Sinister Triple Race #1: "Sinister 7" - 100 Miles

The Build

I can count on one hand (less than 5 fingers actually) how many times I’ve not wanted to train since starting my specific Sinister Triple training blocks this past December. I think it’s fair to say I have really enjoyed the process of training to tick off my first 100 miler (Sinister 7), aim to beat my time at the Canadian Death Race and have fun on new terrain in Kimberly during BlackSpur.

The process of building has been really straight forward. I pay for a coach (Jen Segger), Jen uploads my TrainingPeaks account and I show up daily to put in the work. In a mountain town filled with ultra runners, mountaineers, bikers, skiers, paddlers, climbers (you name the sport, this town excels) it’s hard to not get caught up in he/she/them. So for me, a coach keeps me focused, keeps me accountable, lets me work hard when I need to but, also schedules in time to recover too (Something I am not that great at when I’m left to my own devices). Jen allows me to do the training that my body needs without over doing it, it’s as simple as that.

One of the many training days spent on XC ski’s – my favorite cross training activity

Training stats:
Cross Country Ski Mileage: 942km / 17,727m gain / 17, 55m loss (October 2020 – April 2021)
Running Mileage: 1462 km / 46, 722m gain / 46, 505 m loss (December 2020 – July 2021)
Bike: 341 km / 1918 m gain / 1981 m loss (December 2020 – July 2021)
Strength/Mobility: 1-2 hours per week
Yoga: 1-2 hours per week

The journey to ultra running isn’t linear. There are many ups and down; Injuries. Sickness. Tweaks. Twerks. Nudges. Niggles. You name it. Every week it’s a roller coaster and I think that’s what really keeps me on my toes with training.

The biggest hurdle of the past x amount of months has been training with unreadable iron levels. I’ve been tired (picture a drowsy drug that wears off after a couple of hours but, in my case it’s constant). I’ve missed periods, I’ve sent my body through a traumatic anaphylaxis experience when an iron infusion treatment went sideways, to more recently experiencing heart palpations which has caused stress/anxiety (The paramedics even got called to work because I legit thought I was having a heart attack) YEP – rollercoasssssterrrrrrr. Some weeks it’s been hard for me to get through an afternoon sat at my desk in work. The tiredness consumes me but, there’s other days I feel SO incredibly strong. If anything, having a chronic iron deficiency makes you tap into your body in greater detail and as someone who enjoys ultra running and already has good body judgement, I believe I have become my own best friend. I am SO in tune with myself, understanding my needs that I really do feel like I know my body inside and out and ultimately, I know when to pull the plug on something that may be causing me more harm than good. I’ve really taken the past 8 weeks, ‘week by week’ and when people have asked ‘Are you ready?’ there have been varying answers depending on that particular week and how my body has felt.

After my body went into anaphylaxis from an iron infusion

Another day, another EKG… (I didn’t feel well at work and started to get really bad heart palpitations)

In addition, over the past month or so I have experienced pain in my inner right ankle which is coming from some sciatic nerve pain. And then, to top it off, 2 weeks ago I rolled my left ankle (Lucky for me this bounced back immediately) but, it’s always in the back off my mind that it could happen again. So yeah I was toeing the start line to Sinister 7 feeling very trained but also knowing  ANYTHING could happen out there and that I just needed to focus on myself, run my own race and most of all enjoy the experience.

Running 100 miles is intimidating, it is a big deal and just like any first experiences it’s memorable so, I wanted to not take myself super seriously and if anything aim to have SO MUCH fun out there.

Why Sinister Triple?

I signed up to Sinister Triple back in late December 2019. I was fresh out of a break up and in a confusing state of ‘what is my life?!?’. I had just turned 29 and I was feeling a little deflated and, with no other commitments other than needing to show up to work 5 days a week, I wanted something to focus on SOLELY for me. I’ve always said that at some point I would LOVE to dedicate a chunk of my time to training to see what my body could be capable of and I felt like signing up to the Triple would provide me with the focus needed to attain just that. With race #1 being a 100 miler I knew I simply couldn’t show up and run that distance without training so, having a lofty goal would keep me accountable, allowing me to stay focused and determined (something I needed at a time I felt a little out of sorts). A few days after signing up I ended up breaking a couple of bones in my ankle and thumb whilst out XC skiing and then the global pandemic hit not long after I recovered. Having all races cancelled in 2020 and not really knowing when they’d be back up in action was very unmotivating for a lot of people to continue working on their racing goals. However, as someone who loves endurance and was over trained for the better part of 2019 I knew extra time to build was in my favor so, despite their being moments of  uncertainty and frustration I just continued to focus on the journey and knew that with races or no races I’d certainly be putting the training to use in some way or another and getting a lot out of journey along the way…

