Thanks for sharing your experience !! So looking forward to this race in 2024 - I am coming from New Zealand and on the process of finding a pacer in CO.
Hi Sarah-- thanks for sharing! I am #12 on the male waitlist for the 2024 event. This race has intrigued me for years and I'm excited to get a chance to run it. I've read a fair bit of your writings in the past at the encouragement of mutual friend, Sophie Speidel, and this 2 part blog doesn't disappoint! Thanks for the thoughts. Hope to meet one day out on the trails.
hi Tim, I really appreciate that! I hope you get off the wait list; chances are good for going 12 deep, I think. I wrote a race report for the 2021 edition, in UltraRunning mag, which is a more general overview of the race's features, if you're interested: https://ultrarunning.com/featured/high-drama-at-the-high-lonesome-100/
Having paced HiLo on two separate occasions, this took me right back there...some of my favorite moments in trail running have been on that course. Way to gut it out and I'm glad your family could share in the experience.
What a fantastic race report Sarah. I loved reading both parts but especially part 2. It had me tearing up almost from the beginning❤️. It’s so well written. Huge congrats to you on such a hard finish and big high five to your incredible family - esp Colly!!
Loved reading this Sarah! I’m not an ultra runner. My longest distance was a 50k, but I’ve done enough endurance events to identify with all of the highs and lows you described. There is always something unexpected to move through. And I so relate with everything you shared about your kids. So glad you got to share the experience with them.
Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I found myself tearing up reading this. My kids are 2, 7 and 10. I've been running ultras since they were little, and I get so much energy from them when I see them along the course, and love finishing races with them by my side. What a gift for you to be able to experience this race with your kids. Congratulations on a hard-fought finish!
Sarah thank you for sharing a beautifully written race report. I see myself in a lot of your writing. I'm 58 and feel like I've totally slowed down, my training feels harder, my motivation lower, and my confidence is lacking. This weekend I'm running a difficult 100k in UT, and it's my "training" run five weeks out from the Wasatch 100, which I failed to finish in 2019. I had stomach issues and a nagging soreness in front of ankle that turned painful and caused me to drop at 85 miles. I later found out it was tendinitis. I'm nervous about both races, and whether I still have what it takes to finish them but will draw inspiration from your finish at High Lonesome. Congrats, fan from Idaho
Thank you and good luck! If you got to Mile 85 before, then you can do it! I was ready to drop at Mile 84 and am so glad I didn't. Wasatch is very tough, brace yourself for a very cold night after Brighton and a relentless road stretch at the end (not unlike High Lonesome). Here's my report on it from 2015, from my mothballed blog, if you're interested (though the course has changed, it's still mostly the same). https://www.therunnerstrip.com/2015/09/stupid-me-a-wasatch-100-mile-race-report/
What a great race recap! Love this. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience !! So looking forward to this race in 2024 - I am coming from New Zealand and on the process of finding a pacer in CO.
Thanks for reading! It's a great route and event.
Hi Sarah-- thanks for sharing! I am #12 on the male waitlist for the 2024 event. This race has intrigued me for years and I'm excited to get a chance to run it. I've read a fair bit of your writings in the past at the encouragement of mutual friend, Sophie Speidel, and this 2 part blog doesn't disappoint! Thanks for the thoughts. Hope to meet one day out on the trails.
hi Tim, I really appreciate that! I hope you get off the wait list; chances are good for going 12 deep, I think. I wrote a race report for the 2021 edition, in UltraRunning mag, which is a more general overview of the race's features, if you're interested: https://ultrarunning.com/featured/high-drama-at-the-high-lonesome-100/
Good luck to you.
Great family!
This one really got me. Way to "boot n rally."
Wonderful recap Sarah!
As a fellow fifty something, I always draw great inspiration from your running for my own.
Your narrative of this 100 plays like a good analogy for life's hardships:
Sometimes it's messy.
Sometimes you puke.
Sometimes you must nap.
Sometimes all the careful planning goes down the toilet. (I'm sure watermelon and ginger ale only were not the nutrition plan).
But, you keep moving forward, shelve the excuses, and achieve.
You once again have showed this to your family (and readers) with more grit and guts than words.
Thank you for weaving together the race with the emotions, fears, motivations, and pain.
Awesome.
thank you and thanks for reading!
Having paced HiLo on two separate occasions, this took me right back there...some of my favorite moments in trail running have been on that course. Way to gut it out and I'm glad your family could share in the experience.
thanks for reading! It's a great course.
What a fantastic race report Sarah. I loved reading both parts but especially part 2. It had me tearing up almost from the beginning❤️. It’s so well written. Huge congrats to you on such a hard finish and big high five to your incredible family - esp Colly!!
Thank you, I miss you. You were part of my training buildup at Miwok!
Loved reading this Sarah! I’m not an ultra runner. My longest distance was a 50k, but I’ve done enough endurance events to identify with all of the highs and lows you described. There is always something unexpected to move through. And I so relate with everything you shared about your kids. So glad you got to share the experience with them.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I found myself tearing up reading this. My kids are 2, 7 and 10. I've been running ultras since they were little, and I get so much energy from them when I see them along the course, and love finishing races with them by my side. What a gift for you to be able to experience this race with your kids. Congratulations on a hard-fought finish!
Suffering leads to great writing, I always said that. This was a fantastic piece.
Congrats on the sucking up till the end of it, and, more so, on raising two awesome kids.
Congrats on your smart coaching & crewing of the new course record holder!
Sarah thank you for sharing a beautifully written race report. I see myself in a lot of your writing. I'm 58 and feel like I've totally slowed down, my training feels harder, my motivation lower, and my confidence is lacking. This weekend I'm running a difficult 100k in UT, and it's my "training" run five weeks out from the Wasatch 100, which I failed to finish in 2019. I had stomach issues and a nagging soreness in front of ankle that turned painful and caused me to drop at 85 miles. I later found out it was tendinitis. I'm nervous about both races, and whether I still have what it takes to finish them but will draw inspiration from your finish at High Lonesome. Congrats, fan from Idaho
Thank you and good luck! If you got to Mile 85 before, then you can do it! I was ready to drop at Mile 84 and am so glad I didn't. Wasatch is very tough, brace yourself for a very cold night after Brighton and a relentless road stretch at the end (not unlike High Lonesome). Here's my report on it from 2015, from my mothballed blog, if you're interested (though the course has changed, it's still mostly the same). https://www.therunnerstrip.com/2015/09/stupid-me-a-wasatch-100-mile-race-report/
Such an inspirational read and feat! I love that the kids were there to help you out. Thanks Morgan too!