I LOViT

Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) 100 Mi

Ultramarathon #112

Heading to Arkansas

Mid-February I was glancing over at my bucket list, I noticed that LOViT was on there and it was only a couple weeks away. I had not yet committed myself to a February race in my #12in12 personal challenge, so I was still browsing around. Coming off a disappointing result in my prior race I was also looking forward to getting back to a straightforward 100 Miler again. The week of the race I took care of some logistics, such as making sure I could take work off Friday, getting signed up officially (Wednesday night 2 hours before the deadline), and packing up my gear for the short trip, along with most importantly getting the full permission from my family. Completing work on Thursday I finished up my packing and got ready to hit the road after the kids went to bed. The 8 hour commute to Lake Ouachita would be tackled mostly overnight so I could attempt to sleep during the day hours. The race was a Friday evening (17:00) start time, thus the need to take the day off work for travel.

I arrived to the small area of Mountain Habor Resort & Spa on the edge of Lake Ouachita very early Friday morning. I drove around and found the East Cove Pavillion where the start/finish and the check-in was. I then take a little time to take in the scenery and check out the lake views before heading into Mount Ida for some fuel (lunch/dinner) for later on. I checked in with my family and then got a decent nap for a few hours. I awoke to check in time been open and so I wandered over to get my bibb assignment. 

Start time was creeping closer. I laid out all my gear and nutrition at the back of my car as I sat in my folding chair and went over everything to ensure I had it all packed and placed where I wanted it. My goal was to have enough stuff packed in that I would not have to be super reliant on the aid stations during the night (i.e. the first 12 hours). I was utilizing my NATHAN Trailmix 12L race pack which is my go-to and so I am used to having lots packed in on these longer attempts if needed.

15 minutes prior to the start was the customary pre-race briefing where the Race Director went over the basics and the trail markings that were placed out there for us. Assurance was given there was plenty of markings and instructions on ensuring we went out to the Charlton campground aid twice (once on the outbound AND again on the inbound) was explicitly emphasized. Also, mentioned was something about the controlled burn areas that there might be some smoke remanences still, just as a warning. Shortly after the logistics were discussed all of the runners were instructed to line up on the start line, which was literally a piece of tape on the road by the LOViT banner for a pre-race photo. The race photographers, and what seemed like everyone's crew all grabbed some photos using their phones and devices. 

Pre-race photo of all 52 starters of the 2024 100 Mi LOViT.
Photo: LOViT Facebook page.

And We Are Off...

17:00 was the start time and a very informal countdown ensued as the 52 runners stood there awaiting our signal. One guy took off like a rocket, as one usually does, and the crowd quickly followed as again the crew and spectators captured some video and photos as we ran down the narrow road surrounded by the parked vehicles. Energy was high and the pace was decent to kick it off. It was a long gradual 4 Mile climb all the way from the lake's edge where we started in Mountain Habor Resort to the top of Hickory Nut Moutain where the first aid check in was at the summit. I settled in not too far behind the Speedgoat (Karl Meltzer), cause I figured he could teach me a lesson on pacing. Besides I did not want to be out in front of him, because that would instantly signal to me I was going to fast. The initial miles went by pretty quickly. I also got to say hello to my friend Brad Taylor (from Texarkana) whom I have seen at many ultras around TX and AR in the past few years. Eventually I settled in with a fellow runner named Matt as we chased Karl up to the Hickory Nut aid station check-in. The sky was clear and open - it was going to be a beautiful night of running ahead!

Views a top of Hickory Nut Moutain. This is the high point of the race at ~1,330 ft+ which we reach 3 different times in total.

I only stopped by the view point right beside the aid station for a quick selfie opportunity and then continued on, I did not even stop at the aid itself as I still had plenty of fluids as it was so early into the run. We ran for about half a mile on the dirt road before dipping West back onto singletrack trails and the darkness of the trees. Now it was time to turn on my lights for the night running ahead. 

WEST Side

LOViT course profile: WEST out & back (Mile 4 - 34).

First up was the West portion of the course which was an out and back section following the contour of the lake edge around towards Mount Ida. I continued to run with Matt through the second aid station down at Joplin Road Crossing. There was a lively vibe as it was still early in the race and crews were all there together since runners were not super spread out yet. I only stopped for about a minute to grab some fruit and top up my bottles and kept on moving. I had left in front of Matt out of this aid station but it was not too long before he caught back up to me. We went back and forth exchanging positions all the way on this west portion of the course. The singletrack winded up and down gently and sometimes sharp punchy little climbs and descents which kept me on alert. The lake was always on my right side heading out in this direction. Every once in a while, the moonlight would project a big reflection off the lake waters which would catch my eye.

