I ran the Burning River Back 50 last year and got so much out of it! So a week before, I told myself that if I could run 12 miles without pain, I would sign up again. I just ran Mohican 100 5 weeks ago so I was still in recovery mode. With Tuscazoar 100 coming up on September 4th though, I knew that I needed a big effort to give me the confidence to do another hundred so quickly.

Talking through the game plan with my family the night before the race, we decided that I should go out hard and just try to hold on for as long as I could. 50 miles no longer seems as far it used to, so I figured that I had nothing to lose.

Start

The 6pm start was low key. A group of us lined up, they said Go and off we went. About 200 meters into the race, I started talking to another runner named Greg. It was his first 50 mile race. He was going slightly faster than I was comfortable with so I decided that he would be a good person to stick with for a while. Another runner joined us for a while and the three of us chatted and kept an 11 minute pace for the first 7 miles or so on the towpath. It was warm, so I had on my ice bandana and kept taking in fluids and salt caps.

The third runner decided the pace was a little too fast, so she slowed down and it was just the two of us running again. I felt great until around mile 12 when my ear started to clog up as it usually does in humid races. I wasn’t feeling great but I wanted to keeping pushing so I trusted that this discomfort would pass soon enough.

Mile 17

Once we were on the trail, it was starting to get dark so I turned on my Kogalla light. I could remember most of the milestones that we passed including where I sprained my ankle last year. Once past this point, I had more confidence in my ability to stay on my feet! Finally we reached the first crewed aid station at mile 17. It was now completely dark. Dave and I fumbled around in the dark as I threw all of my used wrappers and headphones towards him. He gave me my filled water bottles and off we went. It turns out we actually lost a few soft flask water bottles here!

Greg was more familiar with these trails so I set the pace while he made sure that we didn’t get lost. We continued to make good time and I felt like I was flying. I just let go, not worrying about how I would feel later and not holding back. We continued to rush into aid stations, grabbing food quickly and then getting back to running. Dave continued popping up every few miles to cheer me on. Not knowing when he would pop up turned into a fun game throughout the rest of the race!

Around mile 21, we ran through a corn field which was a highlight for me. The ground felt like foam under my feet and the corn stalks created a tunnel. Next we turned back onto the tow path for a few miles. I decided this is where I would make up some time. I put in my headphones for the first time, found a steady pace and just cruised along. It wasn’t comfortable but I happily sat in this quiet discomfort for the next few miles. For me, there’s nothing better than running in the middle of the night. It’s so calm and peaceful compared to the chaos of every day life.

Mile 23

At the next aid station, we picked up another runner, Josh, who stayed with us for the rest of the race. The three of us kept up steady conversation about family and running until we started to close in on the Oak Hill Aid Station. This is about when we started to hear loud thunder start to rumble. I picked up the pace knowing that we were still at least a mile from seeing our crew. The rain started steadily at first and then the lightning started to light up the sky. By the time we came into the aid station, it was a full on downpour. We all agreed that none of us wanted to be running alone through severe weather and we were keeping a good pace so we would get what we needed and then head out together.

Mile 26

At Oak Hill, I realized that I had passed the halfway point in under 6 hours. I was excited that I was actually sticking to my plan to get to this point before midnight! Once again, Dave pushed us to get out of the aid station quickly. We headed out under the open sky, completely drenched from the rain. The next mile or so was on open roads so I got out ahead of my new friends and set the pace, unfazed by the thunder cracking around us. We all put our heads down, entering another trail single file as things became slick with mud. A few minutes later though, we were on runnable trail and once again I pushed our group to make up time that I knew we could lose later in the race.

At this point, I was really having fun! It was raining, I was running in the middle of the night and I had company. I couldn’t think of a better scenario! I’m sure I’m in the minority with this, but the worse the conditions, the better I do!

We continued to alternate running on sections of trail followed by sections of towpath. The trail became un-runnable from all the mud and standing water, so we were forced to run harder on the towpath sections.

Mile 36

Around the mile 36 aid station we headed back into the woods from a longer section of road. We headed up a small hill and immediately slid right back down. We laughed nervously about how bad the conditions were now becoming as we grabbed onto branches and rocks to pull us up the hill. Walking out of the aid station and back onto the trail, we were now surrounded by fog. It was surreal.

As the rain continued to fall we all became quiet, all struggling with our own demons. Every time I looked down at my watch, it seemed like we hadn’t even moved. We just didn’t seem to be gaining any ground and my stomach was beginning to turn. The humidity had been high for the entire race, and food just didn’t sound good. I knew that I was behind on calories but I was pushing through and trusting that I could make it 50 miles feeling this way. Finally after what felt like hours, we came out of the woods and onto the towpath.

Mile 40

I was running out of gas and starting to feel the fatigue from Mohican in my legs. Only 10 more miles and I was ready to just be done. I started counting my steps, pushing myself to run until I counted to 100. The guys kept up with me and we silently kept each other going even though it was now painful.

We reached the end of the path and there was Dave waiting for us! Only 5 more miles, he said! My mind tried to tell me that my time didn’t matter, that I should walk it in. But I pushed against it, knowing that on this day, it did matter. The remainder of the course was slightly different than last year. I hoped that it was easier but the hills were unrelenting. We pushed ourselves knowing that it was almost over. Eventually we came out onto the main street and I started running hard through the finish line in 12 hours 38 minutes. It was 41 minutes faster than last year in much worse conditions.

The biggest difference in this race for me was that I truly put it all out there knowing that I could fail. I knew that I could blow up and not finish. But I also knew deep down that I would never let that happen. I’ve never thought of myself as a fast runner, only as a tough runner. Sometimes we surprise ourselves though. A few hours later, I was resting at my parent’s house when I got a text from a friend telling me that I finished 1st overall woman. We all laughed because I left right after the race! It never even occurred to me to stick around to see how I placed!

Next…

6 weeks until Tuscazoar 100. I’ve never raced this many races in such a short period of time. But this year, I decided that I wanted to see what my body is really capable of. At Burning River, I proved to myself that even if I do test my limits and go out to fast, I’ll always be able to find a way to hold on.

“There’s no passion to be found in playing small- in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Nelson Mandela