I had to get up at 4 am to ensure I had time to get ready and drive the estimated 35 minutes to the start line. I had tossed and turned all night and was up before the alarm.
Took a (very) quick shower because the water was absolutely freezing and took forever to warm up. Finished getting ready and got all my bags out the door. I threw my breakfast into the microwave in the lobby. Decided to take my bags to the car and drive to the door so I could leave right away. THE LOBBY DOORS LOCKED ON ME!!? Thankfully, there happened to be a janitor emptying the trash that let me back in. Not sure what I would've done otherwise since there was no one at the desk.
On the road by 4:35ish and, understandably, I was afraid of the GPS not working, and was somewhat relieved when I appeared to be following someone. Arrived to a really full lot at 5:15ish, and thankfully the way the volunteers were filling the spaces, I would be VERY close to the finish line.
Usual cycling through the bathroom line multiple times until it was a few minutes before the start and time to line up.
Start - Bluff (7.4)
I had been back and forth about whether or not I should bring poles. It was suggested that if it rained, poles would/might be helpful, although the general consensus was that there were no hills big enough to justify their use. Since I had flown Southwest, I figured I might as well bring them. With that said, I did NOT start with them, and I put them in my only drop bag, which was at Nordic, which I would not see again until roughly the 100k mark.
The start of the race is on faded, grassy trail. Per the norm, I started in the very back. I never did look behind me to see how many people there were, and that was probably a good thing.
There was nothing too exciting for the first mile or two, and I was struck by how this "easy" pace was so slow. Every minute under an 18 is banking time, so I tried to not stress about it. I believe it was a few miles in before the rollers started. They did NOT feel that bad this early in the race, but I could see how they would not feel great many hours later.
I was a bit surprised to arrive at the first aid station sooner than expected, Tamarack. This is the only time this would happen in the race. I don't think I even topped off my bottle, but I did grab an orange cup, although it was hard to open and without a fork I ended up making a big mess trying to get any of it in my mouth.
To interject here, there are a TON of aid stations at this race, hence all the choices I made in terms of pack size and water. I opted to use my favorite Salomon Adv Skin 8 pack, which is my daily pack. I like everything about it for shorter things, BUT, the pockets are NOT great for a race. Meaning, there are pouches in the front, one zipper pocket and then the big pocket in the back. Although most of it did not get used (and definitely some of it could have been placed at another drop bag), I carried my dry bag of electronics and my (ever-growing) medical stash. These items did bounce around in the big back pocket and I believe it was likely the small battery pack that contributed to my eventual horrific back chafing.
Onward.
Arrived at the Bluff aid station and used the bathroom - there were actually FOUR port-o-potties there (but I still had to wait). I definitely topped off bottles and I'm sure I grabbed food but I don't remember what. This was also the location of the first timing mat, which I apparently hit at 1:46:05, about dead on with my initial time "goal."
Bluff to Horseriders to Natalies to McMiller:
I have no idea what this was. I believe we climbed out of the aid station and moved onto the more single track trail. It was rockier and more narrow. I want to say I read somewhere that this would be the hardest part of the race, but I don't remember it being that bad. Somewhere along the way, my pace chart was way off, which I think messed with me a LOT going forward. Maybe there is something to be said about just being ignorant?
I don't know what Stone Elephant is, but I liked the sign.
The 100k runners started an hour after us, and I believe it was in this section between Horseriders and Natalies that I started to get passed by them. Probably annoying for them, but wasn't fun for me either.
I cannot remember the Horseriders aid station at ALL. I think Natalies was the one by the road? I kept wondering where this "prairie" section would be, and then I figured we had finally arrived there. It was REALLY getting humid at this point and I was constantly having to adjust my shirt. We were back on the grassy trail area, and I was running a bit more here than I thought I would. Thankfully, with the cooler temperatures, this wasn't as awful as I had feared.
After leaving this area we ran behind a shooting area. It was pretty crazy. Felt like we were in the Hunger Games or something.
I arrived at the McMiller aid station, just over the pace I hoped to maintain. Of course my mileage was already off, so I was getting discouraged. I was so happy to see Doug and Kristin! I used the bathroom and grabbed some food, including a banana, which Kristin felt the need to document since I hate them.
I left the McMiller aid station with 4:53:46. Just over the pace I hoped to be .
McMiller to Wilton to Hwy 67 to ZZ
I have no idea what this section was. At all. At some point, we were in the trees and there were some wooden bridges.
The Wilton/Squatch aid station was at the edge of a dirt road. I had been running with an older gentleman and he had been lamenting about wanting a popsicle, and what do you know, they had some! I filled bottles and I think grabbed a granola bar before heading out. We had a straight, exposed area before turning and having more marshy (and moist) meadow areas.
