It is said that you live a lifetime in an ultra. You have ups and downs. You make new friends. You discover hard things about yourself. You overcome challenges. You fade into darkness. You break into light.
This September I participated in my first 100K. It was hard, uncomfortable, and beautiful.
Run Woodstock is a unique, hippie-themed trail race that takes place over three days and offers distances for runners of every level.
I signed up for the Happening 100K and while it was a struggle, it was also one of the best things I have ever experienced.
Run Woodstock Happening 100K Course
The Happening 100K and Hallucinating 100 mile both started at 2 p.m. on Friday at The Woodlands at Bruin Lake in Gregory, Michigan. The 2 p.m. start time allowed runners to complete at least one loop and enjoy the beauty of the course before darkness settled in.
Once the race was off, I enjoyed a beautiful view of Bruin Lake before disappearing into the forest and settling into the first 16.6-mile loop on the Potawatomi Trail.
It was about 6 miles to the first aid station, Bethel Woods. The trail offered beautiful views of lakes, a few boardwalk crossings, and plenty of hills. There was one section called the “sand pit” that was short but the sand seemed to double in difficulty each loop.
The next section was four miles from Bethel Woods to the Food for Love aid station. I don’t remember a lot from this portion of loop except for this massive hill that I grumbled about every time I had to climb it. It was fairly steep and seemed to go on forever. It was, in my opinion, the toughest hill on the course. However, getting to the top meant the aid station was near.
The Food for Love aid station was my favorite spot on the course because it meant I was over halfway through the loop and it offered hot soup/ramen during the night. Both provided a mental boost when things were feeling rough.
Two miles post Food for Love was aid station number 3 – Rosemary Forest. The section between these two aid stations was relatively easy. It contained the longest stretch of road and some descent downhills that helped make the miles fly by.
Rosemary Forest was a delight to visit during the night. As soon as I popped out of the woods, these bright, beautiful lights lined the road to guide the runners into the aid station. It felt like a fairy tale.
The final stretch was about 3.3 miles back to the rest tents. There were a few tougher hill climbs in those miles but they were short climbs and I moved through them quickly.
Once I was back at my rest tent, I rested, refueled, and prepared to tackle the next loop.
To complete the 100K, runners had to do the 16.6-mile loop 4 times. The 100 milers were out there for 6 loops. We primarily followed the same loop with two deviation spots.
The total mileage for the 100K course ended up being 66.4 miles and had 6,000 feet of elevation climb (1,500 per loop). It was a relatively run-able course overall.
Goodies
Aside from the confidence and joy that one gets when completing a 100K, runners also received a groovy finisher’s medal. The finisher’s medal is the same for all races at Run Woodstock.
Along with the finisher’s medal, we also received a Run Woodstock bag, a handy bluff, and a bag of instant jasmine rice.
The top 3 finishers in each age group received a neat little VW bus to proudly display.
For an additional cost, participants can purchase race shirts, tie-dye shirts, peace signs, and a variety of other items.
Camping
When signing up for the 100K or 100 mile distances, participants receive a “rest tent” area where they can set up a tent or park their car to crew out of at the end of each loop. This area is directly off of the trail, right before the Hog Farm aid station and about 0.3 miles from the start/finish. This option is only available for those distances.
We set up a pop-up screen room and left all of my supplies – food, first aid, extra clothes, lights etc – there. It was very convenient and kept me from spending too much time off the trail.
In addition to the rest tent area, there are options to rent campsites for crew, pacers, other distance runners, and spectators elsewhere on the property. This option was available to those who have signed up for a Run Woodstock race.
Overall
Something very special happened to me during the Run Woodstock Happening 100K, and it is hard to put into words.
I spent the majority of the time running in the dark which was a new experience for me. I dealt with stomach issues from the start. I had some pretty bad IT Band pain on the entire final loop.
I graciously accepted help from people who volunteered their time to sit outside in the heat and the cold, providing food, support, and encouragement to strangers.
I had meaningful conversations with people I had just met.
I overcame challenges and found a seemingly endless strength within myself.
I learned so much from myself, other runners, and the incredible individuals who gave up their time to run with me for a loop in the woods during the middle of the night.
I learned how to be a better runner, and I fell in love with the 100K distance.
I lived a lifetime in 18 hours and 53 minutes.
I have no doubt that I will be back to Run Woodstock again.