Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/6093360537
After DNF-ing my first official 100 mile race (Mohican 100) on Halloween 2020, I trained for nearly a full year before I would get another crack at it at the Indiana Trail 100 on October 9-10, 2021. While failing to finish Mohican stunk, that was a good mental motivator going into IT100. And physically, I entered this race in perhaps the best shape of my life. A summer filled with long trail runs, summitting four Colorado 14ers, running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim, finishing a handful of 50Ks and a 16-hour timed race, and taking strength training and a vegan diet more seriously this time around all helped me prepare for this one.
The Saturday before the race I ran an “easy” 25 miles of North Country Trail and then took a full week off from running to taper. I focused on resting my legs and eating well, and eating a lot. Instead of driving to the race venue the day before, I took an additional day off work and traveled on Thursday. I had never been to Indiana Dunes National Park so I swung through there and hiked about four miles to check out some highlights before meeting my friend Lori for dinner in South Bend. Then I checked into a hotel in Auburn, IN and got a good night of sleep.
On Friday I had to switch hotels, and packet pickup wasn’t until 3pm, so I had time to kill in the middle of the day. It happened to be the release date for the new Bond movie No Time to Die so I went and watched that (it was good).
I picked up my race bib and swag at packet pickup, which was at the start/finish line, and ate an early pasta dinner.
Tim met me there to grab his pacer bib and then we went back to Auburn for (another) dinner and sleep. I had all my clothes and gear laid out and ready for me in the morning (Hoka Speedgoats, Wrightsock anti-blister socks, short-sleeve shirt, board shorts, hat, Coros Apex 46mm, and Nathan hydration vest). I also had a gear bag with extra headlamps, batteries, changes of clothes, extra shoes, KT Tape, extra bite valves, etc. and a cooler with food and drinks including GoMacro bars, baby food pouches, coconut water, Gatorade, and vegetable broth.
RACE DAY – October 9, 20201
My alarm woke me up at 4am and I promptly got up to eat some avocado bread and bananas, don my running outfit, and slip out for some hotel lobby coffee and the 35 minute drive to the race. I got a parking spot in the main lot, which was really convenient since I would use that as my aid station at miles 25, 50, and 75.
Jessica and Juan, along with Tim, met me at the start line to wish me luck. They would be following me around the course and cheering me on at the designated crew access points. Tim would be pacing me miles 75-100. My friend Amie was driving down from Michigan later that day to pace me miles 50-75. They were a perfect support team.
The first 90 minutes of the race were in the dark, so I ran by headlamp and focused on keeping an easy jogging pace and not “going out too fast.” The first miles of trail wound through a hardwood forest, featuring a few rolling ups and downs but generally easy terrain. Before I knew it, I had already reached the first aid station (South Park) at the 5K mark. With a full vest of water and snacks I passed this early aid station without stopping.
I chatted with several other runners over the next couple miles, a mix of wooded trails and grassy corridors. The sky had gotten noticeably lighter around the 10K mark, and I was able to turn my headlamp off for the day by the time I reached the second aid station at approximately the 7.5 mile mark.
After topping off my water at Schoolhouse the course skirted the edges of a square field and then followed the north edge of Chain O’ Lakes State Park for several miles. At mile 8 was the point in the course I would come to dread for the remainder of the event. Heavy rains in the days leading up to the race caused a low grassy spot to flood above ankle-depth, meaning completely soaked shoes and socks after that point. With 92 miles left to run, I worried how dealing with wet feet would affect the outcome.
I stomped with squishy wet shoes through the next section, which featured more woods, some small hills, and a few spots with slippery clay until we reached the State Park entrance gate. Runners were also greeted by a friendly giant puffball mushroom dude on this section of the course:
Then the trail turned into a wide, grassy swath winding through shrub thickets. This area was runnable but it was one of the hottest points on the course during the daylight hours due to lack of shade. The signs installed by the race crew/volunteers provided some laughs, and there was even a decorated Christmas tree out there!
That section ended at a road crossing and the Weber Aid Station. I grabbed some bite-sized PB&J sandwich chunks and pickles there, used the portajohn, and set off for the next part of this course. The next few miles wound through the woods, with a few larger climbs/descents. I thought this was a pretty section and I enjoyed the forest.
A note on black walnuts: the trail was absolutely littered with them in places (they’re like hard, green little tennis balls) and I heard them thudding down from the canopy to the ground all day and night. A few came close to hitting me (Amie had one hit the brim of her hat), and I heard that other runners actually did get hit by them. I was mostly concerned with not rolling an ankle. Aside from the black walnuts, there were relatively few trip hazards (the trail was cleaner of roots, rocks, sticks, etc. than the Michigan trails and Colorado mountains I’d been training on all year).
I was excited to reach the Rally Aid Station at about mile 16.5. Jessica, Juan, and Tim were there ringing bells and cheering me on. Fortunately I was able to report that everything was going well, and I gave them each a high-five and a smile. Despite the wet feet, I opted not to change into dry socks yet. I topped off my hydration bladder, grabbed some Huma chia gels and other bites of food, and crossed the timing mat and was on to the next stretch of the loop.
