100 Mile Zumbro Race Report

16 min readApr 11, 2022

This Friday and Saturday I ran the 100 Mile Zumbro Endurance Run. It was a great experience and I finished in 30 hours and 6 minutes, which was 17th place overall out of the 46 runners who started. I’m writing this report mostly for myself since I’m sure I will forget most of these details over time, but I hope it will be interesting to others as well. I’ve added headings so if you want to skip just to the race report, scroll down to that section. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments/response section.

Choosing the Zumbro 100

I decided to run this race just 3 weeks ago. I trained a lot last summer for three ultras, and was disappointed in my performances in two of the three, and even the third one wasn’t that great. After that experience I wasn’t sure I wanted to run any more ultramarathons. I finally decided three weeks ago that I did want to try a 100 mile or 24 hour race. I looked up the FANS Ultra race I ran last year, because it is close by and it is flat (unlike many ultras) and so would be easier to hit my goal of finishing a 100 mile race. Unfortunately it was scheduled for a week we planned to be out of town on vacation. So I looked for other races in the midwest, but didn’t find any good fits.

Finally I settled on the Zumbro 100 because:

It is a 100 mile race
It is only about an hour away

The downsides for this race were:

It was only three weeks away
It is in early April in Minnesota and I don’t particularly like running in the cold
It is very hilly, and I had not run hills for 6 months

Training

Over the fall and winter I ran quite a bit (~45 miles/week), but I hadn’t decided if I wanted to attempt another 100 mile or 24 hour race. So I wasn’t doing any runs longer than 10 miles, and wasn’t doing any outdoor running or hill training. All my runs over the fall and winter (until 3 weeks ago) were on a treadmill and 10 miles or less. Once I decided to do this race I did the following race-specific training, in addition to my weekly runs:

One 10 mile run at Oxbow park with lots of hills
A treadmill run of 20 miles on Saturday and another of 16 miles Sunday two weeks before the race
A single 17 mile loop of the Zumbro course a week before the race

The 100 mile training plans I’ve seen (and used in the past) include more long runs on weekends, some back to back long runs, and always recommend doing your training on terrain that matches the race course. I really didn’t know how I would do in this race because I hasn’t done any of that. However I have been running and training for ultras fairly consistently for the past three years including running a 50K race, three 50 mile races, and one 100 mile run. And last summer my training included all three of those elements. So while I hadn’t done as much ultra distance training recently as I would have liked, I did have a good base of running strength and fitness built up over the last few years, as well as experience in ultramarathon races.

I also consider nutrition and sleep as an important part of training and overall fitness and wellness. I try to prioritize getting enough sleep (7–8 hours a night for me). I don’t always succeed, but the last few weeks I had done well and felt well rested.

I’ve been vegetarian for the past 8 years, not so much because I think meat is bad, but because other whole plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, etc help me to keep my energy up and recover quickly from training. I still do eat some junk food and processed food, my favorites are ice cream and cookies. But a large part of my diet is whole food plant-based, so I felt prepared in terms of nutrition going in to the race. As a side note, if you have considered reducing the amount of meat in your diet but are worried it will make you feel weaker or have less energy, that definitely hasn’t been my experience!

Course and Strategy Details

The course is a 17 mile loop, run 6 times for a total of 102 miles. There is 13,500 feet of elevation gain (2,250 feet per loop), which is more elevation gain than any of the previous ultras I’ve done. There was a water-only aid station at mile 5, and a full aid station at mile 13.5 and at the start-finish line. This meant there were 8.5 miles with no food or water, which didn’t fit my strategy used in other ultras of just using a single handheld water bottle. So a few weeks before the race I bought a hydration vest that holds 34oz of liquid, has some pockets for snacks and a phone, and a backpack section big enough to hold a jacket and some other gear I might need on the course.

In the past I’ve though about buying trekking poles, which are ski poles used specifically for hiking. They help with stability on rocky and muddy hills and also let your upper body do some of the work getting up the hill. I’ve always been too lazy to buy them and learn how to use them. Also I thought they would be annoying to carry during the flat sections, but that’s a poor excuse because you can buy foldable ones that attach to your hydration pack when you don’t need them. I did not buy trekking poles for this race (more on that later).

