Lessons From the Loop: What 116 Miles Taught Me
I ran 116 miles this weekend at my first Last Man Standing race and finished 6th out of 100 runners. If you’re not familiar with the format, it’s simple and brutal: you run a 4.2-mile loop every hour, on the hour, until you either time out or choose to stop. The last person left running wins.
It’s only been a few days, and I’m still processing everything…but I wanted to capture some thoughts while it’s still fresh.
The Mental Game
Surprisingly, I felt strong mentally for most of the race. In a format like Last Man Standing, so much of the challenge is learning how to master the monotony. The same loop, the same hour, over and over again. I think my previous ultra experience helped a lot here. I didn’t need excitement or momentum. I just had to get really comfortable being bored, staying patient, and showing up for the next loop.
The middle of the night…miles 50 to 100 … was a real test. It was in the twenties, dark, and quiet. Everyone was hurting, sleep-deprived, and every lap you’d see fewer people out there. It was cold, lonely, and gave you way too much time in your own head. But that’s part of it. That’s what you sign up for. That’s where the growth happens.
And then came mile 100…the turning point. That’s when my foot started flaring up, and with it came the excuses. I found myself creating all the reasons why it would be okay to stop. I had already hit my minimum. I had proven what I came to prove. Why risk more pain?
But in that moment, my crew …especially Lauren Osborne, who called me while she was out running trails back in Nashville…believed in me more than I believed in myself. They cut through the noise, reminded me what I had in me, and gave me the push I needed to keep going when I was ready to quit. ( I was so mad at Lauren for being right..)
I ended up running four more loops after saying I was done. That showed me I had more in the tank than I realized. It also reminded me of something James Osborne says all the time that has stuck with me: “Running is a team sport.” That truth played out in real time…without the belief and encouragement from my crew and from Lauren, I wouldn’t have kept going.
The Physical Side
I had been managing a foot injury going into the race so that was the big wildcard. I didn’t know how it was going to hold up. Best case, I could manage it. Worst case, it would take me out early. For the first 80 to 90 miles, it actually felt fine. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe the cold helped numb it a bit, or maybe I was just too focused to notice. Whatever it was, I was able to stay present and keep moving.
But right around mile 100, the pain started to ramp up …sharp, nagging, and spreading. When it began creeping towards my ankle, I knew I was getting close to that line where pushing through could mean real damage. I had made a deal with myself before the race… I wasn’t going to be reckless. I wasn’t going to risk long-term injury just to squeeze out a few more miles.
I’m especially thankful for Ben Howe…an incredible friend and physical therapist. He worked on my foot throughout the race, doing manual therapy and even some dry needling (which I absolutely HATED and hurt like hell but… it worked). Just another reminder that running is a team sport. There’s no way I would’ve made it as far as I did without people like him in my corner.
That said, I think my body held up pretty well overall…and a big part of that came down to timing. I ran 100 miles about a month ago at the “Shortest Day of the Year, Longest Run of Your Life” event with The Exchange x BPN, and it ended up being the perfect gap. Not so close that I was still wiped out, but not so far that I lost much fitness. It gave my legs time to recover and come into this race ready to go.
Strategy and Execution
Lauren gave me a really solid 5-lap strategy going in, and it worked beautifully:
- Lap 1: Run 7 minutes, walk 3
- Lap 2: Run the whole thing
- Lap 3: Run the first half, walk the second
- Lap 4: Walk the first half, run the second
- Lap 5: Run the whole thing again
After a while, with the entire loop being pavement, I swapped out the full run laps for more 7/3 segments. That helped reduce the pounding on my feet.
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Nutrition-wise, I kept it pretty simple: eat real food between loops, supplement with gels (Maurten + Go Gels) if I need it mid-loop, and listen to my stomach. For a 12 hour stretch, the only things I could handle were salty snacks…broth, chips, pretzels, noodles. When daylight came back, I was finally able to start eating more variety again.
What would I change next time? Maybe bring a wider variety of food and take better care of the small things (like chafing) before they become big problems. But overall, I felt well-prepared for my first go at this kind of race.
Why It Mattered
This race mattered to me because I believe in putting yourself in positions where you can be challenged…where you’re forced to grow. That’s the point of all this for me. To step into the arena, knowing it’s going to be uncomfortable, maybe even painful. To choose vulnerability over safety. And hopefully, to come out the other side a little smarter, a little tougher, and a lot more empathetic …both toward myself and others.
I always say I run for connection. Connection to myself, to my community, and to the environment around me. And this weekend gave me all three. I had moments of deep self-reflection. I felt lifted by the people who showed up for me. And I spent hours moving through the quiet dark, fully present in the cold, still world around me.
I’m proud that I put myself out there again. Proud that I showed up fully and gave everything I had that day. And I’m incredibly grateful for the people who helped me do it …the ones who reminded me who I was when I started to forget. It’s really not about finishing the race. It’s about choosing growth over comfort, again and again. And I’m walking away better for it.
The Team That Carried Me
This was 100% a team effort. Ben, Nate, and Jhoan kept me together from start to finish. They were dialed in the entire time. They fed me, kept me warm, had every piece of gear ready before I even asked, and stayed flexible when things didn’t go according to plan. Every loop, I came back to a setup that made me feel supported and that made a huge difference. I wouldn’t have made it nearly as far without them, no question.
And then there’s Lauren, who I mentioned called in while out running trails back in Nashville. She hit me with strategy and motivation right when I was on the verge of pulling the plug. That call was a turning point…it bought me four more loops I didn’t think I had in me. That kind of belief means everything in a race like this.
On top of that, I was blown away by all the kind messages I got throughout the weekend..from friends back in Nashville and from people all over the country. Whether it was a quick text, a voice memo, or just someone checking in, it all added up. Every message was a reminder that I wasn’t doing this alone.
Even in an event where everyone’s technically competing, there’s something special about the camaraderie in the ultra running community. Once we got down to the final 10 runners, the energy shifted…the stakes were higher, but the connection was deeper too. We still shared stories, checked in on each other, and offered words of encouragement. Everyone was hurting, but no one was alone.
It reminded me of something I think about often…we’re all out here running our own race, but we kind of need each other to get there. That’s not just running. That’s life. And the fact that I got to share those hours, those miles, and those moments with people like that…that’s what I’ll remember most.
What I’m Taking With Me
I don’t know if I proved anything new to myself out there, but I am proud that I showed up. Proud that I didn’t take the easy out when it was right in front of me. Proud that I kept my promise to listen to my body when it mattered most.
This race reinforced something I already believed: I’m someone who can do hard things. But more than that, it reminded me that I don’t do them alone. The people in my life…the ones who show up, check in, crew, call, encourage, and believe in me….they’re everything to me. I tear up thinking about it! Running is a team sport, and I’m nothing without the people who’ve chosen to be in my corner.
My goal moving forward is to keep building a life I can stand behind…one experience at a time, proving to myself that I’m becoming who I’m meant to be by continuing to step into the arena, take the hits, stay open, stay honest, and keep growing.
That’s the work. That’s the point. And I’m all in.
