It’s a few days after the race and I’m flying down the stairs of my building! Still processing things, but finding today the competitor in me is loud. I keep thinking about how i could’ve dialed in better from the start and maybe found that solid flow I know I’m capable of in that first 19 miles.
Things started to go a little south when I had to stand around for an extra 30 minutes waiting for the shuttle to arrive that would take us to the start line. Once I departed the shuttle around 7:05 AM (the race was scheduled to start at 7AM), I found out the new start time would be 7:30 AM. I was a little flustered. I hit the port-a-potty and headed over to the track to try and warm up. I made some last-minute gear adjustments and did what I could. Then around 7:20, the call was made to line up at the start. I found a good spot near the front next my friend Ivan whom I ran the race with last year. Unfortunately I realized I still had my hat, gloves, and long sleeves on, so I stepped out of line to throw them out at the nearest trash can. I made my way back into the start crowd, but couldn’t get back to my previous prime spot.
The gun went off a couple minutes before 7:30 and suddenly it was on. I went out in sub-6 minute pace which felt comfortable effort-wise, but my stride was off. I could see Des Linden up ahead and I wanted to tuck in behind her, but it felt forced. I couldn’t find a rhythm until around mile 5 when the course gets more descendy.
I felt solid heading into Antelope Mesa, the first aid station around mile 7.6. I was in and out in less than 30 seconds with one bottle refilled. I picked up speed heading into Antelope and carried good momentum coming out.
I flowed along fairly well for the next 4-5 miles, but once I could see Hidden Treasure in the distance, my mind started to feel the weight of the race ahead. I picked up speed entering Hidden Treasure at mile 12.8, filled both bottles and was out pretty fast. I felt good coming out, but that good feeling quickly faded and I was scared to look at my pace.
I think maybe I let myself give up a little when I got out of Hidden Treasure. I looked at my aid station splits at that point and I knew I was a few minutes behind last year. I turned on my music, which I’ve never done in a race, not to get myself back in the race, but to lean on for survival. I never doubted I was going to finish, but I just wanted to salvage what I could.
It really wasn’t until I was close to Bumblebee at mile 19 that I got into more of a race mindset. as I approached that last descendy dirt road, I could hear the crowds and a switch flipped. I hit sub-7 minute pace flying through the crowds. I refilled both bottles, got ice in my sleeve, a cold water drench, and was out in like a minute.
I hit the climb out of Bumblebee with renewed confidence. I saw runners near the top of the 1 mile climb that I could hunt down and I was going to catch them. I was still a little nervous about losing my legs after that long climb, but locked in anyway.
At the top of the hill, the trail turned into rollers and this dude pulled in behind me complimenting my climb. We decided to team up with me in the lead and together we set off to chew up the stragglers. I was racing again!
After a few passes, I let him lead, but soon realized I just couldn’t hang. I don’t know why. I feel like I should’ve been able to. Maybe I was still worried about my legs holding up knowing we still had 8 or 9 more tough miles to go. It was a move I just wasn’t ready to cover.
I continued to comfortably grind to Gloriana Mine at mile 23.8, still passing people and hanging on the heels of Cat Bradley.
Once again, as I’d done with all the aid stations, I picked up speed as I entered Gloriana. I knew this was the last aid station and I had to make it count. I filled both bottles, threw ice down my sleeve and dumped a ton of ice water on my head and was out. It was on!
I felt REALLY good coming out of Gloriana! I was stoked! Maybe I could still beat my time from last year! Then, I caught a toe on a rock…shit! My hamstring suddenly cramped. I had to stop and stretch for what felt like forever, but was only a few seconds. I could see another runner coming up, so I got back to it.
Eventually the effort felt manageable, but I’d lost sight of Cat Bradley and the momentum I had out of Gloriana was gone.
I led another runner for a bit and we started hunting again, but I lost him on that final steep climb out of the canyon. The mood was shifting and I was climbing well!
At this point there were 2ish miles left. I missed an opportunity to soak myself in the creek, but I emptied my last bottle on my head and used tiny slurps of a caffeine gel to get back into race mode again. I was hunting. I even thought maybe I could catch Cat or Des Linden who I knew were still a few minutes ahead.
I was still conserving, but slowly building. Once I was sure I was on the final descent, I dialed in as much as I could on those rocky downs until the trail smoothed out and I could feather in that final push. There was no one in sight to catch and I had no idea what my time was, but I knew I had to finish strong and leave behind whatever I had left.
Just like that it was over. The initial relief and happiness of finishing faded quickly as I looked at my watch and saw 4:40 -> 3 minutes slower than last year. I wanted so much more that day and seeing the time as I crossed the finish line kinda left me pissed. I could feel those moments earlier on in the race pop like sour patch bubbles in my stomach. Why couldn’t I have just run like I know i can in that first 19? If only I’d looked at my watch in that final 8 miles, maybe I could’ve found an extra 3 minutes?
The questions I had quickly faded as I saw the supportive texts I received from those closest to me in my life – my sister, my coach, and my girlfriend. They were there for me, and at that moment, that’s all that mattered.
Things That Went Well
- I nailed the controllables – aid stations, fueling, hydration, cooling, prep, and gear.
- I PR’d the last third of the race.
- My climbing was on target.
- My mental game was solid.
- I was hunting and racing again.
- I was lucky enough to share the trails with some all stars.
- I came out healthy with no falls or injuries.
Lessons Learned
- When those low moments come (and they will), give myself 1-2 minutes to let it pass.
- Make and cover more moves. Sometimes it won’t pan out, but often it will.
- More trail time and more run miles in the next block will go a long way.
- This is the first ultra in a long time. That start-line focus will be there next time.
The 2026 season is just getting started and I’m SUPER stoked to see what happens next!
Feel free to check out the gory details on my Strava and follow along on IG for my next adventure!