Wow. What a
weekend. It’s taken me a few days
to decompress and review what actually happened between Friday & Sunday
& Gooseberry State Park & Lutsen Mountain.
First and foremost I have to take a moment to thank my crew
and pacers. You guys rock. Coming into aid stations, my crew
worked like a well-oiled machine – filling my pack, refilling my snacks, and
attending to my needs. My pacers
pushed me and kept me focused on the trail so I could reach goals that I didn’t
even think were possible. A big
thanks go out to: My wonderful hubby, and number 1 fan, Matt Leis; John Magner
who is 3 for 3 crewing/pacing for my Superior Races, I am so grateful for your
support; my In-law’s, Jerry & Sandy who were eager to lend a hand at aid
stations & kept me well fed post-race; my parents, John & Ellen, who
drove for 2 days to be a part of this crazy adventure, and entertained all of
us at the camper for dinner Thursday night; to Annemarie Arzenti, who keeps us
laughing & made sure we didn’t take ourselves too seriously; and to Katie
Leslie who joined me through the night during the hardest sections of the
course, may the stories, laughs, and f-bombs we dropped along the way go down
in history.
Race Morning
I stayed in Two Harbors with my parents on Thursday night in
their camper. I actually slept
remarkably well & woke moments before my alarm at 5:30 ready to get
going. The usual morning routine –
coffee, pre-race breakfast (chocolate shakeology & a slice of toast with
peanut butter,) a shower, and dressed for the race. At 6:50am we left for Gooseberry State Park, Mom, Dad &
Mr Patch, the Jack Russell.
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Pre-race coffee! |
At the race start, I ran into lots of friends, and hung out
with my trail buddy, Stephanie Hoff, for a little while. Before we knew it, it was time to get
lined up. I felt ready.
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Mom, Dad & Mr Patch |
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Pre-race pic with Stephanie Hoff |
Gooseberry State Park to Split Rock Aid Station (Mile 9.7)
This year the course started out a little different due to
some changes on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). We now had 4+ miles of bike trail before we connected with
the SHT. My plan was to run 9:30
min/mile for the 4 miles. I looked
at this as a 4 mile warm up before the race actually started. I wanted to stay relaxed & not go
out too fast. At 30 minutes in my
watch beeped cuing me to eat – I would continue to eat every 30 minutes for the
rest of the race. I had part of a
Lara Bar while I jogged along.
During this section I had an opportunity to catch up with my friend,
Kamie, who I had raced much of last year’s event with. Kamie, Stephanie & I enjoyed some
light conversation.
Pretty soon the course turned under the highway, and connected with the
SHT. It was go time. I continued to work on staying relaxed,
walking the technical sections and the climbs and just getting into the rhythm
of being on the trail. Soon enough
we arrived at the Split Rock Aid Station.
The spur trail down to the aid station is a fun place to see where
you’re seeded in the pack, since it is only one of 2 places that is an out and
back. There is no crew access
here, so I was in and out rather quickly.
Grabbing half a peanut butter & jelly sandwich to eat on the climb
back out of the aid station. I was
10 minutes ahead of my projected pace at this time.
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Quick selfie before getting down to business! |
Split Rock to Beaver Bay Aid Station (Mile 20)
Beaver Bay is the first opportunity to see your crew, and I
was looking forward to seeing them.
I was moving well and at about 16 miles came to this long section of standing
water. At first glance, there
wasn’t a clear way to go around it, so I opted to go right through the middle.
That probably wasn’t the wisest decision… It was nearly knee deep in spots
& filled my shoes full of mucky, nasty water. I don’t get grossed out by much, but this totally grossed me
out. The next four miles I spent
trying to decide if I was going to change my socks when I got to the aid
station. I wasn’t planning a sock
change this early in the race, but this was disgusting. I could feel the mud in my socks &
shoes, and even though they were starting to dry, the grit was not going to do
me any favors over the long haul.
I made the decision that I would change socks at Beaver Bay.
I rolled into Beaver Bay at 12:25pm, a full 30 minutes ahead
of my plan. I quickly got fresh
socks on, and my pack refilled, and by 12:30 I was back on the trail.
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20 miles in with my #1 crew member! |
Beaver Bay to Silver Bay Aid Station (Mile 25)
This is a seemingly short section, I don’t recall much here
except for the fact that I found myself in the middle of a pack of runners I
couldn’t shake. After spending so
much time on the trail training by myself, being in a large line of runners was
a little stressful. I was hoping
the approaching aid station would spread people out a bit more. I arrived at Silver Bay at 1:40pm, 40
minutes ahead of schedule. I felt
good, and in 4 minutes I was back on the trail.