Sinister 7

Sinister 7 is a 100 miler race located in the Crowsnest Pass in Alberta (Yep that’s 160.9 km). The elevation boasts 6600m of vert (Yep that’s 21,653 FT). It’s a huge race on technical terrain that eats many runners alive every year and this year was no exception (105 soloists ‘Did not Finish’). The forecast for race day hovered between 29- 35 degrees (Canadian weather forecasting… *eye roll*) with blue bird skies and some gusty winds. Not only that, but the course had become water logged in areas due to the rain brought in from storms so, not only was it set to be a HOT dusty course, it was also going to have puddles and mud clay to get through too… fun!!!!

My roommate Kat took on the task of crewing me which I am extremely grateful for. Kat isn’t a big runner and has never been to an ultra running event before but, after lots of prep talks, going through my gear, chatting about how the event will look & unfold together with some strategy I had to get me through each Transition Area (TA) successfully – I trusted that she’d do a good job and that she did!!!

Kat & I at the start line

We headed down to the Crowsnest on Friday morning. The drive is roughly 3.5-4 hours and went smooth. I’d never seen a storm in the prairies before so that was SUPER cool to see but, I was also thinking, DANG I hope something like that doesn’t hit me on top of a mountain this weekend.

Moody Stormy Prairie Skies

When we got to the Crowsnest we headed over to race package pick-up. This was all very straight forward and we were in and out in no time. We headed on over to the car camping site (literally a piece of grass behind the train tracks) & set up camp. Kat was sleeping in her car but, I was tenting it. Lucky for me, my friend Matt had lent me his deluxe 6 person tent & air mattress so I honestly felt like I was going to sleep in luxury that night (I only own a 1 person fast packing tent which would have been a little cramped!). As we were half way through set-up Nichole & Spencer (My buddy & her guy) pulled up and started setting up across from us. Nichole was also running the 100 miler so it was super nice to see her face 🙂 After setting up tent & feeling somewhat organized, it’s a ritual for me to go and find the cheesiest pizza ever to consume. I had heard good things about the ‘Rum Runner’ so we headed there (100% recommend!!). I scoffed down a large Hawaiin Pizza & Fully Loaded Potato Skins. I was SO hungry and this was exactly what I needed. We then headed off to the pre-race meeting (which seemed surreal to see SO many people together in a Sports Hall Complex without masks – EKKKK). After that it was a tape job for my feet, a pre race beer and bed shorty after 9 p.m. for my 5:30 a.m. alarm.

Race Bib #48!

SO MUCH FOOD – mmmmm!

Living in camping luxury!

Race morning

I slept okay! The train woke me up once through the night despite Nichole providing me with ear plugs. I kept thinking of the train derailment aftermath I witnessed heading to Squamish in Fall that I was like ‘OH FUCK THAT SOUNDS SOOOO CLOSE PLEASE DON’T DERAIL’ (Anxiety Riddled Faye.. ahaha.) Race morning was a success, my fruit & fiber cereal, seeded muffin, banana & coffee went down like a treat and I only needed the toilet once before the race – EXCELLENT.

Kat & I headed down to the start line area with about 10 mins to spare. There were lots of groups of people and there was a good energy in the air. I got to see Sierra and Marika who gave some well wishes, Kat snagged a couple of photos, the count down was on and then it was GO time!!

Start line feels

Leg 1 ‘Frank Slide’ 18.3km, 535m gain, 344m loss.

I felt relaxed starting out. I had plans to run really slow and build up over the course of the race. This was my strategy for the Death Race back in 2019 and I executed it perfectly, running the majority and finishing strong. This was all going to plan for Sinister 7 until I noticed I was running under 5:35 min KM’s & my HR was already in the High Zone 3 – OOPS. Jen had specifically told me no high HR’s, especially after the start and I was doing just that so I aimed to focus on my breathing and try to get into a good running rhythm and lower the HR.

