WD100k Race Report
MNLittleFinn
Posts: 4,271 Member
Well, here it is, my Race Report for Wild Duluth.
Yesterday I “ran” the Wild Duluth 100k. It was a definite baptism by fire for this aspiring ultramarathoner.
I got to the start at about 0530, met up with my friend Andy, and waited for the race briefing. The briefing was quick, making sure that people knew what color flags to look for , and that was about it, we lined up and were off.
Start to 24th Ave TH. 3.1 miles
The first three miles are a doozy, giving over 300 feet of elevation, most of which is in mile 2. Despite this, it felt good. I followed the line of runners and got to the top of the climb at Enger Tower, range the peace bell and headed for a nice gentle downhill to the first aide station where my buddy Jay was waiting.
Split elevation: 666 feet
24th Ave to Highland AS 5.7 miles
I THINK this was the section I was on when it started raining, but I really don’t rememberThis section was a bit more difficult, it started downhill, but then went right onto another of the mongo climbs. Definite rolling hills and some very pretty views of the of the city of Duluth I seriously don’t remember too much about this section, other than it was a bunch of vertical, and was run half in the dark. Section ended on another down hill.
Split elevation: 958 feet
Highland to Spirit Mountain AS X.X miles
More ups and downs, yay! Another downhill to start, and another steep, nasty climb right after that. More rolling, up and down… Starting to see a pattern here? Section included going down the stairway to heaven, 150 steps built into a steep hill.
Split elevation: 846
Spirit Mountain AS to Magney-Snively 2.0 miles
OK, this was a short section, but that doesn’t mean it was easy! All uphill, with a few minor dips, but that’s it. It was short and it was painful, but I got it done.
Split Elevation: 505 feet
Magney-Snively AS to Munger TH AS 4.4 miles
This one was a doozy, up and over Ely’s peak in Duluth. Super technical, and a lot of elevation. It’s also one of my favorite sections on the run. The views of Duluth make the pain more than worth the while. Because it’s an up, over and down, the elevation really doesn’t show
Split elevation: 643 feet
Munger TH AS to Grand Portage AS. 5.4 miles
Another section, another set of relentless, rolling yet steep hills. I don’t remember a lot of this one, other than it’s where I really first started to feel a little slow, despite managing a 15:27 average pace.
Split elevation: 840 feet
Grand Portage AS to Chambers Grove Turn Around 5.6 miles
This section SUCKED!!!!! Almost immediately I hit Pergatory, which is a set of 2 powerline hills I had to ascend both on the outbound leg. Both are about 45% grade and both have about 100 feet of elevation. Oh, did I mention that the hills were muddy? Imagine mud that is super thick, super slick, and super sticky. Then, make it on a downhill where there are THORNY bushes on both sides of the trail. Yeah, that’s what I hit. Those hills really slowed me down, but, somehow, I managed sub-17 pace for the split, making up time on the hiking and mountain bike trails. It was in here that my watch started freezing… ugh
Split elevation: 482
Turn around! I was really bonking at this point, I had been using tailwind for fuel, pretty much exclusively, and swapping empty for full bottles at every aide station. Problem was, they really weren’t allowing creaw at the Grand Portage AS, so I went 11 miles on 5 miles worth of Tailwind. I was STARVING… Those ripple potato chips were the most amazing thing in the world! Now it’s back on the trail.
Section descriptions are going to be more brief from here on out, since it’s the same places, in reverse.
Chamber’s Grove to Grand Portage 5.6 miles
I really took it easy coming up and out of Chambers Grove, made some phone calls and let the chips and Coca-Cola settle. Not much to say other than, the frickin power lines were even muddier, I totally butt scooted down the hills, getting a fair collection of scrapes and thorn holes in the process. My buddy Jay snuck over to the AS and swapped my bottles, real life saver!
Section elevation: 558
Grand Portage to Munger TH 5.4
Another 5.4 on relatively “ easy” trails. Feeling pretty tired and definitely wet and muddy. At the Munger trail TH I swapped into clean/dry shoes and socks and picked up Nikk, my pacer, got some more Coke from Gretchen, who was #1 female at Superior 100 and Nikk and I took off over Ely’s peak.
Section elevation: 866
Munger TH to Magney-Snively 4.4 miles
I was really hurting by this point. It was more walking/trudging than running now. Nikk was invaluable, he kept me going, kept me distracted and kept me motivated. It started getting dark on this section, so it was back to headlamps!