Silver Bay to Tetttegouche Aid Station (Mile 34.9)
This nearly 10-mile section can feel long, but luckily I
trained on this part of the course on 2 separate occasions, so knew what to
expect. I know that this helped me
manage my expectations. This
section is also quite beautiful, as you climb up to the ridge overlooking Bean
& Bear Lakes, pass Mount Trudee & then navigate the uber technical
downhill known as the “Drain Pipe.”
Then it’s lovely single track for a couple miles as your cruise into
Tettegouche State Park. I found
myself alone for most of this section, and didn’t mind it at all. I continued to eat every 30 minutes,
and I felt good. Strong. Confident.
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Coming into Tettegouche. Robin Wirth photo |
I arrived at Tettegouche at 4:20pm, 50 minutes ahead of
schedule. I was happy to see my
parents here as well as the rest of my crew. I picked up my headlamp here, just in case I didn’t make it
to the next aid station before dark (I had needed it in previous years, and
being stranded without a head lamp will really slow you down!) I was back on the trail 5 minutes
later.
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Mom helping me out at Tettegouche |
Tettegouche to County Road 6 Aid Station (Mile 43.5)
This is another long section – 8.6 miles – and can be
mentally draining. At County Road
6, you can pick up your first pacer, so that is always a pick me up after
running all day alone. I found
myself mostly alone again in this section. I passed a few folks on the way out of the aid station, and
had a guy a little way behind me, but not close enough to really talk to. I kept moving well, and having run this
section a few weeks ago in training, I knew what to expect. I also know that you can see/hear the
aid station at least a mile before you get there. I rolled into County Road 6 at 7pm feeling strong, and
ready to continue without a pacer until Finland if needed. I was still 50 minutes ahead of
schedule.
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Running into County Road 6 aid station |
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Lots of laughs!! You can't take yourself too seriously! |
County Road 6 to Finland Aid Station (Mile 51)
Matt paced me this section, and I was grateful for some
company. We cruised along, and
chatted about our day. I was still
feeling good, and I knew I was pushing the pace a bit more than what he was
planning on. It was here that it
started to get dark & my headlamp with its high-powered battery pack was
working great. This section wasn’t
too technical, but it started to wear on me as we got closer to the aid
station, and the battery on my headlamp started to die. I don’t think I’d even been using it 2
hours. I knew at Finland I’d need
to switch to AAA batteries in it.
I kept thinking that the aid station was just around the corner. The trail dragged on. FINALLY we crossed a bridge and saw the
sign pointing to the left that signaled the spur trail to the aid station. My headlamp was nearly dead by now.
We jogged into the brightly lit aid station in the little
town of Finland at 9:30pm. 55 minutes
ahead of schedule. It was a
perfectly clear night, and the temperature was starting to drop. My main order of business here was
gloves. My hands were ice cubes.
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Katie & I ready to go into the night! |
Finland to Sonju Lake Road Aid Station (Mile 58.7)
Katie was now pacing me, and we rolled out of Finland at
9:35pm after finding gloves, batteries, and sipping on some hot chicken
broth. I had the first caffeine of
the night at this point. After feeling
dumpy towards the end of the last section, I knew it was time. I was starting to ride the energy
roller coaster, and as long as the peaks didn’t get too high & the valley’s
too low, I was ok. It was all about
managing my energy. I started to
anticipate my 30-minute feeding alarm because I would start to feel
sluggish. I’d eat, and I’d feel
better. Just like magic.
Katie and I would spend the next 21 miles together. This first section felt ok. A little slow due to the rocks &
roots, but we made it to the next aid station feeling pretty good. My headlamp was starting to fade, so I
knew a battery change was going to be in order. There are no crews allowed at Sonju Aid Station so Katie
& I would be in and out fairly quickly. Some hot soup & fresh batteries and we were ready to go.
Sonju Lake Road to Crosby Manitou Aid Station (Mile 62.9)
I don’t remember much of this section – it was dark, my
headlamp wasn’t great, and we were getting frustrated by the roots. I knew it was only 4 miles to Crosby,
and the road into Crosby was a great place to check out the stars and stretch
the legs. Pretty soon we made it,
the stars were impressive, and we slowly jogged up the gravel road to the aid
station.
