2025 Hell Hole 100 (Jim Martin)
Hell Hole 100 - How to DNF a race in 5 easy steps -
Step (1) - Impulsively sign up for a 100-mile race in the deep south, during the summer, taking place only 3 weeks after a brutal 100k with rough terrain and 12,000 ft of climb (Agape 100k) that also took almost 21 hrs to complete.
Step (2) - Do not listen, under any circumstances, to your body. All those little aches and pains. Man up.. who needs recovery?!
Step (3) - Drive 4 hours to a nighttime start, after working all day and getting no sleep. Because after all… who needs rest?
Step (4) -Disrespect the distance. "It’s only 100 miles… I just did one a few months ago… I got this".
Step (5) - Have no plan. That’s right. Zero plans. No plan A, B, or C.....
I posted on social media about my DNF earlier this week, and I said that Hell Hole did not go as planned. But in reality, it went exactly as planned. Which was BAD. There is an old saying that I live my life by, and it’s helped me all through life. "IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL"... But for some reason, I checked that at the door this past weekend. I had no plan, no answers. What if things go badly? What about the heat? What if you start to struggle? What if your stomach goes south? All those scenarios happened, and I had no plan in place to combat those issues. I used the excuse that my back gave out, and I could no longer move forward. But in reality, I quit that race long before it started. It was a gut punch for me and a kick in my ass. With all the success I have had over the last year or so, in one moment in my mind, it was all erased due to my arrogance in thinking that I could just show up and run.
People have said, ‘Hey man, DNFs happen, you gave it your all, you are an inspiration, you gutted it out. ’ But I am my own worst critic. I am extremely hard on myself. I could not have written a race report about this. But I thought I had to. You gotta take the bad with the good. I will be back, but I have to get stronger mentally because that’s where I failed. Up next is Sugg Farm Ultra in September, a 50 miler. This time I am going to listen to my body. I need rest and recovery. Not ego-enhancing races every three or four weeks. Lesson learned.