What I Learned Running 100 Miles - Part 10

Have you ever set a goal and failed nine times in a row?

I have.

Ever since I ran my first 100-mile ultramarathon race in 2013, the question people most frequently ask me is "how long does it take to run 100 miles?"

That's a great question since the idea of "running 100 miles without any rest" seems pretty daunting. Most people think about running through the lens of their own experience, which is typically between 2-5 miles, 3-to-4 times per week. (Which is awesome, by the way!)

Second, many people think that running 100 miles is like running 33 x 5K's in a row, at 5K pace. That's not necessarily the right way to think about ultra marathons; when you set out to run 100 miles, you keep everything in the 'green zone' (Heart Rate Zones 0, 1, and 2). I like to tell people, "running 100 miles is just a little bit of work over a long period of time". When you mix in the most amazing views from the tops of summits, rivers, streams, waterfalls, leaves changing colors, animals, and everything else the forest has to offer, and you can see really quick why ultra-endurance running is really gaining in popularity.

THE PROVERBIAL GLASS CEILING

But back to the question of "How long does it take to run 100 miles," here is a quick chart of all of my previous (competitive) times in both the Bear 100 and Wasatch 100, which are roughly comparable in difficulty*:

As you can see here, trying to run 100 miles (with 20,000' or more of elevation gain/loss) in less than a day (24 hours) has been a seemingly unattainable goal the past decade of my life. On several occasions I had a sub-24 hour goal and failed: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and most recently in 2021.

Many times I wondered if I'd EVER be able to run a sub-24. After all, I'm not getting any younger, the kids are demanding more of my attention, the business is likewise demanding more time, and it feels like I'm getting squeezed on all sides. Was this just a glass ceiling that would forever keep me down?

FINDING THE LESSONS IN FAILURE

While the Bear 100 and Wasatch 100 kept dealing me "L" after "L", I remained resolute and tried to practice what David Goggins calls the "Post Event Assessment" each time. When I sat down with my running coach, we noticed some potential areas of improvement:

• I was starting out too slow. I need to run a quicker pace to a) help me get 'ahead of the yard sticks' while my glycogen was maxed out, and b) it helped me get my engine running better with a deliberate 'warm up' out of the Green Zone. My body could easily recover once I let off of the gas after an hour or two.
• My aid station breaks were too long. I was averaging 3-5 minutes per aid station, where I'd refill my bottles, grab a quick bite to eat, and fill up a ziplock back of fruit for the road ahead. I needed to find a way to condense that time to 1-2 minutes each without sacrificing the aid station quality.
• I needed to run more of the uphill. The REAL gains I needed to make was in my uphill pace. I'm not talking about the steep uphill power hikes; I'm talking about the gradients under 5% that are 'runnable' with a little bit of discomfort. In the past I'd always opted to walk ANYTHING uphill so I could save myself for later and keep myself comfortable. Those hills would have to be run if I had any chance of breaking 24 hours.
• I needed to figure out my body so I didn't develop another left tibia stress fracture gremlin situation. Taking the time to find out exactly why I was experiencing shin issues at greater distances was a must.
• I had to stay true to my non-running diet, or the times when I'm not active. A slight variation of Keto is where I need to be, eating vegetables, fruit, nuts, fats, and meat, and eliminating (or reducing) carbs; bread, rice, potatoes, and everything fried. Have to stop 'cheating.'

After last year's near miss of 24:40, I knew I was getting REALLY close. In fact, for over 30 miles of last year's Bear 100 I was ON PACE to hit 24-hours, so I was no stranger to the "I got this, I got this!" feeling, just to lose it. But now I had a detailed list of items I knew I could work on throughout the year, with plenty of shorter races to test my progress in the interim.

TESTING MY PROGRESS

Another frequently asked question I hear is "how do you train to run 100 miles?" The answer is: I run other races! Day to day, I struggle to knock out a 1-2 hour run before work. But on the weekends I get extra miles either through group runs or through other races, where I get the benefit of aid stations in exchange for a race entry fee. ~$125 to have multiple buffets up in the mountains?! What a bargain!

