A race report by Karin Tursack
About a year ago, I was up in the Wilds of PA to pace and crew a friend at Eastern States 100. At this time, I had no desire to ever run a 100-miler. My friend’s race did not go as hoped, and I ended up pacing a stranger (who just so happened to know several friends of mine) for miles 63-93. Talking to him and other runners who joined us, feeling the excitement of the race, and experiencing the beauty of the area–all this planted a seed in me, and I started thinking that maybe this was something I could do. Sitting around the campfire after the race, someone said, “Who’s next?” and my name came up. The seed grew.
TRAINING
Training did not go smoothly. I began experiencing breathing issues after a mild case of COVID in December. My symptoms initially started as wheezing and coughing fits when I exerted myself such as running uphill. It progressed to constant congestion in February after getting bronchitis, sinusitis, and mild pneumonia. Now every run was a struggle just to breathe. Runs were reduced or abandoned altogether. I ran slower and walked most hills. Anytime I stated to feel a little better, I would get sick again and have a setback. Weeks of training were lost to illness. Instead of seeing progress, I saw a steady decline. It was hard to stay motivated, and I almost gave up on many occasions. But I would go home, reset, change my perspective, and change my expectations, which took work. I did eventually get diagnosed with untreated asthma caused by COVID, and I’m currently under the care of a pulmonologist.
RACE
Eastern States 100 is the final crown in the PA Triple Crown. While my training had not gone well, my other two races (Hyner 50k and Worlds End 100k) had. Though there was definitely a lot more logistics involved in this race, my approach to it was similar to my other races. Go out conservatively, keep it comfortable as long as I could, and manage the breathing.
I came across Sally McRae’s podcasts while researching and listened more during the weeks leading up to race day. They are packed with so much good stuff on mindset and overcoming challenges. So two of the questions I had going into race day were “Who am I going to be when everything hurts?” and “What story will I write?” I wanted to make sure I would cherish the moments and write an amazing story.
Getting to race day was, in itself, a celebration. It was great seeing so many people there I knew that were either racing, pacing, crewing, or volunteering. The weather was beautiful, in the low 60s to start. I tucked in mid-pack with a few friends. We started out of Little Pine State Park at 5am down the road about a mile at a nice, easy pace before turning off. It didn’t take long before getting in a conga line going up steps which lead to the single-track trail.
It took about 10 miles before the line of runners thinned out. It was also in these first 10 miles that I began having left knee pain–something I never had before. One of the positive things going into this race was the fact that I had no injuries. I took note of the pain, but did not let it distract me. (It eventually disappeared later in the race, but I’m not sure if that’s because everything else was hurting by then!)
By now the sun had come up long ago. I had bypassed the first aid station which was mostly a water stop. At AS 2, I caught two of my friends–Kyle and Chris–and we ran together for awhile. I was familiar with this part of the race as it is also a part of Call of the Wilds 50k. A nice steep climb up, a little stretch along the ridge, and back down. AS 3, “Lower Pines,” was the first with crew access. It was a weird out-and-back. I lost time there trying to maneuver through it and get to my crew. I made sure I refueled well, as it would be 8 miles until the next AS. It was getting warmer and humid.
There was a pretty good climb from AS 4 to AS 5. The combination of heat, humidity, and hills really impacted my breathing, and I was struggling coming into AS 5, “Happy Dutchman.” It was probably one of my lowest moments. But I was also told the first 50k was the hardest. And my crew surprised me being there to cheer me on.
I left the aid station up a gravel road used for 4-wheelers, but soon turned left onto a nice runnable, gradual downhill trail for several miles. It was exactly what I needed at that point. I felt reenergized.
I caught up to Kyle again, and we ran together until Hyner. Along the way, I met someone from VA who had run Western States 100. He said ES was much harder, but he lIked it better.
I arrived at AS 7, “Hyner,” at 4pm–ahead of schedule. Though my crew was there, they weren’t quite prepared. I had planned to completely change my gear (with the exception of shoes, unless needed). I had some irritation at my ankles that we put mole skin on and later compound. I noticed chafing around my ribs from my pack. I switched from BodyGlide to Desitin which seemed to prevent further chafing. Otherwise everything else was good. Hyner was also where I could pick up my first pacer!!
I left Hyner, with Mark, feeling pretty refreshed and excited. We knew there was a chance of thunderstorms, which were supposed to last around 30 minutes. Instead, there was a 5+ hour ordeal of heavy downpours, thunder, and lightning. Apparently the front kept reforming over us. The trails had already been muddy and slick from rain earlier in the week. So I had already been slipping and sliding and thus was cautious going into the “V” which is also a part of Hyner 50k. Someone above yelled “Sorry!” as rocks came tumbling down at me only to find out it was David Dunkelburger. We would end up leap frogging each other for the next 40 miles.
