Silver Lining During a Pandemic

Silverheels 100

Rocky Mountain bliss | my 64th ultramarathon

Pre Race

Sitting at home on the weekend I got a notification from HPRS Facebook that their pre-race meeting was on for tomorrow night (Jul-06). I had somewhat been looking around to see if any races had been on for the last few weeks. Training solo and being alone for all of my pandemic miles I was itching to get back to a race atmosphere. I was ready for another 100 miler. I tuned into that Facebook Live broadcast, and after hearing Race Director John Lacroix go through the new race protocols and the new procedures of the race to help protect runner and volunteers alike I felt like this was a viable opportunity. I had mentioned the idea to my wife and she was encouraging me to go, as long as i was safe. Monday prior to this Facebook live pre-race meeting I had also talked to my work peer and confirmed if I would he would be able to take off an extended weekend. And just like that the conditions were in place for me to get away and run in the mountains. I entered my name on UltraSignup, paid my entry on Tuesday and informed work I would be off over the weekend, confirming my days off and coverage (I'm thankful to have flexibility like this). Just like that my weekend plans were set.

Ready to hit the road. This was taken
Wednesday night as I packed. My
Victory Sportdesign bags carry all
my gear in my travels.

My alarm buzzed nice and super early for 02:00 Thursday. I had packed and prepared my gear the night before. I kissed my wife goodbye and tried not to wake her fully. By 02:30 I had my coffee made and everything into my car and started my solo journey North West. 16.5 hours later and only a few stops for random bathroom breaks, 3 fuel stops, and 1 shakeout run stop in New Mexico, I had arrived in Fairplay, Colorado late into the afternoon. I got some food and then walked around the small town exploring the area on foot. Fairplay is a very small old mining mountain town that is home to the Burro Running National Championships each year. It is also the town famous for being where the cartoon South Park is based off of. Fairplay sits at the base of the mountains and is at just shy of 10,000' elevation.

View of Fairplay, Colorado looking back toward the "South Park" area. Elevation 9,953'

The Day Before Race

After a nice dirtbag style night in my car (trunk/backseat) where i was able to get some decent sleep. I got up with the sunset in the chilly Rocky Mountain air - how I missed these cool temperatures! I relished the fact I was able to wear a hoodie first thing in the morning. I had gone to a local coffee stop and grabbed my essential for the day and then went out to meet up with the HPRS volunteers. They were organizing a hike and trail work day. I joined them for this and used it as a nice little way to enjoy the morning. I spent just over 5 hours helping out clearing, clipping, and brushing a local trail that was going to be used in the race. This event was done well as everyone kept their distance and also wore masks.

HPRS trail work pre-race. This is on a section called "Jungle Hill". 2020-07-10

After my morning I decided to get a little shakeout run in and spend a tiny bit more time on my feet before taking rest before the big race. Looked up some local areas on the map and settled on a short drive to Hoosier Pass, not too far north from Fairplay at all. There was a small little parking lot there on the pass where a trailhead existed. I got out my running shoes and headed out on a short adventure. I've been "run streakin' " for a little bit now and always aim for minimum of 5 km (3.1 mi) per day, and therefore that was my goal. I headed down the trail and then climbed up and up shooting for about 2 mi out before I'd turn around. The beauty of the area and the pure exploration was exciting. I managed to keep my run under 4 miles although I definitely could of gone on for hours exploring. I did manage to sneak up to over 12,000' elevation as well (my 1-day acclimatization plan 😂)

Just splashing in puddles like a little kid that I am at heart.

Taking in the views and enjoying my short shakeout run. Hoosier Pass, near Breckenridge, CO.

After my run I went back to Fairplay to check it for the race in the evening bib pick up, dropped off my 2 drop bags, and then enjoyed a nice filling meal before enjoying the mountain sunset.

Race Day 2020-07-11

Another night dirtbaggin' it in my car I was up long before the sun. The race times were rolling starts in waves of 15 people at a time starting at 03:40. It was dark, it was chilly, but it was great to get up and be excited for a mountain adventure. I was set to start in the first wave, so at 03:40. I stayed in my car prepping the last minute stuff and ensuring i had everything in my NATHAN hydration pack. To maintain my safety and my promise to my family i did not walk over to the start until 1 minute before go time after putting up my bluff wrap mask (this was also one of the requirements of the race at the start and aid stations). I looked down at my watch and saw 03:42 and the RD was counting down. Here we go...

