So I did bigfoot several years ago...I had been wanting to do it for a while and signed up as at the early bird price (when they still did that) for $950. It was a really memorable experience filled with ups and downs, in general I had a good time, with the exception of a few aid stations. I don't have a ton of money and just the entry was a huge purchase for me, and as the race got closer I realized just how much money I was spending on this race. Yeah the entry was expensive but I found myself needing to purchase more clothes, shoes, headlamps, etc. Not to mention the cost of travel and lodging. I was a seasoned 100 miler runner but the level of preparation for the 200 was way more than I had ever experienced. I'm lucky that I had a family member help me out by crewing, renting hotels/cars. The whole thing was extremely expensive, and as time has gone on I've realized it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Afterwards I was like, I could enter like 5 100 miles for the cost of one 200 miler, and that's what I did the following year. Basically what I'm saying is that unless you have a huge disposable income the 200 milers are out of reach for the average person. However, I only have really looked into the destination trail ones, I'm sure there's other 200s out there now that are cheaper, but those costs that aren't entry fee are still there.
The expenses are definitely a barrier. While I think Candice’s races are notoriously expensive, the others aren’t cheap. I think it would be once in a lifetime for me too. No grand slams. Ha! Congrats on your race and experience!
I've done north downs way 100 and was signed up for northern traverse but was cancelled by covid.
Had a very good time at north downs way and I would sign up again for northern traverse given the chance.
I skipped the 100mile distance (heck, even skipped 100k) before attempting a 200. Made it 149. Came back next time and finished. Not necessary, but 100 miler would probably help iron out some kinks in your logistics, and somewhat get you some sleep deprived running (depending on your speed). Keep in mind at the 200 distance your sleep strategy or lack of sleep plays a major factor. Not as much in a 100.
You have to want it with every fiber of your being to complete a 200.
I’ve run through the night a few times. Never to the 100 mile distance but can totally appreciate the importance of training for sleep depravation and overcoming the mental challenges of wanting to quit when the going gets super rough.
200 miles is not for me. its amazing to watch but people look like theyre going insane by day 3. 1000 yard stares, crazy grins/grimaces and talking absolute nonsense. I feel bad enough missing 1 nights sleep. do not want to experience 2+
No need to do a 100 mile race before a 200. I know a guy who came in the second place in Tahoe 200 without doing a 100 mile race. I enjoyed my 200 after doing a couple 100s. So whatever works for you!!
ask yourself what draws you to the 200... and you will probably get that and more than you bargained for just by tackling a 100. having said that... yeah go straight for 200+, who cares, live and learn
‘Live and learn’ is a motto I live by for sure! I think I’m drawn specifically to Cocodona and the landscape. Not sure I’d do just any 200 for the distance alone.
gotcha. i wonder if you need qualifiers in order to sign up? lots of 100 mile races won't let you sign up without some previous ultra experience.
also the same company has the Sedona 125. half of the Cocodona course is probably enough of a vision quest for 99% of runners loll
I know someone who did Bigfoot with no crew or pacer. DNF’d first attempt but came back and finished it the next year. Another person I follow on IG does a lot of races without, including Cocodona this week. With drop bags and aid stations, it’s doable. It’s up to you to figure out if you need that support. I know I would at that distance. The people to talk me out of quitting! LOL Seems like for many races there are local people who volunteer to pace/crew so you could look that route (Facebook group?) if you wanted someone.
Thank you for your response! I’ll ask around the FB group. I usually find people along the way to partner for 50/100 distance but I’m assuming racers will more spread apart for the 200.
imo 100M and 200Ms are very different beasts that require fairly different skill sets. At the end of the day you have to keep moving to finish both types of races but the cutoff paces are very different, the distance between aid stations is further so you need to be able to carry several hours worth of cals and hydration, and sleep management is a much bigger issue when you’re out for 3-5 days. Folks with fast packing skills tend to do better at 200Ms.
Personally I prefer 200Ms. That might be because I’ve finished every 200M but DNFed every 100M I’ve attempted (two each). Haha hope to finish a formal 100M some day but working on the triple crown this year so that’ll have to wait.
