by Melissa Lin
Last July, Jenn Guigley entered us in a contest to win free entry to the Rabid Raccoon 100-mile race. To entice more women into ultrarunning, Rabid Raccoon has BOGO for women doing the 100k and 100 miles. Eric Kosek paid the entrance fee for 2 women to do a distance that they have never done before and frightened them. We never thought we would win. Then the best group of running friends also signed up for the 100k and half-marathon. That helped immensely with training during the cold, snowy, dark winter. I missed some training runs due to traveling, and I reinjured my left Achilles tendon the week before the race. I could barely walk into the restaurant for dinner the night before the race. Jenn let me try her muscle scraper and I kinesio-taped my Achilles. That combination worked miracles, and somehow, my Achilles tendon was fine during the entire race.
The gentleman at the front desk of our hotel said they were full. In addition to the race, there was also a men’s college lacrosse tournament and a corn hole championship in town. It was noisy, and I was anxious. I didn’t sleep well. The race started at 4 am. The 100-mile distance consisted of 8 loops of 13 miles each. The first 2 went pretty well. We were ahead of schedule. Then the thunderstorms started. Rain ponchos kept us dry and protected from the cold winds. The course became a slippery, muddy mess. We grabbed our poles for the 4th loop. They helped us claw our way uphill while slipping backwards. The mud was so deep and sucked at our shoes. I fell 4 times in the same mud pit. The wind knocked a couple of trees down on the course.
Jenn and I stayed together for the whole race, which worked out well. We gave each other good advice and felt strong at different times. I changed shoes and socks halfway through. For the 5th loop, we picked up Tania and Jeff Golden, the best crewing/pacing couple ever. Their company really rejuvenated us! We also found a new friend, Tony. Near the end of our 6th loop, Jeff saw in the messenger chat that Kristen Rothenberger was struggling. She was alone, and her headlamp had died. He went back to rescue her. After getting her back safely, he rescued another runner who was having medical issues. For our 7th loop, we got our new pacers, Jenn’s husband, Matt, and my friend, Cameron Herndon. It rained even more, but we heard and saw spring peepers. For our last loop, we exchanged Cameron for John Andescavage. There were more thunderstorms and high winds, which actually lit a fire under my butt, because I didn’t want to die. It was the perfect finish, with the 4 of us holding hands.
I wanted to share what helped me. I have no chafing or blisters and my toenails are fine. I cut my toenails short and even beveled the tips down a little. I wore shoes that are a half size bigger and Injinji socks. I applied Aquaphor where my feet tend to blister and sprinkled 2Toms Blister Shield in my socks. As soon as I felt a hot spot, Jenn told me to put kinesio tape on it. There’s a creek crossing on each loop. You can cross a bridge instead, but it adds 0.3 miles per loop. When my feet were dry (laps 1, 2, 5, and 6), I went over the bridge. When they were wet from the rain and mud, I waded through the creek. I also wore a waist lamp and a head lamp, which helped me not trip. A rain poncho kept my core warm and dry during the storms.
What I wish I had done differently: I wish I put my Garmin on UltraTrac mode. Fred Foose saved my Strava by lending me his charging button. I also wish I had put on sunscreen before the 7th loop, since the sun did shine for a few minutes.
Overall, it went much better than I expected. It was so fun to train and travel to the race with friends! The race was a fun adventure! I really look forward to our next race!
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