Intro
With all the race cancellations due to COVID, it was a breath of fresh air when I learned that Aravaipa Running had gotten the green light to hold the popular Javelina Jundred. Known as the largest Jalloween Party in the desert, the race consists of five ~20 mile loops traversing the washes and foothills of McDowell Mountain Regional Park, accumulating ~1600 feet of elevation gain with each of them. Usually rivaling Rocky Raccoon as one of the largest 100-milers in the country, this year only 250 or so runners started. They also have a 100k and "Jackass" 31k distance.
One of the preconditions for holding the event, however, was that the hundreds of entrants (for all distances) over a couple of days. My father and I were luckily able to sign up for the last couple of spots starting Saturday morning at 7AM. In addition to the spacing of start times, all loops had to be run counter-clockwise direction to minimize runners directly crossing the paths of other runners.
Arriving in Phoenix Friday afternoon, we promptly got our rental car and heading out to McDowell Mountain Regional Park for packet pickup. I was surprised and happy to learn that one of the swag items was a BOCO backpack emblazoned with the logo of Javelina Jundred. After gathering our gear, we had a great pizza dinner with our friend, Dan, and some of his family friends who live in Phoenix. All filled up, we headed back to the hotel to prep our gear and get an early night's sleep.
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Pre-race dinner w/ Dan (first on the left) and friends
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Race Day
On Saturday, October 1st, the alarms sounded at 5:30AM. As I prepared for the adventure ahead, I remembered the four previous 100s I had ran this summer and felt confident in my strong running base. Albeit, I was slightly concerned about a lingering pain in my right hip flexor.
Arriving at McDowell Park, we were greeted to a bustling tent city. As I made my way over to the starting corral, planning to place my one drop bag I would be using at the Jeadquarters which we would pace through four times during the race, I ran into my friend Martin Sengo. Race Director for the Cool Moon 100, Martin had kicked ass the previous night finishing the 100 in a time of 23:06. He showed me his buckle and for the first time, I realized I really had to shoot for sub-24, if solely for the big and beautiful sub-24 silver buckle (pictures of both buckles at the end of the report).
I also ran into the famous and illustrious Jester, Ed Ettinghausen, who was shooting for his 194th overall finish. And...He was planning to run the whole race in a suit. (Talk about dedication!) 😀
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Ed "The Jester" Ettinghausen and me
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The energy and nervousness surrounding the start line of a 100 is always palpable, but we managed to suppress it enough for some good photos.
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| Dan, my dad, and me. |
After our mandatory temperature checks and waiting for a couple of 10-runner waves to pass through the staring corral, it was time for us to start our adventure. My plan was to run the first couple loops at about 12 to 13-minute pace, banking time for later in the race.
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| Startling corral shenanigans |
The first 22-mile loop went off without a hitch. It's was surprising to me how little effort it took to cruise through the early miles and rolling hills of the desert, though I made a point of walking some of the more visible inclines. I enjoyed the company of my dad and Jon Beard, a running friend from Santa Cruz. A stubborn and beastly runner, Jon ended up finishing the race DFL just under the cutoff with a time of 29:57. Wow!
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Jon, my dad, and me pre-race.
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The extra miles that are tacked on to in the first loop proved to be the most difficult park on the course, strewn with rocks and obnoxious hills that seemed like mountains compared to the rest of the relatively flat course. Despite this, we knocked out the first loop in 4:27.
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| Extra Section on the First Loop |
Back at the start/finish Aid Station (aka Jeadquarters), I downed a McDonald's mango smoothie which my mom (the best crew chief of all time) had magically procured. I quickly changed my socks, and decided to stick with Altra Superiors for at least another loop. Right before heading out, I packed my ice bandana with loads of ice as a preventative cooling measure. With my innards not totally fried yet, I stuck to my plan of eating a gel every 30 minutes. All the aid stations helped in this regard by being packed with a variety of Gu gel flavors, including two which hit the spot every time: Caramel Macchiato and Tutti Frutti.
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Magic Gels
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Overall, the second loop also seemed to go fairly quickly. However, the morning mist evaporated and the sun began to really beat down on us during this loop, as nearly the whole course is exposed. Even so, I wash able to cruise the back half which consisted of rolling, mostly downhill, trail. This ended up being the fastest loop for me with a time of 4:20.
To prepare for loop 3, I made sure to grab my two headlamps and decided that I would trade out the Altra Superiors for the Altra Torins because I was developing a few hotspots on the outside of my big toes and the balls of my feet. Beyond that, I decided against changing my shirt or taking any warm clothes because the night temperature was only predicted to get down to the low 60's.
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Jeadquarters Pitstop
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During the third loop, I definitely began to feel the toll of the miles on my feet and especially on my knees. I was surprised by this because I expected the sandy ground to be fairly tolerant on my knees and lower legs, but alas, it was not to be. A couple miles out from Jackass A/S, we were treated to a gorgeous sunset and soon had to rely on our headlamps.
Beautiful Sunset
As the sun went down, my stomach turned south into a pit of sloshiness. I've experienced this before in 100's and knew I needed to slow my water intake and eat solid food (enter: hummus wraps + the vegan sloppy joes). As I worked to fix my stomach, both of my knees continue to seriously hurt and so I reluctantly decided to take some Tylenol.
We made up time in the back half of the loop finishing the full loop in 4:45. By the numbers, in order to go sub-24, we had a little of 10 hours to finish the next two loops.
