2021 Badger 100 Miler

The Background

After the 100 Miles to Auburn virtual run in Caprock Canyon, I had a good summer. Spent a lot of time with the kids.  Watched the Bucks win the finals.  Played basketball and lifted weights with James.  The latter was new...I thought it might strengthen my core.

I had planned on doing some virtual marathons but was kind of tired.  I did consistently run short distances of 2-5 miles.

I flew out to Chicago, then drove to Wisconsin, listening to The Rewatchables podcast on the way.  Went to packet pickup in Belleville.  Checked into the hotel in Verona, 10 minutes from race HQ.

I left the hotel around 4am for the bus ride to Orangeville, Illinois...this race would be three main segments out-back-and-out on the Jane Adams and Badger rails-to-trails.

The Race

I ran to the first aid station in the cool, crisp air. I ran / walked until hitting my first real low at around mile 24. 

It began, which continued throughout the race, that when I walked I got woozy.  I staggered, lying on the trail or sitting at aid stations at times.  This was after the first segment ending at 30.9 miles, on the one-time out-and-back to Dot's Tavern.

By mile 35, on the way back from Dot's, I figured out that if I ran, I wasn't woozy.  I started picking 2-mile chunks to run, telling myself I was running my neighborhood loop.  Start off and before you know it, you are at .25 miles.  Just a bit to make it to a mile.  Make it to 1.25.  Finish up 2 miles.

Often, I'd only be able to walk a bit before the wooziness would return.  I'd either lie on the trail or pull myself together to run again.  The combination of running and stopping averaged out to what it would have been if I had just been hiking straight.

At some point, I chatted with a gentleman from Texas named Don and the conversation lifted my spirits.  We stayed together for many miles.

The sun set around mile 50.

I took an extended break at the Town Center Rd Aid Station, mile 64, nodding off for what could have been a couple minutes.  

Along the way, I went back and forth between several runners.  One gentleman said, "I've never seen anyone come back from the dead like you!" 

I had little choice...running was the only way I could move.  Wanting to quit many times, I thought of having to ask for a ride at an aid station, the drive back to Chicago and the plane ride in defeat.  I kept going.

I basically continued running chunks all the way to the end.  We were supposed to pass through a tunnel, but it was shut down, and the detour was road with hills.  The last time I hit it was at mile 95 or so, and I started chatting with two very nice ladies to pass the time, hiking that section.  No wooziness during the conversations.

Then I was on the trail again with 3.8 to go. I ran 1.25 miles, walked a mile, then ran two more spurts to the finish.  Though I was at the back of the pack, I enjoyed competing, passing a few folks.

As I approached the park in Belleville, they announced on the loud speaker, "100 mile finisher... Stephen Winton from Texas!"  Folks were cheering.  I sprinted across the line.  One volunteer who had seen me dead pointed at me and smiled.  The time was 33:45.

I was kindly offered some pizza and coke and sat at a picnic table a bit before driving back to the hotel.

The next day, I went to see the Jordan statue in Chicago.

Reflections

This race was big deal for me. It was huge to finish the virtual 100-milers with 50-60 hour cutoffs.  Those races count as 100-mile finishes of course. But this was a regular, albeit generous 100 mile cutoff.  I went straight through with only brief breaks to sit a few minutes.  

All those out-of-state 100 milers I failed at...Bighorn, Bear, Arkansas...I finally finished one.  I feel like a 100-mile runner again, no asterisk.

I ran more than I walked, which is a big deal to me, even if the stopping negated some of it.

I think I need to work on my nutrition.  While I had been very woozy at many races prior, this was the worst it has been.  I basically just drank energy drink and ate whatever at the aid stations.  Maybe a plan with 200-300 calories an hour of gels (ugh!) like I did years ago would help.

This was one of the hardest races I ever ran because of my physical condition.  I probably felt worse physically here than at Rocky Raccoon and Cactus Rose, but my head went to such a bad place at the first two 100s because of being a beginner, they were maybe harder.

I'm so happy I finished.