Blackbeards Revenge 100 miler, 100k and 100 mile Relay are held on the Outer Banks, NC.
This was my first 100k , would be my longest road race and my first point to point race. I was very fortunate to be chosen as an Ambassador for this race. I enjoyed the benefit of an included training plan and group support .
The race was held on March 26, 2022. The 100 mile race started at 5am in Corolla NC. The 100k race started at 9:30am on Jeanette’s Pier Kill Devil Hills. All runners finished at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Cape Hatteras. The 100 had a 32 hr cut off and the 100k had a 27.5 hr cut off. This generous time is great for a first time 100 or 100k.
The Athlete Guide was detailed . It included the Aid Station guide which was full of info. It listed the mile mark , what each AS would have and crew parking spot. This was an easy race for crew to navigate and parking wasn’t difficult.
The race course was an open course . Some sections, the shoulder of the road were very narrow . There were sidewalks on the west side of road for a few sections in populated areas. I stayed on the east side of the road running facing traffic for safety. During the night portion, I highly suggest having a lot of lights. The RD has minimum requirements but more lights the better. There are quite a few sections that are pitch black . I wore a bright headlamp , a Kogalla waist light and Nox gear on flashing mode. The cars were able to see me and moved away from the shoulder. Signage was adequate during the daytime hours but has darkness fell , it was apparent that more signage was needed and it needed to be highly reflective due to the dark areas. Not being familiar with the area , I got nervous not seeing confidence markers for a very long time .
Aid Stations were placed a good distance apart . The race guide was really accurate with this . Most crew spots had ample parking and if a runner had an issue , there were plenty of spots that an impromptu stop could be made . I had decided ahead of time to meet the hubs about every 13-15 miles for the first 2 meets and then shorten the time as needed based on what what going on with me . Aid Stations were adequate with supplies , there could have been a better variety of salty and sweet . One AS only had sweet cookie type items . There were unmanned “water only ” stops and we knew this ahead of time . If I had been running without crew , I would have probably carried more salty items to prepare myself .
I wore my bright green Orange Mud pack with 2 , 20 oz flasks , and carried some gels / snacks and salt tablets. I carried my phone , turned off during the beginning portion of the day . I applied sunscreen since it was a full sun course and wore a ball cap . My Saucony Ride shoes worked very well and I did not need to change shoes or socks the entire race . I wore shorts , a bright yellow tank (visibility ) and calf sleeves.
The temperature was a cool at the start but became warmer at the day went on . The warmer temps were offset by the wind gusts . The gusts got up to 40mph and it was a headwind which was difficult to push into . It got a bit exhausting at times and often the gusts pushed me into the roadway if I wasnt paying attention .
Overall , I really enjoyed the race and beat my expected time of finish and was at 14:53:42. I got the 2nd place female Masters Runner Award for the 100k .
JanuaryRunr11 