Registration for Rim to River 100 opens up at midnight on December 31st. I got on the website the next morning and it was already sold out! So I got on the waitlist and didn’t think much about it until I got an email in July that I had gotten into the race! I have wanted to run Rim to River 100 since it’s first year in 2020. But this year, I didn’t have any other fall races and knew I was ready to make it happen. It’s an out and back course with 13,000 feet of elevation gain which is more than I have done in the past. 95% of my training is on the roads and I don’t get a lot of climbing in on a daily basis so I knew that this would be a challenge.

My ultimate goal is to continue to challenge myself, grow and to push my limits . I’ve run 100 miles 6 times before this, but I have always had pacers to help me navigate the exhaustion that comes with running at night. Running with my pacers has provided me with comfort in the face of a lot of painful moments. I wondered, what if I took away that comfort? Who could I become on the other side of facing the discomfort head on. Well, I was about to find out. 

The Start- 6am

The race started at Ace Adventure Resort in Oak Hill West Virginia. At 5:35am, we parked the car, I said good bye to Dave and my two daughters, Elle and Maeve and headed down to the starting line. After one very last minute trip to the bathroom, I lined up at 5:59am.

The race starts up a very long hill on the pavement. My first thought was that if this was a preview of what was to come, I was in for a very tough day. The hill continued for quite a while before we turned onto a single track trail covered in a thick layer of leaves. I was careful with my footwork and started in on getting in my first snack 20 minutes into the race. It was set to be a very unseasonably warm day and I knew that there would come a time where I would not be able to eat so getting in early calories would be important. 

Concho Rim Aid Station- Mile 7.5

I started talking to another runner for about a mile or two and before we knew it, we popped out of the trail at the 1st aid station as the sun was coming up. There was a gorgeous overlook at the aid station, but I was in a hurry to get my pack refilled and keep moving. Once back on the trail, we continued up a gradual incline on a road covered in large gravel. We ran uphill on this path for a while before getting back onto the trail and moving up a steeper hill. Already, the hills were relentless but I focused on staying in the moment.

I eventually caught up to a large group of runners and talked to a few people as we now headed downhill towards the mile 14 stream crossing. It appeared much worse than it actually was. I was able to hop onto the rocks quickly towards the next steep uphill. When we got to the top of this climb, the trail was flat for a a few miles. I took advantage of this and focused on chasing people down. This was an out and back section to the Thurmond Aid Station. I felt great, was eating well and enjoying encouraging the other runners headed out in the opposite direction. Finally, we crossed over a bridge to the next aid station. I refilled my bottles, knowing that the next aid station was a longer stretch to get to. 

Thurmond- Mile 17

As I headed back across the bridge, I stopped to take a few pictures. I never do this in races. I’m usually all business.  Getting through one mile at a time with complete focus. But I was here for an adventure and wanted to capture the beauty of this race. We headed back the same way we came in and my family showed up for a few minutes to cheer me on. The trail was very runnable but the day was starting to get pretty warm. I saw a stream so I dipped my hat in it to cool off. Again, I was trying to chase down other runners. I counted my steps to keep myself focused and my mind occupied for the long stretch to the next aid station at mile 27. I was almost out of water so I needed to make sure I stayed on pace. 

Cunard Aid Station- Mile 27

As I ran into the Cunard aid station, there were cars and people everywhere. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t find Dave and the girls so I pulled out my phone to call them but there was no service. I panicked for a second, then told myself to pull it together and figure it out. I looked over the aid station food, fumbled around trying to refill my bottles with Skratch and started formulating a new plan. 

Luckily, Dave arrived right then with all of my fuel and gear. He gave me my handheld water bottle plus 2 filled soft flasks to get through the next 12 mile section and I stuffed my pockets full of food. I said good bye and started the long, 2 mile climb on the road. The climb felt like it went on forever but I tried to keep a strong pace as I hiked. By the top of the hill, I had already finished one of my three bottles of water.

