After completing 50 miles at Rocky Raccoon last February, I knew I wanted to go longer, but was looking for something that would step me up to my goal of 100 miles. I was actually aiming for the Houston Ultra Races in late February since I have lots of family in Houston who could come out and walk a lap or two with me, but unfortunately that race has been cancelled this year. Then, I found out about the Ultracentric race. It traditionally has been held on a track over Thanksgiving weekend. Two strikes against it as far as I was concerned, but this year was to be different. The race was moved out to a 2.4 mile paved out and back along Lake Grapevine and run the weekend before Thanksgiving. Since this race was the 24 hour National Championships, there was some significant prize money, so all the big names turned out from all over the country. I picked up my packet and chip at the host hotel and then decided to drive out to the park to get the lay of the land. The 48 hour runners were already cranking away so I got a chance to see everything in action. I decided I’d set myself up about 1/3 mile up from the Start/Finish area near the permanent restrooms, so I showed up early the next morning to set out my chair and cooler in that spot. As I’m setting up, a big RV pulls in next to me followed by a delivery truck. They begin unloading all sorts of stuff: tents, fire rings, tables & chairs, grills, a pool table, a ping pong table, basketball hoop, projection TV. These folks were setting up for an all-night party, to support 2 runners all of which is chronicled at HYPERLINK "http://www.the100mileman.com" www.the100mileman.com. I made my way down to the start and after a few quick instructions, we’re off at 9 am. My plan was to run comfortably for the first 4-5 hours just using water and gel. Then, I’d switch over to Perpetuem and more solid food at the aid station. I got into a nice run-walk routine based on the elevation changes of the route. It was really nice chatting with people along the way and cheering them on later when you see them heading in the other direction on the out-and-back. Sammy’s food really hit the spot. He kept us supplied with jambalaya, mac & cheese, potato soup, chicken soup, hot coffee and a great post-race brunch. First class all the way! At the 50 mile mark, I was 1:30 ahead of my time last February, so I was pretty pumped about that. Everything else from here on in was gravy. I gave my iPod batteries a rest while a couple bands played over the next 3-4 hours. The layout of the terrain allowed everyone to hear these bands no matter where you were on the course. Everyone was rockin’ out which really helped make those hours fly by. The cold started settling in and it was really difficult to pass by all the camps where people were huddled by their fires. At 1 am, I decided to take a nap break. I took off my shoes knowing my feet were going to swell up and slept fairly comfortably in the car for an hour. By the time I woke up, I was absolutely freezing and my thoughts turned to warmth. I seriously considered joining the party next door, but couldn’t imagine just standing around for the rest of the night. I put on my shoes that are normally a size and a half too big and they fit like a glove. I was ready to go. I started jogging and quickly warmed up and was quite surprised how relatively fresh my legs felt. I knew then that I’d gotten over the hump. I trudged on through the rest of the night. Finally, the sun rose and the end was in sight. During the last hour of the race all the runners were directed to a one-quarter mile loop since partial full loops wouldn’t be counted. When 9 am came, you could stop where you were and get partial credit for that small loop since they came around with a wheel and measured where everyone ended up. I finished my last loop a minute and half before the final gun so I just called it day and headed over to the breakfast line. After 73.2 miles a few more steps didn’t much matter to me. The awards were very nice, a laser-carved plaque with various categories based on mileage (50+, 100+, 150+, etc.) Now to start planning for next year when I’m going to enter the 48 hour race and break 100 miles for the first time.