100 Miles. Holy shit. We spent 33 hours, 43 minutes on our feet, our very very wet feet, moving forward through the woods one step at a time. What an unbelievably wild ride.
The 3 of us were handled buckles at the end, but the WHOLE crew earned them!
As I’m writing this we are exactly one month out from the “event” as Debbie Dollar prefers to call it, our cups and our hearts still overflowing with the incredible experience of it all, and our joints and muscles finally getting back into the swing of things, just recently able to dabble back into running. We have tried to be patient with our recovery, and have enjoyed the time c shifted focus on our gravel bikes and in the weight room, but being back out on the trail feels so good!
Many people have asked me, would you do another one? I am currently unable to answer that question, as no one is capable of predicting the future. But here’s what I do know – this 100 mile event was perfect in every way and it would be very hard to top. It had all the adversity we could have possibly asked for (more on that later), an unbelievably perfect support crew, perfectly unperfect weather conditions, a constant painful push to fight against the cutoffs, and we somehow came out with a belt buckle at the end with a smile on our faces with 17 minutes to spare! If this is the only 100 I ever do, I am perfectly content with how this one went down, and I can’t imagine it any other way.
Race Prep Recap
Now to backtrack for a bit of a recap. I never thought I had the desire to do a 100 miler, I was pretty content with having two 50’s under my belt and always open to doing more at that distance. That was until I got to witness 2 amazing men, my husband TR and our good buddy Jameson (J-Mo) who we met in Alaska, compete in the Moab 240. It was such an indescribably inspirational thing to be a part of, watching them move forward with miles and smiles 5 days in a row without ever hearing even an utterance of a complaint or negative thought. That was it, after witnessing that I knew I wanted to reach deep down within myself, to see what I was capable of.
Jameson (left) and TR with 2 proud wives at the end of the Moab 240 in October 2022
We scoured the list of available 100 milers and found one called Run LOVIT, which happened to be back home in Arkansas. We were immediately drawn to this one for the potential of local support from friends and family vs running one out on the west coast where it’d be much harder for any crew to get to.
First person to get on board was my sister Rachael, who actually got me into running way back in the day when I was a freshman in college we trained for a half marathon together. She had a few halves and even a couple full marathons under her belt but had been out of the running game for quite some time since having 2 kiddos. My initial approach was a random text that said “have you ever considered doing another half?” A quick response of “no, I don’t ever have time to run anymore because of the kids”. My follow up response “well..what if it was pacing your little sister for the last 13 miles of her first 100 mile race?” She was immediately on board! It was such a good feeling to see her make time for herself to get out there and crush the training! She ramped up her mileage without any problem at all and was ready to bring us home to the finish!
Next person to get on board was a much tougher sell. My mom has what all moms naturally have, a strong sense of worry and protection for her children – even more elevated after losing my brother unexpectedly years ago. She has never quite been on board with our long distance running ventures, for fear of what it may do to our bodies or what could potentially go wrong in the process. Over the years we have tried to share the journey in small digestible pieces, to help give a sense of what we’re out there doing and why we love it so much. After some tough confrontations, conversations, and even tears shed by all parties – we were able to meet in the middle and paint a more realistic image for what we were actually doing (eating lots of snacks, while jogging/hiking through the woods) vs what she had in her head (“extreme athleticism”, red-lining for 24 hours straight on the edge of cliffs). Referring to it as an event, rather than a race, seemed to help remind her that it was just a big adventure in the woods rather than a giant physical feat (even though it was both). During the buildup to the event, as I would stumble across positive quotes I would pass them along to her as reminders.
“A Run, Not a Race – This event is considered an “endurance run”. As such it is not considered a competitive event, but rather a life accomplishment. We will record finish times, and award top finishers, but the accomplishments of the runner is in the experience of the run, not how fast you can finish it. The spirit of the event is captured in the journey.”
Even though she never necessarily agreed, she was able to see it for what it was, and show up to support us with nothing but good vibes which meant the world! She even surprised us with a 5am appearance to one of the aid stations which was totally unexpected! (more on that later).
