2022 Hellbender 100 Race Report

The Hellbender 100 began in 2018 as the “highest and hardest 100 miler on the East Coast.” It was clear from the start there was something special about this race. I had a great run the first year and struggled mightily in the second year before rallying in the last 30 miles. In addition to being my 3rd trip to the highest mountains on the east coast, this would be my 10th 100 mile race finish, assuming I got the thing done.

I came in fit and ready to go after a solid final 4 week training block. I drove down with the one and only Alex Papadopoulos, and we prepared for the adventure to come.

The forecast for the race was … interesting. It looked like we would get significant rain and maybe thunderstorms on the highest and most difficult part of the course. What I didn’t expect was pouring rain when the race started at 4:30am. Despite all that, I felt calm and confident. I knew the day would be challenging and always respect the 100 mile distance, but I just had this feeling it was going to be a good day.

We huddled under the covered area, trying to stay dry until the last possible minute. Finally, everyone shuffled out to the start line, and race director Aaron Saft sent us out on our adventure!

Camp Grier - the perfect start / finish location for a race

Huddling under the shelter trying to stay dry

Start to Curtis Creek – Miles 0-25

We got drenched as we made our way out of the camp on a section that was all new to me. In previous years we started with 5 miles of road before hitting the Heartbreak Ridge climb. The race then finished at the bottom of Heartbreak Ridge, requiring a shuttle back to camp. This year they secured a permit to connect Camp Grier to Heartbreak Ridge via trail and gravel road, allowing us to finish back at the Camp. Hooray!

I joined Chris Roberts, and we found ourselves leading the race out of camp. We couldn’t see a thing in the rain and fog and hoped we were still on the right path and not leading the entire race field off course in the first 5 minutes! We spotted the turn onto a short (and very muddy) trail section and popped out onto the fire road. The first 7 miles was soaking wet but passed very quickly catching up with Chris.

On top of his many running accomplishments (350 miles at Big’s Backyard!!!), Chris has started a sports nutrition company – Long Haul. I’ve been training with Long Haul and had it in my bottles throughout the race as a key part of my nutrition. While hanging out the night before, I said that if the race went well Chris gets all the credit, and if the race didn’t go well, it was all his fault. Just kidding. But seriously.

At Jarrett Creek (mile 7), I did a quick bottle refill and started up Heartbreak Ridge, a 6 mile and 3,500 foot climb. I was surprised to find myself leading the race up Heartbreak, but I could tell it was going to be a good day. I was running sections I hiked before, the pace was minutes per mile faster than previous years, and it felt effortless.

Soon enough we gapped the rest of the field, and it was just me and Jonathan Ibach, second place in 2018 in a stellar time of 22 hours. I asked myself – was I writing checks I couldn’t cash? I honestly didn’t think so and felt like I was in control and running smart.

About 12 miles in, Jonathan finally took off on a steep, technical section. There is a VERY steep final ascent to the Pinnacle summit, and I could just barely see Jonathan above me. That would be the last I would see of him all day – congrats to Jonathan on the win and stellar time!

Jonathan and I hoped we would climb above the clouds to enjoy what is one of the best views on the east coast. Sadly, even at 5,600 feet we were still in dense clouds and fog. Ah well. We began the looooong 12 mile descent down to Curtis Creek that is interrupted only by one short climb after the mile 17 aid station.

My goal on this section was to conserve energy and pound nutrition. It is easy to space out on this long downhill and fall behind – that was my mistake in 2019. As a result, I was sure I would get passed by many runners on this section, but that was just fine by me. I knew what was coming on the next sections of the course …

I arrived at South Toe (mile 17) 3h19min into the race. I had managed 1200 calories during that first section – right on target. A runner must have quietly passed me while I pulled off the trail for a bio break, and we left the aid station together on the short uphill.

We crested the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I had a blast blazing down the lush single-track Newberry trail, one of my favorite sections of the course. We spilled out onto the long fire road descent. I intentionally dialed back a few clicks and redoubled my focus on nutrition, letting the other runner go ahead.

