Hagrin.com

I tend to not write race reports for race I DNF, but this was such an unique experience that it's definitely a story that needs to be told. The short version is that I felt I was running maybe my best race ever, but I DNF'd at the 70 mile mark due to swelling and pain on the top of my right foot.

Pre Race
I flew from LGA to Pekin International on Thursday morning and picked up my rental SUV and headed off to the race site to get a good understanding of the race's location. When I arrived, I was the first person at the start/finish so I started unpacking my gear into the back of the SUV and then took off to find a supermarket. After purchasing food for the next few days and fluids, I went back to the campsite to see a few tents had been setup. I set my tent up to the right of the start/finish line which I highly recommend for those who aren't tempted by sleep - if you have issues with sleeping too much during races, I wouldn't suggest setting up so close and I would instead rely on your start/finish drop bag. Everything was great on Thursday until night came and with the darkness came unrelenting rain. McNaughton has been known for its thick, peanut butter like mud and the rains signaled that the first few laps of the race would be sloppy at best. The rain continued throughout the night and even up until the start of the race where runners wore their best rain gear and just enough to fight the cold temperatures.

Loop 1
I was definitely overdressed for the first loop, but luckily I kept a pace that wouldn't cause me to sweat too much. I wore long windpants, long sleeve Under Armor, a long sleeve tee shirt and two rain jackets (one too many for sure) with a Nathan hydration vest. I found it odd that I was one of the few who wore a hydration vest considering that, with the mud, climbing up muddy slopes and carefully navigating steep downhills could require both hands to be free - especially when dealing with the "rope climb". I would recommend a hydration vest/waist pack strategy over handheld water bottles where you only fill up your vest at the start/finish and supplement your fluids at the aid stations.

Loop 1 was generally unremarkable except for the fact that two deer shot out in front of me missing Tracy Thomas and I by about 10 feet. I took the course very tentatively knowing I would have to run this same loop 14 more times in order to finish. I had wanted to run a sub 2 hour loop, but ended up crossing the start/finish line in 2:03 - a little slow, but generally right on pace.

Loop 2
It was still raining at the beginning of Loop 2 and the course had gotten progressively worse now that ~60 runners had already covered the muddy ground. Loop 2 was uneventful until about mile 17 when something very ... "interesting" happened. A little back story here - my normal trail shoes were taken out of my gym bag a week before the race so I scrambled to find trail shoes that I had worn before and in my size. I found 2 pairs of North Face Arnuva 50 Boa trail shoes. I had used these when I ran Umstead and some other races and they were fine, but I had stopped wearing them because they severely overpriced. One of the stores had 2 pairs in my size so I bought them and decided I was going to run in them. Well, after Heaven's Gate, the laces that are "made from 19-strand aircraft-grade steel, Boa® is renowned for its durability in snow, water and ice" snapped on my left shoe when running over flat terrain. Obviously, there's a reason why "mud" isn't mentioned on their website. Congrats North Face, your $125 shoes lasted all of 17 miles. I was left to run the last ~3 miles of Loop 2 barefoot carrying my left shoe in my hand. Let me tell you - there is nothing like a creek crossing and having your toes "smoosh" into some cold, slimy mud for 3 miles during a race.

The effects of running with one shoe on was negligible - I did experience some tightness in left calf for the rest of the race, but it really didn't affect the outcome. I didn't lose much time, but now I had a problem. The only other pair of trail shoes I had were the NF Arnuvas and let's just say I lost all confidence in them. The only other shoes I had left were my cross trainers that I wear when I walk around. I opted for the cross trainers thinking the trail was soft enough I could get away with them and started out.

The Rest of the Race
I ran most of Loop 3 with Phil Rosenstein whom just astounded me with his running experience. As he was telling me about all the 100s and races he had finished, I face planted on completely flat, rootless mud. Poor Phil must have been wondering what he got himself into when we started running together. I passed Phil after the rice patty field by Heaven's Gate and kept a pretty good, steady pace going. Loops 4 and 5 were pretty unremarkable except for the fact that I spent a really nice 2 mile section with the runner with her own category (the "Late Early Special 100") Varsha. Her company definitely got me through the section of the course I hated most due to the still sloppy, thick mud right before the start/finish line.

As I waiting to start Loop 6 (and waiting for my hamburger to cook - burger was more important than running at that point), a volunteer came up and told me I was just outside the Top 10 and that I should get moving. Also, to my surprise, I met my pacer whom I had never met before, but sent him to bed telling him I would need him when the sun rose and to wake up in 6.5 hours. During loops 6 and 7, I felt and must have looked strong because I wasn't passed during these loops, but did pass quite a few runners including a runner who already had looped me (while he slept upside down at Heaven's Gate which was really funny to see - I think his name was Adam?) and quite a few people commented on how strong I still looked (and not that condescending "Looking good!" compliment you get from well-meaning people, but you know is a complete lie). Looking at the times, I really ran a strong couple of loops in a row and for me to post times like that is something of an anomaly as I consider myself a back of the packer. However, closing in on 70 miles, I felt great - was still running, no blisters, no soreness, full range of motion, etc.

And then it all ended in a split second.

There was a 1 foot little stream that I jumped over and because I had track shoes on, slipped and heard something snap in my right foot. "Boy, that didn't feel right." I still finished Loop 7 strong, but sat down to clean the small pebbles out of my shoe and to change socks. Unfortunately, that's where my race ended. By the time I changed socks, my foot had swollen to the point I couldn't get the shoe back on. That was it - with no hyperbole, THE best run of my life ... over. I have DNF'd before - in fact, I'm quite good at it, but all my past DNFs I could "see" coming. You know when your body is just completely finished or you're mentally over it, but this one ... I'm still in an unsettled daze from. It may seem a little melodramatic and I'm pretty blahzay about running to be honest, but this one cuts real deep because it was the "perfect" (for me) run for 70 miles.

After 70 miles, it looks from the online splits that I was 13th and moving up very quickly as my split times were faster than those runners running ahead of me (sans the elites of course). Overall, I covered 70 hilly, muddy miles in 19+ hours with over 32 hours left to complete the last 80 miles. I am definitely disappointed by the overall outcome despite how well I felt after such a long distance.

I'm not sure I would do this run again for a couple of reasons with expenses being the driving force. I also think that this course becomes more a survival race if the weather turns poor than a race testing your running prowess. In addition, the race director has since moved to Vermont and I would probably end up doing that version of this race in the coming years.

Splits