Sprint starts LOL. No biggy, it’s not like I have 100 miles to run…

Leg 1 was definitely the leg I saw the most people on. It felt like a race off the get-go with everyone trying to find their place but, it was also a very runnable leg and once we got through the single track along the train tracks it soon split off into a double track and people could spread out a little easier. My watch buzzed after 45mins and it was time to eat. Something I could NOT get sloppy about on a day like today so I religiously unzipped a bar & consumed it. The race started at 7 a.m. so I was expecting it to be cool but by 8 a.m. I was already sweating and the heat was starting to play on my mind that it would be make or break for me on that day. With that in mind I continued to sip away on my water, tailwind & electrolytes and gave myself a pep talk about how important nutrition is.

Nichole had ran past me on Leg.1 but, I was out to run my own race. She looked very strong going by and I was stoked to see her executing her race. Nic had made it very clear that she was competing with me on race day in a friendly sort of way 😉 but, despite having my own competitive edge, I still focused on myself knowing I still had over 24 hours out there and this was just the beginning so I let her go and hoped I’d see her again (If I didn’t I was a-okay with that and continued to plod on). Towards the back half of Leg.1 Nic came back into my vision but, I didn’t want to run past her so I kept her in front all the way to Transition 1. This TA was short & sweet, Kat replaced my bottles, I picked up some more fuel and I headed out eating a mini turkey wrap (Yep – I was not getting lazy on food today!). I had no idea if Nic had headed out onto Leg 2 or not, but again I was trying not to focus on that. It was my own race and I’d done a good job of staying out of the competitive talk that I wasn’t about to start it in my own head now.

Leg 1 – Already so hot but beautiful terrain to run! PC: Raveneyephotography

Leg 2 ‘Hastings Ridge’ 16.7 km, 772m gain, 942m loss.

Leg 2 was a solid climb all the way up to the ridge. It was already exposed with the heat blaring down and I just kept thinking ‘Holy fuck it’s not even late morning yet’. I didn’t take poles for this climb as it was fairly runnable in sections and my legs were still fresh. After a couple of km’s up I passed a blonde girl I vaguely recognize but couldn’t remember her name. I think it’s Cory? I didn’t want to chat too much as I was still dealing with a high HR and I really needed to focus on my breathing. After a little bit of small talk about the heat, I rounded a corner and I heard ‘Fayeeeee’ & Nichole was there in front of me. ‘Hey buddddddy’ I made a comment about the heat and she just laughed (Nichole thrives in hot weather so I knew she was probably not even fazed!). Nichole is also a VERY strong climber so I was in no business to even want to push on and over take her so, I continued to stay behind and did my own thing up to the ridge. The views were absolutely stunning and every now and then I’d look around and honestly just smile the biggest of smiles. I was so stoked to be out there making this happen!

Leg 2 – Stunning uphill running terrain PC: Raveneyephotography

About 3/4 up the climb I started to notice my legs were cramping. It started off in my calves and would rise up to my hamstrings. I could feel them spasm’ing so I’d start smacking them as I was running and I upped my sipping game on my electrolyte. I wasn’t sure why they were cramping. In all of my training runs I had not experienced this but, as always, race day can surprise you with new random aches & pains. It wasn’t going away though and if anything it was getting worse. I’m a huge believer in NOT focusing on negativity in a race so I started to think about positive things like how my hip flexors were not tight and how my ankles were not hurting. Then it dawned on me that it might have been the tape job & the heat causing my calves to really work harder so I knew I’d be ripping this off once I got to the next TA.

Once the descent started off of the ridge, I was starting to catch the guy who was closely running with Nichole. Downhills are my jam and I can execute them with speed so I knew I’d likely over take here at some point. If I try to hold back on descents, I lose my stride and for me that’s when I risk injuring myself so when the time came I ran passed a group of runners including Nichole. I mentioned I’d see her again on Leg 3 when she is was back in her jam on the climb, she laughed & wished me well and downwards I ran. This downhill was dusty, dry and technical and my god damn calves were still not happy but, again I was just trying to focus on one step at a time.

