Uwharrie 100: Tales from an average ultrarunner

Earlier this year I signed up for the Uwharrie 100 Miler which took place in Troy, NC this past October 19-20, 2019. In addition to the 100 mile race there is a 100K and a 50K. All events start on Saturday, with 100M and 100K runners having a start at 6AM and 50K runners starting at 8AM. The Uwharrie 100 has been organized for the past five years (since 2014) by Dan and Amanda Page. Uwharrie is a beast. The race is a 20.5 mile figure 8 loop which must be completed 5 times for the 100 miler and 3 times for the 100K. The race is completely single track and very technical. This is not a walk in the park and unless you are a Zen master, you will not be able to zone out. There are roots, rocks and everything in between at all times so be prepared not only to be physically exhausted; the great need of focus will also tire your vision and your mind. You will likely roll an ankle or both; you may take a fall. Regardless of the distance you cover, it will test you, it will seek to break you and it will build you back up. You just have to embrace the suck. Trust me on this.

Before I start the full report, I want to provide full disclosure: I had signed up for this beast of a race, the 100 Miler, out of shear enthusiasm. After all, I had just completed the Uwharrie Marathon (held earlier this year in March) and lived to tell the tale. I was determined to prove to myself that I could legitimize myself as an ultrarunner, if I had the guts. Fast forward to one day ago: I did not finish the 100 Miler and instead took home the 100K medal and the DNF. To my surprise, instead of beating myself for failing my goal, I not only find myself being 100% OK with this, I find myself feeling accomplished as I write this report. I am relishing on all my aches and pains postrace. I have validated myself to the only two people that matter: my 8 year old daughter and me. Only Uwharrie could do this because achieving 100K there, for an average runner like me, is not an insignificant accomplishment. I am proud of this race. After all, the nickname of the race is “simply unrelenting.” And that this race is.

The race takes place in North Carolina’s Uwharrie National Forest, which is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. The ancient Uwharrie Mountains once reached about 20,000 feet. Today they have been weathered to about 1,000 feet. Do not let this fact misguide you. This race will test your climbing abilities and elevation change adaptation.

The organization of the event is beyond superb. Dan and Amanda take care of every detail, including writing a personalized note on every runners bib. How cool is that? They include some motivational words to keep you going as well as their cellphones to keep you safe. There are 3 aid stations that you pass multiple times as you go through the loops. As food is our motivation, they do not fail. From delicious crispy bacon (my personal favorite) to avant guard sandwiches of apples and Dijon mustard and everything in between, the stations are stacked with everything a runner will need for nutrition. And the stations (and the event itself) cannot be better run if not by the wonderful volunteers that are the heart and soul of the race. Volunteers are just plain awesome, taking care of every need the runners have, regardless of weather conditions or the condition of runners themselves. If you are looking for a well-run race, this one is for you.

As mentioned earlier the race starts at 6AM. At this time of year, it is dark for another hour or so, so a headlamp is a must. Depending on the weather, it may be cold and this year I needed a light coat and gloves for the first three hours of the race. Checking the weather is always important as it is variable in North Carolina from year to year.  It so happens that at the last minute a tropical storm was predicted to come our way, after weeks of assuming perfect weather conditions. I prepared as if Armageddon was coming with running clothes for all weather, rain jackets, multiple pair of running shoes and socks galore. I also tried something I had never done before, which was covering my feet in Desitin Cream before putting socks in (Balega socks- I never really talk about products but these socks were lifesavers considering I had come from massive blisters from other races a few weeks before Uwharrie). The Desitin worked wonders. I did not change my shoes or socks until the end of the race 23.5 hours later- no blisters and my feet were soaked after hours in the rain.

The first couple of miles in this race are run at a very slow and steady pace as it is a single track and everyone is piling in. It wasn’t until about mile 3-5 that it started to break. I placed myself in the middle to back end of the pack. That worked pretty good for me. Knowing and being true to your pace and abilities will be crucial here as well as considerate to your fellow runners. There are several significant climbs off from the bat. At one point, I was wondering if I was climbing “the bad ones”. I wasn’t. This was just a warm up. At the start of the race and before the tropical storm hit, the trail was in awesome conditions. Super dry with many runnable sections. The water crossings had no water and the rocks were dry so it was super easy to skip through. I knew that rain was coming so I was trying to get as many miles as I could without setting myself up for failure. I cannot remember how long it took until I reached the first significant climb: “Sasquatch”. This climb is probably “the easiest” in dry conditions. It is very, very steep. I personally was grabbing onto the rocks, climbing like a goat. Some runners were slipping, which made me a bit nervous. I was happy to be done. Then I started thinking I had to do it another four times, very likely in the dark and in the rain. I put those thoughts aside. The next climb “Soul Crusher” lived to its name. It is long, very long, very steep. It may be easy for some at the beginning but let me tell you, all I could do was to focus on my mantra: “Focus on the breath. Focus on the step. The trail will reveal itself.” I repeated that over and over throughout the rest of the race. It was also at this point that I decided I would try my hiking poles in the next loop. That was the best decision ever. After finishing these two climbs you have one more to go, Hallucination Hill, but before I go there I want to talk about the downhills. There are many, many steep downhills. Everyone talks about the climbs in this race. Yes, there are many and they are not a joke, but the downhills, they are brutal. I much rather go through Soul Crusher. If you are planning on running this race, train for downhills. It will make a big difference. This is one of my lessons learned for next time. The last big hill, as mentioned before, is Hallucination Hill. To me it was long, very long, but after Soul Crusher and Sasquatch, it felt a tiny bit “easier” but at this point, you are also starting to feel fatigue. The first two climbs are earlier in the loop, whereas Hallucination is around 16 miles in. It feels good to finish it except that there are more climbs after. They never seem to end! The last 3 miles to the Start/Finish aid station seem to last forever. I do not know why but that section felt brutal to me in all three loops I completed. Be mentally prepared, as it will mess with your mind.

My goal to complete the race within the prescribed 36 hours was to run a 6-6-8-8-7 lap combination. I was ahead of schedule on Loop 1 at 5:45. I slowed down in loop 2 with a 7:10, but was still within the time needed to make the next day cutoff of 11AM (to start the last loop). Tropical Storm Nestor made its appearance and at some point during loop 3 it started to pour rain. This meant climbing Sasquatch in the middle of the night while tired and the climb being very slippery. I was actually very nervous during this part of the race and it was at this point that I started questioning the race, myself, the pain… I succeeded the climb but the seed was planted. My pace got slower and slower and as the storm grew I knew difficult decisions would have to be made. Upon reaching the aid station I knew that I would not be making the start of lap 5 cutoff and that I would be going home with a DNF. That was a big bummer. At this point, I had 8.5 miles to go to complete the 100K. Several runners at the station decided to drop. I must confess, I was tempted but at the same time I had not endured so much misery to go home empty handed.  Luckily my friend Keshia and her brother Daron were there. Daron is a no nonsense gritty runner. “Let’s Go!” Therefore, we went for another 5.5 hours or so in pouring rain and wind, on a very slippery and treacherous trail to complete the 61.5M distance. It was miserable. We did most of that trek in silence, all of us focused internally. “Focus on the breath. Focus on the step. The trail will reveal itself.”

The organizers are kind enough to give you the 100K medal which is now hanging in my office as a reminder that I can do pretty much anything. Yes, I did DNF but I also completed 100K in one of the toughest courses in the East Coast. Before the start of the race, I had told myself this would be a one try and I’m done race. I will be back for that buckle because I know now what I am made off. Uwharrie is good at giving you those lessons.