As I got to the bottom, two other runners came up on me, and we turned left for the 2 miles into Curtis Creek along the road. I enjoyed chatting with both of them, and we rolled into the aid station. I took my time here, getting nutrition and poles from my drop bag and eating lots of real food. The other two guys took off quickly, putting me in 5th.

The folks in the aid station told me to hurry and go catch them. Next up was the infamous Snook’s Nose climb. I told them not to worry – Snook’s Nose was my jam, and I’d see them soon!

Curtis Creek to Colbert – Miles 25-48

This section. The arena. The thunderdome. I tell everyone how hard this section is, and they are still always surprised when they face it themselves. In 22 miles you tackle ~9,000 feet of vertical on outrageously technical trails, much of which comes at 5,000-6,600 feet of altitude and often with nasty conditions.

It starts with Snook’s Nose, a 3100 foot climb in about 4 miles. I love Snook’s Nose. Unlike the other parts of the “arena”, it isn’t that technical. It’s just long and steep, and it rewards power-hiking skills, just like my favorite home trail, Leading Ridge. Before long, I passed all three of the guys and took second. The guy who I ran with back at mile 17 said he was having knee problems and was going to drop at the next aid station. I tried to be encouraging and wished him well.

I made great time up Snook’s and kept laser focused on great nutrition. I realized I was needing more electrolytes with the humid conditions and dialed those up a bit from the original plan. We hit the Blue Ridge Parkway before the final ascent of Green’s Knob. Sam Reed (winner in 2019) was there, providing some great support and encouragement.

After the summit, you have a 2,000 foot steep descent into the major aid station at Neal’s Creek. The first part of this is extremely rugged and technical, made all the more so by the recent torrential rain. I took this more conservatively than I might have liked, but I didn’t want to end my race early.

On this downhill, the insoles of my Salomon Ultraglides came loose and started bunching up towards the front of my shoes. This seemed to be caused by a combination of wet feet and forward pressure with the steep downhill, and it was … not great. I planned to sort it out in Neal’s and hoped that things would dry out enough that it wouldn’t happen again. Ha. Ha.

I came into Neal’s feeling like a million bucks, in stark contrast to 2019 when I was a total mess by this point. I was 40 minutes ahead of my target splits and 12 minutes ahead of what I figured was a best possible effort.

I was efficient and focused in Neal’s but took the time to do what needed to be done. I tried to fix my insoles here and made the mistake of not switching into my spare shoes in my drop bag (note to self for Tor des Geants – don’t take risks with your feet). I resupplied with Long Haul and Spring Energy, pounded two avocado wraps, filled a bottle with Ginger Ale, and took a bag of Cheez-Its for the road. On the way out, Marty Fox (VHTRC rock star) realized I dropped a gel and ran after me to hand it off. You’re a life saver, Marty – every calorie counts!

I was looking forward to the 6 mile and 3,600 foot climb up Mount Mitchell. I felt just so good. The first 3-4 miles were uneventful and solid. Then the rain started. The major storms were predicted between 4pm and 9pm, which I had prepared for mentally. Given it was only noon, I figured the rain would taper off. It did not.

Soon it became a downpour. I threw on my rain jacket and trudged up in increasingly cold weather towards the summit of Mitchell. We passed the four-way with the Buncombe trail, and the last 1.5 miles were more of a slog than they should have been. The trail was a bog, I was soaking wet, and I could tell nutrition was falling off.

The weather eased a bit as I crested the official summit of Mt Mitchell, always a cool spot on the course. As I came down the short out-and-back section, I was shocked that the guy who was in second going up Snook’s in fact did not drop at Neal’s and was charging up like he was fresh. He said that his crew wouldn’t let him drop at Neal’s – I told him he had one heck of a crew!

The trail near Mt Mitchell. The old growth forest up here is just so cool.

