Joni's Race Report

Below is the race report from my sister Joni's 100 mile run. She raised a ton on money for me and for the Colrectal Cancer Alliance:

I traveled down to Phoenix on Thursday night with Hoa and Laurie. We stayed at a hotel to get the best rest possible. I managed to get about 7 hours of sleep, which is a little on the low end for me. Likewise, I spent the previous week battling off some sort of sickness that left me with a stiff neck and back. So, I was a bit more nervous than usual before a race.

We arrived at Camel Back Ranch at 7:30am on Friday to set up and to cheer on Chavet, Lisa, and Melissa, who were finishing the first day. It was in the 40’s and chilly, but warmed up quickly once the sun came out. Araivapa staff and volunteers were in the middle of a hilarious dance party. We saw Chavet and Melissa come by. Chavet was more than 110 miles in and ended up with 2nd overall female in the 24-hour race. Melissa had far surpassed her goal and made it to 50 miles. Lisa finished 50 miles the day before and was getting in bonus miles.

Start time seemed to come fast. My strategy was to ease into the first several miles. I planned to use intervals of 5 minutes running to 1 minute walking for as long as I could. The course was a little more than a mile and circled several baseball fields – the spring training facility for the LA Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. It was mostly crushed gravel, with two short portions of pavement and asphalt. A large portion of the loop was shaded, which offered relief from the heat. There were two aid stations. One was stocked with food, water, soda, etc. The other with mainly just fluids. Most runners set up their own version of aid stations along the course. Melissa, Lisa, and Shannon (Lisa’s husband) were staying in an RV on the opposite side of the loop, so I was able to leave a few items on their table and stop for breaks as needed. I didn’t bring much of my own food. I’ve found in the past I tend to do just fine eating what the aid station has to offer.

I warmed up quickly and felt good. I started with my handheld water bottle. I made sure to eat every hour and drink every time I had a walk break. I began to experience my first lull around mile 17, but wasn’t worried at this is a common point for me to feel this way. When I passed mile 25, I slowed down and walked a loop while having a beer and food. The beer break put some pep in my step, and it was cooling down. The temperature had gotten up to the mid 70’s, but I managed to stay on top of hydrating and dumped water on my head every few loops to cool down. Soon after, I passed the 50K mark with my 3rd fastest time for that distance. I was hoping to finish 50 miles in about 12 hours.

After mile 35, the sun was setting, and I changed into warmer clothes. Also, it was time for dinner. They were serving tamales. Honestly, I was hesitant to eat them. I love tamales, but I was afraid they might upset my stomach. However, I was hungry, and I knew I needed substantial food. The next few laps I took it easy so I could digest. Runners were starting to thin out as the evening progressed - many of the multi-day runners like to sleep at night. I went into the race thinking I would go straight through the night. However, by this point, I settled on continuing until midnight, and then taking a short nap. I was feeling decent still but slowing down, and I knew a nap would help.

I reached mile 50 in a little over 12 hours. To celebrate, I took a break in the RV with Melissa. I had another beer, put my feet up, and did a little stretching. I reluctantly left the comfort of the RV and went out to get in a few easy laps before I napped. I joined another runner who was close to her 100-mile goal. We walked and talked, and I made it to 54 miles before I decided to stop.

At this point, Hoa and Laurie, who were signed up for the 24-hour race, were still going strong. Laurie was aiming for 100 miles, and Hoa wanted to do at least 60 miles. I sat down to eat, and then went to my tent for a nap. Before taking a nap, I changed into clean clothes and wiped myself down with baby wipes. My toes were very tender. I had a couple of blisters. They weren’t bothering me when I ran, so I left them alone, wiped off my feet and put on short compression socks.

The tent we rented was very large. We rented cots too, so we didn’t have to sleep on the ground. The tent was big enough that you could stand up in it, but because it was roomy it was cold. Even with several layers of clothes and a 20-degree mummy bag, I was freezing. But I was very tired, so I eventually drifted off to sleep. I didn’t sleep great and woke up intermittently because I felt cold and my hips were aching. At some point, Hoa came in the tent to lay down. She decided to call it a day at 77 miles, surpassing her goal. Finally, at 5am, I decided I couldn’t take much more, so I got up and started moving again.

There were more runners out in the morning, and it wasn’t long before the sky started to light up. The sunrise was gorgeous. I felt rested even with the little sleep I got. I managed pull off a handful of decently fast miles close to the 100K mark. However, it wasn’t long before the sun was out in full force, and my energy faded. Lisa and her husband Shannon so kindly brought me bacon, and the aid station was serving egg sandwiches. I stopped, put the bacon on my sandwich and began to eat. It tasted amazing. I couldn’t stop eating and gobbled the whole thing down in a couple minutes. I think this was my favorite race food of the whole weekend. I continued to walk loops slowly while digesting.

