Written by Brad Anderson - http://www.singletrackstateofmind.com/

What can I say, sometimes our plans don't work out exactly as we wish. Going into this race I was very confident in myself and the training I had put in. Pinhoti wasn't actually my first choice for my first 100, more a last minute sign up due to Grindstone getting cancelled then postponed at the last minute because of the hurricane. I needed a States qualifier and Pinhoti was the only race i could find with an opening still available.

Elevation profile

  The night before the race went as usual, packet pickup then a race briefing by the race director. Rachel (my beautiful girlfriend) and I hung out there for a while and chatted with my Nashville friend Scott Bell and his wife before calling it a evening and headed to the hotel to meet my parents and son.

My beautiful girlfriend and I

Cool dude Scott Bell

  As usual i didn't get the best sleep the night before due to all the thoughts running through my mind about the race ahead. The alarm went off at 4 am and i was ready to roll despite the restlessness. My crew and I loaded up and we were on our way to the starting line. Going into the race we knew it was going to be a tough day due to the fact that it was forecasted to rain throughout the day.
  The course had to be modified this year due to the rain, we started at the 2nd aid station, and did a out and back to the first aid station. The course stayed the same after that. At the starting line it began to rain of course, but despite the weather we all stayed optimistic. After a few short words and a final countdown we were off!

Rainy start

  I hung back with the second pack of runners for the first 6 miles or so then decided to pick up the pace a little from there. Coming through the aid station at just over 13 miles i was in 11th place i believe and feeling good about the pace i was running. I tried to spend as little time in aid stations as possible, and my crew did a fantastic job of helping me accomplish that.
  Throughout the race we crossed many creeks, to the point i quit counting them. Some of these creek crossings were over knee deep and moving swift enough to knock you off your feet if you weren't careful. At mile 22 or 27 aid station, not sure exactly which one it was, i had to stop to take off my shoes and get the sand out before it caused blisters. At that point i was in eighth place and not too far behind 6th and 7th.
  The next few segments went by with periods of running by myself as we all started to space out more. I caught the 7th and 6th place guys at the start of the climb up bald rock around mile 35. We all stayed within viewing distance of each other on the climb up and were greeted by our crews at the top at mile 41.

Coming into mile 41 aid station

  Leaving that aid station I was joined by one of the guys I passed on the climb up bald rock and we ran a few miles together before i let him go. He was running a little faster than what i was feeling like, so it was back to having some more alone time. I do about 90% of my training alone, so it doesn't really bother me having extended times alone on the trail. Its time I get to talk to God and enjoy His creation.
  Luckily Scotts wife was helping my crew and reminded me to grab my headlamp at mile 41 aid station. As i arrived at mile 52 aid station, it had just gotten dark enough to start using my headlamp. The temperature had also dropped and i began to get a little chilled on this section. I stuck around for a little longer at this aid station and had a cup of soup to warm up. That did the trick and i was on my way.
  About halfway to the next aid station I was moving along at a decent pace when i heard someone yelling off in the woods. I stopped and shined my light up to where it was coming from and could see the reflectors light up on the guy that was hollering. He was asking for help and i couldn't tell if he was a runner or what was going on. I made my way up to him and asked if he was a runner, he said he was and that he didn't have a headlamp. He had gotten off course and found his way into a bunch of downed trees. Luckily he wasn't hurt and we made our way back to the trail. My new friend Luigi and I made our way to the next aid station together, and come to find out his wife and my crew had spent some time earlier in the race chatting at one of the aid stations. Turns out Luigi has done some pretty amazing races, Badwater 135 and Spartathalon just this yr!
  Leaving mile 55 aid station, it got extremely foggy. We couldn't see 15 ft in front of us, but most of this section was all service road. I ran with the lead woman for a while (which eventually won the ladies race) and fought through a few low points. Coming into mile 65 aid station I was feeling good running wise but had gotten chilled at one point. I brushed it off as my calories getting low and sodium levels being a little low because once I ate a couple gels i felt fine again. This is where I should have grabbed my running jacket regardless of how I felt at the moment.
  Over the next 3 miles it got pretty windy and i had slowed down once again. I started to get really cold at this point and came into mile 68.8 aid station shivering. I drank 2 cups of warm chicken broth and covered with a blanket to try and warm up. I wasn't going to see my crew for another 17 miles and things weren't looking too good. Eventually I ended up calling my crew and had them meet me there with my jacket. When they arrived i continued to try and warm up but just couldn't get the shakes to stop. At that point I decided it would be reckless to head back out on the trail in the condition I was in and decided to drop from the race.
  It will eat at me for a while since this is my first DNF. Hindsight is 20/20 and i knew i should have grabbed my jacket regardless of how i felt in the moment. We all learn from our mistakes though and that is just how life is. I will be back to conquer this course eventually, as it was one i enjoyed due to the atmosphere. The aid station volunteers were of great help, very kind and the course was beautiful.
  I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity run these races and for creating such beautiful landscapes for us to enjoy. Thank you to my wonderful girlfriend, parents and son for allowing me the time for training, crewing me and believing in me. Thank you to all the aid station volunteers that sacrificed their day and night to take care of us crazies!