Race Report - 2020 Run LOViT 100K

Lake Ouachita to my left, sweet single track straight ahead.

When I originally signed up for this race as I laid out my preliminary training race schedule in preparation for my summer running project "The Untamed+Triple Crown", I had actually registered for the 100 mile distance. Good friend and newly crowned world record holder for most 100 mile races run in a single calendar year (50) Walt Handloser told me that this was one of his fave 100 milers. Such an endorsement means something coming from a guy that had 49 others to compare it to in one single year, so I was sold.

Then came January. I was halfway through a work trip to our office in Switzerland when I came down with a severe case of the flu. I hadn't been this sick in recent memory and even after I recovered from the fever and felt able to go back to work (after returning back to the US), my body did not agree. Severe body and muscle aches continued to plague me for much of January and into early February. When I finally was able to return to training, I had lost nearly 4 weeks of training.

I decided to just pull the plug and not travel 7 hours to run a race that I was just not ready for. It would have been all but guaranteed that I wasn't going to finish, but when I went to ultrasignup to cancel my registration, I noticed an option to go down in distance to 100K. Hmm, i could probably manage 100k running it at my goal 200-300 mile pace AND it would still give me an opportunity to finally take my newly acquired used camper van out for its first road trip to test out some things. Why not, so rather than cancel I went down in distance, instead.

Tons of single track trail through the beautiful Ouachita National Forest.

I loaded up my camper van with a couple of packed drop bags and a duffel just before lunch on Friday to start the 7 hour road trip through 3 states to Lake Ouachita and Ouachita National Forest just west of Hot Springs National Park. Sweet, I'd be able to check off a National Park following the race, if the stars aligned and time permitted on my way back home. I arrived at the race start/finish area at a pavilion near the Mountain Harbor Resort. The 100 mile race had started at 5PM, so the area was actually quiet with a few runner's cars parked along the side of the access road. We had permission to camp near the start/finish area, so I quickly looked around for a reasonable flat area to park my van and set up camp. I laid out my gear for the next morning, ate a couple of Avocado sandwiches and turned in for the night.

I ended up getting a full night's sleep by the time the alarm went off around 4AM. The race did not start until 6AM, but I still needed to tape my feet, drop off my drop bags and get my race packet before it was time to run. Some of us gathered around a propane heater until it was time to line of for the race start. I had one goal, to finish comfortable and without any major issues. I am happy to report, mission accomplished.

Sunrise as seen from the Lake Ouachita Vista Point.

Just like the 100M, the Run LOViT 100K is a very well organized and supported race on an out and back course. It touts 12,000' of vertical gain over the 100K distance, not extreme, but definitely a relentless course that can lull you in and spit you out, if you're not careful. We had to deal with below 30 degree temps at the start that would climb to above 70 degrees before noon. That added the unexpected risk component for overheating. 70s may not sound like much, but when its the first 70+ degree day of the year or more than4 or 5 months, then it is a serious possibility. Strangely, I suffer equally bad in cold conditions and hot conditions, so there is no perfect running weather outside the 45-55 degree temp range:-)

The race kicked off well enough. I did not try to keep up with any runners or group of runners. Instead, I just kinda settled into a pace that felt comfortable, also called the "I can run all day" pace. I still ended up running with a couple of fellas and swapping running stories with them before our paths parted again due to different paces. Just over an hour had passed and I was already alone. I figured it would stay this way with such a small field of runners, 50 in the 100k and another 50 in the 100 mile event and I would be right. I would pass the occasional runner, but that was about it.

Nice switchbacks on one of the climbs.

The Run LOViT really is a beautiful course, very runnable trails albeit undulating terrain that should provide a challenge to every type of runner. I continued at a comfortable race and the miles ticked off as I came in and out of the fairly evenly spaced aid stations. There were generally exactly 4 miles apart with one section being 6.5 miles. Since it was an out and back course, you'd end up doing this twice. I kept running by feel and only checked my time once I arrived at the 12 mile aid station. I was moving way better than expected without really pushing myself too hard. In fact, I stayed well below 12 hour pace until and beyond the 50K turnaround spot. The volunteers at the aid stations were absolutely fantastic. That coupled with sunshine and a beautiful course made this race quite enjoyable. As I continued, I realized that I may originally expected finishing time by several hours. 

