2 weeks to recover. I knew that I would be playing with fire a little bit. 2 weeks prior to the MCW Westfield ultra, I survived through the wild, wet and rugged Eastern Canadian wilderness that made-up the Quebec Megatrail 100 miler. I had just one solid week of training and then a taper into the event. It was here at the MCW Westfield ultra that I would be running the 12 hour division to go after a qualifier of 75 miles needed for the great Spartatholon 153 mile ultra held in Greece each September. Two years ago I had run 60 miles in 9 hours after throwing in the towel in the heat of the day and walking a few laps before finishing it out. I had run the D&R canal towpath of 71 miles in under 10 hours so I knew 75 would be a obtainable goal even if things got tough.
MCW stands for Mission Clean Water. It is a non-profit organization that creates and maintains clean drinking water projects in Uganda. They are so much more than just an organization adding wells in Africa. They educate, train, and provide immense value to the local communities that may not have had access to clean water before. They are transparent on where the funds go, and really are making a massive difference.
That is why I decided to run the MCW Westfield ultra again in 2023. It is not just a race, but a fundraiser for MissionCleanWater. Every race entry directly supports this Non-profit in funding a well project in Uganda. How cool is that?! I love being at events that are more than just an event and the Westfield ultra is just that. This looped course of .8 miles around Tamaques Park in Westfield is a fun and mentally-riveting challenge. The race consists of 3 hour, 6 hour, 9 hour, 12 hour and 24 hour. What I love about the loop is that is goes around on a cinder path which is a nice soft surface and the course has sections of sun and shade throughout. This year, Chaos Crewing Company, would be set-up to help provide support to runners and to crew during the event. Chaos Crewing Company is an amazing new business to hit the scene that is going to change the way we think about crew support for ultras and provide the connectivity and accessibility to crew members like never before. Check them out! https://www.chaoscrewing.com/
The Race:
Things started at 9am and it already was going to be a nice hot summer day. High’s were in the mid 80’s and humidity was there in the 70% range but not as bad as prior years. I set out into what I felt was my cruise pace. As the laps ticked onward, I kept floating at 7:40 miles. I knew that on the list of top 12 hour times for 2023, Camille Herron had a 94 mile split that somehow, I was at or just about hovering around 94-96 miles for 12 hours. An aggressive early pace which I knew I would slow as the heat of the day would hit but still went with it. I split the marathon in 3 hours and 13 minutes. That is a sub 7:30 average. It was really after the 50k 33 miles into the run where things started to get tough. By 12 noon, the heat of the day was here and with the combined conditions with the humidity, I had to adjust my nutrition plan. You see, I usually like to fuel in foods full of good fats and proteins like avocados and hummus along with a myriad of other options. The heat/humidity combo along with a hot pace, made me wanting to eat solid foods hard to work through. So instead, I relied on gels, baby food packets, and lots and lots of liquid calories along with fruit like watermelon and bananas.
With each passing-lap, my pace soon hovered in the 8-9 minute range. It would mostly stay there for the remainder of the race with more 9 minute miles during the hottest part of the day. Soon, my 95 miles looked more like 85 and then 80. The team at Chaos Crewing Co, Ashlee, Kelsey and Brittany were always quick to hand me bottles of water and my electrolytes from both Untapped Maple in my bottles to my E-fuel mix that I use along with my Untapped for those hot and sweaty summer runs. The kit/apparel that I have been wearing since 2022 has been a game-changer for me in ultras both that are multi-day distances but also in extreme conditions. T8 apparel makes really well-priced and super light-weight t shirts and shorts that perform the best out of anything I have worn. The Commando underwear is so breathable that with a nice breeze, you feel all the air down below and along with the Sherpa Short and Iced Tee, you get light cooling fabric on you that doesn’t chafe ever and stays light when wet or sweaty. And then you mix the T8 kit with Squirrel’s Nut Butter anti-chafe cream and its a match made in heaven. I wore cooling sleeves used for fishing by Columbia Sportswear that did a nice job of keeping the sun off of me but also helped cool my core temp as we would stuff it with ice and cool water. The monotony of running a .8 mile lap is a true challenge. At almost a mile, it takes 2 laps at 1.6 miles to feel like you are making any real progress. That plays a major mental game as you start to struggle.
By 3pm, my pace had slowed. At each aid station with the Chaos Crew, they tried to get me to eat some solid food but Chocolate Oat milk, Lemon Pellegrino, fruit smoothies and fruit was about all I could muster. I knew that the suffer-fest would eventually take shape. At the half-way mark of 37.5 miles, my legs started to go through mini-cramps. I upped the amount of salts and electrolytes I was taking and still my body felt shot. I took some longer stops at the aid station to roll out my legs and try and get some more necessary nutrition. The simplicity of the looped race was something I enjoyed out there. You would get to see the same runners over and over again and always had the opportunity to wish them well and vice versa. That positive re-enforcement was great in being able to keep pushing as things became tough.
I pushed onward through the heat and hit 50 miles in 7:16. This was an 8:43 mile average. It was this time where the last 25 miles would be a real grind. The heat of the day was fading but my lack of real solid food was beating me down some. What saved me was Lemon Pellegrino mineral water. At 110 calories per can, similar to a gel, I was able to get these down along with some hummus and oat milk. That really became my go-to for my nutrition. My legs were on the verge of full-on Charlie horses the whole last 37.5 miles. We kept things going and it was past this mile 50 mark that the pressure of 75 miles seemed daunting. I still had plenty of time but with my legs acting-up, I knew that it would be difficult to possibly hit that goal mark.
As time went onward and ticked down, I had about a full hour buffer to hit 75 miles. I took my time running sub 9:20 minute miles but many at 9 mins. I would have moments where I would speed up and feel better and then go back into my pain cave. The cramping became worse and by the time I hit 13 miles to go, it was a complete struggle of running on low energy and my legs ready to give-out any moment. Brittany from Chaos Crewing Co paced with me the last 6 miles into the finish and her support out there helped me so much as I grunted through the pain. As we hit the last 4 laps to go, I knew I had it in the bag. We pushed as I held-on with all I had. I crossed the line 76 miles as about 20 minutes remained. My legs were spent and seized-up immediately after trying to lay down from the effort.
The truth of the matter in ultras, is that unexpected things occur all the time. I have never endured Charlie horses especially for more than half the race. The old me would have quit at mile 50. But the new me, tried to stay calm and focus on the goal, knowing, I could make it. To put to blunt, this run really hurt. It hurt way more than it should have. But even so, we got the task accomplished and hit the goal mark. What this run taught me was that ultras are about team-work. The team of Chaos Crewing Co and the race volunteers, along with my fellow racers’ positive support and re-enforcement was MASSIVE in keeping me on track and motivated me to push my body well-beyond normal limits. That is what makes ultra so unique. The body can fail but the mind and spirit often can be the deciding factor in hitting a goal or not.
Now time for some rest and recovery. Then begins the build to Kodiak 100k by UTMB!
Cresting the Summit 