to pace with. Those 8 miles flew by quickly as it was scenic and nice and cool still as the sun rose through the Ozark woods. At the very end of this section we emerged by Lake Sylvia aid station in the campground parking (near where my tent was, and only 1 mi from the start). Coming out of the woods into the parking lot there was like 75-100 people there cheering and yelling. It was really cool, and something i had not witnessed before in a 100 miler like this. It was the first crew opportunity and easily located to get to, but i was not expecting it just under 3 hours into our run. The large crew/crowds at the crew accessible aid stations would be a theme in this race which was pretty neat to experience.

I came into the aid grabbed minimal food, including a nice grilled cheese, and refilled my fluids and took

AT100 trail cam Crossroads (outbound mile 18) | photo: David Turner

off again in about 30 seconds. This was where i separated from the other 8 ish people i had been following on the Ouachita Trail. I was still feeling good from a relaxed pace and the boost of the crowd was awesome so i just kept on trucking. The next 2 miles was all gravel road uphill where we then ventured off into more wilderness off road ATV style roads (the trail cam grabbed the outbound picture). Not the most technical trails ever, but you definitely need to pay attention or you will roll and ankle or kick a unmovable rock in no time. Some sections were fast and others required you to look down and ensure careful foot placement. Arkansas Traveller presented a unique challenge in the fact in was not super steep climbing and descending but it was a fair amount of it. In fact the course was an overall 12,000 ft of gain and descent (24,000 ft of elevation change overall). But the nice fact was a lot of the uphills were gradual enough to power hike/ light jog and as you regained your heart rate you could then bomb the downhills which would inevitably follow soon after. I continued this pattern as it was working very well for me this day.

The next major crew spot was at mile 31 (50 km): Lake Winona. I came into this spot still running well and not really aware of what position i was in. I figured I was positioned in the top 15% at this point.  Again the cheering from the crews and spectators was something unique and I really enjoyed the boost again. From here I just kept on cruisin' doing my power hike ups and running the downs. This momentum made it so i could continue to run the flats as well as I had not tired myself out at all at this point.  The heat of the day was starting to show its prowl but the Arkansas heat was no match to the current Texas heat my body was used to the past few weeks. Everything was still clicking nicely until the next major crew spot at mile 48: Powerline. Here I stopped briefly at my Victory drop bag, switched out my buffs and then grabbed a singe pack of my Trail Toes to reapply my anti-friction to help prevent the chaffing issues. Again I continued on still feeling fairly strong considering the mileage covered thus far.

Powerline aid station outbound | just about half way done

Powerline to Turn Around was long road sections all gravel roads but very scenic. When i was

approaching the final few miles getting to the end of the course i figured i would start seeing the leaders doubling back in no time. But as i got closer i still had no idea what position i was in and still had not seen anyone. Could i really be that close to the front? Did i miss someone passing me already? I was not quite sure. As I was playing this thought game in my head i finally saw someone approaching from the other direction. Then i started to wonder exactly how many more were ahead of me. I was hoping i would be in top 10 and have a chance at making a run at good placement going into the last 40 ish miles.
...2...
...3....(fellow rabbit teammate, Ashley Nordell | rabbitPRO, who was crushing the women's race)...
....and well that was it. I only saw 3 people in front of me before I finally approached the Turn Around aid station. I literally could not believe it and now i was wondering if I could hold on now that i had this confirmed information of where I stood currently in 4th place. I filled my fluids, downed some coke, ate some more fruit, and thanked the volunteers. With that I headed back out towards the long inward 41 mile push to the finish line.

