Mother Road 100M Race Report

Mother Road 100 (102M): 15th OA (167 starters), 13th Male, 3rd 50-54

When fellow maniac Ray Shaw mentioned the Mother Road 100M race to me a few months ago I said, “I’m in.” I’ve always wondered how I would fair in a road 100. Trails are NOT my friend and I have always preferred training on the road. I’ve also been considering doing a muli-day which will be loops around an asphalt course. So doing a 100 mile road race would help me to train long on the road and give me a sense of how my body would hold up on the “hard” surface.

I like consistency, things I can count on (like good footing), and the comfort of knowing that even if I get lost, it won’t in the middle of the woods where they’ll have to send out a search party. In ultras, I like to reduce as many unknowns as possible. For example, I can’t necessarily count on food that works for me to be at aid stations so I use drop bags and carry my own food, using aid stations to supplement my diet. I try to put as much clothes in drop bags to change into depending on the weather forecast. MR100 was difficult to do my own logistics (i.e., without a crew) because there were only 3 aid stations (about 34M, 50M, 78M). So I spread my food and clothes out in those 3 spots depending on what I thought I needed and the time of day/night I thought I would be there. Then all I need was for it NOT to rain and for there to be water at all the aid stations. We were told (last minute) that not all aid stations would be manned. That was no issue as long as there would be water. I asked the RD specifically about this and was told that there would be at least water if not water and HEED.

Here is where I struggle to give my account of the race. I don’t want to be too critical of the RD(s), especially since they won’t hold this race again; and hence can’t be considered constructive criticism. But it’s worth mentioning I think. Not everyone likes HEED. For me, it’s not even a matter of preference. HEED causes me to vomit. Having both options (water and HEED) I think is a good offering and water should be a minimum.

My plan was to run a bit uncomfortable at the start to get moving, then settle into a pace that was very comfortable for me. I wanted to hit 50 miles at around 8 – 8:30 (fast) but at least under 9 hours. I’ve been feeling quite slow and wasn’t confident that sub 9 was attainable. And my 100 mile goal was sub-20


Baxter Springs to Quapaw (7.2M):
It was cold at the start. Not unbearably cold but after standing outside for about 45 minutes I was shivering at the start. I had grabbed my light jacket out of the first drop bag and wore it along with the under armor shirt I planned on wearing the entire race. I started out way too fast, I was so cold. I pushed my way up to the front and stayed there for a mile or so in order to warm up. I pulled back and runners started passing me. I continued at a slightly uncomfortable pace as planned and warmed up quite nicely. Crew cars started passing us once we got onto the old Hwy 66 road. I was hoping the Jane would pass by so I could hand her my jacket. I saw her at the Quapaw aid station and ran the jacket up to the truck.

Quapaw to Commerce(13.8M):
I continued settling into my pace, starting to feel comfortable, listening to music. I wasn’t alone by now but there were few runners around me. So far this is what I had expected.

Commerce to Miami(17.7M):
In Commerce I got water at the aid station and grabbed a snack baggie of gummy bears that they were offering. Volunteers said I looked strong.

Miami to Narcissa(25.5M):
I ate another GU in this section and continued on the gummies. The aid stations for the most part had water, pretzels and cheese crackers. I was getting hungry for real food and anxious to get to the Afton aid station. I was in 5th place by the time that I crossed the first chip mat during this section.

Narcisa to Afton (34.5M):
Finally to my first drop bag. I was grateful to be able to get my staple meal here. I grabbed my pepperoni sticks, a couple GUs, drank my first Boost, drank some Mt Dew, but left the frappuccino. No need to change shoes or get thicker gloves.

*I was wearing a brand new pair of shoes so I dropped a used pair in my first bag just in case I needed to change them.

Afton to SH 82 (44M):
The run to SH 82 was great - I was recharged and moving well. The sun was out so I was sweating more and soon ran out of water. I thought I should have been getting close to the aid station at one point and asked a crew if they knew how far it was, roughly. One lady told me 5 miles and I was in shock. But the other lady standing next to her said, “No it’s more like 2 miles,” which still seemed far but reasonable. I asked for a half bottle of water which they gladly gave me. I have to say, if it were not for other people’s crews on the course, I would have really struggled and had a terrible time. This shouldn’t have been necessary.


I made it to the aid station which seemed to me to be about a mile from where the 2 nice ladies were. When I got there I saw the “water” container with a “lemonade” sign on it. Lemonade HEED was all they had. I started to whine and luckily I had just passed a guy whose crew offered me water. I was grateful to her but annoyed that there was no water.

SH 82 to Vinita (49.2M):
The run to Vinita was again good. The sun was starting to go down and I debated on whether or not to pick up the emergency rain jacket that I had in my next drop bag. I was pretty much up on my eating and energy but still was looking forward to getting resupplied and recharged.

Vinita to White Oak (58M):
I made it to Vinita in about 8:35 which made me happy. I was hoping for a 50M time but we wouldn’t go over the 50M chip point for close to a mile. At any rate, I was under 9 hours.

I had worked out in my head what to do when I got to my bag. It was getting cold so I would put on my jacket first thing and then deal with other logistics. Next I would pull everything else I thought I needed out of the bag before eating; put gloves, hand warmers and beef sticks in my pockets. Put my “head” lamp around my waste. Get more GUs and would be ready to eat. The plan worked well. I drank my Boost, drank some Mt Dew and again did not drink the Frap. I didn’t bother to see what was at the aid station because I had my own food and everything I needed. It occurred to me that they should have food at the aid stations where we didn’t have our drop bags. I guess this was a race to have a crew. But I was still able to get by as it was … with the help of others’ crews.

Attitude is still positive – let’s get moving!!!

White Oak to 4300 RD (61.4M):
This was an unmanned aid station. Again, only HEED here but I was able to get water from someone’s crew. I did grab a bag of pretzels to take with me. I walked out of the aid station eating them and continued to walk until I was finished with the small bag.

4300 RD to Chelsea (67.3M):
This section seemed especially long. I was still ok on energy and there was no reason I could think of that it would seem long unless it actually was. It was a bit of a grind to get there. I caught a young guy who was running his first 100 on a small hill. He was the first runner I had seen in about 3 hours. Almost right away, another guy comes from behind and passed us both. This I found out later was MM #460 - Claude Hicks from Texas. The young guy was hanging with me which was cool. We got to the Chelsea aid station, which was in a motel room. It was way too hot in there but they had some actual food. I wasn’t too hungry but thought I should take advantage what was there. I ate a half pbj, a banana and got some water. Too hot! Time to leave … Attitude is still positive - get moving!

Chelsea to Bushyhead (74.5M):
It was on this section where I started to have trouble with my pace. My left Achilles was starting to bother me, I think from the slant of the road. It was more of a dull pain but it kept me from my optimal stride, slowing me down.

Claude Hicks repassed me. He stopped at his van as his wife was crewing him. I decided to ask if they had some extra batteries for my headlamp (why can’t I remember batteries). I actually carried my hand held the entire run but didn’t want to “hold” it. Not only did they give me batteries but Mrs Hicks insisted on giving me some potato soup. The BEST food I had the whole race. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This section drew out longer than I would have like it to. I had to start walking more than I would have like to but still not too much.

Bushyhead to Foyil (77.5M):
There were lots of turns towards the end of this short leg, which clued me in on the fact that I was getting close to the aid station. The lead woman at the time passed me during this section. I was walking and she moved by pretty quickly.

I changed into my warmer jacket, got my wool gloves and made sure I had hand warmers in my pockets. I drank my Boost, Mt Dew and again, no Frapp. I wasn’t getting sleepy.

Left Foyil at around midnight. 78 miles in 15 hours (11:35 pace) – well under 20 hour pace. Attitude is still positive ... get'er done!

Foyil to Sequoyah (81M):
The miles were becoming longer and the night colder. I was amazed by the wonders above me. Stars filled the sky and the moon lay like a glowing bowl. I took the opportunity during my walks to star gaze, noting 4 shooting stars from this point to the end of the run.

Sequoyah to Claremore (86.8M):
Another 6 miles that seemed much, much further. Walks became more difficult to avoid. Through here I was trying to determine which was quicker, my power walk or my shuffle. Several trains went by along with cars that made me a bit nervous (Saturday night after 2am … you know what I’m thinking).

I heard some cheers and thought maybe I was coming up to an aid station. Nope – just a coyote or two. Keep shuffling.

Claremore to Verdigris (93M):
Jess came up on me mid way through this section. I tried to stay with her for a while but her pace was too fast. She was fierce and her determination strong. There was no stopping her and all my desire to keep pace wasn’t enough for me to overcome the pain of running at that pace. I was hoping to hang on at least until the next aid station if not more. But she was gone in no time and I was left with a brisk walk to keep me going . It seemed forever but finally, I came to the last unmanned aid station. Attitude is still positive...confidence waning!

Verdigris to Catoosa (100M):
I skipped water at this station. I didn’t need any and I was finally starting to get cold. I kept moving and was pretty sure I would not have enough time to make my 20 hour goal. Still I kept trying to run but mostly could only muster a quick walk. 3 miles or so out, I ran into some fog. With the fog I wasn’t able to stay warm with just a walk. I shuffled to produce heat, put on my wool mittens and cracked open some hand warmers. It was all walking for me the last 2 miles, with maybe a shuffle here and there thrown in to stay warm. I got to where I thought I should be finished and one of the crew vehicles stopped and told me, “1 more mile.” This didn’t make me happy but at least I knew the end was in sight. I could finally see the Hampton Inn (which was by the Catoosa HS finish)…it was waaaay far away. I kept walking and was surprised by someone sneaking up on me. I had no desire to try to keep pace with this person. I was in “just get there” mode – missed my 20 hour goal and didn’t care about place. When I finally made it to the track, I tried to run but that didn’t last too long – again there was no point to it. I did manage to muster a jog for the last 10 yards or so.

Post race:

I was fed soup and a ham & cheese omelet at the finish. We were thankfully in the warmth of the high school gym. Jess, who had passed the lead woman in the last half mile to take 1st place, was lying on the bleachers on the basketball court when I arrived. Eventually she got up and told me that she and her pacers were going to breakfast. I could still eat and wanted some coffee so I said, “sure!” We could only find a Waffle House nearby so that's where we ate. I had a waffle and some sausage – yum; and of course a couple cups of coffee. After that, we went back to the gym where I promptly took a nap on the basketball court. I guess Jess tried to fall asleep too but my snoring kept waking her up (ha, ha)! When I awoke, she was waaaaay on the other side of the gym.

Jane eventually came to get us so we could go out and see Ray. I had told them before hand that if my feet were OK, I would like to help pace Ray to the finish. Right after the race, I hurt too much to even think about it. After eating and taking a nap, I was ready to go again. So I threw on some shoes and said, “I’ll run him in.”

Ray was looking pretty good considering where he was in the race. He was moving quite consistently and it was a pleasure to bring him in. He told me he was at mile 90. Everything seemed to be a mile or 2 off from what his Garmin was reading. When we got to the “93” mile aid station his Garmin read 95 miles. In the end, he had just over 102 miles. He noted his actual 100 mile time which was just under 28 hours (27:56). I tried to estimate mine and was sure I would have been under 20 hours with the 2 extra miles.



I knew my 78 mile time (approx): 78 miles in 15 hours (11:35 pace). With the extra 2 miles, I calculated that I ran 24 miles in 5 hours, 22 minutes (13:35 pace). I’m sure my last 2 miles were more like 18-20 minute pace but even if I use the 13:35 average pace, I can conservatively say it took me at least 27 minutes for the last 2 miles. That would have put me at 19:55 for the 100. Of course there is nothing official about that but it was somewhat of a consolation given I was headed for a sub 19 hour finish up to the last 10-12 miles of the race.


Mother Road 100 finishers: Ray Shaw (MM 558), Jess Mullen (MM 465), and Tony C (MM 11)

First post race run:

Well it’s Wednesday and I’m in North Carolina visiting my daughter Ashley and my two grandsons Logan (3) and Levi (5 months). Today they went out in the morning so I took the opportunity to get out and stretch the ol’ legs. My legs felt pretty good. Quads-great; feet-great; knees-great (not a surprise); achilles-sore.