As mentioned in a previous blog post I am running the Savage 100 mile race in October. As I prepare to take on this challenge, I will be providing monthly updates on my progress. This is as much to hold me accountable to my training as it is for anything else, but I’m hoping others find this interesting and maybe inspirational as well.
A lot has happened since my previous update, including the completion of two fairly insane runs in preparation for the 100 mile run. So for this update, I want to provide a summary of these runs, split into two parts. Hopefully you find them as interesting as I did.
First, a little history…
Let’s rewind to the winter of 2018. I was texting with my running buddy regarding our upcoming plans for future races. We had already committed to running the 100 mile in the fall of 2019 but we figured we might as well go all in on running and come up with some crazier runs to supplement our daily training. That’s when both of these ideas were born.
Crazy idea #1
In 2015 we hiked the roughly 45 miles of the Border Route Trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area over 4 nights. The hike was challenging with a fair amount of hills and some overgrown sections but overall was not too difficult. Given this, we had the bright idea to try to pull off the entire hike of ~50 miles in one day (we added some additional miles we didn’t cover in 2015). The plan would be executed at some point during the summer of 2019.
Crazy idea #2
The other run was inspired way back when one of our other friends ran the Hatfield McCoy marathon several years back. Unbeknownst to him at the time, this marathon is one of the hardest marathons around. And when we found a list of the other hardest marathons, Hatfield McCoy was the only “normal” marathon on the list. Others included the Great Wall marathon, Antarctic marathon, and the Pikes Peak marathon.
At the time all of these seemed insane to me but Pikes Peak became more and more intriguing over time. Plus, my running buddy always wanted to complete this challenge as well. So, with the 100 mile coming in October 2019, the timing of August 25th Piked Peak marathon was perfect. We were in!
Both of these challenges are now complete. There were some ups and downs, and a few stories as well, but both were definitely worth it. Here are some of the highlights.
The Border Route Trail 50
We set out to begin this run at sunrise at 5:30 am. However, the logistics of this race cannot be underestimated. Since it is a point to point run, we had to have vehicles at both ends of the trail (set up the day before). It was also an hour drive to the start point which meant waking up at 3:30 am. We would also be supporting ourselves which means we had to carry all of our own food as well as pump our own water from the surrounding lakes. With that, we were off!
The first section was slow and steady, but also not as traveled, which meant less maintained. We figured once we got to the busier sections, this would change (spoiler alert: it did not). However, the busier sections are busy for good reason as they provide some amazing views. The trade-off for these views are that you have to climb from lake level to these cliffs to see them. But man are they worth it!
Our pace started slow and continued to slow further as it became clear that the overgrowth on the trail would not end. We both thought 12-13 hours was doable but revised this timing several times. The first half marathon took 4 hours and the marathon point 9 hours. But there was no turning back: the only way out was to finish.
It quickly became clear that we wouldn’t finish before dark. Luckily we brought headlamps and even a hammock in the event we had to spend the night. Unfortunately, with roughly 7 miles to go and shortly before dark we took a wrong turn for over 1/2 mile (the one time we didn’t fully consult the map…) that cost us at least 45 minutes of day light. This was a bit of a downer.
Once back on the trail, it was a slow 7 mile slog to get out, where we finished just before midnight. Overall, it was an 18 hour, 19 minute adventure (not including the drive to and from) covering around 48 miles. Since both of our watches died, we can’t exactly confirm the full distance covered. We also pumped over 5 gallons of water from lakes which took over an hour itself. If you’re interested, this link provides a short video of the “highlights”.
Border Route Trail run highlights
Reflecting on the experience
So was it all worth it? In the moment (especially the last 7 miles) it seemed not worth the effort. But as more time passed, the full gravity of what we accomplished became more and more clear. We covered in one day what previously took us 4, we kept moving forward despite the obstacles, and we experienced no major hiccups. Would I do it again? Probably not. But unless you test your limits, you never fully realize what they are. The mental training of being on my feet for over 18 hours will prove valuable on the 100 mile race day.
Stay tuned for part 2 next week where I’ll write about the Pikes Peak Marathon!