Soon the descent was over followed by a couple more punchy hills. It was here that Ailsa McDonald and Joanna Ford (2 VERY strong runners passed). Ailsa actually has the Course Record and ended up destroying her own course record this year too (INSANELY TALENTED). I watched them go by in awe and in my mind I was very much saying ‘I won’t be seeing either of you again’ hahaha. Once the second descent was over I escaped the heat of the day by running through the forest. I came across some water so stopped & gave myself a mini splash – this was SO refreshing and something I knew was so important after training in the heat a few weeks prior. After a few more km’s in and out of the forest I ran into TA 2 which was welcomed by a short, steep descent. My calves started tightening up and I knew I was in trouble again. I ran through the timing chip and found Kat. All’s I wanted was her to whip off my shoes and socks and start massaging. As she was doing that a local  runner from Canmore, Adam Campbell came over & asked if he could help, he started re-supplying my vest as I chowed down some watermelon & lemonade kombucha. I didn’t really have an appetite to eat anything soluble here, I was just SO thirsty but, I was still strong with my nutrition on course so I wasn’t too fazed. Once my calves had loosened, I ripped off the tape, I put on a fresh pair of socks, grabbed a fresh pair of kicks but, ended up putting my older kicks back on in a daze (LOL) & headed out for Leg #3.

Heading into TA 2.

Leg 3 ‘Willoughby Ridge’ 30.8 km, 1385m gain, 1385 m loss.

Leg #3 was drilled into me from other Sinners that this would be the worst leg of the entire race. With it being a long leg, combined with elevation & during the heat of the day I too was convinced this would be HELL. BUT, it wasn’t. It was actually fairly enjoyable. I was kind of expecting the climb to be up a side of a mountain (similar to Mt Hamel at the Death Race) but, it was double track climbing and never once felt unattainable. It was steady. I ran when I could, power hiked when it got a little steeper and overall really enjoyed it. At one point I was worried I’d run out of water on a stretch of trail that was very dry but, the check point wasn’t too far ahead and the water refill, watermelon and positive vibes were a blessing. I also sore a another soloist Kristen here (my orthodontist assistant) she looked strong and was in good spirits so her energy rubbed off on me for the remainder of the climb.

Every single creek I came across I would splash myself and douse my hat in water. I was also running with a bandana full of ice which kept me cool for the first while and when this melted out I’d also soak this in cold water and have it trickle down my neck & back – heavenly. I ran a small section of Leg 3 with a relay runner. She wasn’t aware of the water trick and was very grateful when I told her to take 2 minutes to cool off. She then continued to laugh at me when I’d do it at every other water source I came across as she ran on. My calves were still giving me issues but, I was still doing my best to not focus on them.

Honestly, I don’t really remember much else of Leg 3 other then thinking, ‘surely this has nearly come to an end’ & when I noticed I was running back on trails on the ski hill I knew the TA was close. I picked up my pace and started flying down the ski resorts double track. I knew exactly where Kat would be this time as TA3 is the same as TA2. Coming down the descent though my left calf buckled and I hit the deck so hard. I heard everyone GASP so I shouted out ‘No I’m fine, it’s just my calf, I’m okay’. Kat wanted to help and I was like ‘NO don’t’ – with not having crossed the timing chip yet if she helped I am sure that would have been seen as receiving aid and could have led to breaking race rules and a disqual so, I self massaged and sat there for a few minutes until it eased. I did have thoughts that this was it, the race was over for me especially if I couldn’t stand back up but, once I got back up my calves continued fighting on, everyone cheered & I made it over to Kat.

Kat continued to massage my calves, provided me with more ice, I ate some sweet potato mash & downed my lemonade snapple (SO GOOD), I also took a handful of greek pasta too, more watermelon (WATERMELON IS LIFE!), switched out my bottles & nutrition and headed out for Leg 4. I was also told I might be on Leg 4 in the dark so I took 1 headlamp with me too.

Leg 4 ‘Saddle Mountain’ 23.8 km, 988m gain, 919 m loss.