We set off from Fairplay on a flat section out of town for a couple miles down a county road before ducking into the forest and back country. I was running with the lead 3 people for about 0.5 mi then they dropped back. We were not going particularly fast so I just kept my own pace and continued on in front solo. It was also a bonus as I was keeping my social distance bubble by doing so (😂).

Silverheels Mine turn around. We had to obtain a bracelet here
to prove being there: once at 11.4 mi & then again at 91.9 mi.
Elevation here is listed at 12,070'

After passing the Alma water drop station the trail took us up into the mountains. The elevation gain started in a big way with a large climb from here all the way to High Park and then ultimately to the high point on the course of Silverheels mine at 12,070'. By the time I arrived here it was 11.4 mi elapsed and already about 2,000' of gain.

I headed back down the mountain and eventually passed the runners whom started in the first wave. Everyone was in good spirits still and waved as we passed. We all had our bluffs up when we passed each other as was the request and race protocol. Once back down to High Park the course then went down over the other side of the pass of the mountain. I was still running in front. A long descent down into the valley past some old gold prospecting sites following the little creek. I rounded a corner and heard a rustling in the bushes to my left. Since I was alone in my thoughts it startled me a little and then I spotted the moose just hanging out eating some vegetation no more than 30 feet away from me.

Cow moose about 15 mi into the race. I got this picture once I waked away a few yards, hard to see in this picture, but it is there in the middle enjoying a morning snack. I was about 30 feet away initially when i spotted her on the side of the road.

I continued on exploring the course and enjoying the mountains. There was a couple very small creek crossings and mix between singletrack, gravel roads, and some double wide jeep roads. Around mile 24 I was passed for the first time and lost the front running position. Another large section of climbing occurred just before the Jungle Hill aid station. It was a long USA forest jeep road that climbed for what seemed like miles. Once at the top there a tiny bridge then was a 1.5 mi descent of singletrack down into the aid station - this may have been one of my favorite sections (coincidentally this was the area I was doing trail work the day before). A short stop here for some fruit and then I continued on to another out & back section where a water drop and hole punch (for verification) was. On the way back from this check point (Crooked Creek) I passed a bunch more runners who were not that far behind as we were now nearing the 50 km mark into the race. I was still moving fairly strong at this point keeping a nice even pace, not too labored.

After the next aid station down in a little valley I could tell the course was taking us back up in elevation. I peered off in the distance and saw the climb that lay ahead beyond the alpine meadows were we trekking through. Somewhere around here another runner passed me and I dropped back into 3rd position. From the Trout Creek aid station I ascended upwards through these meadows and saw a good size mountain pass that I assumed we would be heading over. You always feel so small in the mountains and I just took in the views as I kept glancing up to my right thinking...."yup, we are going to be climbing up and over that". I think I was even telling myself I wish we would just go straight up and get this over with. Well I should've wished for something different because once at the true base of this small pass the trail went literally straight up for about 0.5 mi but gaining a bunch of elevation topping out at 11,400' or so.

on top of pass between Trout Creek and Tarryall aid. At about 11,400' elevation.

 

Coming down the other side it was much more North American style traditional trails with switchbacks and zig zagging back down into the treeline. Not too far was Tarryall aid which was the main aid and large crew station on the NE portion of the course. Runners hit this aid station a total of 3 times, and thus I elected to have one of my Victory Sportdesign drop bags here. Just before Tarryall the 3rd person caught me and we ran in to the aid together, and left up towards Gold Dust together. Here she dropped me on the climb and thus I dropped back to 4th place. I attempted to catch on the downhill but did not push to much as I was trying not to blow out my quads since the race was still not even 40% complete at this point. A 4th runner passed me pushing me back to 5th before reaching the aid station.

Heading back towards Gold Dust,
about 50 mi completed.

