I’ve seen a number of runners post about wanting to attempt their first 100 mile race this year. This got me thinking about what I wished I would have known when I ran my first 100 miler. I joined the 100 mile club in May, 2018 after completing the Sulphur Springs 100 in Ancaster, Ontario. I’ve included my top 3 takeaways below.
1 – It’s Okay to Feel Like You’re Going to Puke
I stopped eating any solid food about half way into my first 100 miler. I felt really nauseous and only ate energy gels as a result. The lack of calories eventually caught up to me and I slowed down in a major way. My good friends who were crewing for me finally intervened and forced me to eat some high calorie, solid food. This happened to be a butter tart. I barely produced enough saliva to get the first bite to descend past my throat. When the bite finally reached my stomach, I doubled over in pain, convinced that I was going to vomit. To my great relief, I didn’t toss my cookies and after 15 minutes, I felt like a new man. The solid food gave me an amazing boost of energy and I picked up my pace. I eventually completed the 100 miler in a respectable 27 h 38 m. Ever since this race, I’ve learned to ignore the inevitable gut pain during an ultra and to just get the calories in.
2 – Train to Hike
I distinctly remember pacing with a tall runner. He was power hiking and I was running at what I thought was a good pace. I eventually pulled ahead of the tall runner however he would catch up to me whenever I stopped at an aid station. This was my first indication that I should have done more hiking in preparation for the race. My second indication was when I slowed down during the second half of the race and had to power hike all hills, big and the small. Even though I was walking, my legs took a beating since I wasn’t used to it. I have since incorporated hiking into all of my longer training sessions with great results.
3 – Running 100 Miles is a Team Effort
Fortunately I had two great friends, Chris and Joe pace and crew for me during my first 100 miler. Having both completed a number of ultra marathons, Chris and Joe had great advice for me during my nearly 28 hours of running. Not only did I benefit from their knowledge, Chris and Joe kept me company by pacing me during the night. I really appreciated having their company – this was my first time running all night on the trails. I also got a huge amount of support from my wife. She always encourages me with my running and she looked after our three kids while I ran. For the entire weekend. Although I was the only person from my group of supporters who finished the race, my team was instrumental in getting me there.