We turned onto a new trail which was again covered in a thick layer of leaves with some jagged rocks hidden underneath. I had the same strategy through these miles. Count my steps to focus my mind and just continue to chase down runners. I was really starting to feel the heat so I began to take in more electrolytes. I realized that I was going through a lot of water and at the pace I was running, I was going to run out well before I reached the mile 43 aid station. So I started to conserve water. Every spring or puddle I passed I dipped my hat into to attempt to cool my body down. I even dipped my hat into a mud puddle at one point because I was so overheated. I focused on picking up my pace so that I could reach the aid station sooner. Thats when my foot hit a rock hidden under the leaves and I went flying. Luckily I landed in a pile of leaves so I picked myself up and kept going. The views in this section were amazing. We were right there on the edge of the trail next to a drop off but it was beautiful. 

A few miles later, I came to a steep path that turned uphill. Runners grouped together as we inched our way up, hands on knees. Most of the runners were out of water at this point and we still had a ways to go before the next aid station. At the top of the climb, we turned off to the right onto a trail with very large rocks making it difficult to find a rhythm again. Finally, I reached the top and was pointed in the direction of the out and back to pick up a key chain and bring it back, proving that I had actually gone to the lookout. The trip out there felt like time was standing still. My thoughts were very dark at this point and my mind tried to negotiate with me. “You don’t really HAVE to finish this race. One DNF would be ok. It’s not that big of a deal.” This went on for a while. I usually have good control over my mind so the intensity of these negative thoughts surprised me. I was overwhelmed by the fact that while most runners had a pacer to look forward to at mile 50, I would be on my own. But still, I kept moving forward.

Long Point Overlook

Finally, when I reached the lookout, it was breath taking! Another woman turned to me and offered to take my picture if I took hers. I remembered her face right away. I had seen her at dinner the night before and recognized her from Team RunRun. We turned to head back towards the aid station and started talking . It was her first hundred so I began to tell her what she could expect over the next 60 or so miles. Talking to someone and seeing a friendly face instantly lifted my spirits and got me out of my head. As we reached the aid station, I made a plan for what I needed to grab. I asked Michelle if she wanted to head out together and she agreed. Over the next section we talked and moved steadily. I didn’t feel great but it was manageable.

Fayette Aid Station #1- Mile 43

We joined up with another runner over the last mile into the aid station and once again made a plan to meet up and leave the Fayette aid station together. This aid station was like a big party! There was a band and tons of crew hanging out and enjoying the day. I grabbed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Dave refilled my bottles and pushed me to get moving and not waste time here. My daughter wasn’t feeling well and I was worried, but Dave told me they would be fine. So the three of us headed out, up a long climb which then led into single track trails. As we headed out to the 50 mile turn around we started to see the lead runners heading towards us with their pacers. Some of this section was very narrow, making it tricky to let other people get by without someone toppling off the side of the trail. It started to rain steadily just as it got dark. I welcomed both the rain and the darkness. We headed up another long climb into the aid station and again made a plan to meet up and head out together. Michele was meeting up with her pacer and I was going to run with them back to Fayette at mile 58.

Ansted Aid Station- Mile 50.5

I ran into the aid station, quickly found Dave (the kids were locked in the car somewhere at this point since it was raining and they were tired). He gave me new water bottles and checked in on how I was feeling. I told him that I wasn’t eating much. They had a nice bathroom here so I decided to take advantage of it before heading out. As soon as I went, I noticed that there was blood in my urine. I have heard many stories about this from other ultra runners so I knew that if I didn’t figure this out, my race could end early. I frantically told Dave. He remained very calm and told me to drink only plain water from here on out. I remembered that I had taken in a good amount of electrolytes earlier in the race when it was hot, but I ran out of water so I wasn’t able to dilute them. The mistakes you don’t realize that you’re making earlier in a 100 mile race always have way of showing up later in the day.  

On my way out, I grabbed my poles, some perogies, found Michelle and her pacer and we headed back down the hill that we had just climbed up. These miles flew by. The three of us talked about running the entire way. I was still very nervous about taking in any more electrolytes, so I ate very little through this section and stuck with just drinking water. Before we knew it, we were heading back across the Bridge to the Fayette Aid station again. 

