Wasatch 100 Miler

This is my race report and story from my first 100 mile race!

Last year after I came out to Salt Lake to pace my good friend Elizabeth for her first 100 race at Wasatch I fell in love with the area and decided to throw my name into the lottery for the 2025 race. The lottery drawing was in early February and my name wasn’t drawn which was disappointing. A couple weeks later I got an email from the race committee that I was drawn on a secondary lottery where someone else dropped or their payment wasn’t up to date. I was over the moon for this news. This was in mid February so I had plenty of time to train my legs, and mind for this massive effort.

Training leading up to the race:
Wapack and Back 50 miler was the only other race on the calendar for 2025 that was held in May. This was a bit early for a good solid training race but still gave me a lot of hope since the previous year I wasn’t able to move for close to a week post race, but had no issues this year, even hiked into Gray Knob 3 days later. I have only been in the ultra scene for just under 2 years but have grown so much as an athlete in this time. Took a good 2 weeks of easy rest/recovery running after Wapack and then spent the next 10 weeks running about 30 miles and 7-10k of climbing depending if I was at Gray Knob or back home. I think this was a huge benefit to me rather than focusing on big miles. After so many miles of running everything hurts but if you have a good solid aerobic base you can keep moving for a long time with proper fueling. After these 10 weeks of base building I started adding in some more mileage and vertical working my way up to 70 miles and 20-24,000 feet of climbing, I probably averaged close to 15-18 hours of moving time during these higher mileage weeks. When I was back at home I would add in some speed work too.

I did three big training runs consisting of a Pemigewasset Loop, Hut to Hut Traverse, and a Presidential Traverse all spaced about a month apart. I ran the Pemi Loop in a time of 6 hours 48 minutes for 30 miles and 9k of climbing and descending. The Hut Traverse or the “Hutty T” as the locals call it, is a route in the Whites connecting all 8 AMC high huts starting at Carter Notch Hut and ending at Lonesome Lake Hut or reversed but usually west to east is the way. This route covers 46 miles and 15k of vertical climbing over some of the most technical terrain in the eastern part of the country. I had a goal of going under 16 hours but blew that completely out of the water and ran 13 hours 58 minutes. A month later I set off from Valley Way Trailhead in Randolph, New Hampshire on the Presidential Traverse covering 19 miles and 9k of climbing, ran this in 4 hours and 58 minutes, just barely underneath that sub 5 hour mark.

Overall my training for this race was about as good as I could have imagined it to be. A lot of climbing and time on feet throughout the summer. Maybe it wasn’t the most specialized training for Wasatch but sometimes you gotta just use what you have and make shit work for you. I was nervous about being in such technical terrain for the summer and not on smooth trails like the west has. It all worked out just fine though! When I do this race again I think I will plan to do more specific training out west and some altitude training as well. Will talk more about why later on.

The Crew
I unknowingly put together the best crew I could’ve had out there for the race. It consisted of my parents, Shara and Jamie, friends Tim, Elizabeth, and Ethan. Shara was the crew chief, Jamie and Tim were other important members of the crew helping immensely at crewed aid stations. Tim took care of any medical issues that arose; being the EMT he was the most knowledgeable in this area. Elizabeth was the main pacer who took me from mile 70 to the finish, this was through the night and she knows me the best when I’m hurting so bad during these times. Ethan who was here to film my race as part of a mini documentary about my life this past summer is also a physical therapist which was a huge asset that I never considered before something came up. I covered all the bases for a perfect crew!

Now for the race
After driving from New Hampshire across the country I arrived in Salt Lake City a week before race day. Spent one night with Elizabeth who now lives in SLC for grad school studying some nerdy science stuff that my mind can’t comprehend too well! My parents arrived on Sunday, we had an Airbnb about 20 minutes from the start line which was quite convenient come race morning with a 5 am start.

Sunrise from the climb up Bair Canyon

Thursday night before the race we had a crew dinner to go over some last minute details so everyone was on the same page about my needs and what’s going to happen at the crewed aid station. We cooked up some homemade pizzas and had a carb feast, at least I did.