Leg 4 started off with a steeper climb out of the TA but, in the back of my mind I knew this leg was shorter with a lot less elevation than Leg 3 so I was already in good spirits about it. And with the heat of the day over and the forest starting to see shade I felt refreshed heading into this leg. Houda, another local/race director from Canmore was out encouraging runners and biked behind me for 5 mins chatting and telling me I looked strong. That was a really nice boast of confidence after having just hit the ground 10 mins prior, so for me this leg was definitely off to a good start. Leg 4 was probably one of my favorites! It was very runnable terrain through rolling forest and I really loved how the forest looked with the light and how much cooler the air was becoming. Once out of the forest and back onto double track I recognized that I had been on this trail earlier for Leg 3.  I stopped off at the same creek to cool off but this time, I literally laid down in the water with my pack on (I definitely lost my sunglasses here which was sad!) another guy was doing the same and we were both like ‘Thank goodness for cold creaks’ even though it had cooled down it was still hot and water was still LIFE ahaha.

Leg 4 – The forest running was so beautiful PC: Raveneyephotography

The course checkpoint came around in no time and I was stoked to see Marika here. She asked if I needed anything but, I was still good for everything so I continued on. Again, she mentioned I looked strong which was really moral boasting and I continued out on the second half of Leg 4 running, smiling and still being stoked to be doing this!

I noticed I was catching up to a group of runners ahead of me one of whom was Joanna. Joanna had over taken me earlier on, on Leg 2 and knowing how strong of a runner she is I was instantly worried that I may have been running a little too fast. After all, I had no business to be running right behind her or, even over taking. But, I felt strong so I kept with how my body was feeling and pushed on joining their running train. No one was really chatting, we were all just getting er done. After about 20 mins or so, I felt like I was starting to over exert myself and I still had a ways to go so I dropped off from the train and let them continue on. I was totally okay with this especially as I reached a high point on the trails and the views were spectacular so I took it down to a power hike again and admired how frigging beautiful the course was. As I started to descend, I came across a guy hunched over, dry heaving, I asked if he was okay but he said it was just the heat getting to him and he’ll be fine. I heard the girl behind me ask the same so I knew if he did start to deteriorate lots of runners would be by to help him. I love the fact that even though we’re all out there racing, no one is ever left out there alone. Community is key in these distances!

The last section of Leg 4 was very runnable double track and again I came across the group I had left earlier on including Joanna. I stayed behind them and when the course started to descend with 1km to go to the next TA I started to pick up my pace. I over took Joanna here but, in my mind I was thinking ‘It won’t be long until you pass me again, or are so quickly in and out of the TA that you will be ahead in no time’ she looked steady (Although I had no idea she was actually in a struggle with her breathing at the time I over took and decided to call it quits a the next TA).

As I ran into the TA I heard people say ‘Oooh that’s the girl who fell down earlier, look at her now’ – again moral boosting and it was so nice to see Kat. I was hungry and ready to eat!

Leg 5 ‘Mount Tecumseh’ 27.4 km, 962 m gain, 856m loss.

After a refuel and good vibes at the TA I started off on very runnable terrain. The first section was road running and it was kind of nice to do some actual steady running. I wanted to keep going with this for as along as possible as I was comfortable with my pace. The road running soon turned into single track running alongside the road and at a very slight gradient, again I continued the pace and felt good. Eventually the terrain turned to double track power lines and my stomach instantly churned. OH NO. I’d been so lucky all day that I was hoping it would churn once and go away. It didn’t. I needed to go and I needed to go NOW. I pulled off to the side of the trail which didn’t have much coverage and I just hoped no one came. Despite the churning and the amount of sugar I had already consumed throughout the day I was pleasantly surprised and instantly felt better. It was also my second pee of the day (I pee’d earlier on Leg 4 which I had honestly held in for hours out of sheer worrisome that if I stopped and squatted my calves would seize).

Heading into Leg 5

Soon the powerlines took a sharp right into the forest for some dusk forest running. A relay runner passed me heading into the forest and mentioned it will be time for headlamps soon. I felt anxious but, I was calm at the thought of runners ahead and behind me. I put my headlamp on whilst moving and continued running making lots of bear calls. The forest was wet and muddy so it was fun jumping over and in between all of the nasty sections on trail and occasionally missing and getting doused by muddy water (Which was actually kinda nice given that I was still pretty hot). It got dark very quickly but, I kept looking for the course reflectors, staying alert and making noise. I knew I was out there alone because I couldn’t hear a single other runner yelling out for bears…

