Mines of Spain 100K…what an experience! Even though I ran the Hennepin 50K last year, this felt like my first real ultra. Nearly 9000 ft of elevation, rugged terrain and a lot more pounding on the legs.
I had a rough few weeks since IM Maryland with my body never feeling quite right. I was also managing a foot injury 10 days out from the race that caused me to skip 3 run sessions. My coach gave me a very light week going into the race, so when Friday morning rolled around, I felt nervous but ready.
Race morning was so much different from any endurance event I’ve done before. I felt a lot less pressure, minimal nerves, and really enjoyed setting up our home base in Crewville. The most chill I think I’ve ever felt going into a big race. I may have been a little too chill because I did forget to consume my last 50g of carbs 30min before the start. Other than that, everything went perfectly. We started to get a shot of rain as we were lining up, so my dad grabbed a throwaway poncho to throw over me to start dry.
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| My Crew: Sarah, dad and Jake <3 |
For those not familiar with the course, the first mile is a 300 ft descent down a bike path and road. I started out nice and slow and found myself next to someone who recognized me. This was Curt running the 100 miler. We chatted for a bit and I utilized him to help keep my pace manageable. After a few minutes, I moved on ahead and just tried to keep it easy. I passed quite a few people on the first main climb and found myself just behind the 100K winner from last year, Spencer. I latched onto him and another kid he was running with. With my lack of experience, I simply did as he did. I matched his pace and whenever he walked a climb, I did the same. After about 5 miles of this, I decided to run up next to him and start a conversation. The first thing I asked was if I could tag along without annoying him since it was my first 100K. He also recognized me when I said my name was Matt and asked how Maryland went! The other guy was Jimmy also running his first 100K, but with a lot of proper prep and training. We all hung together for the first 10 miles until Spencer stopped for a bottle drop and hung off the back of us for the remainder of the loop. Between the 3 of us, we knew we were 3rd-5th and would be fighting for a podium spot.
That first loop, my HR was higher than I would have liked given the effort, but I was right on pace for that 3:20 loop I planned on. We got a little more rain and eventually made it to mile 15 where my first crew stop was. I quickly handed off my long sleeve, wet gloves and trash to Sarah and grabbed 1 gel from Jake. I put a slight gap on Jimmy, but he eventually caught back up and we finished loop 1 together. At the end of the first loop, I reloaded 2 more PF90 gels and swapped 2 bottles out. I got out quick and was very happy to see 3:17 as I was leaving the park to start loop 2. Jimmy caught back up with me again and we ran together quite a bit that 2nd loop as well. We were in 3rd and 4th at the time with Spencer not far behind. Most of that loop, I told myself I’d be happy with a top 5 and sub 11 hour finish. I kept trying to focus on little milestones like hitting the marathon (4:10) or the 50K (4:59). It was around that 50K mark that I got a gap on Jimmy and used that as motivation to keep pushing.
At this point I was just past halfway and decided I would run hard for as long as I could and see what happens. I really felt like my 3rd loop was going to be mostly walking and I even tried to prepare my pacer Andy for a longgggg walk through the woods. As I came back to that crew stop at mile 46, I was told the first place runner fell and he was actually still at that aid station. I took off quickly and he immediately latched on behind me. I was already hurting and descending was the most painful. He was able to stay with me for about a mile or so downhill, but I stretched the elastic and it broke on the next climb. I found myself running up the steeper climbs I had walked on loop 1 to make up for my slower downhills. I pushed it pretty hard to finish my second loop in 3:23, so only 6 minutes slower than loop 1. This was where I gapped 3rd and 4th place a bit, and I was joined by my good buddy Andy for pacer duties. As luck would have it, my other friend Garrett was about to start his 3rd loop (of the hundred miler). He eventually went on to win the 100 by over 2 hours. It was quite motivating to run with both of them and I got to see the 6 minute gap I created.
As we got into the loop, I kept telling Andy that top 3 was fine and I had over 4 hours to still be under 11. He constantly redirected my focus to chasing down first. Instead of asking for the gap behind, we asked for the gap ahead. The first half of that final loop, Andy was mostly dragging me along. We’d walk a steep incline, and he’d start running away from me before getting to the top. Not wanting to ask him to walk, I started my run back up earlier than I wanted each time. It was an incredibly effective way to push me harder. I told him the milestones I wanted which were 7 miles and halfway through the loop. At another out and back I saw the gap to first was about 14 minutes and I had 12 minutes on 3rd. Even though I told Andy I had 1min/mile on 3rd and I wanted to conserve until the last 5 miles…in typical Matt fashion I just pushed even harder. I’d tell Andy I was going to walk at that sign or bend, but when I got there I decided to keep going. At this point, Andy was mostly running behind me. I was gapping him a bit on the climbs and he was using the descents to catch back up and get a buffer on me. We had an amazing 2 mile stretch where we just hammered it. At another out and back I saw first place motoring downhill looking very strong. He was probably 20 minutes ahead and at this point I was prepared to hang onto 2nd. We finally reached mile 56, my last crew stop. I wasn’t sure what my gap to 3rd was, but I was confident I grew it with how strong I was still running. We pushed on and all I could think about was running that last ½ mile to the finish with my crew. Sure enough, they met me there and we pushed it in together. As we rounded that final corner, my eyes started to well up just a bit. I finished in 10:18:09 and 2nd overall.
This race was so different from any endurance event I’d done before. It was easier in some ways and so much harder in others. I think with a lot of descending practice and ultra specificity…I could be really good at this. All I really had going for me was an incredibly strong engine and solid nutrition plan. My legs were not trained at all and it certainly showed with how much time I bled walking downhill that final lap. In the end, I am incredibly proud of my race, the grit and sheer effort I put out there. I’m not sure I’ll be signing up for another too soon, but I do know this will be something I chase in the future.
