10/25/2019-10/27/2019 For this wonderful event I had originally planned on running the 100k. I bought a plane ticket, I reserved a rental car, I paid extra for car camping at the start and I was ready. I really wanted to do this. It would be the furthest I had ever gone on two feet. Unfortunately my hip joint had other plans. Back in June when Jesse and I did that road half marathon I had started to feel some pain in my hip. I tried seeing the chiropractor and he tried to help. Then Jesse and I did a hike/run here in Utah and I just made it way worse. I ended up seeing a PT and getting a bunch of exercises to do to strengthen surrounding muscles and it helped. But I did not have enough time to train up for the 100k.
Of course I had still paid for everything so I decided to go anyway. I dropped down to the Jackass 31K night run. Looking back on everything, it was the right decision. There is no way I would have been able to do a 100k all alone in the desert without anyone there that I knew. Also bringing everything needed for a 100k would never have fit in a carry-on. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. This was also an adventure in facing some fears. I have never been to the Phoenix airport before, this is the first time in my adult life I have rented a car all alone, and I have never run at night before.
I flew to Phoenix on the Friday before the event. That airport is massive but very well signed and the people are super helpful. I was in my rental and heading to the expo an hour after I got off my plane. There were cactus everywhere! I am not sure what I was expecting but I didn’t think there would be as many big saguaro cacti as I saw, even at the airport! They are very impressive to look at up close, but don’t touch they are protected and some are microchipped.
I drove around aimlessly in Fountain Hills, the town closest to the event. I did find a Target and decided to buy a few supplies since I came to AZ with very little. After that, I headed off to the expo location. The expo was in a very old west looking building. It had a roof but no sides and there was a DJ playing music as well as a bar serving beer. They nearby brewery made a beer special for this event and it was wonderful. Also there was Freak Brothers Pizza making wonderful pizza out of their portable wood burning pizza oven. I ended up having pizza for lunch, dinner and then lunch again the next day.
One of my favorite parts of this event was that I was able to fangirl over all the famous ultra runners there. Since Hoka One One is a huge sponsor, Jim Walmsley was there as well as Patrick Reagan (spoiler: he wins!). I was able to get my book signed by Catra Corbett and I also got a picture!! I also saw Eric Senseman and Cody Reed. I was just beside myself with joy and amazement that I was going to be running the same course as these people. I had a great time at the expo people watching and shopping.
I found my way over to Javelina Jeadquarters and got all of my permits to park. What is super cool about this event is how organized they are. It is amazing. There is a whole tent city set up if you want to camp but don’t have the gear. I wandered around, ate more pizza, had a beer and watched a bit of the movie they had set up for the few little kids that were there. Going to bed super early seemed like a good idea since it was cold at night and I was so tired. Unfortunately the car I selected (a Ford of some sort) did not have seats that folded totally flat. I ended up sleeping in the back seat. Thankfully I thought to grab a towel and put it in my carry-on and my winter coat so I could wrap those around me at night. All I kept thinking about was Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and how a towel is the most useful thing to have. I would have to agree. It kept me warm at night in the desert.
I was up early the next morning due to the music and shouting of Jubilee Page, the race director. She is awesome and had many costume changes for the Jalloween themed event. There was a fire dancer and so many people in costume at the start line, it was hard to take it all in in one glance. I was able to get a cup of real coffee from the coffee truck that was there at the event. I watched the 100 mile and 100k runners take off and then milled about for a while. I did see a familiar face from Back on the Ranch and Born to Run. She was there to help support someone doing the 100 miler so I hung out with her for a bit before eating more pizza and taking a nap in the car. Watching the runners as they came through Jeadquarters each loop was super cool. Again I got to lay eyes on famous runners like Kaci Lickteig as she flew by.
Eventually it was my turn to start running. I had on all of the glow sticks that they gave us at the expo and I was clutching my headlamp in my hand. It is rather annoying to wear it since it is so heavy. If there was anything I learned at this event, it was that I need to invest in a better lamp. I stayed close to people with much brighter lights since my greatest fear was getting off course and being lost in the desert. As someone there for the first time I must say it all looked the same to me. I had the chance to run and chat with all sorts of people and it was really cool. The aid stations were stocked and the volunteers were just fabulous. I made it to Jackass Junction, the main party place of the whole event. It is at the far side of the loop about 10 miles from the start. There were disco lights, a DJ, someone cooking up burgers and various other more adult things all around. It was certainly an experience. I met up with some other ladies and off we went to head to the finish. My heel started to bother me and I spent more time walking than running but my motivation to keep moving was to stay close to people with better lights!
I made it to the end and got my cool finisher’s medal/bottle opener and headed back to the car to change and warm up. It was around 1:30am so I fell asleep quickly. I woke up with the sunrise and got myself all ready to head back to the airport. I did manage to find a Dunkin Donuts to get a bagel and cream cheese on the way. Thankfully the whole process of returning the car and getting to my gate was much easier than I had thought and I had plenty of time to enjoy a beer and some lunch before heading back to SLC.
It was an awesome event and I had a great time. I will be sure to do this one again. But next time I want to do the 100k and I want Jesse there with me. I might be able to talk him into the Jackass 31k.
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