I arrived at the aid station in the shelter up on Mitchell and set to work on avocados, quesadillas, and hot soup. I was now back to 3rd as the other guy blazed out of aid quickly. Folks at the aid station told me to take my time and run my race – wise words. We had the crux of the course coming up and still a loooong way to go.

I was not feeling my best on the brutally difficult Crest trail. This sawtooth ridge stays up high, going over some of the other highest peaks of the east. I kept the calories going and tried doubling down on electrolytes (S-Cap, Roctane cap, NuuN). While I never really managed to turn it around on the Crest trail, I was back in action when we hit the infamous Colbert Ridge, descending 3,500 feet in just 4 miles.

Up on the Crest Trail. Wait, is that a view?!

I was making decent time, though I had to stop again to fix my cursed insoles. When the trail mellowed a bit, I was back to feeling really strong and moving well. We even got a few great views in this section after fog and clouds all day!

Blue skies as we descended Colbert Ridge

I rolled into Colbert aid station at 11h30min, well ahead of target splits and in 3rd place. Sam was there again telling me how strong I looked. I repeated my aid station routine that had been working well – avocados with salt sprinkled on them, ginger ale, soup, quesadillas, and stuffing extra quesadillas in my pack. The aids station folks remarked that I was like a pro athlete, which gave me a good laugh.

Colbert Creek to Neal’s – Miles 48-70

I charged out of Neal’s feeling fresh and ready to rock, exactly how you should feel less than halfway into a race. However, I soon realized a small fumble in the aid station. After getting help from some nice folks with my drop bag, I somehow left with flasks of ginger ale and water instead of ginger ale and Long Haul. I was stressed about the missing calories and electrolytes, especially given how long and tough this section was. I calmed myself down – I had plenty of calories and electrolytes with me, so I’d just have to switch up my initial plan.

We had a 3,000 foot climb up to what historically had been a swampy, boggy section back up at 6,000 feet on the Buncombe Trail. I was running the initial, more gradual part of the climb at a good clip. The trail turned steeper, and I threw in some music to zone out and set to work. I’ve never felt good on this section, but I was rocking it this time around.

As we ascended, we actually got some blue sky and great views. Better still, some amazing folks put in heroic trail work on Buncombe (thanks, Victor!), and my feet actually stayed dry this time. I was having just a delightful time. There were some dark and foreboding clouds in front of me, but for now I enjoyed the moment.

Hmm, some clouds rolling in. How bad could it get?

I was back up at 6,000 feet and very close to the hike-in aid station at the Buncombe / Mitchell intersection when some light rain started. The rain got heavier, and I figured I’d hustle ahead to the aid station, where I’d throw my jacket back on. Ten feet down the trail, I realized it was a “get the jacket on right now” situation.

I was being pelted with cold, torrential rain and heavy winds. I got to the aid station and greeted the incredible band of heroes, who were camped out in this epic storm to help us crazy runners. They ushered me under a tent, where they had hot food and everything I needed. Legends.

The storm was RAGING outside, and I was soooooo tempted to just hang with the aid station folks and wait it out. But I had a job to do and had a feeling the only way out of this storm was through it. I thanked them profusely and went out to face the beast. I turned left on an exposed ridge and was instantly hit with 50+ mph blast of wind, sheets of torrential rain, and hail. It was freezing cold, and thunder and lightning were all around. I couldn’t even move forward the wind was so strong, and it was incredibly painful where my exposed legs and face were getting pelted with rain and hail.

It was honestly a scary moment, but I knew that panicking was the worst thing to do. In less than half a mile, we would turn left on a trail that I knew had at least some tree cover to protect from the wind. We’d also be slowly making our way down to lower altitudes and warmer temps. In short, I had to get the f*** off the mountain. I put my head down, picked up the pace, and muscled my way through the storm.

