Just one more lap.
After my win at Perennial, Miller from the Charlotte Sports Foundation reached out to me with an interesting proposition. They were putting on the Meck Mile in early May and wanted to get a group of local ultra runners to run for the entire 4 hours of the event to raise funds for Beloved Asheville, a non profit helping with Hurricane Helene relief. It would be only two weeks after Promise Land but without hesitation I said yes. I took most of the week after Promise Land off and basically focused on recovery, hoping my fitness would still be there.
The morning of the race was a bit odd, considering we didn’t start until 3. The normal race morning routine was out the window, I actually had to think about lunch before a race! I took it as easy as I could and made my way to the race around 2:15. We had a pre race briefing and we got to meet each other for the first time as a group. The other seven runners were my friend Rachel, Christina; whom I’d raced against a few times, Natalie; who I hadn’t met in person but had some mutual friends, Chris; who occasionally runs with the Mattie’s Diner Run Club, and Casey, Macy and Chase whom I was meeting for the first time. Also, my friend Jesus was there as our crew chief, considering he became my de facto crew at both Psychoactive and Perennial, I knew I was in good hands.
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| A big thanks to the Meck Mile and Albemarle. |
My goal was to hit a 50k at least, I had previously run a 50k in just under 4 hours during a training run but never in a race. I knew it would be tough given the warmer temperatures but I was up for the challenge. Since I figured I’d be running a faster pace, I decided to eat every 20 minutes instead of 24, which would have me over 360 calories and 90 grams of carbs per hour. I worked out my plan with Jesus and shortly before 3:00pm, the eight of us walked to the start line. Miller made an announcement to the crowd about what we were setting out to do and we were off.
Right from the start, Chase, Rachel and I took off at a sub seven minute pace. We chatted a bit as we tried to settle into a good pace and assess the course that we’d be spending the next four hours running. After a lap or two Rachel dropped back a bit and Chase and I started running together. During the first few laps we passed Jesus and Adam (the RD of Perennial and Psychoactive, created of Human Powered Movement and in a man way, the reason I was here) were running in the first heat of the mile backwards. I cheered/heckled them as I passed and got to know Chase a bit as we ran together at a fast but (for now at least) sustainable pace.
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| Rachel, Myself and Chase near the start of the race. Photo curtesy of Jason Seagle. |
Chase is an endurance coach and a hell of a strong runner. We both had goals of 50k but as he was about a month removed from an attempt at running a double marathon in 6 hours, he was in the same boat as me with a short turnaround from a big effort. It was good to have someone to push me to hit my goals and I was equally glad to hear he wasn’t trying for any more than 31 miles.
when I hit 20 minutes, I grabbed a gel from Jesus and the next lap, I grabbed a bottle and drank about half of it. I continued this routine every 20 minutes. Eat one lap, drink the next, repeat 20 minutes later. This method worked perfectly… for a while.
Chase and I alternated between running together and one of us pulling ahead after aid detours for the first two hours. Over the course of this stretch, I was averaging right around a 7:00 pace and was feeling pretty solid. The heat wasn’t really getting to me and I was enjoying the rotation of mile heats going off, getting to know my fellow run for relief-ers, and soaking in the vibes of the race and the volunteers.
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| Chase and I were really flying. Photo curtesy of Mike Cooke. |
I ran mile 14 in 6:47 which in hindsight was a bit too fast but still felt ok. It was around this point that Chase started to drop the hammer just as I was slowing down a bit. I wanted to stay with him but I ran the next few between 7:20 and 7:30 and finished hour two right around 17 miles. I felt like even if I wasn’t able to keep it up, I only needed to cover 14 in the next two miles which gave me some breathing room.
Through two and a half hours I was still running mid to high seven minute miles and hit 20 miles with about an hour and a half to go. I was still on pace to hit a b 50k and really only needed to be slightly under nine minute pace from here on out to do so. Even though I was eating at a higher rate than I ever had during a race, I still seemed to hit the wall at 20. Mile 21 was my first over eight minute pace and my stomach was starting to turn on me.
During the next mile things got worse and during mile 23 I had no choice but to hit the restroom. After a 14:12 mile I was, for possibly the first time ever, feeling betrayed by my stomach. I was discouraged and each lap was feeling like a death march. I got back to the aid tent and sat down in a chair, another first for me (though I did once sit on a boulder during a low point in a race).
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| I was starting to feel pretty rough by this point, clearly shown on my face. |
Jesus did his best to encourage me and get me moving again. I knew this race was bigger than me and I still had another hour to “run” so I knew I had to keep going. For the rest of race I would run a lap or two, sit in a chair for a bit, try to cool off, and get back out there.
I was able to share these last few laps with my fellow runners, getting to chat a bit while grinding it out. With about a half an hour to go, Laurie arrived and gave me some encouragement. I started to turn around a bit towards the end and was able to scrounge out a few faster miles as the clock wound down, stopping with about 5 minutes to go as we needed to re-group so that we could all cross the finish line together on live TV. Shortly after 7:00 the 8 of us along with our crew chief Jesus ran into the stadium and crossed the line together compiling a grand total of 211 miles and raising over $13,000 for Hurricane Helene Relief.
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| The eight of us crossing the finishing together. From L to R: Rachel Doxey, Natalie Daniel, Casey Cline, Macy Weeks, Christina DePriest, Chase Price, Myself and Chris Trifari. |
I finished with a total of 55 laps for just over 28 miles, third behind Chase and Rachel. I didn't quite hit the 50K I'd hoped for but after completely falling apart at mile 23, to log another 5+ miles was a major accomplishment. I had to keep telling myself "just one more lap" for about 45 minutes or so until I started to feel slightly less awful towards the end.
We were met at the finish line by friends and family, and a bunch of SWAG, including a Hoka backpack full of goodies. We settled in on the infield to watch the pro races and recover as best we could. After the final pro race of the evening, we were brought up on stage to be recognized for our achievements. After coming off the stage we gathered for one final group photo before going our separate ways and each of us agreed that if the Meck Mile wanted to do the Run for Relief in 2026, we'd all be there.
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| The eight of us and Jesus (far left) being recognized on stage. |
Some final Stats:
- 64 oz PH1500
- 32 oz water
- 120 calories of gels and chews every 20 minutes until things went downhill (8 total)
- Song played by a DJ as I was hitting the wall: a techno remix of Adagio for Strings (gave off major Willem Dafoe death in Platoon vibes)
- 28.4 Miles
- 1,430’ Elevation
- 8:37 pace
- $13,584.99 raised for Beloved Asheville
I'd like to thank Miller for inviting me to be a part of this very special event, Jesus for spending four hours crewing me and keeping me going, and my lovely wife Laurie for all of her support. My biggest thanks go to my fellow runners who inspired me to push my limits and kept me going when the going got tough. Can't wait to do it all again sometime.
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