Finally getting around to writing as bit about this race but man what an epic day! Really felt like myself again out there. Even if it isn’t where my full potential is, its a huge step in the right direction.
Im going to give a summary of the race and things that stuck out to me about this day. Things I hope to improve on and things I did well. Going into this race I felt more relaxed than usual. I didnt have a lot of pressure because no one was counting on me to be in the race which I think helps a lot for not overthinking training and prep for a race like this. I think I did great staying calm and collected in the few weeks leading up to the race.
Start to Foresthill (~ mile 30)
The race morning was really early, we were up and moving around 2:30am and catching a ride to the around 3:45am. Someone had burnt all 20 or so porta potties at the start line during the night and miraculously the race was able to get 15 more delivered in. Luckily we got right in line when we got there and made it through the bathrooms just before the start.
The first 10 miles or so felt very chill. There was a huge front pack but it was very hard to tell who was there in the dark so I just made sure I kept contact. This section of trail is surprisingly chunky and technical. It was really critical to keep good footing here but also not get to stuck up and loose the front pack. As the line of runners made our way down the first canyon I noticed on the few rollers prior that my legs felt a bit heavy. I just chalked it up to nerves and figured things would work out on the first canyon climb.
I was partially right, I made a few passes and was at the back of the front pack of (~10 people) by the first aid station (deadwood). I chatted with Canyon Woodward a bit here and I was noticeably more out of breathe than he was. I wasn’t struggling but I certainly wasnt as smooth as I should’ve been for 10 miles into the race. The devils thumb climb felt good but this is where a gap was put on me to the front pack. Ive always thought of myself as a very strong climber so I was surprised I was gapped here but I tried to not let it get to me. Back through deadwood I was surprisingly running a bit ahead of Hayden. I held him off until the bottom of Eldorado Canyon where I took a big fall while running downhill and cut up my arm quite a bit. I brushed it off quickly but it definitely shook my confidence on the downhills.
Coming into Michigan Bluff I was already in no-mans land. But I still felt good overall. I had my music in and I think I listened to “Like A G6” about 10-11 times on the climb out of Eldorado. It had become my anthem for this race.
I was in and out of Michigan Bluff quick. I had a big swig of mountain dew and off I went chasing. On the dirt road section I looked behind me and saw two guys gaining on me. This really pissed me off and I tried to put in a push here to hold them off to Foresthill. Going down volcano canyons they caught me and passed me easily. This was definitely my low point of the day. I thought I had already failed. I was in ~12th place and getting passed easily. I think this stress got to me because the bath road section into Foresthill felt really long. I paused for a minute to catch my breathe once I got to Foresthill.
Foresthill to Finish
After my longer than anticipated stop at Foresthill (still probably just a few minutes) I was heading down and about to turn off of the main road when I heard local Seattle legend Stephen Kersh say to me “Keep chipping away”. For some reason this completely changed my mindset. Until then I had just though I was out of it and was going to have a mediocre performance. I realized he was right and that was absolutely the best and only thing to think in that moment. Suddenly I was flying down in the canyon again. This section felt so much better than when I paced Blake here at Western States in 90+ degree heat. I made it past Cal1, Sensemen hill, and then I saw a runner come into view. It was Cole Watson, I made the pass and felt great moving into Cal 2. I threw a bunch of ice in my hat and carried on.
The only split I really cared about during this race was Driver’s Flat as it was a good predictor of what your final time would be. I knew I needed to be closer to 6:20 to be in contention but I expected somewhere between there and 6:40. As I made my way towards the the road climb up to Drivers Flat I saw two runners come into view and got really hyped in that moment and put in a big push to catch them. I gained on them all the way up Driver’s Flat and basically arrived there with them in ~6:33. I knew this put me in an expected finish time of ~8:45 based on historical splits from this race. I had initially thought that’s what I needed for a golden ticket here, lol not anymore…
My crew also told me local Issaquah legend Blake Slattengren was creeping up on me so I knew I had to keep pushing. This section was grueling and I was back on forth with Adam and Grant (two fellas I was with at Driver’s Flat). I eventually got dropped by Adam just before the last aid station and dropped Grant prior to that. I began to slow down substantially, I was still running but I was in survival mode. By the last aid station I was just trying to do the math to see if I could make it under 9 hours. By some miracle I held on to the pace and finished with a big smile on my face. 8th overall and sub 9 hours wasn’t too bad.
I had done so many things right during this race that I wasnt really upset that I wasn’t in contention for most of the race. I had finally felt like I made progress in my running fitness and career. I had capped off a great spring season of racing (Black Canyon 50k, 2nd at Chuckanut 50k, and 8th and Canyons 100k) and honestly felt great after the race. I had eaten pretty much every single gel I pack for myself and even drank the extra soft flask full of tailwind that I added last minute to my race pack. Id estimate I was getting close to 100g of carbs/hr which was the most I had ever managed at this distance. In the days after the race I noticed how quickly the fatigue wore off from the race. I was able to eat a full meal the night of the race. This is how a 100k should feel.
I have a lot to work on and I think the main thing is to just get more fit. I need to feel more relaxed and in control earlier on in the race. That’s how you stay in it. It feels good to know I’m nailing pretty much everything else that I can control.
I truly feel blessed to have the ability to support myself to do these races and train while working full time. I’m also extremely grateful to have parents who show up and support me at these races even when I fail. Im thankful to my girlfriend Maggie who deals with me waking up early in the morning to go do a workout and flys across the country and takes time off of work to hand me gels and tell me “im looking great” 🙂
Time for some more #Monkey Business
-Noah
