Written by USATF Championship liaison Meghan Canfield. ATRA is a USA Track & Field member and media partner for its Mountain, Ultra and Trail running programs.
This Friday, February 18th marks the USATF 100 Mile Road Championships, in Henderson, Nevada. Hosted by Beyond Limits Racing, it is the 9th running of the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival, which also includes a 6-, 12-, 24-, 48-, and 72-hour races, as well as a 50 mile and non-championship 100 mile.
Elite women include:
- Camille Herron – Jackpot 2021 2nd place female and World record holder in the 100-mile track and road. Camille was also voted 2nd in the Ultra Running magazine’s Runner of the year for 2021.
- Stefani Flippin, Jackpot 2021 defending champion who set a new course record last year in hot conditions in 14:35:20
- Nicole Monette – has a 100k time of 7:43 in the Hoka One One Project CarbonX 2 in 2021. She also ran 100 miles on the track at Desert Solstice in a blistering time of 14:45.
Other women to watch are Whitney Richman (winner at Rim to River 100 miler), Lisa Cabiles (winner of Jackpot 50 miler 2021), and Julie Kheyfets (two time winner of Brazos Bend 100 mile / USATF 100 Mile Trail Championship).
For the men, the favorites are:
- Arlen Glick – won four 100 milers in 2021, including Javelina Jundred.
- Patrick Reagan – has course records at Brazos Bend 100, Javelina Jundred, and Yeti 100.
- Alex Nichols – this former U.S. Mountain and Trail Running Team member has 2 top 10 Western States 100 finishes, a Pikes Peak Ultra 50k win, and a Bandera 100k Golden Ticket win.
- Mark Hammond – defending 2020 Jackpot 100 mile champion, and 2021 Brazos Bend 100 mile champion, plus two top 10 finishes at Western States 100.
Other men to watch are age groupers Jean Pommier, Roy Pirrung, and Denis Trafecanty.
The course is a fast, flat 1.17 mile loop that is 95% pavement and 5% crushed gravel, designed for fast times and record breaking possibilities for open and age groupers alike.
The USATF 100-mile race, starts on Friday, February 18th at 8:00 AM Pacific Time.
Steep Life Media will be present and provide live coverage of the championship race, beginning Friday at 7:30 am and continue until the top 3 men and women finish. Representatives of USATF’s Mountain Ultra Trail program will be posting results on Twitter @usatf_mut throughout the race for the top 3 women and top 3 men.
Athlete Interviews
Nicole Monette – @nblaes
I caught her after she put her 3 kids to bed. Shout out to moms who run!
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
To be honest, it’s been an up and down cycle. Michigan winter weather is not conducive to training, so I’ve had some ups and downs including being sick about a month ago. But I got the mileage and workouts in, including some of my key workouts on the treadmill. Desert Solstice (last December) was good training for Jackpot.
How do you fuel?
Water and gels as longs I can, and adding in an electrolyte beverage as needed. I do this until I can’t tolerate gels. I will add in some stuff from the AS if things gels hard to eat.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
I don’t really have any fears, but a little curious about how the heat will affect me. The heat at 70s and staying hydrated, on top of that, 100 miles – the biggest unknown. If it starts off bad, that isn’t a good sign, “the unknown.”
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
Not really. I just go with the flow. Keep things pretty normal.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
Pat (Patrick Reagan) will be there. He’s my coach/buddy. My family will stay home, so I’ll be sharing crew with Patrick.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
For me, to go out at a pace that is unsustainable. I don’t want to get caught up in running like it’s a 50 mile race. I focus on running my own race.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
Well, it’s actually my husbands deal – he makes “Ginger shots” ginger with turmeric and garlic to boost his immune system. He swears by it, but I don’t drink it.
Arlen Gluck – Strava
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Really good. I haven’t had the volume, as per usual 100, but better than for Desert Solstice last December. I’m feeling smooth and good.
How do you fuel?
