Jackalope Jam 24hrs 2020

Jackalope Jam 24hr 2020 Race Report
How I Came to Stop Worrying and Just Run

If life were predictable, it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.
Eleanor Roosevelt

On February 21, 2020, I started the Jackalope Jam 24 hour race. It was my 4th time running Jackalope Jam; I have run the 24hr, 48hr, and 72hr variants in the past. For those that don’t know, Jackalope Jam is a timed race where you run the same out-and-back course as many times as you can in the time you sign up for. This year, the course was extended by a 0.25 mile to make it a little less crowded as it has grown in popularity. For me, this race should have been fairly predictable. I have run the same ½ mile section of the out-and-back over 700 times. Before the start of the race, I thought I wanted a predictable race. I was wrong, not only did the race surprise me, but it also increased my excitement about this year’s race season. While I did not complete the miles I wanted to, I completed 67 laps for 100.5 miles (106 on my Suunto watch) and finished 2nd Mens (3rd overall).

Pre-Race: This is Only a Test -OR- This may be Harder than I Thought

Going into Jackalope Jam this year, I was approaching the race with 2 mindsets:

Trial Run: It had been awhile since I did a 100+ mile race. With some big races coming up later this year, I was thinking about using Jackalope Jam as a way to trial run my current near-vegan diet (over 95% vegan – I am not super strict about checking every ingredient list and I still use some honey-based race fuels), new nutrition options (like maple based fuels vs honey based fuels), and just a general 24 hour stress test.
Winning: Part of me really wanted to win Jackalope Jam this year. Every year that I have run Jackalope Jame, I have placed 2nd. Realistically speaking, this was a secondary goal, but if everything was working well, I did really want to win Jackalope.

One thing that was concerning me before the race was my foot. I injured my foot several weeks before the race. Despite taking about 2 weeks off, it was still giving me trouble. In fact, I was preparing to have it x-rayed after the race.

As I mentally prepared for the race, I knew to not underestimate this course. While it is not technical, the course has 3 different trail conditions to deal with:

Hard, horse packed dirt
Loose potato-sized rocks
Sand

Over time, these conditions are brutal on feet and legs. In addition, the entire course is exposed, offering no protection from the elements – sun, wind, rain, etc.

All that said, I was still looking forward to the race. When I arrived at 7IL ranch, it felt somewhat comforting. I picked up my bib and race swag – Bib #69 (nice!) and a big purple “Cone of Death” hoodie. Afterwards I set up my tent, walked around and talked to my friends, fellow racers, and Rob, the race director.

The temperature was quickly dropping and the wind was picking up. I made myself some hot soup and ate a bunch of pretzels before huddling down in my tent to watch some Simpsons.

Overnight, the temperature dropped below freezing. I was not prepared for how cold it was going to be, but luckily I always pack an emergency space blanket. I wrapped it around my sleeping bag in order to keep warm. It was not the most restful night sleep.

I woke up pretty early as usual. The race started at 9am, so I had plenty of time to eat and get ready. By the time 9am rolled around, I was getting anxious to run.

Jam Time

The 6hr, 12hr, and 24hr runners/ruckers all start at the same time. So, there were a lot of people at the start and it was almost impossible to tell who was in which race. It also means it is hard to figure out the pace of the top runners; as someone running the 24hr race the last thing I wanted to do was pace a 6hr runner.

I ran into some familiar faces at the start line and chatted for a bit. When the clock hit 9am, we were off. I started at a quick pace, but slower than I usually start a 100 mile race. As we approached the half-mile point of the course (the previous years’ turn-around point), it felt weird to not turn around. The additional ¼ mile was very similar to the rest of the course, except it had a big curve.

I was closely pacing behind another runner, bib #67. I was pretty sure she was in the 24hr race, given the size of her base camp and the comments I overheard from her crew. For the next several laps, she slowly started to increase her lead over me. While I was running at a decent pace, my muscles felt sore, stiff, and constrained. My injured foot was uncomfortable, but not bad. Overall, I felt that I was running at the fastest pace my body would allow, even though I was way slower than my average fast pace.