We arrived at the Crosby Manitou Aid Station at 1:45AM,
still nearly 50 minutes ahead of my planned schedule. I had told my crew not to meet us here, so they could get
some sleep, and I had a drop bag with food, dry clothes, and more
batteries. The aid station
volunteers were great, as they retrieved my drop bag, and got me “the best -
worst “ hamburger ever. The
hamburgers here taste bad, but they work miracles!! So I always have one!
After putting in more new batteries in my headlamp, we were off.
Crosby Manitou to Sugarloaf Aid Station (Mile 72.3)
I know that this is probably THE hardest section of the
course. Katie, on the other hand,
didn’t know what she was in for. A
few minutes after leaving the aid station the course drops down, down, down, to
the Manitou River. Then it climbs back up, up, up to Horse Shoe Ridge. For me, there is nothing runnable about
the first half of this 9.4-mile section.
Shortly after leaving the aid station, I was having more trouble with my
headlamp. It just wasn’t bright
enough. I was getting so frustrated. Luckily, Matt had sent a “backup”
headlamp with me, so I retrieved that and wore both headlamps together. This helped some, but was barely enough
light to move efficiently. Katie and I would mumble about the rocks, and
challenges of this section, it was hard.
I knew there was a runnable section towards the end, but it seemed like
it took forever to get there.
Finally we crossed another river and the trail opened up. My legs were fried, but it felt good to
change from hiking to jogging – or shuffling, as the case may be. It was still pitch black dark, and I
knew we were getting close to Sugarloaf where I was looking forward to meeting
my crew again and changing my shoes and socks.
We finally arrived at Sugarloaf at 5:45am, an hour and 45
minutes ahead of my original plan and a solid 45 minutes ahead of when my crew
was expecting me. They were nowhere
to be found. The aid station volunteers helped me refill my pack, and I struggled changing the batteries in my
headlamps (darn headlamps!!) my fingers were cold, and I just couldn’t get them
changed. Luckily Katie’s husband
had met her there, and he gave me his headlamp to use. Katie had survived the night with me,
but was done pacing. I told her
not to worry, I would continue on alone.
Sugarloaf to Cramer Road Aid Station (Mile 77.9)
I left the aid station and turned on my ipod for the first
time. I knew this section was
fairly runnable, the sun would be coming up and it was only 5.6 miles to the
next aid station. I felt good, and
was actually happy to continue on by myself. Plus I knew my crew would FOR SURE be at the next aid
station! As I ran alone, I could hear voices of a pair of runners behind me,
but I couldn’t see them, and I hadn’t seen any runners in front of me since
early in the Crosby section. I was
perfectly happy. I knew I was
moving well & the light on the horizon added a little spring in my
step. I watched how the morning
light danced through the trees, and I wished I’d had a camera to capture the
magic of those early morning hours, but I'd given up my phone back at Beaver Bay.
As I rolled into the next aid station, the start of the
marathon distance event, I wondered what time it was “in the real world.” The marathon would start at 8am, and no
doubt I would get caught up in the mass of runners. I tried not to worry, and looked for my crew as I came into
the aid station. As I did, a
marathoner that I knew ran up to me & gave me a big hug. That was such a highlight to my
day. Thank you Jayne!!
I arrived at 7:40 AM, a quick shoe and sock change, a couple
chocolate chip pancakes and with Annemarie by my side, I was back down the
trail.
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Annemarie & I ready to rock & roll! |
Cramer Road to Temperance Aid Station (Mile 85)
I managed to leave Cramer Road ahead of the marathoners, and
enjoyed a nice runnable section of trail.
I had ran this section a few weeks back, so knew that it was pretty
easy to start, one or two big climbs and then a long downhill stretch to
Temperance State Park. It
didn’t take long to start to see the marathoners. They all wished me luck & cheered for me as they passed. I’d have to stop & step aside on
the narrow trail to let them by, and we’d exchange some words. I’d try not to trip them with my hiking
poles. Sometimes I wasn’t as
organized with them as I could have been.
But we all laughed & I told the marathoners that they needed to keep
up the pace so I didn’t pass them later.
It was a really fun section.
I saw a number of runners I knew and that really helped perk me up. I rolled into Temperance at 10 am and feeling good.
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BACON!!! Pancakes and bacon never tasted so good! |
Temperance to Sawbill Aid Station (Mile 90.7)
At this aid station I picked up my friend, John, and he and
Annemarie both paced me this section.
It was fun to have both of them to talk to and keep me moving. After leaving the aid station you run
down one side of the Temperance River, cross the bridge and then start a
gradual 4-mile climb up to Carlton Peak.