A large section of gravel country roads was the next portion of the course. Looping around from Gold Dust through Halfway Gulch and returning back to Gold Dust, Taryall aid stations. It was a long gradual climb up and around the initial portion of the loop but then it turned directions and was a ridiculously long gradual downhill. Again I tried to pace myself here to save my legs. I managed to pass by one of the runners moving back up into 4th position (he was having stomach issues, just before Halfway Gulch). I kept it steady as I could. The biggest and most annoying part of this section was the dust from all of the vehicle traffic on the road. It was so hot and dry the dust just lingered. But man the views were great from up on this road. The road circled around another peak and headed back up towards Gold Dust aid. I passed the female in front of me here as she was walking towards me (backward on the course). I asked her if everything was good, and she assured me it was but that she was dropping from blowing out her quads. I still not quite sure where she was self extracting since the aid station in front of us was the shortest way of course I thought. So arriving back through Gold Dust and back to Tarryall (second time), I was not back to 2nd place since 2 in front of me had dropped.

The large aid station of Tarryall was a relief site as it was very hot now in the middle of the afternoon and have completed 55.8 mi of the course. Now was a longer out & back section that took us out to Camp Como. It was a great section of trail that had some nice technical rocky terrain mixed in with singletrack winding through the woods. It was a great section of trail, I just wish I had more energy. About 2 miles from the turn around I passed the front runner which means he was about 4 miles in front of me (nearly an hour).

Rockier terrain on the trail to Camp Como turnaround aid station.

All the way back to Tarryall for the third and final time, I sat down here briefly for the first time and enjoyed a bit of food and nutrition before setting out on tackling the large climb back over the pass that brought us into this area of the course. Another runner came into the aid station not far behind me and was also sitting down for a break. I left before him and headed out trying to get to aid and over the pass before needing my headlamp from the impending night darkness that was coming. The grind was slow and long climb back up the pass, and it wasn't long before I was caught again. We worked together for a little bit but I could tell he had slightly more energy so I let him go ahead on the final portions of the pass ascent. At the top of the pass I had to take a bio break and stepped off into the woods. I used some leaves of sort that somehow was not the best choice as later on it caused a little irritating rash that bothered me for the rest of the run (this is the first time this has happened to me during a race). I did manage to keep it under control while running once I got to an aid station and used some of the best anti-friction lube there is: Trail Toes.

After my bio break and then tip toeing down the straight down side of the pass I managed to get running decently again. But at this point there was another runner and his pacer who were "flying" and passed me with ease. Not too far later I actually caught the guy who had passed me about a mile back coming over the pass, but he hung on and so we ended up jut running together for the last half mile or so back down to the Trout Creek aid. We started chatting to keep each other company and distract ourselves as the darkness was nearly engulfing now.

Early morning feelings.

We arrived into Trout Creek and both sat down and got some hot ramen noodles soup here from the great volunteers. It appeared neither of us was trying to run away from each other at this point so now with headlamps on we headed out for the remaining 35 mi leaving together. Myself and Thomas, as I finally discovered his name, worked together for the next couple hours which made the time go by a lot faster than running solo. We got all the way to Jungle Hill climb before he was now moving better than me on the climbs. I told Thomas to continue on and I would try and catch him back on the downhill section. But I never did catch him again. I was back on my solo trek running in 4th place with a marathon or so to go. The hours ticked by slowly and my usual early morning lows were catching up to me. I had the biggest longest climb ahead from Poor Man Gulch up to High Park and all the way to the high point of the Silverheels Mine to obtain my second summit bracelet.

My feet were killing me and drastically slowing me down. My legs felt pretty good considering so really it was my sore tender feet that were my issue at this point. After the looooooong grind back up to the mine negotiating the near sunrise hours I finally started to feel awake again, opposed to the sleep walking pace the last couple hours were. Grabbed my second bracelet and then turned around headed back down the mountain. It was a long half marathon all the way to the finish with 80-90% of it being downhill. It was still slow going as the pain of the constant downhill started to creep into my quads, but still mainly my feet. Near the very final "aid" stop of Alma, which is actually just a water drop, I got confused and was actually going bakwars on a section repeating a portion i just did. Here the leading female and her pacer met me and asked me where i was going. I double checked my gps and realized that I doubled back on a trail i was looping around on. Luckily it was only maybe a 0.25 - 0.5 mi of extra mileage, but who knows how long before i would have noticed if I did not meet them there. I tried to keep up with these ladies as I was now knocked down to 5th overall. I kept up for a good while all the way to the country gravel road section with 4 mi to go. My feet were causing me to shuffle a lot slower than I wanted to go and there was no way for me to keep up. I settled into my own pace and kept pushing forward towards Fairplay.

