30 January 2012

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We now return to our regular programming...or training schedule. After completing the 2012 Mountain Mist 50K on Saturday (race report to follow later tonight, hopefully), it was back to my regular 100K/100M training regimen. Rich and I had planned to meet at 4:30AM to add another 4 miles to our regular 10 mile out & back mountain run, but we ended up cutting it short.

29 January 2012

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Shook the cobwebs loose this morning with a nice and easy 4.5 mile run with my better half. It was a clear and sunny yet cold morning when Anya and I stepped out of the house and I almost turned around. After yesterday's Mountain Mist 50K, I wasn't in the mood to start the day off being cold. However, I had bundled up because I knew I wasn't going to go fast after yesterday's effort, even though I did try to keep the race in perspective by treating it as a training run. Anya hadn't run in over 2 weeks due to Bronchitis, so that was another reason to take it easy today. I started and finished the run feeling good. I really enjoyed being out for a run with Anya since we hadn't really done that since we completed the Disneyland Half Marathon together.

28 January 2012

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My third finisher's plaque is in the bag;-)
Pre-Race
The 2012 Mountain Mist 50K race weekend started similar in the way it started last year. A bunch of us got together Friday night for a carbo loading pre-race dinner. However, instead of going to a local restaurant, April and Mike graciously agreed to have all of us over for a nice pasta dinner, girlfriends, spouses, kids and all;-) After enjoying a plentiful dinner with chocolate chip cookies for desert, different race strategies were thrown around, mostly to psyche me out. It seems that is is everyone's goal to try to mess with me in my quest to be the best ultra runner I can be. In other words, I ALWAYS want to beat everyone I train with and they get great joy out of messing with me and that plan;-) By 7:30pm, everyone was ready to head back home to try to get some much needed sleep before the big day.

Race Day
Unlike in previous years, this year runners had to pick up their race packet at the Monte Sano lodge the night before the race or on race morning. There was no FleetFeet store pickup this time:-( As a result, I actually showed up early on race day rather than running late like the last two years. This gave me the opportunity to look for familiar faces at the lodge and to double check my gear. After having run a few ultras over the past 2 years, I've come to realize that less is more at a 50K event and that all that extra gear really isn't necessary. After all, a 50K is just slightly longer than a marathon, right? However, I was using this year's Mountain Mist 50K as a training race for my next big event, the Fuego y Agua 100K in Nicaragua in three weeks, so I did run with extra weight and gear, just to get used to it.

I decided to run with the CamelBak Octane XCT 100oz hydration pack I had filled to the rim with water. I also packed 6 energy gels, SCaps and a windbreaker. I wanted to make sure I simulate the weight I would possibly carry during the 100K race next month. The entire pack weighted in at just under 10 lbs. And since I would be carrying plenty of water and gels, I figured why not try to run without stopping at any of the aid stations. I was more or less carrying the equivalent of 5 20oz water bottles, which should get me to the finish line...in theory;-)

When I arrived at the lodge at Monte Sano State Park (race headquarters) at 6:45AM, I was the first one from my usual running crew to arrive. That in itself was a miracle. Within 15 minutes, everyone else arrived and gathered around a corner I had staked out in the lodge, where we could drop our extra stuff (you know, warm clothes, camera, cell phones, etc. for after the race). Once everyone picked up their race bib and timing chip htere still was enough time to take the "before" picture below. Can you tell that we're all ready to go? Although Ed looks more ready than the rest of us;-)

The Usual Suspects Pre-Race: Richard Trice, Mike Trice, yours truly, James Duncan and Ed Johnson (left to right).
Unlike last year, we all filed out to the starting line 10 minutes prior to the race start. Last year, we almost missed the start. Mike and James tried to stay close to the front pack while Richard, Ed and I kind of settled in the middle of the pack. After a beautiful rendition of the national anthem and additional safety and race comments from the race crew (which couldn't be heard over the noise of excitement) the race was started with the traditional shot from a musket (at least I think that's what it's called). And as always, a bunch of folks got startled by the noise...including me.

