Lessons Learned at the 2024 HURT 100
In a break of tradition, I decided not to do a full race report for HURT. It is a beautiful event with a warm and vibrant community. However, a course with 5 laps that each contain loops and out-and-backs within the jungle rainforest may not make for exciting reading. There were roots, there were rocks, I went up steep climbs, I went down steep descents. Overall, it went well, and I was happy to finish in 11th place in 27 hours.
Instead of the usual blow-by-blow, I’ll share lessons learned on what went well with the race and what could be improved.
Why is HURT so tough?
It is a unique event and I think the second hardest race I’ve run outside of Tor. There is 27K feet of climbing, the course is incredibly technical, you have 13 hours of darkness, it is warm and humid coming from a cold and dry environment, and there is the mind-numbing aspect of repeating most of the route 10-15x. HURT has a high DNF rate and a high proportion of runners finishing just under the cutoff, so success requires a unique combination of factors.
What went well?
Coming in fresh
After UTMB, I needed a physical and mental break from high volume and high vert training. I took the volume down and ran mostly on flatter roads. Throughout the fall I raced Marine Corps, Richmond, and Rehoboth marathons.
That left me with only 3 weeks of focused training for HURT. While I knew that was a short training block for a race as tough as HURT, I felt physically and mentally fresh going into it.
Race nutrition
I managed over 400 calories per hour throughout the entire race with 90-100+ grams of carbs per hour. I never had a low point, and good fueling helped with a fast recovery after the race.
I also managed fluids and electrolytes well in the hot and humid conditions. I noticed a few times when I was getting low on electrolytes, but I caught it early and was able to course correct.
Uphills
Steep climbs are typically my strong suit, and that was the case at HURT. I felt strong and was able to push the climbs throughout the entire race.
Sauna protocol
For a month before HURT, I did 2-3x sauna sessions per week. I believe this made a difference and helped me manage the change in environment.
Running my own race
With the short training block, I knew I was in good shape but not fully optimized for this tough of a course.
I lined up way back in the field and didn’t stress time or placement. I let the race come to me and ran with the fitness I had.
Strength training
I have double downed on strength training and have consistently been doing 2x weekly heavier lifting sessions for a while. I am not at risk of breaking any lifting records, but I’ve gotten a lot stronger.
Strength training has improved my resilience and durability, helping to minimize injury risk. I also think the type of lifting sessions I have been doing are key to fatigue resistance and are the single most important thing I am doing for miles 60+.
At mile 70, I realized my legs still felt shockingly good and that I needed to pick up the pace. I attribute the ability to close hard in 100+ mile races largely to strength training and the resulting fatigue resistance.
Mental game
There was a point on course where a left turn would deliver you to the finish and soon after to Waikiki Beach. We passed this point fifteen times. Fifteen. Times.
Quitting never even entered my mind. I stayed present throughout the race, enjoyed it, and got the job done.
Managing sleep / caffeine
I avoided feeling sleepy throughout the night. Part of that was because I came in fresh and got solid sleep leading into the race. I also managed a steady drip of caffeine that seemed to be just the right amount.
What could be improved?
Steep technical downhills
I have improved greatly over the last decade at steep, technical downhills, but I would still say it is a relative opportunity for me.
I didn’t feel as strong on the downhills as I could have. The descents at HURT would never exactly be easy, but more time on steep, technical downs would probably have helped.
Using poles earlier
I debated when to bring in poles and decided on lap 4. The course is plenty steep to warrant them, but given it is so technical I wasn’t sure how much they would help. With all the rocks, roots, and ledges, poles can sometimes get in the way.
I believe it was the right call not to start with poles, but in hindsight I would have started using them on lap 3, which was partially in the dark.
Longer training block
I knew going in that the training block wasn’t long enough and had accepted that. I find the sweet spot for the Endurance / Specific block to be 6-8 weeks. This is when you have maximum volume and as much terrain-specific training as possible.
Shorter than 6-8 week leaves some improvement on the table. Longer than that will likely break you down too much and become counterproductive.
Avoiding the “headlamp debacle”
A gear failure can take you out of a race, and that almost happened to me at HURT! I brought my trusty Petzl Nao with 3 rechargeable USB batteries. Each should last 12-14 hours, and we had about 13 hours of darkness.
I’ll spare you the blow by blow, but two of my batteries failed, so twice I had to navigate by the minimal light produced in battery saving mode until I got back to the start / finish. My third battery barely got me to sunrise.
I’ve used these batteries for years. I was overconfident in them and didn’t have a backup headlamp. Always have a back headlamp. Always. Redundancy is essential to make sure the inevitable problems that pop up don’t take you out of the race.
Summary
HURT was a great experience, and I got the best out of myself at the race. I also had some great takeaways to apply in the future. I look forward to putting them in action.
