Race Report: 2022 Cowboy 200

Cowboy 200 Race Report. It’s long and I’m sorry, but 200 miles is a long ass way.

TL/DR: Each section was a new race and brought new challenges. The volunteers and athletes were amazing. Our crew was THE BEST. I had zero expectations going in other than to finish upright without bleeding or crying. To come away with a podium finish was more than I could have imagined. Thank you thank you thank you all – you’re the best and I love each of you!

I’ve been trying to figure out how to put this race down on paper. 200 miles is a long-a$$ way! I need first and foremost to shout out the people who got me there: James for countless training hours. My coach Heather for putting the training plan together and tolerating these insane ideas. Alyssa and Mr. Jefferson for their top-notch crewing skills, including spending 3 days living out of a pickup and chasing us all over northern Nebraska. Mrs. Jefferson for rallying the kiddos and all the amazing signs and confetti shower, and of course for opening her home to me for a day of recovery. And all of y’all for the kind words and good vibes along the way!

Miles 1-22.4: ANTICIPATION. Saturday morning was frigid as we all huddled at the line. Last minute gear checks, a last swig of hot coffee. The clock ticked down to 7am and we were off, westbound on the historic Cowboy Trail. Feeling good, looking good, and our plan of using a 90:10 run:walk ratio went out the window. We’d gone about 4 miles before we realized we hadn’t walked yet! We hit Battle Creek Aid at mile 10, slammed some PB&Js, and rolled on toward Tilden and our first crew stop at 22.4.

Miles 22.4-64.3: CRUISE CONTROL. Saturday was perfect running weather – sunny and mild and little wind. We were able to settle in to a rhythm and blow through the first 60 miles before sunset. We’d seen crew around 40 miles to lose some clothes, snag a quesadilla and refill our water. No issues and everything was proceeding well ahead of our 60 hour pace goal. This was also the stretch when I discovered the lovely thing called “sand burrs”. Which are exactly as unpleasant as they sound. Tiny, spiky balls that stick to EVERYTHING. I had the misfortune of trail peeing on top of one, and had to extract 3 of the little devils from my hands and another 2 from my pants (could have been a lot worse!) At Ewing (mile 64.3), there were hot burgers and Alyssa and Mr. Jefferson had managed to dry our sweaty cold weather gear so we were ready for the night ahead.

Miles 64.3-103.9: DARKNESS. The first half of the night was a-ok. Still felt great, we managed to pick up a third along our merry way. A very tall gent named John from Milwaukee matched our pace and we swapped trail stories for about 20 miles. James supplied some tunes and I bopped along shouting encouragement at my companions until I overheard John ask James “Is she always like this?!” We cruised into the O’Neil aid at 85.4. After that, it got dark, and not just literally. The temperature dropped sharply after sunset and the wind really picked up. I was hard on the struggle bus – despite my SmartWool layers I was shivering, I could feel blisters starting, and I was starting to get sleepy. James and I tried to stop on the bridges and put our feet “up the wall” for a few minutes every few miles to try to recover, it stopping only made us colder. After a long, windy, grueling night we hit the half way point at about 24 hours 30 minutes. Atkinson (mile 103) was a welcome sight, with hot made-to-order breakfasts, cots for sleeping, and most importantly actual walls to shelter from the wind! I lingered about 2 hours, changing clothes, re-stocking my vest with supplies, eating, doctoring blistered feet, and catching a few zzz’s. I remember a gentleman here offering this advice: the next 50 are the hardest – get through those and just hang on for 50 more. Brilliant. According to the board, I was the first woman in. Shocking to me when the field was full of some really experienced ladies at this distance, but then again, the race was truly just beginning. I passed 2nd place female coming in as I was headed back to the trail, so she wasn’t far behind. I came into this race with zero expectations, but at this point I started to wonder…was winning this a possibility?! Unfortunately, James’ knee was already flaring a bit and so this is where we parted ways. I wished him well and set off for the next 20ish mile stretch around 10am.

