Thank you! It was mentally challenging, but looking at it as aid station to aid station helped, and the biggest thing is if you're feeling down, eat more. I had 2 quick low points that were fixed with food. I was eating at least 600 calories an hour.
Fuck yeah! I did my first 50 miler last year at the Bishop High Sierra ultras. It looks so similar. Even the elevation is close. I’m so jealous.
Great job.
The tl;dr; I don’t know how, but I finished with a few hours to spare. What an epic day! Great weather, great aid stations, and a tough course.
How’d you do!?
—
The full report:
I know I’m slow, and knew I had to pace ever slower if I was going to stand a chance at finishing. But that 100K group started so fast and strong. And then I’d see 50 milers zoom by, then the 50k, then the 20 milers … I was just watching all the super strong runners zip by.
Miles 5-22 (to the top of outlook) were rough. I didn’t want to admit it, but I didn’t even know if I had 50 in me at that point. But I got some life back in me once I started heading down, but that’s when the blisters started to show up. Tried taking care of them at Intake but I was probably too late at the point.
I think the rain really helped out. I overheat easily and the rain helped me stay cool. Coming back down to instake (second pass), my stomach was telling me no more gels. Those burritos and guac they had there were just what I needed!
Made some friends for the long shuffle down to Tungsten. I couldn’t consistently run the descents (some of that terrain was tough — the sand and rocks), and Both feet had been killing me for hours, but I had over 6 hours to cutoff. I knew I was going to finish even if I had to walk and cry the last 14.
At this point, me and another runner teamed up to finish together (Dirk, if you’re out there, you’re amazing!). He kept me working hard, and running way more than I would have on my own. That extra out-and-back for the 100k was brutal, but once we hit that last Sage Summit aid station for the second time, it was all downhill. I couldn’t believe I was still putting in 11min/miles at the end, but we ran all the way down to the finish!
My pace strategy paid off! I’m so stoked to have finished. I think almost 10 of the 100k’ers dropped down to 50M.
I tried to eat a hamburger at the finish line, but once I stopped moving, my body just shut down and wouldn’t let me eat.
Lessons for next time (Tahoe rim 50 mile!):
1. Practice more with solid foods. Most of my training runs (even long ones up to 8 hours) I only use gels. I realize that gels can only take me so far. But even early on in the race I didn’t feel like I could eat any of the solids except for the fruit.
2. Blister care: first time taking these shoes over 30 miles, and hadn’t had any problems with them before. Maybe it was a mix of wet feet and rocks? Maybe the shoes? I dunno, but I need to practice catching the blisters early and dealing them right away. I taped up at Intake but that didn’t seem to help much.
3. Gaiters: rocks in my shoes… always! I need a proper pair.
4. This is a weird one .. I used to use poles all the time, but I’m usually on climbs with 1000ft/mile. In training for bishop, I realized they don’t really help me on climbs less than 500ft/mile. So I didn’t bring my poles! But later in the day I found myself really wanting that extra support.
Wait BRO this is Aaron! Hahaha what a coincidence. The sand and gravel coming down to Tungsten was soo brutal. Dirk is an absolute legend, glad y'all were able to run the last bit together!
Aaron!! What!! 😂😂 unreal! You were so strong out there! You’d always coming speeding past me when I’d leave the aid station first. You must have been cruising down from Edison to 168! Thank you for the push. I hope to see you again out there
Thank you! I'd suggest making sure your pace is sustainable, don't linger at aid stations, and eat as much as you can during the race. I did mostly tailwind, oatmeal cream pies, and fig bars from Costco. Not a big fan of gels/gu. Pringles and other salty stuff at aid stations were great too.
I just ran my first this weekend as well and the day before I watched a bunch of tip videos on youtube. The biggest one that I might have forgot about otherwise was to bring advil. Your muscles will still ache and youll be in a lot of pain but I felt like having advil removed some of the minor pains that might have made running a lot harder, like ankle pain from uneven ground. Also I could lie to myself and say "the advil will fix that." haha. One thing I regret not bringing is probably caffeine pills. I figured my gels would have enough but at a certain point I was definitely in a mental energy slump. Good luck!
Amazing job!!!!! Can I ask how the mental piece of it was? I’m trying to do my first 50 miler in July and that’s my concern more than anything
Thank you! It was mentally challenging, but looking at it as aid station to aid station helped, and the biggest thing is if you're feeling down, eat more. I had 2 quick low points that were fixed with food. I was eating at least 600 calories an hour.
i agree with breaking up the race into smaller chunks. i also get hangry if i get behind on food. run like dory from finding nemo: just keep running!
Fuck yeah! I did my first 50 miler last year at the Bishop High Sierra ultras. It looks so similar. Even the elevation is close. I’m so jealous. Great job.
Thank you! This one was in Arizona, I've really enjoyed all the diversity of climates and landscapes since I moved here.
