Over the weekend, my spouse Kim ran 100 miles. On objective.
The Cowboy 200/100 race has turn out to be an annual occasion for individuals who suppose marathons are extra enjoyable once you string a bunch of them collectively end-to-end. There have been a lot of these individuals on the Cowboy Path (an outdated railroad right-of-way) this weekend. A few of them had been working 100 miles like Kim, however much more of them had been working 200 miles. In case you had been questioning, 200 miles is 322 kilometers. That’s equal to thirty two 10K runs in a row, plus a pair additional Ok only for enjoyable.
Be at liberty to skip forward in case you’re simply right here for nature photographs however I figured individuals may need questions concerning the obvious lunacy of those sorts of races. Initially, simply ending the race is a big accomplishment. Clearly. There are cut-off instances, so you’ll be able to’t simply stroll the entire thing. Not that strolling 100 or 200 miles wouldn’t even be a giant deal, however they make you end prior to can be attainable in case you simply walked.
Unsurprisingly, a grueling race like this implies lots of people aren’t in a position to end it. Of the 70 individuals who began the 200-mile race, solely 40 crossed the end line. Sixty-two individuals began the 100-mile race and solely 33 completed. The winner of this 12 months’s 200-mile race completed in about 46 hours, however most individuals ran it in about 60-80 hours. For those who’re combating the psychological math, 80 hours is three days and eight hours.
The winner of the 100-mile race completed in an incredible 16 hours and half-hour, however most individuals got here in at between 24 and 30 hours. My impression is that a lot of the 200-mile runners took cat naps right here and there, however I feel a lot of the 100-milers did it with out sleeping on the best way.
Anyway, that was a fast primer to the ultramarathon world for these of you who haven’t run additional than 26.2 miles and puzzled if there have been any alternatives to take action. There are! For those who select to turn out to be an ultramarathon runner, you may be becoming a member of a really choose group of people that, in my expertise, are extremely pleasant, supportive, self-disciplined, pain-tolerant, and totally mad. It’s a enjoyable group to hold round with, assuming you get pleasure from listening to conversations about electrolytes, caloric consumption, blisters, shoe manufacturers, late-race hallucination tales and Courtney Dauwalter.
Whereas all these beautiful individuals had been on the path, I simply hung round and took photos of bugs and such. I additionally met Kim at numerous assist stations alongside the route and handed her water, meals, socks, or no matter she wanted whereas she and different runners tried to persuade one another they had been having enjoyable.
Proper after the 100-mile race began on Saturday morning, I drove out forward of the runners and wandered the Cowboy path at a way more leisurely tempo and photographed bugs, flowers, and seed heads I discovered alongside the best way. It was a beautiful morning. Listed here are a few of these photographs.
I didn’t get an opportunity for pictures Saturday night time, however I did get to look at the dawn on Sunday morning. There’s a pleasant scenic overlook at Fort Niobrara Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, simply outdoors of Valentine, Nebraska, the place the race completed. I drove up there, not essentially for the scenic overlook, however as a result of I knew it was a spot I might wander with my digicam.
I used to be working with lower than 4 hours of sleep (behind our automotive) however the crisp morning was invigorating and I had a good time exploring the small prairie space close to the overlook. There have been fairly just a few spider webs to get pleasure from, just a few flowers nonetheless blooming, and a few very nice fall shade within the grasses, shrubs, and different crops.
Since there was solely a really gentle breeze, I hung out photographing spiders on their webs – a minimum of those that tolerated my method. More often than not, if I stored my head low as I moved in, they appeared prepared to pose for me.
As soon as the daylight grew too intense for good pictures, I drove again right down to the end line and waited for Kim to reach. Whereas I used to be there, I frolicked and talked to among the different runners and the race organizers. Each time a runner was noticed approaching the end line, although, conversations paused and all of the runners who had been completed with the race stood (stiffly and shakily) and limped over to clap and cheer.
Then, I drove my lovely, sleepy, and sore spouse dwelling.
