Fat Ox USATF 24 Hour Championships

My interest in the 24 hour run started in my senior year in high school. Along with a few friends, we aimed to walk/jog continuously for the entire day. As a cross country runner I was no stranger to long distances but I was naive to the mental toughness it requires to remain awake and moving through the night. At age 18, I bailed before nightfall and simply did a routine long run the next day. Then finally at age 22, I ran my first ultra, Leadville 100 which took me over 26 hours. However, it was not a true test of the distance I could cover over favorable terrain, so in 2019 I ran Desert Solstice and covered 115.36 miles. However, I took a 2.5 hour nap after hitting a 100 and was not satisfied with my efforts. In 2024, I tried Desert Solstice again but was forced to bail very early with an anterior tibialis injury. 

In 2025 I decided to attempt the Fat Ox USATF 24 hour championships. I felt confident, in my build to November I ran 7 ultra distance races including a 3:16 50K, two trail 100 milers (Mohican 18:22 and Pine to Palm 20:22), and a 30:54 10K in early November at the PNW USTATF Championships (okay it was 9375m, but the measurement error was the RDs fault). The early part of my year was all about injury recovery from Desert Solstice, but then I transitioned to vertical heavy short distance ultras. As spring turned to summer, my attention switched to mid range vertical long distance ultras. But autumn was all about cross country workouts and long road runs in preparation for the 24 hour championship. 

I arrived in Phoenix in the late morning of November 21st and while I waited for my dad and Maryann, I birded an airport parking lot and identified 5 species. From the airport parking lot we made our way to Estrella Regional Park and we went for a short hike in the mountains surrounding the .988 mile race loop. The crisp desert air and deceptively barren landscape put me in the right headspace for a 24 hour race. I have never competed in a 24 hour event that was not in the desert, so my mind associates Maricopa county with the gratifying monotony of fixed time events. After I completed the Quail trail loop, I briefly wished that a mountain trail race were ahead of me instead of a looped concrete path. 

I checked in at the start/finish, declared my shoes, and previewed the course. I am typically unable to preview a course in its entirety so this was a rare privilege. Upon arriving at my hotel, I set out all of my supplies for the race and was satisfied with the simplicity. I think of myself as a true minimalist, it is my goal to run ultras in the least consumptive way possible. I truly dislike gear, I am not a shoe guy, and I hate most typical race nutrition. Therefore if I included it in my pre race bag, I am damn sure I might actually use it. After preparing my race gear, I went for a frigid 260 meter swim in the outdoor pool before going to sleep. 

The race got underway at 0800 and the weather was favorable, cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid 50s. I was fortunate enough to share an aid station table with Jonah Backstrom again. We first met at the 2024 USATF 100K championships and then shared a table at the 2024 Desert Solstice event.  I ran many of the early miles with Jonah and we clicked off consistent splits around 8:27 per mile. We started in the counterclockwise direction. After surpassing 6 hours each runner in the field switches to the clockwise direction. So if a runner passes the start finish area 1 second before 6 hours, that runner completes the lap and turns when passing by the start/finish the next time. I switched directions at 6:08:05 with 43.5 miles. After the first 43.5 miles I was in 2nd place and trailing by over 5 miles to Scott Munson. However, I knew that I was on pace for 170 miles, which was 25 miles more than my goal. Either Scott would beat me by an insurmountable margin or I would eventually catch him.

I knew that 170 miles was not attainable for me with my current 24 hour abilities, my goal was to run 145 miles and minimize the extent of my inevitable blow up with an ambitious but mildly conservative first 12 hours. The first 6 hours was uneventful, other than my shoe change around mile 27. I changed from my Nike Vaporflies to my Saucony Kinvaras. My legs were feeling very sore and upon switching to the Kinvaras I immediately felt relieved. The Vaporflies are great for 50K to 100K moving at sub 7 minute pace, but for longer distances, I do not think that they work well for me. Plus I trained almost exclusively in the Kinvaras and I should have played the way I practiced. Lesson learned.

