HURT was my first 100 mile race, I was not selected in the first lottery and had put the race out of my mind (and budget) for the year. In November, I was notified my name was drawn from the wait list and I stalled in responding. It wasn't until the race director called my house and spoke with my 12 year old son that I actually confirmed the race. Hard to refuse 3 super excited kids, now I had to get ready!!!
Winter training is challenging and I would suggest not worrying about your gps or splits and go for time/effort. I had a couple good friends willing to meet up and run long runs through snow and ice, looking for trails, often hitting logging roads. Some runs I did on snow shoes. While this is great training I was starting to wonder how this would play out in the hot and humid (not to mention technical) conditions in Hawaii.
Roots!!!!
From the pre-race meeting to the awards banquet, HURT had a grass roots feel to the race which I love. At the pre-race meeting, I hooked up with my fellow BC boys, Gary Robbins, Jason Loutit, and Matt Sessions. It was great to see these guys several times on the course.
Matt Sessions and Mel-pre race
The course consists of 5-20 loops divided into 3 main climbs and desents into aid stations. The aid stations were stocked and so full of energy and because I hit them every 6-7 miles, I only carried one water bottle or used my camel back. The race director indicated the course was well marked and we won't get lost if we followed the right colored ribbons. The only problem with that was the course was so technical, I rarely looked up :)
All set....a little nervous!!
The start if kind of funny, right beside the row of portapotties...oh well... It was very dark in the trails and I needed my head lamp until the first aid station. I enjoyed this part, so many people to chat with and follow along. After the first station, I dropped my light and started running with another HURT newbie. We had a similiar pace and chatted through aid 2 and started the return to home base. I was suprised, I had moved into 1st place at that time. Way too early to mean anything as there were still 4 loops to go.
Unfortunately after the climb we missed a gate and continued back the same way we had run out in the dark. We actually missed another turn and ran down the road too far...anyways we thought we had found the right trail and were headed back to the start, feeling great. Until we ran into Jason Loutit who was coming up this trail and told us to turn around~ arrgh!!! We ran back at least 25 minutes to the gait where Jason sent us on our way. I knew running mad or trying to make up time would only come back to bite me, so I let Daniel take off. After lap 1, I tucked in behind Matt to regroup and spent an hour catching up. I left him at the 1st aid station and started slowly moving up running with a few different people during laps 2 and 3. I was getting worried about running this course at night. Honestly, I have never run a more technical course and had already wiped out, gashed my hand, and been lost on my 1st loop!!
Water crossing into aid station 2
Fortunately, I had a put together a couple pacers to help keep me on the trail. Rob Van Geen from the Big Island and Kevin Bos, my husband. Rob is probably the happiest guy running I've ever met and knew the trails like the back of his hand. Kevin is a cyclist, and his mountain biking skills were fabulous at chosing a good path through rooty/rocky sections. They were able to pace for 2/3 of a lap each and then couldn't keep pace. Still, having them on trail gave me a mental boost and I was able to finish the race on my own. My good friend Daryl Spencer was crewing every station, keeping me focused on moving forward and providing encouragement. Once I was a bit more comfortable running at night, I found it was peaceful and enjoyed the cool air; of course my pace slowed but I felt comfortable.
My personal aid station and pacer Rob!!
The last section of my final lap was amazing. As I climbed out of the final aid station the sun began to rise and I put my lights away. I crossed a ridge section and could see the sun coming up, I knew I would be finished in less than an hour. I felt giddy and happy, joked with other runners on course, made sure I went through the gait and headed home. Crossing the finish line of your first 100 miler is an intense, raw, and emotional experience. For me it was pure joy. 
Finished!!!
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