I am pretty sure this is where I saw teammate Jeff, coming the other direction, which meant that he was like 15 miles ahead of me. At the time I think I did the math and thought it was less than that. I can't remember the Hwy 67 aid station at all. At some point maybe a mile before we got to the ZZ aid station, we were met with a barrage of 50k runners heading towards us.
ZZ to ZZ...
The ZZ aid station was hopping when I first got there. I hadn't realized that we would hit this one twice, and the 100k and 100M runners had to do a 5ish mile loop and then we would head back the way we came. Used the bathroom and headed out for the loop with 7:26:45 elapsed, about 15 minutes over goal. I was not super pumped about going out, but there were other people ahead of me. I had been informed that this was a tough loop and to be prepared. The hardest part of the loop turned out to be when it started raining maybe a mile in. I do not mind running in the rain, and the temperatures weren't that cold. But it did make the steeper descents not a ton of fun. I ended up running with a guy for maybe a mile or two - this was his second attempt at Kettle Moraine. We came to a wider dirt road section and could see people camping off the trail. Getting close to getting back to ZZ and caught my toe on something and went flying. Ugh. The aid station was basically a ghost town by now and all the spectators seemed to have retreated to avoid the rain. Grabbed some grilled cheese and headed back out, leaving at 8:55:29.
ZZ to Hwy 67 to Wilton to McMiller...
Still raining. The trail in the woods was fine. A little slick and only really muddy in the flatter areas where water had pooled. Conditions were deteriorating pretty quick though. And then we got back to the meadow area. That's where the mess started. What had been dry earlier was now a disgusting mud pit.
I don't mind getting dirty, but it takes a lot more energy to run in the mud! The rain did stop, and then the humidity kicked up a notch. It was making me feel nauseous, which is not something I normally deal with when I am running. Nothing was sounding good to eat and the more remote aid stations only seemed to have sweet food items, which made my stomach churn. Arrived at McMiller and got some food and a magical beer! Historically a beer midrace tends to make me really happy and the volunteer gave me a full one! Left McMiller at 11:36:15.
McMiller to ... eventually Bluff:
I had a few REALLY great miles. Like I let the beer settle in my stomach for a few minutes and then ran a LOT! I had some of my fastest miles of the race in this section and passed multiple people.
Maybe Horseriders was this aid station where we had the horses cross? Either way, volunteer Nicole had recognized me on the way out from the 200 mile circuit. I was hungry here and starting to get tired. I had some delicious meatballs, a shot of fireball and made a dose of my caffeine.
Unfortunately, literally the second the sun started to set I started to get tired.
I came into Bluff feeling super tired. Wasn't sure what I needed to get me back to Nordic. I used the bathroom, grabbed some food and then found a random partial beer. Sadly, it was a weird peach flavor and it did not give me super powers. Left Bluff at 15:16:43, nearly an hour over my goal pace.
Bluff to Nordic
By now my pack was driving me nuts. Something was rubbing me uncomfortably on my lower back. I was getting SO INCREDIBLY tired and was just trying to keep moving. I knew the cutoff to be out of Nordic was 12:30 am and I was on track to make the cutoff, I would just be a lot closer to it than I had wanted to be.
The few miles to Tamarack went ON FOREVER. The longest miles of the race, seemingly. I asked the people at the aid station what they might have to help me and I think I got some coffee, but it didn't help. I talked to Ben for a bit but then just threw in some music and tried to run as much as possible to get back. The hills didn't seem as bad as I feared. I arrived at Nordic and tried to rush to swap out packs, debating what I actually thought I would need for the last 38 miles. I asked about food and unfortunately a lot of the food options were gone, the volunteer telling me they had run out, but that burgers would be prepared at 12:30.... like only if I was going to miss the cutoff. Blah. I was out of the aid station about 35 minutes under cutoff.
Nordic back to DNF
Things unfortunately seemed to get worse. The poles didn't really do much and I only found myself having them out because I had thought maybe they would help. I was SO FREAKING TIRED. I had taken a second caffeine dose at Nordic, along with the coffee/caffeine gum and it didn't seem to be helping. Tried not to stay too long at Tamarack but I remember sitting there. Someone asked what mile the aid station was and for some reason I had thought I was way over on miles, I got a very small pep in my step for a bit when I realized I was further than I thought. On to Bluff again. I don't remember what happened here. Maybe I did another fireball shot? Or maybe this was when I had the gross peach beer. Either way, I left at 20:28:46 - over an hour off my goal.
This is probably where things went even worse for me. YES, I was moving slow. At some point I think all the aid stations when I got tired were a bad thing. I really got in my head here and when that happens I mentally check out.
The next aid station was Duffin, which is where I finally saw Kristin. I gave her a hug and told her I was in a sad space because I was just so unbelievably tired. I told her I was going to eat and try to nap for 5 minutes to see if I could get a reset. I took my last caffeine dose, ate a pancake with sausage and closed my eyes. Didn't help. I wasn't going to drop while there was still time on the clock so I headed out. I didn't make it more than a mile or so up the trail before I had to sit and close my eyes again.
A guy I had been running with a small amount walked by and asked if I wanted to walk instead of sitting. I agreed. I was still tired but it helped having someone to chat with.
I was feeling a tiny tiny bit better when the sun started to come up, but we came into the Hwy 12 aid station with only about 45 minutes to get to the NEXT aid station, which was over 4 miles away. Megan said I could continue if I wanted, but the idea of 4 more miles just to DNF seemed awful. I wonder if those times were actually enforced, because looking back now, once the sun was up, maybe I could have bounced back from being tired...
Megan made me a sandwich and said she would get us a ride back to Nordic. I was so tired I fell asleep holding my sandwich. (I guess I was unfortunately as tired as I felt).
Once back at Nordic I saw Kristin and Doug. Got some pictures of my super muddy legs and "fake finish" picture with my consolation 100k buckle.
Thoughts:
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I thought I was past all these temper tantrum "quitting" races. I ran a LOT (for me) in this race. For comparison, I ran 8:54:30 at Oregon Cascades (successful sub 30 100 mile completion) and 8:00:18 at Southern States (successful PR 200 mile). I ran over 10.5 hours here (with 20+ miles to go), and yet I failed. Of note, the aid station time is MUCH longer than normal 100s, but the last few stops were definitely time consuming trying to find food and caffeine solutions. Sad.
Also upsetting to see JUST HOW FAR BACK I am in these. I was in the bottom 5% of people THE ENTIRE RACE. I know I'm slow, but wow. Sad and defeating.
The aid station were fully stocked, just a lot of snacky things that didn't work for me. I was definitely in the minority of non-crewed runners and I wonder if I would have had some other food options that I could have fixed the nausea earlier. I did love that the major aid stations had multiple port-o-potties. I only peed ONCE on the trail, and that was at like mile 78!!
The buckle is awesome and I am happy that I was able to get an unofficial 100k finish (which I didn't know the race did).
The race shirt is so fun and I'm glad I can wear it because it doesn't have a distance on it.
Gear issues this race. My shirt kept getting bunched up behind my pack. My pack was chafing me even though it never had before.
I was wearing a nearly new pair of Topo Ultraventure 2's and yet they didn't feel comfortable most of the race. Not sure if that was terrain related or what, but that hasn't happened before. While I came out filthy, zero blisters again.
And wtf with my caffeine?? I definitely get tired in 200s, but that is days on my feet, not just one. I was drinking Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper on course and I took THREE doses of my caffeine, and I felt like I had just been up for days.
Last thought - I wonder if I need to take a break from 100s for a bit. I really struggle to be fast enough for these, and it is so discouraging to get "so close" just to have a small thing or two go wrong and blow the race. It's only been a few days, maybe I just need to think on it.
This post's subtitle is "the tale of yet another DNF."
*I reserve the right to edit as/if I remember additional details. For some reason I'm spacing a LOT of details.
Preface
Ben and I had been planning on running together. Initially, we even thought our friend Zach would be signing up and we would go through it together. He had different plans and wanted to do his own thing. We reached out to a few people for crew/pacers, but a few months out it became evident we would be doing this solo. Ben seemed to think it would be fine, as we are both "experienced" in this distance, and it wasn't a big deal. I, on the other hand, was very apprehensive. Mainly because I've done this before, know what it takes, and also recognize that our personalities definitely clash when we are tired or frustrated. But here we go...
Photo: Scott Rokis
Photo: Howie Stern
Photo: Howie Stern
Race Day
With the course changes, we now had a luxurious start of 10:00. I didn't think we even needed to set an alarm, since I'm normally up with the sun, but I set one anyway. I much prefer to wake up to the slight vibration of my Fitbit, but since that broke last week (waaaaah) I had to settle for my phone. I was right, after a semi-restless night of sleep, I woke up a bit before the alarm and decided to just get up. All I really needed to do was shower and get dressed, as I'd packed up most of my stuff already.
Took my shower and went to get dressed when I realized... crap. We packed all our tubs of Squirrel's Nut Butter in our drop bags - the ones we had loaded up at packet pick up. "Luckily," we still had to drop off our finish line bag before 8:00 (we hadn't left it before because we wanted to keep our flip flops as long as possible). Ben offered to head over there to buy some because he had seen it for sale at the expo. I decided to start with my hair braiding to give me something to do. I'm halfway done with my braids as he was walking out the door when he screams "you need to come outside right now!" I am actually naked and mid-braid. He's telling me to just grab a towel - which I can't do because my hands are holding the braid. I peak around the corner and see a javelina! (I understand that if you see them regularly they are kinda mean and not a big deal, but he was cute from a distance). Anyway, headed back inside just as a car drove by, so good timing, haha.
Here we go again... it wasn't especially warm, but it was definitely sunny, so we were planning on hiking most of the day until it cooled off. With THAT said, I usually like to run areas where I can because I like to bank time for later in the race. More on that later. We started in the back - like the VERY back. I think there were maybe 5 people behind us. No one in our group was running - like at all. I was not used to such a narrow section of trail in the early miles. It was all single track, and it's not like I "needed" to pass people, but it would have been nice to be on wider trails while people spread out. Either way, that's where we were. I was surprised to be near Lee (who was a top 5 "woman to watch") and her girlfriend being at the back as well. Uneventful miles, for the most part. 95% walking, tiny spurts of jogging when we had a chance. Hot. Sunny.
We had a road crossing pretty early on. There was actually a volunteer telling us when it was safe to cross. We did some running on the road and passed a few people.
Photo cred: Anastasia Wilde
Aid station was exciting because I was was able to get ice for my bandana. They certainly didn't have a lot of ice, but enough that I wasn't mad.
Iron Springs to White Rock (Miles 11.2 to 17.9)
Absolutely no idea what this was.
Hmm. A lot of this section was actually in a wooded area, which definitely kept the temperatures down. We saw a guy come down towards us a few miles in that was headed back to the aid station to drop. Another gal sitting on the side of the trail saying she was sick. Seemed like an awful lot of people were already feeling really shitty for being so early in the race.
I literally cannot remember anything else about this section or the aid station.
White Rock to Finch Wells (Miles 17.9 to 31.9)
(Thanks to watching a video, I now kind of remember the aid station. Aid station was in a dirt parking lot and I'm pretty sure I had to use the bathroom. We were pretty efficient at this one!)
At some point we finally came out of the woods and ended up on a dirt road (where we saw Jamil with his drone). I tried to get Ben to run this section but he kept telling me he didn't want to blow out his quads with too much downhill running. So... we walked.
And then we saw people coming towards us? The first guy says "HI, I'M YOUR NEIGHBOR!" And I was like, uh, I think you have me confused with someone else? Then he says, no, I talked to Ben on the trail the other day. Turns out, he does live hear us. It was funny. There were a few types of people in this section. Those that were determined and running, and those that just looked sad/mad and walking. One of those was Mike Versteeg (who won last year, and we would later find out he dropped at Whiskey Row). This was still a really wide dirt road and I kept telling Ben we should at least be jogging this... more walking than I would have liked. I did run some and we even passed some people.
Finch Wells to Skull Valley (Miles 31.9 to 36.5)
I was mostly excited for this aid station because when the course changed the race guide said the food would be "something, but we don't know what yet." We spent a while discussing what the food could POSSIBLY be. It was nothing we would have ever guessed - spring rolls! We spent more time at this aid station than we should have (I'm not going to say this anymore - it will be a recurring theme for every aid station going forward).
Skull Valley to Finch Wells (Miles 36.5 to 41)
I don't remember the Skull Valley aid station at all, but it was heading towards this one when it was dark and we came upon a guy that was pruning trees right off the road. At night. Very strange for sure. Briefly saw Natalie at the aid station. She was in and out very quick.
This was a nice, short section. It was wide, dirt road. Gradually uphill.
Finch Wells to Copper Creek (Miles 41 to 48)
I'd guess it was about this point when everything began to fall apart. We had not really banked any time, but we were well ahead of cutoffs. I was definitely getting tired and I was already requesting taking a nap. Ben was freaked out by all the small scorpions we had been seeing on the trail, but I didn't care. I laid down for something like 10-15 minutes, and didn't sleep at all. (No surprise). We weren't sure where the course would veer off, but we came to a big junction and couldn't miss it.
Copper Creek to Whiskey Row (Miles 48-60.7)
Ben fell apart at the Copper Creek aid station. He had been using an Ultimate Direction bladder that is VERY difficult to open/close, and at some point he was trying to close it and it got a hole in it (?) and started leaking all over his stuff. A temper tantrum and ruined bladder later, we got out of the aid station. I had been hoping to use the bathroom, but there wasn't one at that aid station, so I started the climb out alone so I could take care of that. The section to Whiskey Row seemed like it took forever. The sun finally came up and I started to wake up a bit.
Basically how I felt at this point
We had a LOT of pavement coming into Prescott. The town is pretty hilly and there was a funny incident where we were on the wide sidewalk (walking with traffic) and an old lady was brisk walking IN THE ROAD against traffic and Ben was joking that she literally would rather risk her life than walk on the same side of the street as us. He determined the ultimate insult would be her crossing back over after she had a big enough lead on us - which she did. There were a LOT of markings missing in town and I had to pull up my Gaia to make sure we were going the right way.
We finally got close and recognized where we were - the courtyard where the aid station was located was right by Sheri's wine bar! I had desperately wanted to nap, but first - pizza!
Spent some time eating, then tried to go to the indoor rest area but it was hot and LOUD. Even with earplugs I couldn't sleep. In lieu of wasting time, I got up after a bit and tried to get everything organized for heading out. When I went to change socks I discovered I had some pretty nasty blisters - which is something I hadn't experienced in a long time, but I had felt them coming on so it wasn't entirely a surprise.
Whiskey Row to Iron King (Miles 60.7 to 74.2)
We had a long road section leaving Whiskey Row. There were a ton of lights that we had to wait at in town. I was pissed off that I had never been able to sleep at the aid station, and the heat of the day was already making me so tired. We stopped at a gas station for Ben to buy a beer (because he could) and we walked along and took drinks. After a few miles, I told Ben I was going to have to sleep somewhere, and luckily we found this little park that was relatively quiet. I think I maybe took a short nap here, don't really remember.
We finally got out of town, and then we were by a lake. A long stretch of non-technical dirt where we still didn't run. As we were heading towards the dells, I rolled my ankle for the first time of the race, about 67(?) miles in. I really thought I might have really hurt it, but like usual, it seemed ok if I kept moving.
Suddenly, we were out of the really rocky area and back on a flat, dirt road. It was definitely getting warmer here, which was making me tired. Again. We found a place in the shade that I chose for a nap. It was mostly perfect, except there were a lot of flies.
We saw a guy running towards us with a dog and we both got really excited that the aid station was close. Sadly, it was still a bit away, like a few miles. When we started to see civilization, a woman warned us that she had seen a bull snake.
Can you spot him?
I kept pulling out the map to see where this aid station was. A decently long trek on sidewalks before we finally saw it at an intersection.
Iron King to Fain Ranch (Miles 74.2 to 79.4)
We left the aid station (after waaaaay too long) and immediately had to cross a road. Happy about a shorter segment to an aid station, but NOT happy about crossing fields and running on the side of the road. We had to climb up/over a lot of fences using these makeshift ladders that were unstable and sketchy.
Fain Ranch to Mingus Mountain (Miles 79.4 to 91.6)
We left the aid station at Fain Ranch a bit before sunset. We got a bit disoriented just leaving the aid station and had to pull out Gaia just to see where the course went. In the field area it was really flat but a ton of small trails and we weren't sure where to go. Would have been "easier" if we would have been with other people, but we weren't. We saw Scott in the field taking pictures and asked what the climb up Mingus was like and he said it was going to be a little work, but nothing crazy. I kept that in my head during this boring field section.
I had really hoped to make up some time in this section, and like everything else that didn't work out in this race, that didn't either. Once it started to get a bit darker we were moving slower because there were cacti in the trail or little holes and we didn't want to roll an ankle. My poles also kept getting stuck in the dirt, and that was annoying. We finally turned - but we weren't done with the field yet. Everything got pretty crazy here and we went from ZERO flags and not knowing where to go to a TON of flags, bushes, and confusing turns. Finally we got to a road. It was wide and not technical at all. There wasn't much running here either. I was super tired, plus, I had my first blister pop (on the bottom of my foot) and it HURT SO BAD. I don't think I've ever had a blister pop before. Felt like fire on the bottom of my foot. I really wanted to nap but there were cars speeding up and down the road and I felt like it would be too loud and dangerous, so we kept going. Finally we made the turn towards the trail to climb up Mingus. There was a clearing off the road so I planned on napping. That's when I discovered Ben had accidentally left my emergency blanket at the last aid station. Luckily, we had a second one. I think this was the ONE section where I may have actually slept a bit, although I don't think we were there for more than 15 or 20 minutes.
It was definitely deep into the night by the time we started the climb. I have really been working on my climbing and didn't think there was anything crazy about this at all. I was in the lead and honestly I had to keep stopping to make sure Ben was still behind me. I had been hoping to grind this out a bit faster, but...
Mingus Mountain to Jerome (Miles 91.6 to 108.7)
THANK GOODNESS for finally arriving at the Mingus Mountain aid station. We arrived somewhere around 2 or 3 am and I immediately asked where we could sleep. There were cabins with bunk beds and it was warm. Unfortunately, still no blankets or pillows. I used my emergency blanket and my pack for a pillow. Ben slept on a different bunk because he said my blanket was too loud (eyeroll). I set the alarm for the longest break yet, 75 minutes.
