Forgotten Florida 100 Adventure Race
💥📄🏁Race Report🏁📄💥
Forgotten Florida 100 Adventure Race
1000 miles from home, 2 gallon zip lock bags, 100 miles point to point, Solo.
February 5-6 2022
Strava Link: https://strava.app.link/1RdMfQkNIqb
Nutrition
Pre 3am-5am
@xendurance protein x 2
Oatmeal maple flavor x 2 packs
2 bananas
3 go go squeeze apple
During 6am Sat-9am Sun
Self Aided Food/Drop Bags
18 spring energy awesome sauce
10 honey stinger waffles
1 double serving @endurehq EndureFuel every other hour (28 servings total)
4 servings @xendurance Focus
12 go go squeeze apple
Pb and j wrap
Combos pizza flavor 1 small package
2 Red Bull
Aid Station Food
MnM Mini Cookies x 2
Chocolate Chip Cookies x 3
Oramges x 4 mini
Coke - Atleast a 2 liter
Ginger ale - 16 oz
.
Foraged
2 Wild oranges
.
I ended up staying in a little place outside of Orlando and on Friday evening headed to packet pick up which was directly on the Florida Trail. There we got our awesome swag (pint glass, shirt, sweet tech hat) and our pre-race picture. I chatted for a bit but didn’t hang around long because I wanted to get back to the hotel and get to bed. Saturday morning I was up at 3 AM to head to the finish and park my car and catch the shuttle. This is where I met Bob. We were both waiting on the shuttle and I noticed he was a Cincinnati Bengals fan so I had to spark conversation about the Steelers. When we boarded the shuttle I noticed a guy sitting one row up for me and he just seemed really calm cool and collected. When we got to the start it was obviously all chaos the 45 mile runners and 100 mile runners with all take off together and we were awaiting a briefing from @runbum. He gave us a quick 10 minute briefing from the bed of his truck and let us out onto our adventure. The first half mile was on the road then we were instantly into the beautiful Florida wetlands. Within 2 1/2 miles we were mid shin deep in mud and at that moment none of us were enjoying the mud at a little after six in the morning. After about 10 km we popped out of the woods after going through some decent patches of mud to our first aid station. I didn’t eat much at this point I wasn’t planning on stopping until the 50k aid station which had m drop bag and my first pair of dry socks so at this point my mindset was get to the dry socks and take care of my feet. From that aid station we were on a sandy dirt road for a while and then back into the single track. On this road Bob caught up to me and we talked and ran together for a little while. From then on through the woods we leapfrog each other quite a few times and stomped through some mud. At one point Bob went hip deep in mud and I had to pull him out. We would take turns through the sections feeling like Atreyu. Was the next step going to be ankle deep or would our entire leg disappear. Challenging to say the least. Making quick work of the next few aid station, only filling up my water to mix my @endurefuel. I made a pretty decent time to the 50k aid station, right around six hours. At that point I remembered from the previous email that we had to jump on the shuttle to go across the divided highway so I was instantly panicked with knowing I had to get into my drop bag, switch out all my food, change my socks clean out my shoes, clean my feet and get into the shuttle and get across the road. So I hurried up I got it all done I loaded my pack first I took all my trash out filled up my fluids then on to my feet. It really was super beneficial in these transitions to learn and understand how to slow down and do these things myself without the help of a crew. Put everything back in my drop bag jump in the shuttle. The driver Kevin tells me I am the first 100 runner he has shuttled. This made me feel pretty confident….for now. We get across a divided highway and I start running down the road and get about a half a mile from where the shuttle dropped us off, reach down for my phone to update everyone and shit no phone. Turn around, haul ass sub seven minute mile back to the shuttle hop back in the shuttle with the guy go back across the divided highway back to the aid station. My phone was laying on the ground, whew, put it in my pack get in the shuttle again drive back across the divided highway and try to stay calm to finish the remainder of this race. The shuttle driver promised me beer at mile 67 which at that point was 35 miles away. For the next half mile I did some breath work to get my heart rate down calm myself while still holding a decent pace. Once I got back on course and got my head right I got something quick to eat and was back in business. I spent a good bit of the next 15-20 miles alone. When I came to mile 50 we had an a station and then we had to do a loop around the Charles Bronson nature preserve. At this point I realized it was getting colder. I could feel it once I was stopped and the Florida aid station volunteers were dressed like they were expecting a blizzard. This aid station had another drop bag so at this point I really cleaned my shoes out in a creek, made sure my feet were cleaned well, change my socks and really took care of my feet. Since