100 Mile Training
Leading up to the 100 our training was going really well, until it wasn’t. We had been feeling great, lots of big days on foot, feeling good about where we were at. We were 3 weeks out from LOVIT 100 and headed down to one of our favorite places, the incredible Columbia River Gorge – Cascade Locks, Oregon for one last big training weekend with Jameson before beginning the taper process to ensure we made it to the finish line feeling strong and healthy. Well…we set out for an evening jaunt, no real plan in mind just shooting for a couple hours of time on foot and some dark miles. If you have never seen a partially frozen waterfall in the dark, 10/10 recommend it! There was something even more magical about seeing the falling water from high overhead just lit up in the glow of your light. Things were feeling great until out of nowhere I had a strange pain on the top of my right foot. I brushed it off as twinges can come and go over the course of a run, but this one still seemed to be hanging around the next morning when we took off. We had a ~20ish mile day planned and I had hoped that my foot just needed some time to get warmed up. However, the pain was persistent, so I tried to keep my thoughts/fears/concerns from spiraling and just stopped short after about 5 miles and went back to Nolan (our beloved 1994 Astrovan) but I insisted that the boys carry on with the day as planned.
With ice on my foot, snuggled under the covers, and a beer in hand (who cares that it was barely 9 am, an earned beer is an earned beer!) I was scouring google in search of a self diagnosis, but I did not like what I was seeing. I kept seeing the dreaded words “stress fracture”… but also frequently saw extensor tendonitis or tenosynovitis, which sounded much better than the alternative, so I went with that! I met up with the boys after they finished their 20+ mile day and we reflected over some grub and beers under the heaters on the patio at Thunder Island Brewing, gazing off at the majestic Bridge of the Gods. All 3 of us were very positive, knowing that 3 weeks was plenty of time, the “hay was in the barn” as they say meaning we knew we didn’t need to do a bunch more running, our training miles were already in the bank, we just needed to get to the starting line healthy.
I tried my best to shift my focus to the things I could control – maximizing hydration, optimizing nutrition, and spending lots of time on the mindset side of things implementing daily visualization and meditation. A huge source of inspiration and focus leading up to LOVIT during this time was the book Mindful Ultramarathon Running which was recommended by Jameson and emphasized the importance of staying in the present moment. This book explained that if you live in the past too long you get depressed, if you live in the future for too long you’re overtaken by anxiety. If pain or a worrisome thought pops up, the book taught us to acknowledge it, don’t judge it, and let it go. Another huge theme taken from the book was that at all points of the event I needed to be in one of 3 states: Enthusiasm, Enjoyment, or Acceptance.
“Let go and flow” would be my mantra for the entirety of this event.
The mind is a crazy thing, that has an unbelievable amount of power which can either work in your favor or work against you if you let it. It was hard to stay positive during this “waiting period”. We switched up our daily mile requirements to keep our streak going, substituting 2 miles on the bike instead of a 1 mile walk/run to further aggravate my foot. One night the fear and anxiety of the unknown got the best of me and I completely broke down, wondering if we were going to have to call off the whole deal. After many many tears, I decided I wanted to get imaging for peace of mind either way. The trouble is that a stress fracture typically doesn’t show up on a standard x-ray. MRI is typically used for most accurate identification, but those are super spendy. Researching further I learned of a Nuclear Bone Scan that could be used, but turns out you had to have a doctor’s order to have it done. The following day at work at our small town hospital, I went and talked to the doctor on site whom I had never met.
The Doc couldn’t have been nicer, but when he was writing the script for the scan he said “100 miles? Are you sure I shouldn’t be writing an order for a psych eval??”
By the time I got the order, I had talked myself off the ledge and was back in the positive mindset, putting all my eggs in the basket of just being patient with the process, showing up and doing the damn thing. So I never got the scan, and for 3 full weeks leading up to a 100 mile event, I ran ZERO miles. My foot pain fluctuated back/forth during that waiting period, but never went away fully. Despite taking advantage of the various equipment we had around work, and the input of several coworkers – the slight discomfort persisted. But the power of positivity, meditation, and visualization is what got me to the starting line, and through every step of the way to the finish line. A strong body without a strong mind can only get you so far, but a strong mind can do incredible things.
To add another slice of adversity, the day before we were scheduled to leave there was a snowstorm that decided to roll through town. Luckily there were no travel delays and we had smooth sailing all the way to Arkansas where we were picked up by the one and only Patrick Patton with blue moon roadies in tow! What a warm welcome to Arkansas – felt good to be home! We met up for dinner at the brewery in downtown Hot Springs, with the Pattons and TR’s momma. After dinner we decided we should soak our 100 mile feet in the springs in town for some hot springs magic but HOLY SHIT they were hot! As J-Mo said, turns out it should be called Hot As F**k Springs, Arkansas! We made our way to Harbor Mountain Resort in Mt Ida and got all settled into our condo – having a chuckle when we rolled up to realize that ours had more stairs than any other condo in sight! We had a good night’s sleep and woke up the next day – unsure of exactly how to tackle the day since it was a 5PM start – something new and different for all of us.
RACE DAY
We woke up feeling excited, had some coffee and made breakfast then began the always overwhelmingly complicated process of getting our packs and drop bags organized and ready. Turns out you need a lot of shit to just go run in the woods! After the packs were packed, we forced ourselves to “nap”, all knowing that was not going to happen but we at least wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to lay down and rest with some dedicated time to meditate and visualize. Once we got up it was time to go see the family and get this party started. We went over to the family’s home base condo and opened the door to the 3 most precious little humans- our nieces Abigail, Amelia, and nephew Lincoln- wearing their 100 Miles & Smiles tie dye t-shirts and my heart wanted to explode! They had homemade signs and everything! This was only the beginning of the amazing crew experience from family and friends. At about 3:00 we left to head back to our condo to get run ready. We passed mom and roger on the road so pulled over and got to squeeze them and felt their good vibes immediately! Then Miller, a dear friend from OT school was at our condo when we got back with the most perfect surprise – a trucker hat with a giant smiley face on it – what more perfect headwear accessory for 100 miles and smiles?! I immediately donned the hat and was ready to party!
We made our way to the start line for the pre-race meeting at 4:30- shit was getting real!! Things just kept getting better and better with so many friends and family showing up in the tie dye shirts that we had made – so many hugs, taters (Arkansas version of fist bump), high fives and good vibes at the send off! I can’t think about it without smiling and being overwhelmed with gratitude. The gang was all here, spirits were high, the rain had temporarily paused, it was time to DO THIS THING!!!
Just about go time with the best crew in the world!
So off we went. About a mile on pavement through the neighborhood of condos, before hopping on our first bit of trail and making our way up Hickory Nut Mountain – the highest point of the course which we would get to climb 3 different times. Things were feeling good! We cruised through Hickory Nut aid station at mile 4.5 and began the descent, turning on our waist lights shortly after. The first night was upon us. We were cruising along pretty good, my foot trying to make subtle complaints with certain steps during the technical descent but I was able to divert my focus elsewhere and remain in the enthusiastic state. Let go and flow. We had been dodging puddles and small creeks up to this point in the race, but at mile 8 we came to a knee deep creek so getting wet was unavoidable. Little did we know that our feet would never be dry again from here on out.
There had been lots of rain in the area leading up to the event, some previous racers even reporting “this is by far the wettest I’ve ever seen this course”. We managed our feet the best we could throughout the 100 miles, lathering up with vaseline to create a barrier, changing socks a few times, and changing shoes once. The sock/shoe changes only served temporarily relief because it was inevitable that we were right back in a creek shortly thereafter.
Not long after the 8 mile creek as we were rolling up to the Joplin Road aid station we heard hootin and hollerin that was no mistaking for our crew. We knew aid stations could be a huge time suck with there being so many of them on course and having such a big crew, so we made a point in our race plan to cruise through most of these as quick as we could when possible, only addressing what we needed but not letting much time get wasted. So we rolled through giving everyone a high five and kept it moving, and man what a boost of energy that was!
The next section was nice and flowy, all of us in a pretty solid running groove along the shore of the lake. I’m sure it was beautiful scenery but we were in the dark so couldn’t see much. We made a short pitstop at the Tompkin’s Bend aid station, 13 miles in where we had a drop bag to make our first damage control attempt for our feet, slathering on vaseline, grabbing a quick snack before getting back on the trail. With a few more flowy miles under our belt, we were rolling up to the ADA aid station (mile 19) which was the turnaround point for this first out and back section. Lo and behold, first we see Patrick, then Pops then the whole rest of the gang too! What a fun surprise!
