My Failed Attempt to Complete The HURT 100 - Mostly a Love Story
The truth is, most people DNF the HURT 100. I knew this before registering for the lottery. On average, only 40% of the people who start the race will finish but in 2020, a lucky 50% finished. I wasn’t one of them.
I wanted to be able to come back from Hawaii with a finisher story. My training over the past 18 months hadn’t been stellar due to injury, but I genuinely believed my base fitness and mental toughness would get me to the finish line. Eight days before the race I slipped and smashed my head on the pavement. This gave me a minor concussion and a neck sprain but what it ultimately did was install an intense, all consuming, amount of fear within me. I couldn’t turn it off. Each step I took on that muddy, rocky, rooty, slippery course had fear behind it. What this meant was that on each technical section (which is literally 85% of the course) I went slow. I kept thinking of all the recent falls I have had lately and how mentally, I just can’t take another injury. I wasn’t willing to go for it. On top of this, I was tired!! I had very few solid weeks of training leading up to the race and my fitness was just not where it needed to be. Nick Jarvis, my dear beautiful, supportive friend made an amazing “Katrina Abram vs. The HURT 100” poster and I think that slogan is so perfect. It was me vs. that insane course and The HURT 100 won.
The HURT 100 mile race course is fascinating. It’s comprised of 5 identical 20 mile loops. Each loop consists of three “legs" - white (12.5 km), green (8 km), orange (12.5 km) - which you follow via coloured tape. I remembered this by saying “We-G-O”. Some of the leg sections are out and backs so you often cross paths with fellow runners, which was really encouraging because you hear the words “good job” every 3 minutes… not actually…but you sure hear it a lot. You have 36 hours to finish the race.
The terrain is as technical as they say. I have never experienced anything like it in my entire life BUT this is actually what is so cool about the race. The HURT 100 whooped my butt and hung me out to dry but I am desperate to go back and try it again. I also highly recommend it to anyone who is even considering it. The course is brutal but BEAUTIFUL! The bamboo lining the trails is gorgeous (and makes music at night), the forest is lush and green, the birds singing are beautiful, the stream crossing(s) are fantastically fun, and the views from the ridge are amazing at both night and during the day!! I organised the course into several sections:
“Root world”
“Rock world”
”Mud world”
“Bamboo world”
“Ridge world’
Having these sections made me laugh…and I think my crew liked it too :)
The HURT community is just as spectacular as the race itself, and unlike anything I have ever seen. I feel like a traitor saying this after being so welcomed into the Fraser Valley by so many wonderful people but it's true! People fly into Honolulu year after year to volunteer for over 36 hours. When I finally dropped out at mile 67.5, I was shot by a pirate lady in full character who got me to “walk the plank”!! It was amazing. I really learned the meaning of “HURT Ohana”.
If you’re wondering (which of course you are!!!), my crew consisted of:
Jenny Quilty - pacer/crew
Annemarie Van der Waal - pacer/crew
Jenn Kononoff - crew captain
Matt Bolam - photographer extraordinaire
Paul Abram- pacer
Leslie and Brendon Abram - love and support crew
These beautiful people flew to Hawaii to help me attempt my first 100 miles and I am forever grateful to them for being so selfless and putting me and my happy dreams first. They all went without sleep, took care of my feet, and lifted my spirits up with funny jokes and hugs and high fives. I love these people so much.
Ultimately, I was unable to complete the race. At 50 miles I saw on my watch that it had taken me 18 hours and I knew I would never be able to do the other 50 miles in the same amount of time. This left me with the choice to complete four loops where I would be cut off OR to drop out earlier. After three loops I wanted to be done. It was night and I was tired and my feet were so sore that I didn’t see the point in continuing. My crew wouldn’t let me stop…Jenny sat with me and listened to me complain and responded with kindness and compassion but wasn’t willing to take “no” for an answer. Annemarie also wasn’t willing to let me stop and even implied, in her sweet, comforting, Annemarie-way, that I was making excuses!! So, I decided to finish my race at what the HURT 100 race directors call the “fun run” spot, which is 67.5 miles in. This is at the Paradise Park pirate-themed aid station (my favorite) and was a way for me to finish in daylight at a place where all my crew could be. It also meant the pain could be over sooner, which for someone who wasn’t going to finish anyway, seemed like the best plan.
I finished happy and so proud. That was my longest run to date and I was able to line up at the start line 8 days after falling on the ice and hitting my head, three weeks after spraining my ankle, 4 months after breaking my foot, and 18 months after smashing my knee. Can I get a heck yeah? I sure hope so!
Besides my feet, a lot went right with the race, which I’ll detail below.
My fueling strategy:
- I took one Spring energy gel every 30 minutes (mostly cannaberry and power rush). I took one with caffeine about every 3 hours.
- My stomach was awesome but I started the race with a sore throat so, naturally, my throat started to burn after about 15 hours so I had trouble swallowing gels without them stinging. After this point I started eating a little more at the aid stations. Things like boiled potatoes, plain rice, and a few granola bar bites. Even with the burning I continued eating gels.
- I drank to thirst...you get pretty darn thirsty in that heat so it wasn’t anything I needed to worry about.
- I drank 3 x 500ml of electrolytes per 20 mile loop.
What saved me:
I taped each toe individually with KT tape. It needed to be changed twice.
I put ice down my sports bra, in my underwear, in my har under my hat, and in a “buff necklace” at every aid station. Coming out of the aid starions I started singing the part in Beyonce’s “Formation” where she sings “rock his rock necklaces” and just thought it was the funniest thing ever.
I changed my shoes and socks after every 20 mile loop
I made sure my crew looked at my feet after every 20 mile loop
Squirrel's nut butter EVERYWHERE! In my butt crack, under my arms, all over my legs, you get it…
an extra battery charger for headlamp
an extra headlamp from Nick Jarvis <3
my crew and pacers were so great. I was just so happy to see them so often
What I wore:
Balega and On socks
KT tape
Buff - for head (sweat), arm (to wipe snot) and neck (for ice)
Salomon pack/bladder/soft flasks
if you’re wondering whether YOU should apply to the HURT 100 lottery I say, YES! How will you ever know what you’re capable of if you don’t try? And if you just get to your furthest distance run yet…that’s pretty cool too.
I am excited to apply for another shot at the race, another chance. For now, my main goal is to build my confidence back up, which seems to have slipped away…but I am lucky to have the support of so many beautiful people and believe this will be possible within 2020. Excited for the year ahead!