Fayette #2- Mile 58

It was about 9:30pm and the kids were exhausted and ready to be done crewing for the day. So I grabbed everything from Dave that I would need to get through the night on my own, grabbed a few more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and took off with Michelle again.

I ran with her and her pacer for close to a mile. I wasn’t feeling well and I knew that I wasn’t eating enough. In a race this long, you have to run your own race. I told them to keep  going. I slowed down a little to eat some more food. One foot in front of the other. There were still plenty of other runners out with their pacers in this short 5 mile section so it still felt like I had company but I also enjoyed being on my own.

Long Point- Mile 63

I ran into Michelle again at Long Point and her pacer filled my bottles and checked in on me. I told them that I would be ok and that they could go on ahead. The next section would be longer so I wanted to make sure I was prepared. My plan was to keep my pace under 20 minutes per mile. That may sound slow, but when you’re alone, at night on a trail with lots of climbing, it feels much faster than it sounds! 

As I left the aid station, I was nervous about getting lost but also it also felt empowering to be running alone. I talked myself through the trail, focusing on watching for trail markings while also working hard to stay on pace. When I have had a pacer in the past, I pay no attention to where I’m going. I allow myself to get sleepy and sometimes forget to eat. I rely on my pacer for all of these things. But out here, it was just me. I needed to dig down deep and find strength that I haven’t had had to access in a long time. A few runners and their pacers came up and ran just behind me for a while. I stayed focused on where I was going, tried to keep my feet dry on the now muddy trail and continued to snack on some candy and Skratch gummies that I had with me.

Arrowhead- Mile 71

This section felt like it went on forever! But finally I came to Arrowhead, a brightly lit aid station full of volunteers who were more than willing to help. They filled me up quickly with tater tots and perogies and I headed back onto the trail. At this point though, there was no one around.  There weren’t other trails to turn onto so I wasn’t too worried about getting lost but, but it was compete darkness everywhere I looked

I kept moving forward, running the numbers in my head to determine how many hours it would take me to get to the next aid station at my current pace. 9 miles to go x 3 miles per hour. Ok, I’ll be there in 3 hours. But if I do 19 minute miles, I’ll get there 9 minutes sooner.  Having a strategy calmed my mind. I began to run intervals and count my steps. Anything to keep my mind focused.

After about an hour, I started to close in on other runners up ahead. I met another runner on the trail who was really hurting. I talked with him for a while about the races that he run in the past. This helped us both to keep our minds off of the pain and moving forward towards the mile 80 aid station. He told me to go on ahead as we began the 2 mile descent down the steep hill towards the aid station that we had climbed earlier in the day. It was painful. My knees and quads were screaming at me as I inched down the hill. My feet were now raw from blisters that had started to form.

Cunard- Mile 80

Near the bottom of the hill, I saw the turn into the Cunard aid station and felt so relieved! The volunteers were amazing. They grabbed my dropped bag, helped me take off my hydration vest and add another layer of clothing. They refilled my water bottles and got me some hot food. I felt so grateful for these people!

The next section was flat and right next to the river.  I couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm and was distracted by everything. First I had to stop to go to the bathroom. Then I couldn’t get my candy unwrapped. I kept looking over my shoulder but all I could see was darkness. Then I started to get extremely sleepy and began to see animals coming out of the woods. I tried to eat hard candy to stay awake. I looked down the trail and started seeing other people standing on the edge of the trail. After a few minutes, I refocused and realized that I was still out here alone. Those were actually just reflectors that on the trail. 

Finally, 2 other “real” runners came up behind me. They introduced themselves and we started talking. One of the runners had run tons of ultras all over the world and entertained us with his stories. As we headed into the next aid station, Dave called me. He said later that I answered like I was just hanging out at home, not like was at mile 85 of a 100 mile race! I was in pain but I was at least feeling more wide awake and happy to have some company. 