At 7:30AM sharp, a troth of 300 or so runners took to the beautiful trails of Monte Sano State Park for the 2012 edition of the Mountain Mist 50K. While the area had been unseasonably warm, there certainly was plenty of rainfall to ensure that this race, like all the other editions before it, would make for a memorable experience. The ice and snow of years past had been replaced with new creek crossings and mud, plenty of mud. I've read the comment "mudfest" in more than a few Facebook and Twitter postings after the race. While Mike and James literally took off sprinting, my game plan was to sit back and actually try to run a steady pace.

I had no desire to be grasping for air before even hitting the single track trails. And while I understand the reasoning behind shooting out fast on this course (as to not get caught in the slow conga line as runners decent the single track trails), there were 30 more miles and plenty of opportunities and aid stations to pass folks. If anything, I'm a firm believer than starting out slow in an ultra is ALWAYS an advantage. I have heard plenty of runners of complaining about starting too fast, but never of starting too slow. Hey, you can always pick up your pace later....but I digress.

Richard and I ran together for the first part of the race and I assumed that Ed was running ahead of us. When we arrived at the first aid station just before descending onto the Warpath Ridge Trail, an hour and three minutes had passed. I decided to run right through this one, while Richard stopped to top off his bottle. He quickly caught up to me again as I had slowed a little to carefully watch my footing as we descended this technical section of trail. I was still dealing with the fallout of a peroneal tendon tear in my right ankle in November of last year and while an ankle brace stabilized my ankle and provided a mental "security blanket", it did not prevent ankle rolls altogether as I had found out in some of my training runs.

As we got dumped out onto the Powerline section, Richard and I were still running steadily together, him being as chipper as ever wanting to push the pace, me as cautious as ever telling him to slow the @#$%# down. As we reentered single track trail after the Powerline section with inches of mud built up at the bottom of our shoes, we continued at a fairly steady pace in the 9:30 to 10:30 min per mile range...until we hit the first  of three well known climbs on the Mountain Mist course, K2. K2 send runners up 300ft along a switchback trail and this is where I started to slow down for the first time in the race. I was caught in a train of runners and instead of passing them, I decided to run/walk this section just like they did. I figured it'd pay off later in the race.

During the climb up K2, I passed Rich about half way up. I figured he'd catch me again after the climb but that wasn't to be. I picked up my pace again, but I was now moving steadily in the 11 min per mile range as arrived at the second aid station at Three Benches at mile mark 12. Once again, I ran right through it. I don't know why but there is something invigorating about breezing through an aid station without stopping. Granted, my pace wasn't breaking any sound barriers, but it just felt good to pass the runners that had stopped to refuel.

I continued to frequently take sips of water from my hydration pack. I had also started to take one energy gel every hour at the half hour mark and 2 SCaps every hour on the hour mark. That way, I spread out my food and liquid intake. It also kept my mind occupied. Other than that, I kept my eyes glued to the trail below me. My biggest concern throughout the day continued to be my ankle.

As I headed towards the Stone Cuts, my average per mile pace stayed around the 11 min mark. I felt confident that I would be able to accomplish my goal of running a sub 6 hour finish, but I had decided all along that I would not kill myself in an effort to do so. At the end of the day, this was still a training race with a 100K and 100M race coming up within the next 5 weeks. As I entered the Stone Cuts, I heard someone above me shout my name. James? No way, this felt too early. I wanted to catch him, but this felt too early. Was I going faster than I thought after all?

We both made our way through the Stone Cuts and after a brief chat that included an update on Mike's progress ("he's waaaay ahead") as well as concern for Rich ("I think I'm gonna hang back to make sure Rich finishes"), I continued on. I'm still not sure if James' last comment was concern for Rich or a tongue in cheek comment about his own state of mind at the time;-)

My favorite part of the race: The Stone Cuts.

