A Tale of Two Track Ultras: A Six Day & A 24-Hour — What Keeps Me Coming Back?
- Miriam Diaz-Gilbert
- May 21
- 8 min read
What is it about track ultras that keeps me coming back every year?
In April, I tackled my first six-day ultra, the Endless Endurance Old Six Day 144-hr track In Pennsauken, NJ. There are a few options to choose from besides the 6-day event. Runners/walkers can circle laps for 72 hours, 48 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours or 6 hrs.
In May, I circled the track for the sixth time at the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 24hr in Sharon Hill, PA. There Is also a 12 hour and a 50K ultra.
The six-day event at Cooper River Park began at 10 am on Monday, April 6 with a small field of ten participants, and ended at 10 am on Sunday April 12 with many finishers from all the events.
Compared to the weather last year, the weather this year was great for the most part — a mix of sun, blue skies and warm temperatures. Saturday was hot and sunny. But we also endured cold weather, winds, and a little drizzle.
Even though I was covered in layers from head to toe during the six days, my lips and hands suffered sunburn, and my face windburn and two tiny blisters. For the first time in my life, my lower lip blistered, and I experienced windburned and puffy sunburned hands. It took about two weeks for my lip and hands to heal and peel with Aquaphor and lanolin.
I placed first female at the inaugural Old Six Day 72 hour last year, and set the female course record, (here's that race report) I was excited to tackle a new challenge and to circle the track for six days. I was hoping that more females would be at the starting line for the six day, but there were only three of us.
I was the oldest, at age 67. The other two were 57 and 33, respectively. I remained on site. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and slept at least 4 hours each day, showered, and changed clothes in our RV.
My husband Jon, my crew, drained a huge blister on the side of my big right toe I didn't know I had because I couldn't feel it. Since 2008, I've had irreversible nerve damage on many of my toes, and peripheral neuropathy on both feet due to myelopathy of the spinal cord as a result of severe B12 deficiency. My body doesn't produce enough natural B12 to create myelin sheath around my spinal chord. I have been prescribed B12 for life since 2009. Untreated B12 deficiency is dangerous. You can read more here.
One of the other two female participants, one left the track one night to go home and to rest for a day before returning. The other left for home every night to return in the morning, but remained on site after returning on Saturday until the end of the race.
I power walked and maintained a 20-plus mile lead and hit the 200-mile mark at 11 pm on Friday night.
But I began to lose the lead when the dreaded lateral lean kicked in late Saturday afternoon. I had never experienced the dreaded lean until now — during ultra no. 42. I circled the track very slowly and in discomfort with the help of my snowshoeing poles to help keep me upright but mostly to hold my lean in place.
I was so grateful for a fellow six-day runner who lent me his massage gun to keep until the end. He was a godsend. Jon massaged me, as needed. I was grateful for an amazing volunteer who also massaged me so I could keep going, slow and steady, with frequent sitting and massage breaks.
Heading into midnight and the beginning of Sunday, my back seized causing me to be disabled for a few hours and to be off the track. In distress and afraid I would not be able to collect more laps as I headed back to the track with five hours left on the clock, I was greeted by two friends tackling the 48-hr event. We have shared the track at the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 24-hr track ultras many times.
They reminded me to remember all that I've been through the last few years. What I was enduring was nothing in comparison. They gave me words of encouragement, reminded me that I am "tenacious," and hugged me. They were my angels telling me to get going.
I struggled with the dreaded lean for the next five hours trying to stay upright with my poles. I chatted with fellow runners/walkers on the track. They gave me words of encouragement, and admired my persistence. We were all exhausted by now. Chatting and sharing life stories with each other moved us along. And I was not alone; two other aging walkers were sporting the lean and moving with poles.
I lost my 20-plus mile lead on day 5 to the dreaded lean, but I was thrilled to have collected
963 laps for 239. 0644 miles/384.73 km, and to cross the finish only 2.45825 miles behind the first female finisher. I was happy with my 2nd place finish and 5th overall on a beautiful Sunday morning. Find all the race results here.
So what kept me moving and collecting laps for six days?
My fuel at the Old Six Day 144hr-track ultra was the best: leftovers from our Passover/Easter feast with our family. I enjoyed brisket, pork, vegetables, soup, matzoh, and eggs from Ruby & Rosie, our backyard hens.
And homemade chocolate babka, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate donuts, and vanilla ice cream free from chemicals, around the clock, on and off the track, and in our RV.