I planned to have any extra gear I might need in my car, and use it at the end of each loop. Since I didn’t have anyone crewing for me, I made a written list of things to do and check before each loop. This was very helpful because when it is 3am and I’ve been running/walking for 19 hours my memory and brain power are very limited.

I had run most of the course the week before. During that practice run I got lost a few times since I was just going off a printed map. But even though I had missed a few sections of the course, I felt confident I knew what to expect.

My goal was just to finish the race under the 34 hour cutoff (6pm Saturday). I planned to walk up all the hills, and also walk whenever I felt like it. With 34 hours to complete the race I figured I could jog and walk the first half, and if needed walk the last half (51 miles).

The Race

The race started at 8am Friday. It snowed the night before so there was a dusting of snow on the ground and a few flakes still coming down, but it was supposed to end around 9am so that wasn’t a concern for me. Here’s a picture of the start/finish line shortly before the start.

I was concerned about the 15–25 mph wind forecast for all day Friday, but it wasn’t really noticeable, probably because the course is sheltered with all the surrounding hills.

Loops One and Two

Here’s a picture of one of the hills during the first loop when it was snow covered.

The snow melted by mid day leaving the trails clear but a bit more muddy. I ran the first loop without earbuds/headphones, and spent part of the time chatting with some of the other runners. There were also several photographers taking pictures along the course, along with the aid station workers, all of whom were very friendly, helpful, and encouraging. Other than getting to know a few of the other runners, the only other notable part of my first loop was realizing that one of the sections of the course I missed in my practice run was a huge and very rocky hill. The photographer at the base of that hill welcomed me with an enthusiastic “Welcome to Paddy’s Hill”, so I at least knew what it was called as I cursed at it in my head during each loop. Here’s a picture that doesn’t really capture the full agony of it, because it is only one section of the hill, and it looked even more steep in person.

Very steep and rocky “Paddy’s Hill” — Paddy’s Hill

After each loop I headed to my car and took off my running watch and phone and charged them while I refilled the two soft bottles in my hydration vest with Gatorade. I also got rid of the wrappers from the snacks I had eaten the previous loop and packed more gels and snacks into my vest. Most laps I also changed into a dry T-shirt and reapplied body glide where needed to prevent chaffing. After loop two I changed socks and shoes, and also put my two headlamps, extra batteries and an extra jacket in my pack, knowing it would get dark and colder while I was out on loop three. I tried to do as much of this as possible while sitting, to give my feet and legs a break. I had many other things in my car I didn’t end up needing, including a kit to treat blisters, bandages and athletic tape, extra shoes, and extra clothing.

Loop Three

During loop three, about nine hours in, the hills really started getting tough. Even while walking up them slowly I would have to stop for a while to catch my breath. I realized not using trekking poles for this race was a mistake. So I decided to improvise, looking around near the trail for a few sturdy and somewhat straight sticks to use as trekking poles. Near the base of each big hill I was usually able to find a decent stick or two, and they really did help me up those hills. And as a bonus I could just discard them at the top of the hill.

This was also around the time I started having negative thoughts, such as “I’m already really tired, and I have at least 16 more hours of this.” This hit home while climbing the big hills, but also while walking the 1.5 miles of soft sand trails.

When you are tired, even walking in soft sand is a challenge. This is where my experience in other ultras, including the ones that didn’t go well last summer, really helped out. I’ve had had practice acknowledging these thoughts, but not dwelling on them, and have learned instead to focus on what is happening in the moment. This includes making sure I’m staying hydrated, taking in enough calories, and focusing on the next section of the course. I had my earbuds in, and so also focused on finding podcasts that were interesting and could distract me from the negative thoughts.

With about five miles left in loop three it started to get dark so I put on my headlamp. This is usually one of the toughest points mentally in an ultramarathon, where you are already tired and are faced with the reality of having to run through the night in the cold and darkness, but I had a plan for this. Mike Burman, a friend and college roommate had offered to pace me for a loop, so I asked him to run loop four with me. In previous years he ran a shorter version of this race (the 17 or 34 mile version), so he knew what he was getting in to. It was energizing to see him as I finished loop three, and to talk with him as we prepared for and started loop four. It was just the mental boost I needed.

