Race Report - 2023 Upchuck 50K

One of the many signature bluff lines along the Cumberland Trail

I closed out 2023 with one of my all time favorite ultras, the somewhat local Upchuck 50K in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee just a short 90 min drive from home. The Upchuck 50K is a technically challenging point to point trail race boasting 5500 feet of elevation gain on the Cumberland Trail. Runners are shuttled to the start line by school bus from the finish. This race has the same homecoming feel/trail family gettogether vibe as my local Mountain Mist 50K and as such, it is also the only race besides that race that I love doing again and again whenever I can. This would be my third running of the Upchuck.

Bridges are another frequent feature on the race course.

I headed down to Soddy Daisy Friday afternoon straight after work. I caught a ride with my buddy Jeff, who'd reserved a camping spot a short minute drive from the starting line at an RV park. As a result, I was able to get a bit more sleep on race morning before we headed to the race finish where we would leave our cars, pick up our race packets, and take the shuttle to the race start. By the way, this race always has some af the coolest race swag and this year's didn't disappoint, either.

While the race did not go as planned, it was as awesome as my previous two experiences. It was fun to catch up with a lot of my southeastern trail family, RayJay AKA RD Matt Sims was in his usual form entertaining runners and the Grim Sweeper even honored us with the National Anthem and a version of the dueling banjos on his banjo. 

Regarding my actual race performance, my only goal was to make it to the finish line and enjoy the experience. However, I did not expect to be a full two hours slower than my previous two finishes. In the end, I did not care, but I was surprised to be that much slower and that I couldn't really go much faster. Everything felt much more difficult than before. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that the year had taken a toll on my body, both from a fitness perspective as well as from a mental perspective, and that a proper break after this race would be needed before I kicked off a new year of adventures. 

Almost the entire course runs along the Cumberland Trail

If you're an ultrarunner living in the southeast, you need to put this race on your bucket list. Be sure to note the registration date as this race sells out in mere minutes. Trust me, you will not regret it. As for me, I am going to lean back on my couch and continue to sign up for new adventures as I take time to reflect on and recover from the year that was. If 2023 is any indication, I still have lots of gas in the tank to take on some of the more challenging ultra adventures. I also have lots of room for improvement, still, in terms of performance and how far to push my body.

The Grim Sweeper sending runners off with a dueling banjos solo.

RayJay AKA Race Director Matt Sims welcoming runners at the start line.

 

Race Report - 2023 Pumpkin Holler 100 Mile (DNF)

 

My plan to get just one more state checked off that 100 miler bucket list before the end of 2023 went bust this weekend as I recorded a DNF and the Pumpkin Holler 100 Miler in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I had once again made the race weekend trip with my camper van, but this time the trip was shorter than planned. 

While I got to spend a beautiful evening camped right along a river just 50 yards from the start-finish line of the PH100 and woke up well rested on race morning, I just did not have it mentally after a challenging first 40 miles that were dominated by unexpected heat and one to many wrong turns. 

I was happy to spend the first 50K alongside my good buddy Walt Handloser. We'd spent a few race weekends together toeing the starting lines at various 100-mile races, but it had been a while since I had last seen or spoken to him. It was great to have some time to catch up before I had to let him go ahead.

The PH100 is a multi-loop course that is almost flat with most of the vertical gain on the first 40 miles of the race. Runners complete a 30-mile loop 3 times. During the first loop, we had to complete a 5-mile out and back for a total of 10 additional miles. This section turned out to be the crux as Walt and I initially missed this turn (the only real turn of the race). It seemed quite a few runners had missed this turn and when we reached the next aid station, we had initially been informed that we could complete the out and back on the next loop. However, when we returned to this aid station after completing the Pumpkin challenge, a 2-mile out and back with a decent climb leading to the turnaround, we were told that we had to complete the out and back now. This meant backtracking on the course, completing the 10-mile out and back, and then returning to the same aid station once more before continuing on.

To be honest, I'm still not happy about how this was handled by the race, but I have to respect their decision. It put quite a few runners at a disadvantage, losing lots of valuable time to no real fault of our own. The only (major) turn of the race just wasn't marked properly. The only turn sign was hidden in a ditch behind some brush, barely visible to runners while passing. At the end of the day, it is my responsibility as a runner to pay close attention to the course at all times and to be familiar with the course. I am not blaming anyone but myself for this error, but I had just hoped for a different outcome. 