Finally of what seemed like forever on that last gravel stretch, the town of Fairplay came back into view. Like one does in the end of long endurance runs i was walking for a bit until I turned the corner and the South Park track was within view. I then resumed my ultra shuffle and "ran" onto the track making the 3/4 loop around and under the arch for the finish! 5th overall and done in under 30 hours this was my longest 100 mile finish yet. I had a goal of 24 hours initially, but i did not know if that was possible. I know the altitude had a little to do with it, but honestly for the most part my feet are what did me in. The altitude does not affect me in terms of headaches or altitude sickness that some people seem to experience, I guess I am lucky that way. This was my 64th ultramarathon.

Start/Finish arch with Mt. Silverheels in the background. Thank you HPRS.

I sat down in the field and took off my shoes to reveal large heel blood blisters on both feet. I got my chair and put my feet up for awhile trying to relax and nap a bit as I watched the first few 50 milers whom started to trickle in within the next couple hours. I got in a bunch of fluids and a few snacks. Before some afternoon showers rolled in I packed up my car and started out on my next portion of my endurance weekend: the 16.5 hour return drive back to Texas. There was a lot of stopping for naps and a few walk breaks to try and keep legs loose as possible, while keeping my feet swelling down. I arrived back in Sugar Land, TX later afternoon Monday returning to elevation of 85'. I went straight to a quick testing facility and got my blood drawn to get a COVID-19 test - which turned out negative. I did this for peace of mind returning to my family. I then did get in a recovery run that Monday night keeping my #runstreak alive which is now nearing 100 days. Time to rest up and continue onto the next adventure whenever that maybe.

Course Details

This was a great course. Essentially a long lollipop style course with a couple out & backs thrown in there. HPRS shared the detailed map, aid stations, and eve the .gpx course prior to the event for everyone. The course was very well marked (but not over marked 👍). Silverheels is a very tough challenge for everyone since it is known as the 2nd highest 100 miler within North America, behind only Hardrock 100. Silverheels comes in at an average elevation of 10,813' and let me tell you that it feels that way especially on the second half of the run (of course I am coming from sea level).

Detailed map and elevation profile provided by HPRS. Available on their website.

Nutrition

I stuck with mostly BASE Performance hydration mix and water (1 bottle of each). I supplement this with fit for the most part all the way up until about 70 mi mark. From there I started using GU Roctane gels one every 45 minutes or so to keep my energy up for the last quarter of the race (I think i went through about 6 of them total). I also downed Coca Cola every aid station for that quick sugar and caffeine hit. I think i also sat down and ate ramen noodles 2 separate times for the broth and warm fluids during the night hours.

Results & Data

My full STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3753674350

Mileage: 105.70 mi (170.11 km)

Elevation Gain: 14,914' (4,554 m)

Total Time: 29:47:41

Place: 5th overall (4th male)

Silverheels 100 buckle and (x2) Silverheels mine summit bands

Gear Used

• Gear Bags: Victory Sportdesign
• Drop bags: Victory Sportdesign (x2)  Coyote II  (Tarryall aid station, Poor Mans Gulch aid station)
• Jackets: rabbit elements light jacket
• Shirts: rabbit long sleeve
• Shorts: rabbit 5" FKT
• Shoes: Altra Running TIMP 1.5
• Socks: Drymax Socks 1 pair (Hawks edition)
• Headwear: Trail Racing Over Texas endurance cap
• Sunglasses: goodr (rabbit PR edition)
• Watch: Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition (started at 88% ended at 40% full GPS mode)
• Headlamp: NathanSports Inc Halo Fire (x2)
• Hydration: Nathan Sports Inc VaporKrar 2.0 12L with 20oz soft flasks, Trail Racing Over Texas collapsible cup
• Other: Nathan Sports Inc gloves
• Anti Friction: Trail Toes - applied once at beginning and only 1 reapply which kept me chaff free all race. Also helped me with my rash issue from my one bio break incident.

Thanks

1. A big shout out to all my supporters and sponsors for this year - check out my Friends page.
2. Human Potential Running Series (John Lacroix) for putting on this event and taking the new race protocols and social distancing seriously to make this event happen. I did feel quite safe out there.
3. The volunteers! As always fellow ultrarunners and non-runners alike that help make these events happen deserve the majority of the credit. Thank you for assisting us runners and aiding us through the night on the mountain.