As I continued to run, I could tell I was falling behind the top runners. It also felt like I was taking too many or too long of breaks. I had changed my strategy for this year’s Jackalope Jam; instead of bringing a full hydration vest, my plan was to wear a waist belt with a water bottle and quickly grab nutrition off my camp table when I needed it. While I took as little time as possible with each stop, I felt like I was just stopping too often between stripping off layers, grabbing quick nutrition, and drinking Gatorade.

As the race went on, my pace continued to slow. Six hours in, the 6hr racers stopped and I checked my distance. I was behind where I wanted to be. I had completed over 25 miles, but felt like I did not create enough of a buffer to complete 100 miles in 24 hours. I would need to pick up my pace if I wanted to hit my 100 mile goal. No matter how I pushed, I felt like I was running my fastest.

Maybe I’ll be happier stopping at 100k

The hours passed and it felt like I continued to lose time. I was getting angry with myself and my performance. I started to think maybe I will stop at 100k. I would still get a nice belt buckle and I would get to stop running. I was thinking to myself:

Would I be happy with earning the 100k buckle? Yes.
Would I like to stop running this race? Yes.
Was I going to stop because I was injured? No
Would I be happy stopping after 100k and not trying to go for the 100 miles? Not sure.

Since I couldn’t answer yes to the last question, I decided to keep pushing until 100k, then ask myself again.

I reached hour 12. I had run over 50 miles, but fell even further behind my desired 12 hour goal. I grabbed some caffeinated maple syrup from my camp. It did not help. I started to check my lap number every 2 laps, but it was like watching water boil. I never felt like I was making good progress.

As I was going, I caught a glimpse of another runner’s lap count. I was sure it said he was 10 laps ahead of me. I thought, “I used to be competitive at this race. What the hell happened? Have I lost that?”

I continued to run, putting one foot in front of the other while doing the mental math about how many miles I could complete by the end and what my pace would need to be in order to complete a 100 miles.

It was around 12:30am, I was on lap 43 (mile 64.5 or ~103K) and the fatigue started to hit me hard. I was barely running the lap, swaying from side to side. I kept pushing, until finally I was going side to side on the course and finding myself in the grass and off the well worn trail. I was falling literally asleep while running. Lap 45 took me 29 minutes. 29 minutes to go 1.5 miles. I knew I needed to do something, to wake myself up and get back on track. Taking a nap or a break was not an option. I knew if I stopped, I would not start again.

Red Bull & Ramen -OR- How my race got turned upside down

Coming in from lap 45, I knew I had to do something otherwise the race was going to be over for me. On top of that, my headlamp indicated that its batteries were almost empty. I decided to stop at the aid station. “Maybe I just need some additional calories or something warm,” I thought. The aid station had several cups of ramen noodles prepared. I decided to grab one. The volunteer poured in some hot water to heat up the noodles. I wanted some salt to add a little flavor and provide me with additional sodium. When I found the salt I noticed there were a couple of cans of Red Bull. I grabbed one and downed it quickly, then finished my ramen noodles and got back on the course.

I started back on the trail. I was waking up. No longer was I swaying back and forth on the trail. I could feel my energy coming back to me. I was feeling good, very good. About ¼ mile in, runner #67 passed me. She was going at a good pace, so I decided to pace behind her to see if I could keep up with her. To my surprise, I was able to keep up without too much effort.

Next thing I knew, I was running at a decently fast pace and was able to keep up with runner #67 for the full lap. Once we finished the lap, I decided to stop at my camp and change out my dying headlamp. It took a little longer than I would have liked, but I was back on the course and running. About ¼ mile in, I caught back up to runner #67. This time I took the lead and she paced me. Somewhere along the way, she dropped off behind me. My pace never slowed. I completed the lap and kept going.

I felt renewed. It was like I was running faster at this point in the race than I was around 10 miles in. On the next lap, I took a look at my tracking. I was in 8th place mens. That was definitely not where I wanted to be, but I did not think much about it. I felt great. I started to calculate how fast I would need to run to complete the hundred. Based on how fast I was moving, finishing 100 miles was possible but I needed to make up time.

