My first Pacing Experience

This past June I finished my 3rd 100 mile race at the Kettle Moraine 100 in Wisconsin.  I had two friends crew and pace me during that race and when I heard they were both taking on distance PRs at the same event I thought it would be perfect to pay back the pacing duties.  I have been running for over 4 years and I had never paced anyone.

Run Woodstock is an event that is very special to me, my first 100 mile finish the Hallucination 100.  I have ran a race at Woodstock each year for the last 4 years.  This year I would take a step back from racing and be a "pacer" for my friend Mark who ran the 100 miler and my other friend Matt who ran the 50 mile race.  The 100 mile race consists of 6 loops of 16.6 miles each and the 50 mile consists of 3 loops.  The plan was for me to run the 3rd loop with Mark and the 3rd and last loop with Matt.

Friday evening I met up with Matt at the Pinckney State Park campgrounds to set up his pop-up camper.  By the time we arrived at the start/finish for packet pick-up, Mark had already gone through the start/finish area and was on his 2nd loop.  We went back over to the campground and caught up on life.  Matt soon fell asleep and I found myself laughing as I was setting my alarm for 10:35 PM!  I attempted to sleep for about 40 mins before having to run with Mark but all I could do was toss and turn.  I took off to the start/finish area to wait for Mark.  

He finished his 2nd loop around 11:20 and didn't waste much time at the aid station and quickly left to start loop 3.  Everything was going well and we quickly started conversing.  For about the first hour or two the weather was almost perfect then of course it started raining.  It seems that every single year it rains at this event.  During my first attempt at the 100 mile distance four years ago, it rained the entire night and the trail was an absolute disaster.  This year it started out just sprinkling for about an hour and then became increasingly heavier.  Mark and I were carefully tip toeing around puddles at an attempt to keep our feet as dry as possible.  Eventually by the end of the loop my shoes were so soaked it didn't matter at all to avoid puddles/mud.  With about 30 minutes left in the last section we came upon a runner who's light was malfunctioning so without a thought we decided to have him basically run in the middle of us so he could somewhat see where he was stepping.  The same exact scenario happened when my wife was pacing me two years ago, same location on the trail, same conditions, same distance.  It was total deja vu.  We finished the loop in about 4 hrs and 10 mins.  Mark had another pacer, Tim, lined up and ready to go for the 4th loop.  After they took off I put my rain poncho on and walked to my car and slept for an hour until my buddy Matt arrived for his 50 mile race at 6 am.

A sign of time well spent

Slop Fest

When Matt arrived I went over to check and make sure he was all ready to go, this would be his longest distance race by 16 miles.  After I watched him start I went to my car and drove to the camper and slept for about 5 hours.  It was a strange feeling setting my alarm for 10 am because I haven't slept in past 8 am in probably about four years!  I woke up, got some coffee and a doughnut, and went over to get ready to run with him on his final loop.

Over the years I have been able to meet some absolutely amazing people through this close-knit trail running community.  It seems like every race I go to I am able to recognize multiple people and have great conversations with them.  

I was a little concerned since I haven't been running as much that I would be too sore and not able to run as well with Matt but I was pleasantly surprised that my body felt completely normal.  He soon came in from his 2nd loop and wasted no time heading out on the trail.  Luckily the rain had stopped basically once the sun came up so that meant the trails were starting to dry off somewhat.  Nothing too dramatic happened during Matt's race besides a whole bunch of mosquitoes.  He stayed fairly consistent and didn't reach very many low points which is always nice during any ultramarathon.  From my point of view, the loop went pretty quick and before I knew it we were on the last stretch of trail.  Matt powered up the last hill and literally took off on a sprint towards the finish line, so inspiring to see.


Mark ended up finishing the 100 miler in just over 24 hours and Matt finished in just over 11 hours, life-changing accomplishments!

Mark and I

Matt and I

My key takeaways from being a pacer

1.  The theory of relativity is directly connected with running.  I felt no fatigue and had no thoughts of injury or being tired during the entire time I was running (8+ hrs).  If I was the one running the race or if I was out by myself doing the exact same distance and time, I guarantee I would have had a more difficult time at least mentally completing the run.  But since I was essentially there for reassurance and company, my mind never went to a dark place.  Also, I knew that they were in greater pain than I was!

2.  When the rain really started to come down during the middle of the night and our shoes and socks were soaking wet, Mark's attitude and demeanor stayed EXACTLY the same.  We actually kind of just laughed and shrugged it off.  We cannot change what happens to us but we can change how we respond and choose to deal with it and that is what makes the difference whether good or bad.

3.  The running community is awesome.  I was more able to notice the people involved in the event from the volunteers to the runners.  People are so nice even when they are in excruciating pain!  Even when we passed other runners they gave us a thumbs up or said something positive.

Mandatory dip in the lake after 2 days of rain, mud, running, and bug spray

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!