I took a short break at the Jeadquarters to change my socks and make glowstick jewelry for my dad and I (it is Javelina after all!). After taking a near 15-minute pit stop, I shimmied out of the $5 Walmart folding chair and drained the last drop of a Blue Moon. I mentally committed to the next 20 miles. I knew it would be difficult, but I decided to embrace that difficultly and enjoy the experience. As I left the Jeadquarters, I glanced down at my arm and reminded myself of the 40% rule.
With his increasing popularity and large media presence, many ultrarunners are familiar with David Goggins. a former Navy Seal and prolific ultrarunner. One nugget I took away from reading his book, "Can't Hurt Me," was the concept of the 40% rule. Essentially, he theorizes that most people think they have given everything they've got to give when they've actually only used up 40% of their potential. In an ultrarunning context, I don't want to finish with anything left in the tank. In the oft-quoted words of Hunter S. Thompson, I instead want to finish "in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out." With that in mind, my father and I, running a similar pace set out on the fourth loop.
The fourth loop was mentally as difficult as I expected, especially because you can see the spotlight of both the Coyote Camp and Rattlesnake aid stations miles before you arrive. The opposite is true of the Jackass A/S because it is tucked into a little valley, and never having a glimpse of it in the horizon, the section felt like it would never end. The section to Jackass was also extra hard at night because it can be quite rocky and technical.
As they always do, Jackass A/S eventually came, and I took a few minutes to drink coke and eat some hummus wraps. While getting some calories down, I contemplated my sub-24 chances and felt confident with the ~15 min/mile pace I was holding. The miles from Jackass to Rattlesnake Ranch lend themselves to easy running as they are flat and non-technical and I used the time to listen to a new "Even the Rich" podcast series on the rise and fall of the Versace family. After a candy pitstop at Rattlesnake, we headed for the start/finish area to finish the 4th loop.
This section (like parts of the trail from Coyote to Jackass) can be difficult to navigate with all the unstable rock. Unfortunately, during this section, my dad felt a strong pain emerge from his groin. We suspect he may have twisted his leg, yet he doesn't remember it "popping" in a specific moment. After discussing the possibilities, we decided that I should go for it because I was still on pace for the sub-24.
Back at the Jeadquarters, I indulged my legs in some Icy Hot to take the edge off and headed out of there without even changing my socks. I had ~ 5.25 hours to finish under 24 hours. A nice touch at Javelina is the band they give you for the last loop that acts as a visible reminder of how close you are to the finish line.
The fifth loop was HARD. There's really no way to get around the last 20 miles of the 100-mile race being hard, but this time, the miles felt exceptionally tough. I was essentially by myself for the whole loop and became loopy.
For me, hallucinations are a hit or miss during a 100. Sometimes, I feel awake and alert the whole night and sometimes I saunter down the trail in a dream-like state. This time it felt like the sleep monsters completely took over and everything I saw morphed into something out of a sci-fi movie.
During the section from Coyote to Jackass on the last loop, it seemed like every cactus bush on the course morphed into a bench, table, or bed (don't know why I was so fascinated with furniture). I even heard my dad's voice out there in the desert (weird!). This section was beautiful, though, because it was about 3 or 4 in the morning and the full moon (two thirds through its arc) brightly shone down on me. I was even able to run for an hour or so without my headlamp on. This was a great idea in theory, but I reverted back to the headlamp after more than one header.
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| This stone bench was a godsend ... and time drain! |
I felt a bit emotional as I arrived at Jackass A/S and truly believed for the first time that I would go under 24 hours (I had about 3 hours to complete the last 9 miles). On cloud nine, I took some time to enjoy blueberry pancakes and maple syrup. Sensing my desire to loiter, the A/S crew motivated me to get my ass out of the chair and head to the finish line to get that buckle. Resigned to the inevitable, I left the station after stealing a quick selfie with Jamil Coury, the founder of Aravaipa Running.
I took time in this section to reflect on the race. I always enjoy the last few miles of a race where you have an opportunity to remember everyone you met who helped you get to the finish line, everyone who ran a mile or shared a laugh with you, and everything that aligned to make this such as positive and amazing experience. I clocked off the miles to Rattlesnake with a joyful and hopeful levity.
Upon arriving at Rattlesnake, I thanked the volunteers, grabbed a pack of skittles, and skedaddled out of there. With about 2 miles left, I came across a stumbling skeleton, weaving and bobbing all over the place, and knew it was my friend Jon staggering down the trail. We chatted for a little while as he recounted the brutal night he had endured and lamented that he was ready to drop when we got back to the Jeadquarters. Props to him for gutting out the race and finishing DFL.
Sensing we were close to the end, I bid farewell to Jon and turned on the jets, completing my fastest mile of the race within eyesight of the finish (9:41). Hoping to get under 23:20, I actually misjudged which timing mat officially clocked us in and ending up chatting to my dad for a few minutes on the first mat when the official timing station was actually about 20 meters away. I realized this as I heard shouting from the station and passionate pointing towards the actual finish line. I booked it to the finish line and mustered the strength for my signature finish line crossing...
23:20:11
Hanging around at the finish line, I downed the last of my Blue Moons, ate a couple breakfast burritos from the aid station, and waited for my friend Dan to finish. He put together a Herculean effort on the last loop to come in a strong 24:48:51. We were all glad to have survived the desert.
I'm so happy to have had the blessing of running this race with so many good friends and family and am eternally grateful to everyone that helped me get to the finish line, including my beautiful and impeccable crew chief/mom.
Thanks for reading and always remember not to take yourself too seriously!
And yes...it does prick people dumbie!!
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