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Author: Patrick Durante

Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey.  You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.

The Importance of Setting an Example Master Runner PodcastMaster Runner

The Importance of Setting an Example Master Runner Podcast

Published by Patrick Durante on December 6, 2022

I ran with Mike Warren at Rim to River 100 a few weeks ago and he then invited me to speak on his podcast “Master Runner”. He focuses on those of us between the ages of 40 and 49. He takes a deep dive into the stories behind these fellow master, grandmaster (50-59), and senior grandmaster (60+) athletes, along with their successes, struggles, and favorite mistakes they’ve made along the way.

As a child, Patrick, a newly minted master runner at the age of 41, remembers countless days accompanying his dad on his track workouts. While running up and down the bleachers as his dad sped around the track, his father’s dedication, hard work, and enjoyment were never lost on him, and those attributes became the foundation for the man he is today.

Now a father himself, Patrick continues instilling these values in his own children through his constant dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm toward running. While his family shares some of his love for running, he also wants them to know the more important part is to just enjoy this stint down here called life.

Rim To River 100 – West Virginia’s Only 100-Mile Race

Rim To River 100 – West Virginia’s Only 100-Mile Race

Published by Patrick Durante on November 9, 2022

What went right?

  • Bladder vs handhelds in race vest
    • Great for tons of ice.  This allowed me to use my front pockets for food/trash/phone for taking pics.
  • Caffeine Pills
    • Great boost of energy once you are tired. Took it twice during the race and really helped get me back on my feet.
  • Fire pit to dry feet
    • Have no spare socks but near an aid station?  Use the fire pit to dry everything out!  Why did I never think of this?!?!?!  Thank you random drunk pacer that had no runner!  Put my shoes, socks, and bare feet next to the fire for 5 minutes and they were as good as new!
  • Pre-set race pace of 12:30-13:30
    • Right at the start, I tried to hold this pace but I didn’t do it enough.  It was both good and bad because I still would rather run slightly faster with someone than alone.
  • No rocks!  What was amazing was how different the trails were from PA-type trails.  That is basically all I know and most of what I have run. 
    •  I thought it was a joke when they called PA “Rocksylvania”, but it’s true!  The course had way fewer rocks than the trails in Philly. (Wissahickon)
  • Road shoes were used vs trail shoes. 
    • This race was very runnable in a road shoe.  You will kick a bunch of rocks as there will be a sea of leaves, so keep that in mind.
  • Music 
    • Used headphones on my head at the start, but didn’t have music playing 100 percent of the time.  Clicked on music to take my mind off the pain when needed.
    • They lasted THE ENTIRE RACE (25 hours) because I would pause when running with others. Great wireless headphones, highly recommend them!
  • 3 camera system

What went wrong?

  • Reusable cup lost
    • One of the aid stations would NOT give me soup/soda because I didn’t have my cup.  I told them multiple times it fell out of my pack.  I get it guys, you want to go cupless, but using one cup for a guy who lost his isn’t a big deal.  The next aid station was able to make it work and got me a replacement cup.  
  • Ran out of water during an 11-mile section.
    • I didn’t top off my water bladder before I left the aid station.  This was a HUGE mistake.  I had to drink from a stream because I was dying of thirst and it was getting really hot.
  • Didn’t close the aid bag and it got rained in it.
    • Didn’t change shoes because 3rd pair got soaked and I also forgot to carry an extra pair of socks.
  • Out and back format of this race can be annoying on the single-track sections.
  • Watch course tracking via Garmin didn’t work very well on the GPX files I had loaded. This cause me to get lost once.
  • My feet were wet for too long and I paid the price. I will never go that long with wet feet without changing socks. If it’s been more than 20+ miles and they have been wet, be prepared for some foot pain.
  • Forgot my headlamp for the race start, but was able to grab it from the aid station truck.

Feedback for race directors:

  • If I had a message for the race directors it would be that all aid station bags should be kept under a canopy.  Every other 100 I have run has done this.  I know it was my fault, but they lined them up out in the open to make it easier to find but got soaked in the process. It was 100% my fault for leaving my bag open a bit which caused it to get flooded.
    • Allows people to use non-waterproof bags.
  • Have backup cups for people that might lose them on the course.  This is also my fault, but please have some leniency.
  • I thought a drop bag was mandatory for Friday night. Some people like to give them a once-over at the hotel.  I don’t know if I missed that note, but the trucks were still there in the AM.

What I would do differently?

I was consistent with my pace, but not enough.  I was with people that pushed me slightly faster than I wanted to run.  I still would have rather run with someone than alone so this was still the right decision, but I need to try a race fully set at a target pace.  The fact I forgot my spare socks in my pack was pretty dumb.

Final Thoughts:

I gave my buckle to my dad because he joked about when was I going to give him one.  It was a tiny act of kindness I could do for someone who sacrificed everything. There are so many people that come together to make this happen.  I would give them all buckles if I could, my in-laws, my parents, my wife, aid station workers, and people who marked the course.  The list is endless, but I’m just glad there are people that make these races a reality. Check out the video below to see the course through my eyes. I hope you enjoy watching it!  I really enjoyed running it! 

Runner Shout out: 

Michael Warren, Jennifer Russo, and Brian Collins shared the most miles with me and I can’t thank them enough!