Bruna's writeup:
Our Sunday started early in St. Louis! I fueled up with a big breakfast of yogurt, protein, and granola, knowing we had a long day ahead. I left home at 6:40 AM, picked up Jaci, and we headed to Berryman Trail. At 8:38 AM, we hit the trails!It was the perfect day for a trail run! We started with an extra layer, but after warming up for a couple of miles, we were ready to take it off. Just us, our supplies, and the trails. We were completely self-sufficient from start to finish, carrying everything we needed in our hydration vests: plenty of water, gels, and snacks. No crew, no aid stations, no outside support. Just the two of us and the adventure ahead. The trail was incredibly quiet. We barely saw another soul out there, except for one group of mountain bikers along the way. It really felt like we had the entire forest to ourselves! We started strong, feeling great and keeping a steady rhythm, stopping only briefly to refuel with gels. At mile 14.5, we reached Brazil Creek and took a quick snack break before continuing. With about 7 miles left, things started getting tough. Our legs were getting heavy, fatigue was setting in, and every mile felt a little longer. But one of the best parts of this adventure was that we ran the entire trail together, supporting each other mentally, keeping each other motivated, and pushing through the tough moments side by side. Those final miles definitely tested us, but we kept going and finished strong!
Jaci's writeup:
We drove 1.5 hours from St. Louis to run at Berryman for the first time. Both of us are training for the Zion Traverse in November, and thought this training would be a good character building activity. We began the run just after 8:30 am and proudly kept a consistent pace throughout. There was minimal leaf coverage on the trail, enough still be able to see rocks and other obstacles ahead. The first 10 miles flew by and then it settled in the distance we still had ahead of us. The rolling hills felt like a breeze compared to some of the trails we're used to in St. Louis. The only other people we saw was a small group of mountain bikers. We felt grateful for absolutely perfect conditions - at the start it was in the low 40's and by the finish in the 60's with the sun shining. We stopped only a few times just to consume gels and go to the bathroom, but the entirety of our moving time was spent running, which we felt proud of, as neither of us had ever taken on this many mile on the trails. Things got hard around mile 18 and downhills were painful while flying up the hills felt like a relief for my muscles. We finished just after 1:30 pm, celebrated with a high-five, and got on the road back home.