I want to tell you about my HURT experience, but before we get to the story of the race, I need you to have an idea of what HURT is. Hawaiian Ultra Running Team 100 Mile Trail Run (HURT) is known to be one of the most daunting 100-mile races in the world, and most likely holds the spot for the most technical 100-mile race in the world.

Something more difficult than running Run Rabbit Run? Writing a race report about a race you would rather chalk up to one word: Frustration.

“Babe, after Saturday everyone is going to know who you are. You’re going to surprise a lot of people.” Western States 100 was only a few days away and I was half asleep laying on Avery’s chest. He was right.

No crew. No pacers. Those are the rules. Despite the fact that my crew would only see me at the start and finish, they still flew out from three different states to be a part of my race. Even though I wasn’t able to have them physically on the course with me, they were still with me every mile along the way. For the past 5 months they’ve been my training partners, coaches, shoulders to cry on, stress relievers, and encouragement givers. At Malibu State Park at 3:19 in the afternoon, on February 4th, we were shouting to no one in particular, “We’re going to Western!”  

Four months later I put my name in for the Leadville 100 lottery. In January, a month later, I received an email, my name had been drawn, I was officially running Leadville 2015.

I believe in dreams. If you’re not chasing what sets your soul on fire, then what are you doing in life? Running is what drives me. I crave it. I’ve followed some paths in life that have led me away from my passion,...