100 Mile Treadmill Run for a World Without Type 1 Diabetes
100 Mile Treadmill Run for a World Without Type 1 Diabetes
Background:
I really want to do the Badwater 135, the infamous “Race Across the Sun” that goes from Badwater Death Valley (the lowest point in the US) to Whitney Portal at over 8,000ft. It earns its nickname because temperatures top 120F in Death Valley in July. The race director, Chris Kostman, is protective of the Badwater brand, and prefers runners to crew Badwater 135 and/or run the other Badwater branded races before he’ll let them into Badwater 135. So I signed up for Badwater Salton Sea. It travels 81-miles from the Salton Sea to the top of My Palomar, not far from where I live near San Diego. The format is unique in that athletes must run the entire distance as two- or three-person teams. It’s not a relay – you must run together.
I was able to recruit Jose and Bob to my team. I met Jose during Moab 240 last year. We chatted somewhere around mile 45 and it turned out he spends a lot of time in San Diego as his girlfriend lives there. I met Bob when I took a shot at the Leadman in 2017. He was the only athlete from Utah to complete the Leadman the previous year, so I reached out via Facebook for advice. We decided to dedicate the race to my daughter Skye, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) last year. We decided on the name Team CureT1D and started a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Then COVID-19 happened… The race was cancelled but we had already raised almost $2000 toward our $3000 goal. We reached out to Chris Kostman about doing a virtual Badwater Salton Sea. He said he wouldn’t give us race buckles but would support our cause. So we decided to each run 81-miles on the original race weekend. I figured running it on the treadmill sounded really stupid, but when else would I ever have the motivation to run that far on the mill? As race week approached, we were getting close to our $3000 goal. I put out that if we hit 100% I would run 100 miles on the treadmill. The donations poured in and I was committed to 100!
Race Strategy:
Leading up to the race, @tim cronk and @Tim Sullivan had expressed interest in doing a virtual 100 or 100k with me called the FT 100. In the Ultra GroupMe, we had a joking competition about who would be crowned the King of FT for running 100 fastest. Cronk had the reigning best time with 21:42 at Ghost Train. To put that in perspective, there are many 100s where that would be the winning time. That planted a seed that I wanted to beat that time. As I joke, I had a trophy made and it would go to the reigning holder of the fastest 100 in EN. Surprising what you can order for $12 online.
King of FT Trophy.
All my previous 100+ races had been among the most mountainous offered. Therefore, I had never come anywhere close to 21 hours. I had no idea if I could do it. I set my A goal as 21:40, B goal as 24:00, and C goal as just finish so I didn’t let all the donors down.
I planned to run on Zwift and wanted a course that had some vertical to mix it up but still was very runnable. The Big Foot Hills 40-mile loop has about 2200ft of vertical per loop with a trip up Zwift Volcano and over and back on Titans Grove. My Bowflex BXT216 treadmill connects to Zwift via Bluetooth and transmits the grade so I can get vertical in the file. I would match the grades of all the climbs. As a backup, I had my Garmin Fenix 5X+ recording with my Stryd footpod. I had no way of knowing if Zwift would run for a day straight.
Aid station setup was straight forward. My pain cave is in a small guest house in our backyard. It has its own kitchen and bathroom. I setup all my sport nutrition on the counter so I can resupply every aid station break. I had Tailwind, Spring Energy gels (made from real food), Cliff Bars, and premade cheeseburgers (so good during 100s). I also had a six-pack of Coke for when my stomach shutdown. Coke is the ultimate sports nutrition for ultras. My goal was to take in 250 calories per hour.
My plan was simple: run easy until it’s hard. I’d never break a 10:00/mile pace. That sounds ridiculously slow but it would become painful by mile 80. I calculated I’d have to average a 13:00/mile pace for beat 21:40. I figured something like an 11:00/mile pace the first half and 13-14:00/mile the second half. I’d take a 30 second walking break every mile to reset my legs, just like walking through an aid station. I’ve worked over the last couple years to get my normal walking speed to 4MPH or 15:00/mile. I’d walk the climbs when it started getting tough the second half.
I planned to start at 7:30AM on Friday, but I had that shitty pre-race sleep and was up early. Figured I might as well get an early start. There was only one thing left to do…
The Race:
I started out with my treadmill set at 6MPH, an easy 10:00/mile pace. I noticed right away that my HR was way high. It should have been way below MAF at like 130 but it was in the low 140s. I figured it was raceday jitters and would settle in.
My first marathon of the day in around 4:40, a nice and easy pace
My heart rate was still high when I hit the 50k mark. I knew I’d pay for this the last 20 miles if I didn’t get it under control. I was getting a rotten stomach. I tried to eat a cheeseburger but could only choke down a few bites. I took a break to use the bathroom and clear my stomach. It was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year so far in San Diego. I think the guest house was hotter than I realized. I turned on the air condition setting it at 65F. It’s an older way unit and I was worried the treadmill running with the AC would trip the circuit breaker, but I figured I’d have to risk it.
My HR started progressively going down and I got into a go rhythm. I finally felt good and went into my Zen running state. My daughters made me fresh squeezed lemonade from our lemon tree. It was delicious and I started drinking it in place of Tailwind around mile 50.
Running with Peter Noyes
Hitting 50 miles in about 9:34, a PR of my previous best at Buffalo Run 50 by a few minutes.
