Eastern States 100: One Hour to Spare
Eastern States 100 had been living in my head rent-free for months, ever since I registered for the race back in October '25. Nearly all races I can get mentally comfortable with what I am about to do, regardless of if I have ever been on the racecourse. I had such a hard time pinpointing why this was not happening with Eastern States. I was in the spreadsheets, the aid station charts, the drop bag lists, the shoe-change plans, the weather checks, the bottle choices, the shirt changes, the calorie math, and the endless mental rehearsal of what might happen after dark in the Pennsylvania mountains. I did not spend much time studying the course, but I don't think that was the problem. It is not just long. It is steep, technical, humid, and remote. There are easier ways to run 100 miles. Eastern States is not interested in being one of them. But that was also the appeal. I wanted to do something different. Eastern States is the final race in the Pennsylvania Triple Crown, and it...