As it was, I never really got over this mentally. and when the day turned extremely warm, it added to my frustration. The decision to quit this race prematurely built slowly and steadily between miles 30-40. When I arrived back at the start/finish area after 42ish miles, I called it quits. I was at peace with this decision then and now, but this meant that I would need to find another event to come back to for that now illusive Oklahoma 100 mile finish. As a result, I will either return to complete the PH100 or I will need to find another event in Oklahoma to earn my OK finish.

Race Report - 2023 Hennepin 100 Mile

After an amazing summer of massive challenges and adventures, I decided to try to make some more progress on my new goal of running a race of 100 miles or longer in every state of the US. The Hennepin Hundred was just a month after the 2023 Tor des Geants 330, so I hadn't done any training as I was still recovering from Tor. In fact, I still hadn't regained feeling in all of my toes and my feet were still shedding skin. 

I headed north to Colona, Illinois in my camper van. I had reserved a camping spot at an RV campground for the night before the race with plans to drive back home immediately following the race. I made the trek solo as I didn't expect to need any help. This race was very well organized with opnekltyful aid stations and the biggest challenge would be mental as the entire race course was flat along a canal toepath. There were zero excuses to walk, but my lack of training and sufficient recovery following the Tor des Geants meant that there would be more walking than I had hoped.

While I initially had hopes of setting a new PR (anything under 21:36 hours for the 100-mile distance), I had to let go of that expectation just after the 50-mile turnaround, where I seemed to fall a bit apart, both physically and mentally. Thankfully, I was joined at that point by Dan Williams, an ultra-running friend and fellow southeastern ultrarunner, who had traveled here to get a last-minute qualifier for the 2024 Western States lottery. He was having some hip issues and was happy to link up with me for a bit. As it turned out, he wouldn't be able to run at all for the remainder of the race and I was happy to stick with him. Misery loves company and I lacked any motivation to pick up my pace. In fact, I was struggling just to keep up with Dan's walking pace. 

As usual, I was hit by the sleepies really badly between 2 and 5AM and the usual zombie walk ensued, where I just tried to stay lucid enough to be able to follow Dan's lead. By the time day broke, we knew we would no longer run sub 24 hours, but we knew we'd still finish comfortably. In the end, I finished in 25 hours and 49 minutes. While this was not one of my better ultra performances, I was excited to collect one of the cooler finisher buckles in my collection and the nicest piece of finisher swag ever, a sweet Rabit flannel shirt with the Hennepin logo on the back.

Final comments about this race. If you are looking for your first 100 miler or are a seasoned ultrarunner looking to set a PR, this is your race. The organization of this event was top-notch, the course is completely runnable, with mostly packed gravel/dirt and some paved sections. Feel free to wear road shoes on this course, but trail shows work as well. The aid stations are plentiful along the course, enabling and encouraging everyone to cross the finish line. I highly recommend this event and hope to come back one year, properly trained and ready to crush that PR.

Race Report - 2023 Cascade Crest 100 Miler (DNF)

The Cascade Crest 100 Miler had been on my bucket list for a few years now. I had previously entered the lottery to no avail. This year, it turned out differently as I earned a spot to finally give this race a go. Initially, I had planned to dive cross country in my van to save some money for hotels, etc., but as I had just started a new job, I wanted to keep my time away from my home office as brief as possible, so I decided to fly into Seattle, instead. My good friend jay was kind enough to not only put me up in his family's home, but his wife Amber and he actually volunteered to crew and pace me as well. Jay know exactly what I need when running these longer ultras. He and I met while crewing/pacing a mutual friend at Badwater 135 a couple of yers ago and since then, he and his wife have teamed up with my wife and other friends of mine to crew/pace me at Moab 240 and Tahoe 200. This would be our fifth ultra working together as crew/pacer for each other, so I was confident that I was more than ready on the logistics side of things. With the 268 Mile Spine Race just behind me and the Tor des Geants 330K on the horizon, I felt this would be a great tuneup race for things to come. It would also be another check for states I visited to run a 100 mile or longer race. 

