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| Run/Jog | 106.00 Miles |
21,000 AEG |
| | Run/Jog | 106.00 Miles | 1 Day 11 Hrs 17 Mns | | |
| 21,000 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This is it, everything I was working towards this year. Plain 100 is a self-supported 106ish mile mountain run with no course markings, and probably one of the five or so most difficult-to-finish ultra races in the US.
I wasn't super confident going into it, but I've been wanting to try it for years.
Forest Roads
Out and back to Thousand Trails Lodge and then a grind up to Maverick Saddle as the sun rose.
Mad River
A mile on this trail, lush, first water stop.
Hi Yu
Steep up to the top of the ridge, then lots of ups and downs. Bit of a rough trail.
Lost Lake
Smooth downhill back to Mad River. This section was a breeze, started drizzling near the end.
Blue Creek
Gradual uphill, nice scenery, the "Two Little Lakes" were pretty.
North Tommy
Nice flat meadow early, then uphill to the Klone Peak spur. Had to summit, apparently it's honor system though. Race director's philosophy is that the type of people who sign up for this don't tend to try and cheat. Got some light snow up there, and the idea that it's cold out really set in. The continuation of North Tommy was fun, about a mile of burn scar. Hit the road for some quad pounding.
Middle Tommy
Short, steep downhill to Entiat River
South Tommy
This is where it starts to get fun. Flat mile, then the last water for 14 miles, then an impossibly steep 5000 foot climb in about 6 miles.
Tyee Ridge
Decided here that I would be calling it quits at the end of the first loop. Spent the few miles up there hanging with a couple of guys who were struggling. Good views up there.
Billy Creek
Nice long downhill, felt good again, decided here that I would be continuing on to the second loop. The last couple miles offers some opportunities to fall off the mountain if you're not careful. Flashlight came out near the end.
Mad River
Four miles of moderate uphill back to Maverick Saddle to close the loop. Once back on the road, was back to jogging. Got back to the start/aid in about 18 hours flat.
45 minutes at the aid station, enjoyed a nice hamburger and soup. Actually felt pretty good about my finishing chances at this point given I had 17.25 hours to complete the 2nd loop.
Lower Chiwawa
Spent the first 7 miles accompanied by another runner, we were about to get sucked into the infamous "Goose Creek Vortex" when another runner rescued us at the last minute. Last couple miles of this stretch were spent chatting with someone from Iowa.
Chickamin Creek
Good steep uphill for a couple miles, then rollers for the next four or so. Seemed to take forever. Then the sun came up. After the road crossing, it was gradual climbing and really nice scenery, maybe my favorite part of the course.
Pond Camp
Couple ups, couple downs, then a drop down to Mad River. This section went fairly well.
Mad River (again)
Pretty flat, but at this point I was relegated to a slow shuffle. Everything hurt.
Alder Ridge
6.5 hours left until cutoff, found out I have four extra miles to cover than I realized. Still plenty of time, but I can't dawdle. Saw my first motorcycles of the day, and they were legion. Levels out a little for a few miles and this was excruciatingly long. Finally started to feel a bit warm for the first time in this run.
Lower Chiwawa
7 miles left with 3 hours to cutoff. Refilled water for the final time and set off. At this point I was totally disconnected, sleep deprived, and in a weird hallucinogenic state. Somehow managed to keep going, if only because it hurt to sit down. The last couple miles seemed extra long, but eventually saw the finish line and snapped back into reality. 40 minutes to spare.
Got it done somehow. Second loop was absolutely miserable. Super proud to have pulled this off, the speed work over the course of the year was key. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I will try and trick my friends into trying it anyways. |
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