ISHPEMING, Mich. — Like nearly every race, the Marji Gesick 100 has also been cancelled in 2020. Here’s a look back at last year:

This was my first race in eight years. A lot has changed – a career change, a husband, and three children. Previously, I had poured 700+ hours into training for a single race. I had put my first three hour run in seven years only three months prior to race day. And only managed five runs over three hours in preparation for the race.

My abridged training program did come at a cost. Since I did little trail running, particularly on steep descents, I found my quads were already sore just two hours in. I was not looking forward to the punchy descents at the end of the race.

I did make the time to make the 5 hour drive to scouting the race course, which was invaluable. I knew the first 25 miles of the course, and picked splits at landmarks to keep me within myself on the early, flat, and easy miles.

After I corrected a wrong turn, I couldn’t believe my ears when my crew informed me that I was the first person through – meaning that the two runners in front of me also had made a wrong turn (and apparently took longer to correct their mistake)! And that’s all it took – from there on, I led all the way to the finish line.

As the race directors stepped forward to congratulate me, I almost teared up realizing the enormity of the feat. Quite the comeback after eight years. I finished in just over 24 hours, a little slower than my goal. But it turns out only three other runners broke 30 hours – with 74% of the field never making it to the finish line…not too shabby after all!

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.