
I had no intention of running Mohican 100 this year. It's a difficult trail run, Western States qualifier, especially because it has a tight 32 hr cutoff for technical trails and over 14,000 elevation gain. Last year I was running a fever from heat stroke and had to drop at 70 miles, and I felt like I'd run 100! It has some beautiful running sections where you can make up time, but the number of steep hills, rocks & muddy sections, roots and descents can be murder on your knees and quads. Still, I kept getting this persistent nag in my head that I should register... I ignored it until finally I realized it was a prompting from the Spirit, so with much trepidation I clicked the register button a week and a half before the race. Because it was being held 2 weeks earlier this year I didn't correlate it with anything of significance, it wasn't until a few days before the race when I was reminded that June 4th was the anniversary of Sgt Jacob Grays death, and SSgt Taylor Wilson's birthday. I realized though those significant dates had slipped my mind, these angel boys knew their families needed them honored this weekend, and God knew it too. I am just amazed every day how the Lord is in the intimate details of our lives and grateful He pushes through my thick skull sometimes with His spirit to lead my journey I didn't have a huge amount of confidence that I was fast enough for cutoffs especially with my knee not at 100% and the usual steamy weather, so when the forecast called for low 70s daytime temp and 50s at night, it felt that the Lord was going to give me the best circumstances for a complete finish. Most importantly my friend Tracy who has helped pace me to the finish in the past volunteered to come and pace my last loop. When she offered I knew my chance of finishing was hugely increased. She just has the magic touch that inspires me to dig deep and follow her footsteps. After C&O canal I ate a ton of junk but got my diet cleaned up and back on a low carb diet through the last weeks to drop a few lbs. I know I'm carrying a couple extra pounds and that knocks time off my average mile so thats partly a reason for the diet but I've also found I have sustained energy burning fat & adding in carbs just during races. I really don't enjoy low carb diets at all, but on an aside, I've struggled for years with what felt like a binge eating disorder & recently nailed it down to non-purge bulimia, with excessive exercise to manage calories. That shouldn't come as a huge surprise given my running history haha, I never realized that was part of an eating disorder...one of those things that make you strangely grateful for your struggles because I'd maybe never have become an ultra runner without the “run-to-eat” impulse. Anyway, I've found a low carb diet helps keep eating binges under control, so I'm able to manage my training with less miles which is important after knee surgery. I'm not trying to run off the half dozen donuts and quart of ice cream I may have eaten for dinner. Anyway, it's just kind of a side note on my journey. Race fueling diet strategies definitely play a critical role in 100 milers so I've been meaning to write about this more. Interestingly eating disorders are very common in families who have bipolar disorder or other mental health issues in their genetics. Friday before the race I had some lab work scheduled with my doctor. It turned out the phlebotomist is the wife of a Marine. We got to talking and she told me how her husband struggles with PTSD after serving in Desert Storm, especially because he was forced to shoot at and kill young teenagers who were shooting at the Americans. We both got all teared up talking about it...it was just a little moment in my race weekend that psyched me up for yet another 100 for veteran mental health awareness. :( We ended up hugging and crying a few tears over it.
Well, Friday afternoon we had a 6 + hour drive to Loudonville Ohio and Peter tagged along to help Jason crew. It's so special to have him along especially because he's a 16 year old who might normally not want to hang out with his parents all weekend lol. I hope the memories will be something special to him someday. He has struggled with mental health issues this year, partially I think because he's a suicide witness survivor but also because bipolar disorder runs strong in my family. Hes been getting treatment. He told me the other day that if I died in a race he would train and finish my 100 100s for me. Oh, my momma heart!
We were running late so my sweet friend Carol who runs Mohican 100 every year grabbed my race bib at packet pickup and met us late to go over a few race details. She has 6 buckles from this race and her knowledge of the course helped me tremendously both last year and this year, and because she and her sister Rachel run the last aid station at Tuscazoar 100 and have helped me get through those tough miles, she is really special to me! Finally got settled at the hotel and to bed by 10 pm for a 5am start. I was really restless and couldn't get any really good sleep even though I took Tylenol pm. Lots of race anxiety, but I was very well prepared and hoped it was enough. I packed some extra caffeine tabs into my pack just in case.