Eventually the smell of smoke came as we were warned. To me the smell was calming and reminded me of a campfire. There had been a controlled burn of this area by the forest service and there was in fact still some fresh embers and hot spots around the bigger trunks. We literally got to run through smoldering Mordor-like essence. It was really kind of sure real as the singletrack acted as intended as the pine needles path was a perfect firebreak for the ground as the small shrubbery and grasses on both sides of the trail was blackened and burn down. The area that was "actively" still smoldering was maybe a half mile, maybe not even that long, but it was a very unique experience. (Note: very cool of the forest service to allow the Race to be allowed to continue on with their permits and such even after having to do this controlled burn so close to the race date itself). Soon I began to see the first couple of fast runners coming back so I knew that the far west end of the course could not be too far off.

Running through the controlled burn remains

After winding around the coves and contours of the waters the trail popped out onto an older paved service road along the water. It was a half mile of broken pavement to the aid station which was the turn around point. The moonlight was so bright and uninterrupted by the trees that I turned off my lights and ran by moonlight once I got onto this road portion. I ran all the way to the aid station and checked in and simply turned right back around and headed back. By the time I was back to the singletrack I started to slowly pass a few runners heading the opposite direction. Meandering back through the smoldering burn area was somehow less exciting this time around but still pretty unique experience. Back to the Joplin Road crossing and I knew I was making headway now with essentially a 50 km distance behind me. Now only 4.5 Mi gradual climb all the way back up to Hickey Nut aid station at the view lookout area and then I could make my way onto the other side of the course. I broke it up in my mind this way which just seemed easy to grasp the map in my head. It was just after midnight when I finally reached that check-in at the top. The volunteers helped me out with some warm soup and filled up my bottles for me. I think I emptied out my socks of the small pebbles if I recall (it felt good to take my shoes off - even for only a minute each). With my fill of some snacks to go I headed off back down the mountain this time headed East.

EAST side

LOViT course profile: EAST out & back (Mile 34 - 95).

After leaving Hickory Nut for the second time it was once again all downhill coming off the lookout as we followed the trail creekside all the way down 3.5 Mi or so to the next aid station called FR47A in the forest. Next was the only slight deviation we were warned about, which was the "additional" out & back section to the Charlton campground.  This was a short section, however it was gently downhill grade then all of sudden you could see the lights of the campground area below the ridge and it was hard downhill on a few switchbacks for the last half mile or so. A quick refill of warm soup and I made my way back out of the Charlton area back towards the LOViT trail towards Crystal Springs. The chill of the night was here now and I recall putting on my rabbit Treeline jacket somewhere around here at the night creeping by.

Next up was a small stop at the Bear Creek aid which was just a small setup in the bush manned by two nice gentlemen and a nice little warm fire they had going. They were super nice as I came through. I chatted them up briefly before carrying on. The trail then just seemed like it mellow slight uphill grade all the way along this ridgeline with Lake Ouachita on my left and the ridge top of Bear Mountain on my right. It was not getting much warmer as my hands were feeling it the most. I had my rabbit BOCO gloves but they are not insulated, and my hands get cold fast. It did provide some incentive for me to keep moving and continue to stay warm. The section from Bracy Mountain to Spillway aid stations I recall being the coldest of the night as these were the wee hours just before the sun was starting to make its way back up. Coing down into the Spillway aid the air temperature dropped a lot.  The far east end of the course, Avery Recreation Area, was only 3 miles further and so I only took 2 minutes here and kept moving.

Quick selfie at the LOViT trailhead sign on the far East end of the course: Avery Recreation Area | Mile 65.

Arriving the very far end of the course there was a nice greeting from the volunteers there as daylight was well underway again, warmth was slowly following. All I did here was grab a little swig of coke in my reusable cap and turned around heading back westward yet again. I stopped for a quick picture leaving the rec area to document the far end of the course which seemed fitting.

100 km done only 60 km back now.

I headed back and enjoyed seeing what I just traversed but now in the daylight. My legs felt very heavy and my run walk cadence seemed quick slow, but I tried to block those thoughts out of my mind and just kept moving.

