Success Is No Accident

My Journey to 100 Miles at River Run Backyard Ultra

I have wanted to run 100 miles since 2020. I originally thought it would be the traditional route of a point-to-point race, but it turned out I got it done at a Backyard Ultra (BYU), and boy, am I happy about that!

I've crewed and volunteered at a few BYUs now, so I've had the opportunity to watch a lot of runners in action, picking up a few tricks and learning simply through observation.

The idea of running 100 miles at River Run sort of happened by accident. I was keen to give a BYU a go, so I started training more specifically for it, but I also didn't put too much expectation on the outcome, either during training or on race day. As my training progressed, I began to realise there were aspects of BYU that really suited my personality.

I'm the type of runner who can go into a meditative state, which I feel is a real asset in a BYU. Running the same loop every hour could easily become boring and repetitive, but I can happily report that I didn't get bored once!

Through years of meditation, I've also developed the ability to fall asleep really quickly when I want to. This came in handy between laps, as I was able to get some good naps.

Planning, Preparation and Taking Actions. 

Another key goal for this event was to create a detailed fueling and race plan, something I had failed to do properly in previous races.

A massive shout-out to Hannah from Real Health  Sports Nutrition for providing me with the resources to put together both my fueling and race plans.

By creating these plans, I was able to build a picture of what my race might look like, which gave me a real sense of confidence. I believe that taking actions like this creates a sense of ownership and responsibility for your race, as opposed to simply winging it and hoping for the best.

Of course, it's important to remember that on race day, plans can (and probably will) change, and you need to be able to adapt. But having a plan gives you a good springboard to work from. It also provides the mental clarity to think through solutions when things don't go to plan, because many of the simple but important details have already been taken care of.

Another key part of my fueling preparation was getting sweat tested, a service we offer at CMF Running alongside RHSN. Through testing, I was able to understand my sweat sodium concentration and sweat rate. It turns out my sodium concentration is quite high, at around 1,600 mg per litre of sweat, but my overall sweat rate is relatively low. Having these two metrics allowed me to build a more informed hydration strategy into my race plan, rather than simply guessing how much fluid and sodium I needed.

The Mental Side – More Than Just Running

Another key aspect that made this experience such a success was that I was mentally ready. I've come a long way in terms of my relationship with exercise, food and myself.

There has been a lot of healing involved in developing a healthier relationship with my body. I've moved away from seeing exercise and food as forms of punishment towards seeing myself as an athlete who trains and understanding that running is about so much more than how I look as a result of it.

I've also done a lot of personal development around my confidence and who I am as a person.

I'm a big believer that taking the right actions builds self-esteem, love and kindness towards yourself and others, rather than approaching things with the mindset of "I need to do this to be that," "I'm not good enough," or even "I'm too good."

For this race, I had also written down three quotes that were meaningful to me. I worked through different scenarios of what could go wrong and how I might respond, and I spent time really fleshing out my why.

One of the quotes I had written down was #havefun – in the enjoyable and in the challenging.

This was an important reminder that having fun doesn't necessarily mean everything has to feel good or be easy. There was always going to be discomfort, fatigue and difficult moments, but that didn't mean I couldn't still enjoy the experience as a whole.

I also spent time thinking about what could go wrong and how I might respond to those situations. One example was the possibility of complaining about a difficult yard. I knew there would probably be times when I'd find a loop hard, get frustrated or have a bit of a moan. And that's okay! Just because one yard is difficult doesn't mean the next one will be. It doesn't need to become anything more than what it is – one difficult yard. I think having this mindset helped me avoid turning temporary discomfort into something bigger than it needed to be. Rather than worrying about how I might feel in five or ten hours, I could focus on the yard I was actually in, accept how I was feeling and then move on. These might seem like small things, but having already thought through these scenarios gave me confidence that I could handle the challenges when they came. All of these actions helped create a strong sense of confidence, which I believe is incredibly important when taking on big distances.

So, by the time race day arrived, I was ready.

I was mentally ready to enjoy myself.

Mentally ready to solve problems throughout the day.

Mentally ready not to take myself or the race too seriously.

Mentally ready to have a meaningful why.

Mentally ready to follow a plan while being flexible when needed.

Mentally ready to accept help from my parents and crew.

Mentally ready to recover from such a big effort.

And mentally ready because I had trained well, without allowing the preparation to take too much away from other important aspects of my life.

I believe this is why the race was so meaningful to me.

It wasn't just about achieving the milestone of running 100 miles. It was about the journey of growth I'd been on leading up to the race, with the achievement itself being the icing on the cake.

