2024 Black Canyon 100K
"Be right there!" I called to my dad from the kitchen. In front of me on the kitchen counter lay all of my gear for the day - most importantly a running vest, extra clothes, and a headlamp. I glanced at my phone before intending to put it in my pocket, and saw I had an email. I clicked on it and opened an email titled TWO HOUR DELAY - 100K ALL WAVES. “Hold that thought.” I called out before relaying the information to my dad, who was planning to drive me to the shuttle pickup for the Black Canyon 100K. The shuttles that would take us to the start didn't feel comfortable doing so after a snowstorm that covered the roads with snow and ice. It looks like we had some time to kill! Unable to fall asleep again with heightened nerves, I passed the time with my daughter who had woken up around the same time I did.
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| The fam with shirts my parents got for us, those are pretty awesome. I guess "Let's Go Brandon" was taken... |
This also gave me a couple of extra hours to rethink my race strategy and quintuple check my gear. Unlike my last race, this run would be a point-to-point. It began in Spring Valley, AZ and ran 62 or so miles along jeep roads and the Black Canyon Trail to Emery Henderson Trailhead, just north of Lake Pleasant (right outside of Phoenix, AZ).
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| A look at the course, following I-17 north of Phoenix |
I built a pace chart for my wife and parents to use to track me and meet at aid stations along the way, but I had a hard time estimating my finish time. This training season was challenging for a few reasons; in November, my wife (who was 2 months pregnant at the time) broke her toe and couldn't walk for a month. Most of the training was in fall or winter, with cold dark runs being all too common. Add to that a cracked molar and a couple of sicknesses, and I was just happy to reach the day in relatively good shape. I thought 13.5 hours was realistic, but would be happy with 14.
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| My pace chart for the race |
Eventually we were on the road to the Outlets at Anthem, near the finish line where the shuttles would take runners up to the start line in Spring Valley. I said goodbye to my dad and entered one of many buses full of anxious runners.
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| Snow in the distance (but near the start line) from the overnight storm |
A runner from San Francisco sat next to me and we passed the time sharing stories of past races. Oddly enough, we had both run the Javelina 100 miler a year and a half ago. Half way along the drive, he asked if I ever stopped feeling anxious or nervous before days like this with all the experience I'd had running long distances. "No chance," I said, remembering how much time I spent the night before fretting over what to wear with the colder forecast. "These things still make me crazy nervous the day before the race, even though I know it's all going to work out fine." He laughed and agreed.
After 45 minutes of driving north, we arrived at the high school. I glanced at my watch before standing up to exit the bus. 9:14AM - that gave me 16 minutes to get my extra layers off and bagged to be sent to the start, stash a drop bag for mile 30, and take a leak.
I thought that would be more than enough, but by the time I was walking up to the track, my watch read 9:28AM. The race director’s voice boomed above the cacophony of voices around me, but I was too anxious to make out any words. I found what I thought was the starting corral just as I heard “…3, 2, 1, go!” I shuffled to the start surrounded by dozens of runners and started into the next challenge of the day - mud.
Hundreds of runners started together on a high school dirt running track. With the sun hitting the area for a few hours already, much of the snow had melted and turned to mud. I laughed as people tried dodging it and instead I ran right through it; if the start was this muddy, there would certainly be more. “This is what you paid for!” I shouted, laughing at the chaos.
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| Trail conditions near the start line |
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| More trail conditions - technically the route is through that giant puddle. |
The race had been relatively flat to this point, but after the aid station it was clear we were heading downhill. Things had spread out enough to where I didn't feel the need to pass many people and rarely had someone need to run by me as well. The miles passed easily and I kept a controlled effort for the full descent. Just over two hours in, I crossed a jeep road before entering the second aid station.
I continued running toward the next aid station, where I would have my first chance of seeing my family. I knew my daughter wouldn't be able to make it, as the delay pushed this right past her nap time (and we have learned - don't mess with nap time). I had begun heating up, so I planned to give them my long sleeve shirt and keep the pants as I knew I would be running into the night later on.
Trees and bushes gave way to cacti along the trail, and the mud had been a distant memory by mile 19. It was then that I saw dozens of tents and cars at what I knew had to be the Bumblebee Ranch Aid Station. This area had the atmosphere of a block party, and as I ran in to see my wife and dad a live band started playing.