Amber made an amazing pre-race pasta meal to get me fueled for the next day. On race morning, Jay and his son Xavier took me to the race start location in Easton, Washington. In the weeks leading up to the race, we were unfortunately informed that the race course had been altered to accommodate some major trail work that was taking place along the course, so instead of the usual big loop we would be running a 50 mile out and back, essentially the first 50 miles of the original course in both directions. 

I felt recovered from my 130 hour effort at the Spine Race just a few weeks earlier and was looking forward for enjoying this race with no goal other than to finish and earn that WA 100 mile buckle. After a short pre-race briefing and bumping into and chatting with my buddy TJ, who'd moved from the Southeast to Colorado a couple of years earlier, we were finally off on our journey.

The weather forecast hinted at some hotter-than-expected temperatures and that would prove to be my nemesis for the day. That and the possibility that I wasn't quite as recovered from the Spine Race as I had hoped. As I made my way towards the 50 mile turnaround point, I had made sure to not push hard at all. In fact, I was running towards the back of the field in hopes of saving myself for better running during the evening and night hours. Unfortunately, even my cautious approach was futile. By the time I saw my crew Jay and his son Xavier around the 50K mark, my race had become completely derailed. I was struggling with nausea, unable and unwilling to eat anything. I was still able to drink, so I focussed on that. However, as I finally wandered out of the aid station, my commitment to finishing this race had waned quite significantly. I spent the next miles convincing myself why continuing was a bad idea. Ultimately, I pulled the plug at the 50 mile turnaround after hiking the better part of the last 20 miles.

Rather than summarize the race here in written word, I wanted to use this opportunity to share some of the photos I was able to capture of this amazing landscape and to point you to the race video that captures not only the amazing race course, but also my mental "decline" as I talk through the decision that ultimately ends my race after 50 miles. Please check out the race video here and feel free to comment below this race report or in the comments section of the video.

Race Report - 2023 Montane Summer Spine Race 268 Miler

I signed up for the 2023 Summer Spine 268 Mile Race just two days after completing the Bob Graham Round, squeezing under the 24 hour mark by just 8 minutes. I was riding on a high from that experience and that usually means, ok, what's next. It was to be my goal event for 2023, but ended up being my co-main event after I was selected in the Tor des Geants 330 lottery. With nearly three months between the two events, I was still able to put all of my focus on the Spine Race.

Pretty much immediately following my signing up for the Spine Race, I started scouring the interwebs for anything Spine, race videos, gear reviews, gear lists, mandatory gear, etc. I started to create spreadsheets to figure out the gear I had and the gear I needed. The biggest challenge would be the selection of the race pack I would use to carry the extensive list of mandatory gear along with any other things I deemed helpful or necessary.

I quickly learned that most runners used packs with 20l or larger capacity, most opting for larger while some elites managed to go smaller. I first experimented with the 30l UltrAspire Epic XT pack before getting the opportunity to test a 20l UltrAspire prototype Epic XT pack. With just a day to go before my departure, I made the final decision to use the 20l pack as it would allow me to fit all my kit with only very little room left, which meant no shifting gear in the pack as I ran, thereby avoiding awkward movement of the pack while running. It also meant I wouldn't need to cinch my pack done much as it was mostly used to full capacity.

While this race is considered self-supported, i.e. access to an aid station only every 50 miles, on average, runners were allowed one drop bag that would travel with them from the start to meet them at every aid station, basically once per day. This drop bag was limited to 20kg (44lbs) and would need to hold all spare kit and nutrition one may require for the duration of the race. With the unpredictability that is UK weather, one was well served to make sure to pack plenty of rain gear. This proved to be true for this year's event as well.