Friday September 5th I woke up at 3am to start downing some carbs for breakfast. Four slices of toast and a blueberry muffin. Probably close to 200g of carbs all before 4 am! It was a challenge to get all this food down so early in the morning but got it done. I filled up my ice bandana with ice, got my flasks and bladder filled and loaded my vest with the first 4 hours of fuel for the race before loading up into the truck and heading off to the start line. Three hundred twenty two runners toed the line this morning and at 5 am we all set off for Midway, Utah. I took the first 6 miles super easy and conservative. These 6 miles contain a brutal 4,000 foot climb up to Mount Francis that sits at 9,000 feet. It’s a single track trail up to the peak so once you get on the single track you’re kinda stuck there for a while not much in the way of passing. I had done this climb before and knew this and decided to take it out slow and sit in the mid pack to keep the heart rate down and not burn out too fast. There is 94 other miles to make up time that you may have lost on this climb so I wasn’t concerned about it. Once at the top I picked up the pace and started making my way to the Bountiful Aid Station at mile 16.6, where I had a drop bag with fuel for the next section to Big Mountain Aid Station at mile 31.9. Around mile 20 I had a raspberry fig bar and it tasted like aluminum foil, weird I thought. I remember from my training for ski patrol that your taste buds can change if you become oxygen deprived or hypoxic. I immediately looked at my fingers to check for color and capillary refill and my fingers, nails, and hands were blue! I knew right then and there that I was quite hypoxic and needed to slow down and focus on fueling and hydrating properly to help mitigate this awful feeling. I was lightheaded but not dizzy so didn’t stop moving. I think I just got used to the feeling of this and continued on. I texted my crew about 8 miles out from Big Mountains Aid Station telling them about my situation. They gave me a couple ideas to help with my symptoms which I took and made me feel a bit better. After 7.5 hours of running I ran into Big Mountain Aid where my crew was waiting for me. Tim sat me down and chatted with me about my symptoms with being hypoxic. It was quite awesome to have someone on my crew with so much knowledge about medical issues. Spent about 10 minutes here getting some calories in the form of Skratch Hi Carb drink mix, more ice and cooling off with water. The section from miles 25-50 are the hottest on course. I hit these miles in the hottest part of the day of course. Super exposed and down at lower elevation. I got rid of the hypoxia but gained heat exhaustion! It felt like one thing would go away and then I would get another problem, this cycle lasted all day long. I had 16 miles until the next crewed aid station with one other water stop between which was key for cooling off.

At mile 47.5 I reached Lambs Canyon Aid Station where all my crew was waiting for me and some ran up the little hill into the aid station with me. I felt so much better coming into this aid station than I did when I got into Big Mountain Aid Station. I’m sure it was due to being at a lower elevation and not being as hypoxic, I was battling a bit of heat exhaustion at this point though. We did a sock change here and again I tried to chug another 16oz of Skratch Hi Carb but could only get about 2/3 of it down. I also had some watermelon, this was the only real food that I could get down in the heat. Chewing most food just made me feel so nauseous and felt like I was going to puke which meant I was fueling 99% with gels and carb mix. It was just before 5 pm at this point which was sort of on track with my goal, roughly 12 hours for 50 miles. But the second half of this race is much harder than the first half as I found out quickly later on. I think this may be the case with all 100 milers! I had a pretty ambitious goal of sub 24 hours but becoming hypoxic and having some heat exhaustion made that goal nearly unachievable after mile 30. I continued to push through the heat and altitude up to Desolation Lake Aid Station which is in the backcountry and all supplies were hiked in. The volunteers for Wasatch were nothing but extremely helpful and supportive of every runner who came through. I got some broth from a soup here and took a couple minutes to sleep/rest my eyes. I don’t quite remember if I actually slept or not. In any case this made me feel so much better and I picked up the pace and made my way towards Brighton Lodge where the crew was waiting for me after one more stop at Scotts Peak Aid. I couldn’t wait to see my crew again and pick up Elizabeth as a pacer.

