Sheraton Suites, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Prior to the race, we stayed at the Sheraton Suites. These rooms sell out very fast for the race, so don’t hesitate to book.
There is a beautiful view of the waterfalls.
Packet pickup, the Burning River store, and finish line are set up in a green area next to the Sheraton parking lot.
There is a variety of food options within walking distance from the Sheraton, as well.
Course information
The race travels through several of Northeast Ohio’s most scenic areas, including the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metro Parks.
100M – Out and Back from Cuyahoga Falls to Silver Springs Park and back.
- 2:00am Early Start – 32 hour cutoff
- 4:00am Start – 30 hour cutoff
Course maps, gpx files, and additional course information can be found here.
Aid stations
Results
29:23:16
Overall: 113/288
Gender: 19/32
Age Group: 4/7
People who did not finish (DNF): 110
Race start
Burning River 100 began with one of the most epic race starts. We had quite the lightning show as a thunderstorm was approaching.
We all stood in the starting corral with decorative red lights and Burning River 100 banners around us.
I was feeling excited and blessed to be there. Friends from the Butler County Milers were there to support Lori and I. It took a ton of effort and attention to details to make it to that start line.
Mike Wallace, one of my pacers, would be meeting up with us at some point during the day.
Lori had a rubber chicken sticking out of the back of her pack. It made a fun and ridiculous squawk sound when squeezed.
Runners were taking pictures and videos on their phones to capture the moment. It was surreal.
People were having conversations. We were surrounded by spectators and support.
Race Joy
The Race Joy app wasn’t the best experience, it stopped working at mile 20.
I did like the cheers and comments from people following my progress, and hearing the mileage, pace, and estimated finish time was great.
Since my phone was tucked into my vest pocket and everything was soaked from the rain, unfortunately, I didn’t hear most of the cheers and comments coming through.
I knew that they were happening because I could hear my phone making sound, but specifically, I wasn’t sure what it was saying.
The sound was muffled. It was disappointing that I didn’t know what the cheers were.
Just knowing that people were cheering was what mattered the most.
When I race, I like to think about my friends and family. I also like to think about the other race participants and the comradery.
One cheer really stood out, which I heard at least three times. It was the “follow the yellow brick road” song from the Wizard of Oz.
I had no doubt that my mom was sending that cheer because The Wizard of Oz is one of her favorite movies.
Although, one of the times it came through, I was alone, and it was quiet and peaceful. I was feeling calm and just moving along.
All of a sudden, FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD!
Startled, I leaped out of my skin!
That made me laugh out loud.
Many miles later, I did try to reactivate the app, but it had my mileage inaccurate, so I shut it down, again.
Storms and heavy rain
The thunderstorms from the start of the race continued over several hours. The trails got really muddy, causing people to fall.
Trees and branches were also knocked down, so we endured going through that, as well.
I fell a total of four times in the first half of the race due to the mud and puddles. One of the times I fell hard was because I was running through a puddle, but under it was a tree root that I didn’t see.
When I fell, I flew, and my left knee scraped on top of rocks and bashed the top of another root. It was bleeding and the blood ran a little down my leg.
It took a few weeks to heal, and now I have a scar where the skin was taken off.
The stream crossings got deep from the rain. I heard from Burning River veterans that in previous years, it was easier to keep your feet dry.
Due to the rising water, there was a course reroute that we all had to deal with. For me, this came late at night. It felt like the reroute would never end.
It wasn’t fun, it might have been the second hardest part of the race for me.
The reroute made me feel discombobulated and like I was just weaving around in the woods. Other runners were saying that it was tough for them, too.
To add to that frustration, I was being passed by fresh runners. People who were doing the Back Half 50 mile or relay options.
10 100 mile finishes at Burning River
Before I fell hard, I was cruising along for a few miles with a small group of people. We were chatting about races, work, and travelling.
Todd Arnold was one of my new friends. We ran a good bit together and leap frogged. Todd finished his 10th 100 mile finish at Burning River!
Trying to take care of my feet
Throughout the race, I wore Injinji socks and used squirrel’s nut butter. I did a sock and shoe change around mile 30 or 40, I can’t remember.
Sean, one of the founders of the Butler County Milers, grabbed my clean socks.
