Across the Years 2024 - 2025
December 28, 2024 - January 3, 2025
138 in 48 hour, 3rd place
162 in 72 hour, 5th place
300 total miles in 5 days
New venue this year made for some extra excitement prior to the race. The venue had all the amenities, closer hotels and restaurants, showers available 24/7, some dirt and concrete on the course. The course…not sure I liked all the concrete. There were many more turns as well so we didn’t turn around every four hours as before. This made for lower energy as we didn’t get to see everyone every four hours at least. I counted the turns on one lap and there was one more left turn than right turn. However there were four sweeping right hand curves and two areas of slanted ground that went to the right. Without alternating directions, I wonder if this will cause some overuse injuries. Time will tell. I did slow down on all the sharp turns to make sure not to rip up my feet. Only one blister on the usual toe, even though I taped it and retaped it later in the week. I will need to use a mask on one section of the course as the dust was pretty brutal but also to keep some moisture in my nose as the nasty bloody nose was no fun on days four and five.
Why do I only sign up for five days verses six people ask? I have completed four six day races and they just beat me up and I feel like I am injured afterwards. I also have a terrible time sleeping during a race and after being up for three or four days weird things happen and it is scary. So I prefer to take a day off in the week. This also allows me to earn two hundreds towards my 100 x 100 count. So I run the 48 hour then I go to a hotel and sleep and relax and come back for the 72 hour. I call the day in between my princess day.
It seems to work as I have had some success with this double and this year was my second best out of four of these doubles. At ATY double 48/72 I have gotten 273 total miles with an injury, 293 total miles and at 3days at the fair I got 313 total miles. So getting to three hundred this year was fabulous. In fact on day three I did not think it was possible and set a shorter goal only to make it in the end. I credit this to so many friends on the course and their silly encouragement. Also on the last day and night you get to see the leaders in the six day duke it out. Fun to watch and very encouraging for me to keep going.
I rented an SUV this year as it is comfortable enough for a 2-4 hour nap but not comfortable enough to throw in the towel and sleep all night. When I put the seats down I was shocked. Houston we have a problem, there was a 4-5 inch gap. How was I supposed to sleep on that?
Well first of all we couldn’t figure out how to put the seats down. Dee was with me as I was giving her a ride from the airport to the race. She immediately looked at the owners manual and figured that out. Then she suggested that a piece of cardboard over the gap might work and sure enough with my special new sleeping pad on top of the cardboard it worked. Phew. Thanks Dee.
This was Dee’s first time at ATY and she had a plan. 35 miles a day with a full night of sleep in her cozy tent. She executed her plan well and got a 200 mile buckle for her efforts. Lots of friends at ATY this year and it is fun to have people on the course that support you and that you support. I played games with Li Chym and Terri as we passed each other, So. Much. Fun.
Amy had a stunning race for her 200 miler. Unfortunately I got to witness her puking most of the first day and night, only to come back and win the thing, almost winning it outright. Sweet. Chris B decided to join us this year and not just follow online. He crushed his first 48 with great mileage and placed third, just like me. Proud to be twinsies with you. Stef struggled with a cold and air quality issues but her and Julie provided us a supportive home base. Thank you. Jess of course was only signed up for one hundred and then couldn’t be left out of the fun so the week before the race she adds another hundred at ATY. Number 97 and 98. Can’t wait to celebrate her at Badger 100. Cecilia OMG. I’ve been there when practically every toe has a blister on it, so painful. You would not be denied and finished a tough 200. Proud of you. And now you know about cutting shoes and a little ibuprofen at the end of a race when you are walking is okay. Rachel, congrats on crushing the 48 hour. You can stop setting course records in that race and put up a record in another race. So happy for you and your new beau. Try not to follow in Amy’s footsteps with the puking. Marky Mark, finally wins the six day. So fun to watch you fend off Iso’s last gasp chance and to see you manage a quality effort over six days. You finally dialed it in for big mileage and the win. Gunhild, where are you? We must have been on opposite sides of the course for most of the race. After taking care of your friend you still managed to set a bunch of records for the 80 year old group, way to represent, congrats everyone. It’s fun to know I hang with quite a crowd of bad ass runners.
Late in a race it is difficult to do math. I think with little sleep, trying to calculate things gets weird and I always do math wrong. That is my little inside joke to myself. Stop doing the maths, you know you will always get it wrong. So of course on day six I’m doing the maths and I think 150 miles for the 72 hour is respectable and I can get that, then I think 155 then I do the math and if I get 162 then I will get 300 for the five days. I was elated but then I kept checking the maths. finally I gave up and just wrote a little poem in my head, it kinda rhymes.
“Doin the maths”
Poem by sleep deprived runner…
138 in forty eight
162 in seventy two
Yo that makes three o o
Thanks for reading about my adventures. Of course my evil friend Jess had us sign up for two races while I was still trying to complete the race I was in. Such an evil friend, I think I’ll keep her. More adventures await. ATY 2024-2025 gives me number 75 and 76 hundreds with 31 of these over a hundred, but who’s counting. Me.
Just the numbers
48 hour race, 2:42, 5:42, 6:58, 11:58, 15:18, 85 miles on day one, hundred in 29:25, 30:06, 138
72 hour race, ?, 6:15, 7:45, 14:15, 72 miles on day one, hundred 35:15, 36:03:53, 162
For the 100x100 list you have to complete hundreds in under 48 hours so I keep stats on when I get to a hundred in a multiday race
