Notes
First things first, thanks to all my boys for supporting me along the way—Frosty ran the first two miles with me, Collin biked the first two hours, Mads biked from two hours in till the end, and Drew met us after the tempo square. Some of the highlights:
1. The sunrise over Black Gates as we crossed over into Mordor. It was bright to the northeast yet dark in Mordor. Just beautifully similar to the movie.
2. Crossing the Cedar River was sketchy as balls. Knee high for the majority of the way. Thought I was in the clear until I hit the last 10% where it got dumb deep up to my nipples and I was forced to swim. That was 19.7 miles in. The furthest I had ever run before this was 20 so I was a little nervous walking across it. Immediately after I got across it was incredibly hard to start as there was a little sand and it was muddy.
3. The river through Shell Rock is a sight for sore eyes.
Tips for those brave souls who want to attempt this in the years to come:
1. Here is a list of stuff I brought along: lots of water, pedialyte, Swedish fish, skittles, peanut butter sandwiches, and salt. Just plain salt. Suck on it every two hours or so. Vaseline, a portable charger for your watch, an extra pair of shoes and shorts for after you cross the river, and toilet paper (which I surprisingly did not need but very well could see how one could). For the Vaseline, don’t be too hesitant to put it on early. Even before you start. I put some in between my toes after I crossed the river when I changed shoes and that helped immensely with chafing. Maybe get a wider platter of food as Swedish fish get a little old after a while. Also, put jelly on your sandwich as this may allow you to put it down easier (some of the hardest moments in the run was eating peanut butter and having it stick to the roof of your mouth).
2. Pick out the direction of the route based on wind. I got mentally broke when I had to run into a 16 mph SSW head wind with gusts of 25 at mile 46. I don’t know how else I would have did it but I know it was nice up to that point not having to have to buck it. I suppose one may want to keep the river crossing at a relatively early stage as it would become dangerous to cross it really late into the run.
3. The unforeseen reason I stopped was because my gait got broken down and this resulted in a different stress on my body. For me, the focal point of impact was on my knees. They took a lot of beating late into the run as I was unable to stabilize them when I stepped on a rock wrong. This resulted in a banged up knee where I was nervous it was going to give out if I stepped wrong. I have heard that the pounding impacts other runners differently (ankles, hips), depending on gait.
4. Don’t drink after your last race before you do this.
5. Bring a good group of friends and make sure they know where they are going. If they have a speaker that is even better. They keep you sane throughout.
For those who attempt this route, kudos and good luck. For those who compete it, bravo. You are a psychopath.