It only took me almost a year, but I finally got around to editing all the footage from Chris Badgett’s personal 100 mile adventure through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. And when I say “personal,” I mean it.
There was no official race. No registration. No bib. No timing mats. No stocked aid stations. Just Chris deciding he wanted to run 100 miles and a few of us agreeing to help him make it happen. Because, well… that’s how Chris rolls.
The majority of the adventure followed the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail(opens in new tab), an 83 mile route running from the Vermont border in Woodsville, across northern New Hampshire, and into Bethel, Maine.
Of course, 83 miles wasn’t going to get Chris his 100.
So we added roughly 20 miles before the official route, then planned to finish at Chris’s house, which sits about three miles before the end of the xNHAT. Add that all together, apply a little classic trail math, and we had ourselves a 100 mile adventure.
Didn't I already share this?
Yes.. a little bit. Shortly after the run, I wrote a much longer recap, “The Power of Showing Up: Crewing a 100 Mile Run,” with photos and pretty much the entire play by play. Read the original 100 mile recap and see the photos
That post has all the good stuff. The last minute aid station planning. The forgotten nutrition. The diner stops. Giant ice cream. Ramen at mile 50. Power naps in rental cars. A visit from law enforcement. Coffee from complete strangers. Sleepwalking. Bonking. And eventually, Chris making it home after 30 hours and 53 minutes. So rather than tell the entire story again, this time I’ll let the video do most of the talking.
Watching all this footage again almost a year later was pretty damn fun.
There were plenty of moments I remembered immediately, and a few little ones I had completely forgotten. More than anything, though, it reminded me how much I enjoyed being on the other side of an ultra for once.
I wasn't chasing my own finish line. I was there to crew, pace, problem solve, hand over food, tell Chris not to sit in the warm car, occasionally point him in the right direction, and simply help a friend accomplish something that mattered to him.
And I still feel the same way I did when I wrote the original recap: Helping friends achieve their own dreams pays dividends in one’s soul.
Would I do it again? 100%.
Although next time, Chris, maybe we figure out the aid stations before I get to Maine.