Turn Around aid station | furthest point on the out & back

My next mini goal was to get back to the Powerline aid and get my headlamp, which would also be that  nice round number of 100 km done. I was still running all the downs and flats at this point. I was starting to wonder how long I could hold onto the pace I was setting for the race. I just kept truckin' forward and eventually I saw someone in front of me....did i just catch up to 3rd? Then i realized that it was a single runner (both 2nd and 3rd place had pacers when we passed just before the Turn Around aid). This person then looked back at some point and saw me. They slowed down and let me catch and at this point I realized I knew this person: it was Heather Gothard. She was out running just getting in some training miles as she was at the Powerline aid waiting for another friend she was supporting. She waited for me and impromptu paced/ran with me into the Powerline as we chatted for the next 3 miles. It was a nice break and gave me a chance to get out of my own head for a little bit. Heather was asking me how it was going thus far and it was here when i realized exactly what pace I was on and headed for (I run with a buff over my watch so i don't fixate on time, distance, etc.). My pace had me on track for like a 17.5 hr finish which is just bonkers to me, but I was still feeling well so had not slowed my pace as of yet. Coming back up the slight hill into the aid I thanked Heather for the couple miles and remembered to head directly to my Victory drop bag and grab my headlamp and battery for my watch. Downed some more coke, grabbed some quesadillas and fruit and headed out to the cheer of the crowd again (so cool for the support)!

Powerline aid station inbound | nearly 70 miles done

Now my goal was to remain as strong as I could and maintain pace before the sunset and darkness crept in. I was doing fairly well but began to slow around mile 73. I recall coming into the Bahama Mama aid and not feeling 100%. But then i realized I should try and go to the bathroom, the thought didn't really occur to me naturally more of a decision point, but it helped a lot as I felt much better after this. I guess all the calories I was consuming had some much needed blood flow assisting with some digestion.

After some more fluids and this little bathroom break relief I got back up and headed out now turning on my headlamp for the first time as the tunnel of trees and branches made it nearly complete darkness. At this point despite feeling better my legs started to get heavy and I could feel my pace slowing. The walk breaks finally started to creep in. However I was super proud of myself lasting 70+ miles of not walking on the flats to this point, so I was not down on myself at all. I just wanted to keep it going so as to not get caught from behind and loose position as I was in the middle of a race. I kept my forward progress going and slogged my way back to Lake Winona. My right foot pad was starting to bug me and I thought I might have a blister  forming there. So I got there and asked the medic to pop & tape it up for me. Turns out it was just raw and not a blister yet, so he managed to add a moleskin on there just for cushioning to help with the impact. I spent probably 10 minutes in this aid station which was my largest break yet. It was worth it as I got in some broth and noodles while get my foot worked on. I placed my sock back on and laced up my shoe again and stood up and noticed a slight difference, to the good, already. I headed up the hill out of the aid station and again the crews and spectators cheered me as I left running. Pretty cool to have that happen in the dark out at an aid station late into the evening.

Lake Winona aid station inbound | Slight break here for foot (right) repair

My foot was much better although my legs kept getting heavier with only about 15 miles to go. I just kept convincing myself to run when I could and take minimal walk breaks. I had no idea how far or who was behind me, but I did not want to give up position as I am a competitive person once the race is on.  My new realistic goal at this point was to try and get a sub-20 hr finish. I made it to the second last aid station just after mile 90 and utilized a chair. I sat down and got some potato soup from the volunteers there. This got some energy back for sure! As I was being lazy in the chair enjoying that amazing soup a couple headlights appeared coming into the aid station. Just like that I had been caught....and passed....the runner basically didn't stop. His pacer filled his bottle and they kept going within seconds. With that I got up made sure I had everything and headed back out now chasing 4th place with approximately 9 miles to go.

Electric Tower aid station inbound

I ran out seeing the headlamps about 0.5 mi in front. I just kept a constant pace, not really gaining but not losing either. Then all of a sudden they stopped and I saw one headlamp shining back at me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it until I got slightly closer and saw that the runner was bent over having a little puke section on the side of the road. This allowed me to pass them and regain 4th place again. I probably got about 0.5 mi in front of them when they started back out. The race was on again. I maintained a better pace now and we rolled into the last aid Station at mile 95. I came in had my bottle lids off already and refilled them before the volunteers could get me anything else. "No thanks!" I said when they asked what they could get me to eat, "I have to stay ahead...." and with that I took off, and the runner behind rolled in separated less than 200 m now with 10 km to run.

