Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report

April 5-6, 2008

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Umstead was my first 100 miler last year and I was looking forward to returning and running it this year, as my fourth 100 miler. Over the past year I had trained hard and was hoping to run a sub-24 hour 100 miler.  Prior to the race, I had arranged a nice crew and pacers, including my friend Anthony who volunteered to pace me for the last 30+ miles of the race to help ensure i reached my goal finish time.

In the days leading up to Umstead, the weather forecast got increasingly worse, and the forecast was calling for 1-2 inches of heavy rain, as well as thunderstorms. As much as I was not looking forward to running 100 miles in the rain, i mentally prepared myself for it and accepted it. I looked on the bright side and decided that the rain would help with the dust and pollen situations last year that plagued so many runners.

The 7+ hour drive from PA to NC was uneventful, luckily, because last year we were rear ended nicely on the way down. My husband, Eddie, and I arrived at the hotel around 2:30 and following in right behind us were Keith, Ethel and Kerry from my running group, as well as Mandy and Derek. Soon after we met the Professor, and Heather and Linda came back from running errands. After settling in to the hotel, we headed over to the prerace briefing. I picked up my bib# and race packet (including very nice free socks and a tee shirt!) and sat down for the race briefing which was the longest race briefing in history. After we wrapped up there, we headed over to Assagio's for dinner and then to Walmart for last minute errands. 

Once back at the hotel, I packed up my drop bags and food and tried to get some sleep. I slept terribly and was woken up several times by thunderstorms. It was a long night. At 5am, I met up with Heather, Linda and Alexia and we drove over to the park for the start of the race. The rain had stopped and it was very muggy out. The race started without much ado and before i knew it, i was heading down the trail. The first 30-40 minutes I had a hard time catching my breath from the mugginess out there. I met up with Derek and he said he was having the same trouble. We met up with Adam (Professor) and he and i ran together and chatted for quite some time during the race. It was his first 100 miler and he was a blast to run with. He grew up near where i live, so i hope to run with him again soon! For most of the race i ran with or near Emmy and Frank, leap-frogging for most of the first 70 miles. They were great company as usual. Both of them are very talkative and it made the time go by nicely.

The nitty gritty-- the first lap went well, I let a lot of people pass me by and just maintained my pace and ran and walked when i needed to. The second lap went well as well and my pace was spot on. Throughout most of the daytime, rain came and went and was never too heavy or bothersome. At mile 32, i stopped at aid station #2 and took a couple pieces of apple and cantaloupe and headed down the trail. Shortly thereafter, I started to feel very nauseous. I had 5+ miles to get to the start/finish line and just kept my head down and trudged forward. I felt green and had no appetite. I headed into the start/finish line and my crew got me some gingerale and pretzels. I took a ziplock bag of pretzels, and walked the next two miles in 14 mins each and started to feel a little bit better. I kept going on with my race plan and stayed on pace while trying to munch on pretzels and getting as many calories as i could. After 7 miles, i hit the second aid station and made the mistake of eating some more fruit. From that point on, I never once felt good again.

At the start/finish line, I picked up my first pacer, Heather, and a bag of chips to nibble on and try to get some calories in, i was falling behind mile by mile. I was not feeling very chatty and was trying to just stay focussed and not think too much about how horrible my stomach felt. Heather amused me with many stories, including many of her world travels. She paced me last year and it was nice to have her with me again this year. After our 12.5 miles together, I picked up my next pacer, Linda, for the next 7 miles. I was still not feeing well and was still trying to nibble on food, but my caloric intake was very low. We stayed relatively close to minimum sub-24 hour pace and i just tried to stay focussed. Any time i felt overwhelmed by the nausea and stomach pains, i just thought about Coach Lisa's race plan and telling me to keep my head down and focus. It really helped me move forward.

At AS#2, I picked up Anthony, my super pacer, who would pace me for the last 30+ miles. I was still moving forward ok, but still having a hard time getting food in. Just thinking about eating food was making me feel sick. I did keep drinking water and taking electrolytes, thinking that was better than nothing.

The next lap went by ok, at least for the first half. I was still running all the downhills and most of the flats. Come mile 82, heading downhill to the aid station, my body just could not trudge on with such a huge caloric deficiency.  I was still trying to run, but during this last stretch, i just felt extremely detached from my body and it was scary. I made it to the aid station, but barely. I ate a little and drank some soda and we headed back out on the trail. The rain started to fall heavy and it was cold. I was soaked to the bone and FREEZING.

By the time Anthony and I made it to the start/finish line, i knew i needed food and some extra clothes. I went into the lodge, sat down, and tried to eat. I had some soup, oranges, and gingerale. My crew helped me with the food as well as some extra clothes. I took off my top layer and put on a fleece and Brooks rain jacket and mittens. On the way out of the aid station, i stopped at the bathroom and then headed back up the trail with Anthony for my last lap. I was not feeling well and told him I felt like i was going to puke. He did not realize how serious i was until he turned around to see me puke twice in the bushes. It was not that terrible and my spirits felt lifted. Unfortunately, i felt better without food in my stomach.

Lap 8 was a very long 12.5 miles, but Anthony kept me going. We chatted and i just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I am a very stubborn person and i was going to keep moving forward until either i could not anymore physically or missed the 30 hour cut-off. The race was not going as i initially planned, but I was not going to let that get me down. Anthony and I reassessed my goals and just kept moving forward.

The rain became unrelenting and kept beating down on us. Both of us were very wet and my hands were turning into raisins. Anthony also teased me telling me things like "If you sprint the next 8 miles, you can finish sub-24" "If you run 4 minute miles from here on, you can go sub-24" but at this point, i just wanted to finish in one piece. One foot in front of the other. The most ironic part was, even though i was walking in the last 18 miles of the race, I was on pace to beat last year's time!

At AS#2, i sat down for a few minutes and had the last of their soup and Anthony had a danish the size of his head. I did not want to stay too long, and i just wanted to get the race over with, 5.5 miles to go. The sun started to come up and I did my best to move forward and not walk into any trees. Finally, we hit the crossroads and had 1.5 miles to the finish. There were a lot of runners heading out for their last loop and i was so grateful i was almost done. At the turn into the last 1/2 mile, we saw Andrea and she encouraged us on and took some pictures.

Finally, i saw the finish line and just walked up. My crew and friends were there cheering me in. I was not feeling too cheery and there was no push to run thru the finish line. I was just happy to be done. 27:04, much slower than my projected goal time, but 9 minutes faster than last year's time, so i could not be too disappointed!

After the race, we pulled into the hotel parking lot and as soon as i got out of the car, i had to throw up again, and this time i did it three times. I somehow made it back to the room with Anthony and Eddie. They were going to meet Emmy for lunch and wanted me to shower before they left. As soon as i made it into the bathroom, i proceeded to throw up three more times. This was beginning to be a world record. I spoke to several people who were at the race, including runners, nurses, volunteers, and a doctor, and there were several reports of people getting sick from the cantaloupe and just last week, cantaloupe was recalled for salmonella. I believe this was the issue.

Overall, I know if i did not get sick from the fruit, i would have run a sub-24 hour 100 miler. My training was solid, my race plan was solid, i had three great pacers and a fabulous crew, and i had a lot of experience under my belt in the past year, including 2 more 100 milers. My feet were fine after 27 hours in the rain, which is another testament to how far i have come in a year. Now, I am turning my focus toward my next 100 miler, Western States, in June and looking forward to returning to Umstead next year for redemption.

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