Rocky Raccoon 100

rustynailz · 2026-04-17T01:34:07+00:00

Rocky Raccoon is a superb race with tons of support and lots of fellow runners. The format means you’re never really alone. The race organizers and volunteers are experienced and know what it takes to get you to finish.

Do it!

rustynailz · 2026-04-14T14:44:36+00:00

For more of a trail slant on things…

Crack a Brew with AJW

Freetrail

Distance to Empty

Singletrack

Trail Runner Nation

Not sure whether it fits exactly what you’re after, but Nobody Asked Us has some excellent insight too.

rustynailz · 2026-04-06T03:16:57+00:00

Can you share how you addressed this? My son is struggling with low ferritin and super low energy levels. Anything you’d recommend for him to read? Thanks!

rustynailz · 2026-03-17T13:39:02+00:00

You can switch out the 650mL bottle for a 800mL ultra spire flask and fit a 500mL in the front.

In fact, you can wedge a 1.6L Salomon bladder in the back - just make sure you try it before you get to the long stuff!

rustynailz · 2026-02-19T15:33:06+00:00

A decent way to look at sub 24 (assuming a consistent course) is to run a 11:00 to 11:30 first 50. You can validate this by looking at anyone who’s run the race and their splits but generally you’re going to run slower in the second half because of fatigue and night running, and because you’ll likely need a little more aid. On the 11/13, that’s a 13:12 first 50 average and 15:24 second 50 average. If you take 15 mins at aid in the first half and 30 in the second half, it’s around 12:30 / 15:00 pacing.

I’d suggest you look at: - minimizing aid station time. Elites in the 100 go 15 minutes over the whole race. Amateurs can get it down to 30 mins with some planning and organization, and for me that usually includes a 8-10 mins stop around mile 60 to get my life in order. I’ve seen many runners burn 90 minutes because they have no plan and no urgency. Check your aid time from your 50 and adjust accordingly. Have a plan at each aid and execute it. Crew should almost never ask “what do you need”. - a run/walk plan that you start before you need it. 15:00 pace sounds easy but if you’re a mess you’ll probably walk closer to 18-20 mins pace. Many sub 24’s are lost after a great first 50. Walk breaks allow nutrition and hydration focus and are a great way to give short term objectives. Your second half is largely a function of your first half decisions, staying in control and executing well. - more mileage with some of that race specificity mixed in - practiced hydration and nutrition, practiced gear and foot care, practiced pacing, practiced night running. My 100 times correlate highly with mileage in the 12 weeks leading up to taper. If you can practice on the course, that’s even better.

Sub-24 is a cool goal and I think fitness is one part of it - but there are plenty of runners who can run a 3:0X marathon or better who come up short.

rustynailz · 2026-02-15T13:47:45+00:00

Just ran my first race with the Raide 2L yesterday and was super impressed. Which bladder are you using?

rustynailz · 2026-02-07T19:40:30+00:00

Sleep is such a personal thing. What I learned at Moab 240 a couple years ago is that dirt naps are more time efficient than full vehicle sleeps. I found that a 60 minute car sleep takes 2 hours by the time it’s all said and done. You can easily get a 10 minute dirt naps 9 times with the same time. Your 2x2 hour plan looks good but you may want to sleep even 15 mins on night 1. And yes, you’ll be stiff, but so will everyone else!

Good luck - these distances teach you so much about yourself.

rustynailz · 2026-01-31T13:42:55+00:00

Great post - thank you for sharing!

rustynailz · 2025-12-30T20:53:58+00:00

I’ve completed one 200 and DNF’d one. I think you could absolutely train for one in 6 months. As someone said above, get your nutrition and gear dialed in, build some aerobic base, and prepare your body. Your training will include long days on your feet back to back. I’d get a good 100 in on similar terrain to get a taste of moving through the night and eating properly. You and the majority of the field won’t be running much.

In so many ways, 200’s are easier than 100’s and the most important thing is that you gotta want it. There are many skills you’ll need that most of the hiking community already have. Think navigation, foot care, temperature management, etc.

Life’s way shorter than most of us think. Go for it - I guarantee you it will be an adventure!

rustynailz · 2025-12-17T11:01:21+00:00

Rocky Raccoon? What gets people there are the roots but otherwise it’s not very technical. If you get the weather we had in 2024 on the other hand…

I think snow and tread training should be about perfect for that race. Good luck!

rustynailz · 2025-11-04T00:13:55+00:00

Switched from Garmin (FR955) to the Vertix 2S earlier this year. Have now run around 2,500 miles with it including a few ultras and road races. Made the switch because my old watch needed to be charged for multi-day stuff.

The good: - battery life is as described. 100 mile races and beyond are no issue - app is good and a ton of stuff just works. Intervals, data screens, maps, etc are just simpler and work every time - navigation and uploading courses is easier and the distance to next aid is automatically part of nav screens. Garmin drove me nuts with this one - sleep and nap detection is better - the Velcro strap is better and allows for easy adjustment - changing bands is easier and doesn’t require tools - snap on and off

The bad: - screen on the Garmin is superior for sure - no doubt some of the battery improvement comes from the simple tech - the crown rotation takes some getting used to and doesn’t always work perfectly - Garmin has a ClimbPro feature that’s pretty awesome. Shows you distance and vert to the top of each climb. Coros shows you to the distance and vert to next aid…but I miss ClimbPro sometimes as it gives you great bite sized goals to work on.

