100 Miles, Are You Crazy?
Guest Post from Sport Fit Severna Park Member, Tom Zorn
Where do I begin? How does one decide that he/she is going to do a 100 mile run? Well, for me it’s like a progressive addiction. You start out at short distances and then progressively push yourself to go farther and farther. I started out doing 5K/10K then signed up for the A10, then went for the marathon (with several 1/2s in there for good measure), then went for the 50K (HAT), then JFK 50M, then decided to go for an Ironman (140.6) and finally decided it was time for the 100miler. I think (seriously hope) that I’ve reached the peak of my addiction. I’m in rehab now and have made a commitment to NEVER do anything like a 100 miler again. No really, never again.
After making the commitment to run 100 I was dead set on signing up for the Ulmstead 100 and was sitting at the ready the on sign-up day waiting for the sign-up button on the web site to appear when I realized it was off the screen. When I realized what had happened the race was full. I’m talking a matter of a few minutes. I couldn’t believe it. I was so upset with myself for being so stupid. Anyway, after trying in vain to somehow get into the race I gave up and decided I had to find another race. After looking on-line for a couple of days I got an e-mail from a good friend of mine (John Gee) saying he was thinking about signing up for Vermont. As soon as I saw the e-mail I immediately sent him a note and said “I’m in”. I didn’t even look at the web site (BTW, I would advise others not to follow suit). So the day came to sign up and sign up I did (with no operator error this time).
Now comes the hard part, the training. Keep in mind for every race I’ve done before this I’ve come close to running the complete distance before the race, just to give myself the mental confidence that I can make it. It’s really not possible to do that for a 100. So I researched several training plans and developed one of my own and had to hope that it would work out. My training officially started the first of February and, not counting the taper weeks, ranged in distance from a low of 25 miles to a max of 75 miles per week, for a total of 878 total training miles over roughly 6 months. To make it simple I counted Boot Camp and Fit For Life classes as the equivalent of 5 miles for each class. As a side note I HIGHLY recommend these classes for any event involving serious mileage or for that matter almost any sport. I’m a firm believer that a strong core is critical to completing these events. You really can’t afford to expend energy trying to keep your core together throughout these events. You need to rely on your core to take care of itself and focus all your energy on keeping your legs moving forward. Anyway, also keep in mind I have a very demanding job (~7am – 6pm) so fitting in 5-6 hour runs is tough. Anyway, my training went really well for several months and I even got in a couple of good marathons along the way but then hit a rough patch when I did the North Face 50 mile. The race temperature was 95F with extremely high humidity. I completed the race but I was wiped out!! As I was finishing the race I convinced myself and my wife that this was nuts and I was going to bail out of the 100. I even went as far as telling my daughter that I was calling it quits. Then about 2 days later I got on the computer again and started to research the event again. I just couldn’t quit and I didn’t want my children to see their dad walk away from a challenge without at least trying. Walking away would have haunted me for the rest of my life. I just couldn’t do it. So I said to myself you have to give it everything you have and let life take its course. That’s not to say I didn’t still have serious doubts and concerns that I could complete the event, and told everybody that would listen about them. Anyway, somehow, someway I go through the training, with a lot of support from my wife, my children and my good friends.
In preparation for the event I tried to be as organized as I could. Over the last few weeks before the event I kept a running list of everything I needed to bring to include food, medical supplies, clothes, shoes, etc. I also got on line and bought two more pair of running shoes, a new Nathan running vest, another running light, etc. I also created a binder to give to my handlers so they knew where all the rest stops were, where they could meet me, how long I thought it would take me to get to each stop, where I wanted to change shoes, etc. I also included the instructions for getting to each handler station and an overall map of the course. I also started to experiment on the different foods I might need to see how I reacted on my long runs. Good thing I did because I found out I don’t do very well with Soy. Having my throat close up as I was running would probably not be good. Anyway, a couple of days before we left for Vermont I filled a room with all my stuff and organized it in several clothes baskets/paper boxes.
