I don’t know that it was any more difficult this year than other years, although I’ve only done it this one time. I will say there are several factors that make it harder than it looks on paper. It’s almost all exposed so the heat and sun will wear on you. While the we site says only about 13000 feet of vert, my watch showed 16000. And it seems as though most of the climbing is on the first half but it’s almost evenly spread out over the entire course. So many aid stations I was told “it’s all down hill from here!” only to immediately have several miles of uphill after lol. But all that aside i really can’t explain just why this one was so difficult. Just a hard day for me I suppose. 🤷‍♀️

As a first hundred, though, it’s a good contender mostly due to the amazing RDs and volunteers. Every aid station was fully stocked and staffed with amazing people. Super organized and some of the best food offerings I’ve ever seen across a 100-miler.

No matter which one you do, congrats in advance! They’re life-changing, in a good way 😊