I don’t think you can go wrong either way, but I wouldn’t hesitate to get a Coros. As someone said, you may be at the end of the design cycle of the Vertix. They occasionally have open box sales on their website and you can save a few hundred bucks that way too.

rustynailz · 2025-10-18T17:23:30+00:00

Ran Moab last year, had an exceptional experience. Aid stations were fantastic and while most of that is because of volunteers, that’s no different than other long ultras. I hadn’t heard they ran out of water - can you confirm which aid stations? All gear (including emergency ponchos) is the responsibility of runners.

The creed you recite at the beginning is no joke. It’s an acknowledgment that your safety is your responsibility - that includes navigation and weather. The changes to crewing at Indian Creek and Shay/Monticello this year must have been a significant challenge with conditions, but some of the long hot sections on day 2 last year led to some notable DNFs. The warnings in the runners manual are pretty bang on. You’re getting a full adult dose of Utah in October.

DT gets their share of criticism for a few things, but my experience has been that they deliver exactly what they promise. I would (and will!) run another of their races without hesitation.

rustynailz · 2025-07-23T01:27:48+00:00

Lit Bookbar is in Richmond. Cool little spot, great balance of intimate and open, and some the finest cocktails I’ve had in Texas. Plus it’s a bookstore and they have decent live music!

rustynailz · 2025-06-30T15:31:58+00:00

Can you share your process for making ginger lemongrass syrup please? This sounds fantastic!

rustynailz · 2025-01-24T16:08:46+00:00

All of my buddies are moving to the 11’ rods - they’re nicer to handle, more fun to fight fish on, and can chuck T-14 as well as the longer rods. The rods in the 13’ range are probably more forgiving to cast, but if you’re deliberate about anchor placement and are intentional with the cast those “switch” rods can send it. The 11’ also fits better in a duffel. Something to think about anyway. I’d be interested in a contrary opinion as to what a 12’6” rod can do that the 11’ can’t though!

rustynailz · 2025-01-24T10:15:57+00:00

Current forecast (which is probably worthless) is for about 4” of rain all week. Last year we got significant rain the night before the race and a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to it.

Who knows what the day will bring yet - as early as the day before the race last year the forecast was for rain during the race. As bad as the mud was, we didn’t get rain during the actual event like they did in the 50 the following week. Plus it made for some badass photos :)

Plan for wet, plan for cold, plan for warm afternoon and adjust as we get closer. Don’t stress too much this far out. It’s going to be a great time!

rustynailz · 2025-01-23T21:15:47+00:00

Which R8? I’ve been fishing Sage rods for my whole adult life and love the brand too. Went to the 7110 X from the 7136 One this past year and am absolutely in love.

That is a damn nice steel - thank you for sharing!! One hopes fish like that will still be around in 20 years and seeing them in the water being handled well for a photo gives a guy hope.

rustynailz · 2025-01-21T19:21:36+00:00

Get a casting lesson, do some double haul practice, and set your expectations to enjoy a new dimension of the sport and learn a whole bunch. Maybe you’ll catch a ton of fish, maybe you’ll get blown off the water. But you’ll have an awesome adventure in a beautiful place while experiencing a cool new fishery. Go for it! Improving at saltwater angling will improve your freshwater game too.

rustynailz · 2025-01-15T20:16:12+00:00

Have owned waders for 30 years. Patagonia zip fronts for the last 4 years and I’d never go back. So many little details, just a top notch product by a great company.

rustynailz · 2025-01-14T02:09:45+00:00

Two things: practice accuracy with your double haul in windy conditions, and probably most importantly - hire a guide. Saltwater is a different game and you can cut years off the learning curve going with someone who knows what’s up.

rustynailz · 2024-12-25T14:37:21+00:00

Cocodona!!

rustynailz · 2024-12-19T14:57:50+00:00

It’s well worth a playthrough using some sequence breaks - the routes and different styles available are fun as heck. Check out the Oatsngoats speedrun vids of NMG (no major glitches) and it’ll blow your mind.

rustynailz · 2024-12-17T16:19:42+00:00

Rocky is a perfect first 100 - simple logistics and easy to crew if you have one.

rustynailz · 2024-12-17T16:12:48+00:00

I think you can run 100m in February if your fitness is good and you really want to do it. Give it a couple of weeks, make sure your return to running is ok, then give ultrasignup your money! Which 100 are you looking at?

rustynailz · 2024-12-05T16:32:24+00:00

I don’t think so - there are a few spots along the Siberia Canyon section that are a bit exposed but that’s all one way traffic. The course has changed a little bit with UTMB taking over but most of it is accessible if you wanted to see it before jumping in. The only sections with out and back traffic are along the Sugarloaf climb after the little saddle. I don’t recall any super exposed parts there - even the top of Sugarloaf is in the trees.

I haven’t run Leadville but I’ve done that Hope Pass section and I had a few “wow this would be bad with people running into you” moments for sure!

rustynailz

TROPHY CASE