I continued at the current pace, feeling positive as I ran on familiar terrain. Aside from helping with marking the first half of the course this year, I also had been running this particular part of the course at least twice a week with my running crew. The Cold Springs trail section also included the small creek crossing that had turned into a major creek crossing during the last week. By this point, I was no longer ditching water puddles and mud, I was running straight through.

As I approached the third aid station at mile 17, I noticed Sean Allan and Jon Elmore ahead of me. I've been doing a lot of talking with both of them lately at the Fleet Feet store in preparation for my upcoming ultra events and I also head the "pleasure" of sharing in a death march with Jon for the last 5 miles or so at Rocket City last month when both of us had blown up for various reasons. After executing a passing maneuver I can only describe as masterful, I managed to pass them both just yards before the aid station. As I later found out, it hadn't been a good race for Jon as we was struggling once more with muscle cramps and blisters. Sorry, buddy. And if I had to guess why Sean dropped out, I'd say he just figured he'd been out there long enough that day;-)

Once again, I ran straight through the aid station before crossing Fearn Street and entering the Tollgate Trail section of the course. While this is one of the more technical sections of the course, it is also almost completely downhill before runners turn onto High Trail. In years past, I would really fly down this section, but with my weak ankle, I had to hold back. As I completed the Tollgate section ready to turn onto High Trail, I spotted a familiar face, Dan Brooks, who had made his way up the trail to show his support for James. I wish I had friends like that;-)

As I continued on High Trail and Bluffline Trail, my pace now appeared to have slowed to 12 min per mile. These sections felt even more technical than usual due to the mud and exposed slick rocks. However, I knew it would get even rougher and more technical after the next aid station (#4) at the Land Trust parking lot. Again, I decided to run through it. I still had plenty of gels and water. Just after descending to the creek after aid station 4, I noticed a bright yellow shirt ahead of me, Ed. I had had no clue if we was ahead or behind me, and I was glad to see a familiar face again. Between keeping our eyes glued to the ground, we managed to chat for a little bit before he almost took a wrong turn. After that, it was time to refocus on the trails again and keep moving. By the time I reached the second major climb of the race, I was on my own again. Now it was time to climb up the infamous Waterline trail. I had trained on this section before this race more than in any other year, yet I decided to speed hike it again with a little bit of running threwn in. It was at this point that I slowly realized that a sub 6 hour finish was becoming very unlikely.

Regardless, I decided to keep walking rather than running and if I had any energy left at aid station 5, I would try to push to the finish. While I'd lost a little bit of time over this section, it wasn't nearly as bad as I though it could have been. My mile split for this section was 20 minutes, which is okay this type of a hike. I arrived at the next aid station (#5) at the Trough Springs trailhead at a decent pace and finally stopped for some coke and a piece of banana. I wanted to ready myself for my last hooray of the race. Replenish and then see what you can do, that was my mantra. As I exited the aid station, I did manage another 12 min mile, but shortly after that, I realized that I would have to settle for 13 minute miles as the terrain, while descending, was just too technical to try to crash it like I have on previous runs. And I had the final climb left to go as well. That would add another 20 min mile to my time.

Oh well, it was a nice goal to have, now I just wanted to finish in a solid time feeling good. I kept telling myself, "don't get worked up, it's just a training race". I don't know, but there is something about a popular local ultra marathon that just doesn't go with the term training race. So I reminded myself of my mantra from the previous years when I either struggled because I came out too fast or because I was undertrained: "Just have fun, enjoy the trails, the course, the mud, the folks!" And so I did. And if you need proof, look at ANY of the pictures that were taken of me during the race. I have never looked so happy in any of my race pictures from other races. There might be an occasional smiley picture, but in this race, I am smiling in every single pic and that means something, at least to me. However, there was one more thing left to do, pass Mike! As I continued my descent from the last aid station, I finally noticed Mike ahead of me, leading a group of runners. I did my best to sneak up on him and when I finally caught him and slapped his shoulder shouting sweet nothings into his ear, he didn't even jump.