This year I ran the same exact race schedule as last year, mostly because I know it's a great lead-in to the race season in September, but also because I can compare my performance to previous years and get some great data relating to my actual fitness levels. Here is how 2022 played out in the run up to the Bear 100 in September:

• January 2022 | Frigid 5K | 19:33 (12th overall)
• March 2022 | Buffalo Run 50-Mile | 8:03 (5th overall, PR for any 50-mile distance)
• April 2022 | Boston Marathon | 3:13 (PR, previous best: 3:33)
• June 2022 | Utah Valley Marathon | 3:03 (PR, previous best: 3:12)* Boston Qualifier
• June 2022 | Squaw Peak 50-Mile | 10:48 (17th overall, PR)
• July 2022 | Follow the Flag 5K | 25:14 (4th overall, PR)
• July 2022 | Speedgoat 50K - Presented by UTMB | 7:46 (PR, previous best 7:55)
• August 2022 | Kat'cina Mosa 100K | 13:36 (1st overall, PR, previous best 13:47)

Yes, you read that right. My last race of the season - the Kat'cina Mosa 100K - was not only a great run for me physically, but it was my first career win in ultra endurance racing! Long story short, the three guys ahead of me either got injured or got lost during the later parts of the race. I just focused on myself with a good push all day long and I was rewarded with some great luck, and my first trophy!

READY FOR SHOWTIME

As the 2022 Bear 100 drew near, I was filled with mixed emotions. Although I had failed at the sub-24 so many times in the past, this year just felt different. I couldn't hear that nagging negative voice in my head saying "you'll never make it!" Second, the weather forecast was looking perfect: nice and cool without any rain/snow. Third, this year the race fell exactly on the second anniversary of my father's passing, giving me additional motivation to buckle up and leave it all out on the mountain.

In fact, the last thing my dad said to me on September 23, 2020 was "are you ready for Bear? Are you going to get that sub-24? How are you feeling about it, son?"

My answer was "yes dad, I think I can get it. I've done everything my coach has been telling me and I'm feeling great." That afternoon he suffered a massive heart attack and was gone, and I withdrew from the 2020 Bear 100 and focused on writing my funeral speech.

Last year, in 2021, I had that same conversation high up on the mountain with my dad's spirit and I whispered those same words: "yes dad, I think I can get it. I've done everything my coach has been telling me and I'm feeling great" - just to experience a painful stress fracture at mile 30, which caused me to miss my sub-24 goal by just 40 minutes.

This year, I was determined to not let him down yet again.

RACE DAY IS HERE

When I woke up in my Logan, Utah hotel room on the morning of September 23, 2022, I felt like it was my day. I knew I hadn't missed a workout in years, I'd run 10% more miles than 2021, I had a very detailed race day plan that I was confident I could execute (below), and my previous race results were all telling me that I could expect greatness. Still, never actually having accomplished the goal during 'game time', I still had a few lingering doubts. The only way to silence those gremlins would be to show up, execute the plan, show out, and crush it!

When the clock struck 6:00 AM, the field of 313 awesome trail runners let loose. I was in complete "Focus Mode"; I stuck to myself, all friendships and distractions on hold, and left with the lead pack, per my plan to run harder the first few miles of the race. I pushed up the first climb and made it to Logan Peak Aid Station 10 minutes ahead of plan, and in 17th place overall. So far, so good.

I continued with the foot on the throttle down to Leatham Hollow (Mile 19.7), 12 minutes ahead of plan, and still in 17th place. I felt good but not great, as I needed to cool down the engine a bit now that the sun was up and it was getting warm (73 degrees can feel hot when you’re pushing hard in the sunlight!)

When I passed Mile 30, Cowley Canyon dirt road, I reminisced on last year’s heartbreak. It was there I felt the beginnings of a stress fracture and had to come to grips with my ultimate sub-24 miss. The mental anguish I felt there was indescribably negative.

But that was last year. Since then my good friend and massage therapist, Jennifer Hanna, diagnosed the problem was actually scar tissue built up in my left ankle. That lack of ankle flexibility was causing my calf to put a disproportional amount of stress on my anterior tibia and thus, causing the pain. After months of working on that ankle, and calf flexibility, I felt strong and grateful that all of my bones were healthy in 2022.

As the day unfolded, I kept passing, and getting passed, by Liz Wigylus of Tahoe City, CA. She ran most of the day in the lead as first overall female. We kept saying ”great job” to the other and it kind of became a funny joke as the day progressed.

Soon, I met up with my amazing crew of Mike and Cris Bettilyon at Right Hand Fork at Mile 37 for the first time. They have both crewed me for all of my four Bear 100’s, and are just awesome people! As in years past, they helped me get in and out and commented on the fact I was 13 minutes ahead of plan. Secretly I was hoping I could just keep that 13 minutes for the duration of the race, as that would buy me a 23:47 - the perfect result for me.

I had been on plan before and lost it, so I was taking nothing for granted. I was just praying I could keep hitting those splits for another 14 hours!!

Between Right Hand Fork and Temple Fork (Mile 45), I ran most of it either slightly ahead and later, slightly behind, the great Ian Farris of Draper, Utah. He was just a machine and model of consistency the entire way. He’s famous for completing the Wasatch 100 and then driving up to Logan to ride the LOTOJA 203 mile bike race, competing them BOTH before the cutoff! What a beast!