Section elevation: 804
Magney-Snively to Spirit Mountain.
A “quick” downhill section that got us the 2 miles from Magney-Snively to the base of Spirit Moutain. A LOT less elevation this time, net downhill, but with like 100 feet of elevation gain thrown in.
Section elevation: 187
Spirit Moutain to Hiland/Getchnell
This was 5 plus miles of torture! Back on those releltless rolling hills, and in the dark, and totally ripped up, muddy trails. I was feeling pretty dead, but I did get in before the 2130 cut off, so that made me happy
Section Elevation: 1076
Highland/Getchell to 24th street. 5.7 miles
Watch started dying at this point, so I don’t have good info other than God did that suck. Nikk went with Jay to meet up with me for the last push, so I was alone for 5.7 of solitary torture. I knew I was going to push through, but it was hard. One bright spot, as I was coming to a tunnel where the Superior Hiking Trail goes under a road, Brian was there with 2 Little Casear’s Hot N’ Ready pizzas. Fueled by a slice of cheese I took off only to promptly take a wrong turn and waste about 20 minutes finding the correct trail….GGGRRR
24th street to Bayfront finish 3.1 miles
Met up with Nikk for the final push and we were off. I was totally dragging at this point, I had come into the AS45 minutes behind where I wanted to be and only had 30 minutes until cutoff… 3 minutes to run a 5k on legs that had just run 59 miles…… It was slow going, first going uphill, then back down for the final push. There was more walking than I’d like to admit. Between both calves acting up, quads that were getting a little crampy, a headlamp with a slowly dying battery and, well, just being exhausted, I was not in any condition to run it. We made it down the nasty trail hill and to the paved path for the end, where that big meanie Nikk made me RUN the last half mile. Probably a good thing. I may have felt like hell, but at least I proved to myself that I had enough left in the tank to make the end look good. I ended up missing cut off by 16 minute, so my time isn’t official, but I did get the finisher’s mug and hat, so I guess that means I really am a 100k ultramarathoner or something.
Yesterday I “ran” the Wild Duluth 100k. It was a definite baptism by fire for this aspiring ultramarathoner.
I got to the start at about 0530, met up with my friend Andy, and waited for the race briefing. The briefing was quick, making sure that people knew what color flags to look for , and that was about it, we lined up and were off.
Start to 24th Ave TH. 3.1 miles
The first three miles are a doozy, giving over 300 feet of elevation, most of which is in mile 2. Despite this, it felt good. I followed the line of runners and got to the top of the climb at Enger Tower, range the peace bell and headed for a nice gentle downhill to the first aide station where my buddy Jay was waiting.
Split elevation: 666 feet
24th Ave to Highland AS 5.7 miles
I THINK this was the section I was on when it started raining, but I really don’t rememberThis section was a bit more difficult, it started downhill, but then went right onto another of the mongo climbs. Definite rolling hills and some very pretty views of the of the city of Duluth I seriously don’t remember too much about this section, other than it was a bunch of vertical, and was run half in the dark. Section ended on another down hill.
Split elevation: 958 feet
Highland to Spirit Mountain AS X.X miles
More ups and downs, yay! Another downhill to start, and another steep, nasty climb right after that. More rolling, up and down… Starting to see a pattern here? Section included going down the stairway to heaven, 150 steps built into a steep hill.
Split elevation: 846
Spirit Mountain AS to Magney-Snively 2.0 miles
OK, this was a short section, but that doesn’t mean it was easy! All uphill, with a few minor dips, but that’s it. It was short and it was painful, but I got it done.
Split Elevation: 505 feet
Magney-Snively AS to Munger TH AS 4.4 miles
This one was a doozy, up and over Ely’s peak in Duluth. Super technical, and a lot of elevation. It’s also one of my favorite sections on the run. The views of Duluth make the pain more than worth the while. Because it’s an up, over and down, the elevation really doesn’t show
Split elevation: 643 feet
Munger TH AS to Grand Portage AS. 5.4 miles
Another section, another set of relentless, rolling yet steep hills. I don’t remember a lot of this one, other than it’s where I really first started to feel a little slow, despite managing a 15:27 average pace.
