Hallucination 100: race website | results
September 6, 2024, in the Pinkney Recreation Area, in Gregory, MI
100 miles, 9,000 feet of climbing, 64% finish rate
I was slated to run Eastern States again this year, hoping to finish a little faster than last year's 35.5 hours. I was especially antsy to run after having to skip Laurel Highlands this year—I sprained the little toe on my left foot in May, which kept me from running for several weeks.
But Eastern States was not to be. A hurricane crawled up from Florida the week before the race and then made its way as Tropical Storm Debby across Pennsylvania. The area around the race was officially in a State of Emergency, and the race was canceled on the morning of.
After the long drive back to Philly, I decided on my next race, which I needed for this year's Western States lottery (this is year 10 of trying to get in, aka I'm a sucker). I picked Hallucination 100, which I ran back in 2017 and have fond memories of. (Turns out the race is totally different as of 2021, but it still has the same great vibes and the course is similar.)
My A goal was to finish in 22 hours, B goal sub-24, and C goal to just finish. After two of the six laps, I figured I could go for sub-24.
This race starts at 2 p.m., meaning night comes early. That throws a wrench in my pacing, since night is always slower for me. (Though not as bad these days with my brighter lights! I use the UltrAspire waist light plus a headlamp.)
Anyway, I had the unfortunate experience of putting in more effort with each lap only to go slower.
But in the end, with hard-fought effort especially on the final lap, I finished in 23:39. Lap splits:
- Lap 1 - 3h 6m
- Lap 2 - 3h 32m
- Lap 3 - 4h (included a sock change)
- Lap 4 - 4h 10m
- Lap 5 - 4h 20m
- Lap 6 - 4h 20m (included 10 minutes at an aid station)
I'm very proud of this performance. Not just because it is a trail 100 PR for me. More so: Often in 100's, I'm too timid. I am scared to put in a hard effort because I don't want to gas out. But on this one, I staked my claim on the first lap and then worked hard to hold onto it for the next 21 hours. I slowed but didn't blow up.
One notable thing I'll mention is caffeine. I listened to a podcast recently with David Roche, who just set the new course record at Leadville, and he talked about how caffeine was a key part of his strategy. I decided in this race to take a 100mg caffeine pill when I felt drowsy or disoriented. (Usually I just do at night, hourly from 10pm to 1am.) In this race, I took one pill about every two hours from 7pm to 11am. Far more than I had in the past, but it really helped. I didn't notice any negative side-effects, and I was able to nap right after the race and then sleep the night later.
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