C&O CANAL 100 | Flat and Fast

The race website says it best "The C&O Canal 100 mile race takes places on the scenic C&O Canal each year during the final weekend in April. The race starts and finishes at Camp Manidokan near Knoxville, Maryland.The C&O Canal 100 course is almost entirely flat and offers plenty of opportunities for success both with new 100 mile runners and old veterans who are up for a challenge on a beautiful course. The 2026 race will be a 2027 Western States qualifying race for all finishers under the 30 hour cutoff." For me, this was all about earning another US state 100+ mile finish. This would be my 5th 100 mile race in just 9 weeks, so I knew I wouldn't break any records. Lucky for me, my buddy Kevin Fleeger joined and we had decided early on to run together. I planned my nutrition around a 24 hour finish, but the only goal was to finish. Kevin and I settled for a steady 11ish minute per mile pace from the start. Later, we would fall into a run/walk cadence, initially run .6 miles followed by .1 mile walk. Eventually we would reduce the run period further and extend the walk period accordingly. We would readjust every 20 or so miles until we reached 82-83 miles, when my body finally revolted, not sure why. Well, I kinda knew. After my last 100 miler 2 weeks ago I had picked up a nasty virus that had only barely cleared 2 days before the race. That had meant zero running and poor recovery from my last race. In any case, I wasnt going to let that deter me from my goal. Unfortunately, that meant walking more than 15 miles to finish out the race. All that walking made my feet angry, causing a couple of blisters that are unlikely to be resolved before my next 100 in just a few days. Oh well, the price you pay when chasing big goals and uncertain outcomes. This race is a classic and always well attended. This year, it sold out well in advance with 250 runners registered. The volunteers and aid stations were amazing and if you're ready, you can really put down a fast time. This is definitely a PR course. Good luck!