This race has been on my radar for 3 years.
The prerequisite to get in used to be that you had to know someone who had
partaken before. I love these type of races that have quirky conditions. It
adds to the mystique and difficulty. The runner I knew was Ed, who holds the
course record (CR) of 67 miles (108KM), which is a beast of a performance. He
also provided me with his Bare Bear Butter Anti-Chafing cream. If you don’t know
what that is, you haven’t run for hours on end. You’re nether regions will
appreciate it!
 |
| My trusty Altras with my daughter's and niece's initials |
I love timed events. No chance to DNF (Did Not
Finish) and you can truly zone out and purely focus on putting one foot in
front of the other. The course was set up to be a 3-point-something mile loop, but imagine
a crooked figure 8.
Meaning, you’d run by the intersection twice per loop. That
was the Start/Finish line, as well as the single aid station on the course. You
really didn’t need to carry anything with you as you would pass the barn (aid
station) every 1.5 miles or so.
 |
| The green dot indicates the Start/Finish line |
My alarm pissed me off at 3:15am, as that is
an ungodly time to rise and go punish your body, but I was nevertheless excited
for my impending adventure. I did snooze it to the limit and left knowing that
when I get there, I’d only have 10 minutes to stretch and warm up (haha! An
ultra is long enough that you don’t need that nonsense).
Our small group set off at 6am sharp crossing
a water hose sprawled across the yard which doubled as Start/Finish line. By
the way, the race was held at the organic farm Good Earth (hence the name; the
Blood Run is a local landscape feature).
A truck guided us on the first loop so that we
wouldn’t get lost in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota. Also, their little
black dog Sydney joined us and led the way. I was wondering if she should need
a Bib, but she would’ve been disqualified as she kept cutting the course. What
a bi%&$.
 |
| "Earned. Not Given." |
It took a couple of loops to get into a rhythm
and I had to remind myself to slow down as this would be a long day out. My
trusty Spheres Gears headlamp lid the way (2000 lumens and great battery life)
and I studied each turn to make sure I run the tangents to minize the distance
per loop. A foot here or there does add up over 12 hours!
After the sun came up, I came to a crucial
decision. I had started the race in my Pearl Izumi Trail Shoes, which I won a
year ago at the Lean Horse 100. During these long races, it is important for me
to have some space in my shoes without them slipping. I developed blisters
early on and knew this was going to be a real threat to my race if not mitigated.
Thinking ahead, I brought a pair of my „solemates“ Altra’s! The extended toebox
gave my toes the breathing room they needed and I didn’t have to worry about my
feet for the rest of the day.
 |
| 7 Hour mark |
The sun came up and I could truly appreciate
the beauty of this farm we were running on. A serene, calm and inspiring place to just let your mind
wander. Loop after loop, another runner (Justin) and I circled the farm
together. It was fun to have some company during such a long event. I slowed
down a bit to take inventory of my body and let Justin go. Watching him
closely, my competive spirit kicked in a few loops later when I saw him leaving
the aid station into the opposite direction as me. He was a half lap ahead.
Trucking on, I fueled myself with Endurance
Tap maple syrup gels and Arizona Sweet Tea (those that have been $0.99 since
the ’70s! Sydney joined me here and there for a partial loop before going with
another runner. At times I was glad she left, because she did try to „herd“ me
and I didn’t appreciate the tripping. I tried telling her that I knew the way,
but maybe my accent was too much for her to understand. Who knows?!
All day I was listening to podcasts, which did
two things for me: Help me zone out AND help me catch up on hours of content
that I hadn’t gotten to the last few weeks. Somewere between „Stuff You Should
Know“ and „Myths and Legends“ I passed Justin as he was refueling at the aid
station. We were somewhere in the later part of the first half. So only 5 hours
in maybe.
The wind picked up and I didn’t mind. We were
mostly sheltered by tall corn or running with the wind. The only place where
the wind hit me head-on offered me a great excuse to take a 20s walk on every
loop. I used those to text with my family. My wife and daughter were going to
come towards the end of the race to cheer me on and I loved their encouragement
throughout.
Many hours became a haze and we were somewhere
between hour 9 and 10 (Don’t worry, it sounds crazy to me too when I read it
out loud) when I saw my in-laws car cruising by on the highway and I waved them
down from afar and pointed them in the right direction. The place was easy to
miss. On the next loop I got some more
encouragement from my regular crew-chief and father-in-law Bill. This type of
race must’ve been different for him. He usually drives from aid station to aid
station and preps the stuff I may need (guessing what a disillioned runner
needs after hours of racing is an art in itself!). Today, he just needed to
plop down in a chair and tell me to keep moving every 1.5 miles or so.
Seeing my wife and daughter was special too,
even though it added a certain kind of pressure. Whenever I tell my 3-year old
that I’m running a race she’s expecting a trophy and she won’t let up about it
either! She’s actually claimed several of mine, since she keeps beating me
during our „driveway sprints“ J.
I started calculating toward the last couple
loops of the race. What pace would I need to run to get the course record? It seemed
doable, but I also wanted to run well on the following weekend during the
challenging Newton Hills 50K Ultra. At least that’s my excuse. Truth be told,
Ed set the bar nicely at 67 miles (108KM).
 |
| On the last couple of loops |
During the last hour I invited my wife to join
me and walked a couple of loops together. She absolutely loved the farm and
tried talking me into farming (which i know nothing about). The place was truly
inspiring.
Coming into the aid station with maybe 12
minutes to spare, I went on the „short route“. It was a 0.15 mile (250 meters)
out and back on the farm’s driveway. After doing those a couple of times, my
daughter joined first at my hand and then as time expired she was on my
shoulders as I was running towards the all-so-important garden hose J.
I was happy to finish first with 64.17 miles
to my name, and a new motivation to come back next year to take down Ed’s
record.
 |
| This jar was filled with 1 marble per loop to keep track |
Overall, I can’t recommend this event enough.
You can run either the 6 Hour or 12 hour version and set a personal best in
distance! The aid stations are fully stocked, the encouragement is never ending
and the family-event feeling truly makes it special! Thanks to Nancy and Jeff
for hosting us on their farm and excellent race organization/management. Thanks
to Kyle Kranz for an excellent preparation with all the difficulties I’ve had
since Lean Horse. Thanks also to Karen, Jeff and Alissa for continued cheering
and of course to Sandra and Bill (in-laws), my wife Christina for joining for
me for a couple of loops, and my little sunshine Leiana for finishing the race
with me! (She did claim the trophy, since she ran „faster“ than me). I can’t wait ’til she grows up and really
naps trophies right from me J.
 |
| The garden hose was the Start/Finish line |
