Notes
The first two of 6 (16.7 mile) loops are loaded. 182 runners started the race. 83 finished 100 miles. 29 took the drop down from 100 miles to 100k. 70 did not finish. A brief a report to follow...
Splits:
Mile 8.33--- 01:36:15.6
Mile 16.66--- 01:43:35.2
Mile 25--- 01:50:51.7
Mile 33.33--- 01:54:38.7
Mile 41.66--- 01:57:11.4
Mile 50--- 02:00:24.6
Mile 58.33--- 02:06:01.6
Mile 66.66--- 02:00:55.8
Mile 75--- 01:49:07.3
Mile 83.33--- 01:54:59.7
Mile 91.66--- 01:57:37.8
Mile 100--- 01:55:53.2
So as not to forget how absolutely brutal this was....
I went into this with about 9 weeks of training and a 3 week taper. I was coming off from some down time after spring racing. I built up to the point where it seemed like I was starting most of my running tired from the last run. I managed a couple of 30 mile days. One at the end of a 90+ mile week, the other at the end of a 100+ mile week (back to back).
9/5/14 was the hottest day (to that point) of the summer, 90+ degrees and humid. No surprise whatsoever. The race started at 4pm, which at least meant less time in the heat. Walking around pre-race, setting up, I was sweating my ass off. Initially it was a bit overwhelming getting things in order, but it came together quickly. There was a pre-race meeting at 3pm, shortly there after we were off. Marv and Kevin were there for the start, and both still there when I came in after the first loop.
The first loop was hot - duh, right? I ate as much as I could stomach, and drank more. In fact, I ate too much. By about 10 miles in I had a rock in my gut that wouldn't seem to go down. The trail was fair. The mud was bad in a few areas, but generally speaking - very runnable. There were just a couple of hills, the most notable about 3 miles from the end of the loop. First loop - 3:25
The wind was kicking up at the end of the first loop, to say the least. The trees along the trail seemed to be blowing sideways, several limbs and trees were blown over. The tornado sirens went off. As I re-entered the start/finish area the sky was darkening. Tents were blowing around. Volunteers were holding down the main aid tent, the big registration tent blew away. I went in the aid tent to my drop tote, got my supplies, and took off. I was a bit concerned that they might try to hold me there. Kevin and Marv were there to help, Kevin headed home for some rest at that point to come back in the morning.
Rain, thunder, lightning, and darkness settled in. The trail got lonely. My stomach was ok, but not good. I was still having a hard time digesting everything I'd crammed in. I hit the halfway point of the second loop. The storm had blown over. It continued to rain on and off most of the night. As I walked into the aid station at 25 I was feeling poor. The heat had sapped me. I noticed Ben Vanhoose sitting in a chair. Ben is a very experienced ultra runner, he won the Fallsburg Marathon that I raced 4 weeks prior. Ben was in rough shape. I gathered my stuff from my drop tote, fueled a bit more, and headed out. The next 10-15 miles would be my hardest. It was dark, the rain in my eyes was messing with my vision, the light on my head was shit. I fell time and time again. I had some serious doubt creep in. If Ben Vanhoose can't do this, how the Hell am I going to? I made it back to the start finish. Second loop - 3:45
Marv was there. Thank God. I hit the tote, grabbed supplies, and thought - one more loop gets me 50, at least that's something. Marv asked me if I wanted him to jump in when I returned to pace me for the 4th loop. YES. I knew the third loop (2nd in the dark) was going to be a bitch and I wanted something to look forward to. The third loop was far and away my slowest. I hooked up with a guy who had run Gnaw Bone (my first 50). We chatted on and off. He had attempted 6 100's, finished 4. But he seemed to be slowing. So against my better judgement, I left him and jogged on. The positive - my stomach seemed to have seriously corrected itself. I was feeling better. I made it back to the start finish, hit my tote, and all said and done finished the third loop in 4:10. I was 11 hours, 20 minutes at halfway.
Marv was ready. He had been awake all night. It was 3am and his 69 year OLD ass was READY. He was exactly what I needed. I changed the batteries in my headlight, I added another headlight, and that really helped. I didn't fall one time the second half of the race. It was really raining hard at the beginning of the 4th lap. I was concerned that Marv was going to get cold. Not an issue. We were still doing a lot of running. Marv mostly followed me. Chatting a bit. The psychological support was huge. Nothing noteworthy on the 4th loop - 4:00
The sun was coming up at the end of the 4th lap. I hit the start/finish and both Kevin and Mike were there. Awesome. A new pacer. And I was worried about Marv driving home tired. Kevin suited up. We took off for the 5th loop. It went absolutely perfectly. There were times along the trail when I had some negative thought creep in, but overall it was all positive. The secret goal of a sub 24 hour run started slipping out of my lips a bit. The sunrise, the company, and a happy stomach really seemed to inspire me. 3:37... No fucking way did I think that possible.
I knew I had 5 hours to get the last loop done and still make 24 hours. I kind of thought that I'd coast a bit, enjoy it, and cherish it. But as I got into the last loop, I found that there isn't really anything remotely enjoyable about the last 15 miles of a 100 mile race. Mike had assumed the pacing role. He was a dick. Push, push, push. Come on Cory, it's a downhill, lets run. Somehow he seemed to convince me that most of the last loop was downhill. I tried to give him away to other 100 milers who looked like the could use some extra help. No one bit. We crested the last hill at about 97.5 and I remember shouting at the top of my lungs. Mike spun around looked at me, I think he expected to see me falling back down the hill. We really upped the pace the last 3-4 miles. Now sub 23 was clearly attainable, and I liked the idea of breaking 22:50. We hustled in - last loop: 3:40
It is done. I needed a break from marathoning. It was a good choice. Some of the good... Marv, Kevin, and Mike. Huge, HUGE thanks! Perpetuem is a God fuel. The Boost also helped. I ate a ton of fruit during the race. Some Hammer Gel, not much else. I took 3 Hammer electrolytes per hour. I was religious about it. No cramps. None. I ran a 7 minute positive split in my first (and only) 100 mile race.
The bad... there's really only one. The chaffing. Oh. My. God - at about 52 miles I completely ripped the inseam out of my shorts. It essentially turned them into a running skirt. I didn't care. It helped a ton. But the liner ruined me. And I mean ruined me.
It's a memory that I will never forget. And hopefully never repeat.