With a boost from our crew, we turned around and began making our way back towards Hickory Nut. The miles were clicking by fairly quick at this point, but J-Mo took the lead at one point and it became evident that he was feeling pretty damn good as the space between started to grow quite a bit at times. Quick stop at Tompkins Bend again (mile 25), where me and TR pulled out our trekking poles as we knew the ascent back up to Hickory was coming. We continued running on the flowy return to the Joplin Road aid station, but from there we pretty much walked the full ascent to Hickory Nut, but little did we know this was the beginning of many many more slow miles to come.
Once atop Hickory Nut (mile 34), ~9 hours in, we refueled and warmed up with some half cooked ramen noodles, and began the descent for the next portion of the course. After the dirt road peeled off onto the trail, it was a pretty technical descent, difficult to keep much momentum. Once we got down to the Forest Road Aid Station (mile 38) it leveled out briefly allowing for a couple short spurts of runnable terrain. The aid station workers warned us that there was a low water bridge that was unsafe so there was actually a truck shuttling runners across. Initially we thought meh, what’s one more? We’ve been through 1,000 water crossings already, but this one was way more sketchy so we were grateful for the ride. To say I didn’t enjoy the brief sit on a tailgate to cross the super swift moving water would be a straight up lie- that was a very nice 10 seconds. We followed the pink flamingos and turned up towards Charleton, which turned out to be a pretty steep and slow climb.
We were wearily strolling into the Charleton aid station (mile 42), just shy of 5am when we hear someone say something about 3 amigos and look up to see 3 figures in the dark. Turns out it was Mom, Rog, and Miller there to cheer us in! Surprised the hell out of us!! We had been discussing when would be ideal to make our first sock change, and this aid station was warm, well lit and dry so it was the perfect spot to make the change and get to enjoy a few extra minutes with our unexpected company. The aid station workers were some of the sweetest ladies in North America, serving up hot waffles and syrup and sharing some laughs while we got all situated to head back out. Mom was a trooper and took our disgusting soaked and stinky socks – so glad we didn’t have to put those back into our packs!
We made our way out of Charleton feeling good with waffles in our belly and a (very) brief respite from wet feet. The descent was fairly technical and slow. Without talking about it, all 3 of us I believe were expecting a rejuvenation with the sunrise signifying a new day and new life. Well.. it turned to daylight technically, but it was misty and cloudy and didn’t exactly give us the boost we were hoping for. The miles continued to be slow. We made it into the Crystal Springs aid station (mile 47) shortly after daybreak where we saw Mom, Rog, Miller again and they had gained a crew member – Amy was there to join the party! We handed off our lights to be charged, so happy to free our waists and shed the weight of our light belts.
From here the miles were slow, they had been slow for a while, and I knew it wasn’t likely that they would be getting much faster over the course of the next 53 miles. We are always mindful about the things that we voice during an event, especially in regards to pain or struggle, feeling very strongly about the power of the spoken word and knowing the importance of keeping things positive. But at one point around mile 50 I asked TR “Are we going to be ok on time? I’m at the point of just moving forward the best I can..” He assured me that he was in the same boat but that we would be fine. So onward we continued. Let go and flow. We were embarking on one of the toughest sections – up and over bear mountain. A long and arduous climb with lots of technical trail, and our longest stretch without an aid station, only one bare bones stop on the 11 mile section due to the remoteness of the trail.
During this particular section we got some good use out of our 99 cent ponchos – ain’t no party like a poncho party! The more we climbed the colder, rainier, and windier it got. I was able to get an occasional sip of tailwind from my bottle through the poncho but overall accessibility to our packs/snacks were significantly more difficult so all of us were pretty depleted on calories. At one point I tried getting my phone out to call ahead to our crew to have some warm food on hand, but my freezing fingers weren’t able to operate my phone. The miles were slow, the miles were hard. I asked J-Mo if we needed to be concerned about cut-offs, we started the difficult process of doing trail math 17 hours into this thing. We figured out that we were ok for now, but it was something we’d have to stay mindful of. I remember telling J-Mo “I didn’t come all this way to get stopped by a cutoff”. Since we weren’t able to connect with the crew, Jameson (still feeling strong) decided to run ahead and get our orders placed for warm mashed potatoes so they’d be ready when we rolled in, knowing we would have to start shaving time at aid stations to keep beating cutoffs.
