Race Stats:
Advertised: 64.2 miles and 13,000 ft. of elevation gain
Actuals (per Garmin Fenix2 GPS): 65.8miles with 13,711 ft. of elevation gain (took two wrong turns briefly and had to backtrack).
Finish Time Goal: Optimistic: 16-18hrs…main goal was any finish though!
Actual Finish: 17 hours and 10 minutes!
Training Stats:
YTD (per Strava): 1329 miles, 154,662ft of gain., 242 hours and 23 minutes
Peak Distance Month: April: 233 miles
Peak Distance Week: June 27th-July 3rd: 67.4 miles and 14,363 ft. of gain
Favorite Training Run(s): 1) Imperial Palace in Tokyo! 2) The Balcon! (trail marathon organized and run with my MHTR friends). 3) Quad Rock 25mi was an awesome training race too!
Pre-race meal: Cheeseburger & sweet potato fries (not my first choice, but Walden has like 4 restaurants).
Any gear or clothing issues?: Not really, but running with a water bladder is annoying! Hose was too long and in the way.
Best thing you ate on course?: Nutella wrapped in tortilla or PBJ tortillas. Tailwind saved me nutrition-wise too!
Worst thing you ate?: Stale Peach-O gummies. Last minute gas station “nutrition” purchase.
Best in-race decision?: Not ditching my water bladder prior to the 29.4 to 39.4 stretch. Hydration is worth being annoyed.
Worst in-race decision?: Sitting down to get a rock out of my shoe. Hip flexors were not happy.
What was the first thing that hurt/got sore?: Shoulders. A few stomach cramps when I drank too much water or ate too much food early on also. Erred on the side of overeating early.
What did you think about out there?: Shockingly little! I was pretty immersed in the experience and beauty of my surroundings. No music. Just focused on drinking, eating, and keeping myself moving.
Would you run the NS100k again?: Right now, I’d say no. Today was amazing and everything was pretty perfect, so I’d be fearful that another attempt at the same race would only detract from my wonderful memories. Maybe though, this is an incredible course and race! Lots of other amazing races out there too!
Would you recommend this race?: 100% yes! Supremely beautiful course! Fantastic organization and support! Very challenging and wild terrain. Loved it!
Race Strategy Chart:
