“Don’t underestimate yourself,” was the text message I received from my coach in the days leading up to leaving for North Central Arkansas to run a 3 day stage race. This message would play on repeat in my brain in the quiet moments on the trail when things got rough.

Sit back, and grab a cup of coffee, as we’re going on an adventure.

Coming through Fat Man’s Gap during the 50 miler on day 2. Photo by M. Barton.

A little background - Three Days of Syllamo is an old school trail race located 2 hours North of Little Rock, Arkansas. There is no cell service at the race start & limited service along the course, which adds to its old school feel. Runners can choose to run one, two or all three days. Day one is 50k (31 miles,) day 2 is 50 miles & day 3 is listed as a 20k (it was closer to 14 miles on my watch.)

I traveled to the race with my friend Steph & her daughter Ava, and we met up with some other friends from Minnesota once we were there. We had a big group of folks representing MN & WI. We were all so excited for sunshine, dirt, & snow-free trails!

Day 1

Day 1 started us out with the 50k distance. The sun was out & it was chilly. This would be the warmest day of the weekend, topping out at just over 50 degrees, but windy.

Once we left the start/finish area, I dropped into line behind my friends, Steph, Julie, Kim & Maria, and we headed out on the first section of the course. There were lots of rocks and roots here and it took me a little while to get my body to remember how to run on this type of terrain. Since we’ve had snow for the last 4 months in MN, getting my brain to tell my feet how to navigate this felt slow and lethargic. We took some photos of the amazing rock formations along the way and soon we came to the river crossing.

Heading into the river on the way back from the aid station.

This section was an out and back to the far side of the river where there was an aid station, and the returning runners had warned us that it was deep. Since the aid station was just beyond the river and we would have to return this way, most of us dropped our packs on the river bank before heading across. I stepped into the river and found myself waist deep in chilly water immediately. Some runners were not so lucky & found the deeper sections & my amazing friend, Steph, simply elected to swim across! She claims Lake Superior is colder! It was still cold, but “fun” in some crazy way! To the aid station & then back across the river one final time. I got my pack on, dug out my gloves to hopefully stave off my raynauds (the numbness my hands get when exposed to cold) & pushed hard up the hill away from the river. I was still with my MN friends at this time, but it didn’t take long for me to realize they didn’t match my pace and I was by myself.

Heading into mile 9 aid station. A Hoff photo.

I checked into the next aid station at about mile 9 and would spend the remainder of the day running alone. The sun was out and I was warm enough I didn’t need my jacket, but depending on the wind I would need to take my gloves on or off repeatedly. I felt good, and tried to run a pace that wouldn’t leave me feeling trashed for the next day, but the message from my coach kept echoing through my head. Did I have another gear?

I had one fall about 13 or 14 miles in that resulted in a bloody knee and a nervous head space. I hate falling. And this fall was on a section that wasn’t even technical! Luckily it was some soft pine needle covered trail and other than a little blood, I was totally fine.

I came to an aid station about 10 miles from the finish and my friend, Doug, was there. He & the volunteers asked if I needed anything. I took off my pack assuming I needed to refill my water bladder. I had started with 2 liters of water in my pack that morning & hadn’t refilled it yet. Nope, plenty of water left! That’s a problem! I had to remember that everything I did on day 1 would impact how day 2 would go. If I ended up dehydrated today, that would cause issues for the even longer event on Saturday. I received a stern talking to from Doug & the volunteers & was headed on down the road section with goal of drinking down my bladder before the next aid station.

This section was 5 miles of road, mostly downhill & was a total blast! It was nice to have a respite from thinking about picking up my feet & navigating rocks & roots. I pushed my pace a little here and passed a number of runners. And I did drink my water!

The final aid station was 5 miles from the finish, I added some water to my pack, grabbed some snacks and headed down the trail. This section felt long & slow after the road section. It was technical, I wasn’t confident about my ability to stay on the correct route (a few more flags here would have been helpful) & I was mentally ready to be done. I was starting to think about how little time I actually had to recover between this & the 50 miler the next day.

The finish line came into view as I crossed a high ridge above the park. It was a a welcome sight. I finished day 1 in 7:37 for 32.4 miles on my watch. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of my friends finished, and I enjoyed soaking up the sun wrapped in a blanket while I waited for them. My soul was happy.

