M...I...S...S...I...

Mississippi 100 | Ultramarathon #122

Just A Little Prep Run for SS200

Ah crap! Southern States is in like 3 weeks, I just realized as I was staring at my calander for some unrelated work scheduling issues. So how do I train for a 200 Miler? Well guess I better look for a "long run" this weekend. And so....I jump on UltraSignup and bam! There sits Mississippi 100 calling my name. Without much hesitation I hop into the race less than 48 hours till the start. Just a couple states over, coupled with a Friday start (meaning I'd have to arrange for a Friday day off as well) and I was on my way.

My finish line parking // car trunk // crew station -- all-in-one.

I travelled down the forestry roads just outside of small-town Laurel and arrived at the Log Leaf Horse Trails, which served as the homebase for the run. A warm welcome from the grassroots setup was there at the small campground at the trailhead. I was able to park super close to the aid station setup, which meant I could self crew out of my car literally steps down from the loop finish. 

A noon start kicked off the event with 3 people heading on a blistering pace. So that meant that of course I'd follow them and try and keep the lead in my sight instead of being smart and running my own race - that would be boring. The 1st "large" (12.5 Mi) loop we completed in super quick sub 2 hour timeframe. I knew this was unattainable for me so I dialed it back a little but still completed loop 2 decently fast. The trail itself was flatish, fast and mostly fallen pine covered double wide horse trails with a few sections of singlestrack mixed in. As the afternoon wore on, I got slightly better with my pace and slowed down to where I probably should of started out with. Loop 4 & 5 my walk breaks were becoming ever longer.... ahhhhh. Loop 6 & 7 were a slight battle in the wee hours of the night to get moving and keep the momentum. Completed the 7th "large" loop was a notable point as I got to switch to the "smaller" (6.2 Mi) trail for the last 2 loops. Loop 8 was the first time I'd had new scenery since the start of the race (yesterday, at that point). There was a few more standing puddles left in the doublewide horse trails here, but overall it was a cruisy loop. Now that I was circling the clock and 21+ hours into the run the heat of Saturday was now starting to creep up as the sun rose above the trees. My 9th and final loop seemed to go by as I played a run-walk game with myself to keep my forward momentum going, as I got closer to that finish. Crossing the finish line was a successful adventure to complete another 100 miler, achieve a solid sub-24 hour time (sub-23 in fact), and build my confidence for my upcoming A-race (#SS200).

Photo: Bennett Ferguson Photography.

The race itself was a nice small town feel. The RD, the fellow racers and people and volunteers were awesome the entire time! The race team even handed out extra t-shirts, hoodies, or hats at check-in if you wanted extra ones. They were super nice about it and just giving them away - not entirely sure if they were old stock or what, but always nice and gracious for people into the race swag. Once you completed the run not only did you receive a nice belt buckle (as customary), but a finisher sweatshirt was given out as well (I took a women's small to take home for my oldest daughter). The 100 Mile distance has only been held for 3 years now, but it is a great course for a faster "easier" 100 for someone looking for a time goal or perhaps just a friendlier looped style course.

Results & Stats.

• 22:52:43 | 98.07 Mi (157.83 km) | 5,118 ft+ (1,560 m+)
• 8th overall | M6
• My 122nd ultramarathon run total & 1st of 2025.
• My 44th 100Mi(+) completed
• STRAVA:  Mississippi Trail Run (8th overall), Laurel, MS | Run | Strava
• UltraSignup Results:  2025 Mississippi Trail 50 Mississippi 100 - Results

Gear Used

• Lighting setup - kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & Nathan Sports Halo Fire (headlamp)
• Shirts - Buc'ees shirt, rabbit LS rabbitELITEtrail team kit
• Shorts - rabbit 3" FKT 2.0
• Headwear - rabbit (rnnr) rabbitELITEtrail team kit
• Eyewear - goodr
• Shoes - Altra Timp 1.5
• Socks - injinji
• Hydration - NATHAN VaporKrar 2.0 12L race vest with x2 20oz soft flasks.
• Jacket- rabbit Treeline rain jacket (carried in pack - did not use)
• Watch - Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition

My 200 Mile [No-Plan] Training Plan.

So yes, I am not a conventional ultra runner!  But heh, who is? We are all a little crazy in the ultrarunning world right?! I literally am always training and been a #RunStreak keeper for few years now. With the 100 Mile distance being my favorite I am almost always willing to jump into one, and it is not uncommon at all to pitch the idea to my wife the week before, or in this case, even the week of the run. This was the perfect timed race for me to use it literally as a training run for my Southern States run upcoming. I don't do many long runs in training per say, and so the Mississippi 100 provided a great opportunity for me to test out my pack loaded up, self-crew on a easy to do looped course, and knock out some time on feet leading up to SS200. In summary my mind said it was a no brainer. No time for a little rest and taper down into my final weeks here before March 19th start of Southern States.

Feel free to follow me for further non-traditional approaches that I would certainly not recommend to other runners as I continue to chase 100 Mile [plus] distances into my mid 40s. Time to send it! Love to all.

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Thanks for reading my race recap. 

Next up Southern States 200 | Live Broadcast SS200 2025 (Mar-19th)