A friend who had run Heartland twice before had highly recommended Heartland 100 in Kansas for the past few years and I just had to see for myself how beautiful that part of the country really is. It's pretty... if it's not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, or not thundering/lightening. Unfortunately, I had all but one of those situations on Saturday. It was in the 80s (a little warm when you have no shade, and there was NO shade), the winds were the most fiercest ones I have ever run in, and there was a storm while I was in miles 26-33. Because the sky is so expanse, you could see the lightening from all around, from miles away. Pretty, yes, but when you're the tallest object out there and you're basically running by yourself, you're looking for the nearest ditch.

The 100-mile course is 50 miles out, then the same 50 back, all on gravel roads. I usually stayed on the paths I saw tire marks. There are hills, many of them, which I liked because it broke up the run/walk segments easier. But there is nothing to look at for miles and miles around. You can at times see the people in front and behind you, but they are actually farther away than you think. There were about 60-70 people in the 100, plus a 50-mile race at the same time.

My husband, Craig, was my crew and a close running friend from home, Harry, helped him crew before coming out to pace me at mile 64. All morning they were telling me I was going out too fast, I was hitting each pit stop earlier than I should. After passing mile 50, they changed their tune and suddenly started telling me how well I was running. I was also worried that I went out too fast, but I felt pretty good with my pace and walk breaks. I always kept in mind how I usually feel in the late stages of a 100 and I knew that anything could happen, including more changes in the weather.

I pretty much stayed on an even pace all day. When I saw them for the first time at mile 16, (after scolding me for coming in too fast) they told me I was third woman. I didn't want to hear it. It was too early and I didn't care where the other women were; I was running my own race. To me, this was a training run for Across the Years in December and I didn't want to waste my time and energy thinking about staying ahead. I passed the 2nd place woman at mile 20 while she sat on the ground removing stones from her shoes; gaiters are a must-have item out there. At mile 36, Craig and Harry pointed out the 1st place woman leaving that aid station. I really didn't want to know that. I passed her 2 miles later when she had to make a pit stop; she was within a mile of me at the 50-mile turn around. At that point, I did not care if she or anyone else passed me in the second half. There was still a long ways to go and I had to do my own thing.

At the 50-mile turn around, I noticed a huge gap between me and the lead guys, then a ton of runners behind me. It was like me and my running buddy at the time, Trent from Chicago, were the start of all the “normal” runners. But by mile 84, Craig said the guy in front of me was only 20 minutes ahead.

I got to run through herds of cattle. They would stop and look at me like, "What the...." with grass still hanging out of their mouths. Some would stand directly in the middle of the road looking right at me as if to say, "I own this area. I ain't mooooving." As I got closer, they would run away, then stop and look back at me to see if I would chase them across the prairie. I learned what a cattle guard is and I now understand why they recommend not running across them, especially when they are wet.

From the start of the race to mile 64, I either ran alone (too lonely!) or with new friends I would pick up, and then ran with Harry starting at 64. Some of my new friends included Trent, Don from Missouri, Alan from DC, and Todd from Missouri. Previous ultras I have done were mainly on the east coast where most people have also run the same races you have. So it was fun meeting people from all over since the race is in the middle of the country. I also met Paul and Judy DeWitt from Colorado the night before at dinner. Paul was going for the course record and also using this as a training run for the 24-hour Across the Years. He had quite a lead when I saw him on the course, and he beat the previous course record by 4 minutes.

When I picked up Harry at mile 64, I also took my music and I asked him to stay behind me. This is typical for me because I like the feeling that it’s still just me out there with my own focus. But I also like the safety of having someone make sure that I drink and stay on course. At one point I asked him to move farther back. There was something about hearing his footsteps, even though I had my music on, that drove me nuts. He would hold my hand while I crossed the cattle guards because by that point, I was unsure of my footing and worried that one false move could land me on my butt.

The last 8 miles were completely flat and I had to walk it all. Without hills I couldn't run. But my walk pace was under 15:00/mile. I just wanted the race to be over. I was not concerned about any headlights behind me, I only looked ahead to where I thought the finish line might be.

Craig and Harry were awesome; they always knew what I needed and made suggestions that I hadn't thought of. At one aid stop, I was too focused on what I needed to do that I didn't realize they were wearing Groucho Marx glasses with the big noses, mustaches, and hairy eyebrows. Another time Harry asked if I wanted some water while I sat to change shoes, and he served it in a skull goblet. (Skulls are a big thing with us!) They took the best care of me, and my steady progress throughout the day along with my overall finish time is due greatly to them.

The aid station volunteers were so nice, ready to jump in for anyone. At mile 8, one guy helped me take off my wind pants over my shoes. He was also there at mile 92 so I got to thank him in person. They all worked long hours in those windy conditions yet still kept smiles on their faces, encouraging everyone and keeping the runners happy. The pre-race dinner was excellent, the course was very well-marked, and my crew had no trouble with the driving directions. Overall, the Heartland group puts on a great run! I would not be surprised if they close out a few weeks early in the near future.

I finished in 20:47... I didn't even think I would break 24 hours. That is a PR of roughly 6 hours and 45 minutes. Even my 50-mile split was a 50-mile PR. I maintained my first place woman status through the rest of the race and came home with a 13-lb rock as my trophy. There were 73 people registered, and I don't know how many started the race but I was 8th or 9th overall. And afterwards the race director told me that I had the 5th fastest women's time in the race's history. This is highly unusual for me; I typically finish a 100 in 27-28 hours. After my last 100-mile finish last summer at Mohican, I had to take several months to recover from a torn meniscus and calf muscle. With 2 rounds of physical therapy, I gradually built up to a half marathon, marathon, 50K, and 70-mile trail race within a year. Even days later, I am still wondering, “What just happened out there?” But more so, “How can I do that again!!”

Great job to all who ran Heartland, either the 100 or the 50! It’s difficult to explain to others how nice the ultra-running community is. Everyone seems to take care of each other, and running with someone is not so much competitive as it is working together for the common goal of finishing. It is a pleasure to be part of a wonderful community of runners.

Carrie Sauter

Woodbine, Maryland