Split elevation: 840 feet
Grand Portage AS to Chambers Grove Turn Around 5.6 miles
This section SUCKED!!!!! Almost immediately I hit Pergatory, which is a set of 2 powerline hills I had to ascend both on the outbound leg. Both are about 45% grade and both have about 100 feet of elevation. Oh, did I mention that the hills were muddy? Imagine mud that is super thick, super slick, and super sticky. Then, make it on a downhill where there are THORNY bushes on both sides of the trail. Yeah, that’s what I hit. Those hills really slowed me down, but, somehow, I managed sub-17 pace for the split, making up time on the hiking and mountain bike trails. It was in here that my watch started freezing… ugh
Split elevation: 482
Turn around! I was really bonking at this point, I had been using tailwind for fuel, pretty much exclusively, and swapping empty for full bottles at every aide station. Problem was, they really weren’t allowing creaw at the Grand Portage AS, so I went 11 miles on 5 miles worth of Tailwind. I was STARVING… Those ripple potato chips were the most amazing thing in the world! Now it’s back on the trail.
Section descriptions are going to be more brief from here on out, since it’s the same places, in reverse.
Chamber’s Grove to Grand Portage 5.6 miles
I really took it easy coming up and out of Chambers Grove, made some phone calls and let the chips and Coca-Cola settle. Not much to say other than, the frickin power lines were even muddier, I totally butt scooted down the hills, getting a fair collection of scrapes and thorn holes in the process. My buddy Jay snuck over to the AS and swapped my bottles, real life saver!
Section elevation: 558
Grand Portage to Munger TH 5.4
Another 5.4 on relatively “ easy” trails. Feeling pretty tired and definitely wet and muddy. At the Munger trail TH I swapped into clean/dry shoes and socks and picked up Nikk, my pacer, got some more Coke from Gretchen, who was #1 female at Superior 100 and Nikk and I took off over Ely’s peak.
Section elevation: 866
Munger TH to Magney-Snively 4.4 miles
I was really hurting by this point. It was more walking/trudging than running now. Nikk was invaluable, he kept me going, kept me distracted and kept me motivated. It started getting dark on this section, so it was back to headlamps!
Section elevation: 804
Magney-Snively to Spirit Mountain.
A “quick” downhill section that got us the 2 miles from Magney-Snively to the base of Spirit Moutain. A LOT less elevation this time, net downhill, but with like 100 feet of elevation gain thrown in.
Section elevation: 187
Spirit Moutain to Hiland/Getchnell
This was 5 plus miles of torture! Back on those releltless rolling hills, and in the dark, and totally ripped up, muddy trails. I was feeling pretty dead, but I did get in before the 2130 cut off, so that made me happy
Section Elevation: 1076
Highland/Getchell to 24th street. 5.7 miles
Watch started dying at this point, so I don’t have good info other than God did that suck. Nikk went with Jay to meet up with me for the last push, so I was alone for 5.7 of solitary torture. I knew I was going to push through, but it was hard. One bright spot, as I was coming to a tunnel where the Superior Hiking Trail goes under a road, Brian was there with 2 Little Casear’s Hot N’ Ready pizzas. Fueled by a slice of cheese I took off only to promptly take a wrong turn and waste about 20 minutes finding the correct trail….GGGRRR
24th street to Bayfront finish 3.1 miles
Met up with Nikk for the final push and we were off. I was totally dragging at this point, I had come into the AS45 minutes behind where I wanted to be and only had 30 minutes until cutoff… 3 minutes to run a 5k on legs that had just run 59 miles…… It was slow going, first going uphill, then back down for the final push. There was more walking than I’d like to admit. Between both calves acting up, quads that were getting a little crampy, a headlamp with a slowly dying battery and, well, just being exhausted, I was not in any condition to run it. We made it down the nasty trail hill and to the paved path for the end, where that big meanie Nikk made me RUN the last half mile. Probably a good thing. I may have felt like hell, but at least I proved to myself that I had enough left in the tank to make the end look good. I ended up missing cut off by 16 minute, so my time isn’t official, but I did get the finisher’s mug and hat, so I guess that means I really am a 100k ultramarathoner or something.
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Replies
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Thanks for the report. You have confirmed my opinion that I am not ready for serious trail races.
But you finished! You're a beast.0 -
Yikes! Reading about it is even more grueling than I imagined a 100k race to be
So many hills, and stairs, and mud and thorns on top of all that...
Absolutely brillant that you finished! And awesome that you were still running in the end last half mile. I can't even imagine how much everything must hurt right now, and how proud you have to be.
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Wow!!!
The thorns part reminds me of the Barkley Marathons!