Felt a little confident at the start line that I might pull this race off because of the cool temps.
I spent the last few weeks running uphill on the treadmill with a full pack so I felt I could power hike the hills pretty well but I knew it would be a crap shoot on how fast I could cover technical ground. Carol and I managed to find each other right at the start and had a chance to talk a bit before our pace split us up, I figured no matter what was ahead I was grateful to be out on a trail with a special friend in perfect running weather and it was going to make for a beautiful day no matter what happened buckle wise. In fact it was cold at the race start! I figured my body would warm up but my hands holding trek poles were cold so I had Jason grab my spare socks out of the car and used them for gloves till after sunrise haha.

(I have a couple wear blue shirts. I wore my grimiest one because I knew this wasnt gonna be pretty. ha!)


The course had changed a little bit this year with a few more hard climbs the first 6 miles. I knew those were going to get harder on the subsequent loops! Felt strong and was making decent time on my first loop. Carol whose a much quicker runner than I am, left me in the dust after those first steep climbs looking strong. Eating low carb kept my tolerance for eating sugar during a race at an acceptable level for a long time so I definitely enjoyed alot of chocolate, licorice, jelly beans, PB& J, & choco chip &+ peanut butter cookies while it was cool out. The first loop the race adds in a very sketchy technical trail which is little more than hiking up a creek bed full of water, rocks and fallen trees, to a steep bank where you are climbing basically a root wall/staircase, hand over hand hauling yourself up. It was the first real "deep water" check in the race haha. In this pic from above if you look close you can see a runner, for some perspective, he's just coming up out of the crazy creek trail gorge to the root climb.

I felt really strong going through it. One of my favorite Sabaton songs kicked in during this stretch, "The Unkillable Soldier" A song based up the story of one of the most incredible bada$$ soldiers that ever lived, Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart, known as the man who could not be killed. He never gave up in spite of what was thrown against him in war. Hes got a fascinating story more people should know about. “At the edge of madness, in a time of sadness An immortal soldier finds his home Proven under fire, over trench and wire No fear of death, he's unshakeable”
Anyway, the song is fantastic and was perfect for inspiring me through this crazy stretch of the race, realizing how much I love sucking it up at the edge of madness and pushing through crazy stuff...I made good time with a lot of joy in my heart. During that loop I met a runner named Michael, I don't know if he was a military man or not but he asked me about the Marines on my pack and my Ukraine flag, we talked for awhile about Dexter and suicide and he actually choked up with tears because he said his freedom to be out running this race was because of the sacrifices of our military, and that their lives was the cost of his freedom. We both were emotional. He told me his mom's name was Rosie and that he wouldn't forget me and he knew I'd finish this race for Dexter and the other Marine families. It was a conversation that meant so much to me! After that I felt no matter what the weekend held in store, it was worth the price to run those memorial miles with him. I was feeling pretty confident after my first loop, it took me 7&1/2 hrs to cover 27 miles which was cutting my edge to the cutoff somewhat tight but I still had a decent time buffer. After the first loop the temperatures did climb into the mid to upper 70s, there was a nice breeze but it was warm enough to be dehydrating. I switched to carrying mostly liquid calories, Choco milk, apple juice, and chugging down 8-16 oz of electrolytes at every aid station. I need to find out what I was drinking because it was great, had very little taste so it was easy to drink. I thanked God for every cool breeze that came through the forest. This trail through the woods is absolutely beautiful, waterfalls, a neat rock canyon we descend to on a huge staircase, pine needle covered trails in towering pines, it couldn't have been more perfect except for the time crunch pressure of cutoffs. Ate a delicious turkey sandwich and another time, a grilled cheese sandwich, both which I carried for a few miles in my pocket before eating haha. Ultrarunning grossness. In all the pictures the trail looks smooth and easy, but usually that was just a spot where you could actually walk and look at your phone for a second for a brief picture, ha!



