Runner: Coach Tyler (TJ) Harms-Synkiew
Name of “Event”: Spirit of Adventure 100-Miler
Date(s) of event: 01/03/2026
Time to complete: 32 hours 30 minutes
Location: San Diego, California
Gear – What did you bring?
Standard running gear that I would bring for a 100-miler: running pack, nutrition, water, rain jacket, sunscreen, lube, etc.
Fuel – What did you consume and/or not consume?
I fueled off of a wide variety of things. I brought classic running fuel such as gels and drink mix and consumed that as well as snacks such as cliff bars. We traveled through a few towns and were supported by crew. At mile 30, I ordered a burrito from a breakfast spot and got some snacks from a gas station. At mile 70, I ate a burger, fries, and pop from Jack in the Box.
Logistics – What kind of planning was involved for both prep and implementation?
I was not involved in the planning aspect of this adventure. My friends JJ and Ruben, who I completed the adventure with, are from San Diego and did all of the legwork to make this happen. I simply showed up and completed it with them.
Where to find the info on this:
No public info on this. We plan on making this an annual adventure, so if you are looking to be a part of it or complete a similar route, reach out to me (TJ Harms-Synkiew) or (JJ Goodrich) on Instagram and we can get you the details. All are welcome to be a part of this in the future.
What went “right” or at least how you expected it to go?
My nutrition went very well for this. I had no stomach or GI issues. I often struggle with eating in longer distances, but I was able to eat normally during this which allowed me to stay on top of fueling the entire time.
What went “wrong” or completely unexpected that you had to deal with?
Not necessarily unexpected but this was the most I’ve every hallucinated during something. I spent the days leading up to this adventure at the Across the Years 6-day event near Pheonix, AZ and slept less than 15 hours over 4 nights. Additionally, we started around midnight, therefore, went through the night twice, adding to the challenge. I knew I was in trouble when I hallucinated a fair amount on the first night. I thought hard about quitting when we met up with crew at mile 30, but I felt better as the sun rose and decided to keep going. We met up with crew again in the middle of night two and I napped for an hour or so, which helped enough to get me to the finish.
Lessons learned for either the next trip or another’s first trip?
Obviously, be well-rested next time. Bring enough caffeine for overnight adventures. Even if you don’t plan on using it, it’s good to carry with just in case. If you are worried about weight, caffeine pills are lightweight and take up minimal space.
Everything else!
This was a fun way for me to explore the San Diego area for the first time. I had a fun time with JJ and Ruben. It was a very cool area, and I hope to be back for this in coming years.
One good story was as the sun set on night two, JJ and Ruben began to realize we were in an area we weren’t meant to be in. They did not get a chance to scout out every step of the route they made. For about an hour or two, we turned off our headlamps and tried to move stealthily together. Unfortunately, the area we were in had a lot of dogs and made it impossible to not cause a raucous. Eventually, we made it through but the additional stress, caused us to be extra exhausted as we moved through the night to the next crew spot.
Read Coach TJ’s full trip report here: https://substack.com/@harmssynkiew/note/p-211634225?r=6vgeue&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action