The race was Saturday (20 July) starting at 4am so we left Maryland on Thursday morning to arrive in Vermont Thursday afternoon. I immediately wanted to find out where the start was so we hopped into the truck and started down the road. As we got a mile or two down the road to where the start is we left the main road and went onto dirt roads. As we got closer and closer to the start the roads got narrower and narrower to the point where two vehicles could barely fit side by side with maybe have 5 inches between them. Also keep in mind that in most cases there were serious drop offs on either side, so no room for error. Anyway, we get to the start and say hello to some of the folks setting up and then head back. Later that evening we met up with John Gee and his girlfriend Kelly and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant. The next day we slept in a little. I normally would have gotten everybody up earlier but I knew the next few days were going to be tough so we needed to bank a little sleep. We got up and the plan was to have a nice breakfast at a local restaurant (The Creamery), head for the check-in tent to get my bib and to get weighed in, jump back into the truck and head to the Ben & Jerry’s factory, and then head back to the start for the pre-race briefing at 4pm. Unfortunately we took too much time at breakfast so when I finished checking in and realized how far it was to the Ben & Jerry’s factory I knew I had to push the speed limit a bit to make it there and back to make the pre-race briefing. Suffice to say when I was driving on the dirt roads back to the start I think some serious off road racers would have turned their heads. Like I said there were parts where there is barely enough room for two vehicles. Try driving at 40 miles an hour on a dirt road and squeezing past another car coming the other way with 5 inches to spare. I can still see the look on that ladies face as I screamed by. Anyway, somehow we made it back safely to the start and only about 3 mins late. The problem was, the MC decided to start early. Not good for me. Anyway, we somehow got through the briefing, had a quick dinner, and jumped back into the truck and went back to the hotel to get ready for the big event.
When we got back to the room I was organizing myself for the next morning and my wife Nancy was getting all the handler stuff ready. We finally got settled and went to sleep around 8pm. At 2am the alarm went off. I got up and had breakfast and got myself ready and then at ~3am Nancy and I jumped into the truck and headed for the start. We got there at ~3:30am. I did a quick porta-potty run, sat for a few minutes and then heard the announcer tell us to head for the start. At ~10 mins before the start they had an incredible fireworks display which really got us all excited and ready to go. At 4am the gun went off and away we went, all 325 of us. The first miles are always interesting because there are always those that take off like greased lightning, and except for the few elites, you know you will see them all again real soon. The first 11 or so miles start out in the pitch black of the night for the first 1.5 hours until the sun comes up but are basically downhill into town which is where we got to see our family/handlers for the first time (~6:30am). My official handlers were my wife Nancy, my daughter Brittany and my son Kyle. I was also taken care of by John Gee’s handlers as well. All the runners look and feel great at this point, but the day is young. This is the first of 29 rest stops (10 unmanned and 19 manned) however, we only got to see our handlers at 10 of these stops. These rest stops were like little oasis. I would always get ice in my hand held and back pack, fill up with water and Gatorade grab more PB&J, oranges, bananas, etc and then hit the road again. As the miles progressed and the hills grew in inclination and length I tried to run conservatively and to focus on nutrition and hydration. I was tempted at times to keep up with others but backed off and stuck to my game plan. The next time I got to see my handlers was at mile 23 (8:30am) at “Pretty House” rest stop. I swapped my shoes for the first time, had a little to eat and then headed out again. As I left I commented to my son, one marathon down and three to go. As I went along I socialized a lot with the other runners to help pass the time. I met a lot of nice people from all over the country and a couple from Canada. You become instant friends for the time you share together. That’s one very nice thing about these events. I met my informal handlers (Thank you Vassy and family!!) at mile 30 (~10am) at “Stage Road” rest stop and they made sure I got everything I needed to eat and off I went again. Again I went up and down and up and down through stream beds and fields and over, up, and around just about every obstacle you could imagine for several more miles until mile 48 (~2:30pm) where I got to see my handlers again at “Camp 10 Bear”. I would see this station again since the course would make a lolli-pop loop back to this station again. As I entered the rest stop I had to get weighed in for the first time. These are mandatory checks and if you lose or gain more that 10% of your body weight they can pull you from the race. I was a bit nervous about this weigh-in because it was ~85F and humid, I’m not known to drink enough, and this was my first weigh-in, but I only lost 3# so I was good to go. I was still feeling pretty good although my quads were starting to feel the effects of the hills. So far I was sticking to my game plan. Mental note, if I can maintain this pace I could be in the 24 hour range. I changed my shoes again, stuffed down more PB&J and off I went. I had another 10 miles to go before I got to see my handlers again. I put my head down and kept the feet going. I arrived at the next aid station “Tracer Brook” (Mile 57) feeling OK (~5:30pm). I swapped shoes again, got food and drink and off I went. The next station where I would see my handlers was only six miles off so I felt good about that. I arrived at the next aid station (Mile 63) still feeling OK (~7pm). This rest stop was called Margaritaville and you could get hamburgers, hot dogs, soup, and just about anything you would want. I enjoyed a