Oh well, we continued down McKay Hollow and Mike stayed right at my tail, making sure I wouldn't slow down. We picked up our pace ever so slightly until we reached the final climb, also referred to as Rest Shelter (as that is what you pass at the top of the climb). I could hear him shouting behind me, so I continued to push. While I wasn't running, I wanted to make sure I would at least speed hike up the climb. There's just something about one of your running buddies breathing down your back with less than two miles to go in a race. You just cannot let him pass you! I kept my eyes on a bunch of runners ahead of me, trying not to lose them. As I arrived at the top, I did what I had never done before. I skipped the two mystery food and drink items, took a small cup of coke instead and continued a slow shuffle to the finish.


My third MM50K: I don't think I ever smiled that much at a finish.
As I came around the final trail bend, I could see folks lining the finish area looking for their runners. Boy was I glad to complete this thing and you can see just that written all over my face. This was my favorite Mountain Mist finish by far and I can't wait to do it again next year. I did manage to course PR by 21 minutes, even though I stayed relaxed and never really raced. After the 5 of us completed the race, it was time for the post race picture, coke, pizza and cake.

The Usual Suspects Post-Race.

Post Race
As I had done after my last ultra finish, I went home and emptied the ice from our ice maker out in our bathtub before entering the tub myself for a 15 minute post race ice bath. It seemed to have really helped my recovery last time, so I figured why not keep doing it. I also downed 24 ounces of Endurox R4, a Protein/Carb recovery drink to help with my muscle recovery. I also realized that I might not have taken in enough water during the race as I still had a half a liter of water left in my hydration bladder. Either way, I felt good after the finish with no cramps or unusual chills. The CamelBak Octane XCT pack worked great and I'm sure it'll work just fine for my 100K volcano race next month as well. Last but not least, I did not get a single blister which is remarkable considering that my feet stayed wet the entire time. I also did not deal with any of the other usual ailments of bruised feet from the technical terrain (pointy rocks) or Morton's Neuroma, which I've had to deal with aplenty in the past as well. I am hoping this is all part of my body getting used to more distance, but I will find out for sure at my next big ultra events.

27 January 2012

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Today was the final training run before tomorrow's Mountain Mist 50K. While I am treating MM as a training race in preparation for both Fuego Y Agua 100K in three weeks and the Double Top 100 Miler just two weeks after that, I still have some goals aside from just finishing MM tomorrow. However, I will refrain from revealing them here today.

26 January 2012

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I opted for a short tempo run this AM in hopes that I could get in a second run during my lunch break to get my desired mileage for the day. I ran the short UAH loop for 4.3 miles. The temperatures were almost too warm (62 degrees), but rain was slowly moving into the area, so I wanted to get my run over with. I ended up running an average pace of 7:29 per mile, not too fast and not too slow either. I did realize that I need to make sure I keep throwing in quicker runs even with the hill repeats I've been doing. I wouldn't want to lose what little pace I have left;-)

25 January 2012

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Heck of a workout this morning. When I walked out of my house to drive over to Richard's for the hill workout that my training schedule called for, I really didn't feel like running for the first time in a long time. The weather was dreary, cold and rainy. I headed over to Richard's house hoping he wasn't in the mood for a run either.

23 January 2012

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I'm "Glowhead" and Ed Johnson is the other runner.
The picture above captures exactly how much fun we had this morning, when we left from Richard's house for our usual Pratt Ave Ranger Station out & back trail run. Torrential downpours over the last few days actually turned the out leg of the run into an upstream swim for much of the lower section of Tollgate Trail. It was a ton of fun.

21 January 2012

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Course marking the Mountain Mist 50K looks like this;-)
Wow, mother nature really didn't want people do mark the course for this year's Mountain Mist 50K or let anyone run the trails at all today. Well, that might have kept the occasional runner away from the trails, but it didn't deter a lot of others.