Unfortunately, if I *did* sleep, it wasn't much. When the alarm went off I didn't feel rested at all. We headed towards the aid station to eat and load up. Yet another time when everything seemed to take FOREVER. Finally, we were heading out - it was almost sunrise, and we were following a gal and her pacer. They didn't seem to have much sense of direction as they kept turning around and saying they were off course.
This section was super pretty (in the beginning) and had a TON of descent. It was pretty technical and steep and we were moving slow. Once the sun came up it started to get warmer and we stopped to load up our layers.
I think this is probably where the race really started to fall apart for both of us.
Once we got down the steepest part of the trail we were still in a wooded area. We were both tired and we laid down in the middle of the trail to take a nap. Probably a fail since I clearly remember listening to people walk by and such. Sigh.
I certainly was NOT looking good, nor feeling good at this point. Only 100 done?!
The trail leveled out a bit and I told Ben that I was going to put in headphones and grind. I was tired of moving slow and watching our pace creep up. With the double track trail I was moving pretty well, although there were tons of loose rocks that hurt the bottom of my feet every time I stepped wrong. We *did* make up time here. Then we got to a real garbage section of trail where it was just super rocky and steep to go down.
It was way worse than this looks
We could see a dirt road below with runners on it! FINALLY, we got down there. The joy was short lived because although it wasn't technical, it still really hurt to walk. We had to climb back up a hill to get to Jerome. Completely uninteresting town. Ben wanted to stop for a beer and I said no.
Then we had to go back DOWN out of town on more dirt roads. Wondering if we were EVER going to get to the aid station. This section just lasted forever.
Finally, we arrived.
Jerome to Dead Horse Ranch (Miles 108.7 to 117.2)
They had some "to die for" rice and sausage and other random food. We sat in the shade and ate and Ben patched up my blisters. I was feeling a bit better, but once again I was annoyed with how long we stayed at the aid station. We had some road miles to get out of town and some dirt. Again, no running. Grrr.
Then we got to one of the most bullshit sections of the course - a powerline section that was super rocky and steep. I could not keep my balance and rocks kept sliding out from under me. I was so angry and annoyed at this point. WHY IS THIS THE BEST CONNECTING POINT? WTAF. At some point I pulled out my phone to look at Gaia and I couldn't get it to unlock. Ben messed with it and my have accidentally done an emergency SOS. Whoops.
For a section that wasn't "that long," this part went on FOREVER. we did finally end up in an area where we had our first major water crossing I barged right through.
I did realize after crossing that the Ultraventure Pro shoes DO NOT DRAIN WHATSOEVER. It never occurred to me that they were sealed so much more, but thankfully we were only a few miles out from the aid station, where I had another pair of shoes.
Dead Horse Ranch to Deer Pass (Miles 117.2 to 130.5)
After hearing that Ben's tracker wasn't working, we handed it over so they could test it (and they didn't find any issues). And holy cow, was the Dead Horse Ranch aid station THE BEST. First off, they had tacos. AND THEY HAD MARGARITAS. WHAT?? I needed to change clothes and apply more buttr, so I grabbed my bag of clothes and headed to the bathroom at the campsite. Woo hoo, there was even a shower area so I could change easier! I got all my clothes off. Applied the buttr and... I HAD GRABBED BEN'S BAG OF CLOTHES INSTEAD OF MINE. Ugh, #whenmatchymatchygoeswrong. I tried to call him to ask him to bring my stuff but didn't have service. There was no way I was putting my other skirt back on, so I put my old shirt on (keep in mind I don't even have underwear on) and walked out in my bare feet, hoping to not moon anyone. Ben was like, wtf are you doing?? lol. I just asked him to hold something up so I could get dressed there at the picnic enclosure.
Margaritas in a tiny collapsible cup...
We had planned to not stay long, but you'll be shocked to hear that we stayed well over an hour. I had opted to go to the medical tent to have them re-tape my feet (it made a huge difference). I have no idea what Ben was doing while I was doing that, because even after he had his feet looked at he still had done zero things in terms of loading up his pack. Double grrr.
This was probably the most irritated we got with each other, because I was really pissed off at how long we had spent at yet another aid station. We kinda stomped out of the aid station.
At this point, the trails got REALLY pretty. But also confusing.
We ended up heading out shortly before it got dark, and it looked like we were going in circles. I asked Ben if he had ever seen Pee Wee's Big Adventure, because I was *SURE* the gps was gonna look like this:
Spoiler: somehow the gps was basically a straight line??