I was really happy that for the most part though it was a full race, runners had spread out so I had the majority of miles on the trail all to myself. Had an amazing experience in the afternoon and I know I wasn't hallucinating because it was still early lol. So running on single track you get used to the sounds of the woods, chipmunks and squirrels in the leaves, wind in the trees, tinkle of a creek, branches swaying in the breeze, a crash of a startled deer etc, so one of the important sounds you have to learn is the sound of a faster runner who needs to pass. It's race etiquette to step to the side and let them pass. This happens very often because I'm slow lol, and I can usually recognize if it's a female or male runner before I look by the sound of their footsteps. Well, I thought I was all alone and thinking of the boys I was running for, particularly Sgt Jacob Gray because I know the emotional turmoil and grief his mother Brenda would be feeling on the anniversary of his suicide. The trauma of that day can leave you drowning in grief so I prayed a lot for her. Well about then I heard very heavy footsteps behind me. I stopped to get off the trail and looked to see what big man was coming from behind. There was nobody there and I just got covered in chills. I thought, well that was weird. I started running again and a few miles later it happened again. I stopped at the side of the trail and turned to see who was coming. Then like a bolt of lightning it hit my heart that what it actually sounded like was a big strong man running in combat boots. I don't know by what miracle I could hear that sound in the forest but I just felt so strongly that it was a sign these Marines were running with me. The third time it happened I knew it. It didn't happen again after that so I guess it was meant to be a sign until recognized it. (??) Might sound nutty but I swear that was a true experience. Talking to Jacobs's mom where we met for dinner after the race, she said "my first thought when you told me was, that's my Jacob!" Goose bump city. I think he gave me that sign so I could bless his sweet mamma with it.
In the afternoon a runner was coming up behind me, and he called out, "Rosie" Hey I knew that was you!" It was a guy named Dave from Grindstone 100. Wed run for at least an hour together there and talked about suicide and how one of his sons was struggling with mental health issues and not getting help. He dropped at 50 miles where I was going to drop too, but he encouraged me to keep fighting and at least get in a 100k for my son, so I successfully pushed for that distance because of him. Anyway, here was Dave at Mohican running the 50. We talked and he told me how his son had finally gotten some help, in for therapy and medication and how he was doing so much better. It was such a blessing to talk to him and hear and just share again the struggles and successes worrying about children with mental health issues, like meeting an old friend, and I was so happy to hear there was happiness in Dave's journey so far as a parent and not the trauma of suicide.
I had a reoccurring feeling that my Grandpa Cyril Peter Wilson, was checking in on me. He was a gunner in the pacific during WWII and shot down 11 enemy planes. Because my playlist was messed up, the Battle of Midway by Sabaton song came on like 4x and it always makes me think of Grandpa. I never met him but somehow I feel he watches out for me. It gives me hope that one day I'll know and be able to watch over my grandkids that I don't get to see. :( I didn't find out until after the race that June 4th was the anniversary of the Battle of Midway so that was just a really cool special "cooincidence." <3 My sister just randomly happened to send me a picture of him this weekend in uniform! Hes bottom middle row.

I also met another guy named Dave, we ran together for the last hard miles of the long loop at Mohican. He told me how the family that used to run the Mohican covered bridge aid station had a son who was very athletic and bright and good, who had some inner demons and took his life when Covid hit because of the isolation. We also choked up and had some tears, especially when he told me how the boys family had moved away but that his father would talk to him sometimes and say, how sometimes he will maybe see like a rope in the garage and just wonder... ouch. We talked about the heartbreak of being a parent of a child who died by suicide and how it can be a struggle to continue living yourself. After we had this conversation my son Peter had put a song on my playlist called "I want you here" a grieving parent song...it came on right when I was alone after Dave and I had talked for awhile, and I just cried my eyes out. I especially cried and prayed for Jenn, the mom of LCpl Jacob Crewson. We had a 2 hour phone conversation before this race and she was thinking of coming out to meet me. Her sons death was similar in many ways to Dexter's so I completely empathized with the absolute devastation she was living with, especially since he only lost his life 2 months ago. :(
An ache So deep
That I can hardly breathe
This pain Can't be imagined
Will it ever heal?
I wanna scream
Is this a dream?
How could this happen
Happen to me?
This isn't fair
This nightmare
This kind of torture
I just can't bear
I want you here
I want you here
God help me
Breathe
<sob>
....
I had one other really wonderful chance meeting with a guy named Justin who was running the 50. He had served in the Marine Corps and lost a buddy to suicide. He expressed his gratitude that I was running for veteran suicide awareness and he choked up in tears several times during the course of our conversation, and of course, so did I. He gave me a huge hug and encouraged me to continue and to finish the 100 because I could do it with my Marines. I've never had such support in a race but especially with the conversations being so intimately emotional, it meant a lot and really gave me drive to push hard. I also had quite a few runners tell me my pack was awesome or that they loved my Ukraine flag.
Had a tender moment with my own mamma on the trail. It was hot and a little bit stuffy and there were horseback riders out in the woods. I was admiring the absolutely beautiful high quality horses out, when I felt my mom with me, just a feeling of presence and a warm hug. She reminded me how when I was a little girl I was totally horse crazy and used to LOVE running, pretending I was a galloping horse. I had this flood of childhood emotion at the joy of just running like a galloping horse so with a laugh I put in a solid mile running like I was in a horse race. haha. It reminded me of my oldest daughter too, she was also horse crazy and ran like a horse when she was little. Made me really miss her. :( Family stuff, she stopped talking to me 2 years ago, one of the great heartaches of my life, as if losing Dexter wasn't enough. I pray for her all the time. Anyway...on the drive home from this race one of my favorite childhood songs came on the radio, "Run for the Roses" by Dan Folgerberg and I kinda cried my eyes out over that sweet moment with my mom on the trail.

Well, the afternoon heat though just a little too warm, was tough. I had 2 stretches when I didn't' carry enough water and needed electrolytes so yeah, I scooped up some water into my bottle from a creek to mix with the liquid IV powder and just prayed that if I caught giardia, the symptoms would wait until after I finished the 100 haha. I had come super close to bringing my water purification tablets just in case but thought I wouldn't need them, haha. I thought I had a good plan but still ended up a bit dehydrated. I finished the 2nd loop sometime between 8-9 pm, the sun had gone down but it wasn't quite dark yet. I met Jason and Peter for bottle refills, choco milk, apple juice and applesauce, some pain relief and just general moral support. They got me all set up for the night. Peters gotten really efficient at grabbing everything I need! :-D I thought I was good so I hurried through ready for a long slow night. It took me between 16-17 hrs to finish the second loop approx 55 miles. That was putting me at least 3-4 hours past the cutoff in pace. The last 2 loops was a shorter course because they switch the trail up a bit so we didn't have to climb through the "Jurassic Jungle" haha, so I thought perhaps I'd be able to make up the time. The night ended up being fraught with complications though, so I really wasn't able to, and got a little behind. :(
The first 6 I was climbing strong and was going to have a good night, heading into the 100 k distance. The first trouble came after I left the first aid station. My headlamp batteries started to die so I swapped with spares I had in my pack. Unfortunately these were somehow old or something because my lamp was incredibly dim. This was 4 miles through what was a favorite section of trail in the day, soft pine needles but a lot of roots, at night with dim lighting it was difficult to see the roots so I had to run hunched over trying to see the ground... not good for the whiplash I'm still dealing with after a fall in April. Also my thumb was still sprained so it got more complicated at night trying to manage my pack and all my stuff, battery changes, putting on lube, getting out snacks or pills, trying to put powder in my bottle, just pulling up my shorts and readjusting everything when I started having to pee every 20 minutes lol. Plus after 17 + hrs running I was starting to get tired and drowsy. Made up no time because of that slow stretch. Sometime during the night I caught up with Carol who was suffering from nausea and it sounded like dehydration to me, I told her to chug electrolytes as much as she could. I said prayers for her that she could get on top of that. I was struggling with it myself, taking some zofran and ginger as soon as 17 hours into the race. Luckily a guy named Brian, a volunteer at the Fire road aid station had his own set of batteries I could have so that got me moving forward with a bit more confidence, especially after drinking down a couple cups full of ramen noodles,
Unfortunately the shorter loop for overnight was only 2 vs 4-5 miles long, it was steep, rocky, muddy and fairly technical. Hard to get into a stride. It was actually just as time consuming I thought, as the daytime long loop. My legs had bad heat rash from the knee sleeves and knee brace and was actually starting to blister, so around mile 65 I threw caution to the wind, got rid of both my knee sleeves and hinged brace. I forgot to mention that I had my follow up with the orthopedic surgeon a few days before the race. He took xrays and said my partial knee replacement looks absolutely perfect even after 5 100 milers and that I could keep doing what I'm doing!

With a little more confidence in my knee health I went ahead and ran with both my knees free. It felt strange and unsteady at first because honestly I haven't gotten all of my stability back yet, but my legs adjusted quickly on the rocks and soon I didn't think about my knee at all. Had to keep my shorts rolled up on one leg so they didn't irritate the blisters that had formed. Got refilled at the aid station with a meal drink, juice, electrolytes, arthritis cream etc thinking I could make up some time in the last 10 miles. The first 5 aren't too technical but there are still some soul sucking hills to climb, but I had powered up them fairly quickly, and then the last 5 were new trail to the race...no long gravel stretches through a campground but some beautiful single track that only had a few really technical sections, most was easily runnable, at least on good fresh legs.
I thought I'd rebound and make up time finally, unfortunately it was about then when I started having some really painful inner thigh chafing. As I mentioned I haven't lost the last bit of winter weight I was hoping to and its just enough to get a rub on my upper thighs. This was the worst I've ever had it. It was burning so much, and no amount of lube would help it. I was jogging/walking funny just trying to ignore it hoping it didn't get worse. It did, to the point of actually getting a little bloody. I realized that could be the undoing of this race. I could handle 5 miles with painful chafing but I still had 30+ miles to go! It was 3am when I called Jason. I was going to meet just my pacer Tracy around 3-5 am but I needed Jason with my emergency supplies, and ended up taking till around 6am to get into the aid station and start the last loop. He brought all the stuff I needed but most importantly leukotape, a very thin sticky medical tape that's pretty inexpensive that I use to tape my blister prone areas. On top of the rash I was still struggling with dehydration and peeing every mile so I kept drinking as much liquid as I could, including 16 oz of liquid IV as soon as I met Jason and Tracy. She had been waiting for me wrapped in a blanket because it was cold out, since before 3 am! I felt so bad because it took so long, but honestly that's the perfect example of the absolutely selfless service a warrior pacer will give! So grateful!
Well, with a camping lantern in a smelly porta potty on shaking legs I had to pull down my shorts and underwear and try to cut and get tape to stick over a deck of cards sized chafe wound on both my upper inner thighs. I realized this sticky tape was risky being put in that tender place and with constant movement of running and that I could be headed for a disaster lol, but it was the solution that came to my mind when I was praying for help. It ended up working almost perfectly. It stayed in place 95%, the spot it didn't stick was small enough I could mostly ignore it though it did keep bleeding a bit. Left with Tracy just before 6 I think, still dim enough to need a headlamp for a few miles, Jason put in fresh batteries so I didn't have to worry about my light running out again. Hoped with daylight I would be faster.
I just love running with Tracy, shes super fun and so nice, but also kinda quiet and is happy to take a solid pace in front of me and let me listen to music and sing or cry or whatever without being too chatty or draining which is exactly what I need when I'm deep in a pain cave. I just stared at her shoes and tried to match her pace going up and down the climbs and over all the rocky terrian. By some miracle, we managed to crank the pace. We got through each aid station quickly, she ran ahead and filled bottles for me so I could just go right through. We had some fun talking but mostly were concentrating on moving forward and I just trusted that if I did my hardest to keep up with her, she would help me get to the cutoff. The long climbs were painful on my quads and the steep descents felt like shocks to my knees...no injury pain, just the pain of a body that's done for the day, so I tried to push through best as I could. As we got closer to 100 miles I would fall a little further back so she'd slow down till I caught up again and just kept me going forward. She snapped most of my race pictures, I just had no time to be pulling out my phone.

My new garmin fenix kept cutting out and finally stopped altogether which I was kinda pissed about, it lost all the stats of my run, as well as running out of batteries. I could no longer see my pace or mileage so I had to just completely trust Tracy. My favorite aid station stop was getting a Popsicle though it made me shiver in the cold, The lady at the aid station was kinda snappy when I asked if I could shake the ginger ale bottle to have it be a little flat, so Tracy filled my bottle halfway and shook it up, getting her hands all sticky for me, so I could have flat ginger ale. Also saw Carols pirate themed crew waiting for her and they are just so fun and energizing, they gave me a parrot sticker on my bib. Somehow I caught up on my hydration and though I was mildly nauseous was able to stop having to pee constantly so that also helped my moving time tremendously.

Jason met us with juice and a chocolate milk at one aid station and gave me some arthritis cream to rub in. and the other I just ran through with some electrolytes. I knew every second counted and I couldn't eat anyway so I was just trying to push the liquid, roughly 8-12 oz of something, apple juice, soda, electrolyte etc every 2 miles. I was running with big old chocolate milk bottles in my pockets lol, Jason actually gave one of my chocolate milks to a guy at an aid station who was having trouble keeping anything down. He said the only thing that he could keep down was chocolate milk. He ended up getting a buckle so it was great that Jason had what he needed in his dire straights to finish! :-D I had a new phone and the playlist was kinda off. I wasted a few minutes trying to find the right music, some imagine dragons, some hymns, Sabaton of course, and some dragon force.


At one point I was thinking of my friend Sally with a picture of her brother Nate tucked in my pack and praying for her. I knew shed had a hard grief season this spring, and I had too so we weren't really connecting alot. I always get the sense of him especially when I'm out in the forest. I was thinking of them both and looked down and saw this perfectly shaped piece of glass that looked like a heart. I was trying to keep up with Tracy and my whole body hurt. I said 'Nate I'm so sorry, I'd grab that for Sally because its like a piece of trail sea glass, I'm just hurting too much." Right then Sally texted me. The timing was just like, a nice message that he was out helping me.


Tracy lent me her trekking poles which were thin and light so that was a nice change. My shoulder started hurting like it was dislocated, all of my skin hurt, my whiplash neck was stinging, my quads were burning, the chafing has stinging where some of the tape had peeled off, a toe blister was throbbing, and I had no energy left at all. I tried popping some caffeine which helped a bit, gagged down an gu that Tracy gave me, I was very dramatic about it haha but it helped a bit. I was really struggling. Then I remembered the blessing Jason gave me that he said my spirit would be strong enough to keep my body going if I trusted in the Lord during my race, so I really tried that last section to focus my prayers and I tried to remember one of my favorite quotes from LDS General Conference this spring given by President Russel M Nelson, the prophet of our church.
Seek and expect miracles. God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, doubting nothing. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.”

This race, these races, estrangement, loss, grief, they are all mountains in my life. I know I can pray for every one of them and hope for miracles. So I did again. I was losing confidence because I was slowing down and it was harder to keep up with Tracy, my “run” was slower than her speed walk. Everything was hurting and I thought, well, maybe I won't get a buckle but I know I can at least finish the distance. After we left the last aid station, It was 5.5 miles to the finish. I knew that could potentially take me 2-3 hours. I was ready to give up pushing and just walk it in, come what may. About then I had the sense come over me that my Dad and Dexter were with me. I felt this feeling of joy come over me. Love for me. Love that they have together, grandson and grandfather, in serving and loving me and helping me with my cause. Though I was “running” I still felt a warm feeling like they were giving me a blessing, and I just felt them really close for a few minutes, then some of the pain subsided and I was able to move forward again a little faster, fast enough that Tracy had me passing probably 5-6 other 100 miler runners! I kindof broke down emotionally again, so grateful for that experience, so sad that Dexter was no longer alive, in so much pain and yet with hope I was going to make it. Kindof symbolic of my life actually.
Oh I felt so bad, every one I passed looked to be miserable and struggling as hard or harder than I was. I prayed for every one of them as we passed. Towards the very end I slowed back to a snails pace again, but before I knew it, we were at the last painful mile. Passed yet another runner hobbling so slow with 2 sticks for poles, in sandals with what looked like a broken toe. He looked completely broken! Around a few more corners, Jason was suddenly standing there and I was so happy to see him that I was crying again! Half a mile with a steep little up & down climb, though the sun, down a grassy slope through a sketchy riverbed path, across a field of grass in the sun, and there was the finish line! I felt like I'd never been as relieved as that moment!