20 January 2012

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Today, we had the largest group in a while for our Ranger Station out & back trail run. James, Ed and I met up with Rich at his house. With his sinus problems resolved, Rich was finally able to join us again. We headed up the mountain just after 5AM. I was slightly delayed due to a flat tire on my old Jeep. The temperatures were perfect, already in the low 50s. The trail surface was a different story, however, as it was extremely slippery, especially on the technical sections due to the excessive rainfalls we've had over the last few weeks. It almost stayed dry during our run, only slightly sprinkling on us on the way down. As a matter of fact, heading back down from the mountain we actually saw snowflakes mixed in with the drizzle. My training plan calls for a 20 miler tomorrow (Pratt Ave to Ranger Station followed by first half of Mountain Mist course). Hopefully, the rain won't be too bad.

19 January 2012

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Jason and I met up at my house at 11:15AM for a nice and easy 4.5 miles around the UAH campus. The weather had warmed up nicely. We ended up going a leisurely pace of 9 minutes per mile, just what I needed on my second run for the day. I felt as fresh after the run as I did before the run. Hopefully, my increase in mileage and training continues to feel this good.

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I headed out the door at 6:40AM this morning to get an easy 6 miles in. It was a chilly 32 degrees, but I made sure to bundle up as I had no intention of freezing or even running hard enough to stay warm without the needed layers. I maintained a steady but slow 8:40 minute per mile average, which was enough get get my legs loose and my blood flowing. Depending on how I feel at lunch, I plan to get another short run in as part of my mileage increase strategy;-) Tomorrow calls for another 10 mile trail run up to the Ranger Station, so I don't plan to work hard today.

18 January 2012

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Hill repeats were on my training schedule today. I met up with James at Richard's house, who was still recovering from his sinus problems and opted for a treadmill workout instead. James and I, however, braved the cold temps (32 degrees) and headed for the Cotton Row hill just before 6AM.

17 January 2012

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I squeezed in today's training run during my lunch break. Since I had a conference call scheduled right after my lunch break I needed to haul @$$ to be sure not to miss it. The weather was also indicating a turn for the worse and while the temperatures were extremely mild, I didn't want to be out there in thunder and lightning.

16 January 2012

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I met up with James at Richard's house (Rich's been sick, so he didn't join us) at 5AM to do our usual Ranger Station out & back trail run. Ed was supposed to join us, but he overslept. This trail run gives us about 1300 feet of climb and 1300 feet of descent over the course of just under 10 miles.

14 January 2012

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Another great long run today on the second half of the Mountain Mist course. Temperatures were in the high 20s to low 30s when I arrived at the hiker's parking lot at Monte Sano State Park. The Huntsville Track Club had invited its members and non-members once more to meet up at 7AM to go for a training run on the Mountain Mist course and once again, more than 30 or so runners showed up.

13 January 2012

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It's Friday the 13th? So what. It's 20 degrees outside? So what. Wind chill is so high it'll freeze the water in your hydration bladder? Uhm, that sucks. That's exactly what happened this morning, but it didn't keep Richard, James and I from getting out there and get our trail run in.

12 January 2012

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The weather has been bleak for the last few days with colder temps, stronger winds and snow in the forecast for tonight, so I figured I'd get my daily run in during my lunch break. Richard stopped by my house around 11:15AM and we managed to log just over 6 miles at a leisurely 8:45 minute per mile pace.

11 January 2012

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After bailing on my run this morning due to thunderstorms and again during my lunch break because of flash flooding, I finally said screw it and went for my run after work today. My training schedule called for a hill workout and since I felt that last week's hill workout was too short and too easy, I reacquainted myself with "puke hill" on the Cotton Row 10K course.

10 January 2012

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I decided to do an easy run during my lunch break today. While the weather looked rather bleak, the temperatures were perfect for a run, so I put on a wind breaker and took off. I managed to get six and a half miles in at an average pace of just over 8 minutes per mile.

09 January 2012

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Met up with Rich at his house this morning to go on our favorite out & back trail run to the Monte Sano State Park Ranger Station. This 10 mile rail run provides everything one needs from a training run in preparation for ultras, climbing, technical trails and, because we left at 5AM, mostly running in the dark, preparing you for night time trail running.

