Vermont 100 Ultra Marathon (Grand Slam of Ultra Running)

The Grand Slam of Ultra Running is halfway done, with Vermont 100 Ultra Marathon (VT100) as the 2nd race of 4 for the Grand Slam (see Old Dominion 100 miles). Vermont 100 miles is an amazing trail running experience - an historical trail running race with the unique feature of also being an endurance (horse) riding event. Yes, I ran with horses for 100 miles - let's see who's the ultimate endurance athlete! Curious about the trail running gear I use and recommend: check out this link https://linktr.ee/runningwithsimon Now that’s a race I’m proud of the finishing time! Not because it’s particularly good, but rather because it went horribly wrong for me even before the race started. Yet I was able to rally and keep pushing despite the adversity. Even before the start, I knew it ‘wasn’t my day’. And 5 miles in, I was seriously questioning if I could finish. I’d like to say things improved from there – and they did for ~6hr – but really the other 17hrs were pretty miserable for non-running reason. Still had fun, but ... let's hope next time goes better. On paper, this race isn’t so hard and may be a good first 100 miles – IF you can handle humid heat! There are plenty of aid statin (often more than every 4 miles), and although the course has ~17,000 ft of elevation gain, it’s spread across the day, and the trail is mostly non-technical (in fact, a lot of dirt road). Realistically, on fresh leg and a good day, I would aim for ~21hrs. But with less than a week since Silver King (50 miles run, 50 miles MTB), adjusting this goal to sub24hr was more reasonable. As it turned out, even if tired legs were a factor, this really isn’t what made my day so bad. But hey, made it! The Grand Slam is still alive, with only Leadville 100 and Wasatch 100 to go. ----------------------------------------------- Instagram:   / simon_on_trails   Strava:   / strava   ----------------------------------------------- I am once again teaming up with the LifeTime Foundation to raise fund to feed healthy meals for kids at school. Read more about my fundraising as I attempt to complete in 2022 both the Lead Challenge and the Grand Slam https://give.ltfoundation.org/fundrai... ----------------------------------------------- Music credit • Song: Fredji - Happy Life (Vlog No Copyright Music) Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Video Link:    • Fredji - Happy Life (Vlog No Copyright Music)   • Future Bass – by Mokka Music • Feeling Low (Sad Lofi type Beat) – by Beat Prod. by YoungBerry Beats • Delicate – by Infraction • Old Jeans – by Mokka Music • Sweet Home – by Mokka Music • Good Vibe – by Infraction • Future Me – by Infraction @MountainOutpost #ultramarathon