I made the left turn, and the insanity eased up a bit. It was still pouring rain, windy, and cold, but it was manageable. We stayed up at altitude for another 4 miles, and I pushed through on the flooded trail as fast as I could. I quickly realized another potential problem. My hands were freezing, and all my nutrition was zipped up inside my jacket. But if I went for a long time without eating or drinking, I’d create a whole new problem. So I forced myself to keep regularly eating and drinking, even though it was cold and uncomfortable. This was probably a race-saving decision born from hard-earned experience.

We turned left off the ridge and started to descend more steeply down the mountain with quickly improving conditions. I had come out of the other side of the epic storm, and I’d managed to take good care of myself. Phew. I continued down, down, down until finally popping out at an aid station at mile 65.

Wow, was I glad to see people again! I told them of the wild ride up on the mountain and ran through the same routine to fuel up well. I asked about second place, and they said he was 20 minutes ahead of me. Wow, I felt like I had run really well since Mt Mitchell through brutal conditions, and he still somehow gained 20 minutes on me in 25 miles! But there were still 35 miles left. I just had to stay patient and try to chip away at that time.

It was 4.3 miles to Neal’s aid station with the first 2 on gravel road. My feet were in rough shape at this point. The insoles continued coming loose and bunching up, and my feet were taking the toll. I couldn’t wait to pick up my drop bag at Neal’s with a fresh pair of socks and my trusty Salomon Speedcross.

I was on the trail above Neal’s and about 8-10 minutes out when I heard loud cheering. I had to assume that was 2nd place – had I really made up 10+ minutes in just 4 miles? I charged into Neal’s feeling great and lifted by the big crowd. First thing’s first, I took care of my shoes and socks. As I stuffed food in my mouth, I asked Sam how long ago second place left. He said that he went straight to his car, so I’d now be in second when I left. Wow, just like that. I decided to stick with my short sleeve shirt as this next section didn’t have much climbing, and I set off on the 8+ gravel road miles back to Curtis Creek.

Neal’s to Finish – Miles 70-102+

I left Neal’s a little over 17 hours into the race and started the 3 mile gravel road climb up the Parkway. I was fired up by retaking second, and from here on out, my goal was to solidify 2nd by running things others would probably be walking. I ran much of the climb up and started the 5+ mile descent into Curtis Creek.

I hit a surprisingly strong second wind on this section in 2018. While I was still moving well, around 10 minute miles, I wasn’t able to recreate the 2018 magic. I was feeling the toll of 17+ hours of consistent, hard running. My feet were so beat up, and the gravel road was far from a forgiving surface. I wanted to walk the last few miles to Curtis Creek, but I gritted my teeth and kept running, very much looking forward to the aid station.

I worried about someone coming up behind me, but I knew I had to take a minute before the last 24 mile push. I changed shirts, swapped my headlamp battery, and drank some soup. Like the other aid stations, the volunteers here were the best. They asked for my music preference, to which I replied that ACDC was the only answer right now. They didn’t have ACDC but broke out singing it acapella! While I sorted myself out, they also made me a fresh, hot quesadilla. I wanted nothing more to hang out with these awesome people, but there was work yet to be done.

I set out around 18h45min into the race. It also become apparent at this point that the race would be at least 102 miles and 4-5 miles longer than previous years with the course changes. I still hoped to beat my previous best time of 25:33 and mostly just wanted to give it my all to hang on to 2nd.

I made good time on the 2 miles of Curtis Creek Road and the first several miles of the ascent. It was hard to run the flats and uphills though, and I was relieved to power hike when the trail got steeper. I came to a creek crossing and thought I was coordinated enough to hop over the rocks and keep my feet dry. Nope. Yard sale in the creek.

We continued up to the Parkway crossing, and I thanked the kind soul camped out there to make sure we got across safely. After a brief descent that breaks up the long 3,500 foot climb, we came to the last full aid station of the course with 16+ miles remaining.

I powered up the switchback climb and could tell I had a gap on 3rd. I figured I was at least 15-20 minutes ahead, but anything can still happen at the end of ultra! This climb just keeps on going, and I was now officially done with climbing and ready to top out and head down.