quick hot dog and chicken noodle soup, grabbed more PB&J and off I went. The next aid station was 7 miles off but this was an important point in the race. This was another mandatory weigh in but also the point where you could have pacers help you the rest of the way. I arrived (Mile 70) at “Camp 10 Bear” feeling OK (~9pm) but it was now dark again. I had another weigh in and was still holding my own down only 2#. I took the time to change my clothes (since you don’t want to run in the cold night air with wet clothes), ate and drank and then off I went with my son Kyle guiding my way. The next time I would see Nancy and Brittany would be in another 7 tough miles. I’m still feeling pretty good although my quads are really starting to speak to me. My pace is still OK. I’m not too tired yet mentally. Neither Kyle nor I knew what was ahead of us but we soon found out that these next 7 miles were the toughest on the course. We encountered relentless hills through stream beds and fields that went on forever without any relief in sight. At night they had glow sticks hanging in the trees to help you find your way. All I can remember is looking up and seeing these glow sticks that seemed to be pointing straight up into the sky and go on forever. I refused to stop pushing. Every time we would seem to be coming to a plateau it was just a quick turn and then more hills. This seemed to go on forever and really took a lot out of me. The only thing that really helped me was that I love running at night. It is absolutely magical for me. My quads are now screaming and my pace has really fallen off because there were very few opportunities to really run. No matter we finally made it to the next rest stop (Mile 78) called the Spirit of 76 (~10:30pm). All I can remember is that I had to run up a very steep hill to enjoy this stop. Again, this was a well stocked rest stop with all kinds of food and drink. I had more soup and PB&J a few orange slices, swapped my shoes for the last time and then off again I went with Kyle again helping me push through. As I was leaving this rest stop my daughter Brittany yelled out our trademark “NGU” (Never Give Up). I seriously choked up. I have another 12 miles to go but Kyle and I learned that the hills weren’t as bad as the previous several so that helped tremendously. That’s not to say there weren’t hills, they just weren’t the kind you needed safety ropes to climb like the last ones. This is where I really started to feel mentally tired. I was literally falling asleep as I ran – no kidding. I knew at the next interim aid station I had to drink some coke to get a caffeine buzz to keep me awake. This is where I learned to totally turn off the pain and to just run through it. It was actually very liberating. We somehow powered through these miles and arrived at the next aid station (Mile 89) called “Bills” (~2:30am). I had my final weigh in and I’m still doing well with my weight thanks to Kyle’s constant encouragement to eat and drink. I’m now feeling really tired but there is no quit in me, not after going this long. I did my usual soup and PB&J but also had a few cups of coke to keep the buzz going. This is where my son Kyle took a break and my daughter Brittany took over. We also grabbed some Starbucks iced coffee to help keep me stay awake. I was a little worried about how my stomach would handle the coffee but it had a lot of crème which acted almost like Pepto-Bismol. Anyway, we started out slow since again we were battling some serious hills but would pick it up on occasion when the trail ahead was not too demanding. I remember running through a field at the top of the mountain with nobody in sight and my daughter asking what would happen if we got hurt. I had no answers. I guess you wait for another runner to pass and let him know to tell someone ahead to come back for us. Thankfully we didn’t have to experience that. Anyway, I seemed to take forever on these miles but we finally arrived at our next stop 7 miles (Mile 96) away at “Polly’s” (~5:30am). We only have 4 more long miles to go. I’m still battling to stay awake but now with the sun coming up it helps to pick up my spirit. As a side note the sunrise was spectacular. It was like being on the moon to see the fog covering everything below. It was spectacular. I also know the end is near so I start to pick it up. We pass several others who are now in total walk mode at this point. They look at us like we’re crazy and all I could think to mutter is that I just want this over with. I finally see the “1 Mile to Go” sign and now I really know the end is near. I figure the course can’t be that bad at the end. At this point I tell Brittany to run ahead to tell Mom and Kyle that I’m about to finish so they can capture my grand entrance on film. Little did I know I still had two more serious hills to battle. It seemed almost pathological that the course would end on an uphill. No matter, I could crawl at this point. Once I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and I confirmed it wasn’t an on-coming train the feeling was unbelievable. 26.5 hours later I finish running and stop just past the finish to mentally thank all of those I used as inspiration to complete this crazy event. I’m handed the medal and I asked my son and daughter to put it on me. My favorite part of the entire race was squeezing them both with everything I had left to thank them for what they had done for me that very long day. It was a very special moment for me and one I will never forget. I can’t thank my wonderful wife Nancy and my incredible kids Brittany and Kyle enough for helping me through this adventure. They are always there for me. I also have to thank John, Kelly and their incredible crew; my good friend Paula Carrigan (an absolute phenom in the ultra running world) for taking the time to meet with me; my good friend Nancy Cooper for believing in me and encouraging me on from Colorado; and all my friends at Sport Fit (Especially Joe, Brian, Nick, Paula, Geoff, and Kim) for pushing me through all those workouts to get me ready. One more check mark on the bucket list. I was just glad I didn’t kick the bucket! To the old lady at the Creamer that thought I had a snow balls chance in hell of completing the course….. I made it!!!!!!