Day 2

Day 2 was the 50 mile event. It wasn’t going to be as warm as day 1 and we started at 6am in the dark, with temps below freezing. There was a 14 hour cut off for this race.

The course was an out and back, and utilized the same 5 mile section that we had finished on the day before. With our headlamps on & after a few words from the race director, we were on our way. I stepped into line with my MN friends again, and enjoyed the camaraderie of the group in the early miles. After running alone for the bulk of the day before, having some folks to chat with was a nice change. I struggle running in the dark and had underestimated my lighting needs when I had packed, tossing my headlamps in only as an after thought. This was fine in the beginning as we were all grouped fairly close together and I benefitted from the extra lights of the other runners. There were 85 people who started the race and with the narrow trail at the start, we were single file for the first little while. Later when I returned after the sun went down, I would struggle on this same trail.

Runners headed up the hill at the start of the 50 mile on day 2. S. Hoff photo.

For the first 8-9 miles of this race, I enjoyed the company of my MN friends as we casually hiked and jogged down the trail with conversation easily coming and enjoying the day. I wasn’t worried about pace, and my body felt good.

Before the 9 mile aid station I found myself ahead of my group and running solo again. It was time for me to settle in and see where the day would lead. There was a long stretch from mile 9-18 that only had an unmanned aid station with a water jug. I hiked and ran as the terrain would allow. I was comfortable and knew I could complete the distance at this effort.

At the 18.5 mile aid station I asked the volunteer what the cut off was here for the return trip. She told me it was 2:15pm. I looked at my watch and it was 11:15am. I was under the impression then that I had 3 hours to go to the turn around at mile 25 and get back here.

Now many of you know that math is not one of my strengths, and running math - the math that you do while running - that is even worse!! As I left that aid station with over 5 hours on my legs just that day, I wasn’t convinced I had it in me to make it back there in 3 hours. But I figured I needed to just keep running anyway, so I settled into my run/walk/hike pace that had gotten me that far. I met up with another runner, Steve, in this section and we chatted our way to the next aid station at mile 23.5. We didn’t waste any time here, as I knew we needed to hit the turn around and get back to that same aid station again without getting cut. I still wasn’t confident that I could make it happen, but I needed to try.

The turn around was “on your honor” as it was simply a cone set in the trail in the middle of the woods. There was no one there to punch your bib or check that you went the whole way. Steve and I left the aid station together to go out to the turn around. It seemed like it took FOREVER to find that cone. Mile 25 clicked by on my watch, 7 hours clicked by on my watch & my headspace started to take a downturn.

“It was a 14 hour cut off, I’m already past 7 hours. How am I ever going to make it back in time? They are going to cut me at the next aid station.” These were the thoughts in my head.

I eventually saw the cone. Thank Goodness! It was 7:06 on my watch. I just knew they would pull me at the next aid station.

On the way back, I saw my MN friends, they told me I could make it. I wasn’t so sure.

When I got to the aid station at 23.5/26.5, I was expecting to get pulled. They told me that I was under the cut off & I could keep going! I was shocked. I didn’t waste any time here and left without grabbing snacks or water. Steve who I’d met up with earlier ran out of that aid station like a man on fire. I ate some snacks out of my pack & hiked on down the trail.

I was tired. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen at the next aid station. Would I get pulled there? What if I did? What if I didn’t? If I didn’t get pulled, I would have to try to finish in under 14 hours. That would mean running a negative split because it took me 7 hours & 6 minutes on the way out. Who runs a negative split in a 50 miler?

I hiked and jogged on. Thinking about what would happen when I got pulled - I’d hope to have enough cell service to call call Doug or Steph for a ride, and I'd go back and take a hot shower and a nap. Gosh that all sounded pretty awesome.

The hill up to the 18.5/31.5 aid station was brutal. I was looking forward to being told I my day was over.

I got there & asked them what the plan was - imagine my surprise when they said I could continue on! WHAT?? “You’re not going to pull me?” I asked. Nope they replied, you can go on, you just have to finish in 14 hours.

Wait. What???

I filled my water, grabbed some snacks and headed out.

Now while I REALLY wanted to be done, I wasn’t willing to quit. This race was about to get real.

