Kettle Moraine 100k

Yesterday (June 6, 2015) I was fortunate enough to set a new distance PR at the Kettle Moraine 100k.

Hanging out with Micah before the race

Something like 400 runners from the 100-mile and 100-kilometer events set off from the Nordic Loop trailhead at 6:00am. Those of us running the 100k would do a single 63 mile out-and-back course, while the 100-milers would follow the same route…then complete another 38 mile out-and-back course (the “fun run” course I ran last year).

mile 6

The first 7.5 miles followed the Nordic cross country ski trails – mostly smooth and grassy footing wide enough for 3-4 people to run side by side. So despite the massive number of runners, traffic didn’t get too congested. This was followed by 19 miles on the Ice Age Trail (about 10 miles of dirt singletrack with lots of rocks, roots, and rolling hills, and 9 miles of open exposed grassland, pictured below). We then left the IAT for another 5 miles on the Scuppernong trails (hilly and wooded, with lots of pine trees) before reaching the turnaround point at mile 31.5.

mile 16

I knew the tendinitis in my knees was likely to flare up at some point in the day. By keeping my pace slow (jogging flat stretches and hiking the hills), I was able to postpone the knee problems until around mile 35-40.

mile 31.5 (halfway point)

I was also able to see Allison and Micah once every 5-9 miles throughout the day, including the Scuppernong turnaround point.

Matt & Micah

The last 20 miles or so was pretty tough, but I eventually found a second wind and was able to pick up the pace for the final few miles.

mile 63

And I got another belt buckle, which will be useful.

100k belt buckle

You can see my splits in the table below. Time spent at aid stations is included, so my actual “moving pace” was somewhat faster.

Ended up finishing 78th out of 109.

official finish line photo