Totally epic event. A truly awesome achievement.0 -
Awesome update and even more awesomesauce on finishing!!0
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You, sir, are a bad *kitten*!! Picking a 100K for a first ultra, particularly THAT 100k, is insanity, but it sounds like you needed that insanity to push through all that pain. Well done! I'm very happy you finished it!
A cut-off time has nothing to do with running the race, just a time when they can tell volunteers their shift ends. You officially ran 100K!0 -
Photos. We need PHOTOS!!
Of all the advice you received for running an ultra, which was the one piece of advice which made the most difference?0 -
Instagram link to some Pictures
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Best advice I got was to NEVER think about total miles to go, and ONLY think about Aide Station to Aide Station.2
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Can you walk yet?
I don't know how you can remember all the different stages well enough to write a report. Me, I'd be:
There were hills. And some aid stations. I had some Coke. Someone paced me, think I wrote his name down somewhere but it's all a blur. I finished. Did I finish? Am I still dreaming? Are the shadows out to get me? Can I sleep now?
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girlinahat wrote: »Can you walk yet?
I don't know how you can remember all the different stages well enough to write a report. Me, I'd be:
There were hills. And some aid stations. I had some Coke. Someone paced me, think I wrote his name down somewhere but it's all a blur. I finished. Did I finish? Am I still dreaming? Are the shadows out to get me? Can I sleep now?
I could remember vague things about each section, and I had turned off the auto-lap feature on my Garmin, so every time I left an Aide Station, I started a new "lap" That made it a lot easier to remember things. Also, reviewing the maps jarred my memory so I could remember even more.0 -
Congratulations! Amazing accomplishment. I love the advice you posted about "just get from aide station to aide station". With cycling long distances I tend to think of how many miles are left but if I would think of what you said it would help.
I was proud of my 100K mile bike ride on Sunday, but you ran that! Much harder!1 -
Results are in. I guess I can officially call myself a finisher now, since my name is on the list. Total time of 18:15:51 for an average pace of 17:41. Only 37 out of 74 starters finished the 100k, I guess there was a bunch of experienced ultra runners who I outlasted, according to my friends.... Still really hard to comprehend what I did.9
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Holy cow. That is such a tremendous accomplishment. I don't know how you've gotten out of bed since you finished.0
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Erik, I know several of the names on the finishers list who didn't finish much sooner than you. You had a very respectable time!2
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Erik, I know several of the names on the finishers list who didn't finish much sooner than you. You had a very respectable time!
That's cool to hear. I only knew 1 other 100k runner and he DNF'ed at the Highland AS. Me finishing when so many others DNF'ed is giving me trouble.... is that weird? I don't think myself as anything other than a novice.0 -
MNLittleFinn wrote: »Erik, I know several of the names on the finishers list who didn't finish much sooner than you. You had a very respectable time!
That's cool to hear. I only knew 1 other 100k runner and he DNF'ed at the Highland AS. Me finishing when so many others DNF'ed is giving me trouble.... is that weird? I don't think myself as anything other than a novice.
You don't have to be an experienced ultrarunner to have a strong will, grit, and determination. You definitely put the required training in. It just came down to you having what it takes to power through, and suffer through, the course that day. The DNF'rs had their reasons for quitting. You may have had the same reasons to quit, but you had more reason to continue.
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I know with the weather, I was just in the drone zone after 40 miles, plodding along. I only know the one DNR'r and he just had bad luck that he missed a cut off. He has better trail marathon and road marathon times than I do, which has really made me think about how much of ultra running isn't the cardio or strength in a runner as much as being able to find a rhythm that works for me that I can sustain. When I dropped my buddy at the first AS, I was totally expecting him to catch up and pass me before the second. It just wasn't his day. Good lesson for me to remember if/when I get a DNF, sometimes it really is out of my control, and I just need to keep plugging away.You don't have to be an experienced ultrarunner to have a strong will, grit, and determination. You definitely put the required training in. It just came down to you having what it takes to power through, and suffer through, the course that day. The DNF'rs had their reasons for quitting. You may have had the same reasons to quit, but you had more reason to continue.
Is it odd to say that my first ultra was an existential experience that I'm still processing?
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MNLittleFinn wrote: »Instagram link to some Pictures
That sunrise photo over Duluth..WOW!0 -
Hey Erik, congrats for your achievement and thanks for sharing this. I am preparing for a trail 46k marathon next year and you sir are an example! Again, CONGRATS!!2
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Thanks everyone. I went into the race with really no expectations, other than to do my best. I knew it was a hard course, and I was kind of expecting a DNF, but had told myself it would be a DNF by choice, so I kept on plugging away. I can honestly say that it was the hardest thing I have done.