The change in direction is a big moment, it only happens 3 times throughout the day and there is very little change in a looped fixed time course. I relish in the possibility of anything different. Temperatures warmed into the mid 60s and a filtered sun necessitated sunglasses but the skies remained mostly overcast. Dad and Maryann arrived mid morning and crewed for me, refilling my bottles and getting me food as needed. I generally carried a .5 L water bottle and took 2 electrolyte capsules every 45 minutes to an hour. I ate gel chews and slices of a tuna sub every couple of laps. Past mile 50, my pace began to falter and I began running splits in the high 8 minute to mid 9 minute range. During this time period I shared some miles with Scott Traer, an old friend and member of the national 24 hour team. He kept even splits and passed me about 76 miles into the race.

As the day turned to night, Dad and Maryann went out to pick up my requests: another tuna sub and a large vanilla milkshake. When they arrived back I chugged half the milkshake and used the next couple of miles to digest it. At dusk the rain started and it rarely let up through the night. As I approached the midway point, Dad and Maryann took off for the day and I prepared to face the night without formal crewing. The second direction change occurred for me at mile 80 in 12:09:04. This put me on pace for 158.2 miles and I knew that my 145 mile goal was in jeopardy. Even if I was still on pace, I saw the writing on the wall and knew that it would be a tall order to run another 65 miles in the next 12 hours. 

I pressed on none-the-less and slowed my run to a walk when needed. In this third 6 hour segment I shared some miles with early leader, Scott Munson, who was finally showing some kinks in the amor. He crested 100 miles while I was still at a mere 92.9 miles, but he was slowing at a faster rate than me. Throughout the third segment of the race (hours 12 to 18), deep puddles had accumulated on the hard concrete path. My shoes became saturated and socks were soaked. I changed them periodically but blisters began to form. I ran the night section without a headlamp after trying it briefly. I realized it was unnecessary based on the ambient light of a desert sky on the outskirts of a bustling metropolis. In addition to running with Traer and Munson periodically, I also shared some miles with Polina Hodnette who was leading the women’s race. The conversations really helped to keep me engaged in the race and awake through the night. I hit 100 miles in about 15:57, which was a new PR for me by over an hour. Unfortunately there is something problematic about a 100 miles in a fixed time event, because I had to take my longest breaks shortly after hitting triple digits. 

Between 16:08:40 and 17:31:33 I only did 3 miles and spent the majority of the time in the tent by the heater. During this time period I had slipped out of the top 3. But finally at 17:31:33, I hit the trail with Pam Smith and Stella Springer. They are both trail and ultra legends and have competed in numerous world championships. We clicked off the next 3 miles in a fast walking pace and I felt my legs coming back. I made the final direction change at 18:03:22 with 105.7 miles. This meant I was now at 10:14 pace or on pace for 140.7 miles. My goal distance was likely out of reach.

For lap 110, my pace was down to 7:39, and I actually found it easier to run faster splits than slow miles. However, this style necessitated a few more rest stops and walking breaks. During this final lap I ran many miles solo, but I ran periodically with Polina and Pam. I clicked off a 6:49 and 7:04 back to back on lap 120 and 121, but had to take a tent rest break on lap 123. At mile 122, I moved my way back into 2nd place behind Scott Traer and generally hobbled my way around the track until the sun rose. At 23:32:14, I hit 129.5 at which point my dad and Maryann came back to watch the finish. I joined Sho Gray and Melanie Wilson for the final two laps. I hit 131.4 miles in 23:59:01 and tacked on an additional .13 miles before the time ran out. 

Even though I missed my goal distance of 145 miles, I am happy that I continued to push myself and elevate myself into 2nd place by the finish. In addition to the hard challenge, I also enjoyed meeting new friends and visiting with old ones. Thanks to the Fat Ox race directors and volunteers, thanks to USATF, thanks to dad and Maryann for crewing and thanks to Carla and Todd for letting me crash at their house following the race. I will be back again to tackle the elusive 145 mile barrier!