Our biggest little fans patiently waiting at Brady MountainFinally made it to Brady Mountain Quick stop to refuel, warm up and get dry before continuing onward.What better way to pass the time than jumping in puddles??
By the time we came off the ridge and made it into Brady Mountain Aid Station (mile 58), we downed a few bites of the deliciously warm mashed potatoes prepared by Anna, switched out of our soaking wet gloves, got some dry top layers on, a fresh pair of socks, and even made a shoe change before heading back out onto the trail with our first pacer in tow- Miller Time! Now it was time to party. We got a brief respite from the rain during our wardrobe change at the aid station luckily but as soon as we got back out onto the trail, back on went the ponchos. I thought somehow the miles would just start cruising by once we got a pacer, but they were still slow miles for some reason dang it!
By this point I was able to keep my aches/pains at the back of my mind for the most part, but I was becoming more and more aware that TR was hurting. This was strange and unsettling, because he’s almost always the anchor carrying us through tough times both in life and on the trail. I knew he was getting into his own head and struggling more and more with each mile that passed. We made a brief pit stop at the Spillway Aid Station (mile 62) to put some KT tape on his R foot and popped some ibuprofen, and then pressed on towards the Avery Rec aid station where we knew we had a 2:55pm cut-off. As we were closing in on Avery Rec (mile 65) me and TR had a chance to talk about things with J-Mo and Miller up ahead out of ear shot. Both a bit vulnerable and tearful, we laid our current situation and the options out on the table. We knew by the looks of it, and by the slow pace we were struggling to keep, there was a possibility of not being able to stay ahead of the cutoffs. TR was stuck in a bad head space c guilt about feeling like he was the reason we might not make it. I shared with him for the first time that I was in the exact same boat, fighting through some serious foot feelings myself and struggling to keep moving forward at the required pace.
I was devastated by the thought of not finishing this thing that we had worked so hard for, but I had to process the possibility of that before being able to be there for TR to keep him from feeling any worse about the situation in his own head. We were currently on track to make the Avery Rec cutoff no problem, but each cutoff following that was looking more and more unattainable with the pace we were going. Our options were to pull out at Avery Rec and call it a day – but we both gave that option a big HELL NO. The next cutoff was for 9pm at Crystal Springs (mile 82). I was in a funny place of verbalizing that it was ok if we didn’t finish – but that we would give it our damndest and keep going until they pulled us off the course. After verbalizing all possible scenarios, my brain and body were at odds after letting my guard down a bit between thinking are we possibly coming up short on this thing? Or are we battling it out to the finish?
We caught back up to Miller and Jameson just short of Avery Rec aid station – all of us talking through the options. At that current pace, we would make the 2:55pm cutoff but it was very unlikely or impossible that we’d make the 9pm cutoff at mile 83 if we didn’t pick it up. Just then, TR piped up and said “well you know, that ibuprofen is starting to kick in” and started to pick up the pace for the first time in hours. We all followed suit. All of a sudden we were back in the ball game. IT’S ON BOYS AND GIRLS! We ran it out all the way into Avery Rec where I made the announcement to our crew “we love you all, we appreciate you all, but we are in a race against the clock from here on out so we’ve got to be in and out of all stops as fast as possible.” We arrived to Avery Rec at 1:37pm, but knew we needed that buffer for the next cutoffs. Pops rolled up with our charged up lights in the knick of time, we switched out Miller for our next pacer Amy and away we went!
Pacer Amy keeping us moving!
