Race: Kodiak 100

Runner: Chris B

Race Date: 8/16/19

Race Location: Big Bear CA

The night started well, focusing on a conservative pace. Fast hiking over running.

When I got to mile 25 AS, I was tired negotiating the canyons (3k feet descent over 2 miles followed by 3k feet climb over 2 miles – yeah it was brutal) but in good spirits.

When I left that AS, I was unprepared for the cold and it completely wrecked me (I learned later the temps dropped down to 32 degrees, from a daytime high of 94 degrees. I forgot we were above 8000 feet). My pace slowed to a crawl. My night was really rough. When the sun came up, I felt like I had nothing left in the tank. I focused on fixing this by eating as much as possible and it worked. Place ranking went from 147th to 129th. I was chasing the cutoff but dropping was never an option.

I was determined to get to Mile 55 AS but got increasingly tired and begin doubting myself. I kept moving and was still passing runners slower than me. I was disappointed when I missed the cutoff at that AS. By 15 minutes.

Before I forget, hallucinations. Big time. “People” in trees calling my name. It freaked the hell out of me.

At point, my goal was to make it to mile 65 AS. At least. I am incredibly grateful to those who sacrificed their time and energy to look out for me this weekend. I hope to return the favor soon. I know I’ll get finish a hundred mile very soon. Obviously I have no problem with 50 milers 🙂 and I don’t want to lose my current level of fitness.

Things I learned: I I have become better at recognizing my highs and my lows. It’s really not as scary as it used to be 🙂 Lastly, my heat training paid off tremendously. The heat of the day had runners dropping like flies. I wasn’t impacted in the least. I did it right this time.

Pictures from the day: