race report

MadCity 100k

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Madison, WI

An Ode to Madison

As I typically do with races I run for the first time, I'll give a quick rundown before diving into the race report. But with this one, I can't begin without acknowledging what Madison means to me. Madison, the capital, is located in southwest Wisconsin, right on the edge of the driftless region. It's also situated on an isthmus nestled between two relatively big lakes and dotted with other smaller lakes, inlets, and bays. It's a small city by almost all standards, but the atmosphere is one matched by few other places I've been. Like most college towns, the UW plays a significant role in making the place what it is, but it's certainly not the only attraction. It's a young, vibrant city that feels full of promise and potential.

For those that don't know, I grew up in a small town about 30 minutes west of Madison. So much of my young life revolved around this city. When we went grocery shopping, to the movies, out to eat, or just needed to kill time—it was always Madison. I fondly remember going to the zoo and taking field trips to the capital building. As I got older, I went to Badger football games, where the atmosphere was electric and exciting. We killed our time wandering around campus and taking in the oddity that is State Street. I paddle boarded for the first time on one of those lakes, the beginning of an activity I still love.

Twice, for short stints, I lived in Madison for work and connected even deeper with the city. I shopped weekly at the Saturday farmer's market on Capitol Square. I spent afternoons sitting out on the Union Terrace reading Ralph Waldo Emerson for the first time. I ran Capital City Trail along Lake Monona and navigated the rolling hills through quiet neighborhoods. I explored the Arboretum, Picnic Point, and Capital Springs. I shared drinks on cool summer nights at a rooftop bar overlooking the sunset on Lake Mendota. I visited friends who went to UW and partook in all the fun experiences those trips brought. Even now, having lived in northeast Wisconsin for almost a decade, I still don't feel at home until I'm at least as far west of Madison. So, to Madison, a place that helped form me, thank you.

About The Race

Now, onto the race. MadCity was started in 2007 by Tim Yanacheck, a legendary figure in Wisconsin ultrarunning. His goal was to provide a premier 100k road race, an event in which the winner, provided they meet the time standard, would automatically qualify for the USA 100k team. In 2023, the race was taken over by Nora Bird, a fellow Bigger Than The Trail ambassador, who hoped to grow the event while continuing its legacy.

The event is run on a 10k course, which is 100% road or paved path. It begins near the zoo, travels through several neighborhoods, and enters the arboretum as it loops around Lake Wingra. Roughly half of the course traverses through the arboretum before popping back into the city for a run along the lake just before returning to the start/finish area. The change in scenery and the slight elevation variations keep the race interesting, even on the 10th and final loop. There is a designated crew area near the start/finish line for runners and spectators. The event is well organized and supported. Based on what I saw this weekend, I have no doubt that Nora will do a fantastic job continuing to grow this race and carry on the legacy.

A more thorough detail of the history can be found here: https://www.madcityultras.com/about-5

Race Morning

Though I'm much more of a trail runner at heart, I couldn't pass up this event. I saw it as an opportunity to test myself while still getting comfort from the familiarity. It's been a long time since I went into a race with the goal of really pushing my pace and the ability to do so. I wanted to see how fast I could go. I had a solid winter of training and felt ready to tackle the race. I went in with a time goal of 9:30. It was an aggressive goal, but it still felt within reach if I was able to put together a near-perfect day. I never look at course maps or terrain ahead of time, so after actually taking a look at the course during packet pickup, I adjusted my goal to 9:45 to match some elements I hadn't accounted for. But when I woke up on race day morning with GI issues, I wondered if I would finish the race or if I even wanted to start.

I put that out of my head as I packed all our gear and drove to the race. Emma and I arrived and started to get situated. While getting ready, I chatted with Tate and Craig, friends I have met since moving to the valley. Both are inspirational people and runners. They are tremendous advocates for mental health and just genuinely kind, supportive people. I say this in every post, but ultra has connected me with some of the greatest people that I could ever ask to know.

The Start Line

We then made our way to the start line for a quick pre-race meeting. There, I found myself on the same starting line as Zach Bitter. For those that don't know, Zach Bitter formerly held the 100-mile world record and still holds the American record. Take that and throw in that he's a hometown Wisconsin boy. Needless to say, I've been a fan of his since I started following the sport. I knew he would be running this race, but actually standing next to him at the start line was a cool experience, one that you don't get in other sports.

