ron Will 100: Race 1 of 4 in the Books

This past weekend, I completed the Iron Will 100—my third 100-mile finish overall and the first leg of the Iron Will Grand Slam. One down, three to go.

Going into this race, my goal wasn’t to break records—it was preservation. I’ve got another 100-miler 17 days from today, so the plan was to stay smart: start slow, shift to an even slower pace earlier than usual, and work in frequent walking recovery intervals. Mission (mostly) accomplished.

The first 25 miles were smooth and drama-free. I had been awake for nearly 18 hours by then, so fatigue was already starting to tap me on the shoulder. By the time those sun rose and Mark jumped in to pace me, I was 13 hours into the race and 24 hours into being awake. That’s when the struggle bus rolled in.

Mark did a solid job keeping my spirits up through the morning, but by the time we hit 55 miles, I was toast. That’s when Kevin jumped in. And man, I was hurting. My hips had started barking at mile 45 and were in full rebellion by 55. My lower back was getting in on the action too.

Then came the game-changer—around mile 60, I strapped on my Dr. Ho belt to decompress my spine. Instant relief. The hip pain disappeared almost immediately, and I wore that belt like a trophy for the next 15 miles. When I finally took it off, the pain never returned. Clutch move.

By mile 75, though, I hit a wall. Energy gone. Eyes heavy. Legs dragging. I had been awake for 36+ hours and decided the smartest move was to shut it down for a bit. So I laid down, put my legs in compression sleeves, and knocked out a two-hour nap.

When I got up, I felt like a new man. I hammered out miles 75 through 90 without a single break—strong, consistent pace, sharper mind. That 15-mile stretch was several hours faster than any miles ran between miles 50 through 75. Normally, the last 25 miles are the slowest for me, but this time, I had something left in the tank—until mile 90, when we dialed it back and took brief breaks between each lap to close things out smart.

The weather couldn’t have been better—highs in the low 60s, lows in the 50s, barely a breeze all weekend. A little misty rain early Sunday gave just enough of a jolt to wake me up without ever turning into a downpour.

Big shoutout to race director William Sprouse and his wife Carrie for putting on an absolutely first-class event. Best aid station food I’ve ever had and friendliest volunteers, hands down. Because the course was a 1.83-mile loop, you saw everyone constantly. Lots of camaraderie, back-and-forth encouragement, and some savage performances from fellow ultrarunners.

I made a few new friends, shared a lot of miles with familiar faces, and walked away knowing I want to come back here again when I’m not in the middle of a four-race series. If I show up solo and rested, I’d love to push for more mileage—maybe 2027.

Big thanks to my crew: Rachel Magnuson, Tessa Magnuson and Ashley Nichole. Shout out to my amazing pacers: Mark Benefiel, Stephanie Callahan and Kevin Johnston.

One down. Three to go. Iron Will Backroads 100 is only 17 days away. Time for recovery!