Erskine- Mile 85.5

I attempted to eat a piece of pizza at the aid station and then continued on with one of the runners that I had been running with for the last half mile or so. We were both nervous about the upcoming climbs and stream crossing so we decided it would be better to stick together through this section. There were a few close calls almost immediately. We ran right passed the trail markers onto the wrong trail. Then I lost my footing and came close to colliding head first with a rock. I was getting clumsy and distracted in my exhausted state, but we kept moving. It was nice to have someone to suffer with after being alone for most of the night.

We came up to the wide stream that we crossed on Saturday. The morning before, I hopped across easily. The water had seemed calm and the rocks weren’t too wet. At this point though, it was dark out, the water was moving rapidly and the rocks very slippery. I really didn’t want to get my already raw, blistered feet soaking wet. There was no way around it though. I tried to step onto the rocks but ended up with my entire lower leg in the water and basically just crawled across! It wasn’t pretty and my feet were completely soaked but I made it across.

Next up was a long, gradual climb. It went on forever and we both commiserated over how long these miles were taking. We continued to wind back and forth up the continuous climb. I kept seeing the gravel road that would take us back down to the 92.5 mile aid station, but I couldn’t figure out how we would ever end up there.

Finally after what felt like hours, we did get there. I thought I would be excited to get off the trail for minute onto the gravel. But the large gravel rocks felt like I was running across fire. My raw feet seared with pain. I was sure the entire soles of my feet must be covered in blisters. I forced myself into a slow shuffle which I knew would at least be faster and more efficient than hiking.

Concho Rim- Mile 92.5

We turned down the hill towards Concho Rim and I was so happy to see Dave and the girls again. Tears sprang to my eyes as I finally let down my guard for a moment. I was completely exhausted, in so much pain and I knew that it would still take me several more hours to finish the last 8.5 miles on the trail.  I had no doubt that I would finish but it would take everything I had in me to do so. Dave was unfazed by my tears though. No matter how worried he may be, he always remains calm and doesn’t react when issues come up during my ultras. He simply gives me more food and tells me that I am going to be ok. 

So I kept moving back onto the rocky trail. It was slow going and only got slower. I was doing the infamous death march towards the finish. For some reason I had thought that on my 7th 100 miler, I was beyond this. That somehow, I would feel ok at mile 92. But running these long distances will exploit your weaknesses time and time again. And that is why I keep coming back for more. About a mile in, we had passed through the campground at ACE fairly close to where the finish line would be and had to keep running in the opposite direction uphill.

Finally, after several hours of slow, painful movement, we came out of this section of trail onto the road and some volunteers directed us to the next trail. They let us know that we were about 2 miles from the finish. I continued to run the numbers, trying to figure out what time I might arrive at the finish line. I could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel!

When we finally came out of the woods and started heading down the hill that we had started the race on, I saw Dave and the girls cheering me on. As I turned the corner, about 400 yards from the finish line, I began a slow shuffle that felt more like a sprint! I was emotionally and physically depleted but I put my poles in one hand and gave what I could in that last stretch.

After the Race

When I finally had time to sit down and reflect on the race a few hours later, back at our cabin, I was amazed at what I was able to do at Rim to River 100. Was it my best time? No. Did I place? No. But that’s not what I’m trying to do. I set a goal to run my 7th 100 mile race without a pacer, to get through the night alone, and I did it. I set the bar high for myself and by doing so, I got myself through some tough situations throughout the race and become a stronger version of myself in the process. Will I run Rim to River again? Probably at some point! The course was stunning, the runners and volunteers were incredibly helpful and friendly and the race is put on by people that really care about the race and their community. Although this race was filled with many lows, some very painful miles and a long, dark night alone. I knew going in that it wasn’t going to be easy. Running 100 miles will never be easy. It’s the things that we fight for in life though that teach us the most.

Rim to River 100 was a stepping stone for my future ultra running goals. I’m driven over and over to find the limits of my body and mind. Each time, I learn that humans can withstand nearly anything. It just takes self belief, consistent training and the ability to put one foot in front of the other over and over again. I told myself that if I could achieve this goal, I would move onto the next distance. So that means that I’ll be headed back to Vernal Equinox 48 Hour Race in a few months and I’m not leaving there without 150 miles.