Running along the ridge you could see down into the valley towards Brighton which looked quite far away but only one way to get there. “One foot in front of the other” I told myself. I took a picture here looking towards Brighton and texted the crew “on my way!” I think there was about 4 miles to go which didn’t sound far but the time it took felt like a long time. My perception of time was so skewed out there. 1 hour felt like 20 minutes. After a long descent into Brighton I was greeted by Tim and Ethan with cameras where they took me to a tent and sat me down, swapped vests did some quick foot care, downed some tasty ramen and more watermelon of course, I also took my first caffeinated gel here before taking Elizabeth with me up the trail. It was about midnight when I left Brighton and 19 hours into the race. It felt so good to see the crew and only have one more section to go before the finish. Yes it was 30 miles with a few aid stations but it didn’t feel that long after 70 miles under the legs already mentally at least, the body had other plans. This was a huge boost of energy for me that I held on to for about 2 hours then got tired and sleepy again. The sunrise couldn’t come any sooner. I knew I wouldn’t feel as tired when the sun rose again but it felt like an eternity. Elizabeth kept lying to me about when the sun was coming up which I was still lucid enough to know that it wasn’t right. But this is why a good pacer is so helpful to give you little boosts of motivation to keep going. I swear every 10 minutes she would remind me to take a gel but later on she told me it was every 30-40 minutes! Time was just going by so fast. I had asked her to get me to take a gel every 30 minutes when we first set off from Brighton and that’s what she was doing for me. Keeping me on track with fueling was the biggest thing I wanted from my pacer. It was also super nice for moral support since later on in the night or in the wee hours of the morning I was so done and didn’t want to continue on anymore.

Having paced the last 30 miles with Elizabeth last year into her finish it was super cool to have swapped roles and be on the other side of things this year. It is absolutely key to have a pacer that you know and trust for something like this. My mind kept telling me to stop but Elizabeth was there helping me through these rough points saying the right things. Usually I have no patience for any bullshit on trail and when you have someone who understands you without needing to voice your desires or needs, it takes a huge load off mentally. It was just a super unique experience to share with Elizabeth and hope that this is the first of many crew/pacer duties we share together.

I would hike for 15 minutes then sit down and cry cause everything hurt so much and I was not satisfied with my performance. I was so tired that my eyes couldn’t focus on anything. Everything was kind of blurry. I had Elizabeth lead the way so I could just follow her steps and not worry about choosing the line. At Pole Line Pass aid I took less than a 10 minute nap in a camp chair. It felt like a much longer nap, super crazy how well it helped with the exhaustion. Got some more caffeine in me and charged forward to the next water stop. At this point in the race the only goal was getting to the next aid station. I couldn’t handle thinking about the 20 miles as a whole section. Five to seven mile sections was definitely my strategy for getting my way through these awful miles. There is one super steep downhill that never ends and it killed me. My legs didn’t want to go downhill anymore it was so painful on my quads and feet pushing against the front of my shoes. I also got quite nauseous on this descent and wasn’t able to eat anything for probably close to 90 minutes. Anything I took in just wanted to come back up. It took a long time to get to the next aid station at Little Deer Creek. Seven miles took close to 3.5 hours. Once on the valley floor I took some time to get more food in me at the aid station and a decent amount of hydration too. After this I crushed two 10:30 minute miles back to back then ended up on a rocky descent which I didn’t feel comfortable running on with how tired I was; worrying about rolling my ankle and not being able to finish the race. Top of the Wall is a pacer exchange point 8 miles from the finish line. This was the last place I would see any sort of crew. No crewing is allowed here but I hugged my parents and said “see you at the finish line.” It was definitely one of those emotional moments for me when I realized I was actually going to finish this damn race! I took off quite fast and was feeling good pushing the pace but quickly felt a little nauseous again so had to slow down to keep any food down. I took three 40g gels in this section plus some watermelon and half a banana. The last 5 miles are a brutal slog along a reservoir on open exposed terrain that is quite runnable except that I couldn’t run too much of it with how bad my muscles were feeling. I thought it was more flat than it was, rolling ups and downs and you could see the next mile or two of trail which was demoralizing! My left knee was also feeling a little pain from my hip flexors being so tight. Any sort of downhill caused so much pain to my right calf in the lower portion especially when running. I could go up without too much pain thankfully so ran when I could for 5-10 minutes at a time then breaking stride and resetting before another burst of running. I don’t remember the last bit of the course being as long as it was but I told Elizabeth and Tim (who joined at Top of the Wall) that once we got to the road I was running all the way in thinking it was around 1/4 mile but in reality it was nearly 1 mile but I gave it all I had and pushed my way to the finish where my parents were waiting for me along with Ethan who was ready with his camera capturing this emotional finish. I cried for most of the last mile out of complete happiness and self accomplishment; and ran through the finish with a time of 30 hours 28 minutes and 33 seconds for 100 miles across the Wasatch Mountains.
I couldn’t contain my emotions at the finish line even in the slightest. Most of the crew was in tears. After the tears settled it was all smiles, shook the race directors hand as he congratulated me for my accomplishment and coming to his race in Utah. I thanked him for such an amazing course and well put together race.