Leg 5 – Just before heading into the forest PC: Raveneyephotography

I am not sure exactly how long I had been running alone for but, it felt like a long time. I could hear something off to the distance and I remember Nichole had told me their was a party check point on this leg so I figured I must have been getting close. Sure enough I could see flashing lights and the music was pumping. Just before the check point there was a freaky ass clown just off to the side of the trail. Again, I had been told of it so I wasn’t too surprised haha. When I got to the check point people were downing shots and just having a ball. Keri, another local from Canmore who I had also recognized from the Death Race asked me what I wanted. I really wanted watermelon but, they didn’t have any so she handed me an orange. We discussed whether we preferred shopping at Safeway or Save On & despite me being a Safeway girl I’ll admit that this orange from Save On was really good that I actually went and picked some up when I got back to Canmore 😉

The rest of Leg 5 went by fairly quickly. Despite not having seen anyone for the first half , the second half off this leg was pumping with so many runners around and COWS. Fuck me. So many cows LOL with very green eyes staring back out of the forest. If I was alone out there & didn’t know of the cows I’d probably have had an anxiety attack thinking it was a family of bears. On this leg I got chatting and running with a guy called Jake which passed the time by nicely. We were so busy chatting that we ended up taking a wrong turn with a few runners following. We probably added on about another km to the overall distance – oooops. Thankfully Jake had the GPS route on his watch so when his watch started beeping we were off course, it was a quick fix to back track. I could tell the rest of this leg was hilly but, when it’s dark you don’t really know exactly what you’re running  on which is kind of nice & less deflating. Before we knew it we were chatting our way into Transition 5.

I asked Kat how Nichole was doing as I hadn’t see her since Leg 2 and she broke the news to me that she had pulled out and something had gone wrong but, she didn’t know what exactly. I felt terrible for her as the first thing that came to my mind was her ankle issues she experiences. I knew there and then I had to finish this thing for the 2 of us.  I ate some noodles, drank some salty chicken noodle broth, had another pee, put a long shirt on and headed out onto Leg 6…

TA 5 – Getting in those calories

Leg 6 ‘Crowsnest & Seven Sisters’ 31.9km, 1400m gain, 1400m loss.

Like Leg 3, Leg 6 was up there with one that I’d likely find difficult so in my head I planned to walk the whole way up and just take it step by step. Jake mentioned that this was a gruesome climb from the start so, I was waiting for it once I left the TA. To my surprise it was fairly runnable and surprisingly I didn’t notice elevation off the start. Despite eating at the TA my watch beeped to ‘Eat’ and I went to consume my calories but, my mouth was SO dry I couldn’t swallow anything. I put water in my mouth and swished it around and tried again and the gummy finally went down. I knew I couldn’t eat the rest of those gummies so I opened a Mars bar, same situation – it didn’t want to be swallowed and I feared I would vomit and actually loose the calories I’d taken in at the previous TA so I made a mental note that it is what it is, I still have Tailwind & Electrolyte mixes so I will continue to sip on them and actually walk more than I should to preserve energy. This was actually a great strategy and I could maintain a very decent power hike for the first couple of hours. My watch also decided to quit on me at 119 km’s so I switched it out to my older watch which couldn’t find GPS. Somehow it was still tracking distance but, it wasn’t super accurate and the elevation was non existent so I had NO idea how far along I was or how much vert I had done or had to go.

Then, out of nowhere, the trail got steep. Then it got technical. Like horseshoe, loose boulder, rooty, nasty, STEEP-TECH trail. I kept putting my poles in front followed by 2 steps and swore to myself not to look up. I actually started to feel a little nauseous too so I’d stop to take a moment and then realize I was actually swaying which was making me more nauseous so I was like NO, keep going and start to think positive. But, I did it, I looked up and I could just see faint dotted head lamps WAY off in the FAR distance ALOT higher than me that I realized OH MY GOD this climb hasn’t even scratched the surface. I still trudged along though and swore to myself I wouldn’t get passed. I’d just keep moving and that I did. Eventually after a few ‘I HATE THIS LEG’ moments I finally made it to the top. My headlamp battery started to flash to tell me it was in low battery mode so I switched it out to a another (Thanks Tyson!). I tried to run downhill but, my calves had hit the jackpot and no longer wanted to run so I figured it was still faster to power hike down. A few relayers past me asking me if I was okay (Probably due to the fact I wasn’t running) I explained I was conserving energy because I couldn’t eat and how rough shape my lower legs were in. So many people offered me food (bless!) I definitely had enough of my own I just couldn’t eat any of it.