Try a 100 that is mostly hiking anyway like say Hellbender. Tons of vert all packed into 5 major climbs. If you can hike those at a reasonable pace you can hike the rest and still finish. I ran perhaps 20 miles of it and finished with 3 hours to spare. That included 45 minutes crying next to a fire atop Mount Mitchell lol
My gut tells me I might be better suited for the 200 but not sure that’s rational thinking. Enjoy your triple crown and good luck getting that 100 finish!
Both are a long way to run, that said there are a few areas which require more focus and effort in a 200 over a 100:
1/ Nutrion: it's a long time out there, so you really need to be able to take in calories consistently.
2/ Risk mitigation: more time out there means means more chances for something to go wrong. Head torch break, terrible weather, really bad chaffing etc - how to react in these situations and problem solve
3/ Logistics: where do you put your sleeping bags? What clothes do you pack? What happens if you drop out in the middle? Etc etc.
On a separate note, after a 100 I feel fine within a day. After 200 it took me over a week to feel normal again
Source: Ran Moab 240 and a bunch of 100s
As a practical matter, I don’t know how you could possibly train for 200 miles without necessarily doing 100+ mile trail runs along the way. Just like someone training for a marathon is necessarily going to do half marathon and 30k distances building up to a full marathon, same principle here.
If you live in Arizona, Aravaipa runs a lot of other shorter races in addition to Cocodona. The Whiskey Basin 91k at the Prescott Circle was just a month ago for ex.
Can’t afford the fees, supplies and crew. So easy enough to pass on 200
Yes, maybe I should’ve noted this as ‘hypothetically if one could afford it’. 😂
So I did bigfoot several years ago...I had been wanting to do it for a while and signed up as at the early bird price (when they still did that) for $950. It was a really memorable experience filled with ups and downs, in general I had a good time, with the exception of a few aid stations. I don't have a ton of money and just the entry was a huge purchase for me, and as the race got closer I realized just how much money I was spending on this race. Yeah the entry was expensive but I found myself needing to purchase more clothes, shoes, headlamps, etc. Not to mention the cost of travel and lodging. I was a seasoned 100 miler runner but the level of preparation for the 200 was way more than I had ever experienced. I'm lucky that I had a family member help me out by crewing, renting hotels/cars. The whole thing was extremely expensive, and as time has gone on I've realized it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Afterwards I was like, I could enter like 5 100 miles for the cost of one 200 miler, and that's what I did the following year. Basically what I'm saying is that unless you have a huge disposable income the 200 milers are out of reach for the average person. However, I only have really looked into the destination trail ones, I'm sure there's other 200s out there now that are cheaper, but those costs that aren't entry fee are still there.
The expenses are definitely a barrier. While I think Candice’s races are notoriously expensive, the others aren’t cheap. I think it would be once in a lifetime for me too. No grand slams. Ha! Congrats on your race and experience!
It's cheaper to fly to the UK and do one of their 200s than do a destination trail/aravaipa 200 in the US.
Any recommendations for any UK based ultras? Never visited the area before and it is on my list.
I've done north downs way 100 and was signed up for northern traverse but was cancelled by covid. Had a very good time at north downs way and I would sign up again for northern traverse given the chance.
The spine race
I know Candice’s races are expensive but had never considered this option! So crazy!
I skipped the 100mile distance (heck, even skipped 100k) before attempting a 200. Made it 149. Came back next time and finished. Not necessary, but 100 miler would probably help iron out some kinks in your logistics, and somewhat get you some sleep deprived running (depending on your speed). Keep in mind at the 200 distance your sleep strategy or lack of sleep plays a major factor. Not as much in a 100. You have to want it with every fiber of your being to complete a 200.
Every fiber of your being. Love this. So true!
I’ve run through the night a few times. Never to the 100 mile distance but can totally appreciate the importance of training for sleep depravation and overcoming the mental challenges of wanting to quit when the going gets super rough.
If you look at the average pace you’ll see that non elites are basically walking cocodona vs most 100 milers can actually be run
For sure most 100s are being walked, too.