My arrival at the actual start line would not be without some severe challenges. With just 5 days to go before my departure from the US to Manchester, UK, my US passport renewal had still not been completed (note: I had sent to for renewal more than 3 months earlier). After making a 7 hour roundtrip to the passport office in Atlanta (to no avail), writing my local congressman (claimed credit, but not likely a factor) and finally getting through to the state department's passport call center, my application was expedited and y passport arrived just 3 days before my departure. Thankfully, my trip to Europe started with a 1 week visit to my new employer's HQ in Finnland. I say thankfully, because Delta partner airline Virgin Atlantic managed to lose all of my bags on my flight to Manchester, UK. Because my race wouldn't start for another week, I was confident my luggage with all of my gear would arrive in time. In the meantime, I had to go shopping as I had zero clothes in my carry-on. Aparently though, my expectations of getting my luggage in time were a bit optimistic. As it turned out, it took Virgin a full week to locate and deliver my luggage just a day prior to race check-in and mandatory gear check. I knew the exact location of my luggage all along down to the specific building (Orlando, Florida? Why Orlando, Florida? Thanks, Apple AirTags), but that did not speed up the process any. Eventually and after waiting for nearly 2 hours to get assistance at the lost luggage desk in Manchester, I finally took possession of all of my bags and gear. Phew!

My good friend Oli was kind enough to not only host me again during my stay in the UK, but also to shuttle me back and forth to and from race registration and the race start. Thanks again, Oli, to your and your amazing wife and family. It took a lot of stress and anxiety off my shoulders. After a decent night's sleep, I had time to chill and sort through my gear one last time, making sure I had packed everything I needed into my racing pack and my drop bag. The racing kit was pretty easy to decide on as everything in it was pretty much considered mandatory gear. For a short description of the mandatory kit requirements as well as anything else I packed in my race pack, check out my YouTube video here. For anything else that I needed in my drop bag, check out another one of my videos here. 

While Oli was putting in another shift at his high stress job as an ER doc, I wandered through town to pick up some last minute items. Thankfully, Oli was able to find someone to cover the end of his shift, so he could give me a ride to the location of the race packet pickup and mandatory gear check in Edale about 90 minutes outside of Manchester in the beautiful Peak District National Park. This would also be the location of the race start the next morning.

The mandatory gear check is probably the most extensive gear check I have ever been through, and for good reason. As it turned out, I needed every bit of kit that was required...and then some. After unpacking and verifying all of the mandatory gear with the volunteer, it was finally time to get my bib. All runners would be outfitted with a special GPS tracker that had been customized to hold twice the battery power of the normal tracker, which is necessary when running an event that lasts an entire week.

After check-in, it was time to make the 90 minute drive back to Manchester for a last meal and some downtime before the big day. 

The Spine Race is a 268-mile race that stretches the entire length of the Pennine Way National Trail from southeast of Manchester, England all the way to Kirk Yetholm, Scottland. Runners traverse a total of four national parks in the process while climbing roughly 40,000 feet. 

Oli and I arrived at the race start a good hour before the actual start time leaving me plenty of time to get check-in in once more, pick up and get fitted for my GPS tracker and to drop off my drop bag along with a finish line bag. While I would not have access to the finish line bag during the race, it would allow me to pack some things for the finish line without using up valuable drop bag space.

Once I was checked in, it was now time to get nervous in anticipation of the start of the 2023 Summer Spine Race. I did manage to briefly chat with the only other competitor from the US, Peter Mortimer, a UK expat living in Flagstaff, AZ. Pete had much bigger goals than me for this event and I'm happy to report that he accomplished them (podium finish!!!). 

As I was looking around in the starting corral, I noticed how widely everyone's running pack sizes varied, from small 12l packs to giant 30-40l packs that contained everything but the kitchen sink. Once again, I wondered if had had chosen the right gear, the right nutrition. Did I even belong at this starting line? Even after 15 years of ultrarunning, I still feel like a novice at times and this was one of those times. I'm not ready for this. Why did I think I could do this? Then the signal to start was given and all of those doubts went away. It was time to get to work and to soak it all in, all 268 miles of it.

Over the next 130 hours, I would experience my most extreme ultra challenge to date. Rather than give a blow-by-blow of what happened over the course of these 5 days, I instead created a feature-length race video, that hopefully captures the highs and lows as well as the spectacular course I got to experience. Check out the full race video here and comment here or in the comments section of the video with any questions you may have. For photos of this amazing race, please continue to scroll down. If you prefer a full written report of this race, please let me know that in the comments as well and I will do my best to provide extensive written reports along with the race videos.