Pumpkin Patch aid station | last top till the finish

With the realization of a full on race now I pushed my pace as much as I could. It felt like 7 min/mi but of

The last 10 km was a full on race for 4th overall.
Screen grab from STRAVA.

AT100 trail cam Crossroads (inbound mile 99) | photo: David Turner

course it was more like 8.5-9 min/mi, but relatively speaking that is pretty fast considering I was 95 miles in at this point. The next section back was 4 miles of double track jeep road with multiple puddles to sidestep in the low lying spots and avoiding the large rocks to kick. This part consisted of me running on the side of the trail hiding close to the side as to somewhat hide my headlamp to provide the illusion I was further ahead, along with me looking back every few minutes to view where their headlamps were. There was little break in pace and I kept pushing on. Finally I popped out of the jeep road and came back to the gravel road....2.5 miles to go as the volunteer did a bib check-in here so the race HQ knew who was coming in. This last part was 2 miles all downhill on gravel, I pushed my legs as fast as I could go while still glancing back. By the time I got to the pavement I thought I was somewhat safe as I had not seen their headlamp shining at me, but then a final glance and I saw they had hit the bottom of the hill as well and were now coming onto the pavement. With less than 0.5 mi to go it was now down to a kick finish at a 100 miler....oh and there was a nice 300 ft incline on the pavement road at this point back up to the lodge where the finish was. I stopped looking back. I put my head down and ran as fast as I could which included the uphill. At this point many people's car are parked there and I started getting a few claps, but also some weird looks as I don't think they realized why I was running so hard. Once at the top of the hill running down the last 0.2 mi passing all the parked cars I saw the finish banner. I turned the corner into the lodge and finished still in my sprint, and just collapsed. The race director and finish volunteers weren't quite sure what to make of it at first, but I managed to mutter that "he's right behind me" as I lie there in the grass trying to regain my breath. With that sure enough, they came down under the banner about 1 minute behind me. I got up and went over and thanked him for an awesome race and congratulated him on his finish.

Results

102.39 mi | 11,627 ft+ | 19:40:23 | 4th overall (M3)
STRAVA summary here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2767638834/overview

• Achieved my 2020 Western States qualifier -- this will be year 2 in the lottery for me
• Achieved my initial goal of sub-24hr
• Achieved my 100 mi PR by 27 mins (previous was 2017 Brazos Bend 20:07:28 | 931 ft+)
• Ran my 46th ultramarathon

Arkansas Traveller 100 | sub-24 hour buckle is colored just to add bit more flare.

AT100 buckle award presentation 2019-10-06 | Video: Heather Gothard 

Post race with my rabbit teammates after receiving our buckles on Sunday's award presentation.
(L) Ashley Nordell | rabbitPRO | F1 (3rd overall) | 18:12:20
(R) Sean Nakamura | rabbitELITEtrail | 60th overall | 26:39:48 -- completion of the "Great 8" of 100s

Thank you

A big shout out to my 2019 supporters:

rabbit | rabbitELITEtrail Team
Trail Racing Over Texas | Team TROT

Victory Sportdesign | Team Victory

Nathan Sports Inc | Team Nathan

Altra Running

Trail Toes

Drymax Socks

goodr

Gear Used

Gear Bags: VictorySportdesign

Drop Bag: VictorySportdesign Coyote II (x2: one at Lake Winona, one at Powerline)

Shirts: rabbit short sleeve

Shorts: rabbit FKT 3"

Shoes: AltraRunning TIMP 1.5

Socks: Drymax Socks 1 pair

Headwear: rabbit (BOCO gear), TeamTROT cap

Sunglasses: goodr

Watch: Garmin Fenix 3 HR

Headlamp: NathanSports Inc Halo Fire (x2)

Hydration: Nathan Sports Inc VaporKrar 2.0 12L

Nutrition: GU energy, fruit, Gatorade, coca-cola, potatoes