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| Coming into Bumble Bee Ranch |
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| The crew at Bumble Bee Ranch |
From there, I started a gentle climb away from the ranch before the trail leveled off and contoured around a wide hill. Many people passed me in this section as I sought to keep my effort level in control. While it wasn't nearly as hot as I anticipated, the sun was up and I didn't want to run out of juice too early in the day. I planned on this section being relatively slow and I was glad I did - even though it wasn't uphill, I had a hard time keeping momentum. I came across my first creek crossing of the day, a relatively minor one that is actually dry in most years:
For much of this section I had "Flowers" stuck in my head. I wasn't too upset, that song is a banger. Eventually, a few steep descents led me to a new aid station for the course this year - Deep Canyon Ranch.
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| "I can buy myself flowerrrrrrrrs..." |
My wife and dad were there to meet me again, helping me quickly with the routine tasks. I forgot to put bodyglide on my back - which was unfortunate, as I had started to chafe a bit next to my shoulder and it only got worse. Other than that I had no complaints, and they told me I was right on schedule with what I had planned. I decided not to look at my pace chart all that much for this race and just run on feel instead, and this made me feel a bit more confident in my ability to plan these things.
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| The crew at DCR |
Leaving Deep Canyon Ranch with 32 miles on my legs, I noticed an odd tugging on my right knee below my kneecap. 7 years ago, I had a painful bout of tendonitis in that area while training for my first marathon and I quickly worried that it might end my race today if it came back. I was only halfway through, and I knew I wouldn't be able to run much if it persisted.
Fortunately, I was able to take my mind off of it by thinking instead of the plan for the rest of the day, and within 10 minutes I was back to consistently running without noticing anything in my knee at all. Maybe I tweaked something there on the steep descent into DCR, or maybe it was slightly aggravated by the mud. Either way, relief pushed me forward after it passed. This section brought my second creek crossing of the day, past the aptly named Agua Fria River. Wading through up to my knees, I thought, 'That wasn't too bad...' and wondered what the other creek crossings would look like. Spoiler alert - they were worse.
The 10 miles that followed were the highlight of my day. There were no steep climbs or descents, just gradual ups and downs that all felt very runnable. This section featured another creek crossing before an out and back to Black Canyon City maybe 1 mile in length, which was a great opportunity to see a lot of the racers that I had started with. Some were well ahead of me, leaving the out and back section while I approached, while others I managed to pass in the aid station. I checked my watch entering the aid station, which indicated I was about 7 hours and 15 minutes into my day. I was relieved - this aid station was ~38 miles in and I didn't want to get here any earlier than 7 hours into the race. Given the front half of the race is relatively gentler than the back half, I thought that getting here too fast would put me at a higher risk of blowing up late in the day. I turned around and left for the trail after a few minutes.
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| Afternoon views |
Much of the climb out was gentle and runnable, and before I knew it I was at another Agua Fria River crossing, this one closer to waist deep (I found a deep hole right at the start of the crossing). I pulled up to a really nice guy from New Mexico on one of the climbs towards Cottonwood Gulch and slowed down to talk with him for a bit. He shared some interesting stories before I continued on the climb and into the sunset.
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| Caught this just before sunset |
Donning my head lamp and switching to glasses, this section of the trail felt a bit aimless - I was constantly switchbacking up or down a hill, sometimes heading west, other times east. Near mile 40, the Agua Fria River reappeared and the orange course markers led me right to its shores.
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| Looking into my future near mile 35 |
This was the final creek crossing of the day, and I was grateful for that. I saw a flag for where to enter the water, but in the darkness my headlight couldn’t reach any other marker in the distance. I charged in, scanning for an orange flag as I waded through gradually more shallow water. Eventually I reached a broad dry shelf, where I saw a narrow passage on a bank to climb out. Between me and that passage was another deep creek, which thoroughly soaked me past my knees. I grabbed tree roots to climb out of the bank and continued on a rocky trail towards the aid station on the horizon.
