I know what it feels like to doze off and still be running.  I did it twice.  In between dozing off, random thoughts went wild.  Which person in the Bible would have been an ultra-marathoner?  Seriously, why isn’t there an Avenger that can run forever?  And why not have an ultra-runner on “The Walking Dead” that can steer massive herds by running 30 plus miles at a time?  I wonder what the physical requirements are for any aspiring Navy Seal entering BUD/S training?  Sleep deprived, endurance running takes the brain on interesting journeys.

I participated in KUS 6/12/24 event on November 11-12, running for 24 hours with 25 other runners.  I had hoped and trained to finish with 78.6+ miles, but it wasn’t in the cards.  I did complete my primary goal, continue to move until the conclusion of 24 hours.  Aside that, I severely underperformed to my expectations.  I had a disastrous marathon in OKC back in 2014 and set what is still my personal best the following year.  The KUS 6/12/24 and I have some unfinished business.  Maybe 2023?  2024?

I was exposed to COVID by a family member on Tuesday.  I’ve been exposed dozens of times and have taken dozens of tests, so I wasn’t alarmed.  I moved to a hotel for the week, tested daily Wednesday – Friday and felt fine at 6:00PM on Friday night.  Every test was negative.

The race began at 6pm and everything felt strong.  The KUS 6/12/24 takes place on a 2.1-mile loop in south Wichita.  The first hour went smooth and I was feeling strong.  The temperature was dropping as the evening progressed, but my legs, nutrition and hydration all felt on point.  The average temperature was 23 degrees overnight with a low of 20, but we were blessed with limited wind.  My throat became raw and dry after the first 10 miles.  The cold air was difficult to breathe, so I kept a cough drop or Jolly Rancher in my mouth for the remainder of the event.

Something happened to my calf around mile 17.  I’m not sure exactly what went wrong but the pain was in the upper-calf, just below the knee.  Each step became more painful than the one before and now my ankle was hurting.  I expect to have soreness during an ultra, but not this early and my pace was fading.  I began walking 30%, running 70% to keep moving.  The cold would then feel colder since my heart rate had dropped with the slower pace.  The early morning hours before sunrise were the most challenging laps of the day.  My pace would eventually shift to 50/50% and by sunrise, I was walking 100%. 

I prepared for two races, 13.5 hours in the dark and 10.5 hours of sunlight.  I anticipated the overnight portion to be difficult due to weather and darkness but expected to catch a second wind with sunlight.  That wind never arrived but I was determined to keep moving, albeit at a slower pace.  I already conceded that I would not achieve any distance goals but hoped I could keep moving until 6pm.  The calf pain became unbearable, so I took a break to stretch it out and run it through leg compression therapy.  This gave me relief for my next two laps but then the pain returned along with knee pain.  I took an extended break to get off my legs a bit, hoping a short rest would help me finish.  I also ran through more compression therapy, used my theragun and tried a few stretches with a resistance band before going out for another lap.  I didn’t go far—I could barely walk at 30-minute mile pace.  I was feeling sick at this point due to an overconsumption of cough drops and coffee, the two things keeping me moving.  That overconsumption also through off nutrition and hydration.  It was time to check out of the race…

Tony Brown stopped me on the way to drop out to encourage me to get a massage.  There as an on-site therapist and he was my final option.  I ran into Matthew Penner on the way to the massage.  He offered a few words of encouragement and asked if he could pray with me.  Between the prayer and that massage, my legs were ready to move again.  I still felt sick to my stomach but felt like I could start to walk it out.  I signed up to do something mentally tough. I was determined to see it all the way through while accepting results less favorable than planned.  I was still slow and was lapped multiple times by every entrant…and yet….I was still standing 24 hours after the race began.  I was asleep 30 minutes later.

I woke up from the couch with a fever, leading to a positive COVID test 12 hours after finishing the race.  Each race is a learning opportunity, especially when things don’t go my way.  I’ve gone through a list of over a dozen things I’ll remember from this race that I’ll carry into all future races.  Failure is the greatest teacher.  And I doubt I’ll ever catch COVID midway through an ultra ever again.

I am ready to do this race again ASAP. 

Big thanks go out to all the volunteers at KUS 6/12/24 and to race director Zach Bailor for putting together an amazing event.  Shout out to Tony for the continued ultra-running education and support on race day.  I also want to thank Julie Robertson who paced me over the final 4.2 miles.  Thanks to everyone who came out to say hello including Michael Schoenhofer, Bryan Pate and Scott Brown.  Thanks Matthew Penner—you made my day brother.  Sorry I missed you Casey Woodburn! And extra special thanks to Rachel Magnuson.  You make so many sacrifices for me to do what I do and provide so much behind the scenes support for my big races.  Thanks for the bacon sandwiches!

Special thanks to Fred Linda Magnuson and Mylinda Junkermeier for bringing out McRibs.

KUS 6/12/24…it ain’t over yet.