Loop Four

Unfortunately, around half a mile into the loop Mike twisted his ankle as we climbed the first big hill. He wanted to keep going and tried to for a while, but it soon became clear he wasn’t going to be able to keep up for the full loop. So he wished me good luck and headed back. I was disappointed, but I have run two ultras at night without a pacer and was planning on doing loop five in the dark without one anyway, so I felt confident I could make it through. It was great just to see him and chat for a while.

During the middle of loop four I started to calculate if I could finish under the 34 hour cutoff by walking the rest of the way. I had figured out before the race that averaging19 minute miles, and taking 15 or so minutes between loops to refill my vest, etc, would let me finish in time. Since I had run the first 3 loops faster than that, running around 15 minute miles, I calculated I could average around 24 minute miles the rest of the way. However I also knew that going up those big hills, and also going back down with tired legs, was taking longer and longer each loop, well over that 24 minute average. At that point even walking a flat section at 18–20 minutes a mile was taking some effort, so I was worried if I continued to get more and more tired, or had any stomach or digestion problems, I might not be able to finish in time.

At this point in loop four my feet were sore and my legs were tired, which was expected. However my stomach wasn’t feeling great either. It wasn’t the terrible nausea that I had in my two bad races last summer, but it felt like it could turn into that fairly quickly. I tried to push those fears of not being able to finish due to nausea or fatigue out of my head as well, but they continued to come back every once in a while.

Loop Five

As I started loop five my right knee started hurting a bit as well, so it became harder to even walk down the large hills, especially the rocky ones where a misplaced step or a rock hidden by a leaf could send you stumbling. Navigating these hills in the dark didn’t make it any easier. For this loop and the next, I also ended up walking most of the downhill flat road section because of the toll the pounding took on my knee and legs, and I was also worried if I got going too fast my legs weren’t going to be strong enough to stop myself without falling.

To combat the negative thoughts during loop five I convinced myself just to focus on finishing that loop, very slowly if needed since I was still doing okay on time. I told myself if I just finished loop five, I would feel energized and would be “almost there”, especially if I finished with seven or eight hours to spare. I also focused on just getting to 6:30am when it would be daylight again, since that usually provides a mental boost. I did get a temporary boost from the daylight, and managed to finish loop five.

Loop Six

I felt positive starting loop six, knowing I was “almost there”. This faded quickly, as I realized I had another 6–8 hours of uncomfortable walking/shuffling/climbing left. I also started getting concerned my leg fatigue could turn into cramping or I could sprain an ankle at any time, making it impossible to continue. And my lower back started hurting as well. I tried to push these thoughts out of my mind and for the next three hours just focused on small sections of the course, like “just make it to the bridge at mile 2”, “just make it to the aid station at mile 5”, and “just make it to the sand trail at mile 8”. That worked well, as did switching from podcasts to upbeat music. It also helped that my stomach felt much better about an hour into loop six. Once I got to the top of “Paddy’s Hill” for the sixth and last time I felt really good because I only had about five miles left. I also knew most of it was flat or downhill so I could easily walk it (barring injury) and make it in plenty of time.

One great thing about the Zumbro 100 is that they have three other races on the same course that overlap the 100. This year there were over 450 other runners between the 17, 34, and 50 mile versions (1, 2, and 3 loops on the course), and the start times for all the races are set so runners finish sometime Saturday. The 100 mile runners get a pink ribbon to tie to the back of their vests so other runners can identify them. Most of the runners in the other races while passing me (and the few I passed) had words of encouragement when they saw the pink ribbon on my back and realized I had been on the course since 8am Friday.

I’ve heard other ultramarathon runners describe having hallucinations during long races, and this was the first race where I experienced anything like a hallucination. At various times during loop six I would see a person in the woods out of the corner of my eye. However when I looked over and got closer I would see that it was really just a strange looking tree or stump. The first few times I didn’t think anything of it, but as it continued to happen (at least ten to fifteen times during that last loop) it became clear that my brain was suffering from fatigue and a lack of sleep.

