Day 1
The start was filled with nervous energy. All 7 of us arrived & we sang Nicki happy birthday before running off into the dark morning. I settled into my planned pace & quickly lost sight of the other runners as they ran into the distance.
I love a plan. I love following a plan. AND I’m competitive. The thoughts that raced through my head during these sections were a bit like an angel & a devil on each shoulder.
“Stick to your plan, the race doesn’t start until the 2nd or 3rd day.”
“If they get too far ahead, you won’t catch them.”
Even though I knew the right answer, they continued to bicker for miles.
I had followed the same plan last March. I started slow. I slept very little (11 hrs over a total of 85 hrs). It worked: I won & broke the record. A key difference was that in that race no one had any expectations for me. I showed up at the start line in LA with a crew who believed in me and confidence in myself but that was it.
This was different. I had already been asked if I was trying to win. A simple, yet complicated question. In a race this long, there are about 5 ways it can go right and 1000 ways it can go wrong. Finishing is a massive accomplishment. Of course, I wanted to do the best I could possibly do.
I spent most of the first day running a 10 mile section, seeing my crew for 1-5 minutes to restock supplies and check-in, and then doing it again.
As those miles ticked off, my thoughts wandered back to LALV. I vividly remembered almost every section of the race. The very first section with Ashley through LA. The second section through neighborhoods where I heard Alyssa’s life story. The longest stretch that Emily had run in a while, shared in the foothills north of LA. Halle’s stretch where I warded off nausea with jolly ranchers & we ‘planned’ her wedding. The ‘Bring It On’ neighborhood with Lauren and Lindsey. A challenging night section with Maria & Emily. As I ran through Chile, I could so vividly recall each section of LALV because it brought a new pacer, new conversation, and new sights.
What would Atacama feel like? How would I differentiate the miles with so many of them completed solo?
As day 1 continued, Claire & Caleb settled into their groove as an exceptional crew. Claire figured out how to keep the truck organized (even as Caleb tried to re-organize it based on vibes). They both made sure I stayed hydrated, fed, protected from the sun, & entertained. We were getting into our flow. The novelty of the whole experience was fresh. Scroll for some never-before-seen videos by Caleb, who made sure anyone following along was entertained.
Eventually, we were joined by Andrew, a talented photographer & videographer who rode along with my crew on this first day. He smiled behind his camera as I made my way up a narrow canyon road - the first of many climbs. We had just met a day before, but he was about to capture & bear witness to the highs and lows of our next days.
My crew waited for me at the top of the first climb for a 30 min break. I felt great: only positive answers to all the checklist items (no stomach issues, no feet issues, great mood, etc.). I was right on pace with my plan - and in last place. I continued to tell myself to trust the process.
Soon, I arrived at an intersection with signs pointing to Victoria & remembered that I needed to turn there. Hmm. We hadn’t discussed that at the last stop, just a few minutes earlier. I used the walkie-talkie to call for my crew because none of us had cell service. It took them a little while to respond (salt photoshoots were happening). When they did, we realized they had missed the turn. Crisis averted & a major moment of gratitude for our walkie-talkies.
These next miles felt easy. The weather was great & the wind at my back. The landscape was breathtaking - like nothing I had seen before.
Eventually @nils_hh, @itsjarick, & @_reewalker found me. Jarick jogged next to me - I shared how grateful I was to get to be part of this race & that I hoped it helped female athletes see that they deserved a spot on the field, on the court, or at the starting line.
My memories of day 1 confirmed that Atacama would be a blur, punctuated by the rare & treasured interaction with people along the route.
At 5pm, a bus pulled off the road & the driver waved me over. “Have you been running since this morning in Iquique? 13 hours ago?” He asked me in Spanish. “Yes! I’m running to San Pedro de Atacama,” I responded, in my broken Spanish. He gasped & clapped & cheered, somehow all the same time. We both laughed & waved goodbye to each other: one of many punctuation marks along my run made by kind Chilean strangers.
Around mile 70, I saw Alex & Alberto just ahead. It was almost sunset so I pushed forward a bit faster than my planned pace. It was energizing to see the other runners & their crews. We high fived as our paths crossed & cheered each other on.
Around 7:45 pm, I made it to Victoria (75 miles total), just in time for a sunset dinner with my exceptional crew. Sunsets are beautiful but can be challenging in races like this. The brain does funny things at night. I went from running my best section of the race, to eating a dinner that I was really hungry for, to feeling VERY sleepy.
After dinner, I took a 20-minute nap & had a delicious cup of French Truck coffee before heading out into the night with Caleb, hoping to run about 25 more miles before sleeping. My stomach had other plans; a few miles in, I puked up the entire dinner (RIP to valuable calories). After 16 hours of nearly flawless running, the first challenge presented itself. We trudged on a bit longer before I decided to take my 2.5 hour nap early. I hoped to move faster & feel less nauseous when I woke up.
Claire drove ahead, found a great spot to set up camp, pitched two tents, & set up my sleeping bag in the truck. Caleb moved slowly along with me, telling me stories to try to keep my mind off my nausea. I was so grateful for both of them at that moment. We stayed positive. We problem-solved.
I wrapped up the first 24-hours of the race with 91 miles done, a little less than 3 hours of sleep, & so much gratitude for my crew. We were all settling into our roles and the journey was just beginning.
“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”
-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
