About five years ago, I started running as a stress reliever. I am a small business owner, and when Covid sent our 20-person team remote and our world flipped upside down, I was learning to process new levels of stress.
I was stressed about payroll, I was stressed about the health of our clients’ businesses, I was stressed about my family and our 3 kids who were attempting remote learning, and I was struggling to adjust to a new normal. I was confiding all of this to a close friend, and he suggested I get outside and run – get away from your computer, enjoy the sunshine, and let your body work instead of your mind. It turned out to be a highlight of the Covid-months.
It took me a while to progress from a run-walk to an actual run. My first race was a Duathlon – 5k run, 40k bike, 10k run. Shortly after, I signed up for my first road marathon. I was hooked. Then, I discovered trail running and I was in real trouble!
Running has become a part of me – it’s relieved stress, improved my health, made me a better husband and father, brought new friendships, and helped me discover the importance of adventuring during adulthood, which is something I think a lot of us lose.
My first ultra marathon was a 50k, followed by a 50-miler. As our community of runners grew, we formed a running club, which is really just a text thread used to invite others on runs, share races we’ve signed up for, post random memes, talk about running gear, and anything else that comes to mind. We call ourselves the Above Average Trail Club – we’re not elite and we don’t take ourselves seriously, but we do think we are a step above average!
The AATC is what got me into the mess of signing up to run 100 miles.
In mid-2024, a member of the AATC sent a link to the Forgotten Florida 100. At that point, no one in the group had run further than 50 miles. After his text, the thread was crickets for a few hours, and then the first person signed up. And then another … and another, and within a week, 13 of us signed up to run our first 100-mile race.
It was 8 months away, so we had plenty of time to regret our decision!
The Forgotten Florida is put on by Sean “Run Bum” Blanton of Run Bum Races, who is most known for The Georgia Death Race and Sky to Summit. 2025 was the fifth year of the race, which offers a 100, 50, 15, and 8 mile option along the Florida Trail, which is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States and is 1,500 miles in length. The Forgotten Florida 100 runs primarily along the Central and Northern Regions of the Florida Trail, through the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, Charles Bronson State Forest, Seminole Ranch, and Little Big Econ State Forest.
When I signed up, I was still suffering from patella tendinitis as a result of our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run and had already DNS’d a couple races, but I figured I would have plenty of time to rest, recover, and train. I was sort of right.
Physical Therapy & Training
I recently learned the hard way how important it is to include cross-training and weight training in your race preparation. After connecting with an excellent physical therapist, Dr. Josh Beagle at Elite Movement Specialists, I learned that my knee pain was patella tendinitis and was a result of weak quads, hamstrings, hips, and glutes. Dr. Beagle created a custom, 6-week recovery and strength training plan, which I added to my running and biking.
I used the 100 Mile “Just Finish” Training Plan from Marathon Handbook and followed it pretty closely. This is the third time I’ve used one of their free ultra marathon training plans and I’ve been happy with the layout and flexibility.
Here’s a look at my 13-week training log:
- Week 1: 35 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts
- Week 2: 40 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 17 miles biking
- Week 3: 32 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 15 miles biking
- Week 4: 32 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 31 miles biking
- Week 5: 38 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts
- Week 6: 18 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 31 miles biking
- Week 7: 36 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts
- Week 8: 40 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts
- Week 9: 52 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts
- Week 10: 43 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 16 miles biking
- Week 11: 19 miles running, 2 lower-body workouts, 31 miles biking
- Week 12: 15 miles running (taper)
- Week 13: 5 miles running (race week)
My long runs during this training block included six 20-miles runs, a 26-mile run, and a 31-mile run. I also had two rides greater than 20 miles.
As I was recovering from patella tendinitis, I was very disciplined with my lower-body workouts. Each workout lasted around 45 minutes. Here’s a link to the stretches and weight exercises that were prescribed to me. If you’re suffering from any radiating, burning knee pain, maybe this’ll help.
At the conclusion of my training block, I was feeling about 75% healthy. I’ve learned how rare it is to enter a race completely healthy. If it’s not a nagging injury, it’s a recent illness. If it’s not one of those, it’s an issue with gear or travel logistics or stress from work or home. But you have to compartmentalize the issues and remind yourself that you signed up for this race, and it’s really inconsequential compared to the other things people have going on in their life.
This is a hobby, not a profession. Despite this realization, I will still anxious.
Race Weekend
Friday
We left Georgia around 7am and arrived in Florida early afternoon. After checking into our Airbnb and unpacking, we headed to packet pickup and met some of the other runners in our group. We did a short, 1-mile walk on part of the trail, signed the required waivers to spend 1 or more days on the Florida Trail, and took some pre-race photos.