Fueling Strategy
Pre race dinner was homemade pizza. I ate constantly all day on Thursday eating simple and complex carbs with very minimal fiber and fats. Pre race breakfast I toasted up 4 slices of white bread with a light layer of butter and some honey plus a grocery store blueberry muffin about 90 minutes before the race. For race fuel during the effort I had planned to use PF&H 90g gels SiS beta fuel gels, Skratch Hydration mix, Skratch Hi Carb, and PF&H carb mix with sodium. I was aiming for about 90g every hour of the race. I got some advice from other runners and friends that I should probably aim to get in as much as I can in the first 10 hours (100g+) since it’s almost inevitable that my GI system will not be happy later on during the race and titrate it as I start to not feel as good. Both brands of gels were good, Skratch hydration was good, Skratch Hi Carb was not my favorite, and the PF&H Hydration didn’t seem to sit well in the heat. I didn’t try it after the hot spell cause I was scared to but will try it again some other day.

I loosely followed what I described above starting out with a higher load of fuel then titrating it as needed. I started the race with a 2L bladder of plain water, .5L of Skratch Hydration (40g carbs 800mg sodium) and .5L of Skratch Hi Carb (100g carbs 400mg sodium) plus a bunch of gels, maybe about 4 hours worth at 90g/hour. The first 2 hours of fuel went down as expected 100g’s each, then as I started moving faster across the ridge I lost track of time and started to fall behind schedule. I think I still managed about 90g an hour until Bountiful where I restocked my vest with gels and left behind the fig bars and Oreos that weren’t going down. Another flask of Skratch and a flask of PF&H hydration, I had the PF&H concentrated to about 45g carbs and 750mg sodium per flask. This mix did not sit as well with me. Skratch was so much better, I wanted to drink the Skratch and nothing else. At the first 2 crewed aid stations I had the crew mix up 16oz of Skratch Hi Carb that I was to get down while I was there for a boost of carbs and hydration. This was 400kcal 100g carbs and 400mg sodium so a decent amount of fuel to get down. The taste of this shit was just that. SHIT. I did not want to drink at the next aid station but I knew if I could get it down it would be that much better. Only got about 2/3 of it down at Lambs Canyon aid which is better than nothing. Watermelon was another food I was able to eat all the way through to the end of the race. There isn’t much in there for calories but having something that you can chew and make your body break down I found helpful rather than straight sugar! Once I made it to Brighton where the last and final crewed aid station was at mile 70 I had the crew make up some hot ramen for me to eat while everyone else prepped my bags and other things I needed for the last 50k. The ramen went down so well, I almost couldn’t believe how good it was out there. I am not a huge ramen fan but it worked, especially having something warm after a chilly section.

Gear for the nerds
I ran in NNormal Tomir 1st generation for the entire race, same pair for the whole 100 miles! Salomon ADV Skin 12L vests. East Peak ice bandanas courtesy of Elizabeth. These things were awesome, ice stayed frozen for over an hour in them! Run The Whites runner hat, IceBreaker wool socks, IceBreaker wool shorts, swapped shirts between a Patagonia half zip hoodie and Burgeon Flume long sleeve shirt. I wore long sleeves for sun protection and it 100% worked as I ended the race without a sunburn which was awesome. I hate sunscreen so I wanted to avoid it as much as I could and I did just that. Never had it on nor did I have it in crew bags.

Thank you for reading this far and I hope to see you out on trail someday!

A special thanks to my crew, Shara, Jamie (Mom & Dad) Tim, Elizabeth and Ethan. You all made this possible and even more special than I could have ever imagined so THANK YOU!

GPS Watch Stats for those who are interested

99.94 miles

21,568 feet of climbing

30:28:28 total time

18:18 average pace

22,542 calories burned