I came to the Canyons Endurance Runs 100 Miler for a sub 24 hour finish and 8 running stones. I battled hard, but in the end it took me 26:20:33 to complete the course on this hot, hot day. Just like at Riverlands 100 last May this race had record high temps for the day and the DNFs piled up quick. Out of 278 starters only 127 made it back to Auburn and I was the 48th across the line. I'll update with more of a race report soon!

Race Report:
So I drove out from Orem, UT to Auburn, CA on Wednesday morning the week of the race. I had an AirBnB up in Cool that I stayed at until Friday morning. Staying in Cool was really nice and relaxing. There is a great grocery store up there, better than any in Auburn, and also a great brewery. I did a couple shake out runs the day before the race and honestly did too much. 8 miles on the Cool Loop in the morning and 4 miles from Robie Point to No Hands Bridge around 6pm. I probably should have only ran about 6 miles, but it is what it is. On Friday morning I woke up around 6am, made avocado toast with eggs and drank a sports drink. After breakfast I put my kit on and drove down to Auburn. The race had a shuttle that drove runners from the parking to the start/finish so that was nice and easy. Once I got there with all by drop bags, I found where to drop those off and then took a seat on a picnic table in the shade. While I was waiting I met Taylor Spike and we shared a few words before heading into the starting coral. I made my way to the front and the coral was quickly full of the 300 or so runners that were all there to get Western States qualifiers and Running Stones for the UTMB Finals lottery later this year. A few quick words from the UTMB folks and we were off, running uphill through a giant crowd of people like you see in European races. It was EPIC. Once we hit Robie Point and got onto the trails people were starting conversations and finding their place in the endless line of runners. Friends who were following me on the live tracking said I was around 70th position when I arrived at Cool 1. Things were heating up now. The sun was out, we were on exposed trails and the first couple aid stations were very hectic with crew, spectators and runners. I made my way through the first 15 miles fairly quickly, but after drinking some over mixed Naak, my stomach took a serious turn towards trouble. I was forced to walk and just drink water for about 5 miles before I was able to run with pain in my stomach. I started leaving all the aid stations very efficiently and always walking out with some food in hand and a full sparkling water. I think somewhere between miles 42 and 45 I made the mistake of thinking I was eating enough when I was going over an hour without taking any calories. I would pay for this later. I ran pretty strong on my way to Forest Hill and was around 20th position at this point, but it wouldn't last. I picked up my pacer and best friend, Sarah, at Forest Hill. She kept things moving as best she could, but around mile 85 the running was a thing of the past and I was reduced to a steady walk to close out the race. Those last 15 or so miles in the heat of the second brutally hot day took so much out of me. I was a complete zombie when we were on the final climb and decent into Auburn. I had given up a good 25 or so positions, but was just happy to be crossing the line in a respectable 26 hours and 20 minutes on a day were over half the field DNFed. The goal of a sub 24 hour finish lives on and I am now 8 running stones and 1 Western States qualifier richer. Endless thanks to Sarah and Mike for making the huge commute to help me! Now it's time to set my sights on the Fatdog 120 in August! LFG!!!

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Current Race That I'm Training For:
Fat Dog 120m on August 1113th in Manning Park, BC

Complete 2023 Race Calendar
Fat Dog 120m on August 1113th in Manning Park, BC

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