In the Zone -OR- Fuelin’ like a College Student

With the possibility of completing the 100 miles, I decided to just keep pushing. During the night, I hit up the aid station to refuel on more ramen noodles and Red Bull. In fact, this was my only fuel for the rest of the race.

Every 2 laps, I would check my progress. My GPS watch was reporting more miles than my laps indicated and I did not fully trust my tired brain’s ability to count and keep track of my loops. As I was knocking out my loops, I started to notice my placement was moving up every couple of laps.

8th place -> 7th -> 6th -> 5th -> 4th -> 3rd -> 4th -> 3rd -> 2nd

I was in shock. Hours early, I was struggling to keep going and considered stopping at 100K. Now, I was in 2nd place, 100 miles was doable, and I was running at a quick pace. All thanks to some ramen noodles and Red Bull. One thing I love about ultra distance runs is how unpredictable they are, how the unexpected can happen. If you just keep running, good things will happen.

As the sun came up, I stayed in 2nd Place Mens. I had no idea how far ahead of 3rd place or how far behind 1st place I was. For overall placement, I was pretty positive I was in 3rd place behind runner #67. My plan was to just keep running. I was determined to complete 100 miles, regardless of what place I would end up in. 100 miles was my goal and I did not want any less.

The Final Laps -OR- Am I Instagram Famous Now?

A little after 7am, I finished lap 62. That left only 5 laps, 7.5 miles to complete 100 miles. I felt good. I even considered trying to complete 69 laps, to match my bib number. After another lap or 2, I decided I did not want to push myself that hard. While the sunlight re-energized me, I was feeling the over 22 hours of running.

The next laps were cool and fun. A couple of the other 24 hour racers rejoined the race to get in some additional laps. The top 72 hour runners were also back on the course for their final laps. There was a general feeling in the air that we were all in the final stretch of the race. This meant some racers were pushing hard while others were relaxing.

Once 8am rolled around, I only had 2 laps left to hit 100 miles. I double checked the numbers with the volunteers and they confirmed it. With an hour left on the clock and 2 laps (3 miles) to go, I decided to take it easy rather, opting for a brisk job, than push super hard. I felt confident I was going to stay in mens second place. On my last 2 loops, I either waved, said hi, or spouted words of encouragement to each racer I saw.

As I started my final lap, I had almost 40 minutes left on the clock. It felt great. As I approached the final turn around, this was the last time I would go around the Cone of Death (this year). I knew what I needed to do: Take a selfie with the Cone of Death. As I tried to squat down, I was confronted with the fact that my legs weren’t ready to work that way. After some painful and awkward maneuvering, I was able to get myself and the cone into frame for a quick selfie. Then I was back on my feet and ready to finish my last lap. As I approached the finish, I decided to go all out and finish in a sprint. It felt great.

I checked the clock and saw I have about 15 minutes left, so I decided to call it. I heard that I had secured 3rd place overall and 2nd place mens, but it would not be official until after the race was over. I went back to my tent, changed into my sandals, and grabbed my chocolate almond milk. Then I went back to the finish line to cheer on the runners still on the course, chat with a few race friends, and wait for the awards. As I was standing there, one of the racers called my name, came over, and congratulated me. I didn’t recognize him, but I reciprocate the sentiment. It was the 1st place winner. He told me that he had been stalking me on Instagram and that he considered me his competition and the one to beat. Then right after that, the 3rd place mens finisher jumped into the conversation and said the same thing. I was surprised to learn other racers were stalking me on Instagram. Am I Instagram famous now?

Summary

Due to a medical emergency at the end, Rob had to forgo the awards. I went back to my tent, changed, and decided to go to sleep. When I awoke, everyone was gone. It was just me in a field by myself. It was a weird feeling. I packed up my gear and went home.

Overall, I enjoyed the 2020 Jackalope Jam 24hr race. Despite some real struggles, I was able to reach my minimal goal of completing 100 miles. I am still amazed at how I was able to turn my entire race around with some Red Bull. I am definitely going to keep Red Bulls in my race gear and drop bags in the future.