My Profile

@jennasummerhays

Washington, UT Raving since 2023 Active 10 months, 3 weeks ago

About Me

  • Running club(s):
  • Rave race:
  • Race that's calling my name:
  • I run because:

My Races

Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.

50 States Map
image/svg+xml FL TX NM AZ AK CA NV UT CO OR WA ID HI OK MT WY ND SD NE KS MN IA MO AR LA MS AL GA SC IL WI MI IN OH TN KY NC WV VA PA NY ME VT NH RI CT NJ DE MD MA DC

Half Marathon

Marathon

Ultramarathon

(Marathon or Ultra) + Half

Marathon + Ultra

Other

Future Races

Personal Bests (1)

Race Distance Location Date Result
50 Miler Page, AZ Mar 11, 2023 14:42:59

Future Races (0)

Race Distance Location Date Paid

Past Races (1)

Race Distance Location Date Result My Raves My Performance
50 Miler Page, AZ Mar 11, 2023 14:42:59

My Raves

Where do I even begin? Staci, a longtime friend of mine asked me if I would run the Antelope Canyon ultramarathon trail run with her, a 50 miler near Page, … MORE

Where do I even begin? Staci, a longtime friend of mine asked me if I would run the Antelope Canyon ultramarathon trail run with her, a 50 miler near Page, Arizona. I was somewhat hesitant as I hadn’t trained for long distance since 2018, but she asked me in plenty of time for me to get my act together and this allowed me to train decently at the first; however; my life took an unexpected turn towards the meat of my training, and I had to focus on my daughter who was going through some major health issues. As the time for the event drew nearer, I became worried and hesitant to go forward as I was recalling some bad marathon situations that I had experienced in the past–one I did not finish (DNF) and the other I should have dropped out but ended up in the emergency department getting I.V. fluids. How could I get through this one when it was nearly twice as long as any I had ever participated in? I didn’t have the answer to that question, but I knew my friend was counting on me. We were buds since elementary school and we had participated in our first 10k together 30 years before as little 4th graders. As we grew up, I moved away, and we didn’t have much contact for many years, although we still had a lot in common: we were both married, had kids, became nurses, and then nurse practitioners, and most of all, both of us still ran! She is my soul sister, and I was bound and determined to do this, if not for me for her!

The two days right before the race were crazy at work and I was more than a little sore from walking between exam rooms seeing patients. Not a good sign!
The day before the race was a short, but intense day of seeing patients and I was through at noon and got home a few minutes later. I had everything that I thought would be pertinent for this race, but still the night before I had decided to look up essentials for ultra trail marathons. One of the lists I came across said “gaters”. What was a gater? Well, it was too late to get them, whatever they were. I would be fine. Staci picked me up and drove the 2 1/2 hours to Page and we checked into our room where I met her other friend Rhonda who would also be running with us as well as sharing the room. It was the first time I had seen three beds in a hotel room!

We prepared our drop bags, another thing that I was unfamiliar with. Each runner would pack his or her drop bag with whatever goods he or she thought would be necessary, so it would be ready and waiting at the aid station. Hmmm. I had brought a ton of socks, so I put them in there, along with some Powerade, and some shorts in case I got hot and then we loaded our collection of stuff in the car and headed to the expo. It was smaller than ones I’d been to before and in a baseball field instead of a convention center, like I was used to. It was starting to get kind of cold and it had been sprinkling on and off. We got our bib numbers and shirts, and Staci bought a 50-mile sticker from the merchandise and told me I should get one, too. I told her “naw”, I don’t think I will in case I don’t finish. We watched a Native American dancer perform, took pics, and headed to Wal-Mart. The girls said I needed my own cup. They didn’t give out paper cups, which I definitely wasn’t used to. I obviously wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. I bought a big red collapsible cup from the camping section, and we got some snacks and returned to the hotel where we laid everything out. Staci and Rhonda were both in disbelief that I didn’t have any gaters. There’s that word again. What in the heck were they? I learned that they were awesome shoe covers that prevented sand from getting into your shoes. Welp! Rhonda pipes up and said that she had brought an extra pair! Bless her little soul. As I am putting my stuff together, I see that all my extra socks were in the drop bags, and I had no running socks to wear until Mile 28!! I only had tube socks that barely covered my feet! Rhonda to the rescue again when she gave me some socks that were way better than the ones I’d brought, even the socks I prepared for which again were in all my drop bags. Ugh!

The three of us chilled out and then went to bed at 8 pm. At 3:30 am I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep and so I slowly got up and got ready. By 4 am all three of us were up doing the same. I wore my running leggings, my antelope canyon run shirt, my long sleeve shirt, head band, head lamp, Rhonda’s gaters, my road shoes, and Rhonda’s socks. In my pack I had HotHands, my neck warmer, poncho, Guu, ibuprofen, salt tabs, chafing cream, water, and Powerade. I was set! Before we left, I said a heartfelt prayer that we wouldn’t get hurt and that we would be safe.

We left the hotel about 5 am and got to the start line at 5:30 where we took a few pre-race pics. Rhonda stayed back as she was doing the 100 miler. She is a beast! The gun went off at 5:45 am and the start was easy enough. We kept our pace slow, and the weather was an ideal 45 degrees. Staci and I just talked and talked, as we had so much to catch up on since we hadn’t hung out for over 25 years! The first 6 miles was mostly in fine white sand dune sand. We reached Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon with many beautiful rock formations, the first of the many amazing backdrops along the way. All the runners paused here to take pictures and selfies. We ran through it fast. There was one small staircase where I slipped and hit my shin! It hurt for a minute, and I knew I would be rewarded with a nice shiner!