Once I arrived at Temple Fork, the pain cave ramped up. The good news was, it wasn’t due to any injury or stomach issue; just good old-fashioned complaints from my body, muscles, etc. I didn’t panic as it wasn’t anything I hadn’t experienced a ton of times previous. I saw my buddy John Maack in the aid station and he commented “dude, I think you like the pain cave!” He’s probably right - the pain cave means you’re doing hard things and making progress towards something!

I left Temple Fork and crossed over highway 89 right behind Liz and Ian and began the 5-mile death climb up to Tony Pass. They both disappeared off the front and I just put my head down, listened to my rap music, and focused on the climb - as well as rehydrating now that it was a bit cooler and I was super behind on hydration (as always happens to me).

One mile from the top I again encountered Liz all by herself walking slower than usual. She had a power system issue and had to slow down and figure things out - which she eventually did - as she finished 4th female overall. Kudos to her for not giving up!

Soon I found my way to Tony Grove (Mile 52), where we did another super fast refill and I was on my way to Franklin Basin.

During that segment I got to run with my friend Elle Jones who was pacing her friend Alex Kelly. It was great to see a familiar face, grab a selfie, and run together for a few minutes. Unfortunately, Alex (Bib 59) would succumb to stomach issues and DNF at the next aid station.

Just when I was back on my own I caught up to another elite runner, Gennadii (Genna) Tertychnyi (shown above in the white shirt on the right). Genna wasn’t feeling great, but asked if he could just run with me and use me as a pacer. I said “sure!” and we ran 6 miles together, chatting about everything . While Genna now lives in Issaquah, WA, he’s from Ukraine and is a very accomplished ultra-runner; finishing 2nd overall at the 2019 Bigfoot 200. This was his first 100-mile race since the Covid shutdown, so his body was acting out of sorts. I told him about my affection for Ukraine and wished him and his remaining family luck as they fight off the Russians who want to take them completely over. I’m so proud that my country is continuing to assist our Ukrainian friends, like Genna, who are ballers in all aspects of life.

Genna and I both came in to Franklin Basin (Mile 61) together, where I met up with my awesome crew again for a quick sock/shoe swap and feet cleaning. Mike helped me remove my old shoes/socks, baby wipe my feet, apply silicon spray between my toes, and re-sock and re-shoe in under 5 minutes. Lanny Gray joined up with us there and he and Cris helped me with my water and electrolyte bottles. Thanks to their heroic efforts, I ended up making it out of Franklin Basic Aid Station in under 6 minutes total!

Genna would eventually get things working again and finished with a fantastic time of 24:17 - 21st Place Overall! Slava Ukraini!

I left Franklin with new, dry socks and new Hoka Stinson ATR 6’s on my feet, and boy did I feel great. I made it to the top of the next climb before it got dark - a part of the course I’d never seen before (in daylight). Once I turned my headlamp on at mile 65, I knew I was going to go sub-24. Night running is my strong suit as I LOVE to run in the cold, and cold it was!

I made it to Beaver Mountain (Mile 75) at 10:50 PM, 25 minutes ahead of plan. This was the last time I got to see my crew and thank them for their amazing support. It was there I picked up my one and only pacer, the amazing Casey Robles. (You’ll recognize him as James Lawrence’s running wingman during his unbelievable Conquer 100).

Once I left with Casey (shown above in the red jacket), there was zero drama. He helped me find the pink ribbons and reflectors that mark the correct path on the course, helped me get in and out of the last three aid stations quickly, and even helped me avoid the many mud puddles that had formed as a result of a recent rain storm.

Soon, we passed Ranger Dip (Mile 92) and headed down to the finish. I was thinking about my victory speech on Mile 97 when I took a spill and fell back on my butt. Casey turned around and saw me on the ground and gave me the big “you have GOT to be kidding me!” smile. I got back up and recommenced the descent when … bam! I fell AGAIN! This time a side-swiper. "Are you always this clumsy?!" he joked - and after I doubled checked to make sure nothing was broken - I laughed hysterically with him.

Lesson to be learned: it’s NEVER over until it’s over!!!

We pulled into the Finish at 23:16, 44 minutes ahead of plan, and 5 minutes ahead of the first overall female - Allison Stratton of Lehi, UT. She did an amazing job and it was so fun to see the female champion cross the finish and literally fall into her husband’s loving arms.

At the finish line I got to see my own family for the first time: Debbie Oborn and my youngest, Jake Oborn were there, along with my mom Sharyl Oborn. The only one missing was my pops, Kent Oborn, who I know was looking down yelling “Yooooooooo!” so all of the heavenly hosts could hear.

