Keys to Finishing a 100 Mile Race

After a successful Bighorn 100 mile mountain run in 22:04 and a top-10 finish, I finally felt like I knew what I was doing at the 100 mile distance. I made some mistakes that could've cost me my race, but I was able to overcome them and that's where long races get really interesting. Hopefully I can share something here that will be helpful to other ultra runners looking to tackle a 100 miler.

There are 2 keys to running a 100 mile race:
1) fueling
2) pacing

Fueling:

"It’s not about fitness. Everybody is fit, but it’s who can eat, drink, fuel, and get from the start to the finish—those are the guys that win.”
-Mike Aish, ultra runner

Calories:

I try to eat 200-300 calories every hour.

I like to drink a combination of Carbo-pro + water in my bottles and to have a variety of gel flavors to eat.

Carbo-pro is a flavorless powder with 100 calories and 25 grams carbs per scoop. Powerbar gels are currently my favorite gels because they have 110-120 calories, 200 mg of sodium, and 27g carbs. They are more liquid-like than GU or Hammer gels, and when they get cold they aren’t as firm to eat. I also like e-Gels, which have 150 calories and 230 mg of sodium.

If I have a crew at the race, I'll have them bring Ensure to each crew access point because liquid calories go down easily and quickly.



I find that both E-gels and Powerbar gels go down quickly during the night time when my stomach tends to revolt. I like a variety of sweet and sour flavored gels like chocolate for sweet and green apple or tangerine for sour. The balance allows me to avoid getting so sick of them.

I try to eat some solid foods early in a race, like granola bars, bananas, salted potatoes and whatever else they have at the aid stations that won't make me puke, but I generally move to a gel and liquid-only diet later on when my stomach is sensitive and I need calories quickly.

Whatever you're consuming, check out the calories and the carbs on the label. A rule of thumb I use when choosing a fuel source that will provide energy quickly is 25g carbs per 100 calories.

Salt:

I like Salt Stick caps with 215 mg sodium and a blend of 4 other electrolytes, or Succeed S! Caps with a massive 341 mg sodium and 21 mg potassium. I'll take one tab every 1-2 hours in the 60-80F degree days, and 2+ tabs if it’s hotter than that. At night, try some chicken broth for salt and warmth -- it's glorious when available.

Below is a pic of my secret weapon: the tiny plastic container. I keep enough salt tabs, gas-x, tums, and tylenol for 30 hours of running in this little gem and it's always on me during a race. No sharp edges to cut/chafe either.



Hydration:

I down 30-40 oz of water every hour if it's 60-80F. A bit less if it's colder and 50 oz or so if hotter. My target when I get 'running brain' aka 'the dumz' is to drink one and a half 22oz handhelds or two 17oz Salomon soft flasks every hour.

Ultimate Direction AK vest with two 17oz soft flasks on Redcloud Peak

We are each an experiment of one. Use your long training runs to experiment with different amounts of water.

Pacing:

"Let 'em all go"
-Me

Patience is key to pacing 100s, and you can ruin your race in the first 25 miles by running too fast.

Nobody wins a 100 in the first 25, but plenty have lost their race there. I've tried going out hard and hanging on, and afterward I vowed never to try that again. Recently, I've started using a HR monitor to keep close tabs on my effort, especially early in the race.

Bighorn 100 start. Currently in 50th place.

It is true that a 100 mile race begins at mile 75. If you can be patient at the start and hold a strong effort during the last 25 miles, then you have nailed the 100 mile distance. Most people will blow up between the 65-80 mile mark. I’ll venture that most runners blow up because of two reasons:

1. Not taking in enough calories and fluids
2. Going out too hard

Good news: these are fixable problems!

Heart Rate Method:

I’ve started wearing a heart rate monitor during races in order to keep myself from going out too fast, firing up the engines too soon, and blowing up. During training, I’ve figured out that I can run all day at 130-138 bpm. If I’m going up short hills then I can hold a 138-145 bpm effort, but if I’m running up any longer hills and I’m hovering in that higher HR zone, then I’m sure to explode at the end of the race.

There is no shame in hiking hills in order to keep your effort/HR low. Make it a fast hike and you can smash your mountain 100.

Matchstick Analogy:

Coach Jorge Martinez (E3 Training Solutions) uses the matchstick analogy regarding pacing, which goes as follows. Your body is a box of matchsticks, and there is a finite number of matchsticks in the box. Every time you spike your effort, you burn a matchstick. And when you run out of matchsticks, you have nothing to light your fire.

When you go too hard uphill or down, you burn a matchstick. When you pass someone too fast, or try to keep their faster pace when it's not your pace, you burn a matchstick. Matchsticks are valuable tools, and they should be saved for when they're most needed, like the last 25 miles of a race.

Bonus: Gear Stuff

Gear I like:

Ultimate Direction AK Race Vest 2.0
17oz Salomon soft flasks
Buff headwear
Garmin Forerunner 310XT w/ heart rate monitor
Nathan Quickdraw Plus
Petzl MYO RXP headlamp

Shoes I like:

Pearl Izumi Trail N2
Adidas Adios Boost
Salomon S-lab Sense 3 Ultra Softground
La Sportiva Helios
La Sportiva Vertical K
Montrail Rogue Fly
Hoka Bondi Speed

Moment of zen:

Why run 100 miles? Because nobody hires you to do it, nobody can fire you from it, nobody can tell you that you don't have the degree to do it, you just go out there and figure out how you can do it.