Endurance Run

Brittany Grubbs, 35, ran her first ever 100-mile event on April 1 and 2 at the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run in Raleigh.
“I wanted to complete a 100-mile event mostly to see if I could do it,” Grubbs said. “This distance adds a lot of elements and unknowns that are not really factors in shorter distance races. Also, one of my running friends, Judy, basically talked me into signing up for this particular race because she was going to do it as well. It was nice to have a running partner at the race, as well as our friends and family who came to help pace us at the race and provide support as our race crew.”
Although this was Grubbs’ first 100 miler, this was not her first ultra-marathon, which is any distance over 26.2 miles. Prior to this race, she used a 24-week training program that allowed her to prepare for the race. She participated in multiple 50K and 50-mile events. Her official time for the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run was 28:42:45.
“I definitely had a lot of time to think,” Grubbs said. “I tried to keep my thoughts positive, but there were definitely times when I was wondering why I signed up for this race. I also thought a lot about how cool it was that I was actually there, running the 100-mile race and how crazy it was that it was actually happening. Toward the end, I was thinking about my pace and wanting to make sure I was going to finish before the time cut off.”
The Umstead 100 Ultra race is considered an endurance run through the William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh. The race has a time limit of 30 hours to complete.
“It was a challenging course,” she said. “The back side of each of the 12.5-mile loops was quite hilly and the terrain caused terrible blisters on my feet. I had never gotten blisters nearly as bad as what I experienced at this race. This definitely made it challenging to keep going.”
Grubbs enjoys running because of the way it makes her feel.
“I enjoy the stress relief aspect of running as well as the camaraderie of running with my running friends,” she said. “I also have gotten to see some pretty cool locations by running races there.”
One of her motivators in this race was her friend, Judy, who was also running in the race.
“We were also allowed to have pacers run with us after we got past the 50-mile mark, so we had some friends and family who graciously offered to run laps with us in the dark,” Grubbs said.
Her biggest supporter for her running is her husband.
“My husband, Patrick, has been my biggest supporter, especially when I would get home from a really long run on Saturday and pretty much only feel like lounging around the house the rest of the day,” Grubbs said. “He was also an excellent crew member at my race, making sure I had everything I needed and taking care of my blistered feet each time I came into the aid station.”
Grubbs has lived in the Kernersville and the surrounding area her entire life. She works as a solution expert at Volvo Financial Services in Greensboro.
The 28th Annual Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run is scheduled for April 6-7, 2024. Registration begins on Sept. 13, 2023 at 8 p.m.