Kettle Moraine 100 Race Report - Part 2 - The Nuts and Bolts
Bright eyed and bushy tailed at bib pickup for the Kettle Moraine 100 mile! Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
This is the second of a two part blog on my experience at the 2022 Kettle Moraine 100 (KM100). In Part 1, I share my inner thoughts on my goals and triumphs of the day. In this Part 2 writeup, I share about the nuts and bolts of race day including the race course.
On Wisconsin
Being a life-long Wisconsin resident, the Kettle Moraine 100 course is perfect representation of Wisconsin - symphonies of bird chatter throughout the entire day, cacophony of frogs near wetlands, wildlife sightings (deer, rabbits, turkeys, turtles). Lush hardwood forests, towering pines, open meadows, farm fields, and red barns.
The only absence was bugs! I never saw a single mosquito, tick, deer fly, or horse fly during the entire weekend. Looking at the brushiness of my campsite, I expected to be swarmed while setting up camp. My only encounter of bugs was short-lived - clouds of gnats as we circumnavigated Lake La Grange at dusk. Luckily the one that got in my eye and the other that I swallowed had no repercussions.
Homework
And we’re off! Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
I hadn’t run on these trails in over a decade prior to signing up for the Kettle Moraine 100. Back in 2011, I ran most of the northern half of the Kettle Moraine 100 race course as part of The North Face 50 - Wisconsin. After setting the 50 mile course record in 7:24, and in the best shape of my life, I had walked away from ultras for eight years to have a family.
Already by mile 6, we had thinned out on the Nordic ski trails. Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
To prepare myself for this new challenge, I had scouted nearly the entire course about a month prior (read my scouting report here). My fresh familiarity of the course left me confident on key turns (including Confusion Corner) and what to expect. Additionally, my very soggy experience in the meadows during scouting left me beyond thankful to not see a single puddle on the course! One section that I ran out of time to scout in April was the McMiller ski trails. So on the day before the race, I headed to the trails to find out firsthand how hilly they were during an easy shakeout run. It was the calm before the storm, as I was the only car in the lot! In general, the ski trails contained more punchy hills than the singletrack, which I intended to walk.
Course description
The course had it all, including lots of boardwalks! Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
The course was fast without much technical singletrack…here’s one of the more technical spots on the Ice Age Trail. Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
Gritting it out at about mile 55, knowing I’d have to stay mentally strong to head back out beyond the 100k mark. Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
The course is 100% trail and started at the Nordic Trailhead with about seven miles on ski trails then split to a northern lollipop section via the Ice Age Trail. At the northern-most section we did a loop at Scuppernong mainly on the ski trails, which had several flat sections. Scuppernong was the only section of the course we did once. New to the course in 2021 (which replaced the second Scuppernong loop) was a 4 mile loop at McMiller ski trails, which had several more hills. Upon returning to the Nordic Trailhead at 100k, we would immediately turn around and retrace the seven miles of ski trails before heading south on another out-and-back on the Ice Age Trail to Rice Lake. This means that we would hit the hilliest part of the course four times, which I made sure I was mentally prepared for. (After ending a 30 mile training run on this seven mile section of the course, I knew it would be mentally and physically challenging.) One additional challenge is that we could earn a 100k belt buckle and be back at our car instead of heading out on 38 mile “fun run”! My Backyard Ultra experience of heading out for a new loop every hour removed any consideration for me to stop at 100k.
Course company
With the out-and-back sections with several races occurring simultaneously, there are a few considerations:
1) The aid stations were busy. My crew didn’t have any down time relocating to each aid station, finding parking, and laying out my stuff to keep my aid station downtime minimal. Bluff aid station was especially busy since runners hit that aid station so many times.
2) There was a ton of encouragement on the course. After runners got strung out, the presence of racers on the course from the 50k, 100k, 38 mile, and 100 mile relay left few moments of complete isolation. Usually there was a pace disparity or we were headed in the opposite direction so the interactions were brief, but nearly EVERY runner offered encouragement.
3) Singletrack passing was tight in some areas and we gingerly stepped aside to pass. Although all runners were courteous, I’m happy I didn’t roll an ankle as I moved off the trail, especially when night fell.
Near ideal course conditions
Temperatures began at a balmy 60F and topped out at 73F. Aside from humidity (80% for most of the race), it was near perfect racing conditions. Miraculously, there was no dew at the start of the race, and my feet stayed dry despite a few sprinkles and glistening grass as evening fell. Even the predicted thunderstorms and scattered showers dissipated.
True, but not uplifting. Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
Heat management was a concern for me for a mid-June Wisconsin ultra, especially after record heat in 2021. I read race reports that made the meadows sound like a fiery furnace. I studied GPS tracks overlaid onto aerial photos and calculated only a half mile and five mile section were open meadows during daylight, albeit we would need to run twice. But based on my scouting trip, I knew even these sections had periods of refuge from full sun.
I lucked out since I never saw my shadow all day. Plus on race day, the 8-12 mph breeze was refreshing in the meadows while negligible in the woods. I was a bit worried there would be long grass that would slow me down, but all the ski trails were mowed, which also helped keep my feet dry as the dew formed.
Despite the rocks getting a hair moist as evening fell, my brand-new Nike Air Pegasus trail shoes never gave way. Despite nearly two years battling numerous ankle sprains, I had complete confidence in both ankles coming into the race and left unscathed. I never even had a close call with a fall!
My feet looked way happier then these sorry soles! Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
Happy feet
On top of having unexpected dry feet for the duration of the course, a new experiment couldn’t have gone better. After observing my adventure racing teammate running through puddles and creeks without any hesitation, I inquired about his foot care. He recommended slathering my feet in Bag Balm to create a water barrier. My result: my feet felt great the entire day and I never touched anything! My first ultra without a time consuming (and often painful) sock and shoe change!
Although my frequent relubrication of Destin left me pasty white, I had my first non-painful post-race shower from head-to-toe as an added bonus, despite being drenched in sweat for the duration of the event.
All in all, the dry, cool, and overcast race day enabled me (and others) to have a great Kettle Moraine 100 experience!
For more an in-depth writeup on my race experience, read Part 1 of my Kettle Moraine race report here.
Banner photo: Why stand at the start when I’ll be running the next 100 miles? Photo credit: Jennifer Thorsen
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