Event Name, Date, Location.
Laurel Highlands Ultra, 06/14/2025, Ohiopyle, PA to Seward, PA
If you’ve not yet, please find and go through 3-5 written or video race reports of the event you’re participating in.
Have you done this?
I have!
Race day weather.
What’s the predicted weather?
Too early to know.
Course description.
Course loops? Point-to-point? Technical? Flat? Muddy? Hilly? Hard cutoff time?
How do you feel
about it?
Is there a particular course section that you feel worried about?
If yes, then why?
How have you prepared for it?
This is a point-to-point race from Ohiopyle to Seward, PA on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. This will be my third time on the trail, and I am comfortable with it, except for I have not seen the final 13 miles. I guess I’ll find out on race day!
Ultimate Goal.
What would a perfect race be for you?
To run a sustainable, yet uncomfortable pace for the majority of the race. Proper pacing during the first 11 miles which has 3 HUGE climbs and the usual rolling hills.
Not roll my ankle like I did in 2020. Read about that adventure here.
When there is negative self-talk and comparison to the other women, balance it out with good stuff.
Proper hydration and nutrition. Not take the caffeine that gave me poop issues during my last ultra. Tie my shoes tighter to make up for mud and big climbs.
In and out from aid stations in less than 30 seconds as frequently as possible. Use my crew to hand me fresh bottles (trade out), a cup of food, and any gels or caps that I might need. I will eat and run, like I have been doing. Remember to hand them any trash from my vest.
Run strong for my pacer.
Have fun and enjoy the experience. This trail is gorgeous and challenging. It runs like a 100 miler. The elevation gain is over 11,200 ft.
To feel accomplished and proud of my efforts.
Goal A: Top 10 women
Goal B: Top 50% of finishers
Goal C: Finish
Travel.
What are your travel plans for this event?
Will you need a day off for travel to the destination?
Are you driving?
Who will be with you and will someone be able to hold on to your gear during the run?
Stephen will drive me and we will link up with my crew and pacers at the start line. I will have everything that I need on me for the first 11 miles. I will have my crew use my suit case, which I pack extra clothes, shoes, gear, and nutrition in. I have done this for 100 milers and it seems to work well.
Lodging.
Where are you staying?
What is the travel time to the race start?
Wake up at 2:30 AM. Everything will be packed and ready.
Stephen and I will leave the house no later than 3:00 AM. It is a 1 hr and 35 min drive (round up to 2 hrs, so I’m not stressed out). I will eat breakfast on the way.
Once we get to the start at 5:00 AM, I will pick up my bib and packet. This is at the Ferncliff Natural Area parking lot.
Put on my bib and use the restroom. The race begins at 5:30 AM.
Race Strategy.
Pre -Race.
What will your nutrition plan be for the morning of the race?
What gear will you be wearing?
Will a warm-up be possible?
Will you be standing in a corral for a half hour?
What will you wear before the event?
I plan on eating oatmeal (at home), a banana, and or a blueberry muffin before the race (in the Jeep). Drink coffee. Maybe eat a Hammer gel after packet pickup, depending on the timing of things.
I will be wearing shorts, Laurel Highlands top tank top, sports bra that is crop top to help prevent chaffing from my vest, Laurel Highlands Buff, trucker hat, Injinji socks, Altra Superior 6, shoe gaiters, COROS Pace, UD vest. Squirrel’s Nut Butter on my feet.
Vest will contain water in the bladder, electrolytes (Skratch) in the front flasks, gels (Hammer), caps (Hammer anti-fatigue and Succeed S!Caps), snacks (Hammer and Skratch products), extra Buff.
Depending on the weather, I will have my North Face rain jacket and YakTrax. If it is a cold morning, I will wear a thin long sleeve shirt and pass it off to my crew at aid station 1, mile 11 or aid station 2, mile 19.
Start line mindset.
What will your mindset be at the start line?
How will you address or approach any
pre-race jitters or anxiety?
What positive mantra can you use?
What’s one positive self-talk or
affirmation you can state to yourself?
I will be focused, calm, excited, and try to relax and have fun.
- “Proper Pacing Prevents Piss Poor Performance.”
- “You got this.”
- “You’re fine.”
- “Steady.”
- “Light and quick.”
- “Pixy Ninja.”
- “Push.”
- “Strong.”
- “Unbreakable.”
- “Beast kid.” – Nickname from my Dad. 🙂
- “Keep moving.”
