The family came along for the trip to Whitewater Wisconisin for the Kettle Moraine Ultra and my 3rd attempt at 100 mile distance. Attempt number 1 resulted in a DQ/DNF when I turned early on an out and back section and went off course at mile 60. Attempt #2 was a DNS of Rocky Racoon 100 due to illness the week of the race, and not even making the trip to TX.
This attempt started with a rather taxing trip up I-65 from Indiana through (around) Chicago on Friday afternoon prior to the race on Saturday. It took about 7 hours with all the stops and traffic, but, we made to the hotel by about 2pm Central.
Checked in to hotel got settled and then headed over to packet pickup. Solid race with great organization, directions, and friendly attentive volunteers. We njoyed the local eatery, and some relaxed pool time back at hotel and laid down around 9pm. Kids took a little longer to settle down... ;(
Race start at 6 am was alot easier than anticipated with the kids not used to waking up that early. We made it over while the sun came up and I dropped my gear and said my goodbyes as the wife and kids went to start their day elsewhere. The gun went off and I found myself what seemed to be near the lead 100mile group. 100k started at same time, so, hard to tell really. We settled in to some leap frogging at a relaxed pace in some cooler temperatures throughout the morning. Chating with the guys as they came and went, I felt like I had settled in to a realistic 9-9:30 pace on sections with little climbing or technical features. As the morning wore on and we emerged in to an exposed more open section of the trail, we watched as a storm began to build and mount somewhere off to the West. It rolled in quickly and brought some good rainfall over a period of about 2 hours.
The first section being an out-and back 63 miles (100k ?), meant that we would have about 500 people following us over the same terrain and beating up the once dirt/grass trail for the re journey. As we turned around at about 30 miles / (GPSed) 5hours, the rain died down and we quickly discovered the muddy slop that had the trail had become. 15 miles of the next 20 were unrunnable sloppy mud hole. By the time I had come back to the open exposed area (~ 8 miles worth), my legs were not responding, and the sun had come out. Now, I was staring down sloppy mud with the sun glaring down, humidity and heat up in the upper 80's - Yeah Not good. I walked most the last 8 miles in to a manned aid station and called it quits at the 54.X mile point. Got to bed at reasonable time at least, and made the drive home the following morning.
10 miles - 1:30
20 miles - 3:03 (1:32)
30 miles - 5:03 (2hrs)
40 miles - 7:14 (2:11)
50 miles - 9:40 (2:36) -- and... done when I limped in to 54.25 mile "Bluff Aid Station".
Definitely on the negative side of the fence about ever trying another organized 100 mile attempt at this point.
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