By some miracle and just sheer will Tracy helped me complete my last loop as my fastest loop in under 7 hours. We did an average of 4 minutes per mile faster the last loop than I had done for my average pace the previous 75 miles. I crossed the finish at what I thought was nothing less than a miraculous time, haha, a slow 31.20 hours, a full 40 minutes under the cutoff. I completely owe my thanks for this buckle to her tremendous pacing, and also to all the prayers I know were given in my behalf by friends and family and answered! Also to Jason who handles all my crazy race and travel logistics and is always available at the drop of a hat, but especially if I have an emergency such as awkward chafing haha! Hes also the one who has to deal with sore, complaining, gimpy, exhausted, nauseous post race me.


Peter was waiting at the finish line and also Justin, the Marine I had met running the 50. He'd showered then came back around to help and also to cheer me through the finish line. He gave me a big hug and we got super emotional. It meant a lot to me and he said he wanted to share the picture and his experience meeting me in his Marine running groups. It was pretty special.

My watch only captured about 82 miles of stats, but I'm pretty happy with the effort! :-D



We sat at a picnic table for a few minutes but then I got super nauseous so went to the porta potty then laid on the grass. I was hoping to cheer Carol through because I thought she was right behind me. Sadly she ended up getting too dehydrated and couldn't rally for the last 18 miles. So sad for her, I know that pain too well, especially on a course you know you can do! We got to sit and chat for just a little bit with Tracy before Jason pulled the car up for me so I didn't have to walk (a saint!) and drove back to the hotel. He had to pull over so I could puke on the side of the road, oranges that never digested and a gallon of apple juice it felt like lol. I was still nauseous for a few hrs after but took some salt and sipped water. Got a nice hot bath and a long nap, then we were able to get out to meet Sgt Grays mamma Brenda for dinner. That was so wonderful. Truly an example of how God makes beauty of ashes on our lives. Shes such a dear and special friend and I love her like she were my own sister, the deaths of our sons and the cause of 22 too many, uniting us. We had some good laughs and tears and I loved hearing more stories about Jacob. She gifted me a beautiful remembrance necklace and a painted rock with a rose and suicide awareness semicolon. So precious to me! I also ate a huge delicious hamburger and drank a quart of lemonade haha. Leaving Ohio to come home I was just so emotional. Thinking back on the absolutely incredible people I met this weekend, the pain and struggle to get through this race, it was like a lifetime in 100 miles. Helped restore my confidence that I can get through these more epic courses.

I don't know what kind of difference I can make running 100 milers for veteran suicide awareness, but this race was special and helped me realize through the tears and care of total strangers, that maybe I can make at least a little difference, for somebody. And know for as long as I'm running and living, Dexter and these other Marines will not be forgotten.









Congrats again Rosie, and what a nice looking buckle -- way to go.
Boy, your detailed race reports are not for the faint of heart -- you really show how strong one must be to endure these events! All I can do is say it may motivate me to put on the running shoes tomorrow, and at least get out on the trails.
Thanks for sharing these very personal, very evocative reports of what is needed to pull this kind of feat off. You are an inspiration for those that you run for, and for all whose lives you touch, and are touched by, in your epic, honoring, journey.
Wishing you and your family all the best.