The section between Rally Aid and Schoolhouse Aid B (miles 16.5 through 22 of each lap, approximately) was one of the hilliest parts of the course, but it also passed a number of lakes and over several bridges (those wooden bridges were really slick and slippery). There were spots along the course that smelled fishy… I’m not sure if it was the water or perhaps from rotting plant matter in the moist woods (I’m sure I stank, too, but this was a different smell!).
At about mile 20 I ran into Kristie Fichtner. I had just met Kristie, a fellow northern Michigan runner, for the first time in person at packet pickup even though we have mutual friends and have been following each others’ training on Strava all summer. We ran together for a couple miles.
At mile 22 there was another deep puddle and I got my feet soaked again. Soon after that I reached the Schoolhouse Aid Station B, which I passed quickly before taking on the final three miles of the first lap, which was also pretty hilly. It rained heavily for about ten minutes, but that would be the only rain I dealt with for the duration of the event.
Once I reached Sand Lake there was just one more small hill to climb before I ran the grassy chute down through the finish line arch. I was a quarter of the way through the event and I had completed the first lap in under six hours. I was on pace for a sub-24 finish at that point, although I knew keeping that pace for another 75 miles was no small order. I’d give it my best, though.
Jessica, Juan, and Tim met me there and we made a brief stop at my car to top off hydration (with coconut water this time) and eat some fresh fruit and a GoMacro bar. I declined a change of socks again at this point. I knew I would be getting them wet again anyway, so I just threw a dry pair in my vest so I could switch into them anywhere on the course if/when I wanted a change.
I did take my trekking poles and headphones for the second lap, which I would also be running alone. By this point in the race, runners were spreading out on the course and I couldn’t yet run with a pacer, so my running playlist and use of the poles provided a boost to get me through my second and final solo lap. Coming up to the South Park Aid station at mile 28 and seeing everyone… decked… out in pirate outfits was pretty amazing. The volunteers rocked!
While the warm, humid weather was welcome in the night hours (I stayed comfortable in just shorts and a t-shirt), the sun came out through the afternoon hours and made things pretty muggy. Having music was a big boost through the long lonely miles of lap two, and I was able to keep up a good pace. I hiked all the ups and mostly ran the flats and downs at a 10-12 minute/mile pace.
I snapped photos of a few of the many signs along the course.
I picked off the miles of the second lap and eventually come through Rally Aid Station again. This time Amie was waiting there with Jessica, Juan, and Tim. I told them I’d switch into dry socks at the 50 mile mark and I stuck with that since my feet still felt fine at that point.
The next nine miles, again over some of the more significant hills on the course, were starting to feel tougher as my legs grew tired. But I knew I had a long night ahead and just focused on fueling and staying hydrated. I walked for a while to eat and digest my “lunch” – a zip lock bag of mashed potatoes with turmeric, salt, pepper, and vegan butter. It was bland but those carbs would help get me through the late miles of the race.
I passed through the finish arch for the second time before 6pm (still on pace for a sub-24 finish) but I was feeling the first 50 miles and it was hard to believe I would be able to maintain that for another two laps, which would include a lot of night running. But I definitely believed a finish (the race cutoff was 30 hours) was going to happen. I just had to keep on moving and I would get that coveted 100 mile finisher buckle.
This time I sat down at my car with my crew/pacers and ditched the wet socks that carried me through the first half of the race. I dried my feet with a towel, reapplied vaseline (I think it really helped protect my feet), and slipped into dry socks, which I knew I could enjoy for eight miles before crossing the wet spot.
Amie was ready to go. I’m so very thankful she was willing to drive down and pace me for the third lap. It was immensely helpful to have a friend along, especially once the sun set, since the runners were then significantly spread out over the course and it would otherwise have been a very lonely night. Amie and I have run a lot of miles together in the past few years, including lots of the North Country Trail and an attempt at Mohican 100 in 2020.
I drank a Gatorade and then we set off for loop 3. I was feeling tired, naturally, but nothing felt injured so I pressed on with running as much of the flats and downs as I could and walking the ups. I also enjoyed the daylight while I still had some. Amie provided welcome conversation to take my mind off the running and also snapped pictures along the way.
I normally eat vegan, but I allowed myself the flexibility to eat grilled cheese and cheese pizza slices on the IT100. I did not waste time eating at the aid stations though. I grabbed what I could carry and ate on the go as much as possible.
It was nice running through the evening, out of the direct sun and in cooler weather.
We reached mile 58 and got our feet wet in the flooded spot. The sun set and we donned our headlamps. It was getting harder to push myself to run, but I wanted to continue ticking those miles off to save myself a good cushion late in the race, in case I needed it.
The section up through Weber Aid went well. Amie and I chatted, and I exchanged calls with a Barred Owl. Then I had some sustained stretches of running through the shrubby area, and we came upon the fully lit Christmas tree providing some cheer in the middle of the course.
