The McNaughton 200 Mile Trail Run epitomizes what the sport of Ultrarunning is to me. As long distance runners, we seek a challenge – how far can I go? As athletes, we seek competition – how well will I perform today? Fifteen runners toed the line on a Thursday evening in Pittsfield, Vermont ready to try and answer the questions. 
Andy Weinberg (the Race Director) stated that this was a monumental day in Ultrarunning - the first 200 mile trail run in North America. It was humbling to be a part of something so big. Over the course of a 200 mile run, you are destined to see a lot of weather changes even when you are just doing a 10-mile loop. Over the course of Thursday evening until Sunday, we got to experience bright sunny skies, thunderstorms with over 2 inches of rain, hail, high winds, more sun, more rain, a rainbow (see photo below), and even snow. With the heavy rain came extremely muddy trail conditions. I know many of the runners were ready mentally and physically to run 200 miles – the conditions just made the course unbearable at times.
With a looped course, there were 20 different opportunities to stop. I was fortunate enough to not only have my parents at the race but also a crew of 9 additional friends. I hit a point at mile 180 when everything in my body said stop – I just didn’t want it anymore. To have an experienced crew to help you with decisions in a race of this distance is priceless. 
My hat goes off to Mike Siltman who went at this race solo – the mental toughness he showed through his perseverance was amazing! It is my hope that this race will continue to grow in its new venue and ultrarunners asking the how far and how long questions will find their answers in Pittsfield, Vermont.
