Through Mud, Darkness and 108 Miles: Local runners conquer the Black Hills 100

Imagine lacing up your runners and setting out to cover over 100 miles. Now, imagine doing it through the night, over muddy, uneven trails twisting through the Black Hills in plus 30C with every aching step testing your determination.

For most people, it’s almost impossible to imagine. For Raegan Ricard of Glenboro and Carlos Pittet of Holland, it was simply their next challenge.

The pair recently completed the Black Hills 100 near Sturgis, South Dakota, covering a course that is advertised as 105 miles but, according to GPS is closer to 108 miles.

Pittet admitted the extra distance was mentally draining.

“I remember looking down when my watch hit 100 miles and thinking man, I should be done now.”

The Sturgis race wasn’t originally part of Ricard and Pittet’s plans. They had hoped to tackle the Sinister 7 Ultra Marathon in Alberta, but scheduling conflicts forced them to look for an alternative.

That’s when Ricard found the Black Hills 100 near Sturgis, South Dakota.

Compared with the Sinister 7, the South Dakota race offered a slightly more forgiving challenge, While still demanding, it featured less elevation gain and a more generous cutoff time of 34 hours instead of 30.

“In the end, it was probably better that we did Sturgis,” she said. “They had some really bad weather in Alberta.”

What neither competitor realized until midway through the race was that the Black Hills 100 is widely regarded as one of the toughest ultra marathons in the United States, attracting runners from across the country.

It was also hot, very hot.

“The temp was reading plus 30C but the trees worked as a canopy from the sun and rain so that helped a lot,” explained Carlos.

The Black Hills 100 wasn’t their first ultra marathon. Last year the two completed the 60-mile Suffer on Centennial race in the Whiteshell and both had previously completed full marathons including Treherne’s Run for the Hills.

Despite their experience, neither pretends an ultra marathon gets any easier.

While the race demanded incredible physical endurance, it proved to be just as much a mental challenge.

Surprisingly, neither Ricard nor Pittet relied on music to set their pace.

Instead, they found motivation in the camaraderie of fellow runners, striking up conversations whenever their paths crossed.

“I just focused on my pace and enjoyed talking to other participants as we met up,” said Pittet. “To me, time actually seems to move slower when I have music on.”

For hours at a time, the conversations; sometimes brief, sometimes lasting several miles; helped break up the monotony of the trail and reminded both runners that they weren’t facing the challenge alone.

Running, however, was only part of the equation.

“Ultra marathons are really an eating competition,” Ricard joked. “Which I’m really good at.”

Nutrition became as important as putting one foot in front of the other.

Both runners carried hydration packs with electrolytes rather than plain water and regularly consumed carbohydrate and caffeine gels.

The aid stations also offered an impressive buffet.

Pickle juice, pickle shots, wraps, sandwiches, pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches and M&M’s all helped replenish the thousands of calories they were burning.

“If you didn’t eat, you wouldn’t finish,” she said, “You’re burning so much you need to have fuel constantly.”

Nourishment wasn’t the only thing the runners received at the Aid Stations, they also received an abundance of encouragement. “Everyone was amazing and supportive. You would have thought that they knew us,” smiled Ricard.

Among the smiling volunteers were two especially familiar faces; Ricard’s mom, Deanna and Pittet’s mom, Claudia.

Watching from the sidelines wasn’t any easier.

As Ricard and Pittet battled the rugged course, their mothers spent the night driving winding mountain roads between aid stations, arriving ahead of the runners to refill hydration packs. When the runners arrived they would tape aching ankles and knees, replace wet socks and shoes, and offer whatever encouragement they could before sending them back onto the trail.

“The first third of the race was going really well,” Deanna recalled. “Then the skies just opened up.”

The downpour transformed already difficult ATV trails into a maze of mud, rocks and deep ruts. Wearing only the light of a headlamp, runners pressed on through the darkness for hours.

“They just kept going all night,” she said. “Some people got lost because they were looking down at their feet instead of watching for the trail markers. Thankfully, that never happened to Reagan or Carlos.”

Before the race even began, Reagan had laid down one ground rule for her mom.

“She told me there were certain things I couldn’t say to her,” Deanna laughed. “One of them was, ‘You have to quit.’”

Instead, her advice was simple.

“I just told her to listen to her body and do the smart thing.”

Despite the physical pain, Deanna never doubted her daughter would finish.

“I knew if her body held up, she’d make it. She’s very mentally strong and very determined.”

The hardest Mom moment came near the end of the race when another runner told her Reagan had fallen behind the group she had been running with and was having her injured knee wrapped in ice at the previous aid station.

“That’s hard as a parent,” Deanna said. “You know she needs those knees for the rest of her life.

Watching both runners cross the finish line, it was obvious they were in pain. Their final strides brought an overwhelming sense of relief, not only to Raegan and Carlos, but to their mothers as well.

“I wasn’t feeling very good. I couldn’t really move at all. My knees took the biggest hit, they wouldn’t straighten.”

Just prior to reaching the final stretch, she had been walking for some time.

“I walked the last leg of the race up until the final 100 meters,” Ricard said. “Then I ran and I was just happy to be done.”

Pittet’s experience crossing the finish line was similar.

“I was relieved to finally see that finish line. My feet were destroyed and ached every step, and my legs were chaffed badly,” reported Pittet.

Although most people would consider ultra marathoners extraordinary, neither Ricard or Pittet think of themselves in that light.

Both have strong athletic backgrounds. Ricard plays rugby with the Brandon Bobcats and previously competed in track and field at the national level. Pittet plays hockey, and both have spent years building endurance through distance running. While Pittet plays hockey and both have spent years building endurance through running.

For Pittet, long-distance running began when he was 10.

“My mom always took part in Treherne’s Run for the HIlls, so I started joining her. The first year I just did the 5 k, then the next year the 10, and eventually the full.” Since then Pittet has completed 16 half marathons.

Preparation for the event meant months of consistent training. Rather than relying on a few massive runs, Ricard built her endurance by running almost every day she could, supplementing with cardio workouts in her basement when it was stormy out.

She and Pittet took different approaches to training. Ricard preferred frequent runs of 10-20 kilometers, while Pittet typically logged longer outings of 20-30 kilometers, but less often.

A typical 20-kilometer training run took about two to two and a half hours, while the 10 could be completed in about an hour.

For Ricard who had just moved to Glenboro a year ago, the miles became an opportunity to explore the countryside. “I would just start my watch as I left the house and go,” she said.

Most of the routes wound along quiet gravel roads stretching north and west of town. So far she has been fortunate not to cross paths with any wildlife as she laughed that Maggie, her two year old mastiff cross, wouldn’t be much of a guard dog. “She’s a big chicken. I don’t think she would protect me from anything!”

Despite completing one of the toughest endurance races in North America, neither runner is slowing down. Ricard is already preparing for a mud run later this summer in Saskatchewan, while Pittet continues looking for his next challenge.

Looking back, however, what stayed with Deanna Ricard wasn’t the distance or the finish time, it was pride in her daughter’s character.

“It didn’t matter how much she was hurting,” she said. “She always had a smile and a thank you for everyone trying to help.”

For runners like Ricard and Pittet, finishing the 108 grueling miles wasn’t simply about reaching the finish line. It was about perseverance, gratitude and discovering just how far determination can carry a person.

PHOTO CAPTION: Although relief and agony washed over both their faces as they crossed the finish line their expressions quickly lit up when they were presented the prized buckle signifying their feat!