Miles 103.9-123.7: AGONY. The next 21 miles were – brutal. Fighting a 20mph headwind the entire time, my left hip and butt were starting to tighten up and ache with every step…this is where the wheels started to really fall off…I almost cried out of sheer exhaustion, but I truly did not have the energy. Despite the sunshine and daylight, I was questioning my sanity, life choices, and ability to go another 80 miles. My pace slowed to around a 17 minute average; I was walking almost exclusively. I needed some positivity badly! I called and checked on the girls, I texted James and he gave me a virtual pep talk. I texted another friend who gave me advice on how to help the soreness in the hips. I checked FB for all your encouragement. Somehow I finally made it to Newport (mile 123.7) where I could get a reprieve from the elements, however brief. After a some hot ramen and a 20 minute power nap in the truck, Alyssa kicked me out and sent me on my way – I left only begrudgingly, dreading another marathon before I’d see them again.
Miles 123.7-144.7: MERCY. As the sun set, the wind also died down and Sunday night was gorgeous. Clear skies, stars for days, and coyotes howling. I had to pull over a few times and stretch my a$$ on the side of the trail – being extra vigilant now not to lay in a sand burr patch – and it was during one of those awkward moments that another runner passed me and asked if I was okay. I popped up (well…as much as one can after 133 miles) and started walking with him. (Nick from Alaska – wherever you are thanks for those 10 miles!) This stretch was supremely dusty and by the time we hit Long Pine my shoes and sweat pants were almost solid greige. I needed real sleep, and Long Pine offered REAL BEDS and SHOWERS! I chatted with the volunteers while they fried me up a bacon cheeseburger, and hit the hay. I had planned to sleep 60 minutes here, then get back after it. Somehow…in my delirium I managed to reset my timer and ended up sleeping almost 2 hours!

Miles 144.7-152.5: PANIC. I knew 2nd place was within striking distance when I got to Long Pine, and it was totally possible that she leap frogged me while I slept. Panicked, I leaped up, threw on my gear and booked it. My competitiveness went into overdrive and I was mentally doing the math for how far ahead she might be, how fast she might be moving, and how fast I’d have to go to catch her. The adrenaline (and the possibility of defeat) had me ACTUALLY RUNNING 12-13 minute pace! When I hit Ainsworth (152.5), I asked the volunteer through a mouthful of hot salted potatoes if I was the first woman she’d seen and mentally prepared myself for another 10-mile speedfest. I didn’t need to; I was still ahead, and had maybe widened whatever gap was still between us. I spent a few precious minutes eating and resting before heading back into the dark for the next 23 mile stretch around 3am. Per my mentor at Atkinson, the hardest 50 were behind me and all I needed to do was hang on for dear life. For 50 more miles. Easy peasy.

Miles 152.5-174.9: HANGING ON. The wee hours of Monday morning were blissfully calm. The dark and the fatigue slowed me down and I walked a large majority of this section. By now I’d heard the news about James having to drop at Bassett, and just knew I HAD to finish, for both of us. I was exceedingly tired, so turned on some music in an attempt to keep myself awake, and only stopped to stretch that blasted butt/hip muscle every few miles. I rolled into Wood Lake (mile 174.9) around 9:15am to the news from my crew that the woman chasing me down had closed the gap to a mere 8-10 miles. Another wardrobe change, fresh socks and shoes, water refill, a hot dog down the gullet and I was OUT ON THE HOME STRETCH!

Miles 174.9-200.3: PUSH. One more marathon. Second place breathing down my neck. Sunshine and a shift in the wind so it was blowing gently at my back. This was where the magic needed to happen. 15 miles flew by at around 12-13 minute pace – I truly do not know how I pulled that off. When I hit the sand hills around mile 190, the sun clouded over and the pleasant tail wind turned into cold, vicious gusts. I’d dumped most of my cold gear at Wood Lake, with the exception of the race mandatory safety gear. I now understood why they required a coat, pants, gloves, hat and emergency blanket – the weather in Nebraska changes on a dime! I had to stop and put on the pants. (And here I must also apologize to Nick from Alaska, who snuck up on me as I was changing and pretty sure he saw my whole a$$. Sorry dude. It happens.) Again shivering forced me to slow my pace – well, shivering and the fact that my left hip was VERY angry at me by now. Finally, I saw the Valentine town sign and a tiny race sign that said “3 miles to beer!” HELL YEAH. I started running as fast as my body would allow. A mere 5k stood between me and success. I was going to make it and I was going to WIN. I crossed the massive railroad bridge a mile out and texted James that I was incoming. When I hit the line…I don’t even know? Y’all have seen the video – I wish I’d had something more profound. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh, cry, collapse, jump for joy. If I’d had an ounce of energy (or mental capacity) left I might have done them all.
This race was one of extremes: beautiful and brutal, exhausting and exhilarating, tribulation and triumph. The full spectrum of human emotion and human capacity was on display, played out in aid volunteer smiles and kind words despite freezing temps, shared miles and stories with strangers, tears, and laughs. I am so grateful for this experience, that my body is mostly in one piece, and my mind didn’t (completely) abandon me. I’m thankful for the volunteers, the race directors, and all the other behind the scenes people it took to pull this off. And I am BEYOND impressed with the field of runners who went the whole distance, enduring the elements for upwards of 80 hours to get their buckle. Y’all are amazing. Thank you.