I kept moving right along, and shuffling faster than a hiking pace when
I could. It wasn’t long and we
came to the technical part of the climb that is the last bit up Carlton. I kept pushing and ended up passing a
few marathoners. I looked over my
shoulder to find John right behind me, but Annemarie nowhere to be seen. One of the things I love about
Annemarie, is I don’t have to worry about her. I knew she’d catch up once she got over the climb. I started the descent down towards the
aid station and one of the marathoners came up behind me and said, “Annemarie
wanted me to tell you, ‘she’s not dead’.” We all laughed and kept moving. I knew she’d be fine!
Coming into the Sawbill aid station you run across some wooden
boards before you cross a road and come into the aid station. That section of boards was the longest
section ever! I don’t think it was more than ¾ of a mile or so, but it dragged
on and on. I just wanted to get to
the last aid station!! I finally rolled into Oberg at somewhere around
2pm.
Oberg to the Finish Line (Mile 103.3)
I needed to sit down at Oberg for a few minutes. The final push over Carlton Peak and
then running the boards into the aid station had taken a bit out of me. It was warmer than it had been, and I
found myself feeling a little wonky.
Plus I had neglected to eat when my alarm went off the last time because
I thought I was only a few minutes away – it ended up being more like 15
minutes. Someone brought me the
best chocolate chip pancakes ever and after a couple minutes I was ready to hit
the trail again.
My awesome hubby, Matt, and John decided to pace me together
the last 7.1 miles to the finish line.
By this point I was tired and definitely ready to wrap this thing
up. I told the guys that I would
be putting in one ear bud.
Listening to music can really add a spring in my step and take my mind
off the nagging pain that accompanies a race of this distance. It isn’t long into this section that
you climb up Moose (or is it Mystery?) Mountain – it just goes up and up, and
when you think you are done, it turns and goes up some more. I just wanted to cry. For some reason this climb really got
to me. Keep putting one foot in
front of the other, listen to the music, tune out the boys behind me, keep your
eye on the prize, are just a few things I kept telling myself. I finally made it to the top. I knew this was the worst climb of the
section.
At one point when John & I were chatting earlier we
talked about me finishing in the 33 hour range. He had thought that was doable. I agreed, but then after that climb, I wasn’t sure it
was. I knew my 3 mph pace had
slipped, and I wasn’t confident I had it in me to get it back. I was tired. I was tired of eating, but my alarm kept beeping every 30
minutes, and I’d reach blindly into my pack and find something to eat. I tried not to get emotional about it –
calories are calories. Even if I
didn’t “want” what I pulled out, I ate it anyway.
Pretty soon, my energy level was increasing, and I was within the last 5k or
3.1 miles. I can do 3.1 miles in
my sleep. I could “smell the
barn.” An incredibly upbeat song came on my ipod & I spotted a runner up
the trail. That was all I needed –
a carrot – I turned to John, and said, “he’s mine.” I would pass him. It wasn’t that I wanted to beat that
person, or finish ahead of him; it was literally just a carrot to get the lead
out of my ass and get me moving a little faster again. When that song would come to the end, I’d just repeat
it. It had the same rhythm as my
shuffle, and I found my groove. It
wasn’t long, and I passed that runner – the same marathoner I had been leap
frogging most of the last section.
After a little bit, John reported that I just “ran” a 17 min/mile uphill
in the last 5k! Yes, I was ready
to wrap it up.
It wasn’t too much longer that I passed some other
runners. We were within the last
mile and a half or so. And then came the bridge over the Poplar River!! My
favorite spot on the trail!! I knew I was close and from there I ran the rest
of the way in. I thought I was
flying, I’m sure I wasn’t in actuality.
You turn off the trail onto a paved road through Lutsen Resort. I kept running. I wanted to walk, but there was no way
that I came this far to walk it in to the finish line. There was no point in leaving anything
in the tank. I kept running. Pretty soon, Matt & John peeled off
for me to run the last section around the pool of Caribou Highlands to the
finish line. And I could hear them
announce, “In her second Superior 100 finish…”
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John and I crossing the Poplar River!! |
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Finish line smiles! |
Finish Line
I crossed the finish line to see my parents (and Mr Patch)
and my crew and pacers. I couldn’t
believe it. I did it! Another
finish, and way ahead of my time goal!! My friend, Stephanie was there and she
came over to give me a hug. She
asked what my time was, I said, “33 something.” I was quickly corrected by my
crew that I had finished in 32 hours and 29 minutes. A 3 hour and 45 min personal best over last year’s time!! I
couldn’t have been happier!
Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement of my adventures! Until next time, Happy Trails!!!