When I crossed the finish, I knelt down partly in gratitude/humility and partly because my legs were starting to give out after giving me everything they had for 23 hours and 16 minutes. Then race director Cody Draper leaned over and presented me with the Wolverine (Bear 100 Sub-24) Belt Buckle. I held the buckle in my hand, and then started sobbing uncontrollably. All of the emotions of missing my dad, working my ass off for this one result every day for three years straight, the gratitude that I felt for my wife, my family, my friends, and my crew - it all hit me like a freight train.

The next day I took a drive by myself down to the Payson Cemetery to show dad the Wolverine Belt Buckle that I told him I would earn someday. Tears rolled down my face again as I could literally hear his unique voice whispering in my ear “well done, son. I knew you could do it.”

LESSONS LEARNED

It's still crazy to think that I've completed 10 100-Mile races. I vividly remember the "one-and-done" comments I made after barely finishing my first race back in 2013 while experiencing partial kidney failure. But each one now has its own unique place in my heart; teaching me something new and novel along the way. The tenth was likewise a powerful teacher, leaving me with the following life lessons:

1. Learn from failure. Having failed nine times before, I was able to figure out exactly what I was doing wrong, right, and what needed to improve. It forced me to practice my aid station stops with a timer, so I could make sure I could get in-and-out in under 2 minutes each. It gave me extra motivation so say "no thanks" when the waiter would offer to bring dessert to the table. It gave me the motivation to wake up before sunrise each day to get my workouts in. Turn failure into the great motivator.
2. Focus on yourself. So many times we get wrapped up with what other people are doing, we lose focus on the one thing that we CAN control, and that's our own selves. We get to determine if we complete our workouts. We get to determine if we're going to create and follow a nutrition and hydration plan on race day. We decide whether we're going to run 8 other races as 'dress rehearsals' or if we're going to just run by ourselves in solitude. We get to decide.
3. Be confident. Even though I failed nine different times in the past, I knew deep down that I was building for future success one tiny building block at a time. But even with that, winning the Kat'cina Mosa 100K allowed my brain to 'flip the switch' and I finally had real confidence. I expected to do well, I don't feel like an imposter when I run with the front pack, and now I even try to 'hunt' down other runners later in the race having confidence that my engine is strong in the later stages of the race. Put in the work and convert that into confidence.
4. Never give up on yourself. The world is full of people who will quickly give up on you - DON'T BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! Convert the failures into lessons and keep at it. The first few years of Telarus, the company I founded in 2002 with Adam Edwards, was FULL of failures. People mocked our business model, mocked our software tools, and even told us we were a toxic influence on the telecom industry. Every time someone clowned us, it just added to my fire to succeed no matter what the cost. We kept at it, every day, for over five years before the momentum started to turn in our favor and now we're the largest Technology Services Brokerage in the industry. Never ever give up on your goals which lead you to your dreams.
5. Surround yourself with a great support crew. In the Bear 100, you create your own support crew by extending invitations to people you know can help you. The most important trait I look for in a crew member is reliability: how many times has this person come through for me in the past and do I trust them? Mike and Cris Bettilyon have been there for me for four different Bear 100's now, but I knew Mike from work first. He's one of the hardest working members of the Telarus team and is crushing it as our Area Vice President of Sales of the Western United States. Casey Robles is also cut from that same cloth, always being there for James Lawrence and me in the past; he's a model of stability and consistency.

Each time I run a 100-mile race, I'm amazed at the parallels to life that it contains: ups, downs, challenges, exhilarating rewards, pain, tears, happiness, loneliness, and a sense of accomplishment accompany each race. They are microcosms of the different phases of our life and they have taught me more about myself than almost anything else, outside of starting my own business.

I am so thankful for the people in my life that support both my running and business endeavors: my wife Debbie, my children, my mom, my business partners: Adam, Richard, and Dan P, my co-workers, my neighbors, and so many more. Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, for the thoughtful acts of kindness, and for being authentic in everything you do.

THE FUTURE

The last question I hear a lot is "now that you've completed a sub-24, what's next?" Again, an excellent question. I'm a firm believer that you should always have a massive goal out there to help sharpen your focus and resolve. So, for 2023, I'm going to try to get in to the Tahoe 200 lottery, and see if I can't get in to one of the most stunning, and challenging, ultra endurance races in the West. Fingers crossed they draw my name and give me the opportunity to raise the bar one more time!

Love you all, and cheers to a sub-24!

Patrick Oborn is the co-founder of Telarus, the leading Technology Services Brokerage with offices in North America, Australia, and Europe. Patrick is current serving as the Chief Product Officer and is in charge of creating new and innovative software tools for its community of 4,000+ technology advisors who consult with businesses worldwide about their digital workplace environments. To learn more about Telarus, please visit www.telarus.com for more information.