#staysafe everyone and remember to continue to social distance and follow your local guidelines. I know that some people may think me travelling at this time is not the best idea, and well I may tend to agree I put in all the mitigation measures possible to keep myself and my family safe. In the end I felt like I did everything I could. There is still a lot of people out there not wearing masks. 

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Thank you for following along . 

This was ultramarathon #064 for me, and 16th 100 mile (or longer).  Next up: 

(i) Blazing 7s 100 mi Virtual Run (date: t.b.d. before Aug),

(ii) completing my #EverySingleStreet Sugar Land project

(iii) Trans-Texas Virtual Run 879 mi

New Year, New Decade, Let's Roll!

2019 Year in Review

Its that time of year again. 2019 was a solid year for myself as an ultrarunning dad. Thank my sponsors & supporters (see my Friends) as without their support I would not be able to do as much as I did in this sport. I am proud to represent Team TROT, rabbitELITEtrail, Team Victory, & Team Nathan. The biggest thanks goes to my family whom without this wound definitely not be possible at all. I love it when they are able to be there in person and cheer me on and crew & support me at ultras (Thank you to all 5 of my women in my life).

2020 Here I Come!

Well, honestly it's probably been solidified a few weeks or even months ago for most people, including myself. But the "lottery season" (i.e. December) was just upon us and probably currently underway for the last few like UTMB. Now that I have not been drawn for Western States I have my first 7 months lined up more or less. Here it is, my current 2020 race schedule thus far:

January

• Bandera 100 km (Bandera, TX)
• Since I didn't get into Western States I require another qualifier for 2020 season and what better way than getting it out of the way early.
• GOAL: Destroy my 2018 time of 13:36:21, hopefully sub-11 hrs in reality.

• Running the Rose 108 km (Tyler, TX)
• headed back to defend my victory from last year and because these trails are epic. 
• GOAL: of breaking the 11 hour mark. I was just over this last year.
• Love this course in the pine trees and cool January weather

February

• The Franklins 200 mi (El Paso, TX)
• headed back to El Paso because I have come to love this place to run here in Texas. I've run the Franklin Mountain race twice now and the Franklins 200 last year as well. I've put in ~300 miles so far on these Mountains....why not add another 203 or so?!
• GOAL: sub-60 hour. I have no idea if this is possible. If you read my race recap from last year everything basically went pretty dang good. So I have no idea if I can repeat last years time (64h & change) or effort. This is part of the exploration of the unknown.
• 2020 is the last year for this event. It is being replaced by something bigger (mileage wise) in 2021-Feb. Check out the TROT website for more details. Rob Goyen has already dropped hints of this on his monthly FB live updates and it now appears on the schedule (all the details are not fully finalized yet - but it is in the line up).

March

• Chattanooga 100 mi (Rising Fawn, GA)
• This will be my first Run Bum Tours (Sean Blanton) event, I've heard nothing but good things and can't wait for a race in another new state and area for me.
• GOAL: I have not researched into this too much, but my initial goal will be a top-10. I may revise my goal as I get closer and dive into the race stats & profile more.

April

• The Game - Backyard Ultra (Columbus, TX)
• I ran this last year and won this event in a weather filled day in Dale, TX. I made it 23 loops/hours before my assist dropped out. I anticipate more like 150 mi (36 hours) to even have a shot at the victory this time. Great event put on by Spectrum Trail Racing.
• GOAL: Win this event. Obtain the "golden coin" which gets an invite to Big's Backyard Ultra "Last Human Standing" in 2020-Oct.

July

• California Untamed 330 mi (Arcata, CA to Mt.Shasta, CA)
• Yes you read that correctly....330 miles of point-to-point.
• California Untamed is an extreme Ultra Marathon, stretching 330 miles from Arcata (the ocean) to Mt. Shasta in beautiful Northern California.  It is the longest, most extreme endurance foot race in the Continental United States.
• GOAL: Finish & be as competitive as I can be.
• This will be my A-race of the year. Everything prior to this will be building towards this, so I may even throw in extra training or racing efforts among the above mentioned races.
• Watch the preview film of the course HERE of race director Ryan Spitz forming the course.

Along with these I aim to get in some more volunteer hours in my running community:

• I help out at my local run club, Sugar Land Running Club (SLRC), since its inception in 2019-Aug and I definitely want to continue this each week when I can.
• Goal of getting more trail work hours logged for 2020 (not just the minimum for race entries).
• Help build the Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) trail community by giving back more.

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Let the training begin!

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