It started raining a little, but it was more refreshing and pleasant than annoying. It would start and then stop. My body felt good compared to a lot of my previous runs when I tended to get overheated. We made it to Horseshoe Bend and here the rain was coming down a little more but still not overly-terrible. Staci and I paused for pics. By that time, her legs and knees were giving her fits. Luckily, she had brought her hiking poles which helped a lot.
During the horseshoe bend portion, running was out of the question because it was mostly slick and the terrain was in a descending, climbing pattern consisting of numerous rock formations. I had no idea that I was literally going to be rock climbing through an organized run. It was kind of fun. We got to a nice aid station and then ran on to Waterhole Canyon. For some reason there was a big wait for the 50-foot ladder, and it took us 45 minutes for our turn to come up. During that time, I decided it was time for my long sleeves again as I was kind of cold and wet. As we finally made it to the ladder, a nice gentleman held Staci’s poles and away we went. It was so scary! One guy bailed and ran back to the aid station and said I am not doing that. Apparently, there’s a plan B if you are afraid of ladders that are wet and scary. I took the first turn and took my time. I did not want to fall again! At about this point, Staci stepped on my head by accident. It made me laugh and we giggled all the way down.

Through the canyon, it was so cool and pretty! There were three more small ladders. They had a random guy in the canyon taking pics. He was funny and reminded me of the guy in Frozen in the tiki hut. By the time we got out of the slot canyon it was pouring rain and little waterfalls had started to form. Not ideal when you’re in a slot canyon. Come to find out a few people after us, they closed the canyon and subsequent runners did a slightly different route. Scary! Heading to the next aid station was good. The sand had firmed up and I felt good. At the aid station I took my time. The freshly cooked cheese quesadillas were so delicious! In road races I’ve been in before you don’t get hot, freshly-made meals. It was awesome. At this point, Staci and I separated, and I didn’t see her again for the rest of the race. I was kind of nervous because my phone was on airplane mode. I didn’t want to use it so my battery wouldn’t die in case I needed to use it for SOS. My Apple 3 watch died at about mile 28. I had to put full faith in the race and hope that everything was marked clearly. Pink ribbons with reflectors had been strategically placed to guide us. I was going to be fine! Plus, I had runners all around me.

As we got closer to town, I could hear the announcer cheering people in. I know it wasn’t anywhere near my time. I still had 15 miles to go! As I passed that wonderful finish line, I headed up to a 10-mile rim trail. It was so muddy, and the rain had created little waterfalls that the runners had to jump. I was soaking wet and so cold. I finally got to the next aid station, got a hot cup of noodles and pulled out my poncho. Little did I know this cheap one dollar afterthought was going to be my saving grace. A nice lady helped me put it on because my hands were not working. Bless those volunteers. People in the aid tent looked sick and miserable. One girl before the aid station was paralyzed with cold, and I gave her my hot hands. I think she dropped out. Many in that tent stopped.
As I continued on through the rim trail, my shoes became more and more caked with mud! I was still so cold, so I decided to pull out my neck warmer and by the grace of God it was still dry. I could no longer run from that point. My legs were done, and I was so cold. The mud made it virtually impossible. I finally made it to the last aid station. I would like to call it the mud pit! It was so bad. More people dropped out here, but I was determined! It was only 6 more miles. The sun was setting, and the rain was intense. My poncho protected me, but I felt like I was in a windstorm. Darkness came on fast but luckily my light was easy to grab, and I was able to quickly put it on. As I continued on, I noticed I was getting closer to the stadium, and I was so happy! I was almost in tears, but then to my utter dismay the runners were diverted another way. I so wanted to cut to the end, but I knew I was close. I couldn’t stop but I was angry. I was so angry for what I am not sure. I’m just wanted this thing to end. I was alone for the last two miles. I was a little scared almost worried if I was going in the right direction. I almost had a panic attack thinking somehow that I might have ended up on the 100-mile route. I wanted to get my phone out and call for help but my hands were so swollen that my wedding ring was stuck on me; it was so wet that I couldn’t call, and my hands were utterly useless. I could have died!

At last, finally after what felt like an eternity, I made it to the stadium. I ran or trotted that last 100 meters and utterly cried! The announcer called Jenna Summerhays from Washington, Utah you 50 miler ultra marathoner and Staci wrapped her arms around me and said you did it!! You made it. It was truly amazing. We walked to the medical tent as everything came to a halt. My body was so cold, and I knew I had to get warm fast. I got my amazing 50 miler metal and a pic and we were out. Staci told me that she had dropped out at 34 miles and Rhonda at 38. They were hypothermic as were most of the runners. They are were amazing it was so hard. When I got to the hotel room. I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out. I took the longest shower ever and rinsed everything off and finally was able to rest. I was still nauseous, and Staci gave me some Zofran which helped. I fell asleep about 10:30. I didn’t sleep well, felt nauseous and my body hurt! I got one major blister and a blackened toenail on my second toe and a little chaffing.

Overall, I am glad I did it. I am glad Staci asked me. Would I do it again.?!? Don’t ask me that for a while. I learned many things about trail running and I may do a shorter one. I loved the atmosphere and the people! During that time, I learned a lot about myself. I know I can do hard things. I am grateful for old and new friends. I am grateful that God listens and answers prayers no matter where you are or what you’ve gotten yourself into. He is there for you!

DIFFICULTY
5
PRODUCTION
4
SCENERY
5
SWAG
3
My Media

1 member marked this review helpful. Agree?