2025 Daytona 100

After the Virginia Trail Fest 100 in September, I was looking for a 100 miler to close out my year. I needed another long race under my belt to get ready for Canebrake 200, which was coming up quickly in March. I searched UltraSignup for races in December. There was Beast Of The East 100, and I was seriously thinking of doing that race, but I was not trained for that type of vertical or technical challenge. It would have felt disrespectful to those who trained their asses off for that race. So I managed to stumble onto the Daytona 100. Everything lined up perfectly. Mid-December in warm and sunny Florida, plus it had three different challenges. 1 - It was a point-to-point. 2 - It was all on the road, concrete and asphalt. 3 - If you ran it without a crew, you were solely responsible for getting yourself back to the finish. I was all in.

In order to run without a crew, I had to prove that I had run at least one 100-miler, which I provided. I was on my own for this one. My wife, Nicky, had too many work commitments going on to take any time off. So it was off to Florida by myself.

I drove down and arrived at the finish line, which was located in Ponce Inlet at the Lighthouse just south of Daytona. The race provided a shuttle ride back to the start line, located in Jacksonville. I picked up my bib and got to meet the race director, Bob Becker, who is a legend in the sport of Ultras. This past year, he was the oldest person ever to finish Badwater 135, the toughest road race in the world.

The course was simple enough, except for a short 7-mile lollipop loop at the beginning, almost entirely on A-1A Coastal highway, all on asphalt and concrete. Saturday morning arrived, and at 5:45 AM, I was off and running with the second wave of runners. It was a bit chilly at the start, low 40s, but the forecast was calling for temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Before I left my hotel that morning, I had checked my waist lamp to make sure it was working properly, which it was, and I stashed the spare batteries in my FlipBelt that I wear every race. Since we started during pre-dawn hours, there was one section early on that got extremely dark. I went to turn on my waist lamp, and it would not work. I tried changing the battery, and still nothing. I just kept on running, knowing it would soon be daybreak. Somehow, in all of this, I missed the first aid station at mile 7. The next station was not until mile 16. Long story short, I ran the first 16 miles with no fuel, just water.

The race was billed as flat and fast, but honestly, the first 30 miles or so, there were some steady climbs, and some of them stretched on for a mile or so. I was running on my intervals of 4:1. Run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute. This seemed to be working well for me early on. The scenery was beautiful with a lot of ocean views and some really cool shore towns. Running through Ponte Vedra early on, passing the many oceanfront mansions and the legendary golf course, SawGrass, which I had the pleasure of playing on about 10 years ago. The miles were just flying by. I felt really good early on, but I could also feel the relentless pounding of the hard surface on my joints, especially my knees. I managed to meet up with a few runners and got to chat with them as we shared some miles together.

Next up was passing through the historic town of St Augustine. There was a long bridge to climb up, and over the bridge, there was an aid station which was fully stocked with everything you needed to refuel. I grabbed a grilled cheese, stuffed my pockets with other snacks, and off I went. The town was packed with people at this point. The temps were well into the 60s, and it was a great sightseeing day, so tons of pedestrians to navigate through. Leaving St Augustine meant another bridge climb. This time, the drawbridge was open, so we had to wait about 5 min before we could fully pass. I was closing in on about mile 35-40 at this point. I decided it was time to switch up my intervals, which now would be 1:1... 1 minute run, 1 minute walk. As monotonous as this sounds, it worked well for me.

I coasted into the mid-point aid station about an hour before sundown. I grabbed some food and water, and now it was time to get ready for nighttime running. 51 miles in, 11 hours and 25 minutes. Here is where disaster struck. I tried my waistlamp, and it still wouldn’t work. Several volunteers tried to help me get it going, but to no avail. No worries, my backup head lamp was in my drop bag.…WROOOOOOOOOOONG!!! OH NO. I left it in my luggage that was taken to the finish line. I was gonna be running the last 50 miles or so with no light. Oh well, like I said before, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail"… totally a huge blunder on my part.

I started off the second half running, knowing it would be getting dark soon. I got to witness a beautiful sunset at least. It suddenly started to get dark, and it got dark quickly. I was getting most of my light from oncoming headlights. Although it was dark as hell, it was bearable, being that it was on the road. Had this been a trail race, I would have been doomed. At around mile 70, I could feel myself really starting to tire when I was running, and my mind seemed more focused, but walking was becoming a chore. The lack of lighting was taking its toll on me.

I stumbled into the aid station at mile 72, exhausted. I took a few minutes, 10 to be exact, sitting in a chair - I needed the rest. Then it was a quick quesadilla, a water refill, and back to the grind. About a mile down the road, I was basically walking sideways. It was then that I saw a 7-Eleven off in the distance. The one smart thing I did do in this race, knowing that it was basically running through towns with streets and stores, was to stuff my debit card into my FlipBelt. I stumbled into the 7-Eleven and grabbed a extra large coffee with a double shot of espresso. I walked fast and nursed that drink for the next mile or so. Finally, a few miles down the road, it kicked in. It would basically carry me the rest of the way. I was running/walking as best as I could.

I was passing through the town of Flagler Beach, and at this point, the bars were emptying out, and there were quite a few good-natured banter back-and-forths with the well-lubed patrons. It was around mile 80 or so that I looked at my phone for the first time and realized I had a shot at a sub-24-hour finish. After a really quick stop at the next aid station, which was mile 83 or so, I pressed on. Run/walk-run/walk. I was getting extremely fatigued in my lower legs, and I was really slowing down.

Mile 93 was the last aid station, and I wasn’t eating much. It was a miracle that my stomach was holding up. I had no issues at all after several really bad experiences in my last few ultras, so I decided not to eat any sugar. It seemed to be working. After a quick water fill, I asked one of the volunteers what time it was. He said it was 4 AM. I had 1 hour and 45 minutes to come in under 24 hours, with 7 miles left. I had a shot! To which he replied, “Probably more like sub-25, but good luck.” LOL. I said, “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” as I stumbled back out.

I tried to run, but it was not happening… this was going to be a hike in. Soon enough, I would realize sub-24 hours was not going to happen, but a personal best by over 2 hours was. So I grabbed an iced coffee at another 7-Eleven and coasted into the finish. 24 hours and 15 minutes!

I highly recommend this race. It was run flawlessly by Ultra Sports LLC.... I collected my buckle, took another picture with the RD, Bob, then went and sat down and reflected on the past year. Overall, I am happy with my progress in the sport of ultra running. In 2025, I managed to finish three 100-mile races, DNF at another, plus running my hardest race yet at the Agapé 100k. The best part is creating new friendships and personal bonds with so many fellow runners.

2026 gets off to a fast start with Myrtle Beach 24 Hour at the end of January. Then, of course, Canebrake 200 in March. There will be local favorites, the Sugg Farm 50 and Agapé 100k. And last but not least, a promise I made to myself, the Uwharrie 100 miler in October. Looks like it may be another exciting year.

Thanks to all who have helped me evolve in this crazy sport we do. I love all of you. And thanks for taking the time to read my reports as well.