Stats
- 38:37:29
- OA: 1st
- 33 runners total
- 24 runners were tempted and stopped at 100k
- 3 stopped at 150k
- 6 started working towards 200k. Rob and I were the only two finishers.
- F: 1st female ever to finish the 200k (This is the 6th year of the race)
- Elevation gain: 6,864 ft
Dexter and Magdalena
Meet the race directors here.
Oak Campground
When Stephen and I arrived at the campground, we parked at the packet pickup pavilion and checked-in.
Pacers need to sign a waiver and get a pacer bib.
We chatted with the RDs about where we were from and traveling. We also talked about me potentially picking up a third pacer.
After chatting, we drove to a spot with all of the other runners. Only runners were staying at the campground. It was free with race registration.
Some runners were staying in smaller RVs, some staying in tents with elaborate setups, and like us, some were just sleeping in their vehicles.
Since we were flying in and already had two checked luggage bags (one being our kid’s car set), we didn’t want to bring a tent or any camping gear, it was going to be too much.
We connected with Michael for the first time. I engage with Michael virtually, but I gave him a hug when I first saw him.
As we walked around the small campground, we had to watch where we stepped because there were prickly pear cacti, rugged weeds and grass, and ant hills everywhere.
There were toilets over by the pavilion. They weren’t bad.
Michael, Stephen, and I set up our chairs behind the vehicle we were borrowing and hung out. The bugs were bad. Mostly mosquitoes, so we applied bug spray.
Everything for the race was organized in my suitcase. It was simple and would be easy for Michael and Stephen to move around.
I used a plastic container from the Dollar Tree for all of my fuel. It fit inside of the suitcase with my gear and extra clothes and shoes.
I opened the suitcase and gave Michel and Stephen the rundown of where everything was at. I also showed them where everything was at in my running vest, as well. I’m low maintenance.
We talked about running and being vegan. We also talked about my strategy for using them as pacers.
As we sat there, I could feel some pre-race gitters beginning.
I was well-prepared, but the fact that the race was here and that I would be running the furthest I’ve ever ran was a bit crazy to think about. I shared with them four words that I have been reflecting on over the past few days…
Four words that I was reflecting on
- Calm – Don’t think about the distance or worry about anything that could go wrong.
- Patient – Going to be running in the sand, so I won’t be able to cover as much ground as I’m used to.
- Focused – Do the right things; make the right decisions; take care of my body; run well.
- Fast – Don’t take a lot of time at aid stations. I aimed for less than two minutes per aid station for as long as I could do that because I knew that later in the race, I’d be getting hot food and coffee.
- Run everything runnable (or what made sense without getting burnt out) because I knew that the sand would slow me down and that my pace would eventually turn into the ultra shuffle. I didn’t want to be pushing up against cutoff times.
- One of my weaknesses is power hiking. That does not exist in these short legs. One thing that I have learned about myself over the years of doing ultras is that I have to train my walking and hiking muscles more because it is easier for me to just run.
Pacers
Going into the race, I was feeling mostly prepared, however, only having two pacers made me nervous. I felt like I needed 3 people because the race was 124 miles.
I tried finding a third person, but I’m glad that it didn’t work out because I don’t think that it was meant to.
Michael and Stephen had my back, though. Both are ultrarunners and were able to do more than two loops. I planned that I could run alone until reaching 100k.
We stuck with that and Michael jumped in with me at the last aid station before hitting 100k.
Race start
The race description in a nutshell
Temptation 200k did not disappoint. It was brutal. I feel like I say this about 100 milers because they all can be, but this was the most unique ultra I’ve ever done.
The race website warns runners of the level of challenge that the course presents and says that only the grittiest of ultrarunners will complete it.
All runners registered go under the 200k distance. They are welcome to be tempted to stop at 50k, 100k, or 150k and be rewarded with a buckle and ability to stop. Temptation.
There are 8 loops, and you do them washing machine style. During loop 8, I didn’t recognize much of the course, I had been hallucinating for hours. Each loop is 15.6 miles.
Two loops will get you to the next distance. If you attempt a distance, but DNF before reaching it, you don’t get an award. Risk.
The course was Heaven and Hell themed. We visited Purgatory and took the Highway to Hell.
We went through the sh!ttiest part, called the Devil’s Colon, which was deep sand and hills, lined with prickly pear cactus and other unforgiving vegetation.
Baptisms during the day and exorcisms at night.
My initial impression of the trail was, “this is not a nice, I don’t want to be here.” Twice, I asked God why He put all of that sand there.
In general, the course was double-track sand with a small single-track section. – That was the only pretty section.
It was “runnable” with short, rolling hills. Between 6,000-7,000 ft of elevation gain total. This is deceptive because of the sand. Without proper pacing and strategy, it will wear you down much faster.
I started my first loop without trekking poles and decided that was enough. I brought them out for my second loop.
There were also briers, thorns, porcupine grass, poison ivy and oak.
The flies and mosquitoes were annoying as hell. After so long, bug spray was no longer effective. As I was told at an aid station, a sweaty, salty runner is their favorite snack. Bug spray won’t repel them.
And I saw a bat and 2 Hognose snakes, like on the buckle.
I wanted to drop at 100k, but like Michael said, getting started on the 5th loop would ensure that I don’t drop.
Trying to do ultra math
At the start and finish line aid station, I was trying to count loops and miles out loud, trying to figure out when I’d pick up Michael. I figured that I needed to do another loop alone, which was right.
Magdalena, who is one of the RDs, told me to not do my mental math because ultrarunners are terrible at math. I fully agree.
I’m bad at math even when I’m not doing an ultra. She said to keep going until they tell me to stop.
Magdalena said to keep running until they said that I could stop. This is usually a mindset tool that I use during ultras.
My mantra is, “you’re done when you’re done.”
“You’re done when you’ve earned your buckle.”
“Now is the time to earn your buckle.”
Shout-out to Michael!
Shout out to one of our fellow vegan runners, Michael (on the left. My husband is on the right).
Michael is awesome. He drove all the way from VA to IL to make sure that I finished my 200k.
To me, that alone was enough reason to finish. I’m grateful for his hard work and that he took the time to help me.
Michael crushed being a pacer. Hands down, one of the best I’ve ever had. He was on top of everything, asking me how I was doing and asking if I needed anything.
His running and pacing was perfect. When I was too tired to think, which was most of the race, I could follow him like a shadow. We took the inner corners of the trail, saving me steps.
We also went on the edges of the sand pits where the grasses, prickly plants, and poison ivy and oak gave us a little more traction.
Yes, I decided to not care about poison ivy and oak, being efficient was a priority.
He is an excellent runner. Form, grit, everything. I get to follow his running in Final Surge (the run coaching app that I use).
It was really cool to see his training carry over in-person. He has an ultra coming up soon, I know that he’s ready.
At one point, I told him that I wanted to quit at the 100k mark. In all honesty, 50k of that course was enough.
When I said that, he turned around and said that he believes in me, and that he thinks that I have 200k in me.
Another moment, we were getting ready to begin another loop and he told someone that “she won’t quit.” I’ll always remember these things.
In total, he ran about 50.13 miles with me (I think? I was hallucinating a good chunk of it and on loop 8, I barely recognized the course.).
He definitely deserves an award, in my opinion.
I’m grateful for Michael’s help. 😊❤️
Meeting Chris and Kacie
I first met Chris on Facebook in the race group. He invited me to run with him because I was feeling concerned about only having two pacers. It was very nice of him to invite me.
During the race, he was running with Kacie and I was leap-frogging with them.
They were chatting about races, pets, and all sorts of things. It was fun logging some miles with them, they were good company.
Kacie’s plan was to run 100k. I encouraged her to think about doing the 200k.
However, I think that the 100k was a training run for her and that she had a 100 miler coming up, so 200k wouldn’t fit into her training plan.
A short, but beautiful section
Wildlife
- 2 Hognose snakes
- Tiny, sand-colored frogs
- Pittsburgh-colored caterpillar
- A million flies and mosquitoes
- I heard that there were fleas. Thankfully, I didn’t notice any on me.
- Giant ants
- Squeaky animals at night
- 2 owls hooting back and forth to each other
- Bat
- 2 huge spiders
Hallucinations
- Corps torsos hanging from a tree
- Little people
- Ancient, stone statues of little people
- Rabbits
- A white kitten
- A camper bus
- House
- Industrial warehouse
- Bus
- Red and white billboard
Throwing up
I threw up at mile 79. It was my first time ever throwing up at an ultra.
Everything came up and Michael stood there next to me and made sure that I was okay. Throwing up was either due to the exertion or the banana.
Over the hours, I noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to eat and that I was feeling nauseous.
I gagged every time that I chewed food and attempted to swallow it.
Throwing up felt really good though and it needed to happen. After that, I ate ginger chews and was golden for the rest of the race.
Loop 8 mindset and strategy
I completely changed my mindset on the 8th loop when I heard that Rob was gaining on me. I wasn’t sure how he was doing.
In fact, I didn’t know that there was someone else left, besides me. I thought that maybe he was coming for first place.
Michael and I talked about it and my top goal was to do what it took to finish first.
I completely forgot that I had 100+ miles on my feet, and began telling myself that it was a 16 mile race. Rob and I battling for first.
Michael was so awesome. One of the best pacers I’ve ever had. Very good runner, too.
We made a 20 or 30 min gap (maybe?) between Rob and I. I can’t believe my legs could move like that after coming such a long way.
At one of the aid stations, I didn’t really know where I was at, or what direction to go when we were ready to leave the aid station because mentally, I only had a few functional braincells left…
I think I met Steven Kornhaus, AKA UltraTrailSteven. He was there supporting and told me about Regain Lifestyle Drink, which I ended up trying. It was refreshing.
As Michael was prompting me that we needed to keep moving, Steven reminded me that shirtless Rob could be right behind me.
With about 10k+5k left, I felt like the hard running was causing a knee/hamstring injury, or making it worse, so we hiked it in until approaching the finish.
I cared more about being 1st OA in a 100+ miler than earning the DFL Dig Deep shovel because it is rare for a female to place 1st.
“Work harder”
Focus on your performance and not the runner behind you.
The men volunteering kept telling me how tough I am, that I’m tough as nails, inspiring, and a badass.
One of the men volunteering told me on my last loop that he was going to pack up the aid station after Rob came through and then head home. So he pre-congratulated me on my race.
I told him that I didn’t blame him. He worked the aid station for the entire race and was attacked by bugs the whole time.
Well, I got to the finish and there he was! He told me that he decided to come watch me finish. It meant a lot.
Injury and the ultra lean
Somewhere in the middle of the race, I noticed that my left knee was hurting when I walked in the sandy areas. It was okay running. It felt like Runner’s Knee.
However, overtime, the pain crept into being almost constant and was behind my knee, where my hamstring and calf connect.
This was concerning. I couldn’t fully straighten or bend my knee. I’m writing this article about two weeks later and I’m just now able to fully lengthen and bend my leg.
As I ran, I focused on my form and stride, trying to do what was best for my leg. It was painful, but I could still run decently well.
On top of my leg pain, I was being mindful of having the ultra lean.
When I noticed that I was leaning to the right, I’d attempt to straighten myself up and focus on my form. Trekking poles were very helpful and supported me.
My goal was to finish the race, and to do my best to finish first overall, so I had to walk the tightrope of running well enough to stay ahead of Rob and to not worsen the injury to where I would need surgery or do any permanent damage.
Mentally, I was telling myself that “I can heal afterwards.”
“Mind over matter.”
“If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
After Michael and I felt that we created enough of a lead, I decided that it would be best to mostly hike because running was making my leg worse. We ended up hiking in the final 5k.
The final stretch
During the final stretch, I was still hallucinating. Three miles felt like forever, and I asked Michael a few times if we were there yet. Eventually, he spotted the sign that pointed to the finish.
We began to run. As we approached the finish line, I paused and rang the cowbell to alert them that I was coming in.
Stephen was right there taking a video of my finish and the RDs, volunteers, and Rob’s parents were behind him.
Final thoughts
What a crazy event. It was a sufferfest.
God had all of the details over the months of preparation come together to form this experience and finishing moment.
Stephen pointed out that this race suited me. I’m not the fastest runner, but I’m very tough and good at gutting things out.
Would I ever do this race again? Probably not. Not even to defend my record, though it is breakable.
I would consider crewing and pacing someone who is determined and properly prepared to conquer the 200k.
The bugs were awful and drove me batty by the end. Anytime my pace slowed, whether it was because of the deep sand or just from being exhausted, I couldn’t outrun the bugs.
They were constantly there buzzing and landing all over my ears and face. This race isn’t for the faint of heart.
Like the RDs say on the race website, only the grittiest ultrarunners will finish.
So, with all of that being said, if you are looking for a close-knit, grassroots ultra out in the middle of nowhere, Temptation 200 is the race for you! You will want to stop. You will also have fun. Both types of fun!
My Pre-Race Questionnaire
Get things straight before your next race. Use the questions in this Pre-Race Questionnaire to get yourself better set up for success. My Temptation 200k Pre-Race Questionnaire
My Post-Race Questionnaire
How did your race go? Use these questions after your race to make improvements. Check out My Temptation 200k Post-Race Questionnaire 2024.
Awards
- Challenge coin for finishers of all distances.
- Temptation 200k buckle
- First overall female winner award. Lord of the Rings Middle Earth style course map.
Sand and blisters
Ultrarunner, do you need some support?
I work with ultrarunners all over the United States who want to dial in their race mentality, mental strategies, and overall improve their mental wellness.
– My coaching services are fully on the mental side (I am a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor in PA, coaching is a non-clinical service).
Here’s some of what we can do
- Improve day-to-day mental wellbeing.
- Build better habits.
- Incorporate mindfulness
- Learn emotion regulation strategies.
- Set challenging, yet attainable goals.
- Discuss motivation
- Address body image thoughts or concerns.
- Talk about you! Who are you, besides a runner or athlete? – parent, sibling, entrepreneur, community member… What else do you do, and how does it impact training for races or vice versa?
- Coping with injury and setbacks.
- Juggling priorities and time management.
- Are you actively trying to find a mental health professional? I can assist!
- Are you searching for a running coach? I can provide pointers on how to go about finding someone who’s a good fit and what questions to ask the coach when interviewing them for fit.
- Mental strategies and mindset for racing.
- Training and race day visualization.
- Generalized anxiety and race day stressors and worries.
- What might you do if you encounter a problem during a race.
- Building trust with yourself.
- Improving self-care, self-esteem, and self-compassion.
- Knowing when to push yourself and when to be kinder to yourself.
- Why’s and meaning behind what you do. Passion. Using that as support and drive.
- On top of talking, I do provide resources and homework.
BOOM. There’s a lot that we can achieve together.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb
Contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule.
Related reads
My Temptation 200k Pre-Race Questionnaire
Mohican 100 Race Report (2024)
Oil Creek 100 Race Report: My 4TH DNF at this beast (2022)
Burning River 100 Race Report 2023
Race Day Visualizations (Etsy store)
Sport Psychologist VS Licensed Professional Counselor
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