I strongly recommend doing packet pickup the day before the race, and to arrive at the beginning of the 5-8pm pickup window. There were 498 total registrants combined for the 100-, 50-, 15-, and 8-mile race (although a good bit DNS). The line quickly grew, and people were in line for 30+ minutes. Also, the morning of the race for the 100 and 50 was pretty hectic due to the required bus shuttle. Checking in the day before also gives you an extra 30 minutes of sleep.
After getting our packet, which included a glass mug, hat, t-shirt, stickers, and bib, we stopped by a local pasta and pizza restaurant for dinner. We spent the rest of the night laying out our clothes and gear for the morning and reviewing our race plan and needs with our crew. We were in bed by 9pm, though I barely slept.
Tip: get together with your running group and crew a week before the race. We did this over lunch, and we ironed out a lot of details. We also compared nutrition plans, gear, and packing and we each made some adjustments based on the other runners’ plan.
Saturday & Sunday
Race day!
We woke up around 3:15AM to eat, stretch, poop, and drive over. We chose to purchase a shuttle ticket, which means we parked at the finish line and hopped on a shuttle bus, which took us to the start line 52 “trail miles” away. It was about a 45-minute ride on nice buses with bathrooms. The shuttle left at 5:10 and the race started at 6:30. That gave us about 20 minutes at the starting line to use the restroom, stretch out from the bus ride, and get briefed on trail markings.
Tip: take some food and a bottle with you on the bus. If you add the bus ride, the time at the start line, and the distance to the first aid station, it’s nearly 2 hours without food or drink. Use this time to get in some calories.
The 100-mile and 50-mile runners left together – a total of 197 runners. The first few miles were on wide roads which allowed the pack to spread out before hitting single track.
The course was absolutely beautiful and incredibly diverse – open, almost safari-like fields, wide, dirt service roads, palm tree-lined single track, and waterside trails that led to swamp-like traversing. It had everything and was well marked.
Rum Bum describes the trails this way:
The route is a mix of rarely traveled single track meandering through the Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch palm groves and pine flat woods. These woods are home to the most beautiful miles of trail in the state. Tosohatchee and Seminole Ranch are home to hundreds of types of birds: from herrons and cranes to bald eagles and spoonbills! This place is simply magical beyond words.
While it was completely flat, the terrain was fairly technical. It was very rooty, wet in a lot of spots with plenty of switch backs, and full of pits and holes where hogs had been rooting. In a handful of spots, you could either plow through shin-deep water or go off-trail to stay dry. In most cases, we went off trail to try and keep our feet dry and avoid blisters, but it did take some extra time.
We had our first crew access around 29 miles, which is also where our first drop bag was. It was great to see everyone. We had an amazing crew who saved the day – more on that later! For the first 50 miles, we did an interval: run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes. This was the first time I’ve used interval running on a race, but several people recommended it, including the race director, because of how flat the course is. You don’t have any hills to force you to walk, so you need to build in walking to preserve your stamina.
Since it was the first 100-mile race for all of us, our only goal was to finish, so we didn’t break any records. We had one buddy with us who was running the 50-mile race, and we stayed together, finishing that in 14:51:52. It was actually about 52 miles, and after a brief refuel, and some vomiting on my part, we headed back out.
This is where things got very challenging for me personally. I was having trouble keeping food down and the only thing that I could eat was fruit, and all the extra fiber led to some GI issues. Around mile 63, I sat down and called over my two running mates and tried to quit. I had spent the last 5 miles walking, was weak, light-headed, and nauseous, and felt like I was slowing my friends down.
During our planning lunch the week before, three of us made the decision to stay together no matter what and we talked through what we would do if someone was struggling. We said we would only separate for two reasons – we were in jeopardy of missing a cutoff time or someone had a bone sticking out of their flesh and couldn’t continue. Otherwise, we’d march on together.
They reminded me of that pact, and then an aid station worker came over and saved the day. Mike overhead the conversation, got me some broth and rice, described the next 2 sections ahead, talked to me about how hard I’d worked to get here, said how good I looked (surely he was lying), and told me to get up and get out of his aid station!
So we did, and I walked miles 63-104. I didn’t jog once. Though I started getting some energy back through the broth and avocado, I had developed some bad blisters that caused me to change my gait (big mistake), and at mile 80, my new gait led to significant hip pain. Around the same time, I pulled my right hamstring muscle. For the last 24 miles, it was all I could do to place one foot in front of the other, and that’s where the crew took over.
This was the first time I’ve ever run with pacers or had a crew, and it changed everything. They offered so much support to each of us when we came into a station – filling bottles, packing food, helping change socks, wiping vomit off my face, and providing race details on what to expect ahead.
They also rotated going out on the trail with us. In those last, slow chunk of miles, different friends rotated in and brought new life to the conversation – new stories, new laughter, encouragement, and even a portable speaker loaded with a playlist of all our favorite songs. They kept the pulse on the overall vibe and made sure we were all cared for completely.
