Turns out my patent application for the Eastern States YOLO race strategy does not need to be sent in after all.
Sigh.
Everything went exactly according to plan for the first 5 miles:
- Sub-9 minute opening mile to get ahead of the single track conga line
- Quick movement over next 3 miles with no runner limiting my pace
- Steady grind up the first hill
I got to the top of the climb in probably the top 60-70 runners, however realized I was working too hard. The benefit of my extensive race history is that I’m now very attuned to my body and can quickly diagnose when things are going sideways before they ever get fully off track. After dialing back my effort, I then proceeded to get passed by at least 100 runners over the next couple sections. Many of them would go on to finish 5+ hours ahead of me proving that I had no business starting out at that pace. I don’t necessarily regret going out too hot though. I believe it’s good to experiment in ultras as many things can’t truly be practiced in training. This also provided me the opportunity to spend some quality time chatting up with Patrick of Bouncing Soles fame.
I was most of the way to AS2 Bonnell Flats (isn’t this a country band?) when I realized my hydration was off. I had started out with Gatorade in each of my two bottles, however I wasn’t drinking enough. I swapped out to just water and had mostly recovered by the time I got into Lower Pine Bottom. I made sure to not know/remember my splits into various aid stations and oh boy did that end up being a great decision because I got into AS3 at least 30 minutes later than recent years. In races past, this would have sent me spiraling, however I was able to stay present. Looking at my average pace, I knew I had already banked about an hour on the cutoffs and I would be able to gain some more time over the next four sections into Hyner.
I left Browns Run AS right behind Patrick Sasche (co-RD of Ironstone). I had a blast power hiking behind him the entire way up to Happy Dutchman chatting about HOTS, the ESTEA organization, racing, work, family, and a dozen other topics. It’s amazing how much more enjoyable these events are when you have someone to help keep your mind off what you’re doing. Later on in the race, I would spend time running with Patrick, Matt, and Duane along with a number of other runners whose names I didn’t catch (or more likely remember). Good times.
I ended up leaving Hyner at 6pm or an hour slower than any other time I’ve done this race. Thank goodness I didn’t know this at the time or I would have been absolutely crushed. One of the volunteers there reads my blog and asked if I was going to hit 30 hours and I just laughed knowing I had 30 minutes to cover 8 miles for that to be a possibility. I was two hours up on the cutoff though and felt good so I still wasn’t stressing about the finish.
It got dark out right as I was getting into Dry Run. The aid station was hopping with runners 4 deep at the food table. I sat down briefly to swap into my good headlamp and then was on my way after a brief stop in the porta-potty. Throughout the night I managed to pass a couple runners on each of the sections even though I wasn’t moving terribly fast. A lot of times in ultras good enough is good enough.
I got a little freaked out just after dawn on my way into Blackwell. There was a very long (oh so long!) section of trail without any confidence flags and I was worried I had accidentally missed a turn. This would have been a catastrophe as I couldn’t afford to do a bonus 3-4 miles, which is what backtracking would have cost me. Eventually, my patience finally ran out and I turned around to head back the way I had come. Thankfully, I met up with another runner within a hundred yards who had the course loaded onto his watch and confirmed we were still on course. Whew!
The grind up Gillespie Point wasn’t as bad as years past, however the drop down and climb back up to Sky Top was just as annoying as I remembered. This is hands down the hardest section of ES100 on a per mile basis. The reward though is the greatest aid station in ultrarunning. I chatted with Dave Lister for a brief minute, grabbed my blueberry pancake, and then headed back out.
I ended up basically walking it in the last 10 miles. My feet were pretty destroyed at this point with partial trench foot due to all the humidity and while I had the legs to shuffle a little faster, it was more comfortable to walk than run. With no goals other than finishing, shaving an extra 10-15 minutes off my finish time wasn’t really worth the effort even though I was definitely ready to be done. I was passed by a small handful of runners, however not the quantity I thought should be blowing by me. And then I was across the finish line with my slowest time yet at this race – 34:47:47.
Dealing With The Full ES100 Experience
I’m willing to bet that outside a small handful of athletes (I’m looking at you, Kaylee), most people fell short of their expectations at this race. Everyone knows this is a hard race. I’ve discovered there’s a large difference between knowing something intellectually and knowing the same thing emotionally. You’re always going to feel like you should have performed to a higher standard. That you should have hydrated better. Or ate more consistently. Or changed your shoes/socks more often. Or avoided the margaritas at Dry Run. I mean, it’s always going to be something(s). There is no perfect race out there. Not for a hundred miler and definitely not for Eastern States. I’ve found my issue is normally tied to unrealistic expectations rather than my actual race day performance. Despite this being my slowest finish (by 3 minutes! LOL), I thoroughly enjoyed myself out there. I relearned appropriate pacing to start a hundred. I met, talked, and connected with a number of great runners during the weekend. My biggest takeaway from 2026 though is not to check the race day temperature forecast going forward, but the humidity forecast instead.
Hope to see you out there in 2027!
