Take a minute to get inspired by Darren & Mary’s latest feat! Mary wrote a fantastic piece about their experience – enjoy!

Recently, my husband Darren and I had the opportunity to run in an event called 3 Days at the Fair, which took place at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Sussex County, New Jersey. Unlike most running events where participants run for a set distance, 3 Days at the Fair is a race where you run for a set time and complete as many miles as you can around a one-mile loop. The timed races included 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours, as well as six day and ten day events.

Darren and I have spent many years going back to this race, each time with a personal goal in mind, but this year was different for me. I had a goal to run 100 miles within 24 hours. I had tried once before and was disappointed, falling short of my goal. But I hoped this time would be different.

The day finally arrived. Dressed and ready, Darren and I hit the pavement side by side with 75 other runners competing in the 24-hour race, each with their own personal goal. Darren was determined I could do it. He was my pacer and I had no choice by to trust him. 4 ½ hours in, and first marathon down. Music in my ears, I was feeling steady. How easy could this be? Just 3 more marathons and 15 ½ hours to go. It seemed too easy. Boy, was I wrong?! As the sun came up, it got hot. Sunblock was necessary and fueling was essential. Dehydration was a serious consideration, but so far, so good. I was just counting the minutes for the sun to go down and cool off. Second marathon was 10 hours in. It was 7:00pm now and I was beginning to slow down. My feet were starting to hurt and other parts of the body started to wake up and let me know they were tired and hurting. As the hours and minutes passed, the pain would move around. And just when the pain became unbearable, it shifted to another part of my body. Almost like my body was having a conversation with me. 75 miles down and it was close to 12:30am. It seemed like I had so much time left, but everything just slowed. Run/walk was my friend.

Slow, but steady. 92, 95, 98, 99…. At 6:30am, I finally crossed that line! 100 miles! I rang the race bell so loud and so proud! I did it! And with Darren by my side the whole way. How could I forget this moment? And then he proceeds to tell me, “we have 2 1/2 more hours to go before the race is over”. Really? Are you kidding? Did
I really say my second goal was to be on my feet for 24 hours? I had no choice. That was the plan. I was all in. My mind wasn’t all in quite then, but after a bit of regrouping, I mustered 3 more miles to make it a full 103 miles.

So many lessons learned with this race, as with all races. They only make you stronger and smarter. Whether you reach your goal or not, you NEVER quit. You just try again and again. But in the end, I did it. And I don’t mind bragging about this one.

Wow!! Kudos to Mary & Darren! Let us know if you are planning on meeting a fitness goal this summer – we’d love to hear your story.