But in every ultra beyond 50K, there are often low points to balance out the high points. Mine came when I arrived at the 48 mile aid station. I had fallen behind 12 hour pace about 8 miles earlier, but that's not what affected me. I was overheating and I had stopped eating. I kept taking in calories through fluids and I made sure I stayed on top of my salt and I supplemented that with coke and ginger ale at the aid stations, but food just did not appeal to me at this point. My new goal was to not fall apart due to these issues and continued moving, while not under 12 hours, maybe just in 12:xx hours before it got dark, i.e. without the use of my headlamp. I succeeded.

There are definitely mountains in Arkansas, but they're difficult to capture through the trees.

I rolled into the finish line in 12 hours and 37 minutes, elated to have completed this race and still feeling pretty good, aside from the slight nausea from earlier. I hung out at the finish for a minute before shuffling back to my van to grab a towel and some clean clothes to change into after I would enjoy an amazing hot shower in one of the pavilion bath/shower rooms. Did I mention I also enjoyed a couple of cold brews provided courtesy of the race directors. They also provided an impressive buffet style spread. Did I mention this was a very well supported and executed race?

After another full night of sleep, I broke camp and headed back home to Huntsville to lovely wife, but not until stopping at Hot Springs NP and later Memphis for a delicious brunch at an amazing vegan restaurant. With a full belly and another ultra finish, I arrived back home with a renewed sense of purpose and ready to continue my training after a rocky start to the year. DO yourself a favor, put this race on your calendar for 2021. You will not regret it.

Lake Ouachita to my left, a Firing Range beyond the ridge line to my right.

A welcome forest service road up and over one of the larger climbs, allowing me to stretch my legs a bit on the final 3+ miles to the finish.

Race Report - 2019 Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile Endurance Run

A I approached the completion of "The Last Great Race" series this summer, I realized that while it was too late to join Sean Nakamura in pursuing the "Great Eight" series since the Mohican 100 had already taken place, I could still join him at the Arkansas Traveller 100 in early October. While this wouldn't "count" towards any particular series, I really just thought it would be cool to actually run 7 of the 8 oldest 100 milers in the US in one Summer anyway. There would be no self-imposed pressure on myself, but first I had to see if there were even any slots left. To my surprise, there were still 5 spots left about 5 weeks out, so I signed up.

The Arkansas Traveller 100 Miler is one of the oldest and longest standing races for good reason. It is a race with amazing support and with too many aid stations to count and volunteers that definitely know what they're doing. The terrain is generally very runnable with a short bit of single track (on the Ouachita National  Recreation Trail) followed by lots of double track trail, jeep and forest roads. The course has about 12,000' of vertical gain and consists of a 16 mile loop followed by a 84ish mile out & back.

Training had been nonexistent leading into this race. While 4 weeks don't seem to be much time between 100 milers, I did want to get a few quality runs in. However, after being hit by a virus immediately following the completion of the Wasatch Front 100 Miler, I was taking a longer than usual break from running, 10 days to be exact. Once I got over the virus, I managed a few easy runs with friends with my longest run being a 14 miler in 90+ degree heat and humidity about 5 days out from race day, I mainly used the runs I did manage to reconnect with my usual running crew.

As race weekend approached, I decided to actually take my car to make the six and a half hour trip to  the Ouachita National Forest and spend the night leading up to the race in the rooftop tent on my Jeep. I loaded up my car camping supplies, my drop bags and my racing gear and made the trip to Arkansas early Friday morning. I'd stop halfway through my drive in Memphis to catch up with ultra legend Billy Simpson over a cup of coffee to convince him to run a few miles with me that weekend. When that failed, I settled for some very useful recce from the race before continuing on to Perryville, AR. 

The Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile Endurance Run is the eighth oldest 100 miler in the US and as such has been on my bucket list for a couple of years. To be honest, a big motivation for me was to join Sean Nakamura and Walt Handloser for just one more 100 miler this year. We'd all been pursuing our own challenges and after running the same six races this summer, I figured I'd join them for one more before calling it a day.

I arrived at Camp Ouachita at the edge of Ouachita National Forest in time for race check in. After getting weighted and signing in, I left to find myself a spot at the group campground about half a mile away at Lake Sylwia that had been reserved for us and paid for by the race organization. After setting up basecamp, I hitched a ride back to the Camp for the mandatory pre-race briefing. I decided not to drop off my drop bags until the next morning as I was prepping some Avocado sandwiches to be stored in small portable soft-sided coolers inside my drop bags. I had brought a large hardshell cooler with a couple of smaller cooling elements that I placed alongside the sandwiches. These sandwiches would be a welcome snack well into my race on Saturday.