This was a super crazy feeling to know that we have to pick up the pace and keep pushing hard not for the next few miles or the next few hours even, but for the next THIRTEEN HOURS if we were going to do this thing!! Let go and flow. ”
When we took off with Amy we had covered all sections of the course, all we had to do was turn around and go get our buckles. We were able to keep a stronger pace with Amy and made much quicker work of the sections back to Brady Mountain aid station (Mile 72). With no time to spare we kept it cruising through this stop, knowing that the climb up and over Bear Mountain was looming ahead. We didn’t have a pacer for this section, but the 3 of us were ready to tackle it as I politely told the boys “we’ve got to make bear mountain our bitch this go round!
J-Mo still feeling strong, just as he had been all day, quickly pulled ahead and out of sight of me and TR who were doing our best to put one very painful foot in front of the other. With our front man out of eyeshot, we inevitably slowed down quite a bit – back into the big time danger zone of whether we’d make the next cutoff or not. We finally saw Jameson up ahead on the trail, he had stopped to wait for us and the 3 of us had a very difficult conversation. Jameson disclosed to us that he was having an internal debate on what he wanted to do explaining that he still felt strong, and he knew he had it in him to push ahead and go get his buckle. He knew if he hung back with us he was at significant risk for the dreaded DNF (did not finish) which nobody wants on their record. Both TR and I expressed understanding, but we did not deny the disappointment that we’d feel if we weren’t able to all finish this thing together. Before the conversation was even settled, we noticed that we were both picking up our pace. Just that conversation being broached was enough to light the spark that we needed to get back to pushing to do this damn thing.
We were all moving a little better and made it to the bare bones aid station, stopping only long enough to top off our Tailwind and take one bite of cold ramen noodles. Onward to Crystal Springs we went, fighting the 9pm cuttoff. I knew that I had a blister issue forming on the ball of my L foot, and we had decided that we would all make a sock change at the next stop knowing it was a good spot with seats and set-up to get it done quicker than trying to do a trailside sock change. About a mile short of the aid station I felt a sudden sharp and warm sensation to my L foot – too little too late. That blister went ahead and ripped wide open. As painful as it was, it was the least of our worries at this point. Let go and flow.
Crystal Springs (mile 83) was a funny stop. We beat most of the crew there, rolling in at 8:17pm after making up some time on that section- grateful for any buffer against the final cutoff. In the midst of our sock change, I took a swig of Miller’s Coors Light, J-Mo had some of the best tater tots he’d ever had from Miller’s pocket, and we all got a good chuckle about the likelihood of my big toenail falling off. Laura was our pacer for the next section – a short but steep and technical 4 mile climb up to Charleton once again. Laura was the perfect energy we needed, so mindful of the mission and what it was going to take to get this thing done, but of course keeping things light and positive the whole time. She had her work cut out for her keeping us moving at a decent clip while managing J-Mo’s increasingly vivid hallucinations, trying her best to keep him from tumbling off the cliff as we made the final descent down into Charleton aid station (mile 87).
Sock change, coors light, and tots at Crystal Springs aid station (mile 83)Off into the night with pacer Laura for miles 83-87
Our crew greeted us there for a quick pit stop – TR needed a 2nd sock change as the ones he chose back at Crystal Springs immediately revolted against him “shredding his feet” as soon as we took off. Also as soon as we took off from Crystal Springs, my 5th met on my R foot decided to jump in on the pain game, feeling all the feels c every single step. While at Charleton J-Mo grabbed a quick 5 minute power nap to help fight the hallucinations which helped bring him back to reality, TR drained a pinky blister with a needle from the aid station crew. We switched out out for full bottles of tailwind – our liquid calories that were a lifesaver because inevitably, 29 hours into this thing it becomes incredibly hard to have the desire or capability to continue eating solid foods. Slow sipping on tailwind was my saving grace and enough to keep me going. Just as with every other stop, our spirits were lifted and souls rejuvenated after leaving the aid station with all the good vibes of our crew.
Our last pacer was up – my sister Rachael!! A huge accomplishment she’s been training her butt off for so this was huge for everyone. We gave her the rundown of the current situation, moving the best we could but needing to always move with a purpose without any time to spare. We had just under 5 hours to cover 13 miles – sounds easy enough right? Not so much. The fight wasn’t over yet. Small bites from here to the finish. Let go and flow. We knew the descent down Charleton would be tough – as technical downhill was currently the most painful terrain for both TR and I. After that we hit the dirt road that was fairly flat and runnable for a couple miles. We had to make one last ascent up to the top of Hickory Nut Mountain – from there it would be a measly 4 mile descent to the finish.