Anyway, this was probably the point where we started seeing things. It always looked like there were a couple people "right up the trail" with a Kogalla. And then it would seem like they were in someone's backyard and they would be looking around, and then they would disappear briefly, and then we would turn a corner and all of a sudden see someone again.
Somewhere along the trail we heard people coming up behind us, and then we almost missed a turn up the trail, they must have made a wrong turn because all of a sudden they just vanished. We had to pull out the map a few times because it was hard to figure out where we were going.
We saw the "halfway there" sign. At SIXTY HOURS into our race. I knew my watch was "off," but I wasn't sure by how much. How on earth were we going to do the back half in roughly the same amount of time??
We kept hearing music, like someone has having a party out in the middle of nowhere. At one point, I could swear that I saw a group of people gathering for a selfie.
Then all of a sudden, we came across a guy... sitting in the bed of a pickup. Maybe we weren't hallucinating.
And the group of people that vanished all of a sudden were right behind us. I finally got my first bloody nose, and it was kind of a doozy. I went through a few nose tampons before it finally started to clot.
Deer Pass to... kind of Sedona (Miles 130.5 to DNF)
I HAD TO NAP. Deer Pass was not a sleep station, but Ben ran ahead and found out they had a cot for medical, and he grabbed it and put it outside the tent. There was also a blanket - wooo! I laid down for a bit, but unfortunately, still, I don't think I got any sleep. Loaded up on food, realized I didn't have anymore LMNT (whoops), and headed out. Our pace was horrific. We were SO much slower than we should have been by this point. I'd be uncomfortable with even 20 miles left at this pace, much less 120.
Our mood was bleak. We headed out and it was another section of wide dirt roads. For some reason, my shoes were collecting way more sand, and I had to stop pretty early in this section to dump it out (the video is my second shoe, first one seemed to have WAY more sand).
At one point, we got off course, and it was a while before we realized it. I knew it. I knew it then that this was just not going to happen.
I'm getting mildly hysterical. I'm tired, we are moving so slow and we are going to DNF. I tell Ben I need to nap. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there. I never sleep, so the short time doesn't matter anyway. We were climbing up a seemingly endless hill and I was swerving all over. At some point, I realize Ben isn't behind me so I lie down on the trail and next thing I know, there he is. Maybe I slept at that point?
We talk about it, and I am trying to have him understand that if we aren't going to be running at least SOME we are going to be a DNF. And when do we want to drop? A gal and her pacer came up behind us and I asked how far to the aid station, since my watch was way off. When she said it was still 8.4 miles away, my mind was made up. I pulled out the map and it looked like we were really close to town, and that there was actually a hotel right off the trail.
In silence, we start trudging the last descent of our race. Anastasia was getting some shots coming into Sedona since it was sunrise. I told her she didn't need to take any pictures of us since we were dropping in a few minutes. I'm glad she ignored me and took one anyway. What a gorgeous area - too bad we didn't get to run there.
We arrive at a trailhead and call the hotel to see what availability they have. They will let us check in right away (keep in mind, it's like 6 am) and that they are currently serving breakfast. It's pricey, but it seems like a good idea, so we walk off the course. The end.
Garmin Distance - 142.42 (based on where we were, I think I had at least 4 extra miles)
Garmin Time - 68:00:02
Garmin Moving Time - 48:48:35 - Crazy to waste 19 hours and not even get any sleep. Ridiculous.
Miles 141-142ish - 49:51, 57:30, 19:22 (45:42 pace)
Thoughts:
What happened? Well, I have a few theories. First off, WAY too much time was spent at aid stations. This was my first time tackling this distance with Ben and no crew/pacers. No matter what I tried, everything just took FOREVER. Also, I feel like there were too many close together aid stations in the beginning, which again, adds more time spent in aid stations, even though we probably didn't need much in the early miles. DNF came because we were already borderline too slow and there wasn't going to be any way to make up enough time to continue - especially with lack of sleep and messed up feet.
The course was... meh. I don't normally mind running in the desert, but Arizona is WAY rockier than I am used to. My feet were demolished hard and heavy - VERY early. The prettiest parts are in the back half - which we didn't even get to.
Most of the course was very well marked. We had some issues in the field areas, in towns, and some of the dirt roads around Dead Horse & Deer Pass.
Aid stations were AMAZING. Probably the best that I've experienced. In addition to all the basics, and to go snacks (trail mix was a staple for me to grab at every aid station), there was a TON of variety. Every aid station had something different. I never got sick of eating, woo hoo!
Hydration and electrolytes were not an issue at all.
No weird wardrobe or pack malfunctions.
