The run started with a short uphill and I started far enough back that I got caught up in traffic. I hit the first mile at 12 minutes and worked over the next 14 miles to work the overall pace down below 10m/m. I skipped the first aid station at around mile 4 and then started grazing as I came through the remaining stations. A handful of pretzels, a few cookies and I was very "efficient" which is where I picked up a lot of spots throughout the day. I grabbed a few cookies and pretzels at the aid stations, and a cup of gatorade at the third station. I came through the start/finish for the first loop at 2:33:30 (gun time) and saw Beth and Avery. I started focusing on the next 3 miles, so 16-17-18 where I hit mile 18 just under 3 hours. Mile 19-20-21 in just under 3:30. Coming through the first aid station, I grabbed a couple cookies and two turtles. Turtles are good, but in 30F weather, the carmel is pretty stiff and the chocolate brittle. I dropped the second cookie in the snow (oops...) and kept trotting along. Miles 22-23-24 I started to slow down closer to 11m/m. By now, my legs are starting to complain and it's just a matter of moving forward. I played around in my mind with various scenarios to see whether I could finish in less than 5:10 and I knew I'd kick myself if I finished in 5:11. No matter, as my pace slowed more. Somewhere just short of 26 miles, runkeeper quit updating (phone battery drained) but I still would have done the marathon distance in about 4:30 which is a 20 minute improvement over Tecumseh in 2010. I played leapfrog with a couple of groups and a couple of individuals, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. One of the guys was running with a huge husky named Rocky who is the race mascot. They passed me for the last time around mile 28-29. By now, I'm walking the uphills and shuffling along for the rest, but it is still a good day. As I come across the road for the last half-mile, one of the volunteers comments on the icecicles hanging from the bill of my hat (he'd said something the first loop too). I pick it up as much as I can to finish with a gun time of 5:24:00.

I used up a lot of energy in the first 2-3 miles trying to get around slower runners. Otherwise, I wouldn't do much different.

Hobbled over to the port-o-pots and then to the warming tent for some homemade soup (Russian Cabbage and some Spicy Corn Chowder, both very tasty). We started the walk up to the campground for a shower when I realized that while I had clothes and a towel, I didn't have dry shoes, so Avery got the car and drove us the rest of the way. The shower was warm and got me clean enough for the drive on to Toledo.


Lack of long runs (two 17-milers and a 21-miler, all on the roads).


It has to be a huge challenge to organize a winter ultra. I've run an aid station for an ultra (in good weather). My hat is off to these guys for making this a good race!