Racing report Bear Trails Grizzly 100 - The Brutal One

It's been a while since I race report had written. In the early days of Obstacles.com I wrote a report of an event I attended almost every week. Lately I've been in the spotlight more often on Saturdays shop, than I can be found on the trails or in the mud.

And after the 10th Mud Masters there is little news to write and you do get a bit repetitive. However, I was recently at the start of the Grizzly 100 of Bear Sports. This event deserves a race report.

I myself have never been into training schedules and this time I didn't really have a schedule. The idea was to just make meters and see if I could train some altitude meters. In the end, neither of these things worked out completely. Three young children, a shop and a wife who works full-time ensured that the number of kilometers was not enough. And altitude meters. That is a challenge in and around Amsterdam. So that was also not enough. In June I did a trial run six o'clock race in the Haarlemmermeer. On the one hand to see if the condition was there a bit. On the other hand to see what this does to you mentally. After all, you don't see beautiful trails, but the same lap every kilometer. With 62 kilometers in six hours I was reasonably satisfied. A month before the Grizzly I still have the Dam run and then walked home to make it a marathon. That was a bit of a long big training and then I didn't do much more. The conclusion is that next time I have to do more in the preparation, because this was actually too little.

Because I had to come from Amsterdam and it was already a 3 hour drive, I thought it would be wise to take a Bed and Breakfast nearby. The Merschermole is about five minutes from the start and on the Legends Tracking I could see the night before that I was not the only participant staying there. It is a beautiful area and the night before I could have a nice meal at the Maas and lay that last foundation for the challenge on Saturday. You could pick up your starting number and Tracker on Friday evening and so my entire outfit, drop bag and race vest were ready the night before. Now it was a matter of setting two alarms and getting a good night's sleep.

"It can't be the stuff" I always say. Certainly in my case the stuff has to be top of course. This was the outfit I appeared in at the start.

• NNormal Tomir 2 / Merrell Agilty Peak 5 (I used two pairs of shoes)
• Drymax socks
• Compressport Oxygen Tubes
• Instinct shorts
• N Normal vest (with extra flask)
• Compressport Free Belt Pro
• Compressport Trail shirt Half zip
• COROS Vertix 2
• Compressport Arm Sleeves
• Leki Poles
• Buff
• Shockz
• Julbo Glasses
• NNormal Cap
• Buff headband
• Phoenix lamp

There were also mandatory items such as a trail cup, thermal blanket and I had a rain jacket with me. These were all unused. As you can see, running or trail running is a cheap sport. Just a pair of shoes and you're there ;)

Along the way you could put down two drop bags with stuff in them. At kilometers 44 and 62 you came to this drop bag and you could take stuff from your bag. Or leave it. In my case it was mainly food. And an extra pair of shoes to be able to change.

“What do you eat on the road?” is a question I get asked a lot. When you start looking into nutrition for endurance sports, you have to be careful not to get pulled down the “rabbit hole.” Before you know it, you’re making spreadsheets with carbohydrates and trying to figure out which electrolyte composition is best. I usually aim for about 60 carbohydrates per hour, supplemented with plenty of fluids and some supplements. I also take some “real food” with me for variety and as an extra. This is what I took with me in my vest, belt and shorts:

• Maurten 320 Drink
• Maurten 320 CAF Drink
• Maurten 100 Gel
• Naak Ultra Energy drink
• Naked Gel
• Naked Puree
• Hammer BCAA
• Hammer Antifatigue
• Saltstick caps
• 3 soft flasks (1.5 liter)
• Dried mango
• Salted Cashew Nuts
• Cranberries

And now a report of the race. Divided into drink stations.

At 6:05 in the morning the starting shot sounded and hundreds of headlamps started their adventure. Very soon you saw a beautiful line of lights when you looked back. The first 5 to 10 kilometers it was quite busy on the course, but after that the field spread out and it was relaxed walking. After an hour or two the headlamp could be turned off and at the first stop at kilometer 22 the headlamp and the headband could be put in the bag. The cap and glasses could be on the head because the sun would soon appear above the horizon.

The course was nicely varied and all surfaces were covered. Somewhere in the section before the first drop bag was also the muddiest part, where my shoes completely sank into the mud. My second pair of shoes, which I wore from kilometer 44, never got as dirty as the first pair. I started with 2 soft flasks, but at the first stop I filled the third soft flask, which was in the back, anyway. With the sun coming up and the temperature rising, this turned out to be a good idea later. In terms of food, I didn't get any further than gels. I wasn't really hungry yet. Until the first drop bag at 44 kilometers it went quite fast. I ran at a pace that I also run during my endurance runs and it was nice and relaxed. My drinks were just not enough, so I was happy to be there.At the dropbag I sat down for another pair of shoes and to replenish my food. I mainly drank a lot of water and sports drink, from sponsor Tailwind Nutrition, but didn't eat anything else, except a Naak puree from my bag.

From all the sitting still I had become a tiny bit stiff and the first few 100 meters I felt like I was hobbling away like The Penguin in the new HBO series. Pretty soon I could grab the Leki poles again and the adventure continued. On my Strava I see that the pace was now a bit slower and that's how it felt. The course was quiet and you regularly came across the same runners. I walked with a customer from the store for a while, but otherwise it was mainly walking alone. My Shokz was now regularly used for audiobooks and podcasts. And apart from that I mainly enjoyed the surroundings. It was no longer clear to me which country I was walking in now, but you could read from the traffic signs that it was Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands.

