This was our first attempt at a 24-hour track race. We weren't sure what to expect: on the one hand it seemed like it would be a lot easier than the two trail 100-milers we had completed, because it was 100% flat without rocks or roots. But on the other hand, we were worried it would be psychologically deadly to run around the same boring track for 24 hours. It turns out we were wrong on both counts! It was A LOT harder physically than we had imagined, because we didn't get the "breaks" of uphill or downhill running to use different muscles. It was also a lot more interesting than we had imagined - the track was pretty and full of interesting people to pass, get passed by, talk with, cheer for, etc.

The race started at 9am, and we ran a few laps together but quickly separated, as Daniel took off at a faster pace with Jasper. My goal was to click off ~3 minute laps while it was light out, and reevaluate after sunset. I did pretty much that, and made it halfway to my goal, with 63 miles at 8pm. But I was pretty tired by that point. Around 9:30pm I suffered a total bonk. I ended up walking for 2.5 hours. I tried running a few laps, but never made it more than one lap at a time. But I guess I was slowly refueling, and a few people were being really encouraging and telling me to get moving again. Just before midnight, I walked a few laps with Yiannis Kouris (who had just broken the world record for the 48-hour run), which was really inspiring. Everybody paused just before midnight for a countdown and toast, and to walk one big lap together. But I made it my New Year's Resolution to start running again, so after giving Daniel a New Year's kiss, off I went.

I was pretty slow at first, and every single lap I had to fight a battle with myself to run just one more. But I kept running... and I did a calculation and realized that if I could go five miles per hour for the next 9 hours, I could still make my goal. I decided to take it in 2.5 mile chunks. Every 2.5 miles, I would allow myself one lap at a brisk walk. Glenn Turner was especially encouraging, and he cheered for me every time around. I was pretty whiney in return, but I kept running. On one lap, he gave me an inspiring song to listen to on his ipod - that was really great, and took me around 2 full laps at a faster pace.

Around 2:30am, John Geesler (my angel of the race) who was running the 72-hour race but had suffered a disappointing middle day, joined me. He was determined that I should make my goal. He matched my pace for 6.5 hours, offering encouragement and conversation. He even waited for me when I fell asleep in the port-o-potty at one point! He was really amazing. I met my goal around 8:40am, so we walked 3 more "victory laps" together before 9am. I really owe him a lot for keeping me going in the last 6.5 hours!

It was hard to figure out what to eat in this race, because the aid station kept appearing every 3-4 minutes. I went in phases. I ate primarily animal crackers for the first 4 hours, then ginger snaps for the next. I had a few cliff shots, some fruit, and potatos. Just before midnight, I had a cup-o-soup, which was exactly what I needed! After midnight, I settled into a routine of eating every half hour. On the hour, I had a cup of mountain dew and some potatos; on the half-hour I had a cup of heed (like gatorade) and a handful of gummy bears. It seemed to work.

After the race, I had some hot chili and a lot of water, then slept on the ground for almost 4 hours, waking up only once to use the bathroom. I woke up feeling better, and had a meat & cheese sandwich. Daniel packed up most of our stuff into the car, and we headed off to our hotel. Finally, after showering, we worked up a real appetite, so we went to McDonald's and each ate two full meals! Then we slept for almost 12 hours. We've both taken longer to recover than after previous 100-milers. But a week later, we are feeling good and stretched out, and we're stationary biking on low resistance. We'll probably wait another week before running.

It was a lot of fun to finish first and second in the same race - the first time we've ever done that! Especially exciting: the next day, I got an email from USA track & field: the team manager for the 24hr team invited me to participate in the 24hr World Championships in February. My distance of 126.7 miles was above the women's "A standard", so I qualified for a team uniform and all-expense paid trip to Taiwan in February to compete. I had to turn it down, because there's no way I'll be recovered in time, and it's right in the middle of the semester. But maybe in some future year... Daniel's distance was also above the men's "B standard" so possibly we could both go together in some future year. It's exciting to think about!

Across the Years 24 Hour
Daniel's distance: 131.1 miles, 1st overall
Jenny's distance: 126.7 miles, 2nd overall


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