The morning air was cool, but all indications were that we had a beautiful day before us. Listening to Nora go over some details, I took in the moment as a breeze from the lake brushed my face. With the excitement of the race, I was ready to take on the challenge and make the most of whatever kind of day fate had in store for me. And before I knew it, we were off and running. I started at a pace faster than I had planned, partly to help keep myself warm but also to try and make a bit of headway early in the day while it was still cool. As the lead pack took off at a breakneck pace, I fell into place with two other runners. We proceeded to leapfrog every kilometer or so as we passed each other in our strong areas and let the other pass in our weak areas. The first 10k loop passed with ease, and the GI issues had yet to make an impact. I made quick work of resupplying and headed out for the next loop. Before I knew it, I was coming back into the start/finish area and wrapping up loop 2. At this point, I let myself get optimistic about the day. I was feeling great, and my race was looking promising. I peeled off my long sleeve and donned what is now becoming my signature look as I started loop 3.

The Lows

On loop 3, I was lapped by Martin (who would go on to win) and Zach. They were on loop 5 at this point. I made a joke about how many times they would lap me throughout the day, and they moved on through. A little while after this, I heard a runner coming up behind me and realized it was Zach. He must have noticed my confusion to see him behind me again and noted that he made a quick stop a little way back. He asked me how my race was going, and we chatted briefly as he caught back up to me and passed me. He mentioned having some issues popping back up with his Achilles and was considering pulling the plug for the day to avoid further aggravating it. I wished him luck as he pulled away, apparently on a bum ankle and still moving at a faster pace than I could probably ever hope for.

The middle portion of loop 3 brought me my only real struggles of the day. I was stopped in my tracks as a shot to my gut keeled me over. As I poked and prodded, the cramp loosened up. I started running again, only for it to happen a second time minutes later. This happened 4 or 5 times. And just as quickly as it was brought on, it went away, and I didn't cramp again. Towards the end of the loop, a pack of 50kers came up behind me running fast. They were running on fresher legs, having started an hour after I did, and they only needed reserves for half the distance I was covering. But I got caught up in the excitement and went a little too fast with them for a mile before common sense finally caught up.

As I approached the start/finish yet again, I saw my family standing with Emma. They stopped in to see me on the way to watch my youngest brother, who was performing his piece for the state forensics competition at the UW later in the day. I greeted them briefly before heading over to Emma. We swapped my handhelds out for my small pack, and I told her that I planned to slow down a little bit. Loops averaging 57 minutes would get me to my goal time, but I had been averaging 54's so far. As I mentioned, I planned to move faster in the morning, but I didn't want to continue that pace and risk blowing up. I went out with the intention to pace more conservatively... and ran another 54-minute loop.

Loop 5 was a balancing act. I was starting to get overheated. It wasn't hot, but it was our first warm spring day of the year. I'm not a fan of warm weather running to begin with, and I'm certainly not heat-acclimatized yet. So when an aid station volunteer at the midpoint offered ice to throw in my hat, I gladly obliged. I grabbed a few pieces out of my hat and held them in my hands as I ran. (See Tip 1 Below)

I was also having some trouble monitoring my electrolyte loss. The day was sunny, but there was a constant breeze. The breeze helped in the temperature department, but it also instantly dried sweat, making it hard to determine electrolyte loss. (See Tip 2 Below) As I took the time to dial in my electrolytes and body temperature, I slowed down a bit as well. I finished loop 5 in a little over an hour, putting my 50k time at 4 hours and 39 minutes, well under goal pace, and still feeling great.

Loop 6 is where the pavement began to take its toll on me. While my pace wasn't affected much, I could feel the strain of the race building as my hips and knees started to get sore. Of all the races I've done, the Madison Marathon, my first and only marathon, beat up my body the worst. It was likely due to a combination of factors, but the biggest was probably the pavement. Even though I do most of my training on pavement out of convenience, racing on it is different. It seemed only fitting that MadCity may take the new top spot by the end of the day. Toward the end of loop 6, I came around a corner to be greeted by the older of my two brothers, who needed to log some volunteer hours and thus found himself as a course marshal. "How ya feeling?" he asked as I approached. "Like shit," I laughed in response. With a quick fist bump, I continued on my way.

Hitting Stride

The next few loops were where I hit the sweet spot mentally, meditation in motion. When I reached the Arboretum aid station or start/finish, I focused on keeping my electrolytes balanced and loading up on ice to maintain my body temperature. Aside from that, though, my mind almost completely zoned out as I took in the experience at the most base level. My legs were getting increasingly sore now, but the sensation registered mentally as little more than an annoyance. Miles clicked by without my really being conscious of their passing, but my pacing remained relatively consistent. At this point, I hoped to stay in this state and flow into the finish line, but halfway through loop 9, I was pulled out of the zone as I stopped at the arboretum aid station.