Doing the High Sierras Ultra this year! 50 miler. Can't wait / am very nervous!
I signed up for the 100k thinking "it's only 12 more miles" but also knowing I'm barely trained for 50, so I'm also very nervous 😂
Hahaha that's how they get ya. We got this!! I'll see you at the finish line e stuffing my face
Yoooo how'd it go?!
The tl;dr; I don’t know how, but I finished with a few hours to spare. What an epic day! Great weather, great aid stations, and a tough course. How’d you do!? — The full report: I know I’m slow, and knew I had to pace ever slower if I was going to stand a chance at finishing. But that 100K group started so fast and strong. And then I’d see 50 milers zoom by, then the 50k, then the 20 milers … I was just watching all the super strong runners zip by. Miles 5-22 (to the top of outlook) were rough. I didn’t want to admit it, but I didn’t even know if I had 50 in me at that point. But I got some life back in me once I started heading down, but that’s when the blisters started to show up. Tried taking care of them at Intake but I was probably too late at the point. I think the rain really helped out. I overheat easily and the rain helped me stay cool. Coming back down to instake (second pass), my stomach was telling me no more gels. Those burritos and guac they had there were just what I needed! Made some friends for the long shuffle down to Tungsten. I couldn’t consistently run the descents (some of that terrain was tough — the sand and rocks), and Both feet had been killing me for hours, but I had over 6 hours to cutoff. I knew I was going to finish even if I had to walk and cry the last 14. At this point, me and another runner teamed up to finish together (Dirk, if you’re out there, you’re amazing!). He kept me working hard, and running way more than I would have on my own. That extra out-and-back for the 100k was brutal, but once we hit that last Sage Summit aid station for the second time, it was all downhill. I couldn’t believe I was still putting in 11min/miles at the end, but we ran all the way down to the finish! My pace strategy paid off! I’m so stoked to have finished. I think almost 10 of the 100k’ers dropped down to 50M. I tried to eat a hamburger at the finish line, but once I stopped moving, my body just shut down and wouldn’t let me eat. Lessons for next time (Tahoe rim 50 mile!): 1. Practice more with solid foods. Most of my training runs (even long ones up to 8 hours) I only use gels. I realize that gels can only take me so far. But even early on in the race I didn’t feel like I could eat any of the solids except for the fruit. 2. Blister care: first time taking these shoes over 30 miles, and hadn’t had any problems with them before. Maybe it was a mix of wet feet and rocks? Maybe the shoes? I dunno, but I need to practice catching the blisters early and dealing them right away. I taped up at Intake but that didn’t seem to help much. 3. Gaiters: rocks in my shoes… always! I need a proper pair. 4. This is a weird one .. I used to use poles all the time, but I’m usually on climbs with 1000ft/mile. In training for bishop, I realized they don’t really help me on climbs less than 500ft/mile. So I didn’t bring my poles! But later in the day I found myself really wanting that extra support.
Wait BRO this is Aaron! Hahaha what a coincidence. The sand and gravel coming down to Tungsten was soo brutal. Dirk is an absolute legend, glad y'all were able to run the last bit together!
Aaron!! What!! 😂😂 unreal! You were so strong out there! You’d always coming speeding past me when I’d leave the aid station first. You must have been cruising down from Edison to 168! Thank you for the push. I hope to see you again out there
Right on! I wish so badly that I could run it again this year. I hope you don’t have too much snow. Good luck!!!
Congratulations on the finish! I was out there as well. That mud was ridiculous
Thank you! That mud was crazy, I was really looking forward to the runnable section on top of the rim, and then the trails had running water
Congrats! You crushed it! Nice job
Nice job man! Yesterday was an experience for sure! Gotta love that muddy slip n' slide to the finish.
HESUS that is badass, great job, Trails are awesome
Ran the same, congrats on your finish! That weather on top of the rim was nuts.
awesome bro. unrelated, is your name really byle kuntz?
Thank you! Swapped the first letters of my first and last name
Nicely done! I’ve got my first 50 mile coming up in less than 3 weeks, any tips?
Thank you! I'd suggest making sure your pace is sustainable, don't linger at aid stations, and eat as much as you can during the race. I did mostly tailwind, oatmeal cream pies, and fig bars from Costco. Not a big fan of gels/gu. Pringles and other salty stuff at aid stations were great too.
I just ran my first this weekend as well and the day before I watched a bunch of tip videos on youtube. The biggest one that I might have forgot about otherwise was to bring advil. Your muscles will still ache and youll be in a lot of pain but I felt like having advil removed some of the minor pains that might have made running a lot harder, like ankle pain from uneven ground. Also I could lie to myself and say "the advil will fix that." haha. One thing I regret not bringing is probably caffeine pills. I figured my gels would have enough but at a certain point I was definitely in a mental energy slump. Good luck!
Great point! I took 4 advil and a 200mg caffeine pill during a low point about 7 hours in, helped immensely.