Reading about the flat, scenic course of the New River Trail Races in Fries, Virginia, slightly modified for 2025 due to the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene and taking place the day before Palm Sunday, perfect timing as I did not want to do anything selfish during Holy Week, I committed slightly earlier than typical for a race to secure an event shirt. Driving to a nearby hotel over three hours away the day before in dark, heavy rain through rural areas, albeit stunning, made me feel lonely unexpectedly and eager to get the trip over with. Whether from the lengthy drive or altitude, I had a minor headache that lasted a few hours once I checked in.

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A bird pooped on me.

I normally would have appreciated the sudden close-to-freezing temperature, but the feels-like temperature resting significantly below freezing and at times the powerful winds may have done more harm than good. Over the past couple of weeks leading up to race day, I have had digestive issues each time I went for a run, which made me uneasy about tackling an ultra distance without knowing the underlying reason. Coincidentally, on mile two, a bird pooped on me, hitting mostly my left glove, which I initially thought to be water from the rain. I instinctively reacted, “Eww, what the fxxk,” then told a few runners, “Better my glove than my head.” From waterfalls to a dark tunnel to horses and even a donkey, fitting with Palm Sunday coming up, this course was breathtaking, and I absorbed the beauty as much as my fatiguing body and mind let me. I kept a slow, steady pace, not entirely certain of my current fitness for such a long run. My stomach solely continued to occupy my mind, and starting mile nine, I began pondering if I had to excuse myself shortly to explode, a reason I carried some toilet paper from the motel in my hydration pack. Following miles and miles of this internal warfare, around sixteen miles in, to my relief, the symptoms mostly faded after I took a #1 break. With my legs being at their ideal shape, I did not allow any lengthy walking breaks and slowly ran the vast majority of the first 22-23 miles.

Outside my stomach ordeal and the pain standard to running this kind of distance, I felt as strong as ever and naturally was not surprised to secure my second-fastest 50K by a large margin, officially in 6:16:02.7 at 31.49 miles on my COROS, in my ultramarathon #15, marathon+ #20, and race #112. As I do in all races and life in general, I continued to interact with God and ask Him for help throughout the entire journey, one of my favorite aspects of this unique hobby. To Him be all glory.