Ultra long distance runner and Bainbridge resident Harold Allen recently completed ANOTHER 100 mile race. After competing in the 100 mile Fort Clinch race in Fernandina Beach in February, Harold laced up his running shoes and nearly won his second ultra marathon.
The race was held on a cross country course north of Pensacola, Florida and consisted of a 2.5 mile loop that runners completed 40 times. After starting the long run at 8:00 a.m., Harold said he was feeling good about winning until night fell. Because 1.5 miles of the 2.5 mile loop ran through tall grass, when the dew fell after sundown, Harold had trouble keeping his feet dry. At that point in the race, Harold had completed nearly 60 of the 100 miles. That left 40 miles to complete with drenched feet.
“I was feeling good until the sun went down and the grass got wet. That really slowed me down. I was competing by myself – no team, no support staff like the other runners – so I had to stop and change my shoes and wring out my socks after each loop.” — Harold Allen on the challenges the 100 mile race presented
In order to fuel his long run, Harold told the Sack Lunch Show hosts Bradley Warren and Dustin Dowdy that he relied on hamburgers and Ramon Noodle Soup during the race. Even with the challenges he faced, Harold finished 4th out of 114 competitors, completing the 100 miles in 26 hours, stopping only to eat and wring out his socks.
Next on the list? He plans to run the Daytona 100 – a 100 mile race from Jacksonville Beach to Daytona, FL – on December 9 of this year, completing his third 100 mile ultra marathon in 2017. According to the Daytona 100 website, “The DAYTONA 100 is a USATF-sanctioned, north-to-south, point-to-point course that travels through some of the most scenic areas Florida has to offer. You will be running almost exclusively on paved trails, sidewalks, and the beach itself (about 90 miles of pavement; 10 miles of very firm and runnable beach).”
To keep up with Harold’s progress, visit his facebook page.
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