"I'm going with him," I heard. I looked over to see the only other runner speaking with an aid station volunteer and gesturing in my direction. Latching onto another runner and coasting on their energy is a common strategy when runners feel low. It's also why you see pacers allowed at many longer trail races. It's a strategy I've used many times myself. So, after I got stocked up and was ready to go, I glanced back over. "You're coming with me? You ready to go?"

Trystan quickly wrapped up what he was doing, and we were off. We chatted as we ran and got to know each other. It turns out we had both run Arctic Frog in 2024, although we ran different distances. As we coasted toward the start/finish, I asked what got him into ultra. This is one of my favorite questions to ask and answer because it can reveal a lot about a person. It was particularly interesting to me now, though, because Trystan was only 19. In a sport where the demographics skew older, I am still relatively young. So, to find myself running with somebody more than a decade younger than I am is rare. Sure, I had the aspirations to run ultras at 19 when I first began to learn about them, but I wasn't actually out there doing it. I wanted to know what drove him. So, Trystan told me a little bit of his story. While I never share others' stories in my posts, they're not mine to tell, Trystan has a pretty inspirational one. He's a good kid with goals that drive him, and I hope to run into him at more races in the future.

Wrap it Up

We parted at the start/finish. I journeyed out for the final loop and slipped back into the zone. I was slightly behind my goal pace for a 9:45 finish. If I pushed to the limit on the last loop, I could gain some time and probably hit my goal. But I also had a high likelihood of blowing up and walking a good portion of the loop, ending with a slower time than if I just ran easy. I was content with the effort I had put forth all day, so I let the goal go. In doing that, I also gave myself permission to take a few extra minutes on the last loop to take in the course and the beauty for the last time. I came across the finish line with a time of 9:51. I was greeted by a host of friends from the community. After the race, I chatted with my friends and congratulated other runners as they crossed the finish line. After a while, Emma and I decided to call it a day and head back to my parents' house, where we were staying. While in the end, the pavement beat me up more than I anticipated (two weeks later, as I write this, my right hip is still sore), the only carnage from the race was a small blister on each big toe and some slight chafing on my chest about the size of a quarter.

I don't have a grand lesson that I took away from this race like I do some others. Early on in my running career, every big race was a test of my fortitude. There were huge opportunities for growth as a person and as a runner. There were many lessons to be learned. While I'll never be able to say I've learned everything ultra has to teach me, I have reached the point where some races can just be fun. They are run for the sake of enjoyment, not self-development. And MadCity 100k was just that, fun. While it may be a while before I embark on the 100k again, this race has gained a spot in my heart. I plan on continuing to participate, whether that be running the 50k as a tune-up for the year, tackling a relay with friends, or volunteering and taking my turn to help support others. So, once again, thank you to everybody who helped to make this day so great!

Tip 1

I'm always happy to share tips and tricks I pick up, so here's one of them. Something about the vasculature in glabrous skin allows blood to dump heat very efficiently. Cooler blood leads to cooler body temperature. Glabrous skin lacks hair follicles, so the main places it's found are the bottoms of the feet, the palms, and the forehead. Putting ice on top of your head will still cool you down, but holding ice in your hands, putting it on your forehead, or dipping your feet in ice if you can will cool you down much faster. Do you remember the goofy headbands that many Olympians were wearing in 2024? Same concept.

Tip 2

How much we sweat tells us how much electrolytes we are losing. We tend to under-replenish electrolytes in scenarios where we aren't sweating, or more accurately, we don't perceive ourselves to be. There are also some tricks to this that I've learned. It can be helpful to check your clothes and skin for the salt left behind from evaporated sweat. Sometimes it can be hard to get an accurate read from clothes, so I prefer to check my skin. For whatever reason, my sweat seems to collect behind my ears, so in situations like this, I can usually scratch there, and the amount of salt under my nails gives me an idea of my electrolyte loss.

Proud to Partner With:

Bigger Than The Trail

Ornery Mule Racing

Shoes: Altra – Escalante

These are not recommended for a race like this unless you are very accustomed to barefoot-style shoes with minimal support.

Gear: Amphipod - packs, Smart Wool - socks

Wearables: Garmin - Forerunner 945, Oura Ring

Nutrition: GoMacro Bars, Simply Snackin’ Bars

Recovery: ATH - supplements, FitAid, Freeze Sleeves

All photo credits to Steena Crives - @steena.omg.lol