2024 Eastern States 100 Mile Non-Race Report

Well, that sucked in a completely different manner than it normally does.

World Class Race Organization

You really can’t gauge someone’s character until they’re tested by adversity. I believe this adage applies to race organizations as well. The Eastern States race organization has steadily improved over the past ten years, but it’s been in all the little things. Aid stations have been shifted to allow for improved and safer crew access. Signage into/out of ASs are better. They added a solo runner category so they could increase the number of participants. This year brought a new buckle design and upgraded finisher’s award (UltrAspire pack). They were great when things went smoothly, but what happens when they faced adversity?

A lot of times we let the result dictate how we perceive something rather than looking at the process. An amazing process can still lead to an adverse outcome (race cancellation) based on external factors (literal act of God). I was incredibly impressed with how Ben and his team handled this very unfortunate situation. They began by giving runners a heads up during the Tuesday pre-race briefing that the creek crossing may need to be removed and replaced by some extra mileage. At this point, no one had any idea how much flooding would result from the rain that was heading our way. Clear email communications were subsequently sent about the river crossing cancellation (Tuesday), start/finish relocation to Little Pine State Park campground (Thursday), and movement of Tombs Flat AS to Slate Run (Thursday).

Saturday morning I walk down to check in only to find out that the course has been changed to an out-and-back to the Dry Run aid station due to the water levels on the back half of the course (Naval Run specifically). And then finally the announcement that the race has been cancelled. All of these changes took countless additional hours behind the scenes to make them a reality. I can’t imagine a better response from a race organization than what I witnessed over the past week. And if I’ve learned anything from watching this race for the past eight years, it’s that they’ll review what worked and didn’t and use this knowledge to come back even stronger and more resilient next year.

Crying Sad Face Emoji

I’m disappointed I didn’t have the opportunity to run my dream race, but I’m absolutely gutted for the race organization. All of the time and effort expended to put on this race with nothing to show for it. I really can’t even imagine how much pain and suffering they must be going through. Now add in that most of them live in this community and are personally impacted by the flooding and it’s a double whammy. My heart goes out to them all.

And my fellow runners. It doesn’t matter whether this was your first 100 or your seventh ES100, this is no one’s B race. This isn’t just a race on the calendar, it’s the race. While the process to get yourself to the start line isn’t invalidated by not having a race to run, it’s easy to feel like it’s been wasted effort. While some of us run just to run, a lot of us train specifically for these events. And while there are lots of other races out there, there’s only one Eastern States. For many that signed up, this will be their only chance to take part in this amazing race. Buckle or DNF, it’s an experience of a lifetime and one I wish everyone could experience.

What I Learned About Myself

I’m not the type of person that does well with change. I always order the same things when we go out to eat. Dress the same. Still rocking a waxed mustache. Run the same workouts day after day after day. Success in ultras require you to be flexible and adaptable. I’ve gotten much better at this during races over the years, but this skill hasn’t always translated well into real life. I typically get anxious and stressed when changes comes at me, however I handled the past week of ES100 changes and subsequent race cancellation much better than I have in the past. It’s not that I don’t care. I care deeply about this race, however I was just much quicker to accept that what is not in my control cannot be changed so needs to be let go. Maybe I’m finally getting wise in my old age. Hope it sticks.

Coda

I pulled into my driveway Saturday morning about the time I would have been rolling into the Lower Pine Bottom AS. After unpacking the car, I headed out for a 10 miler on my normal trails still wearing my race gear. And my legs felt amazing. I couldn’t help it as a grin split my face from ear to ear as I was already dreaming about my epic ES100 race next year. I hope to see you at 5am on August 9th, 2025. Let’s GO!