Rim To River 100 Miler 2021
Photo-Jesse Kokotek @jessekokotek
💥📄🏁Race Report🏁📄💥
Rim to River 100
100 miles 11,000 feet of climbing
12-6-21 6am start
Strava Link: https://strava.app.link/JkXN5LBNIqb
Nutrition
Before: Xendurance protein shake x 2, Endurefuel x 2, Oatmeal and PB, 2 Honey Stinger wafers
During:
PB and J wraps, go go squeeze, Muir energy, Spring energy awesome sauce, Honey Stinger waffles, combos, ramen, chicken noodle soup, Red Bull, lots of endurefuel, coke.
This was the second running of this race. I had ran it the year before but was not ready and had one hell of a painful experience. This year was quite different. From the start we would be starting altogether unlike waves in 2020. This year I would be starting in the dark and I packed all my lights and drop bags so at 5 AM I had a small panic attack that Mark Sutyak fixed with his mini EHQ flashlight. So we get to the start line go into the restaurant to find Aaron and the bacon 🥓 . We all get together and talk/hang out for a little bit in the warmth and before you know it we’re out in the cold preparing for 100 miles across the gorge. A quick pep talk from Bryant Baker, RD and we are on our way. My plan this year was to go slower than my adrenaline would like for the first 10 miles to allow my body an ample amount of time to warm up without sacrificing energy. The lack of a good light also helped this plan. About 5 miles in and I kicked a rock extremely hard and almost went for a Pete Rose slide across the trail. Luckily I didn’t fall but I knew right away I had done something pretty serious to my toe. Adrenaline masked the pain. As the sun started to rise we were approaching the Concho Aid Station. Heading into the aid station I gave Bryant a fist bump and I thought in my mind I can’t wait till mile 92 1/2 and pancakes on the return to this aid station. A small goal in my head was to make it to Concho before the sun came up and eat those famous pancakes from last year for breakfast I heard so much about. I did not get to try last year because I was in a very bad headspace and was chasing cutoffs. Over the next 20 miles I would take it easy and start to amp up the running speed and look forward to the marathon mark where I would see my crew and pick up my pack and poles. My toe was starting to bother me. It started to become tough to propel myself. Time to find the pathway to the pain. Rolling into Cunard overall felt great as I was greeted by all the @trail sisters❤️ready to help in anyway possible. I got through my drop bag got my gear and was ready to cross the gorge. I love the section from Cunard to Fayette it’s somewhat flat, runnable, and scenic. Once reaching Fayette station for the first time I went over a few things with the crew and then headed out to Anstead. This was about a 7 1/2 mile (one way) out and back. I took a headlamp just in case because I wasn’t sure if I would get caught in the dark. Once reaching Anstead I took a few shots of soda filled my water bottles and grabbed a few extra gels (GU) because I didn’t feel I had enough calories to get back. Luckily I didn’t have to use those gel‘s because they were high sugar concentrated and would’ve definitely wrecked my digestive system. On that note nutrition up to this point has been on point.
Once headed back to Fayette station I knew I would be picking up my pacer Ian Isrealsen and after running alone for over 12 hours I was glad to have some company. Throughout the day my toe had been aching but I tried to put it in the back of my mind. After 60 miles on my feet the pain was almost unbearable and I started to question if this was going to take me out of the race. The plan was to take it easy for the remainder of the race and run as best I could. Besides that I felt great body was doing well, nutrition was on point, and my crew was absolutely killing it! Through the night Ian and I talked about everything from our personal lives, to David Goggins book, and all of our culinary expeditions we had done together and the ones we have planned. He went over his extensive dessert menu that we will be executing in January at JQ Dickensen Salt Works. It was an absolutely amazing time to bond. And a mind blowing menu! He absolutely kept me on point making sure I was eating, making sure I was drinking, and was a great pacer. Meanwhile Mark has been crewing me all day and was ready to be picked up in the middle of the night for 18 miles to the finish. I was glad to be in better spirits than I was last year and overall feeling strong. Mark and I had quite a few great conversations about everything from our families, our business endeavors, and of course running. I greatly enjoyed my time with Mark on the trail. He has become a great friend over the years it was wonderful to share those last 18 miles with him. I hope to see both of these fellas with a runners bib on next year. I finished the race at 26 hours 55 minutes almost 4 hours faster than the previous year (30:41) and overall feeling on top of my game. Besides 20 or 30 miles of extreme toe pain I was in good spirits the entire race. Nutrition was the biggest thing I was proud of because I feel like I had really turned a corner. Being a nutritionist and a runner when you can go almost 27 hours with no blood sugar drops, no bad moods, and absolutely zero digestive issues that’s a huge win. I’m blessed to do what I do and to be able to cross the finish line for a second year in my dad‘s shirt.