We would be running three laps of 16.7 miles. The 100-milers who started in the morning were about half done by now. The race director said we could recognize them easily because they would likely be limping.

A friend of mine, Hank, had entered the 17-mile race. I figured that I could do two trips around the course by 9:00, and then we could hook up and run together for as long as I could keep up.

We started off by running through the campground and then entered the woods. Soon we were climbing a muddy single track up a steep hill. Thankfully, the trail was lined with saplings and small trees, as they provided something to grab to keep from slipping backward. Pretty soon, we made it to the top of the West Scenic Trail, an elevation change of 350 feet in less than a mile. I looked below me and saw a line of headlamps winding through the woods to the bottom of the hill, an amazing sight. After a short while, the trail became very icy. I mentally patted myself on the back for wearing my slip-on ice cleats.

After a couple of miles, a voice behind me shouted, “We’re now one-twentyfifth done! Woohoo!”

I replied over my shoulder, “My math ain’t so good now; how far have we come?”

“By my reckoning, that’s about two miles or so,” said another.

There were several conversations like that throughout the night. Someone in front of me or behind me would say something, sparking a conversation. Sometimes we would talk like that for a couple of miles, never seeing what the other looked like.

We descended the long, easy Cross Over Trail to aid station number 1. The aid station was lit up like a Christmas tree—literally. Christmas lights decorated the area and hung from trees, bushes, and tables. I filled my water bottle with a little HEED and headed over the concrete bridge that spanned the Zumbro River. From there we followed the single-track Bridge Trail along the river. There were a couple of streams that fed into the river, and log bridges were used to cross these. Thankfully, they were short, easy crossings.

The aid-station layout

Including the start/finish area, there were five aid stations on each 16.7-mile loop. The distance between aid station | and aid station 2 was the longest of the five at 4.33 miles. Another runner commented that not only was the distance between these two aid stations the longest, but it was also the toughest, hilliest, rockiest, and muddiest stretch in the race. Each time I ran this stretch, I remembered that runner’s words. As hard as I tried, I could not get that out of my head. I don’t know whether it was the hilliest, or the rockiest, or the muddiest stretch, but it was a tough mental obstacle to overcome.

ZUMBRO 100 Mile: RD’s Course Map With Mileages. DRAFT March 15, 2012.

Splits Miles Sum StarttoAS! 3.03 3,03 ASItoAS2 433 7.36 AS2toAS3 270 10.06 AS3 to AS4 396 1402 AS4to Finish 268 16.70

ELEVATION PerLoop: Per 100 Mites: Elev. Change 4,686FT 26,110FT GAIN: Z2o62FT = 14,052 FT LOSS: 2344FT 14,064 FT

2012 Zumbro 100 Mile Elevation Profile (Repeat 16.7 Mile Loop 6 Times}

Even though it was dark, I saw a couple of memorable sights in this area. I happened to be leading a few runners down the trail (only because I am slow and they could not pass on the single-track trail) when I noticed a light moving off

to my left, near the ground. What’s going on? I envisioned a hurt runner with a twisted ankle or a bad knee.

What if there’s blood? How would we get him out? I hoped it wasn’t too serious.