The Most Grueling 100 Miler in the East | race review & experience

Big thank you to Pete for taking photos during the race. You can find the rest of his Hellbender photos by following this link (schreinertrail...) and you can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook / schreinertrailphotography
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My preferred nutrition during the race :
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Candy Mama here! yes this used to be a couples account with my husband named "THE DOWER DUO". We have since rebranded it to feature my individual adventures.
a little about me~ wife first, adventurer second! I have thru hiked the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-To-Sea Trail. I am the fastest person to ever hike the Mountains-To-Sea Trail spanning the length of North Carolina. 1175 miles in 29 days! I enjoy creating wanderlust content and trail running!
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(This video is about: ultra running, hellbender 100 miler, 100 miler, hellbender, candy mama, hellbender race, asheville ultramarathon, backyard ultra, last person standing, last man standing, ultra runner, trail run, trail racing, ultramarathon, Spring Energy, Ultraspire, ultraspire momentum 2.0, coros, coros apex, Tara Dower, candy mama, black canyon AZ, tailwind, inijini)

[@birds.and.blazes]

We are so proud of you, Tara. If anyone can overcome these mental challenges, it's you. Practice your positive affirmations (not just on race days, but non-race days as well) and try to keep in mind that none of us care how you place. We are obviously ecstatic when you place well, but we just like watching you compete. You could get last place and we would still cheer you on. Never fear that you're disappointing any of us. I can't wait to see what else you accomplish🦎

[@hikerbikerclutz8377]

You are not just an inspiration, you are THE inspiration. I'm so proud for you, the training, the work and the crushing dedication you have is absolutely amazing! Long live Queen Candy Mama 🤘💛🦎🦎🦎🦎

[@Anthony-yd2we]

I ran Hellbender this year. It was an extremely difficult race for me coming back from multiple injuries, but I am proud I finished this regardless if I would’ve liked to have a bit better of a result. I learned a lot from this and made some really simple mistakes during the race that costed me; however, I’ll take them with me for the next one. Congrats on your finish, and all these will be excellent tips for others! I look forward to giving this another go some day.🦎

[@buckeyejen1076]

🦎 Congratulations on another outstanding performance!

[@TheBlazinBakers]

🦎 Your mind was trying to sabotage your race but you overcame that and did AMAZING work✨ You are an awesome human and a stellar runner. Thank you for letting me be a part of your race👊🏻 🦎

[@JD-ln5qo]

🦎 Seriously considering doing this one in 2024. Thank you for sharing your story and Tara Pro Tips! Congratulations on your amazing race! 💪

[@ToddScott]

Super helpful video. Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@09gpeters]

🦎congratulations on finishing 1st and setting the course record. Great course breakdown.

[@abeunderhill]

Congrats and thank you for tips and race thoughts! Considering this race for next year.... 🦎

[@celiareed1402]

🦎Great race!

[@davidminkle5838]

I watched the whole thing. Thanks for sharing,hope your mom is doing well. Stay safe.

[@stanthemanhikes2965]

Wow that elevation profile looks "CRAZY"!!! Great job Tara!!!

[@Adamnealvelez]

Awesome job!!!! It’s definitely a battle to keep in positive head space. Could you share more about your knee injury/brace? Sorry if you have before and I’ve missed it. 🦎

[@sameste-samanthacarney3679]

🦎 This was a great video Tara. Congratulations on your finish. I would love to know a little more about your nutrition. This is by far my weakest link in ultra running since I am normally nauseous.

[@1newgrma]

🦎 congratulations!

[@TheSafetysheep]

This is amazing. You killed it. You got me hyped to do this race.

[@Vonblargen]

🦎 You're a legend! I'm watching this for inspiration as I get ready for this year's edition (and as I rehab an ankle sprain...)

[@kimriggio992]

🦎 Awesome job Tara!!

[@kolleensmith3836]

🦎 Way to go! Awesome job!

[@stephenpiccolo]

🦎That's a lot vertical gain!

[@debbiekomlo]

Woo hooo… Great race review 🦎

[@christopherbrand5360]

Excellent review of an awesome race! You were battling hard when we went back and forth between the top of Newberry Creek and the top of Heartbreaker. Your pacer was so awesome! The course is really heavily front loaded and going just a little too hard or getting behind on fuel/hydration/chafing etc. makes those late runnable miles a lot longer and slower than they could be. I didn't hit the balance either and Heartbreaker to the finish was a struggle (we were right on for an even-paced 24 hours when we passed at the top of Heartbreaker). Your Pro Tips are 100%, pure gold. You're clearly fast and pretty competitive. Seems like you put a lot of pressure on yourself. I perform better when I stop making predictions and focus on my immediate reality - how well can I move right now? Do I need anything to move better? Is it time to do something different? How does it feel to try harder or change up my gait? And sometimes I just imagine what it would be like to be one of my running heroes in the moment. I feel myself moving like they do. If I think about how my results are going to look or start telling stories about how the race is going and is going to go, I try to go back to my immediate experience and how well I can move in the moment. It is also good to have a plan for effort when you start the race so you know when to hold back and when to empty the tank. My tank was nearly empty, but I caught Karl because I was in finish line sprint mode. I wish I could remember what he said when I passed, the guy's a class act.

[@taratreks]

Karl’s great. He said to my husband at the end that he almost got “chicked” lol

[@taratreks]

Also thanks so much for your words.

[@jamesdavis5701]

YOU ARE SO INSPRING😭

[@jamesdavis5701]

🦎

[@toddboucher3302]

Curious, is this classified as harder or easier than the crawl jewel in Georgia?

[@taratreks]

Oooh good question. Personally, cruel Jewel was tougher for me physically. But Hellbender was still PLENTY difficult. It was pretty tough at the end. Both were gorgeous and worthwhile races.

[@fightingwords8955]

So Cute 😋......................🦎

[@seegee1613]

Was hellbender harder than Cruel Jewel?

[@taratreks]

@@seegee1613 no, cruel Jewel was much harder!

[@elizabethholliman1634]

🦎🦎🦎

[@joebodner2181]

🦎

[@richardcarpenter8280]

*****Amphibian

[@Junkorgem]

🐸🦎

[@stanthemanhikes2965]

🦎

[@candsrogers4731]

🦎

[@spencerbaker3]

🦎