My pacers and Lori’s crew chatted with me and helped me get what I needed at the aid station while I changed my socks and shoes.
This foot care was not sufficient because I ended up getting trench foot and blisters, however, because of the storms, I’m not sure that this was fully avoidable. Other runners suffered from foot issues.
Towards the end of the article, I talk a little more about my feet.
Incredible shots taken by Mike McNeil @patrailrunner
If you guys don’t know who Mike is, he is a trail runner, photographer, and friend to many in our community here in Pennsylvania.
I can just be making my way through the woods, nothing’s happening, and then, all of a sudden, “hey, it’s Mike!”
I’m pretty sure that there has been a time or two that I didn’t see him at all because he was one with nature. If he was a bear, he could have eaten me 😄
Mike McNeil, I appreciate your talent and all of the effort that you put into capturing people’s races. I’m always happy to see you out there.
Yes, please!
As I was passing by some cows, I briefly chit chatted with a lady.
She noticed that the bushes on our left were wild blackberries and was picking and eating them as she went. She let me know about them. This wasn’t her first Burning River.
Feeling excited, I joined her, popping a few in my mouth as I kept moving. They tasted amazing. Sweet, slightly bitter, and juicy.
It was the hot part of the day, and these berries hit the spot. What a perfect little boost!
Towpath
After the woods and fields came the towpath. When you reach the towpath, you know that you have just a few miles until you reach halfway.
There is very little shade on the towpath, so your body heats up fast if the sun is out. I ended up doing a run-walk because of the heat.
I played a game and ran in the shade, then walked in the sun. After a few minutes of that, I walked in the shade and ran in the sun. It was different.
I also talked with other runners to pass the time.
Mile 50
Coming into the 50 mile aid station, we had to run around a ball field area and parking lot before we could go into the aid station.
There were people finishing their 50 mile race. The announcer spoke into a microphone and announced people’s names and race distance as they were finishing.
When I ran through the 50 mile shoot, my name was announced and my 50 mile split.
For a split second I thought, “Yeah, I get to turn around and do this all over again,” as people were finishing their race.
This was a positive thought, but then, I altered it further to, “Get what you need and get back out there.”
I spotted my crew and went over to them. They helped me get what I needed. My Nathan ice bandana was filled with ice and placed around my neck.
One super annoying thing
One really annoying thing was when I went over to the pavilion where the food was spread out on the picnic tables, 50 mile finishers, their crews, friends, and family were crowding the area. It made it hard to get to the food.
The announcer asked people to move away from the pavilion. There were still two ladies sitting at a picnic table, completely blocking me from getting to the food.
One of them finished the 50 miler. She was holding her medal.
Jamie was trying to help me decide what I wanted. We paced back and forth trying to see the options and access the food, but the two women acted oblivious.
It made me feel angry and I wanted to lash out. I just wanted to grab my food and head out. I didn’t lash out, though.
In fact, I didn’t say anything because I was so angry, there was no nice way that I could ask them to move.
I was going to be a “B,” so I just kept my mouth shut and grabbed less than I wanted.
This 50 mile mark is a tempting place for some 100 milers to drop, and many did.
Pain cave
After I left the 50 mile aid station, Mike was pacing me.
We ran back around the ball field, I used the restroom, and then we were on the long, hot path. My ice bandana was helpful. I was feeling good.
We did a walk run, and cheered for runners heading in the direction that we just came from.
At the next aid station, I took two ibuprofen to manage the pain that my feet were in. I usually don’t take anything for pain management.
The first two really helped. I was taking them every one to two hours, but the next two pills, and the two after that, didn’t help as much.
I updated Mike on how the race was going and mentioned that I would be getting tired in a few hours.
We talked about run and race goals. I asked Mike if he was considering ever doing a 100 miler.
Mike completed his first 50k in May of this year. He wasn’t sure about the 100 mile distance, but wasn’t ruling it out.
He wants to work his way up the distances and then decide. I encouraged Mike and congratulated him on his Glacier Ridge Trail race.
The conversation turned into discussing mindset and race mental strategies.
Specifically, one thing I remember talking about was Courtney Dauwalter and the pain cave.
A dirt nap and a tick
Around mile 60, I was feeling mentally tired, I wanted to sleep. I let Mike know.
He agreed to let me lay down at Kendall Lake. He grabbed me some more water and watched the time.
I think I said that I only wanted to lay down for five or six minutes. I laid in the fetal position in the grass and pulled my trucker hat over my eyes.
The night before the race, I never fell asleep. I just laid there trying to sleep and keep my mind from racing all over.
I was excited, but also, our room smelled of marijuana and cologne that the person sprayed to cover up the smell of the pot. It was terrible.
As I laid there, I was peeking and watched the sunset and other runners come into the aid station. Seeing the other runners made me feel anxious.
Mike was standing next to me and I asked him about the runners. He said that he thought they were all relay runners because they had different bibs than the 100 milers.
I stood up and let him know that I wasn’t going to be able to rest because of the other runners. It’s not like I wanted to rest there much, anyway.
When I stood up, I spotted a tick. I can’t remember if it was crawling on me or Mike. It might have been on him. He removed it.
Freaked out, I asked him to help me check myself, including my gross, sweaty hair for ticks. It was very kind of him to help me check. We didn’t see any.
Every step forward…
At dark, perhaps around mile 70, I was in one of my lowest lows. My thoughts were revolving around how tired I was and how much pain my feet were in.
My counter thoughts were, “you’re not injured and keep moving. Every step forward is a step closer.”
You can drop at the next aid station
Ultra-shuffling into an aid station, my brain wasn’t working and I knew that I didn’t look good.
A volunteer came over to check-in. I looked at him and told him about how tired I was feeling and that my feet were the biggest complaint.
Like an ultrarunner, he responded, “you can drop at the next aid station.” I felt slightly surprised by his response, but I know that he said that intentionally to keep me going.
I replied something like, “I’m not going to drop because of my feet. That’s not a good reason.” I wanted the race to be over sooner, but quitting never crossed my mind.
He said, “that’s the answer I like to hear.” Shortly after that, it was time to move again, food in-hand.
The volunteer mentioned that other runners were complaining of foot issues and then let us know that we were about to hike up a big hill, so taking food to go was a good idea.
I don’t recall the height that he told us, but he told us how big the climb was. We thanked him and started up the dark, single-track hill.
As we climbed, I reminded myself of a hill that I train on at home that is the same height, so I practiced a visualization and the climb felt really good. It seemed to go by quickly.
Oakhill aid station
These are things that I usually don’t pay much attention to. I just run, keeping an idea of the “feel” of the distance left to cover in my head.
At night, It felt like it took forever to get to the Oakhill aid station.
At the aid station, I was bordering being out-of-it, mentally. I was tired. I don’t remember everything.
People who knew me came over to see how I was doing as they waited on their runner to come through. I was doing well, in high spirits, just tired.
I think Stephen was switching out with Mike, and he was going to pace me.
Aimee was working at the aid station and we spotted each other. It was our first time meeting in-person, we know each other through Instagram.
We came close to running into each other at other races, but it never worked out.
Both of us were so excited to meet! Aimee got me a cup of noodles, which is one of my favorite things to get at night during an ultra.
A couple who runs together stays together
After checking-out of the Oakhill aid station, Stephen and I talked and continued the course.
At some point, we came to a road that had a bunch of bright orange flares and cars parked along the road. It was very confusing. We didn’t know what was going on.
I thought we were supposed to cross the road and go to the flares. As we did, we looked around for trail markers. Nothing. We were probably about 40 or 50 yards away from where we came out of the woods.
Stephen and I began bickering and retraced our steps back to the woods. Other runners came out of the woods and stayed to the left behind the guardrail. We felt dumb and followed them.
Near the guardrail was a trail marker. The orange flares distracted me from seeing the marking.
Along a double track path, Stephen was quiet. He wasn’t having much fun, but I didn’t know that until we were back home after the race.
He was concerned that I was going to miss the cutoff time at the end of the race. That makes sense because I slowed down quite a bit. I was in the relentless forward progress zone, though.
Probably around this time, but definitely by the end of the race, my COROS Apex watch died. I had no idea what mile it was unless I asked Stephen or Mike.
The COROS Apex was one of the watches that ended up getting recalled because of battery life issues. I love the watch, though, it is perfect for me.
Last 8 miles
The last 8 miles of the trail was the hardest part of the race for me. It was brutal. I didn’t expect to be in extreme pain.
I know that the 100 mile distance can really hurt, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about my feet.
Every time my toes touched a rock or root, I felt like yelling. Steps and downhill was the worst.
I was crawling because every move I made killed my feet. I cringed and grunted.
Doing breathwork (sort of) was helping me stay regulated through the physical pain and mentally preparing myself for pain during the next step.
This was something that I’ve only experienced once before.
One of the times that Mike was pacing me, he forgot his pack, and he was with my slow butt for a few hours.
I had no idea that he didn’t have anything on him. Looking back, I feel bad. Mike did well, though.
Come on, pick it up!
With about 8 miles remaining, a pacer with their runner went ultra-zooming past me and Mike.
The pacer was in front of their runner coaching them on, really pushing them.
“Come on, pick it up!” “You’ve experienced the pain, now get your reward for it!”
Wow. That hit me. I needed to hear that. What that pacer said kept me going through the end of the race.
Only 5 miles to go
I’m a competitive person, so I did feel slightly meh that my feet pain got in the way of my 1st time goal, but as I wrapped up the race, I couldn’t help but to make it fun. I kept doing the ultra shuffle whenever I could.
At this point, my feet hurt worse with every bump or rock on the road and walking downhill hurt my left leg.
With the shuffle going, I was passing people, so it became a little game. Any little silver lining was helpful towards the goal of to just keep moving forward.
People decided to walk it in. I couldn’t stand being out there for any longer. Walking it in would have been nice, but shuffling was better for me mentally. I was beyond feeling done.
Stephen and Mike shuffled along next to me and they were thrilled that we were getting closer and closer to crossing the finish line. I was thrilled, too.
I mentioned feeling emotional and wanted to cry tears of happiness. Mike understood that I would feel that way and he told me that I could cry if I wanted to.
Amazing spectator support
There were people watching and cheering for all of us as we made our way down their street.
It was incredible to be out there turtle-ing our way along together, watching each other complete the 100 mile journey.
At one of the houses, people were sitting outside in their lawn chairs. They were informing everyone of the last hill in the race. It was probably the last steep hill in the race, but not the last hill.
When we reached the last hill, we were joking about it and wondering if the people knew that it wasn’t the last hill and they were just telling everyone that it was.
Free beer
At another household, they had a table and chairs set up. They had cans of beer and were pouring beer into to-go cups for runners.
The lady asked me if I wanted any beer. I perked up with even more excitement and told her that I did!
As I hobbled over, I asked her what she had because they had a display of beer cans on their table.
She poured me some IPA and I thanked her and told her that that will help me get to the finish. After sipping it, I said that it hit the spot, and she gave me another splash.
I mentioned that I haven’t drank any beer in a few weeks because I was training for the race, so this is was my first drink in a while.
She smiled and they cheered us on and poured beers for the runners behind us.
As I walked with my beer, she yelled that I could put the cup on the curb when I finished it and they will pick it up. I yelled thank you!
After finishing my beer, I said to Stephen and Mike that I was hoping to get a tiny beer buzz to help mentally manage the pain, but I never did.
Just blocks now
With just blocks away from finishing, I found a gear that was buried deep down inside of me. I picked up my pace like a bat flying out of Hell.
Overwhelming happiness and feeling proud of myself for knocking out this dream filled me. I felt like I was on fire with energy.
Two blocks away, there were people everywhere!
People were lining the sidewalks along businesses. They were sitting in and on their vehicles that were parked on the street.
Everyone was pumped up, and the Golden Hour of a race is the most exciting to watch people finish. These are the people who battled the longest.
The closer we got, the more my pace picked up. My feet hurt. Everything hurt, but I pushed through the pain. I was mindful of my running form, making sure it was correct.
Stephen and Mike were right behind me. Stephen was taking a video of me with his phone. I was grateful that him and Mike were capturing a few moments of the race for me.
The crowd was loud, and because of all of the people, I wasn’t sure where the finish line was. I yelled, “where is the finish line?!” A lady pointed and said to go right over there.
