In-Person Race Report -
Blackbeard’s Revenge 100k
I haven’t been able to run an in-person race since Dopey 2020, so of course I had to mark my return to live races with an attempt at my first 100k! Blackbeard’s Revenge 100m & 100k is run along the NC outer banks with the 100k starting at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head and ending at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras. I love running on the outer banks because they’re flat and nostalgic. I grew up fishing for and gigging flounder in the salt marshes with my father and being out there brings back great memories.
We started off the race at the end of the pier, about a tenth of a mile out over the Atlantic at 9:30am and I immediately settled into a rhythm of walking the first minute of each mile and running the rest. The entirety of the route was on the shoulder of open roads, mostly highway, and a few miles in we passed the Bodie Island Lighthouse (I like lighthouses). The first real concern for me arose around mile 8/9. I don’t like heights and the course took us across the new 2.8 mile long Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet. With a constant 10-12mph wind gusting higher trying to blow me into traffic, I was not a fan. The views from the top of the 75’ tall center spans were breathtaking, though.
Relieved to have the bridge behind me, I settled into an easy rhythm, clicking off the miles. DW was crewing for me, scouting aid stations and refilling my consumables when needed. I hit a low point around miles 25-35. My legs were starting to tire a little, my knee was starting to hurt and I was hitting the 50k mark, an ultra distance in its own right, and was only half done! A pre-planned change of shoes and socks at the mid-point aid station did a lot to ease the knee pain and I started playing mental games with my race strategy to refocus. I would vary my run/walk interval and focus on running the new strategy for 5 miles to address the fatigue in my legs and keep my mind in the present and not what lay ahead.
By the time I got to mile 47, I was fully back on my game and paused to put on my night gear (it was ~6:45pm at this point). In a nice little diversion at this point, racers had to do a 1.3m out and back to historical Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and pick up a pirate’s eye patch at the turnaround to show you’d completed the segment at the next aid station. I was cruising again, feeling good as I hit the 50 mile mark, and looking forward to a countdown of the last 12 miles. I should’ve known it was too good to be true, seeing a full moon rising as I headed away from the lighthouse, because that’s when all hell started to break loose on the course!
There was lightning and thunder on the horizon, literally. It got progressively closer with some of the most brilliant bolts I’ve seen lighting up the sky as night fell. At mile 52, I had to take cover in a school entryway as the lightning got way too close for comfort and the deluge began. DW made it back to me and we sat in the car waiting for the storm to pass. The race directors emailed out that the race had been suspended (although the clock continued to run) and we waited for the all clear to start back up again. After waiting more than 65 minutes in the car, word finally came that we could continue.
All the rhythm and momentum was gone. Sitting in the car for that long, I cooled off and everything stiffened up. While the lightning was gone, now it was raining in waves of light to moderate intensity. It was pitch black and I could barely see through the rain with my headlamp and I was having a hard time seeing standing water on the side of the road. My feet and socks were soaked from splashing through ankle deep water I couldn’t see until it was too late. Then at mile 54 the lightning returned.
A new cell had developed on the back end of the storm system. I ran through increasingly heavy rain until, again, the lightning got too close. I found a closed bakery with an awning just wide enough to shelter under as the storm peaked again and they pulled racers from the course. DW had a hard time finding me this time, so there wasn’t much time left to sit. This delay was around 17 minutes, but it was enough to cause problems.
The restart after this delay was the only time I felt like I was in danger of a DNF. I was soaked and chilled and started having chills strong enough that I thought I was going to shake the watch off my wrist. Fortunately, after a quarter to half a mile, I started to warm up again and the shaking subsided. Mercifully the rain stopped, although I still had trouble seeing the standing water. I didn’t even pause at the last aid station, just calling out my bib number to the volunteer so she could check me in officially, opting to keep what little momentum I had going to the finish line.
I hit the finish line just after 11:45pm for an official time of 14:17:45. I estimate my actual running time, factoring out the rain delays, to be somewhere around 12:55:15. It would’ve been better than that if I’d been able to carry my mile 50 momentum through the finish line.
Ultimately, I finished 12th overall (56 registered, 44 finished, DNF/DNS breakdown unknown) and place 2nd among Masters Men for my first ever age group award at any distance! I was stunned!
Thanks for sticking with me through a long race recap. A lot happened over those 62 miles and these were just the biggest “highlights”. It was a blast and an adventure and I’d totally do it again. The race was extremely well run and organized. I’d recommend it to anyone without reservation. I’m already hoping to be back next year either for a shot at a “clean” 100k or a first 100m attempt.
Jennette’s Pier (Start line at the tip of the pier)
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Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
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Course Overview
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The Medal (Favorite Medal to Date!)
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