I don’t have a strict regimen – I like to switch things up through the day, and not do the same thing. I try not to over think it. If I overthink nutrition it gets too hard mentally. But I do mostly a liquid diet. The worst thing is getting tired of what you’re consuming and it’s too hard to get solids down while racing.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
I don’t think I have any fears. I’m very chill. I’m excited. I know the pain is coming. My goal is to hurt worse at the finish than I ever have. I need to stay in it mentally. I’m building on getting my head in a better place. It’s been a long time since I’ve run a fast/flat 100.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
I don’t really have one, I’m not very superstitious. The choices you make on race day are what make the differences.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
My two sisters crewing. Well two of my sisters. I’m one of nine kids – five brothers, three sisters. Six of us are still at home. They kind of all run for fun, but it’s really “Arlen’s thing”.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Ha, that’s actually a harder question than I thought! Well I guess if I decided to run my marathon pr. (2:40) in the first 26 miles.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
Nightcrawlers.
Kallin Khan winning the 2020 USATF 50 km Road Championship
Kallin Carolus Khan – @runcaroluskhan
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Pretty good. I was injured 1.5 years ago, so I’ve mostly been building back up over that time. I got most of my key runs in even though we’ve had a really cold winter (in Iowa), including 30 miles on the treadmill. I got my key workouts in.
How do you fuel?
Honestly – my stomach doesn’t care what I put in it, but I have to be careful not to over fuel. I use gels and Tailwind when I’m hungry, and Nuun (hydration electrolyte beverage) when I’m thirsty. I will also eat granola bars when I get real hungry.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
That I’ll run too hard at the start. It’s my first 100 mile, the weather is going to be so much nicer than I’ve been in, so I’m afraid of doing too much too soon.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
For shorter races, like a marathon I get up 3 hours before to eat and get ready, but this is my first 100 mile race – around a 12 hour race – so I don’t have a ritual. My biggest challenge is running for that long and staying focused for that long. So, I want to get as much sleep as possible before the race, then keep it simple with coffee and oatmeal.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
My wife Hannah, my mom and a sister. My mom and sister don’t get until Friday, three hours into the race, so it will help motivate me when they arrive.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
The perfect weather at the start makes it hard to stay calm and not go out too hard, and then not getting over heated once it warms up.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
A bouquet of flowers from our wedding day in the freezer.
Patrick Reagan – 2019 USATF 100 Mile Trail Champion.
Patrick Reagan – @patrickreaganrunning and @preaganrunning
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Training has worked really well for Jackpot. I had a really focused build and I’m where I haven’t been for awhile, probably since 2019 where I won Javelina Jundred and Brazos Bend. I’ve had good high volume weeks and a good 40 mile tune-up at a local race that went really well.
How do you fuel?
I shift the medium around but try to get 300-400 calories per hour – depends on the demands of the weather. But generally, I use Gu roctacne, Gu waffles, potato chips, and fresh fruit. Not too many mediums if all goes well.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
I am afraid of nothing (laughs)! What I fear is if something acutely goes wrong, something out of my control. Like an injury. I run my own race, so I don’t worry about going out at too hard an effort.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
Stef (Flippin) and I try to put ourselves in a good comfort zone – we sat and the watched Harry Potter documentary before our last race. Repetitively watching a movie really relaxes me. I don’t have any food rituals.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
Kris Brown, Barry and Jen Sterling, Randy Taylor, Jake Jackson.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Go out in under 6:40 pace and fall apart. Not use ice in desert like conditions. The inverse of the bad plan is to stay wet and cool, stay conservative in my effort.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
We’ve been fermenting watermelon from the 2020 Yeti 100 mile race, hoping for some watermelon liqueur but 2023.
Stefani Flippin – @stefanieannflippin and @stefanieflippin
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Good! This past training block has been a solid mix of both speed and endurance and I really feel like both came together nicely. It was great to get in a solid 40 mile race effort last month.
How do you fuel?
I fuel using my nutrition sponsor, Spring Energy – a combination of high calorie drink mix as well as gels.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
I think the same for all 100 milers since anything can happen over that amount of time: something happening out of my control that I can’t continue to troubleshoot.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
I like to eat rustic French baguette and watch The Office with my husband
Who will be at the race supporting you?
My husband, Mitchell, my parents Craig and Diana, my coach, Patrick (who is also racing), and a few of our friends.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Going out too fast! It’s easy to get swept up in how easy the effort feels on a flat course but it will really catch up to you in the back half.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
Lots of tofu and tempeh? Not strange to me but perhaps to non-plant-based folks.
