In the months leading up to the Mohican 100, I hit my highest mileage ever and was able to consistently train without injury. As soon as taper started though, I started getting into my head. I knew that physically I had done everything that I could, but as usual, the extra rest time gave me too much time to worry about what could go wrong before getting to the starting line. The night before we left, I stubbed my toe and was awake most of the night worried that this would affect my race. Realistically though, I know that as soon as I start any race, somehow these pains go away.

We left for Mohican on Friday afternoon. My daughters, Elle and Maeve, were excited about staying at the Mohican Lodge and I was just ready to start the race. That night, no one slept much. The girls were too excited, and I never sleep well the night before a race. I was confident, though, that my mind would protect me and I would somehow be able to stay awake for 30 hours.

We woke up the next morning at 3:45 am, got dressed, and headed to the starting line in the dark. I felt calm and ready to go.

Loop 1

As soon as the gun went off, I became focused on the present moment. The race is made up of 2 larger loops (around 27 miles each) and two shorter loops (23 miles each). During the first loop I got into a rhythm even though the weather started off very humid. I talked to other runners while also remembering my Dad’s advice of running my own race. About halfway through the first loop, the 100 mile runners were diverted to a very rugged trail. It’s filled with huge, downed trees that we had to give a full body hug to climb over. At the end of this trail there is a hand over hand climb that is around 20 feet tall. (I wish I had a picture!) This is part of the trail that I will never forget!

About a quarter of a mile later, I saw my family. They refilled my water bottles quickly. Gave me more food and I headed back down a steep set of stairs towards the next aid station. Towards the end of the loop, it started raining lightly. It felt good, though, and the humidity wasn’t as bad as it was early in the race. I started running with another runner and the time flew by. When I finished off the loop, Dave checked my feet and drained my blisters. (Happy Father’s Day, Dave! ). I really wanted to get through this race without my usually foot issues, so we were trying to stay on top of the foot care.

Loop 2

The next loop was pretty uneventful. I ran on my own for most of the loop and tried not to become overwhelmed with how many miles I had left. This tends to be where I struggle the most in a hundred. Those miles between the excitement of the start and the real suffering in the last 30 miles. I had some trouble focusing and lost some time.

Loop 3

When I came into the aid station at the start of the 3rd loop, I grabbed my trekking poles and Kogalla light from Dave and quickly took off. I started running with another woman and we decided that we would push each other for the next section. This worked out well and passed the time before I would meet my friend and pacer, Kristen.

At mile 62, I met up with Kristen at the Fire Tower aid station. It was around 11pm, so Dave left with Elle and Maeve to get some sleep at Mohican Lodge. We were both excited to run together and spent the next section catching up on the week. Soon though, we realized that we needed to pick up the pace again. We tried our best to calculate out our pacing but our tired brains struggled with this!

Loop 4

Just as we were leaving the Mohican State Park aid station, the sky started to light up. I really didn’t think much of it, but as we entered the woods again, the rain suddenly came down hard! I grabbed my rain coat and threw it over my hydration pack. All we could do was put our heads down and keep moving forward. A few minutes later, Kristen mentioned that her head lamp had died. Luckily mine was bright enough for both of us, but the rain was so heavy we couldn’t see anything in front of our feet. As the trail flooded, I realized that my feet were going to be destroyed. Any efforts that I had made earlier to keep my feet in check were lost. While this was happening, it never once crossed my mind that this could have been dangerous or that I should turn around.

Finally, as we came into the next aid station, the rain stayed steady, but the lightning had ended. I grabbed more food and we moved into the next section of the trail.

It was then that I hit my lowest point in the race. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and I became overwhelmed and weepy. I wasn’t sure how I would make it 17 more miles. With each step, I felt searing pain in the soles of my feet. I knew that they were swollen and covered in blisters. I told Kristen to tell me when I needed to move faster to stay on pace. It was sheer will that got me through this section. This was my defining moment at Mohican. The moment that completely broke me down and forced me to find within myself the will to keep moving forward. This moment happens in every hundred mile race, but I just never know when it will hit me. It’s these moments that keep me coming back for more.

When we finally reached the next aid station my family was there waiting for me. I told Dave that I needed new socks and shoes. I put dry socks on but my feet were now too swollen for my dry pair of shoes so I was forced to finish the race in the wet pair.

My Dad, who was now pacing me, took off in front of me keeping a quick pace that I struggled to keep up with. He talked me through it, telling me that I would waste less energy by carrying my poles in one hand. I took the advice and willed myself to keep up with him. Even going as fast as I could, I was still 5 feet back.

We passed through the next aid station quickly and talked through the plan. He told me exactly what we needed to do for the rest of the race to make the cut off. It was going to be close but I knew that I would do whatever I had to to make it. We climbed the nonstop switchbacks, and he told me stories to distract my mind from the pain. It was now mid-morning and it was starting to get hot again. As we came into the last section, he told me that we had made up a ton of time and we would make it under the cut off.

The last section of trail is covered with rocks and roots. If you take your mind away from the present even for a second, you will fall on your face. Which is exactly what I did. I hit a root with my torn up feet and before I could even react, I was on the ground. It was one of those full body falls that affects every part of the body. I scrambled to get up and shake it off, vowing to not let my concentration fade. But a few miles later, I did it again!

Finally, as we came into the final stretch, I saw my girls come running towards me. I gathered all of my remaining strength and ran towards the finish line. There is something special about this race. It tests me to my very core and makes me question who I am while I’m out there. Yet, somehow, I push through and finish feeling whole again.

Recovery went better than it ever has after a 100, making me wonder how much further I can push my limits this year. Next up is the Burning River Back 50 in 5 weeks followed by Tuscazoar 100 in September!

“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on but you keep going anyway.”

Ed Mylett