Finally a Check Point!! I sat down and I asked for a bag of chips. My mouth was peeling off in the inside, a mixture of dry mouth, so much sugar & salt and having braces that I chose a cheesey flavor chip. I asked them how many soloists had come through and they said quite a few and quite a few females so I didn’t want to stick around for too much longer. But, I told them they couldn’t let me go until I ate this whole bag of chips. They let me go after 3/4 and I continued up yet another climb…

It was that period before dawn broke and I was starting to feel really chilled and cold. I was looking forward to the sun coming back up. When it did I looked forward to it going back down. WHY THE HELL IS IT SO HOT AT 6AM! ahahaha. The last part of Leg 6, is the latter part of Leg 5 which I had ran a few hours prior in total darkness. However, now it was daylight and I could see every single mo-fo climb! Even though they were over pretty quickly, they were steep & nasty.

Climbs that I couldn’t see in the dark on Leg 5 but I was very aware of them in the morning on Leg 6 PC: Sinister Facebook Page

I just really wanted to get to the final TA, to try and eat something & be out and on to Leg 7. I knew I’d finish but, I had no idea of the time or how much distance I had left. Then my stomach churned again (right on morning time I thought) but, my calves were so sore I knew if I squatted I wouldn’t get back up. Apparently I learnt a new trick of the trade and this girl can poop standing straight up, I was so dang impressed by myself. LOL. Shortly after, I came up to the next Check Point (The party check point) which wasn’t much of a party any more… I saw Keri again and I literally said ‘I HATE LEG 6’ she’s like ‘Nooo don’t say that’ I screamed ‘I LOVE LEG 6’ and onwards I went…

Eventually I recognized the flow of the trail and knew I wasn’t too far away from the last TA before heading out onto Leg 7 and completing this 100 miler. When I came into this TA, Nichole was there. I was SO stoked to see her although, I felt so sad for her too. I told Kat I hadn’t been eating and everyone was like ‘WhyYyYy?’ There was a tasty looking muffin off to the side so I ate that (Honestly thought it was mine but, when I bit into it, it had jam inside, not my muffin I bought so whoever it belonged to, THANKS!) Kat did one last switch out of my water although she was surprised I actually hadn’t drank a lot on that leg either and told me to up my water/nutrition game. After a quick shirt change I was off onto Leg 7 – the final leg!

Coming into the final TA just before heading out onto Leg 7

Leg 7 ‘Wedge Mountain’ 10.9 km, 321m gain, 441 m loss

10.9 km doesn’t seem like a lot but, when you’ve ran 150 km and you don’t have a watch, time DRAGS on. It was also now HOT again so very hot and I just wanted to be done. The majority of the elevation was off the get-go which was nice to just get it over with. It also helped I absolutely stunk like shit and was a huge attractant for every single black fly / mosquito out there so being continuously bit helped me move a little quicker. The descent looked really fun if I could run but, the calves were not in any state to run downhill so I continued with my power hike. I kept thinking what is the point of this leg. Like why can’t we all just call it quits and have the race finish after Leg 6. Maybe add on some more KM’s at the start of the race but WHY do we have to do this nasty 10.9 ‘short’ ‘easy’ stretch to finish.

A soloist I had met on Leg 1 blasted past me & I just couldn’t believe how fast he was moving. Then a couple more people passed who were relayers and kept cheering me on with positivity. For 5 km’s or so it kind of went like this ‘Hey, how many km’s to go?’ Answer: ‘5km’ next runner…. ‘Hey, how many km’s to go?’ Answer: ‘4.8’ LOL… But, eventually the descent ended, the road came into sight and I knew I had less than a km to go. I started getting really excited to be done and I started running. Yes, running!!! where the hell was this for the past 8 hours? but hey, I was not turning it down. I could see the finish banner as I was running around the perimeters of the neighborhood into the home stretch. Then boom before I knew it Sierra was running the final 50m with me, cheering me on and I could see Kat, Nichole, Bre, and a few other gals at the finish line all super stoked. As I crossed the finish line, I felt SO many emotions and it was just SO NICE TO BE DONE!!!! I DID IT, I RAN 100 MILES! AWE YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Finish time: 26:54:07 3rd place woman & 17th overall out of field of 140.