When I finished the race, the volunteers were great, as they had been all race. They gave me my finisher’s medal and 100 mile belt buckle. They also helped me sit down, take off my vest, and even brought me some home made pizza. I stayed there for a while eating, resting, and cheering on the other finishers from all the races.

Post Race

I had been texting Kristelle and my family during the race from the course on top of the bluffs where the cell service was better to let them know I was okay and doing well. There wasn’t cell service at the start-finish line, so I couldn’t call Kristelle until I was driving home. It was great to talk to her and share the highlights from the race. I am so grateful for her love and support. She has been taking care of everything family related the last few days as I prepared for, ran, and then recovered from the race. She is amazing!

When I got home, my feet, legs, and right knee were still sore, but better than during the race. Also, the side of both of my big toes (the sides closest to each other) were and still are numb. That happened the other time I ran 100 miles as well (see the link below for that race report), and it wore off in a few weeks so I’m not too worried.

At the end of my drive home I finally started to feel sleepy, which I was surprised hadn’t started right after I finished the race (or even during the race). Luckily I made it home before I got too tired. I unpacked some of my stuff, showered, ate dinner, and fell asleep immediately. Sunday morning I woke up and could barely walk. Most of my leg muscles had stiffened up overnight, and it took several minutes of slowly standing up and stretching to be able to make it upstairs. I’m sure I’ll be using handrails to go up and down stairs for the next few days, but other than that I’m feeling pretty good.

Nutrition and Other Statistics

For those of you that are familiar with ultra running or endurance sports, some of this might be interesting.

Strava Data: https://www.strava.com/activities/6956531966

Time stopped between loops: around 1 hour and 50 minutes total, so an average of 22 minutes between each loop

Overall Average pace: 17:42/mile

Overall Moving pace (not counting time between loops): 16:36/mile

Nutrition

Since I struggled with nausea and stomach problems in my races last summer, I decided to try to get most of my calories from gels and Gatorade this race. Here’s what I had to drink and eat:

11 20oz Gatorade bottles (1540 calories)
200oz water (0 Calories)
14 Gels (1400 Calories)
8 fig newtons (400 calories)
2 packages Cheez-Its (200 calories)
1 package cookies (140 calories)
1 granola bar (100 calories)
1 Pancake (100 calories)
1 cup of vegetable soup (100 calories)
1 cup of mashed potatoes (200 calories), near the end of loop five, and seemed to help my stomach feel better

This adds up to 4180 calories total for 30 hours, so only 140 calories / hour. In previous ultras I’ve tried to take in 200–300 calories per hour which is what your body can digest per hour while running. The 200–300 calorie rule worked well in my 50K where the race was shorter and my 100 mile run where the temperature was cooler. However it didn’t seem to work last summer in my hot and humid races, at least once I got to mile 30 or 40. I don’t know if the nausea I experienced last summer was just the heat and humidity, pushing myself to fast in those conditions, or if it was also a result of eating too much. In any case, eating less, and focusing more on gels and Gatorade seemed to work well this race. I didn’t feel like I was hurt by lack of calories, and I even ran some of the last few flat miles at 11 to 12 minute mile pace.

My best guess is that I probably burned 10,000 to 15,000 calories during the race, and I ended up 7 pounds lighter after the race even though I think I was fairly well hydrated. Most likely I’ll get that weight back in the next few days, since that is what happened after my other ultras.

Conclusion

The Zumbro 100 is a great race, and I’m really glad I did it. I also learned that at the fitness level I’m at and with the race experience I have I don’t necessarily need to months of back to back long runs or follow a specific training plan in order to have a good race. I’m grateful to Kristelle who is so supportive all the time, and to Mike who came out late on a Friday night to be there for me. I’m also grateful that all the things out of my control went my way, including having decent weather, and avoiding any freak injuries like a slip going down those rocky hills, or a twisted ankle like Mike had due to hidden rocks or roots. I’m also thankful I took a chance on a race I wasn’t entirely ready for, and that I was able to finish it.