I started my effort on January 16, 2021 at 11:51 am CST. It was a pretty day (upper 50's) so I encountered many other people enjoying the trail in the first 20 miles. The first 20 also had several wet & swampy areas due to recent rain & snow; this had a big impact on my pace. At mile 20 there is a bridge under construction at Stubblefield. My husband met me here with a kayak so that I could paddle across the water. This was the only point where I was not on foot. Once reaching the other side, I continued my journey, but encountered very few other people, I had a crew of 2-3 who met me at all major trailheads after mile 20 to help me refuel, change clothes, etc. From about mile 28, as night descended, there was always a pacer with me, this helped me stay focused, stay on course, and stay safe. I made good progress without incident through most of the night. While the trail was far less wet from mile 20 forward, there were still times that my feet got wet. It was critical for me to change socks every time I met my crew. Overnight lows reached mid 30's and I struggled a few times with staying warm. At mile 71 I crossed the east fork of the San Jacinto River with my pacer. I changed shoes to sandals to keep my socks & shoes dry, and had good success with this. The water was over my knees at its deepest, but not high enough to get my shorts wet. The first rays of sunlight started to appear just as I was leaving trailhead #13 about 82.3 miles in. The next 9 miles were difficult, but I made good progress. For the last 5 miles I really struggled with Achilles pain and general soreness, which had me walking much more than I wanted. I finally reached the terminus of the trail at Trailhead #15 about 22 hours, 18 minutes after starting the morning before. Since I'd never run this far before, and wanted to capture my first 100 mile distance, I continued down the road to add 4 miles to my total route distance.
Comments
Well done, and congrats on your first 100 miler too!