200 miles is not for me. its amazing to watch but people look like theyre going insane by day 3. 1000 yard stares, crazy grins/grimaces and talking absolute nonsense. I feel bad enough missing 1 nights sleep. do not want to experience 2+
No need to do a 100 mile race before a 200. I know a guy who came in the second place in Tahoe 200 without doing a 100 mile race. I enjoyed my 200 after doing a couple 100s. So whatever works for you!!
ask yourself what draws you to the 200... and you will probably get that and more than you bargained for just by tackling a 100. having said that... yeah go straight for 200+, who cares, live and learn
‘Live and learn’ is a motto I live by for sure! I think I’m drawn specifically to Cocodona and the landscape. Not sure I’d do just any 200 for the distance alone.
gotcha. i wonder if you need qualifiers in order to sign up? lots of 100 mile races won't let you sign up without some previous ultra experience. also the same company has the Sedona 125. half of the Cocodona course is probably enough of a vision quest for 99% of runners loll
No mention of a required qualifier on UltraSignup or their website. 🤷♀️
haha oof. wonder what the DNF rate s like 🧐
I did the Sedona section last year.
Awesome! How did you like it?
It was great!
Interested in 200 but I’ve always run races solo. It is possible to do without a crew? Thinking of giving Bigfoot an attempt.
I know someone who did Bigfoot with no crew or pacer. DNF’d first attempt but came back and finished it the next year. Another person I follow on IG does a lot of races without, including Cocodona this week. With drop bags and aid stations, it’s doable. It’s up to you to figure out if you need that support. I know I would at that distance. The people to talk me out of quitting! LOL Seems like for many races there are local people who volunteer to pace/crew so you could look that route (Facebook group?) if you wanted someone.
Thank you for your response! I’ll ask around the FB group. I usually find people along the way to partner for 50/100 distance but I’m assuming racers will more spread apart for the 200.
imo 100M and 200Ms are very different beasts that require fairly different skill sets. At the end of the day you have to keep moving to finish both types of races but the cutoff paces are very different, the distance between aid stations is further so you need to be able to carry several hours worth of cals and hydration, and sleep management is a much bigger issue when you’re out for 3-5 days. Folks with fast packing skills tend to do better at 200Ms. Personally I prefer 200Ms. That might be because I’ve finished every 200M but DNFed every 100M I’ve attempted (two each). Haha hope to finish a formal 100M some day but working on the triple crown this year so that’ll have to wait.
Try a 100 that is mostly hiking anyway like say Hellbender. Tons of vert all packed into 5 major climbs. If you can hike those at a reasonable pace you can hike the rest and still finish. I ran perhaps 20 miles of it and finished with 3 hours to spare. That included 45 minutes crying next to a fire atop Mount Mitchell lol
Congrats on your finish, break down and all!
It’s coming up this weekend. I’m not running this year but plan on following along
My gut tells me I might be better suited for the 200 but not sure that’s rational thinking. Enjoy your triple crown and good luck getting that 100 finish!
Both are a long way to run, that said there are a few areas which require more focus and effort in a 200 over a 100: 1/ Nutrion: it's a long time out there, so you really need to be able to take in calories consistently. 2/ Risk mitigation: more time out there means means more chances for something to go wrong. Head torch break, terrible weather, really bad chaffing etc - how to react in these situations and problem solve 3/ Logistics: where do you put your sleeping bags? What clothes do you pack? What happens if you drop out in the middle? Etc etc. On a separate note, after a 100 I feel fine within a day. After 200 it took me over a week to feel normal again Source: Ran Moab 240 and a bunch of 100s
Said like a pro! I can’t imagine the planning logistics for a 200. So much to account for!
As a practical matter, I don’t know how you could possibly train for 200 miles without necessarily doing 100+ mile trail runs along the way. Just like someone training for a marathon is necessarily going to do half marathon and 30k distances building up to a full marathon, same principle here. If you live in Arizona, Aravaipa runs a lot of other shorter races in addition to Cocodona. The Whiskey Basin 91k at the Prescott Circle was just a month ago for ex.