10 Things That Helped Me to Log 143.24 Miles at the Old Six Day 72-hr Track Ultra

Originally called the Edward Payson 6 Day Race, and one of the oldest six day races in the US, that took place on a cinder track in Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, NJ in the 1980s and 1990s, the new inaugural event called the Endless Endurance Old Six Day took place on April 7 - 13, 2025 on a new USATF certified five-lane track . Unlike the original event where laps were hand-counted by volunteers, laps were digitally tracked and scored live by Mike Melton and MCM Timing and Results LLC.

Going in I was one of twelve participants in the 72-hr event, and one of three females. It didn't matter how many miles I'd finish with, I would place first, second, or third. But because one of the female participants did not show, I'd end up placing first or second. It was just Yen Nguyen and me. It's always fun to share the course with Yen. We've shared the course at the Hainesport Endurance Runs. Yen started three days earlier with the six day participants, and finished with120.1528 miles.

Based on my 117.93 miles at the cold October 2023 Hainesport 48hr on a .9913-mile park loop, I set my sights on collecting 150 miles at the Old Six Day 72-hr. But the weather would change that, and I set my sights on 130 miles.

The weather was not pleasant. Participants battled cold temperatures, wind, rain, and on the fourth night of the six-day event (144 hrs), and on the second night of the three-day event (72 hrs), the freezing cold rain came down, winds blew sideways, pellets of hail hit us, and the track flooded.

But when it was all over, I placed first female with 143.24 miles. I missed my original goal by 6.76 miles but surpassed my second goal by 13.24. miles. And I was pleased.

Even though the weather at the start on April 10 at 10 am was bright sun and blue skies, that all changed in a few hours, and the cold, clouds, winds, and rain that the six day participants had been battling returned.

No doubt about it....these 10 things helped me to collect 143.24 miles in awful weather.

1. POWER WALKING TRAINING MILES

From January 2025 to the start of the event, I had logged 359.93 training miles, the majority power walking. I power walked outside, on the treadmill at home, and collected a few miles on the local high school track.

2. MY GYM BOSS INTERVAL TIMER

I set my Gym Boss interval timer to 3 minutes to power walk and 6 minutes to run slow. I first used my Gym Boss at my first track ultra — the 2019 Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 24-hr track ultra— where I battled rain the last eleven hours, and placed 6th female with 81.0268 miles.

Every time the Gym Boss beeped to alert me, whether I power walked, ran slowly or dragged my feet, it propelled me to keep moving in rain, wind, and the cold. Unlike my iPhone and Garmin, which had to be charged a couple of times, my Gym Boos kept beeping through the end and all the way home, and continued until I finally turned it off. It's still running on the same batteries.

3. LOTS OF LAYERS

I wore three to four top layers and three bottom layers at all times. I wrapped my head in a headband and a beanie. They stayed dry under the hoodie of all my rain jackets. I wore three different pairs of gloves.

4. RAIN GEAR

I packed two fleece jackets, three rain jackets, including two light ones that got soaking wet but that served as pretty good windbreakers. I packed three pairs of tights and a pair of rain pants that I wore for the first time. Garbage bags over my rain gear, including our awesome swag Old Six Day rain jacket were a godsend.

5. RAY SUN WATER REPELLENT SOCKS

I found a pair of brand new heavy Ray Sun water repellent socks tucked away in the back of my running socks drawer. I had bought them for another ultra years ago just in case it rained. It never rained, but they saved my feet at this 72-hour track ultra. My Asics Gel Nimbus got soaked but my knee-hi compression socks under layers protected by my rain pants, my water repellent socks, and my feet remained dry. I got only one itty-bitty blister on my left pinky toe. And I did not lose any toenails.

6. COMPRESSION SOCKS

The first time I wore compression leg sleeves was at the 2016 Montour 24-hr trail ultra. It was a hot July ultra, and they caused a few water blisters on my legs. But it's a good thing I ordered a FuelMeFoot three pack copper compression knee-hi socks that got good reviews on Amazon. I wore a different color pair each day— pink, lime, and blue. They kept my legs free from feet, toe, and calf cramps the entire time.