Gear I found essential - finally different than other races since I was much more limited on what I could carry and pick up at aid stations
UltrAspire Zygos 5.0 pack. Outside of how hard it is to get the bladder in/out, this pack was sooo great! I wasn't sure the 4.0 could be beat, but this worked out SO WELL.
Sea to Summit 1 liter and 2 liter dry bags. THESE ARE A LIFESAVER. So I put all "electronics" in a 1 liter (headlamp, headphones, batteries, etc.) The 2 liter dry bags are for layers. It makes it so much easier to pull out a couple of dry bags so it's easier for me to put a full bladder back in the back. PLUS, all my stuff stays dry.
Kogalla RA - Even the medium Batpak 2 was enough for me for a full night. Didn't even use a full Batpak 1 in the whole time I was out. (used to charge phone/watch)
Petzl headlamp/batteries
Leki Micro Vario carbon poles
Topo Athletic - the Ultraventure Pro was ok, but as I said above, didn't drain at all with water crossings. I switched to Ultraventure 2 at mile 112 or so, and they worked well.
Topo Athletic gaiters - they work awesome! EXCEPT... the section at Deer Pass where I got a ton of sand in my shoes, not sure why.
Zensah crew socks - I changed socks at Whiskey Row when I had to take off the rock tape and work on blisters. Also changed at mile 112, for the same reason, and because I was putting on "new" shoes.
Zensah high neck sports bra. Wore the same one the whole race with zero chafing.
Smartwool gloves. Never was cold enough to need anything more.
Patagonia R1 - Probably my most important layering piece. Used a lot.
Patagonia Airshed Pro Pullover - A new piece in my wardrobe and I LOVE THIS. It's thin, but man, it's powerful! I like that the sleeves aren't tight, so I can pull them up if I want. The zipper comes down pretty low for breathability. AND, the hood is awesome. I used the hood a LOT during the overnights and always used this as my base long sleeve layer before adding the R1 when it got colder.
Patagonia Nano Puff - I bet I would have used it more had I made it to Flagstaff. Was happy to have picked it up at Mingus since we left the aid station are 4 in the morning and it was very cold!
Columbia sun hat - wore all day, every day. Packed it up when it got dark.
INKnBURN skirts. Wore one for the first 112 and then a second one from then until the DNF. No chafing or weird issues (unlike at Antelope)
REI rainwall pants. Back to my original pair that has the holes in them from Bigfoot, but they worked great as my only lower body layer.
Rabbit tops. The one in all my pictures is a new style - Low Tide. It's exactly the same as the High Country plaid, but themed with a "Cali" vibe. I wore a sleeveless High Country with a thin YMX (sadly now out of business) top underneath after mile 112. No pictures of that one at all, sadly.
EMERGENCY BLANKET. I am not sure I have ever used this in a race, but it was so small and took up no space. I actually used for almost all my nighttime trail naps, and it was magical. I'll never NOT have one again.
Buffs - great for my bloody noses. Again.
Goodr sunglasses
Garmin Fenix 6S - Route was loaded on my watch, although I think this was the first long race I've done where I never even unlocked it. I did notice that at 2.5 years old, it doesn't seem to be holding a charge as well. I was charging every 12 hours or so. It does charge REALLY quick though.
Jaybird Vista headphones, although I only used maybe an hour total.
LMNT electrolytes
Beachbody Energize - although maybe I am immune to it now? I never felt like it actually kept me awake this race :(
BASE performance salt. Didn't have to use much since LMNT has way more sodium than other electrolytes
Chapstick - never lost it!
Chamois buttr - ZERO chafing down there. Reapplied at mile 112, just as a precaution
Squirrel's Nut Butter - reapplied under my arms somewhere around 30-40 and again at Iron King. Zero chafing!
Gauze dental rolls - had to use a few of these (again) when I got another decently bad bloody nose
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Face wipes - I pulled one of these out and cleaned my face at the end of every day. Didn't break out like I have at other races where I forget to do that
SUNSCREEN. I don't think we had any clouds the ENTIRE RACE.
There was nothing too exciting for the first mile or two, and I was struck by how this "easy" pace was so slow. Every minute under an 18 is banking time, so I tried to not stress about it. I believe it was a few miles in before the rollers started. They did NOT feel that bad this early in the race, but I could see how they would not feel great many hours later.
I was a bit surprised to arrive at the first aid station sooner than expected, Tamarack. This is the only time this would happen in the race. I don't think I even topped off my bottle, but I did grab an orange cup, although it was hard to open and without a fork I ended up making a big mess trying to get any of it in my mouth. 
I don't know what Stone Elephant is, but I liked the sign.
The 100k runners started an hour after us, and I believe it was in this section between Horseriders and Natalies that I started to get passed by them. Probably annoying for them, but wasn't fun for me either. 
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