I don’t remember what time it was when I left, but my “runners” math told me I needed to be under 4 mph or 15 min per mile pace to finish. That was definitely quicker than my outbound pace.

“What did I need to do to make this happen?” I asked myself.

Fuel. Hydrate. Caffeine. Belief. Don’t underestimate yourself, was my reply.

I set my mind. I would finish. I had the gift of continuing on, I wasn’t going to waste it.

Steve who I’d met up with earlier, was on my heels now too, and we ran together for a lot of that long 9 mile section between aid stations.

I kept pushing the pace. My legs responded. I ate, drank, and ran. I was fine. I couldn’t believe it. I was actually feeling better than I had earlier.

The second to last aid station appeared at 9 miles to go. Steph was there and I was feeling good. She helped me with a few things and I was on my way.

Thankfully I spotted the arrow sketched into this rock or who knows where I would have ended up!

I knew it would get dark before I was done, but I was starting to see that I would be able to finish this in under 14 hours as long as I kept pushing. I would need a few extra minutes for that last mile of technical trail in the dark.

I came to the final aid station, running up the slight incline to the volunteers. “You look great” they said. I felt great! Well, maybe not great, but I had my eye on the finish line, and if nothing went wrong, I’d be golden.

I grabbed a cup of coke & a cheese quesadilla & off I went. I knew this last section now, I’d run it once the day before and then again this morning on the way out. I started checking off land marks. My pace was slowing as I expected it to. I was REAL tired now!

The coke did its job and kept me moving. Steve caught back up to me and we shared a little conversation. It was starting to get dark & I pulled out both my headlamps. I would need as much light as I had.

The clock was ticking and I was continuing to push. We were less than 2 miles from the finish when I stubbed my toe & went down hard. My whole body hit the ground like a ton of bricks. My watch recognized an “incident” and asked if I needed to send an alert. Steve offered me a hand to get up & I accepted. That shook my soul. I could feel bruises forming on my shins and knees, but I was ok.

I told Steve to run on, I would be fine, but I was walking it in. I had 1.5 miles to go & about 30 minutes to do it in. I knew I’d make it. But I REALLY didn’t want to fall again.

Soon, high on the ridge, I saw the finish line below. What a sight. I made my way down the stairs & shuffled to the finish line where my friends were all waiting for me.

Steph wrapped me in a blanket & I blinked back tears. I had, in fact, ran a negative split in 13 hours and 54 minutes to finish under the cut off. I was exhausted.

Day 3

Day 3 is the 20k - technically I think 20k would be 12.4 miles, but this one ended up being about 13.8 miles.

Sunday morning came quickly since I didn’t return to our rental house until 8:30pm the night before, and needed to eat & shower. Those things take a lot longer after a day of running than they might otherwise! Plus we had to pack up everything for our trip home prior to leaving for the race that morning. Luckily the race didn’t start until 9am, and as an early morning person, that felt like a late start! But we needed all the time we had.

Sunday was probably the coldest morning, well below freezing and I knew I wouldn’t be moving quickly so dressed in long tights and multiple layers.

The race started and my legs did not want to move. I tried to run with the group as everyone took off, but it was not happening. A strong hike would have to suffice for today. There were more folks running this event than the other days and it was fun to have the energy of other runners around. Plus even though it was chilly, the sun was out and the wind had died down from the previous days.

I hiked and tried to jog to get going, and my legs felt ok on the climbs and flats, but downhill or anything technical brought me to a slow crawl. The course was beautiful and knowing that I would be returning to more snow & cold I tried to savor the experience of one final run on dirt trails.

I ended up running the bulk of this loop with my friend, Maria, who made the miles pass quickly as we traded stories about our dogs. We finished running in together & it was a wonderful capstone to a weekend of pushing my preconceived limits.

Finishing the loop with my friend, Maria. It was a great weekend!

All smiles at the end of day 3. And I did it all for a ROCK! Ha! Ha!

Final Thoughts

This was an awesome event and I am so lucky to be surrounded by some amazing athletes, strong women & wonderful friends. We never know exactly what an event will present to us or how we will handle it. These events remind me to stay present in real life, monitor my thoughts and continue to fight complacency. Keep moving forward my friends, and thanks for reading. Until next time.

-Kate