7. ALL HOMEMADE FOOD/NUTRITION/CALORIES

Because I cannot have foods that contain preservatives, additives, food coloring, antibiotics, steroids, hormones, insecticides, and pesticides (you can read about why here), my husband Jon and I have been making my food to take to ultra events since 2022. The foods that kept me going at the Old Six Day were homemade bagel and egg (from our backyard hens Gracie and Ruby) breakfast sandwiches, waffles, chocolate chip loaf cake, dark chocolate donuts, dark chocolate walnut clusters, vegetable casserole, chicken, potato, and cabbage soup, pizza, rice and beans and chicken. I stayed very hydrated with my electrolytes and a lot of cans of plain seltzer.

8. GOING HOME TO SHOWER AND SLEEP

Because I live about 25 - 30 minutes from the race site, I was able to go home to shower and sleep. Both were a game changer and definitely helped me to stay strong and to continue to log laps and miles, if ever so slowly.

From the 10 am start on Thursday to about 5:45 am on Friday, I logged 56 miles. After my 56 miles, Jon and I went home. I showered, While I slept for 2.5 hours in the comfort of my bed, Jon threw my wet shoes and wet clothes in the dryer.

When I woke up, I put on a new pair of compression socks and underwear and sports bra, but wore the same layers, now dried, along with the Ray Sun socks which stayed dry but putting in the dryer kept them warm.

I felt refreshed and energized. I had an egg sandwich on one of Jon's homemade bagels, along with a tad of orange juice and a lot of seltzer.

We hopped in the car and arrived back at the track at 10:15 Friday morning. After taking a 5.5 hour break, I was back logging laps.

It rained more on Friday, but we got the worst of it overnight Friday and into early Saturday morning. While many were taking breaks or sleeping in their soaked tents or their warm hotel beds others, including me, battled cold temperatures, rain, sideway winds, hail, and a flooded track.

I wanted to reach mile 100 and go home to shower and sleep. But I stopped at mile 96.33 and collected 40.34 more miles. We left at about 5 am. Jon took me home. I showered and washed my hair. I slept 2.5 hours and repeated the same procedure as the day before. We got back to the track at 10:05 Saturday morning. I reached mile 100,04 (403 laps) at about 12:12 Saturday afternoon. I now had less than 22 hours to log more miles.

Going home to shower and sleep the first two days was key to my continuing to log laps. It didn't rain Saturday night into Sunday morning. I collected 46.90 miles on the last day.

With about four hours or so to go before the clock ran out, I think I had logged about 133 miles by then. Tired but with no time to go home, I slept in our heated car for an hour and got back on track with about three hours to go. By now the rain had stopped. I was just moving slowly, not power walking, not running. I knew if I just put one foot in front of the other while chatting with fellow runners, who were also just putting one foot in front of the other, I would make it to 140 miles.

I started moving faster. Then I slowed down. I needed a chocolate donut. I phoned Jon, He gave me two. I shared one with Thomas Joyce. Then I chatted with Padraig Mullins. And then a surge took over. I ran, not power walked, my last two laps. How happy was I when I finished with 143.24 miles/230.5225 km/577 laps in 71:56:53.

Taking about twelve hours to drive home to shower and sleep and to drive back to the track paid off. I placed first female ahead of Yen, who finished second with 120.1528 miles.

9. My Crew Jon

And last but not least, I would not have collected the laps and miles I finished with if I hadn't had Jon to set up the tent and wrap tarp around it to protect our plot of grass and us from the winds and rain. Unfortunately, the brand new mattress for this occasion had a leak so Jon had to find the nearest Walmart 1.5 miles away for a replacement.

And I only enjoyed the mattress for about 10 minutes. Our tent area was flooded. It was then we decided we would go home so I could shower, sleep, and stay warm. And on the second night, while Jon was sleeping in the car and I was circling the track, our tent went flying with the wind gusts and was rescued by a few folks crewing their athletes and RD Pete.