The sun was setting as we popped out of the woods at AS 9, “Big Trail.” Behind the AS, a beautiful rainbow cascaded out of the clouds into the valley below. We all took a moment to appreciate it. Leaving the AS, we were told to head down the road. We were so caught up talking and admiring the purplish pink skies that we missed the sharp right turn onto Black Forest Trail. It was a good quarter mile by the time we realized we hadn’t seen any ribbons and quickly back tracked. But hey–what’s an extra 1/2 mile when you’re already running 103?!?
Back on course, it’s now night and still pouring. We come across a runner and his pacer in the dark. The pacer’s headlight had died and the runner’s wouldn’t stay on. They asked if we could be their beacon to follow. For about 3 miles, we lit the way as they followed us watching our heels. It was hard enough for us to see the single track, technical trail in the heavy rain with our headlamps reflecting off the rain drops and fog! But the 4 of us managed to make it safely to the water crossing “skiing” down a muddy slope to the water’s edge.
The water crossing was supposedly 80 yards wide with a cable across it. Tethers hung from the cable that you could hold onto, but we were told to grab the cable as soon as we could and pull down hard. I could barely reach the tether as I entered the water, let alone the cable. Moss-covered, slippery rocks of various sizes covered the creek’s bed. At its highest, the water was up to my chest, but mostly it was at my waist or below. I made it safely across, though others took a little swim. Here, I would do a complete wardrobe change. I also picked up Andy who would pace me the next 30 miles.
The rain had stopped as Andy and I headed out. We were passed by 2 runners and their pacers as we ascended a steep and long hill. I would have to stop every so often as we climbed to keep my breathing under control. We came to an opening at the top and the 4 runners were standing there. They told us to take a moment and just look around. The skies had cleared and stars illuminated the night as far and as deep as you could see. This is my WHY.
This was the section I had paced the previous year, but somehow, I must have blacked out parts of it, as I did not recall this next section. As we descended, the trail was replaced by large rocks, slick and muddy from the rain. I took the section pretty slow, and it seemed to last forever. And I left part of my soul there.
After that lovely descent, we were awarded with another beauty of a climb and another descent. The trail and course markings were difficult to locate along the next section of the course. Though we never got too far off, we did stop and look around often for trail and/or ribbon.
We arrived in “Blackwell” before dawn where my crew was waiting. I had planned this AS as my reset: to do all the things I normally would before going out on a Sunday run. Eat breakfast, drink OJ, take vitamins, and brush my teeth. I also changed my shirt and socks.
Leaving the AS, we were told to just head up the road. And again, we missed the turn to the right as the ribbon with the reflector on it had twisted. So, we didn’t see it, but only added about a 1/4 mile this time. I blew the fog horn to sound the alarm we were coming into Sky Top. Andy got a pick-me-up from caffeine and food and we joined up with Kyle and his pacer Greg. The four us power-hiked the ups and ran the downs for the next 8 miles on service roads and through fern forests.
There were many small wooden bridges along the course that were slick from the rain, and many had loose boards. So I was careful as I approached one. But it only took one step to wipe my feet out from underneath me, landing me flat on my back, as I also hit my head. I was helped up and was a little dazed. I took a moment to collect my bearings, but then told myself to just keep moving. I lost Kyle and Greg on a long climb as my breathing wouldn’t let me keep up, but I passed a few runners I knew heading into AS 14, “Barrens.” Here I picked up Mark again to the finish.
For the remaining 10 miles, I power-hiked and “ran” what I could. My processing skills had slowed, and I was having difficulty following the trail, resulting in another nasty fall. I was a little disappointed I didn’t have any hallucinations, as I had been looking forward to that. But we did get to see 3 rattlers in their den (had seen one previously around mile 30 curled up off-trail, rattling away).
My adrenaline kicked in high gear as I made it down that last hill, across the road, and through the cone-lined grass to the finish. I crossed the finish line at 12:33 pm in 31 hours and 33 minutes. I was so excited to finish that I forgot to get my buckle!
My oldest had driven up from Gettysburg that morning to see me finish. She had hoped to catch me at Barrens, but I arrived there too early. It was great having her there experiencing the race and trail running community, though she still thinks we’re all crazy.
That finish just felt amazing! Many of you helped me get there whether you knew it or not. I see you and you motivate and inspire me. I channel that during my runs. My crew of Mark, Andy, and Kim were pivotal!! I’m so grateful for their support! Especially Mark, as he’s helped me through all my ups and downs and some really scary moments throughout training.
My two words for this race are “perseverance” and “gratitude.” Throughout the race, especially when it was really tough and I was struggling, I would remind myself to persevere through the challenges, but also to be grateful of where I am at, how far I have come, and that I have the privilege to be out here doing this. This race went better than I expected, and for that I’m very grateful!
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