You would think that since my last race went so well taking a more relaxed approach and focusing on having fun vs. running a fast time that I would try it again for this 50 miler. Well, I didn’t. And I paid for it.

After using a taper that left my legs actually feeling energized leading up to the race, I was getting pretty excited for race morning to finally get here. However, I got caught up in this feeling and decided to go out near the front for the first 13 miles of the race.

Things were going great, until they didn’t. I was nestled in right behind my training partner Greg Hexum as we cruised along in 2nd/3rd place for a while. After getting through quite possibly the craziest section of roots of any trail in the world (between Finland and Sonju Lake, and even beyond), we came into the Crosby Manitou aid station in the top 5 – about 12 miles in.

Shortly after leaving this aid station I could tell something was a bit off but couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I decided to let Hexum go and try to work on whatever my body was doing. I’m not sure if it was the quick start or maybe having a bit too much fiber for breakfast, but my stomach was beginning to not feel so great.

While I was still covering ground relatively well, the stomach issues did not go away. My gels no longer sounded good – nothing sounded good. This began a solid 2+ hours where I did not take in any calories…a big no-no in the world of endurance events. Without the necessary calories coming in to partially offset those being burnt off by moving along on the trail, I began to have less energy. Less energy means you don’t run as fast, which means time between aid stations increases. I started to get a bit dizzy and my legs felt like they were suddenly filled with cement.

The Sugarloaf aid station was rough, but got out of there and on my way. Looking back, I should have stayed here longer to re-group. But I pressed on. By the time I was approaching the next aid station at Cramer Road, I had made up my mind that I was going to drop out. I had been hiking a lot, feeling even worse, and still not eating anything. I was an emotional mess and already had most of the race recap post written in my head about needing to drop out of a race for the first time. I jokingly told a fellow 50 miler, who was having some issues of his own, that if my wife let me, I would be done.

I slowly made my way into the Cramer Road check-in, bummed that I would not be going any further, but looking forward to hanging out with my family and moving ahead to cheer on Hexum as he was having a great race. I met my crew chief Mike Bushey first and told him I was done. First words out of his mouth were, “No you’re not.” I wanted to punch him. After calming down and actually listening to him, he had some very wise advice! However, it was not enough to change my mind. I went over to my wife, who was busy wrangling the three kiddos (all under the age of 6, including our 3 month old) and told her I was done. Guess what she said?

“No you’re not.”

What the hell?!? Apparently they didn’t understand I was finished. I was starting to get upset. I mumbled some stuff about how my legs were so heavy we’d be out here until 10 PM because I’d have to hike the rest of the race, and I wasn’t eating, and on and on. Neither Nichole nor Bushey wanted to hear it.

Bushey made me go over to the food table and start eating anything that remotely sounded good. I reluctantly did so, eventually eating a couple baby dill pickles that tasted AMAZING! A couple bites of a PB&J. Maybe a sour gummy worm or something. Then some canned/peeled potatoes dipped in salt. I decided to down quite a few pickles and potatoes, along with some club soda.

After some more talking and saying goodbye to my family, it was back on to the trail heading to Lutsen. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it there, but figured I’d try (since I didn’t have a choice apparently). Also, Andrew was right there with me saying, “10 more steps Schmidty!” So I started hiking out of the Cramer Road aid station putting one foot in front of the other, 10 steps at a time.

After about 5 minutes of hiking I started to feel some energy come back to my body and decided to give jogging a try. I didn’t feel all that bad, so I kept it up. My stomach still didn’t feel the best, but I had some calories to work with finally and was no longer hiking – progress!

A couple more hours (and aid stations) of this, along with some unsuccessful attempts to get whatever was making my stomach feel like junk out of my stomach, I made it to the Sawbill aid station after descending from Carlton Peak.

I was still in rough shape, but seeing a bunch of friendly faces at the aid station helped and was able to take in some more calories. After my daughter Eilee showed me the way to the trail (had to laugh at that, it was so cute!), I was on my way.

Shortly after saying goodbye I started to feel pretty good. This section of the race went smoothly and I found myself at the Oberg aid station – the final one before Lutsen!

I kept the routine going of pickles and potatoes, hung out some more with everyone waiting for me, and walked out of the aid station chatting with Bushey for a little bit.

I said bye to him and suddenly felt INCREDIBLE!! Talk about a turn of events after feeling so terrible, but I was back!

I was able to absolutely fly (by my standards anyway) through the final 7-ish miles, despite being over 43 miles into the race with some gnarly terrain to cover. I wish I could replicate the way I felt during this stretch every time I run! Maybe someday 🙂

I ended up catching quite a few 50 milers after that last aid station, 3 of which were in the final 3/4 of a mile, with the last about 10 feet before the finish. Even though my race didn’t go how I originally planned, making that sort of comeback, and feeling that good towards the end, got me pretty jacked up.

I was able to finish the race in 11:14:04 good for 16th place (vs. 10:25:28, 6th place in 2018). I learned a lot about myself through the roller-coaster of a day and am proud of pushing through the difficult moments. I am thankful Nichole and Bushey did not let me drop out! And I am thankful for simply having the ability to do crazy adventures like this – it is not something I take for granted.

Meanwhile, Greg had a much different race. He ran solid all day and proved why he’s one of the all-time best trail runners in the Midwest. He ran a very smart, controlled race and ended up finishing 2nd overall, taking the Master’s title, and covering the course in the 4th fastest time ever (8:43:26)! Plain and simple – he’s a beast!

I’d like to thank my wife Nichole for this year of me: going off on crazy training runs, needing to get a run in before/after some family function, being tired, and putting so much effort into this event. I could not have done it without her, and love that she has the courage to bring all three kids out to cheer on their daddy – getting out of, and back into the van – for a seemingly all-day event. She’s a rockstar and I am extremely lucky/blessed to call her my wife!

Congrats to all who participated in the Marathon/50/100 mile races, and thanks to all of the volunteers who make a weekend like this possible!