- “The person who wants it the most will win.”
- “The person who does the best job at suffering will win.”
- “Focus on your own race.”
- “You vs the trail.”
- “It will not break you.”
- “Relentless forward progress.”
- “Expand the pain cave.”
- “You’re doing better than you think you are.”
- “You love what you do and you are really good at it.”
- “Every step forward is a step closer to being done.”
- “Get that finisher reward.”
- “Top 10.” (women)
- “Dig.”
- “Settle.”
- “Sustain.”
- “Relax.”
- “Aid station to aid station.”
- “Section to section.”
- “Pick up your pacer.”
- “Growth.”
Briefly, remind yourself of your “why” for the race.
What is your “why”?
Then return your attention to
the present.
Remind yourself of all of the hard work you put in to be standing there.
You put in the work, you are ready.
Soak in the energy of the start line feels.
Whys:
- Growth in running and personally.
- Redemption run, since I DNF’d in 2020 due to missing the cutoff at mile 56 because I rolled my ankle hard around mile 6.
- To test myself and see if I’m capable of maintaining an uncomfortable pace for 70.5 miles.
- See my preparation over the months and years pay off.
- To see where this effort lands me among the other strong women who will be there.
- Continue to be a good role model for my daughter and other little girls.
- Inspire and motivate others.
- Potentially boost my business.
- Not let myself, family, or running coach down.
- To prepare for Oil Creek 100. Practice everything that I need to do for that event.
- Add another race accomplishment to my Badwater 135 resume.
- To have fun and enjoy the experience.
Intra-Race.
What is your nutrition plan during the event?
Go through your pacing strategy.
First Hammer gel at mile 3. 1-2 gels and solid food every hour. Water, electrolytes, and pop to thirst. Sip water every 10 minutes or so. Caps, 1-2 of each every 1-2 hours.
Run a sustainable, yet uncomfortable pace. Run everything runnable. Push the downhills, especially at mile 63 because it is all downhill to the finish. I will be highly motivated to finish strong and to be DONE.
Do my best power hiking the bigger hills. Jog them out at the end.
I can pick up a pacer at aid station 6, mile 46. There is no crew access at aid station 8, mile 62. I don’t care, I’ll be close to finishing.
If I can have 2 separate pacers, awesome! That will mix things up.
Mental strategies and have fun. Enjoy the beautiful, rugged course. It will wreck me, and that’s okay. Run my own race and don’t run with anyone else, unless it fits the plan. Don’t get caught up in conversations like I have in the past. When I have to use the restroom, do so as quickly as possible. Follow the plan, not the emotions.
When you feel physically and mentally tired, how will you recover yourself and keep going?
What is one performance-based or mindset strategy that you will use during the race?
What will crossing the finish line feel like?
- I will use positive self-talk.
- Recall my whys.
- Mantras.
- Think about my friends and family.
- Try to relax physically and mentally, and have fun.
- Soak in the trail and experience.
- Enjoy nature.
- You are going to be out there all day.
- Dig in and focus on small goals and footing.
- Focus on strategy.
- Focus on how I’m feeling, like if I need to eat or drink.
- Chunk the course down into sections (First 10 miles, Jennings and back, swamp and back, last 10 miles (break down into 5 and 5)).
- Think of the mud as chocolate icing and I’m skating on it.
- Count down the hills in the last 10 miles.
- The faster you move, the sooner you’ll be done.
- Shut off the brain
- Don’t think about it, just do it.
- Landmark to landmark.
- This is only temporary.
Crossing the finish line will feel incredible because I will have checked everything off of my mental list. I will have tackled the race and put in my best effort. This will all reflect my race goals and goals going forward in ultrarunning.
Post-Race.
Will a cooldown be possible?
What are you going to do immediately post-race?
Post-race, I plan on sitting and maybe eating and or drinking a protein drink. Hang out with friends and watch finishers until I’m too tired and ready to go home. Maybe sleep in the Jeep.
What events do you have on your calendar going forward?
Oil Creek 100, 10/04/25
Laurel Highlands Ultra articles
Post-Race Questionnaire for Laurel Highlands Ultra (2025)
Laurel Highlands Ultra and an Ankle Injury (2020)
The Scarecrow Runner Podcast: Embracing the Pain of Ultramarathons
Race Crew Life: Laurel Highlands Ultra (2021)
Pennsylvania’s Most Kickbutt Trails: 30 plus miles, lots of vert, and mostly dirt
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