Delicious homemade food, and a lot of calories for a multi day ultra never goes to waste; it's too yummy. And for hydration, I drank a lot of organic coconut water, a great source of electrolytes, and seltzer.
Not only fuel kept me going, but also friends and new fellow runners.
The only people in the world who understand why we tackle ultramarathons are fellow ultrarunners, ultramarathoners. People think we're crazy, insane, selfish, narcissistic, mentally unstable, and worse. But that's so far from the truth.
We are sane, supportive and caring, wanting only the best for our fellow ultrarunners.
We form new bonds and friendships on the course. We share in our suffering, lap after lap, mile after mile. Being an ultrarunner is the best kind of crazy to be!
And the rewards of ultrarunning come in forms of friendships, compassion, caring, and not just medals, buckles, and personal records.
After receiving this fabulous loot — medal, 200-mile patch, buckle, and second female plaque — Jon and I headed back to the RV. A few minutes later, fellow ultrarunner Mike Horner, who tackled the 48hr, and who shared many laps and laughs with me, invited me to be a guest on his podcast, Living an Ultra Life. We had a great chat about resiliency, faith, God, and so much more. Tune in here.
Then I got in my car and followed Jon in the RV home. The lean was gone. After a few days of recovery, I went out sans lean to collect tapering miles before the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn (D3)
24-hr track ultra on Mother's Day weekend.
This was my 8th D3 track ultra, including two virtual events during the pandemic.
I power walked this 24-hr ultra, too. Here's a short video that Jon took at about 10:30 am. I'm so fast, these runners finally caught up to me. Haha! It's important to make race day fun.
The weather was cloudy, partly sunny, and in the 50s and 60s. It drizzled a couple of times. I was prepared with all kinds of rain gear: heavy and lightweight rain jackets, and water repellent socks.
While circling the track, I fueled and hydrated well. I consumed dark chocolate chip pancakes, dark chocolate donuts, chocolate covered protein balls, artisan bread, and chicken vegetable soup, all homemade calories. And I stayed hydrated with organic coconut water and seltzer.
I did not take a break the first 12 hours, and logged 44.7 power walking miles.
After the first 12 hours, I took an hour break to eat dinner — roast pork, bread, salad, and homemade ginger ale — and changed socks and leggings. Jon drained another huge blister around my right toe, just like the one I didn't know I had and that Jon drained at the Old Six Day.
I didn't feel this one either.
I would go on to take about 40 minutes worth of mini naps the last 12 hours. I had Jon cut slits on the toe box of an old pair of Asics Gel Nimbus to give my bandaged, big right toe some room.
I slowed down the last seven miles, but I collected a total of 73.07 miles for a 7th place female finish and 13th overall. I was happy!
A major reason I keep going back to D3 is the friendships and bonds that have been formed throughout the years with these amazing women, and men too, some of whom continue to set all kinds of American and world records. Check out all the records on the Dawn to Dawn to Dawn track ultras FB page. See all race results here.
Another fun Mother’s Day weekend was had by all. Here we are at the finish, smiling because that’s what we do after logging victory laps & and enduring a little suffering that eventually transforms into joy.
We know how to have serious fun. And who says, Women Can’t Run the World!
This D3 24-hr track ultra was my 43rd ultra. My faith, God, gratitude, and my faithful crew, my Jon, who naps more than I do at ultras but who drains my blisters and cooks delicious calories. and who documents my miles with photos and videos, are all keys to me collecting all kinds of miles.
Now, it's onto ultra no. 44 — the Sri Chinmoy 12hr. I placed 3rd female in my age group and 9th overall last year. Here's my race report. I'll be back on June 13, the first-year anniversary of my beloved mother's death. I'll be power walking in her memory as she watches over me. My mother took her last breath three months short of her100th birthday. She walked everywhere, and fast. No doubt about it...I get my endurance and strength to keep moving and going from my mother. May she rest In peace.
I hope to tackle the Old Six Day 48hr In 2027. And I'll be back at D3. Will I see you at both and will we share laps and laughs?
And in case you're wondering why we make our own food to take to ultras....I can't have foods that contain preservatives, additives, food coloring, steroids, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and insecticides. They are the cause of eosinophilic esophagitis (E0E) and food impactions that land me In the emergency room. You can read more about how I created my own diet, and healed my EoE after suffering for twenty-six years here.
©2026
I'm also the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Order your copy here.
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