Camille Herron winning the IAU 24 Hour World Championship.
Camille Herron – @runcamille
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Yeah, It’s been great, a good build up. Desert Solstice in December was great, and I had a break then 9-10 weeks to get back. I’m not training really hard, but good aerobic training. I feel good, structurally healthy.
How do you fuel?
I have a simple approach – a gel with water every 30 minutes, and sip on sports drink in between. It’s a pretty basic formula – if it’s hot, I mix it up with some soda. One thing I’ve added recently is putting mineral drops in my water – I had a turning point at Jackpot 2021. I wasn’t feeling right – after 30 miles, my tank was empty. It wasn’t normal race fatigue – so I had bloodwork done that showed high iron, low magnesium and low B12. I have a new dietician who suggested mineral drops to increase magnesium, sodium and potassium intake. I got my mojo back. I’m an over absorber of iron so I had to get that under control. I am feeling better, and had a perfect race/negative split at Desert Solstice (100 mile, new world record for track).
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
I don’t have any fears. You go in thinking anything can happen and try to not to have any fear. Go with the flow, accept the journey, you hope you come out healthy and not injured. I feel confident in my structural integrity.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
I’ve had the same warm up routine for 27 years – a 10 minute shakeout 30 minutes before, some strides and drills. “Flipping the switch”. Then I do a boxer shake dance at the start line – getting my mind set.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
Conor (husband) will be supporting – it’s pretty simple for him. No driving at this race!
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Good question – I always prepare for heat – number one rule is to prepare for heat. I’ve been wearing extra layers on my easy days.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
I don’t know, maybe I should go look. We’re actually at an Airbnb so it isn’t ours. There’s a bottle of whiskey in there. But I’m not going to drink it. Oh Conor said we could drink it. It might be rum. Nice! Maybe after the race!
Mark Hammond – @mark.d.hammond
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
I took about a month break from running after Brazos Bend 100 in early December. As usual during winter, I’ve been running about 70-80 miles per week on the treadmill and doing lots of ski touring for cross-training. I’ve done 2 long runs in the 20-25 mile range with intervals mixed in each week.
How do you fuel?
I consume about 200-300 calories of Spring Energy gels per hour. I prefer to mix them in water so I’m less likely to get dehydrated.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
There’s always a significant risk of injury during 100 milers so I tell myself to pay close attention to any pain and respond quickly if necessary. My hamstring had some trouble during training so I need to watch that.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
I stop at a gas station on the way to the race and buy a chocolate milk.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
Nobody! (unless you count the aid station folks) I have a wife and 2 kids (ages 1 and 2) who could come but we’ve learned the hard way that travelling with little kids for a race just isn’t worth it.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Pushing hard during the heat of the afternoon.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
Cilantro paste
Alex Nichols at the 2013 World Mountain Running Championships (Poland)
Alex Nichols – @axelnichols
How’s your training been for Jackpot?
Training has gone fairly well. The weather in Colorado Springs has been pretty mild this winter so I have been able to get good volume without running through too many snowstorms. I have tried to tailor my training to flatter terrain, which was something new for me having mostly competed in mountain races.
How do you fuel?
I’ve had good luck using mostly liquid calories at hot races like Western States. I will mix in some solid foods, but mostly I plan on sticking to liquids.
What’s your biggest fear going into the race?
My biggest fear is the distance itself. 100 miles is a huge undertaking. I need to constantly remind myself of that distance during the early stages of the race and not get caught up with pushing the pace.
What is your prerace ritual, starting whenever you have a prerace ritual?
I really don’t have any specific prerace rituals. I stick to a normal meal the night before, typically pizza, but that’s pretty much the only thing. I’ve run enough races in different places to realize that I can still have a good race even if not everything is exactly the same leading up to race day.
Who will be at the race supporting you?
My wife, Maddy, is coming along to help with crewing. She has been a part of pretty much every ultra I have run. There will also be some of the cross country and track athletes I coach at Colorado College coming out to spectate. There’s a break in the academic schedule that has allowed them to make a road trip out of the race.
What is the worst possible strategy you can think of for Jackpot?
Getting caught up in someone else’s race strategy.
What is the strangest thing in your refrigerator?
I think we have some Iriko, which are little dried sardines that we have used in some Japanese recipes.
