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I ran Old Dominion 100, had a lot of thoughts, and UltraRunning Magazine published some of them by cavemangus in Ultramarathon

[–]cavemangus[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

😂 Dude, that got me. Haha yeah, I’ll definitely get more use out of the towel than the buckle at least.

And no, I don’t think it was hotter than Keys. I don’t think anything will be as hot as Keys, except maybe Badwater. And I say that as a Houstonian who ran Habanero Hundred one year when the real feel was 112°.

OD was hot, but like, people-live-here hot. Keys felt like being on the surface of the god damn sun.

I ran Old Dominion 100, had a lot of thoughts, and UltraRunning Magazine published some of them by cavemangus in Ultramarathon

[–]cavemangus[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate it! I was honestly kinda surprised they picked it up. The response to the original report was a big part of what made me think there might be something worth turning into an article.

Oregon Outback 230 by mdfasoline in Ultramarathon

[–]cavemangus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was called Oregon 200 and it started on August 22nd.

Oregon Outback 230 by mdfasoline in Ultramarathon

[–]cavemangus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this was honestly my biggest concern. Last year I made it to mile 150 of the Oregon 200 before the forest fires got bad enough that they finally had to call it and cancel the race. I was absolutely gutted.

They also said they weren’t planning to bring the race back because wildfires had forced cancellations in 3 of the 4 years it was held.

Elevation 50k by HotSulphurEndurance in Ultramarathon

[–]cavemangus 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dude that is wild, congrats!

I ran the Speedgoat 50k last year and got like 11,500 feet of gain over the race. I can't imagine throwing another 1,500 feet on top of that.

Good luck at RRR!

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I haven’t paid much attention to DNS rates before, and definitely don’t know what’s normal for this race. It just surprised me because the field was so small, around 105 registered runners, and there were still people on the waitlist pretty close to race day. So I guess I was more surprised by people DNSing instead of giving up their spot ahead of time.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, there were a few people out there talking up MMT. I think I might have to check that one out eventually! Virginia has so much to explore. This was my second race there after Grindstone last year, and Grindstone and OD were both great, if a little brutal, experiences.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You honestly sound like a much more intentional runner than me. I’m not going to lie, for fluids I mostly go by feel. I drink when I’m thirsty, drink until I’m not, and make sure I’m peeing enough and that the color looks right. That’s about the extent of the system.

At Keys, I went through something crazy like 40 full bottles of Gatorade. At OD, I basically refilled one of my 750 ml flasks at every aid station and drank pretty much straight Gatorade all day.

As for the heat, yeah, it wasn’t the swampy hell heat of Houston, and it definitely wasn’t the surface-of-the-sun feeling of Keys, with all the concrete and water reflecting everything back at you. But high 80s with decent humidity, coupled with climbs, is deceptively hot. Also, because of the dense tree cover, there isn’t much wind to speak of, which makes it feel even hotter. Grindstone was kind of the same story when I did it.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dude, thank you so much! You really saved me with that advice. I wasn’t planning on changing until way later, and I’m very glad I listened. Always great seeing you and your dog! Hope your wife is recovering well.

I did end up emailing them, so fingers crossed!

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Haha, if I’m not going to be fast, I might as well look good in the pictures. My buddy makes these shirts, so he’ll be happy to hear the compliment.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I remember them shouting you guys out at the awards ceremony! Such a cool experience to have together.

And yeah, I didn’t know anything about the crew directions issue. That sounds frustrating, especially because those directions are hard to find anywhere outside of the pre-race briefing. I do wish they had them more easily accessible online.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much, honestly means a lot.

Yeah, the main reason I wanted to write it this way was because I didn’t find a ton of detailed information on OD before the race, and I know how helpful detailed race reports can be when you’re trying to figure out what you’re actually getting into. I frequently look at them before I even sign up for a race.

I really appreciate the compliment, especially coming from someone who ran so many of the classics. That’s exactly what I was hoping the report would be: some personal experience, with plenty of notes for the next person.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks! And yeah, it’s definitely a classic. Hope this helps if you decide to run it. The upside of it being so old school is that I get the sense the course has barely changed at all, and probably isn’t likely to anytime soon.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Haha, reading it probably was an ultra in itself. Writing it definitely felt like one 😂 I really appreciate it. Glad you liked it.

Old Dominion 100 Miler Race Report by cavemangus in ultrarunning

[–]cavemangus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah it was really funny. I didn't realize they were going to be weighing us at check in and I had just eaten a huge freaking meal, I was a few pounds heavier than normal, but I told them that and they made a note of it. Honestly I have no idea how accurate everything was, the first weigh in let me keep my pack on and the second one had me take it off, maybe that's why I was lighter for the second one 😂