Continuing to book it, I turned right and made my way down the finisher shoot.
Crossing over the finish line, I stopped, received my buckle, and Stephen took a picture. Friends congratulated me, and I thanked them for their support.
Cue the stiffness.
Finish line
Final thoughts
I slept on the way home from the race, on and off for the rest of the day, and all night.
The next two days, I mostly laid around with my feet elevated. I used CBD salve and sports lotion on everything. Once the chaffing and boo boos healed over, I took an Epsom salt bath.
Time-wise, I’m happy with any time. I would have been pleased with finishing 25-27 hours, as well.
I’m thrilled that I finished. It wasn’t easy. I knew that no matter what happened, it would take everything I had to finish. It took everything.
Goal A, B, and C
I really don’t ever set race time goals for myself, but I was feeling confident and determined that I was going to finish this race, so I set a time goal as an “A” goal, and then a “B” goal of finishing if the time goal wasn’t lining up.
Originally, my “A” time goal was around the 24 hour mark. This would have been possible or close to possible if I had a nearly perfect race.
Injuries?
If I would have had trail shoes for the entire day, and changed my shoes twice, and socks three times (I’m guessing), then I would have finished much sooner.
My shoes and feet were the main issues after being wet for most of the day. It was difficult to keep my feet dry, but I still think that this strategy could have benefitted.
My feet are still in really bad shape. My left knee is a little swollen and scraped up good from a fall in the first half. Once I can get the knee unbent from sitting, I’m good, ha.
A downhill muscle (or tendon?) on my left leg, above my ankle is wrecked. That issue started with just about 8 miles left. The rest of my muscles are sore, as expected, so that’s not bad. It was all worth it.
Without the training schedule that Coach Kyle created, I would have DNFd because somewhere around mile 60-ish my feet became unbearable to walk on, but I kept going.
More random thoughts
I ran a super strong front half. I was 13th female.
My second half was slower with dips of exhaustion.
I didn’t sleep at all Friday night because I was excited and the room smelled like marijuana. If I didn’t have such a strong majority of the race, I wouldn’t have had the time I needed to finish.
Once the crazy trench foot and blister pain hit, I needed all of the time from having that strong pace in the front half for finishing.
My super slow pace was making my husband nervous that I wouldn’t finish. I definitely finished in the Golden Hour (the final hour before the race is over).
Post race, Coach Kyle prescribed walks, and on Tuesday, a 20 minute upper body dumbbell workout. The workout went better than the walks.
It will still take several more days of solid rest. I might do an easy effort 3 mile run on the weekend, we’ll see.
Up next is mine and Stephen’s third Baker Trail Ultrachallenge 50 Miler. We’re going for our Rolling Pins.
Thanks for supporting my dreams. I hope that you follow yours.
Nothing is impossible with God
Nothing is impossible with God.
I was talking with Butler County Milers friends and my husband about this topic, how several months of hard work and several race day factors need to come together to make something like completing a 100 miler possible.
I’ve seen God’s guidance and provision throughout the years that I have been a runner. It’s incredible.
Bringing home the treasure
Battle wounds and non-alcoholic brews
After arriving home, the next week was spent sleeping on and off and hobbling around the house.
It took about 5 minutes to get from room to room. Trench foot and blisters were the main problems.
The trench foot hurt for about two weeks after the race, and I ended up losing four toenails.
During recovery time, I think it matters what you replenish your body with.
Personally, I choose to opt for non-alcoholic brews. I do celebrate a race with an alcoholic one, I love beer (in general), but I’m mindful about what I’m refueling myself with.
I feel good about choosing Athletic Brewing Company because they carefully craft their brews and they are non-alcoholic. Athletic uses high quality ingredients.
If you would like to replace some of your alcoholic beer with some Athletic, non-alcoholic, brews as you recover from a race, give it a try.
I hope that you enjoy Athletic as much as I do!
Related reads
My General Plan for Finishing Burning River 100 (2023)
Baker Trail UltraChallenge COMPLETE! (2023)
13 Mental Aspects of the Backyard Ultramarathon that You Can Apply to Life
How to Be a Bada$$ Mother Runner
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