Some statistics: 326 started, 118 dropped, so only 208 of us completed the course. I finished 136 out of 326. The course went up or down most of the time with only a few stretches that were flat. It had an equal ascent/descent of approximately 15,000'. The last 30 miles are rather challenging. I copied the elevation chart below. In the words of Devon Crosby-Helms, the 2008 women's winner: "Vermont ain't no joke!"
Addendum to “100 Miles, Are you Crazy? By the 100 miler’s wife/crew
It was the best of times/it was the worst of times. The End.
(No, I’ve got to write more, but that does sum it up!)
Without a doubt, this was rough, especially with knowledge that there was very little in the way of reward other than knowing Tom’s personality/drive and knowing the reward of his successfully finishing this would be that we will not have to do this again. Go TEAM ZORN!! (Again, I could say The End. But I can’t.)
I did North Face with Tom on that steamy day back in June, but I cut back to the 50K while he did the full 50 miles and all I could think about was how in the world is he doing 50 miles in this heat and humidity – and knowing he will be doing double this in approximately a month (????). We were both miserable that day and Tom told me that he wasn’t going to do the 100 (me: shaking my head Yes!) A few days later, Tom is researching something on the computer and I peer over his shoulder at the website: Training for 100 miles. The only way I can relate to this is child birth - you forget how awful it was and you do it again. So knowing Tom, I knew we were going to Vermont. And as I have learned through all of my years of running – and living with Tom – don’t think about it, just do it – because I know we are.
OK, enough about me! Tom followed that training schedule to the letter – did not waver, did not hesitate, did not complain. Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday – running. Running late at night after putting in a full day at work only to get up the next day to run even longer (we are talking back to back marathons). As crazy as it is, I admire his dedication, toughness, and drive. There is no won’t, can’t, don’t in his head. I cycled around him in the park and on the trail on occasion to make sure he was OK, had enough food or drink and secretly hoping he would stop, but I knew he wouldn’t.
Vermont. Vermont is one of the most beautiful states I have ever been to. We will go back, but I do not believe I will drive up that mountain that I drove, circled, cursed at, shook with fear, circled, cursed at, turned around, took pictures of, cursed at, circled, amazed at its beauty, cursed at, circled, wondered how deep that drop off is, circled, cursed at, stopped to read road signs and mailboxes ever again. We kid and say that Tom had it easy compared to trying to navigate the roads and directions to crew for this race, but I know that isn’t true; as one of the most vivid memories for me was crawling up this steep incline in my Yukon truck thinking this is nuts and hoping the car makes it and there ahead is Tom and Kyle just a few feet ahead – in the dark – making their way up the mountain to the next aid station. SMH! The incredible thing about this race is there are multiple races going on at the same time along with a 100 mile horse ride – all on the same trail! You are following confirmation plates which are nothing more than a paper plate with the letter “C” on it, so you know you are still on the trail!!! I can’t tell you how far apart they are spaced, but in my version of measurement, they seemed like an afterthought. And each race has a different color plate. Oh and you also need to pay attention because sometimes the locals take the plates down – aren’t they funny! But you do have glow sticks ( you know the kind from the Dollar Store) to guide you through dense wilderness every quarter of a mile – I could not have found my way through these trails with the beam from a lighthouse, no less glow sticks???? Join us for drinks and we can tell you other “funny” situations from this event, but truly, I knew, we knew we had to do the best that we could to support Tom through this – virtually 4 marathons in one day without sleep up and down the side of a mountain. Yes, we are all crazy, but we are going to get this done! I am so thankful that Kyle and Brittany were there – would have loved to have had Teddy with us, but I know this is a lot to ask of someone (and I know Teddy would have done so much better at the driving than I did). I am glad that Tom had company on his last 30 miles with Kyle and Brittany taking turns and I know I would still be circling that mountain if I did not have one of them to help navigate. Sunrise is always a good thing and Kyle and I wandered on to the course to wait for Tom and Brittany. Kyle and I are sitting on a stone wall in a field, half asleep when out of the woods comes Brittany – I’m thinking Tom has collapsed and she needs our help. No, she says: “Dad is running and he wants you at the end to take pictures.” Tom is running? I’m trying to comprehend that statement, how can Tom be running? Then I snapped out of it and knew I better haul to the finish! Tom is running!!!!! (And yes, I ran that hill that Tom is referring to at the end, I was exhausted – don’t know how he did that all day/night long!)
The Finish Line was nothing like some (most/all) of the race Finish Lines I have been to, but without a doubt, this one was very, very special. There was no band, music, fanfare or very many people for that matter. Truly with tears of joy and pride I now remember Tom coming across that Finish Line – how in the world did he do that. Pure determination. Determination with a lot of dedicated training. 30 years ago, when we got married, never, ever did I imagine that we would be doing the things we are doing – wouldn’t change a thing. Will we do it again – no. This is checked off the list – only to make room for new list items. No boundaries.
Thanks John & Kelly!!!!
