Eighth time is a charm. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, then you know this is my favorite race. And it’s not even close. I love everything about ES100. The course is drop dead gorgeous. The volunteers are amazing. The community is awesome. The race organization is world class. If…
Time For A Tune-up
I have a confession to make. I don’t really train for ultras anymore. My first 3-5 years were composed of a 20 week training block followed by a race then a month of downtime/recovery. Rinse and repeat. It was a pretty epic grind to build up my endurance base. Once I had finished 10-15 ultras…
There’s A First Time For Everything
Eastern States 100 is my favorite race. By far. And it’s not even really close. I love everything about the race, the course, and the organization behind it (Eastern States Trail-Endurance Alliance). Every year I’m excited to head back to Little Pine State Park to start my circumnavigation of Pine Creek. ES100 is the final…
2025 Eastern States 100 Race Report
As I pass by Harrisburg on my drive up to Waterville, I got beeped at by a passing car. This was right where a bunch of highways merge and split off and I’m thinking “uh-oh, did I just cut someone off?” (it’s happened before). The driver flashed me the peace sign though so he probably…
2025 Eastern States 100 Preview
It’s kinda crazy to think that this is the tenth ES100 that I’ve signed up for. Unfortunately, I don’t have 9 buckles to show for this. I have 6 buckles and three partial refunds. One year the race was cancelled due to an issue with their communications team (ham radio operator backed out). Then there…
2025 ES100 Runner Data
When I started out running ultras I used to look at the runner data for races that I was signed up for. How many races they had run, number of hundreds, age, gender, length of ultra career; that sort of thing. I was curious to see what type of person signed up for these events…
Viaduct Plan B
I was planning to use the Viaduct 100M race last weekend as the primary training stimulus leading into Eastern States, however the race ended up being cancelled due to downed trees on the course. I think I’ve gotten faster at the hundred mile distance this year due to all the hundreds that I’ve been running…
It’s June. . . But ES100 Is Coming
What motivates you to train for ultras? How do you get out of bed before light when it’s raining outside? What forces you to do add that second (or third) workout to your weekly schedule? Or the extra repeat when your lungs are shot and your legs completely fried? The back-to-back long runs? How do…
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…
2024 Eastern States 100 Preview
This will be my seventh trip to Little Pine State Park. While it’s true I always look forward to my hundred mile races, I’m especially excited for this year’s ES100. I’m coming off two amazing events and my fingers are crossed that the Summer of Phil can continue for one more race. The Dream Race…