It was barely noon before I started to feel very hot. Temperatures were pushing the mid-70’s again. But today, the sun combined with tiredness felt much harsher. I was closing in on 75 miles, when I began to feel lightheaded and experience a bit of GI distress. The tamales were coming back to haunt me, and new food was just not sitting well. Likewise, my neck and shoulders had become very tight, at times sending tingles down into my right arm. I took a short break outside my tent, where Hoa and Laurie were resting - Laurie completed an amazing 90 miles in 24 hours. I laid down on the grass in a cool shady spot, but it was only a matter of time before Melissa found me. Like a good motivator, she convinced me to get up and keep going. At that point, all I really wanted was rest, but I knew even slow forward progress was quicker than no forward progress. Melissa walked with me to keep me going, while Hoa left to take Laurie to the airport. Before Hoa left, she gave me her cooling towel to use, which I kept damp and tied around my neck. It was very slow going, but Melissa and I continued moving through the heat of the day.

At around 3:30pm it began to cool down, and I was finally beginning to feel relief. By the time the sun set, I was closing in on only a half marathon to go. I was glad to only have 13 miles left, but also overwhelmed by the idea of having to walk a half marathon because I knew it would take at least a few hours. Somewhere around this time the tears began flowing. My body was fully protesting, and my mind was deliriously tired. Both Hoa and Melissa walked with me now. They talked and kept things positive. I cried my eyes out, but I kept moving.

I started to have troubles with rocks in my shoes. My feet had become incredibly swollen. Every little rock felt agonizing, and the blisters I discovered the night before were beginning to irritate me. We decided it was best to stop at the tent and take care of the blisters. Hoa bravely popped and bandaged my blisters for me, while I yelled cuss words and cried from the pain. Melissa tried to help me get my socks, shoes and gaiters back on. However, it had become too difficult to get my shoes on because of the swelling. We decided I should try wearing my Chacos and socks for the remaining miles. I have actually climbed a 14er in my Chacos and hiked several times in them. So, I felt good about this choice.

After my having my blisters popped and getting my Chacos on, we kept moving. Initially the blisters were more tender than before. I had lost focus on eating and drinking because my GI tract was increasingly more upset, and I began to get nauseous. I was at an all time low. It seemed like as soon as one agonizing symptom eased up another would take over. My blisters. My neck. My shoulders. Ringing in my ears. Tiredness. Dizziness. At one point, I began to see what I called “swirleys”. My body was revolting in every way it could, but I had only less than 10 miles to go.

It was getting late again, and I was doing all I could to finish. I managed to force down some candied ginger which seemed to help. Melissa stayed with me while Hoa went to pack up our stuff. I broke down again, as one of my blisters refilled and was stinging badly. With only 5 miles left, I was so close but felt so far. I was only managing a measly 3 mph at best. The anxiety of wanting to finish was overwhelming. Lisa and Shannon showed up to cheer me on. Lisa brought my “Running 4 Jason” sign, and wrote “You are our hero” on the back. Of course, I started bawling again when I saw it.

Finally, I managed to get my act together emotionally with two loops to go. I was starting to accept I was really going to accomplish my goal. Both Hoa and Melissa were with me again, and with one loop to go, I gave the middle finger to each rock, bush, curb, turn, that I had intimately gotten to know during my 96 loops. We came around the last turn and Melissa and Hoa encouraged me to run (more like shuffle) it in. They went ahead, and Lisa recorded a Facebook live video, so Matt could watch from home. I felt such a huge sense of relief once crossing the finish line. Jubilee presented me with my buckle and my finisher's mug. It took me 39:21:38 to finish. I finished 48th out of 85 in the 48-hour race.

Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to say this was an amazing experience. There were some low points for sure, but there were a lot of high points as well. Late in the race, I definitely came to the realization it was a bit insane to make myself suffer in the name of my brother who is suffering. However, thinking of him, and everyone else who is fighting cancer, really kept me going. I am very fortunate to have good health. I am very fortunate for the ability and opportunity to achieve something very few people can. I am very fortunate for an amazing support system of family and friends, who have reached out to help my brother, and to help me reach my crazy goal.

Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of encouragement. I’m so grateful to have had cell phone service the whole time. Receiving messages from Matt, my friends and family during the race was so motivating. Thank you to Hoa and Melissa. I TRULY could not have made it without them pulling me through, taking care of me, and putting up with my crap. Thank you to Lisa, Shannon, Chavet, Laurie, Chad, and many other friends out on the course who offered me support and encouragement. The comradery and friendship runners display at races is truly the reason why I love running. Thank you to the Aravaipa staff and volunteers, who so enthusiastically took care of us and handled our every need. Also, thanks to everyone who donated to my fundraiser for Jason. With your help, I raised an additional $2,400! And as promised, today I donated $1,200 to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

Finally, I know the question some may be wondering is, would I do it again? To which I say, hell yes!