At the pre-race briefing, I caught up with Sean and Jenny Nakamura and I even had a quick chat with Walt Handloser before he disappeared to catch some shuteye after another long road trip. The briefing was interesting and entertaining (there was a "jorts" competition involved) and after about 45 minutes, Sean and Jenny were kind enough to give me a lift back to the campground.

Once I geot back, I packed my racing kit, finalized my drop bags and got to cooking my pre-race dinner, vegan hot dogs with a big salad and Tahini dressing. By 7pm, I had pre-taped my feet and was laying inside my tent on top of my Jeep's roof watching a couple of episodes of Van Helsing before dozing off. I got nearly 8 hours of sleep before my alarm went off at 4:15AM.

I decided to break down camp prior to the race, so I wouldn't have to do it after running for 24+ hours. I failed to realize that it would mean sleeping in the front seat of my Jeep prior to being able to make the long drive back home again. We started the race on the main road just above the Camp and would finish right in front of the Camp.

I had three goals, to run sub 22 hours, sub 24 hours or, if things went wrong, just to finish under the 30 hour cutoff. Everything went according to plan for the first 50 miles, which has often been the case for me. At about mile 25, I had caught up to Sean and at this point, we both seemed to be running a fairly similar race pace, so we stayed together. In fact, we stayed together for the next 75 miles.

The race continued to go pretty well after Sean and I caught up with each other. I managed my food and hydration without any problems. I stuck to my usual schedule of a Spring Energy gel every 45 minutes and Salt as needed, usually every hour or so. In order to avoid having to mix my own caloric drink, I decided to reply on the aid stations, instead. AT100 provides Gatorade at its aid stations and since I'm no longer used to the large amounts of sugar in my drink, I opted to go half water half Gatorade in my bottles for the entirety of the race, which seemed to work pretty well.

The animal encounter highlight of the race was something that apparently everyone but me knew about and wasn't freaked out by at all, unlike me. As Sean and I were running down another jeep road together, maybe mile 40 or so, a runner ahead yelled something like "watch out, there is a blahblahblah on the trail". I turned to Sean "what'd he say?", he said "Watch out, there is a Tarantula in the middle of the trail". "WTF" was all I could mutter in disbelief. We're not in the jungle, why would there be Tarantulas. He must be joking, probably just a larger than usual spider. Nope, it was a freakin' Taratula! Just what a guy scared of spiders and snakes needs to see before running through a large dark forest at night, a big hairy Tarantula just crossing the trail 1 foot in front of him. This is the stuff nightmare are made of and now all I would be thinking of at night was not to step on or trip over one of these cat sized spiders that could probably just lift my foot up if I accidentally stepped on them.

What didn't work well for the second race in a row were my feet. While we cruised into mile 50 in ten and a half hours, well on pace to run sub 24 hours, my feet had already started to develop two hotspots, both on my right foot. The first one on the edge of my heel and the second one at the bottom of my right foot, just below the toes and inside the ball of my foot. This would be my downfall once again. I attribute my foot issues largely to the extreme humidity on race day and while this was only the second time I had this issue, it did happen in my last two races, so it is time to reevaluate my blister prevention and treatment strategies. I can no longer ignore it as it is having a serious impact on my finishing times.

As "luck" would have it, Sean was experiencing very similar issues, so we would spend 75 miles together, jointly suffering through the final 50 miles. The real struggle didn't start until 35-40 miles to go, but it would reduce us both to mostly walking. While it sucked to be having these issues, I was glad to be running alongside Sean. We got to share some quality hours together, which felt like a perfect conclusion to my summer. After 26 hours and 39 minutes, we finally crossed the finish line to earn our buckles and to complete our respective challenges. While it may take some time to fully process this summer of running, I am ecstatic to have stayed healthy enough to complete it. It has confirmed one important lesson for me: You are capable of a heck of a lot more than you think you are.

"The Last Great Race" plus one is now completed and while I will enjoy this feeling for a while over a beer or two, I cannot wait to plan for the next big challenge. Well, some of that planning has already commenced:-)