Another round of Drielandenpunt brought us back to the drop bag for the second time. The advice here was to drink a lot since we would now be walking about 25 kilometers without a care post. I skipped all the hot food and I didn't sit down either, so that my muscles wouldn't get stiff. Here too I had a Naak puree and took the bags of sports drink and new gels with me. There was also a lot of hot food available, but I still wasn't really hungry. The gels and sports drink still went down very smoothly and it seemed to me to be sufficient. The long stretch to the last post actually went fine. Every now and then I had to walk a bit because the lack of training was starting to get to me a bit. If I look at Strava, I also made my slowest kilometers here. Still, I enjoyed myself and hobbled calmly to the last post. It came a bit earlier than I had in mind and by refilling my soft flasks I was able to get through it quickly. Tip! If you use the Naak Salty Soup sports drink, which is deliciously salty, make sure you clean a previous bottle of sweet sports drink first. If those flavors mix, it won't taste like anything.

The last part was a matter of just walking on. You know that you will be there in about 10 kilometers, so you don't have to save anything anymore. Just keep walking. At one point the sun went down and I had to put the Fenix ​​on my head for the last kilometers. I managed to walk the wrong way 200 meters before the finish, which meant that I had to walk through a ditch to reach the finish. Walking back 50 meters was of course not an option. Tired but satisfied I crossed the finish line after 13:40.

I felt like I was still pretty awake when I crossed the finish line. Mainly thanks to the sports drink with caffeine. Still, I wasn't completely alert anymore, because when I walked into my B&B I realized that I also had a drop bag and that it was probably still at the finish. It's a shame to leave your shoes and spare food behind. So that became a bonus ride. The next day I felt like I was walking a bit like I sometimes see Joe Biden waddling on TV. After a lot of food and a small siesta in the afternoon I felt completely fine again. In the meantime I am in Italy because of the autumn holiday and I have already completed the first 10 kilometer run.The muscle pain is gone, but I still feel some fatigue. When I get home, the medal will get a nice spot in the shop.

I also use my long runs and races to test stuff for the Trail.NL store. I run a few things longer, but these are the main conclusions;

• Fenix ​​HM65R-T V2.0 Headlamp. On paper it is quite heavy, but you don't notice that. The strap is a bit wider than most brands and it stays in place. The turning system to tighten or loosen it is perfect and easier than most headlamps. This remains my go-to lamp at the moment.
• NNormal Tomir 2. I have two pairs. After a 30 km training I was afraid that size 47 would be too small, because I could feel my big toe against the front. Unfortunately, NNormal does not make 47 2/3 or 48, so I ordered a 48.5. With an extra thick sole in the shoe it should fit. I started with them, but took them off at kilometer 44. It felt a bit too wide.
• Merrell Agility Peak 5. We have been selling this shoe for a short while now. This seemed like a good time to test them out and I really liked them. I actually never had a moment of doubt that I did not feel safe or stable in this shoe.
• Drymax socks. We only recently added these to our range. I usually ran with Injinji toe socks, but these Drymax socks keep your feet so dry that you have less chance of blisters during ultras. So I didn't have a single blister and never felt like I was running with wet feet. Not even after deep mud. I will definitely continue running my long distances with these.
• Instinct shorts. These shorts are lightweight, have a built-in belt for gear, and pockets on the thighs. I never get chafing when I wear these shorts and they are just really comfortable. A bit boring black though.
• Combination of NNormal 5 liter vest and Compressport Free Belt Pro. I find this vest very comfortable, but the (waterproof) pocket on the back is sometimes a bit difficult to reach. The advantage of the Free Belt Pro is that you can easily put your phone in the belt, you can also put some power supply in it, you can put your poles on the loops on your back (if you don't put them on the vest or have them in your hands) and that your starting number can be attached. I liked this combination perfectly. Especially because I also had some gels on my upper legs in the tights.
• Julbo Frequency. When the headlamp went off, the sunglasses went on. They have self-tinting lenses, so you can wear them even when the sun is not shining. During training runs I sometimes have trouble with large swarms of flies and then it is nice to protect your eyes. I think I wore them for 75 kilometers without any problems or them pressing annoyingly.
• Leki Ultratrail FX.One Superlite. This is a risk because they are carbon poles with an extra thin tube. This makes them vulnerable and they can break more easily. On a path with stones, a pole got stuck once, so I understand the risk. Otherwise they walked wonderfully. However, on a trail with many rocks, I would start with aluminum poles. The chance of breaking is much smaller and the extra weight is not extreme.
• COROS Vertix 2. I've been using this for quite some time now and I'm very happy with it.It is the COROS counterpart of the Garmin Fenix, but you miss a few options like Garmin Pay. You don't have to worry about the battery, because it is fantastic. I also had the GPX on my watch and despite the fact that the course was very well marked, I checked the GPX quite often. This worked very well and when we went the wrong way after about 30 kilometers it immediately started beeping.
• Power supply. I did it almost entirely on sports drink and gel. Apart from some dried mango and Naak puree. This combination of Maurten and Naak gave me enough energy to get through each hour and I didn't suffer from hunger. The temptation is sometimes there to take nice sweets, salty crackers, alcohol-free beer or fried eggs, but I don't do that in training either. So during the race I stick as much as possible to what I'm used to.

The next one is in my agenda at the end of the month. The Graef Castricum Trail 60 KM from Cairn Adventures. Time to test some other shoes.:)