I was only doing a 5 mile loop and coming back to this aid station I would eat the remainder of my nutrition on the loop empty it out and refill my pack at mile 55. So I get done with my feet tossed my headphones in for the first time it’s just now getting dark and the runner comes in right before I leave and sees me just getting done changing my socks. He laughed and said you should’ve waited to do that they’re going to get wet in less than a mile. OK whatever so I takeoff running. It’s dark at this point I have my @kogalla running and my headlamp. Soon I am in a swamp a little over knee-deep. It’s about 9 o’clock at this point it’s fully dark out. I hear some commotion in the water and then for a solid 60 seconds I hear bellowing sound that sounds like a dragon. I’m in the swamp crossing and I turn to my left and probably 30 feet away is a massive gator head sticking out of the water making the bellowing noise. For about two minutes I didn’t really know what to do but keep moving. Then I realized I’m a mammal it’s a reptile it’s 50° just keep moving it’ll be fine. So I did and I caught up to the people in front of me which were about a mile away. Once I got out of that short section swamp crossings it was some very nice runnable cow/bison pasture. So at that point Bob catches up and we are finishing the loop together and we come up on an armadillo in the middle of the trail who tries his best to avoid us and tripped over some sticks and falls right into the swamp. We both share a laugh and at this point we can see the aid station lights and begin to hear the low sound of music. Over 1/2 way I mutter. Let go! Get back to this aid station and get my pack emptied and refilled with food and hydration. Headed out and the next stop would be Kevin the shuttle driver’s aid station and beers! Miles 55-67.5 were mostly runnable with little to no mud (Thank god). Was really starting to get cold, was told the temp was 42 and it was raining. I hadn’t packed anything but a t-shirt. The goal now was to move at all costs and u the calories to help keep warm. Up to this point my only stress was the cold. Had a quich out and back with crew access during this stretch and I just gave a few random high fives to crew members of other runners and turned around. Had a good, strong stretch until the 67.5 mile aid station where we would loop around and head to the finish with the last 25 miles being unmarked, only blazed with a reroute on the course. So now the adventure begins! Met up with Arabelle around mile 68-69 and we talked shortly and she recognized me from Rim to River 100 2020. We talked for a few minutes before meeting up with Richard her fiancé. From there the three of us would finish this race together, well until Rich took off with 5k to go. We then get back to Kevin’s aid station, at this point we are a decent sized crew, Rich, Bob, Arabelle, and her pacer. We leave together and are then headed to aid station at mile 82ish and ewe had a big detour because of a huge downed tree that had taken out a bridge for a crossing. Luckily Rich knew his way around this section because I was new to those trails. I had all the maps downloaded on my phone but didn’t need to use anything but the gpx on my Coros watch. Once we reach mile 82ish the last aid station before the finish. From here we were to follow the Florida Trail blazes along the roads and rails trails of Christmas Florida. Lights and trees lite up. The sun is rising and we are powerwalking like a group of hungry zombies. Bouncing conversations and ultra war stories to pass the time. Such a great time. Richard said something during this time of suffering that really turned my mindset. He said “These are the miles we pay for” and from that point on I had a deferent perspective on that journey. Thanks Rich! Passing folks on the rail trail as they were out for their Sunday exercise, we joked about our appearance and physical abilities at that point. Trying to jokingly race the freshly out of bed joggers, just to give ourselves a reason to run again. Coming towards the park where we finish we see a volunteer and we ask, of course, are we there yet? He says almost but Sean added an out and back….So we get to the park and have to run another 5k out and back to finish. Rich takes off wanting to get in under 27 hours. At this point we look over and see Bob getting into his car where we had met that morning. He cheered us on and we congratulated him on his finish. I tried to push and kept getting light headed until the turn around. At that point I knew it was a straight shot to the line and I let it go. Sub 9 minute miles to the finish. I did it. i finished a 100 alone. No crew, No pacers, and two plastic bags. 1000 miles away from home. I started solo and finished with new friends. Rich was waiting at the line and we waited for Arabelle to cross the line and a quick celebration, high fives, pics and it was on to find food. The satisfaction and accomplishment you feel at the line of a 100 miler is life changing, but completing it with no crew or pacers is liberating. I have never felt more alive than I did in the Florida wetlands.