Your brain and your vision do a very funny thing after 30+ hours of no sleep and constant physical activity. My hallucinations were not as vivid as J-Mo’s thankfully, but very frequently required a double take or triple take to realize what I was seeing was actually just a rock, bush, tree, etc. A few of the things that I “saw” (none of which were actually there) – a cute little hedgehog, a poptart with a smiley face on it, a panda bear, a picnic basket with a mannequin head and a puppy dog in it, 4 people standing in the river, and a snowcone hut that I wished was real. None of these were quite as entertaining as during Moab 240 pacing TR and J-Mo where I so vividly saw Snoop Dogg with an English bulldog sitting on his lap with matching Christmas sweaters and chain necklaces. Your brain is funny.
The 4 of us yo-yo’ed up the climb to Hickory Nut, plugging away one step at a time. Luckily at some point during this climb the pain shifted away from my R foot just enough to keep moving with intention. After falsely seeing what I thought was the road at the top of the trail that led the rest of the way to Hickory Nut at least 20 times, we finally reached the end of this portion of the trail and made our way up the inclined dirt road for another ½-¾ mile to eventually reach Hickory Nut Aid station – the last aid station on the course at mile 96 which was a huge relief knowing the biggest climbs were all behind us at this point. We were so close we could taste it! Just 4 measly miles down Hickory Nut and we would have buckles in hand. None of us wanted to waste any time at the aid station and kept it moving straight through to what might have been the most miserable 4 mile section on the course. We had 1 hour 50 minutes to make it to the finish. We were good! Right….?! We still couldn’t let up.
People ask us all the time how do you do it? How do you keep going for that long when it hurts that bad? The answer is always gratitude. We are grateful to have the bodies capable of moving us forward, and grateful for the opportunities to face and overcome adversity. We know that many others are not so fortunate. I had a friend from college who lost her battle with cancer (Jami, right). I have a sister, whose joints are unfairly attacked by rheumatoid arthritis (Emily, middle). And I have a brother who was taken way too soon (Madison, left). These three are on my mind frequently during the hard times. Gratitude is always a positive driving force, and a constant reminder to run for those who can’t.
The first 2 miles of that descent was brutal – littered with the delicately termed baby head rocks, big enough to really mess you up, amongst a bunch of other rocks making for a very slow, very painful, and very tricky descent. From there we knew we had about a mile on the dirt road, and then a mile on the pavement back through the very hilly streets of Mountain Harbor Resort. The dirt road felt way longer than a mile, and we were grateful to finally hit the pavement! We could smell those belt buckles! We knew there was one last big uphill looming, but we had no idea how difficult and painful the forever long paved downhill would be! 99 miles in and every tired and painful muscle in our bodies had to be activated to keep us from somersaulting forward down this hill. The last climb felt like a piece of cake in comparison. Rachael did an excellent job of keeping us all moving forward through this last leg- such a special thing to have her with us on the final stretch of this journey. And then there it was – the pavilion where our crew and our belt buckles awaited us! Just as they had the entire event, our crew brought the hype and we ran through the tunnel of their arms into the finish line after being on our feet moving forward for 33 hours, 43 minutes, and 56 seconds, with a whopping 17 minutes to spare!
Belt buckles in hand. We DID. THE DAMN. THING!!!! The feeling was surreal. Kind of like well….now what??? I am so proud of how this whole thing unfolded, it’s hard to express. Adversity was looking us straight in the face for many many hours, pain was trying to hold us back – but somehow with the help of our crew we kept smiling, we kept things positive, and we kept moving forward until the job was done. If I know one thing it’s this, it would simply not have been possible without the amazing help and support from our crew and our pacers. The 3 of us got handed the buckles at the end, but we ALL earned them! It’s impossible to express the gratitude that the whole experience brought. So thankful for the close connection with family including parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunt and cousins, and for the lasting friendships from all phases of life including kindergarten (Debo), college (Amy), and grad school (Miller, Anna, Laura). It takes a village they say, and we’ve got the best damn village around!
TIE DYE TRAVELERS 