As a result of this experience, I've gained a HUGE boost in confidence, which I hope will help me continue becoming a more helpful, kind and joyful person.

How My Day Played Out

My Crew – My Family

My parents, who are incredibly supportive, travelled from Auckland to Waipukurau to crew me.

I assigned my dad, Ross, the role of Chief Crew Person, as Chris was also running on the day. This also took some pressure off Chris, as he didn't need to be everything to me throughout the race.

My mum, Phillippa, was another key person on the day. My Mum’s ability to problem-solve, get involved and simply get stuck in was something I really appreciated.

On the Tuesday of race week, I had a Zoom call with Dad to go over how everything would work.

This turned out to be something of a baptism of fire, as neither of my parents had ever been to a BYU before, and by this stage, it was becoming increasingly likely that I might actually run 100 miles!

I was trying to prepare Dad for all sorts of possibilities and explain how the event worked, which probably seemed a bit full-on. Thankfully, Dad is a quick study, and on race day, nothing too crazy happened to me.

Race Morning – Let’s go!!

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and got myself ready.

This included putting glitter on my face to make me feel pretty!

It might seem like a small thing, but it was another little action I took to help myself feel good and confident on the start line.

And with that, I was ready to go.

The Good, the Bad and the Sore Feet!

Without going into a blow-by-blow account of every lap, I had a really good day.

For most of the race, my yards averaged around 45–50 minutes, which gave me a reasonable amount of time between loops to eat, drink, rest and get organised for the next one.

There were so many highlights.

Running alongside Coach Holly, Holly and other fellow runners was awesome. Mum getting stuck in and massaging my legs with Hot Stuff from Sweat Cheeks on numerous laps along with feeding me oranges.

The weather was warm but not too hot, which made conditions pretty comfortable. Chrissy Boy was also able to jump in and help after he'd finished his own running, which was a big asset.

I really enjoyed the experience of working together with my parents to make the day as enjoyable as possible. It felt like we were all part of the adventure.

I also loved the night section, listening to Kygo on repeat while ticking off the loops. And, of course, being able to sneak in a few naps between yards was a massive bonus!

That's not to say there weren't a few challenges along the way.

I needed to go for a number two on many, many loops, which became a bit of a recurring theme throughout the day.

My feet were sore AF!

And at around 4 am, I started feeling nauseous, which wasn't particularly pleasant.

But overall, I was managing things well, solving problems as they came up and, most importantly, enjoying myself.

The Final Few Yards – When Things Got Emotional

There was a point in the early morning when I genuinely thought I might carry on beyond the 24-hour, 100-mile milestone.

I was feeling so good that the idea of continuing seemed quite realistic. But as I got closer to that milestone, something shifted. I started becoming quite emotional, and in a strange way, things began to feel hard again.

On lap 23, I came in with just seven minutes to spare.

On my 24th loop, I came in with only three minutes remaining.

That final loop was tough.

I really had to push myself to keep running at times. It felt like my body was saying, "Nope, that's enough now!" My feet were absolutely killing me, and I was well and truly over stuffing food into my mouth. I came through the corral feeling cooked and emotionally not quite up for heading out again just to "see what would happen." And you know what? I was okay with that. I feel like my race ended exactly when it was meant to.

I had achieved something I'd wanted to do for years, and I was happy.

More Than Just 100 Miles

Looking back on this experience, I feel I've come away with so much more than the achievement of running 100 miles. I've gained more resilience, more confidence and an even greater desire to see what else I can take on that will help me continue growing as a person. The race itself was an incredible experience, but what makes me most proud is everything that went into getting there. The training, the planning, the preparation, the personal development and learning to trust myself.

Success is no accident.

It's the result of the actions we take, the work we put in and the way we choose to approach the challenges in front of us. And while I achieved my goal of running 100 miles, I think the biggest reward has been what I've learned about myself along the way.

I'll also be back next year for another go, with absolutely no goal! 😉

Thank You, River Run!

A massive shout-out to the River Run team for putting on such a wonderful event. Josh, Mike, Kendall and Fi have created something really special. An event that genuinely feels like family. Thank you all for your hard mahi and for creating an environment where runners and their crews can come together, challenge themselves and enjoy the experience.

See you next year!

About the Author

Char is a Run and Strength coach who has a passion about helping others to see their beyond the metrics. Char is an avid runner who has overcome her struggles with food and exercise and now uses running as a way of growing and building confidence with her body and day to day life. Through story telling and coaching others she helps to spread the light on what running can do. To #havefun in the enjoyable and in the challenging. 

Connect on IG: https://www.instagram.com/trailgirlcharlotte/

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