Elaina’s story of overcoming adversity and GI distress en route to smashing the all time 104-kilometer Cataraqui Trail fastest known time (FKT).
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Mike Tyson said that.
But what if, instead of getting punched in the face, you get punched in the stomach? Repeatedly.
If you’ll stay with me, I’d like to tell you that story.
Today’s the Day for 104 Kilometers Along the Cataraqui Trail
It’s Saturday, November 28th and my alarm goes off 4:30 a.m. A cruel time of day if you ask me, but I have work to do.
I yawn as I pull on the leggings, sports bra, and long-sleeve shirt I laid out the night before. In the kitchen, I toast a bagel. One last push to get a few more carbs in before the day really begins.
I put on my vest, headband, gloves, and headlamp, then drive to the trailhead. When I pull up, it’s a few minutes before 6:00 a.m. It’s minus 5 degrees Celsius outside and I can see my breath lingering in the cold air.
5…4…3…2…1.
And We’re Off on the Cataraqui Trail
I start my watch for what I know will be an 8+ hour run: 104 kilometers (65 miles) along the Cataraqui Trail from just outside of Napanee to Smith Falls in Ontario, Canada.
The first 45 kilometers feel smooth. My legs are light, my breathing steady. I’m rolling at 4:46 min/km (7:38 min/mile) pace. I’m exactly where I want to be. Everything feels easy.
Until it doesn’t.
It starts as a cramp. Annoying, but manageable.
Then the pain sharpens into something much worse. It feels like someone is stabbing a knife into my stomach over and over. I’m praying for it to stop but it doesn’t.
I look down at my watch and do the math. There’s no way I can run for another four hours in this amount of pain. Not a chance.
Then, before I can process what’s happening, I begin throwing up.
For a moment, I’m relieved. The pain eases.
But relief is quickly replaced by fear. Losing so much of my nutrition this early in the run is not ideal… Still, I start moving again, putting one foot in front of the other.
Puke and Rally. Rinse and Repeat.
Twenty kilometres later, I have a familiar, but unwelcome feeling. That sharp, stabbing pain is back. And again I throw up, this time with my tears in the mix. I desperately want to stop running. To make the pain go away.
This won’t be the last time my stomach revolts today.
The friend I’m running with at the time looks at me and smiles. Then he says something I’ll never forget.
“In ultra marathons, your mind will go to some low and dark places. It doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you have to claw your way back.”
With those words hanging in the air, I keep pushing forward along the trail.
By the 80-kilometre mark, my right calf begins cramping from the lack of fuel in my body.
I look at my watch. Two hours of running still to go.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Repeat.
The End is in Sight
104 kilometers and 8 hours, 28 minutes, and 58 seconds later, I finished what I started.
I’m in pain, out of breath, and on the edge of throwing up for the seventh time. I bury my head in my hands, crying.
When I finally lift my head and look at my watch, I try to make sense of the numbers staring back at me. I had just broken the women’s fastest known time (FKT) for the 104 kilometers along the Cataraqui Trail by over two and a half hours, and the men’s record by 42 minutes.
Performance is Mental, Not Just Physical
As a mental performance coach, I spend a lot of time teaching my athletes how to stay composed, adaptable, and resilient.
Today, I had to practice what I preach.
I had plenty of reasons to stop. Plenty of opportunities to quit when things got hard. But adversity has a way of revealing what’s underneath.
This run, 104 kilometers along the Cataraqui Trail, became a powerful reminder of the skills I try to teach: patience, problem-solving, staying present, taking things one step at a time.
As an athlete, it was one of my hardest days.
And easily one of my proudest finishes.
Hear from Elaina herself on the Fast and Free Performance Coaching YouTube channel: “She DID it! – How Elaina Got Her Very First 100k Fastest Known Time.” And check out her official FKT page here.
Elaina Raponi is a coach with Team RunRun based in Kingston, Ontario. Elaina loves helping athletes of all abilities and experiences achieve their goals, while finding confidence and joy in the process!