Final February, I had the chance to offer race assist for 4 athletes I coach on the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile in Huntsville, Texas. Rocky Raccoon is an early season ultramarathon with a fame for being one of many “simpler” 100-mile races on the circuit. Because of this, many runners come to Huntsville every February in search of a sub-24-hour 100 miler, a Western States 100 qualifier, or a stable coaching race prematurely of their major objective later within the season. My 4 athletes traveled to this race for these causes, however Mom Nature intervened as she usually does.
The weekend earlier than the race, the Huntsville space was inundated with over 11 inches of rain, inflicting, amongst different issues, a tentative closure of the park the place the race is held. Luckily, dry circumstances allowed a lot of the path to dry out by the eve of the race till a torrential downpour the night earlier than the race added extra water and dust to the proceedings. By the point runners toed the road for the race on Saturday morning, they knew they have been in for one thing a bit completely different.
Tatiana Rypinski, the 2025 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile ladies’s winner in significantly better circumstances than the 2024 version. Photograph: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Pictures
The race includes 5 20-mile loops, and I had the possibility to recon the course whereas my athletes have been racing. I rapidly realized this yr can be removed from a typical yr at this occasion. After I returned from my preview run, I needed to rapidly put collectively some messages my athletes would wish for fulfillment. Though I initially created the next steerage for the 2024 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, you possibly can apply these concepts to any race the place the climate modifications on you unexpectedly.
Regulate Expectations
In a typical yr, the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile has one of many highest finisher charges in North American ultrarunning. After experiencing the course firsthand, I knew 2024 can be completely different. As every of my athletes accomplished their loops, I talked with them about adjusting their time objectives and experiential objectives as a result of the moist, muddy circumstances have been solely going to worsen. The extra rapidly you settle for the truth of fixing and worsening circumstances, the higher you’ll be capable of deal with the adversity. Grumbling concerning the mud or the chilly or evaluating present circumstances to what it could have been like within the sunshine is a fast solution to wreck your day.
Make Deliberate Gear Selections
Whereas working is an easy sport at its core, selections about gear and vitamin are essential in adversarial circumstances. It’s not simply that you need to deal with mud or being moist. You need to additionally understand that if the climate slows you down, you may be on the course for much longer than deliberate. From headlamp batteries to rain jackets, I requested every of my runners to suppose by way of every little thing they could want on every lap. It was essential to bolster this course of for every lap as a result of only one lap with out the fitting gear might have ended with a DNF.
To make deliberate gear selections, you need to have already got the gear readily available. When the climate modified quickly, I noticed athletes at Rocky Raccoon and the 2024 Black Canyon 100k in Arizona scrambling for jackets, gloves, hats, socks, and extra. Do your self a favor and pack an “I’ll by no means want this” bag once you go to an ultramarathon. Pack it with chilly and moist climate gear even in case you’re racing within the desert or in the summertime. Ideally, you’ll by no means dip into that bag, however let me let you know, in case you want it simply when you’ll be blissful you lugged it to races all these different occasions.
Stay Mentally Engaged
All through the day and evening I repeatedly heard the identical chorus from runners who selected to not proceed: “I’m simply executed with this!” “I can’t return on the market.”and “This simply isn’t enjoyable.”
iRunFar’s Meghan Hicks in a fall storm in Utah. Unhealthy climate could be a nice alternative to check your bodily skill and emotional resilience. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
As I encountered my athletes lap after lap, I attempted to steer them away from a hopeless mindset and as a substitute tried to maintain them mentally engaged. The simplest approach was to assist them form their expertise in ways in which honored what they’d been by way of and celebrated how blissful they’d be once they obtained to the end line.
Conclusion
When the mud stopped flying, three of my 4 athletes completed. The one athlete who didn’t end known as it a day after 60 miles as a result of the mud induced a resurgence of an previous hip flexor damage. Though athletes don’t want anybody’s “permission” to cease, we mentioned the scenario and agreed that stopping at 60 miles was the wisest alternative. The three athletes who accomplished the race all completed with smiles on their faces and deep emotions of satisfaction figuring out that they had persevered.
By adjusting expectations, listening to the little issues, and retaining their heads within the sport, my athletes not solely completed a tougher-than-normal Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, however the expertise ought to create confidence they will deal with adversity at future races. And that’s a part of the explanation I consider athletes ought to resist the urge to give up races even when circumstances or circumstances put pre-determined objectives like ending occasions out of attain. Use the sloppy, chilly, muddy, and gnarly races as studying alternatives so you’ve got higher resilience within the face of future challenges.
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s beer of the week comes from Jester King Brewery in Austin, Texas. Mama Luna Blonde Ale is a lusciously {smooth} blonde ale with a crispy mix of hoppiness and maltiness. Weighing in at 5% ABV, Mama Luna is a smooth-drinking ale appropriate for almost any event.
Name for Feedback
- What’s the most memorable run-in you’ve had with Mom Nature in your ultrarunning profession?
- What ideas do you’ve got for when you could regulate your expectations in tough circumstances?
Colin MacFarlane, the 2025 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile males’s winner. The 2025 circumstances have been nice, in distinction to 2024. Photograph: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Pictures