Those finish line feels!!!!

Cheers to my #1 crew – love ya!!!

So many emotions both happy & sad with my best friend Nichole

Afterwards

Collapsing a few hours post Death Race in 2019 played heavily on my mind and I didn’t want that to happen after Sinister. Although with how little calories I consumed for the last 2 legs I’d set myself up for it. Kat made sure I ate a big meal after of Enchiladas which were actually amazing followed by a fruit salad straight after the race. I also drank so much Powerade and didn’t dehydrate myself with a beer (Infact beer was the last thing I wanted). Whilst I was scoffing my face Kat also broke it to me that I’d come 3rd female – I had NO idea! I really wanted to stick around for the awards so we hung out at the finish line for a while cheering other runners in. We still had a few hours to go till awards so I figured I’d go to the car for a nap but, when I tried to stand up I couldn’t. My calves had totally SEIZED. Kat & Sierra both took me under one arm and firemans chair’d me ALL the way to the car. BLESSSSSS!!!!!! I knew I wouldn’t get the legs unseized so Kat offered to get my award for me, bless her (She had already done SO much!). I waved in and out of sleep in the back of the vehicle, thinking of showering but knew I should just wait till I got home and finally a few hours later we were back in Canmore (P.S I didn’t collapse this time round WOOHOOOO! The food afterwards and no hot shower definitely contributed to a healthy Blood Pressure!).

My #1 crew peeled off my socks and continued to rub my calves & feet – WHAT A LEGEND!

This took 2 washes & a shit tonne of conditioner to get this dreaded braid out!

It’s been 4 days post race now and my body is recovering. My calves have finally started to de-seize themselves but, my health in general has taken a knock back. I am very tired and full of allergies / run down cold symptoms.  I did just run 100 miles so I am pretty sure it’s my body’s way of responding to the stress I just put it under and I will be giving it the deserved time to heal over this next short while before the Canadian Death Race. Our bodies can do INCREDIBLE things and I am just so unbelievably stoked that I ran 100 miles given the fact my calves had seized on me so many time throughout this race. Despite feeling out of sorts whilst recovering,  I feel very competent I can pull off another solid race in 2.5 weeks as long as my recovery trends in the uphill direction. I remember saying at Transition 6 and at the end that 100 miles is not my distance. But, reflecting back I would TOTALLY run another 100 miles (& potentially even more!!!) I now know what to expect and I truly believe my calf issues held me back for the majority of the race. That’s not to say I am disappointed with myself, I’m not! But, I know I have more to give and I will be back at some point to be let loose at Sin7 again!!!! For now, I will continue to rest easy and soak up all the feels.

Goodies for coming 3rd female

My calves sent swelling straight to my ankles

I’ll loose 1 toenail from this race

Surprisingly it doesn’t hurt!

Thank you

A huge, HUGE, HUGEEEEE THANKS to my #1 crew – Kat. I could not have done that without you. Thank you for giving up your time and your energy to come and support me especially as the weekend was bang smack in the middle of 2 busy work weeks for you. I appreciate you more than you know!!! To my coach Jen Segger – I trust you with all of my racing goals and will forever be your #1 fangirl. Thank you for working me hard and getting me to the start line trained & in good shape. To Brooks Canada – my running sponsors who provide me with the goods and X amount of shoes to train and race in. I love being a part of the RunHappy team!!!! & to HILX my running sunglasses gods! (I am so sorry I lost my fave pair to the course). To everyone who sent me the most loveliest messages during training, throughout the race & after. I have read every single one and they mean so much! Thanks to Sinister Events & all the volunteers – YOU ARE INCREDIBLE and I am SO STOKED events are back (It kind of feels like they were never actually gone). And too all the other runners out there – from smashing PB’s to tears of unexpected events, to vomiting on the side of the trail and bouncing back hours later and to all the friendly faces of other crew – RACING IS AMAZING and this community of ultra runners is a community I AM SO HAPPY to be a part of!!!! Huge Congrats to absolutely everyone out there!!!!!!