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This is my 50-mile ultramarathon race recap from the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock ultramarathon that I finished exactly one week ago today. I want to share the full story of the day – the highs, the lows, the strategy, and what it felt like to be back racing ultras after working through injury and rebuilding my fitness this year.
For context, I’ve documented a lot of my training, tapering, and preparation on my YouTube channel, and there’s a race video coming soon as well. But I love doing these formal podcast-style recaps because they capture the mindset, emotions, and details that don’t always make it into the video highlights.
A lot of people ask how you pick an ultramarathon. The truth is, this wasn’t necessarily a dream race or bucket list event – it was a practical choice that fit my timeline perfectly.
I’d been training all year and needed to sign up for something before my schedule got crazy. I’m traveling for a conference, my husband Regis is attempting another 100-miler in early November (which I’ll be pacing and crewing), and then I’m traveling through the holidays. It was basically “end of September or early October, or wait until next year.”
I was on UltraSignup looking through races in that timeframe. Initially, there were only 50K openings and I was considering flying to Arizona for a race. But when I checked back, there was a 50-mile opening at Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock in North Carolina. It felt like fate, so I signed up immediately.
The course appealed to me because it matched my training this year – more runnable trail with two big climbs rather than constant technical climbing. Since moving back to the East Coast, I’ve been running more miles than ever before versus tons of hiking and power hiking, so this seemed like a good fit for the fitness I’d built.
I arrived Thursday and stayed through Friday to prep. I was definitely a nervous Nancy on Friday – my appetite was all over the place, which is normal for me before big races. The stress of preparing gear, nutrition, and coordinating with my crew always heightens my anxiety.
Sleep was rough Thursday night (two nights before the race), which is frustrating because that’s when you want your best sleep. There’s something about sleeping in unfamiliar places that affects your brain’s ability to get into deep sleep.
Friday night was better though. I had trouble falling asleep, but it wasn’t nervous energy – it was more like first-day-of-school excitement. I was genuinely excited to get out there and do the thing.
We got up around 4 AM and headed to the start at 5 AM. The race began at 6 AM in the dark, and it was much more humid than I’d hoped for. That humidity would catch up to me later in the day.
The Start and First Climb
The first six miles before the first aid station, I was totally alone running in the dark. The opening was a mob scene with about 60 people, all bottlenecked together for the first few miles. I used this time to find my pace, walking uphill sections I knew I’d be power hiking later anyway.
A big part of my ultra strategy is to power hike almost anything early that I might power hike later in the day. This race was slightly different because there were more gradual running inclines, but that conservative start served me well.
First Major Lesson: Start Conservative
Around mile 2-3, once the field spread out, I hit my first low. I was tired (no morning caffeine), sweating through my shirt from the humidity, and struggling to get into a rhythm. I remember thinking “I’m having a low this early? What kind of day am I about to have?”
But as soon as the sun came up around mile 6-7 at the first aid station, everything changed. I felt instantly better – it’s amazing what daylight does for your energy and motivation.
Crew Support and Nutrition Strategy
My crew (Regis, Sarah, and Tatum) met me at mile 12-13 at the top of Pilot Mountain. There was no water at this aid station (frustrating!), so Regis sprinted back to get Gatorade from the car. I ended up with this incredibly sweet, salty concoction – element + liquid IV + Gatorade – that was probably the saltiest thing I’ve ever consumed, but I chugged it immediately.
I knew I was slightly under calories at this point, so I stuffed my running belt with Ritz crackers and pretzels. For the next hour until I saw my crew again, I was shoving crackers in my mouth and chugging that salty Gatorade mixture – probably 400+ calories in that section alone.
The Heat Hits
Miles 20-35 were the toughest mentally. The pattern was consistent: I’d leave an aid station feeling awful for a few miles, get really in my head (“my legs can’t do this”), then tell myself “you’re lying, your legs are moving, your brain is lying to you,” and push through until I felt good again.
The heat was brutal. I was dunking myself in every creek crossing, pouring water over my head, soaking my hat. Regis said it wasn’t that hot, but I was gushing sweat and feeling overheated. I think I lost some heat adaptation during my cooler taper period.
Playlist Power
Around mile 28-29, I switched to my “Manic Pixie Trail Runner” playlist, and it literally saved my day. Music is so important to me during ultras – it makes the experience magical and enhances everything.
The moment that perfectly encapsulated this race was when “Woman” by Kesha came on during a hot, exposed road section. I started singing out loud, laughing at how ridiculous and amazing this sport is. That’s when I knew I was back in a good headspace.