I kept moving well through the next section, between Weber and Rally, but my feet were screaming at me at this point. I could tell they were pruney and starting to blister, and I knew they needed some attention once we reached Rally.
Mile 66 would be the slowest mile of the race for me, but it was worth it and necessary to get me back out there in shape to finish another 34 miles. I drank some hot vegetable soup at the Rally Aid Station and then Amie helped me press on for the last nine miles of lap 3. It was kind of a blur, but I remember the fly agaric and other mushrooms really popping out bright white in the light of our headlights. I finished the third lap as strongly as I could, arriving at the finish arch just before 1am (I think?), meaning my final lap would need to be faster to hit sub-24. I let that ambitious idea go, but I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from setting out on lap 4. Finishing was still the goal, and I knew that I’d fight through whatever I needed to in order to complete the race.
I had a few things to look forward to on the final lap: 1) Running with Tim, 2) every step would represent a new distance PR (my previous PR was 75 miles), and 3) mentally checking off each memorable spot or landmark on the course for the final time. Tim and I were both pretty tired and we focused our energy on putting miles behind us, so we didn’t take many photos on the final lap and neither of us was as chatty as we would normally be.
Tim and I set off and I internally celebrated each mile. I was getting closer. I tried to keep running the flats and downs, but the running spurts were getting shorter as I was getting pretty worn down. We made it to South Park (mile 78) in decent time, and I grabbed some pizza and ate as much as I could but it felt harder to chew and swallow solid food. Miles 78-80 were pretty slow and tough, but then the food kicked in and gave me a little bit of a boost. One-by-one we checked off miles 80-90. A highlight was that the water level seemed lower at the flooded spot, and I was able to sort of vault myself over the worst part with the support of my trekking poles and keep my feet mostly dry. That really helped my outlook on the rest of the loop!
The section through the woods between Weber and Rally felt extraordinarily long this time around. Tim and I ate some Clif Bloks for a sugar and caffeine boost to help get through it. I saw a deer (pretty certain it was real; I don’t think I had any hallucinations).
Jessica and Juan were waiting for us at Rally to cheer us along for the home stretch. I declined to do anything with my feet at that point and told them I was just going to grind it out from there. I would deal with my feet after finishing. I grabbed some more snacks at Rally and then Tim and I were off for the final nine miles of the long journey.
I shuffle-ran when I could through mile 95, and was amazed I could still move like that after covering so much ground. But I had finally hit a wall, and my right knee was aching (sharply, when trying to move quickly downhill), and so I resigned to the rhythm of hiking it in from there. My Coros watch displayed my speed in mph and I made it my goal to try and keep a 3 mph average through the end. As long as I kept moving forward I knew I would finish with a couple of hours to spare.
We reached the final aid station, Schoolhouse B (mile 97), just as the sky was beginning to lighten. My second sunrise of the run (that’s just wild, huh?!). I drank some Coca Cola for a final energy boost and didn’t linger long. I was ready to be done with this thing!
Those last miles were painful and slow (my speed dipped under 3 mph) and the mosquitoes were a bit of a bother. It felt awesome to hit mile 99 with several hours remaining before cutoff, but it was too early to celebrate. I focused on moving steadily onward, stepping carefully, and at long last the trail led out of the woods and to the east end of Sand Lake, where the finish line and main race tent were in sight. Just had to walk a little longer.
The very end of the loop was a grassy hill leading down to the finish line arch, and I told Tim I was running it. So I “ran” down the hill and through the arch. It was a sweet feeling to finish my first 100 mile race, particularly after the long wait after DNF-ing Mohican 100 almost a full year prior. Jessica and Juan were there to capture a video of me finishing, and to help celebrate my finish.
I collected my buckle and then, looking at the 99.8 miles displayed on the face of my smartwatch, announced that we needed to stroll around the perimeter of the parking lot for a victory lap. I wanted (needed?) that official three-digit number on my Strava activity!!!
After a lap around the parking lot to get my “official” 100 Strava miles, I stopped my watch and laid out on a towel by my car. My favorite part of this race was the reminder of just how freaking amazing my friends are. Thank you so very much Tim, Amie, Jessica, and Juan for taking a weekend to help me get through this challenging race! You’re the best!
After stretching out, eating and enjoying a celebratory drink, Jessica drove me to my hotel in Auburn (with Juan caravanning behind) and helped me get all situated before they headed home. I was thankful for the Monday holiday and extra night in the hotel to rest up for a day and night before making the 4.5-hour drive back to northern Michigan. I cleaned my feet up, showered, and rested/slept the rest of the day.
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Update: I took one week off from running, but was able to run an “easy” 14 miles of North Country Trail with some friends the following Saturday. My legs are still tired, but I got it done, and I’ve definitely felt in worse condition after a race before (actually twice: Tunnel Hill 50 in 2019 and Mohican 100 in 2020 both took me longer to recover from).