Scott Jurek wrote“The longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind--a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.”
And I really think that he was onto something. It sounds cliche to say it, but going that far and moving that long was something of an existential "mountain top" experience. I've honestly been having a hard time processing what it means to me, and how much of an accomplishment it is.
I know, logically, that it was a pretty BFD, but there's a part of me (make that a BIG part) that's unwilling to see what I do as anything special. I might be reading too much into it, but I really do feel different after the race.... I'm not sure in what way though.... I never thought that going for ultra would literally change my view of things, but now I'm looking at things differently, but still not sure what's different.
Thanks for listening to/reading the rambling!0 -
MNLittleFinn wrote: »Erik, I know several of the names on the finishers list who didn't finish much sooner than you. You had a very respectable time!
That's cool to hear. I only knew 1 other 100k runner and he DNF'ed at the Highland AS. Me finishing when so many others DNF'ed is giving me trouble.... is that weird? I don't think myself as anything other than a novice.
This is normal. I have trouble thinking of myself as an experienced marathon runner, because I don't think I've got a marathon right yet. Other runners looked at me as a very experienced marathon runner after I ran my first Boston.
I don't think it takes two 100K trail races to qualify as an experienced ultra runner. You finished one, and you want to run another? You're an ultra runner. Novices will look to you for advice.0 -
@MNLittleFinn which piece of equipment or article of clothing worked really well for you on the race?
Which piece of equipment or article of clothing was worthless or near worthless?0 -
@MNLittleFinn which piece of equipment or article of clothing worked really well for you on the race?
Which piece of equipment or article of clothing was worthless or near worthless?
Honestly, almost all of my gear worked amazing, but highest Props goes to my Ultimate Direction Jurek FKT vest, My Altra Superior shoes and My smartwool socks. They really stood up the the challenge of the day. With the nasty mud, my shoes and socks took a beating but still did their job admirably.
My only disappointment was my Brooks Cascadia shoes, that I changed into at mile 42. They definitely didn't have the grip I needed on wet rock on tired legs. It may have been the tiredness, but I was really slipping those last miles.1 -
@MNLittleFinn how many pairs of shoes did you use on the race?
I love my UD vest. It's a Jurek model, but not the FKT.0 -
@MNLittleFinn how many pairs of shoes did you use on the race?
I love my UD vest. It's a Jurek model, but not the FKT.
Just the 2 pairs. I ran in the altras for the first 42 miles and the Brooks for the last 20. If/when I run further in a race, I'm planning on at least 3 pairs of shoes.
One caveat on my Brooks, If the trail hadn't been a slimy mudfest full of big wet rocks, I think they would have performed better, they are not a mud shoe at all, and have performed well for me in the past, on single track that was dry.
Oh, one more thing I should have had a spare battery or 2 for my lamp. it was getting pretty dim in the end and that probably added a few minutes onto my time.1 -
MNLittleFinn wrote: »Oh, one more thing I should have had a spare battery or 2 for my lamp. it was getting pretty dim in the end and that probably added a few minutes onto my time.
On a trail like that, that would be a good idea. When I run trails at night and using lamps (I frequently run in the dark without any) I like have two to better light up the area. One on my head and one in my hand. When I hit a rock field the light in my hand does a better job showing me the rocks. A lamp on the head gives you a 2D effect when you really need 3D vision. And, if one goes out, I still have one which works.
Ultimately I want to get rid of the headlamp and use a lamp on my waist and one in my hand.
Spare batteries would also be a great idea for your drop bags. I need to start my Zumbro list soon while I think of things. I didn't' have to deal with night running at the Chippewa 50K.
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What would you do differently, if anything, about your on-course nutrition? It sounds like you got behind on the first half. Would you still go the Tailwind route the whole way?
I brought my home-cured bacon with me at Chippewa and that was DIVINE! Salt, protein and fat, just what ever ultra runner needs.0 -
My light was a belt light. Loved it. A belt light and a handheld would/will be great. Spare batteries for drop bags and call it good
For nutrition, it really came down to bad planning. I really think that if I had had a refill for the grand postage AS I would have been fine. I'm planning on keeping going with tailwind but maybe supplement with other food. The tailwind really sits wrll with me and is calories and electrolyte combined, so i love it that way.1
This discussion has been closed.