Somewhere on Bear Mountain on the LOViT trail with Lake Ouachita in the background below.

As the day progressed and my mileage [slowly] ticking by I tried to keep the goal in mind of finishing without using my lights again. This was a mini goal I tried to use as motivation for myself to keep pushing westward back towards Hickory Nut Mountain. My pace remained constant but was not very fast, relatively speaking. Climbing back out of Charlton campground area again the race against sunset was definitely not a winning proposition, but I still used this thought to drive me on. I got to the FR47A aid station and the sun was now down behind the mountains, but daylight remained faintly through the trees. From here it was a 3.5 Mi climb back up creekside winding through the trees. I felt good but was moving slow, kind of like I was at the end of a 100 Mi run or something. I did have to turn my kogalla light back on before emerging from the trees on this section as my chase of the sunset was now over. However, the draw of the final miles kept me moving forward. Getting back up to the Hickory Nut Mountain aid station the last of my climbs was done. It was simply 4 miles back to the start/finish all downhill now.

I ran as fast as I could downhill in the engulfing darkness. The double wide jeep road was a lot rougher and rocky than I recalled on the initial climb up of the race the day before. "I have no memory of this place" as Gandolf once said (Lord of the Rings reference for you fellow LOTR geeks). Those final miles took what seemed like forever as I glanced at my watch finally. Mile 98. I was closing in. As I clocked in my 99th mile I emerged bac onto the pavement of the Resort roads again. I continued the downhill grade trying to let gravity take me but not buckle my knees due to my aching muscles. I made the last turn and a tiny slight bump uphill and then ran down past the line of vehicles parked along the side of the resort road. There was a sprinter van, from the race, parked directly in front of the pavilion as they were unloading or loading up some supplies.. The van was obscuring my path into the pavilion which was the official finish line, so I just darted around it and causally came in and was done. The race director and volunteers were surprised by me as the van had ben blocking their view as well and didn't see me coming in to finish. A casual no-thrills ultra marathon finish - which is quite common in this sport!  

LOViT has a beautiful buckle.

26 hours 45 minutes. 

I was then handed my buckle. A quick post race  shower (at the pavilion) and then change of warm clothes was a great feeling indeed. Perhaps this was only topped by the fact they had made your own tacos station ready to go for the runners. I loaded up my plate and sat down to enjoy some post race fuel. 

Another 100 Miler done.

Lessons Learned

I did have a moment of stupidity that haunted me for this race. As someone whom uses a lot of shoes, as I have participated in some shoe testing, and thus have a bunch of random brands/models, I selected a pair for this race that was low on mileage usage so far. I thought this would be a great way to get some more miles on this particular pair. Well these ACSIS Gel-Trabuco 11 are not the most cushioned shoes and so I paid for this rookie decision in having sore numb feet. I also managed to kick a few rocks this run and my big toes suffered (definitely not the first or tenth time for me). My lesson here is ensure you pick your gear, especially something as critical as your footwear, based on comfort and no other irrational decision which I clearly did for this weekend. My poor feet.

sorry for the foot pic for those whom hate them.

Results

• 26:45:52 | 12th overall (M9)
• My 37th 100Mi or more completed
• My 112th ultramarathon run overall
• My 2nd ultramarathon of 2024
• STRAVA: Run LOViT 100Mi (12th overall), Mount Ida, AR | Run | Strava
• UltraSignup results: 2024 Run Lovit 100 Miler - Results (ultrasignup.com)

the LOViT buckle is a beautiful one!

Gear Used

• Jackets - rabbit Treeline rain jacket (LOViT branded - just got from the check-in 😀)
• Gloves - rabbit (BOCO)
• Lighting setup - kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & Nathan Sports Halo Fire (headlamp)
• Shirts - rabbit SS, LS rabbitELITEtrail team kit
• Shorts - rabbit 5" FKT
• Headwear - rabbit (rnnr) rabbitELITEtrail team kit
• Shoes - ACSIS Gel-Trabuco 11
• Socks - injinji
• Hydration - NATHAN Pinnacle 12L race pack with x2 20oz soft flasks.
• Anti-Friction Lube - Trail Toes, Squirrels Nut butter
• Watch - Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition

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Thank you for following my race reports.

Next up: Grasslands Trail Run 100 | Mar-16.