Race: Hamsterwheel 30 hour
Runner: Bucky Love
Race Date: 11/05/2022
Location: New Boston, NH
Results: 24 hours 22 mins
Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/8077360242
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
- You get to see your friends, family, and crew every 4 miles.
- The commitment of the Race Director and her family to make it a great event.
- The easiness of the course. Not technically or challenging.
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
The hot food options I personally found too much or not worth waiting for. I love that the RD spent all week cooking and preparing foods for runners but not many of them were great runners food for during the event. They would have been kick ass to have after. I get what they were going for but it didn’t do it for me. Do you really need a pile of apple crisp or macaroni and cheese in a bowl to carry with you, and that is if you were willing to wait for them to dish it out as usually there was a line with no separation between runners and non-runners. And the overnight food was managed by young boys who fell asleep. Love that they tried but it really didn’t work for me. The grab and go aid station they did have set up was pretty sparse and you had to mix tailwind from bags on the fly. Overall, whereas I really loved this race, and their energy, for me at least I do not believe they had many volunteers with 100 mile or 30 hour running experience that know best how to guide runners and keep them moving. I would never want to do this race without my crew of vast experience.
Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?
The hot food options, where I didn’t find them that appealing (probably because I tried it eat it and most of it came back up), but the spread was pretty impressive. They also had movies playing on a giant screen, a live band earlier in the day, and Karaoke at night. It would pretty crazy and fun to run and participate in those types of things, if you didn’t have a specific distance goal in mind.
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
My race pace was very consistent. I employed a run 7 mins and walk 3 min intervals from the start and mostly all the way to the end. I had two bad miles in there during a couple of vomit sessions but overall I was steady and the race terrain allowed for it. I also fueled very consistently taking in calories basically every 2 miles. All of this left me feeling the best I have ever felt at the end of a 100 miles.
Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
I wasted too much time at the aid stations during the night hours because it was fun to see my crew. Watch yourself if you care about time on that. I also over did the tailwind (mixing it on the fly) so it caused me to retain water and not pee. within a couple hours of stopping tailwind my fluids starting flowing regularly.
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around
Same as the lessons above. Thankfully my friends asked about my peeing and knew the solution as I had never even considered stopping electrolytes altogether as the solution. In fact I was making myself drink more . Definitely a good lesson learned in balance.
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race
That is it flat and a 2 mile out and back with a little deviation at the end that goes up a small hill.
Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?
Meh, not really. Very standard New England rail trail and no real views or sights to see
Difficulty – Is it a tough course?
No, definitely not.
Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?
A little bit of both. They got a lot of things right but the aid station food.
Competition – Is there a strong field?
I didn’t really pay attention. My primary goal was to finish the 100 and have fun. which I achieved. I would say there was defiantly 5-6 very strong runners there that went well north of a 100 miles.
Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.
The race didn’t seem to sell out as I signed up 3 weeks in advance. I don’t think it takes much special logistics on this one.
Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?
All more comments above
Weather and typical race conditions
It is a New England Race in November. This year it was abnormally hot but other years it has been below freezing, raining, or snowing. I would say the average year would more then likely be low 30’s at night and 40’s during the day.
Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?
I would have gear for hot, cold, wind, rain, and snow. Cover your bases. There is no reason not to have it. You can literally park your car near the start/finish area and have access to all your stuff every 4 miles.
Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?
Very spectator friendly. You can see your runner every 4 miles.
How’s the Swag?
There was none that I received or saw. You do get a cool red eyed hamster belt buckle for reaching the hundred and you collect lap wooden medallions which is a cool memento to keep.
The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?
4 out of 5 because I think the well intended effort was definitely there and I wouldn’t necessarily say someone needs to run it but if they do, bring a good crew and have fun. It was a fun race and I would recommend to others if they want to get in an end of season 100 but I wouldn’t say it is an must do race.
