Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100 Mile Race Report, November 19-20, 2022

“I laughed, I cried, it was better than ‘CATS’” – Someone.

“And much, much longer.” – Me.

I signed up for the Dinosaur Valley 100 mile race in December 2021 for the ridiculously low $75 early bird price. I had one hundred-miler under my belt, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it again. Some friends agreed to meet me there and do other distances, so I knew it would be fun whatever happened. And it was fun, although there were some unexpected twists and turns that weren’t too fun at the moment. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Dinosaur Valley State Park is south-west of Dallas-Ft. Worth. You can see dinosaur footprints preserved in the clay of the riverbeds, although the race did not go down to the river. The race route was an initial 5 mile loop followed by nine x 10.5 mile loops through hardscrabble limestone, slickrock, and some dirt stretches. Overall vert was around 9000’. The loop went up to an overlook with nice views. At times you could see and hear the river below. But there were also lots of loose rocks and roots plus a few sketchy steep up and down sections.

Race morning dawned chilly and it didn’t get out of the 40s during the day. Overnight temps were in the upper 20s. A lot of people dropped down to other distances either pre-race or mid-race, partly due to the cold, but also because those loops started to seem endless. On the one hand, the loop course made logistics easy since we could set up a canopy tent with supplies, extra clothes, etc. by the start/finish. On the other hand, it was not a loop that I wanted to see nine times, and navigating the loose rock in the dark was slow going. The loops all blurred together, and therein lies the drama.

My watch died and I had lost track of the time and distance. I’m bad at trail math under the best of circumstances, and even more so when I’m tired and cold. I finished what I thought was my last loop and the RD and race timer gave me my buckle at the finish line. I finished faster than I expected, which made me happy, but I was too tired to give it much thought. After driving back to the air BnB, my friend looked for my official finish time and there wasn’t one… because I was one loop short!  Dangit, only 89 miles?!

My options were to trade in the 100M buckle for the 100k buckle (since that was the next distance down). Or go back and do another loop to finish the race (since I still had time before the cutoff). But ugh, what a miserable thought. I was literally steps away from a nice hot shower when this all came down.

Ultimately, would I be happy going home with a 89 mile race because of a silly mistake? No. So I put my running gear back on, went back to the race, informed the RD, and I went back out. It rained, because of course it would. But I finished and got the 100 mile buckle for real. Going back to do that last loop was harder than running the damn thing. But I’m so glad that I did.

The positives: nice RD who was flexible and accommodating, great aid stations (OMG, hot crispy bacon sandwiched between quesadilla wedges with a dollop of avocado), nice buckle, medal, and hoody, good pre-race communications, easy race-day logistics with the loop format, high energy start/finish area with lots of tents and supporters, easy drive from DFW airport.

The negatives: too many loops, too many rocks, cold-induced diuresis (peed a lot).

Injury report: one smashed toe from banging into rocks, one fall that bruised up my hand and caused a lot of swelling, but no broken bones.

Gear report: Hoka Speedgoats were the right choice for the rocky terrain.  I did a couple loops in Asics Trabuco trail shoes, but they didn't have enough cushioning.  Suunto Ambit3 Peak watch died way too soon.  A light jacket with three tech shirts layered underneath worked well, plus fleece Christmas tights -- the warmest I've got -- fleece beanie, buff, and gloves overnight.  No problems with headlamp, flashlight, or old Nathan pack.

Lessons learned: count better, get official finish time before leaving, lol.

Official finish time: 30:14:25 (excludes the hour or so from the initial finish snafu). 29/50 overall,10/22 female finishers.

A few pics:

Me on the right with a good RB.

The view of the Paluxy River from the overlook.

Some cool gnarled trees up on the bluff.

So many rocks, pics do not do it justice.

The reward.

Congrats! It was probably hard to get back and do that last loop, but you did the right thing imho.

Ah, dead watch and running math is a brutal combination. Kudos for going back for the final lap.

Congratulations! Just reading ‘9 loops of 10.5mi ‘ felt endless. And Very impressive getting back out there. Being that close to a shower and beer would have been an insurmountable barrier for me.

Congrats Margaret! i dont know what's more impressive, running 100 miles or thinking you were done and then going back! i went from the ambit to coros pace2 watch. a magnitude of improvement with the battery!

Margaret, you are officially a badass for getting that last loop after thinking you were done and essentially shutting it down. Not to mention all those loops you did. Great great job!!!!

Thanks for the RR and photos.