Hitting 100k in about 12:05, a PR by a lot.
Cracking my original 81-mile target and seriously considering the wisdom of my decision to go for 100.
I had a steady rotation of pacers from EN dropping in throughout the run and chatting on Discord (see Shout Outs). Robin Sarner had been on earlier and asked what time I thought I’d finish. I thought I was on track for 21 hours and said sometime around 3-4AM. He said he’d been back for the finish. It was sometime after midnight. I’d been running by myself for a while, listening to Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Then I saw Robin reappear with about 14 miles to go. He asked how I was doing and told me I was running as fast as I had been when he left a couple hours ago. I was now doing a 30 second walking break every half mile. Honestly, I was surprised to still be running this far in. Like clockwork, I’d run for half mile at about 12:00/mile, set the treadmill to 4MPH for about 30 seconds, and then do it again.
I couldn’t take in even gels by this point. I worked my way through the six-pack of Coke and had to call my wife to bring more out. I was getting all my calories from Coke now.
Around 90 miles, I told him I was going to drop off Discord to listen to music for the final push. I dialed up my secret sauce for motivation deep into ultras, Hamilton. I relate to the story of the self-made but flawed man – and it’s got a perfect beat for running. It had pulled out of a deep, dark well at Moab 240.
My wife came into the guesthouse to me signing along to Hamilton. She was surprised, “you’re almost finished!? And your pacer is still with you!”
The last 5 miles hurt a lot. My right glute was shooting pain down my leg. I reminded myself what I’d learned out in the desert in Moab: the only limits are in my mind. I stuck with the run for a half mile followed by 30 second walk break to the end.
Crossing the Finish with Robin in 20:32, a massive PR and winning the King of FT trophy!
Shout Outs:
So many EN athletes paced me and/or joined on Discord that I’m almost sure I’ll leave someone out – apologies in advance if I missed you. Special thanks to Robin Sarner for pacing me to the finish!
Pacers in rough order of appearance: @Jeff Phillips, @Sid Wavrin, @Peter Noyes, @Brian Hagan, @Carl Alleyne, @Mark Maurer (on bike), @robin sarner , @Al Truscott (on bike), @Jorge Duque, @KARL BONNER, Robin again
Discord support: @Coach Patrick a couple times to check on me, @Steve boer, @Jeff Kane, @Francis Picard, @Tim Sullivan
Conclusion:
Will I ever run 100 miles on the treadmill again? Probably not. I am stoked to be the current holder of the fastest 100 in EN. It is a rolling competition, meaning the trophy goes to the current record holder. Beat my time of 20:32 and I will send you the trophy (cough, @tim cronk).
I am most proud that we raised over $5000 for JDRF, shattering our goal. Jose didn’t have a treadmill but did have a rowing machine. You guessed it, he rowed 81-miles. Bob setup his treadmill in his front yard. He said tons of people out to support him. Here’s to running 100 miles for a World Without T1D!
Skye ready to crew me for the race.
Comments
Amazing durability , meets mind over matter , combined with a personal cause = @Gabe Peterson unfreaking stoppable. So impressed and so much respect. It’s safe to say the well earned trophy is yours for a while. Congrats!
Another amazing epic accomplishment! Great recap. That much time on the treadmill takes a ton of mental strength...much respect! Congratulations!
@Gabe Peterson Great report and great cause! Congratulations on an inspiring run.
I was thinking the other day of our conversations and emails only a few years ago when you were venturing away from IM to do the LV MTB100, and now look what you've done!?! you are one crazy arse FT for sure. Stoked to watch this and see what you come up with next!
@Gabe Peterson Congrats once again. Amazing performance!
Very Inspiring Epic event. Great work.
@tim cronk thanks for giving me the motivation to go deep into the well. I had that 21:40 number always floating in my mind, pushing me. I'll keep the King of FT trophy safe for you. 😉
@Jeff Phillips thanks again for pacing me! Good to chat and get to know you a bit. Looking forward to seeing those sweet dreadlocks in real life. 😂
@scott dinhofer wow, yeah blast from the past. I remember 2017 was when I first dipped my foot into the FT pool with the Leadman. It turned out to be an inviting pool of boiling lava. 👹
@Carl Alleyne thanks for pacing!
Thanks for your encouragement @Derrek Sanks and @Robert Sabo !
According to Athlinks, I won my AG in the Aravaipa Run Strong virtual race. 🤣
There were actually 400+ runners in the 100. Looks like whoever uploaded the results stopped when they hit 24 hours, probably not wanting to do all the time conversions.
One race I'd been intrigued by is the Spartathlon, a 153-mile race in Greece that attempts to retrace the path taken by Pheidippides in the ancient Battle of Marathon story. Turns out he was an ultrarunner, not a marathoner. To qualify, you have to run 100 in less than 21 hours. I never thought I'd be able to do that. I may apply next year now, would be an SAU free trip!
@Gabe Peterson, great report and love that trophy😁. Congrats on an epic achievement.
@KARL BONNER thanks for pacing toward the end! I knew I couldn't wimp out with you and @robin sarner watching. 😂
Machine like work. Glad to be there and witness. Hopefully you’re still resting. Have fun in Greece.
@Gabe Peterson is so dumb! I love you man!
If that doesn't kill Type 1 DM, nothing will...