07 January 2012

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What a great training run this morning. I finally decided to join one of the Huntsville Track Club training groups that is getting ready for the Mountain Mist 50K and headed to the hiker's parking lot at Monte Sano State Park at 7AM.

06 January 2012

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Everyone bailed on me today for various reasons, so it was just me, myself and I going for an early morning trail run. This was the first time in a long time that I decided to go out for a trail run by myself, even though everyone else chose not to. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, it's hard enough to get up at 4AM in the morning to go for a run when you're accountable to your running mates. When they decide not to go, it makes for an easy excuse to roll over and sleep a couple more hours. Second, I have a terrible sense of direction. I usually would not venture out on trails by myself, let alone in the complete dark, because that is a guarantee for me taking a wrong turn or two and that's just no fun when you have to be somewhere (like the office) a couple of hours later.

05 January 2012

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I managed to squeeze in a lunchtime run today. While I couldn't convince anyone else to join me, I stuck to my plan to at least get some miles in today. The weather was just too perfect not to get out there. Not a cloud in the sky and temperatures above 50, how could I not take that invitation to run, especially considering my last two runs with temperatures well below freezing.

04 January 2012

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Richard picked me up at my house at 5:50AM to head to the Huntsville Running Park for a hill workout at the Cross Country course. First, we had to stop by his house, because there was no way he was going to be stepping out of his car without a face mask on. Yes, it was that cold.

03 January 2012

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Ended up procrastinating due to the cold temps, but finally walked out the door at 5:30PM to do a slow and easy 4.5 miles around the UAHuntsville campus. Other than the outrageously cold temps, It was a rather uneventful run. However, both Richard (who decided to join me on this easy run) and I were struggling just a little bit. I was certain that my exhaustion was related to the fact that I merely drank a liter of water after Mondays taxing trail run on Monte Sano. The colder temps are keeping me from realizing the need to rehydrate. With temps just below freezing, I opted for long pants, a long sleeve shirt and my soft shell winter running jacket. Maybe I was slightly overdressed, but I just didn't feel like being cold.

02 January 2012

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We finally got an actual "group" of runners together this morning. I picked up Richard and we headed to the Land Trust parking lot on Bankhead Parkway to meet with Mike and Ed. It seemed we were not the only ones with the brilliant idea to go for a run. Every year around this time, lots of folks ramp up their training for the well known Mountain Mist 50K trail race at the end of this month by running on different sections of the actual race course. We had decided to run the final 10 miles of the course, which included a couple of rather long climbs including Waterline Trail.

01 January 2012

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What a great way to start the new year. My son asked me to take him on a trail run with his Vibram Five Fingers KSO shoes I got him for Christmas. It also gave me an excuse to put my VFFs back on. I hadn't worn them in a long time, even though I kept thinking I wanted to integrate these things into my regular training routine somehow to strengthen my feet.

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RACE CALENDAR

  • Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M (Old Fort, NC) - March 23, 2024
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  • Cocodona 250M (Black Canyon City, AZ) - May 6-11, 2024
  • Mohican 100M (Loudonville, OH) - June 1, 2024
  • Bighorn 100M (Dayton, WY) - June 14, 2024
  • Tahoe Rim Trail 100M (Carson City, NV) - July 20, 2024
  • Crazy Mountain 100M (Lennep, MT) - July 26, 2024
  • Eastern States 100M (Waterville, PA) - August 10, 2024
  • SwissPeaks 360 (Valais, Switzerland) - September 1-8, 2024
  • IMTUF 100M (McCall, ID) - Sept 21, 2024
  • Indiana Trail 100M (Albion, IN) - October 12, 2024
  • Rim To River 100M (New River Gorge, WV) - November 2, 2024 (WAITLIST #99)
  • Loup Garou 100M (Ville Platte, LA) - December 7, 2024
  • Charleston 100M (Mount Pleasant, SC) - December 27, 2024
  • The Montane Winter Spine 268M (Edale, UK) - January 12-19, 2025

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