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Writer's pictureMiriam Diaz-Gilbert

I Walked My Way to 42.62 Miles at the Hainesport 12-hr Ultra and Placed 7th Female. My First Ultra After Beating Breast Cancer.

Updated: Oct 28


Group pic before the 7 am start at Hainesport Endurance Runs Oct 12-14, 2024 Photo:: Jon Gilbert

I had no specific goal going in except to collect as many miles as I could with my healed left knee. In July an MRI revealed a meniscus tear, bone marrow edema, a stress injury, and a Baker's cyst. I didn't want to risk re-injuring my knee. I spent July & August rehabbing my knee. You can read more about what I did to rehab my knee. And I knew to walk my miles at the Hainesport 12 hour in Hainesport, NJ.


I went into this ultra with only 121.6 of mostly walking miles, a few slow running training miles, and 8.59 pool running miles to help heal my knee.


Race day on October 12 was a beautiful sunny autumn day that started with temperatures in the low 50s (too cold for me) and a little wind. I was layered up, but by the 9 am start, the temperature rose a bit. By the afternoon, it was in the low 70s.


Most, a mix of the 12-hour, 24-hour, 48-hr and 100-mile runners, had shorts, tanks, and t-shirts on. I had two top layers, capri leggings, a head wrap, and my breast cancer awareness scarf wrapped around my neck.


Photo: Jon Gilbert

I love to run and walk. I also love to bake.


While circling the .9913-mile park loop, I fueled on the goodies I baked: six slices of Jon's leftover birthday cake, four small slices of blueberry muffin loaf, and a blueberry and almond butter sandwich made with my favorite sandwich bread I love to bake.


I finally sat down for the first time after collecting 29 miles, and had a serving of my homemade vegetable chicken soup made with beets, potatoes, and cabbage, also organic. I had another small container at about mile 35. And of course, bottles of hydration, electrolytes, and cans of seltzer through out my laps.



The 12 hour was my third Hainesport event. In 2022, I placed third female in the 24-hr event and in 2023, I placed first female in the 48-hr event.


I keep going back to the Hainesport endurance runs because of the wonderful runners I get to share the course with. We enjoy the event and each other, and share in our struggles and joys. We cheer each other on and inspire each other. The race directors, crews, and volunteers are fantastic.


Lisa, Melissa, me, and Tina

With Kaylee

With George

With Yen and Kimberley

With Jillian

And we make new friends. I was happy to make friends with Ray and John. Ray tackled

the 48-hr event and John, also a runner, spent the day crewing his runner in the 12-hr event. And I am grateful they bought a signed copy of my book Come What May, I Want To Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times.


It was a fun day of sharing the course with old friends and new friends.


It was an exciting day for my 40th ultra, and for my first ultra that I walked. I was super happy with my 7th place female finish and 19/44 overall in the 12-hr event — 43 laps for 42.6259 walking miles in 11:48:05 at a 16:37 avg. pace at age 65.


Slow and steady finishes the race. Finishing is winning.


All of my ultramarathons are special, but this one was extra special. My knee healed in time to walk, not run, Hainesport. And I was grateful that this was my first ultra since beating breast cancer in June.


I am lucky that it was caught early after I fell in March while training for the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn (D3) 24-hr track ultra on Mother's Day weekend. I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer ten days before D3. I showed up to collect healing miles as I prepared for surgery. Here's my D3 race report.


I had a partial mastectomy on my right breast. You can read about my journey here.


And as always, Jon was by my side during my journey. Not our first rodeo with cancer. Jon has survived stage IV colorectal cancer twice in a five-year period. Don't forget to schedule your colonoscopy. Don't ignore the symptoms.


And my faithful crew was thrilled I was tackling only the 12 hour.


I'm tired. Jon is happy.

I registered for the Hainesport 12 hour early in 2024 and for the Badger Palooza 12 hour (stay tuned for the race report) in 2023 before I was diagnosed. I'm glad I registered for both.


Jon's grueling cancer journey and my overwhelming experience as his cancer caregiver helped me immensely with my unexpected cancer diagnosis. Both prepared me. Honestly, my diagnosis did not shatter my world because two constants remained through out—my unwavering faith and the gift of movement and ultrarunning.


I was and am lucky and blessed. But I know my cancer might come back. I know to remain vigilant.


I will continue to run ultras. Training and sharing the course with fellow runners is good medicine and healing.


I will continue to share my cancer story and to remind and encourage women to schedule and not skip their mammogram. Men are also diagnosed with breast cancer. We all need to be vigilant, young and old, runners and walkers alike.


Looking forward to sharing the course with you at our next ultra event.


In the meantime, enjoy the video.





©2024

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