As we approached the final march, everything started washing over me and I was in complete shock that we had done it. Months of training, dark places during the 32 hours, attempts to quit, incredible love and support from the crew and our friends and family back home, and notes of encouragement. One note came from a friend of my sister’s, who is a 70-year-old mountaineer. She shared with him about my race, and he sent me this email:
Kimberly tells me you’re about to do a 100-mile race this weekend. What a wonderful challenge! I just summited Kilimanjaro last Wednesday. The snow, sleet, wind, and cold made it a struggle to reach the 19,341-foot peak, and it was only by God’s grace that I summited. I’m learning several things about conquering a challenge:
- There’s no summiting without a struggle, though God gives us extra strength, and He’s with us every step of the journey.
- Along the journey there are highs and lows, and God’s grace enables us to persevere through the lows.
- Sometimes it’s all about asking ourselves “can I take one more step?,” and then we take that step…and the next…and the next.
- It’s possible to find joy every step of the journey, even when we’re uncomfortable.
I pray that God’s favor will be upon you as you run!
All of this washed over me as we crossed the finish line.
Even as I write this, while sitting on sore hamstrings, it doesn’t seem real.
I’m 44, arthritic, limited on time, and started running less than 5 years ago. If I can run 100-miles, anyone can. I promise.
What I Learned from Running 100 Miles
The physical intensity was only matched by the relational joy of spending months with a group of driven men. A lot of people have asked why I decided to run 100 miles. I had 32 hours to think about that recently, and here’s where I landed:
I believe some lessons can only be learned in our darkest moments, and sometimes, when our life gets too comfortable, we have to volunteer for the darkness.
Here’s what I learned in the darkness:
- Spend as much time as possible around people who want to see you succeed. Quiet the rest.
- You always have one more step left in you.
- You will break mentally before you break physically.
- Whether you finish or don’t finish, there will be pain. I’d rather have pain in victory than pain in defeat.
- Share your goals with those around you. It creates more accountability to accomplish what you said you would.
- Your success rate is multiplied when you work with a team.
- Thirty-two hours feels like an eternity, but it’s such a small window of time. Before you know it, you’re eating pizza, drinking beer, and laughing at the pain.
- Plan for as much as possible, but don’t be married to it. When something moves you in a different direction, pivot and don’t waste energy thinking about the old plan.
- Your children are watching you. They need to see you set big goals and put in the work to accomplish them.
- Say thank you. A lot. Something like this is not accomplished alone.
Additional Planning Details on our 100 Mile Run
Nutrition Plan
I am not very disciplined or educated on this, but I tried my best to consume 200 calories per hour and drink 500 ml per hour. I was also trying to intake 5-10 grams of protein, 60-90 carbs, and 600 mg of sodium per hour in my food and drink.
I packed individual bags of food, with the right nutrition per hour. I packed 30 bags and planned to grab them throughout the day via drop bags and crew. I am gluten-free and I didn’t want to rely too much on the aid stations in case my diet limited my options.
I packed Tailwind, Rx bars, Gu gels and Gu liquid, rice krispy treats, Go-Go fruit squeezes with electrolytes, trailmix, kettle potato chips, and snickers.
The aid stations were incredible, and I ended up getting 70% of my nutrition from there: avocado, roasted potatoes, apple sauce, bananas, bacon and eggs, coke, gingerale, Gatorade, broth and rice, and several other things I couldn’t eat but looked incredible, like burritos and quesadillas.
For my next ultra marathon, I will bring caffeine pills. I planned to intake my required caffeine via Gu gels, but that did not provide enough, especially when I became tired of Gu and was craving more solid foods.
Packing List
Everything I brought was pretty standard – several pair of socks and two pair of shoes due to the water crossings, headlamp, blister kit, ibuprofen and tums, Vaseline and an anti-chaffing stick, wet wipes for pooping in the woods, sunglasses, and a change of clothes for mile-50, which included a light pullover for the dip in temps overnight.
I did buy one piece of new equipment: a Kogalla Ultra trail light, which I wore on my waist in addition to my headlamp. It was a great investment, and I’ll never do another night run without it.
Race Statistics
- Total Distance: 103.88
- Elapsed Time: 32:37:41
- Average Elapsed Pace: 18:51/mile
- Moving Time: 28:15:17
- Average Moving Pace: 16:19/mile
- Elevation Gain: 541 feet
- Calories: 12,623
I’ve had several people ask me if I’ll do it again. Apparently, during the last 10 miles I told the crew multiple times that I’ll never do this again. I said the same thing the next day. But after I could walk on the balls of my feet again without agonizing pain, I started thinking about the race and the time it took us, and I want to push myself to improve. I want to train harder so I can run the back 50 like I ran the front 50. The race truly started at mile 60 for me, and I want another shot at finishing it with vigor!
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