As I ran in, I saw my Mom and Calli jumping and waving off to the right. They were a sight for sore eyes - it had been more than 4 hours since I left my dad and Calli at Deep Canyon Ranch. They sat me down and got to work. Within a minute, I had new bottles, shoes, and socks. They took my trash and unnecessary layers and I was on my way to grab some food. I couldn't have spent more than 4 minutes at the aid station before I was back on the trail - this was the first race I really felt like I didn't waste any time in aid stations. Back on the trail and moving well, my feet felt so much better in new shoes and socks. Swapping them was an excellent idea, and it made packing two pairs of shoes for the flight worth the effort!
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| The crew at Table Mesa Aid Station |
12 miles remained between me and the finish line. In all I was in good shape and happy with how I had eaten throughout the day. My appetite had certainly diminished, and I found myself relying more on gels and Gatorade than earlier in the day. I found sections of this last climb of the day to be runnable despite rockier ground than earlier in the day, and did my best to move as quickly as I could manage.
My spirits dampened quite a bit when I reached 5 miles to go - I couldn't help but incessantly check my watch to see how many miles to the next aid station, and from there to the finish line. My GPS must have made an error at some point, as I passed the mile marker where I expected to find the final aid station and it was no where to be seen. Self-pity hit me hard there on the rocky trail despite my best efforts to keep it at bay, just as a runner and her pacer flew by me at a speed I couldn't believe. I worked to keep the fun miles front of mind, and all the work that had gotten me to this point. I knew I was moving way faster than I planned to just based on my mile times ranging from 12-13 min/mile rather than 14-15 as I had planned on. I trudged along in the darkness, occasionally glimpsing the headlight of the runner and pacer who had passed me earlier.
Eventually, I saw bright lights in the distance and several HOKA logos lit up along the trail every tenth of a mile or so. I knew the end was near, and was so relieved to see the finish line. I crossed it and promptly collapsed into a well placed chair, finishing in 12 hours, 49 minutes and 50 seconds. I had beaten my target time substantially, and was really proud of my pacing strategy, thanks in no small part to my incredible wife and parents.
Post Race Thoughts
100 milers are special, but man it was really nice to run a 100K. This was my first run at this distance in 3 years and I really can't overstate how excited I was to not have to run through the night. That was my sole motivation for the final miles - I can sleep tonight! Just finish this! I know there's more longer distances in my future (and hopefully near future), but I'd like to work more of this distance into training plans in the future as a tune up race. It really is an ideal distance, in the context of running absurd distances.
This was also a great training block to go through. I mentioned earlier it had no shortage of challenges, but I was still able to get it done and feel good about it. My wife and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our second daughter, so I know things are only going to get more complicated very soon. A few months ago I thought this might be my last go at an ultra, but now I feel like I can do what I want in the sport while compromising a bit of my dedication to it. I put a lot of pressure on myself to run the most amount of miles I physically can, in order to show up in the best shape possible. I now know that 80% is good enough, and leaves room for the other exciting and more important things in life.
Finally I'm an engineer, so I love me some numbers... these are more for my reference in the future, but maybe they give you a glimpse at my ability to overanalyze things.
Pacing:
I am terrible at pacing ultras, as are most of those who run these. Everyone starts too fast. This race went great for me though - reaching halfway near 6:10, that meant that my second half took 6:40 despite being a more challenging portion of the course. This was an 8% slowdown, compared to something like 17% for my last go at Never Summer 100K which I thought I paced well, and has a much easier second half than first. More than my time - I'm most proud of the pacing strategy paying off and finishing relatively strong. Maybe I could have pushed it more in the first half, but I have no regrets since this might have kept me from vomiting/walking it out.
Aid Station Lollygagging:
My past two races, I have done nothing short of wallow in self-pity at aid stations especially late in the day. It is so hard to overcome 0 mph in races like this, so I talked with my wife beforehand about me making a conscious effort to get in and get out of them as quickly as possible. This really worked out well - it's not perfect, but Strava shows times for both active movement and total duration. My total duration was 12:50:13 and my moving time was 12:26:29, so ~34 minutes of time not running. Assuming I only stopped at aid stations, that's about 3 or 4 minutes in each station. Previously that number for me has been closer to 9-12 minutes - that is a huge drop. Granted, my past two races have been 100 milers so they should maybe be slightly longer, that still feels like a huge improvement. My wife and parents helped this significantly and I think it saved me at least 15 minutes out there.
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