Jon also heated my food in the microwave provided for all by the awesome Old Six Day RDs Jen and Pete, and volunteers. He'd hand me food, like soup, rice and beans and chicken, pizza, and chocolate donuts I requested from my phone while I was on the track so I could keep moving as I nibbled to replenish calories to stay strong..

A selfie at 2:22 am Friday morning.

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Jon was hoping I would stop after reaching 121 miles for a first place female finish and then go home, but it was not to be. I told him that would never happen. On the last day, as I continued moving, he napped in our heated car to help give him the strength to continue crewing me and to cheer me on to the end.

10. AN AMAZING ULTRARUNNING COMMUNITY

I've been tackling ultras since 2005. The Old Six Day 72hr was my first three day, and I think ultra no. 39. I've lost count. But one thing I know for sure is how amazing the ultrarunning community is. Ultrarunning in many respects is a solitary sport, especially when you find yourself on trail and road events where you might find yourself alone at times, especially in the the middle and the back of the pack.

But you will never find yourself alone or at the end of the pack at a track ultra. You are sharing the track and lanes side-by-side with someone in front of you and someone behind you, and someone on the other side of the track.

We line up at the start and try not to forget to start our watches, Some of us start out running fast. Others, like myself, begin with walking, slow or fast. Some of us have a goal in mind. Some of us just want to finish. Some are tackling their first ultra.

Along the way, we know there are things we can't control, like the weather. Sometimes we don't pack enough running gear, like socks and shoes, and rain gear. I'm an overpacker. It works for me.

Some of us begin and finish the journey with a crew, and others with none. Some of us will have a crew of family members and friends. But whether we have a crew, or not, we have each other. We can rely on each other for encouragement, support, and walking breaks as we share ultrarunning stories, our personal lives, and why we voluntarily subject ourselves to the grueling sport that is ultraruning, where pain, discomfort, and suffering is what helps us to thrive, to think about dropping out, to know when to stop due to injury and to prevent further injury, or to defy our limits, push through the pain, and keep going.

Everyone has a story. I shared my story. In April 2024, I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. A year later, I was circling the track at the Old Six Day 72hr blessed and cancer free. At the Old Six Day, we all had stories. Whatever life challenges and obstacles we are facing — health or personal— do not stop us.

Our personal challenges are the source of our strength and our whys keep us circling the track for hours and days. I dedicated my miles to the memory of two people who died a day apart from each other. Our children's piano teacher Maria died of leukemia, and fellow ultrarunner Erin died from metastatic breast cancer. I was running healing miles for Elijah, a young husband and father of three little girls who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. And miles of gratitude for Jon and me, both cancer survivors and thrivers.

Ultrarunning is an intergenerational sport where age is not a factor. The youngest male participant was 20 and the oldest male was 84. The youngest female was 28 and the oldest was 76. I was the second oldest at age 66.

Age is a gift. It really is just a number. It's what you do with it that matters.

We reunited with friends we'd shared the course with at other events through the years, and we made new friends, and someday we'll share the course again elsewhere or at the Old Six Day next year.

We kept going as long as we wanted and collected as many miles as our body, mind, and spirit would propel us in the awful weather. Some were happy to collect 100 miles and to get that sparkly (as my granddaughter Jordan describes it) buckle, and stopped their watches. Others carried on for the duration.

And in the end all who finished their event — 144 hr, 72 hr, 24 hr, and 12 hr — were happy it was over, and grinning from ear-to-ear. I was happy to receive my medal, buckle, and first place female plaque.

If you haven't attempted a track ultra, I hope you do. Hopefully, the weather will be nicer next year. Because this was the inaugural Old Six Day, I think I set the female course record in the

72-hour event. Christ R. set the male course record with 323.6104 miles.

I look forward to another runner/walker surpassing my 143.24 miles and setting a new course record. It would be the biggest honor of my ultrarunning life!

I hope to be back next year....maybe the 6 day/144-hour event? How about you?

Here are the final results of all the events in My Race Result.

©2025

Here's my 2025 Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 50K Track Ultra race report

I am the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Order it from the Wipf and Stock Publishers, Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble here. It's available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and Kindle.