It was a cool night above 5,000 feet, and the 6-mile descent of Heartbreak Ridge loomed ahead of me. It is a monster this late in the race – long, technical, and unrelenting on your battered quads. In previous years, you knew it was the end of the race, but this year it was extra challenging to know you still had 7 miles to go after Heartbreak.

The technical section up top was murder on my feet, but I was able to open it up a bit after that (or at least as well as one can do so with 90+ miles on your legs!). The bottom section seemed to go on forever, and I was thrilled to finally see the Jarrett Creek aid station. I grabbed just enough to get me through the final 7 miles, thanked them profusely, and took off to finish this thing.

We all remembered the first 7 miles as almost all uphill. Well, it turns out that we were all terrible at judging the terrain in the dark, have terrible memories, or both. It was a solid 3 miles uphill on the gravel road. I tried to run as much as I could, straining to manage 13-15 minute miles. On the bright side, the skies finally cleared after 24 hours, and there were brilliant stars overhead.

We topped out, and it was all downhill to the finish. That didn’t really feel much better, but I willed myself to do 11-12 minute miles. I kept looking back all through this 7 mile section, worried someone would come blasting up behind me. While it all doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme, it would be deflating to get passed at the end after being in 2nd for 30 miles.

We turned onto single track trail and soon after onto the camp road. It was pitch black still when I ran into the finish at 25h13min with a huge smile on my face. Aaron, Sam, and a few other hearty souls greeted me warmly and cheered me in. Aaron handed me my belt buckle and a hand-carved wooden Hellbender salamander – easily my favorite award of any race I’ve run!

It was a blast hanging out around the finish and seeing runners come in

3 Hellbender 100 buckles and my new pride and joy - a hand carved Hellbender salamander

Wrap-Up

It was an epic day out there. This is a tough course in the best of conditions, and the conditions were … not the best. Huge congrats to all who toed the line and the hearty souls who finished. Shout out in particular to my partner in crime, Alex, who finished yet another incredibly difficult 100.

Big congrats to Alex and Jun, who finished side by side after running the last 40 miles together!

This was one of the best races I’ve run and felt like a turning point for me. My fitness was on point, and I knew my legs were good to go from the first miles. Nutrition was as steady as it’s ever been for a 100, and I averaged over 350 calories / hr with no low points. And I’ve never felt so confident, calm, and positive throughout a race. Even with the crazy conditions, I was able to stay steady and upbeat.

I’ve learned over the years that these things take a village – shout and thanks go to:

Coach Damian Hall – we’ve been working together for a little over two years, and it’s been so cool to see the progress
USWE – their packs are amazing – even with 25 hours of being constantly wet and not reapplying Body Glide, I STILL didn’t chafe (note: I’m in their ambassador program). Also, shout out to the USWE team for being great training partners and for their support & encouragement.
Long Haul Sports Nutrition – fortunately the race went well, so Long Haul gets all the credit! This is a fantastic product. I’ve never successfully been able to put calories in my bottles without causing GI issues. I used Long Haul all through the race with zero issues.
Bull Dawg Athletic Therapy – for keeping my body in one piece and making me the healthiest and strongest I’ve ever been

Hellbender is a truly special race. From start to finish, it is the best put together 100 out there. Everything is top notch – aid stations, course markings, start / finish area, post-race food, and volunteers. You can feel how much love and care is put into this race. Thank you so much to Aaron, Ally, Sam, Victor, and the entire team of volunteers. If anyone is looking for a tough mountain 100, I can’t recommend Hellbender highly enough. If you decide to run it, don’t hesitate to reach out if I can help!

Finally, this race was dedicated in loving memory to my grandfather, who passed away peacefully at 95 years old the day before the race start. He lived with my grandmother in their house, part of which he built, right up to the end. He was a loving grandfather, and I have many fond memories fishing, golfing, and playing with wooden swords he hand-built for me. We were lucky to have so many years together, including the years where he got to spend time with his great grandsons. Grampie, we will all miss you.