BILLINGS — There's a lot you can't change in running and in life, but you can change your shorts. At least that's what I told myself when I discovered I had pooped my pants – for the first time ever that I can remember – while running the Crazy Mountain 100, Montana's only 100-mile ultramarathon and my first 100-mile race. If there's ever a good day to run 100 miles with 23,000 feet of elevation gain over rugged terrain, the Friday of the race was it: the temperature had dropped despite a statewide heatwave, smoke was minimal though wildfire season was in full swing, and it was a bluebird day in the mountains where afternoon thunderstorms featuring hail are the norm.
This stroke of luck meant nothing to my stomach, which was cramping and making increasingly sinister noises. I kept moving. I wasn't going to let a tummy ache get in the way of my serious mountain adventure.
There were a lot of other things to pay attention to: the abundant wildflowers, the view of Campfire Lake, the merciless climb up 10,748-foot high Conical Peak. Though my stomach was sloshing, I was in my flow state: Put one foot in front of the other. Enjoy the view.
Stop thinking so much. Running into the aid station at mile 43, I was feeling good. I mean, I was definitely still feeling bad, but I was feeling good about feeling bad, which is what ultrarunning is.
"Given how terrible my stomach felt on that section, I'm surprised I didn't sh*t myself," I gleefully exclaimed to my support crew. A trip t.