Mile 35: When My Race Really Began
I had it in my head that mile 35 was when my race would truly begin. Even though there were 15 miles left, getting to mile 35 was my biggest mental hurdle. Something about that number represented getting into unfamiliar territory.
Right before reaching my crew at mile 35, I threw up on the side of the road (thanks to a truck full of manure driving by in the heat), then kept going like nothing happened. That’s ultrarunning for you.
The Final Climbs
The Hanging Rock section featured the biggest, steepest, most technical climbing of the day. My headphones died right as I entered this section, which was devastating since music is so important to me. But I managed with my phone on speaker and kept pushing.
This is where my climbing strength really showed. I was passing people consistently on the steep, rocky sections – it’s just what I’m good at. The aid station I thought was at the top of the climb was actually 2 miles past where I expected, but I kept pushing hard thinking water was just ahead.
The Magic of Coca-Cola
When I finally reached that aid station, I chugged an entire can of Coke. If you’ve ever done an ultramarathon, you know that full-sugar Coke in the middle of a race is like the nectar of the gods. Combined with it finally cooling down and being done with the major climbing, I felt like lightning had struck my soul.
The last 6 miles were pure magic. I was running as hard as I could on rocky, rooty terrain, picking off people I hadn’t seen for hours. I had my “Missy Elliott Made Me Do It” playlist blasting, and I felt absolutely unstoppable.
I texted Regis: “I’m coming in hot, I want to drop my stuff and roll to the finish.” When I reached the final crew point, I was so amped up that Regis had to calm me down – “You still have an hour of running left, you need to eat and drink.”
Those final miles through the fairy-tale forest section with waterfalls and rock crossings were the most beautiful part of the course. I was running harder than I had all day, feeling incredible, and completely in the zone.
I hit mile 50 at 12:05 (the course was about 1.5 miles long), which was only 8-9 minutes behind my 2019 50-miler time. For someone coming back from injury with limited speed training, that felt incredibly meaningful.
I’m not as fast a runner as I was in 2019, but I’m a smarter, more experienced, better prepared trail and ultra runner now. That showed up on race day. I had a good day out there, pushed hard the entire time, trusted myself, and didn’t let negativity derail me.
Hitting that time within 10 minutes of my previous 50-miler, on a similar course with comparable elevation, felt like a symbol of how hard I’ve worked this entire year to get back to this point.
Race Results
I finished 25th out of 50 overall (solid mid-pack), and 3rd female out of 14 women. While the first and second place women finished 1-2 hours ahead of me respectively, I’m proud of the effort I gave and how I executed my race plan.
My recovery has been surprisingly smooth – better than almost any race recovery I can remember. I took 5 full days off, then did a light 12-minute workout on Friday. I think this reflects both good fueling during the race (I finished strong without feeling bonky or depleted) and being better trained than I initially thought.
Key Takeaways
If this race recap has inspired you to consider your own ultramarathon journey, proper training and preparation are essential. The Lyss Method offers comprehensive running programs that can take you from 5K to ultramarathon distance with intelligent progression and injury prevention built in.
For those interested in understanding the fundamentals of endurance training, my Strong Runners series provides a foundation in building the strength and resilience needed for long-distance running.
Nutrition strategy is equally important for ultra success. My Fast and Fed Guide breaks down exactly how to fuel before, during, and after long training sessions and races to optimize performance and recovery.
I’m still figuring out next year’s goals, but I definitely want to race again. For now, I’m excited to pull back a little, add some strength training back in, and work on potentially getting some speed back in a way that doesn’t cause hip pain.
I’ll be pacing Regis in his 100-miler next month, so I need to maintain some fitness for that. But I’m looking forward to the flexibility of mixing runs, aerobic capacity workouts, and strength training as we head into the holidays.
The most important thing is that I had so much fun out there. These rare moments in races where you feel good while finishing show you who you are when you see hard things through. It’s like life encapsulated into a few miles, and it’s absolutely magical.
That feeling – pushing through something intentionally uncomfortable and seeing yourself do what you said you were going to do – is why I fell in love with fitness and exercise to begin with. I wish I could bottle that up and share it with everyone.
Keywords: ultramarathon training, 50 mile race recap, trail running, ultra running nutrition, endurance training, race strategy, mental toughness, ultramarathon recovery, trail running tips, ultra running mindset, endurance racing, long distance running
I’m Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. I am here to bring science to your training in a no-nonsense way. I have helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, and even do both. I’m here to help you do the same!
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