3 Days at the Fair - 2025 - 48 Hours with Gloo and Geez - Race Report

By Rick Gloo

Introduction

It's really hard to put into words the experience of a multi-day ultra running/walking event. Going into it I thought it would be easy to describe, but it's so much bigger than running. I am very new to this form of running, and often my first time with an experience is the most profound, and this time is much the same. Inaccuracies, embellishments, and overly dramatic interpretations may follow.

"3 Days the Fair"

The three days at the Fair event actually includes everything from 6 days, to 6 hours. And everything in between, including marathon and 50K events. The event is conducted in rural New Jersey at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. It's an exactly 1 mile loop, with quite a few turns and changes in scenery. Some parts are right within what would be expected of a rural fair grounds, and others are on the perimeter of the grounds and feel a little more like a country road. I was really surprised how enjoyable this course was and I can't say I really ever got mind numbingly bored. The one and only ultrarunning legend John Geesler (Geez) would be my guide on this journey. A key detail of this event that Geez didn't tell me till later was that the traditional 100 mile finisher belt buckle actually required 101 miles in this event.

Community

The community and other runners were a remarkable part of the experience. The thought that came to mind was that, "No one stands in the middle of a field and builds empires or transcends the human world". We're all in an interconnected mesh of togetherness and community.

There was just so many great people that you actually get to know on some level by being out there for so long and often moving at a conversational pace. It's possible to spend anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours chatting with someone. And then paces change, or someone takes a rest, you don't see them for awhile, then they pop back up later and it's like meeting up with an old friend. Maybe they are an old friend you have actually known for years, or more maybe they have now just become an "old friend" in the context of this event. It's easy to feel part of something and the miles spent with other people seem to go by much more easily.

Community - "The Elders"

Within the community, there are the folks we will call "The Elders". These folks are typically 60 years plus, likely have been doing ultra distances for decades, and just putting in an amazing and awe inspiring effort with results to match. One fella I talked to, Don Gibson from Georgia, was moving very well and we were chatting for a while before I asked his age, he was 80 and working to get in 101 miles in 48 hours! When I saw him at the end he was happy to report hitting his goal and looked quite fresh. Gary Ferguson, 70 from Pennsylvania has the record for lifetime miles at this event with 4000 miles and has been there every year since the event's inception which I believe was in 2010. That means Gary has run around that 1 mile course 4000 times!! Unfathomable! He runs light and looks youthful in stride and appearance, great for a chat and has a sustainable set of points along the course to alternate walking and running. He did 5 consecutive 50Ks followed by a Marathon. Kim Sergeant, age 66 from Texas, was always great for a check in and was taking the miles in stride, having done 101 miles in the first 48 hours of the week, and then doing a second 105 miles in 72 hours to capture two 100 mile finishes in the same week! Or Newton Baker ("Uncle Newt" as Geez introduced him), 83 of Vermont, with cancer in remission for 20 years, doing 159 miles in the week. And to top it off was Linda Biondic, age 85 of Ontario Canada, who finished with 240 miles in the 144 hour and setting multiple records.

These folks didn't necessarily dispense with information or wisdom (although more than willing if asked specifically), but it was more about how they acted and approached the event where I was able to gain the most lessons. Just watching how they keep going, or adjust to conditions by adding a piece of gear or taking something away, etc. etc. Also, just how they mentally carried themselves with what appeared to be a foundation of calm and there wasn't a lot of energy going toward complaining, and if they were struggling it didn't seem to weigh to heavily, it was just the reality of what was happening at the moment.

Ultrarunning is not Crazy

This is more of personal recalibration of my thoughts on really long distance events, but to some degrees folks from "The Elder" side of things seemed to take offense to ultrarunners being called "crazy". I would have also fallen into the camp that called ultrarunning crazy prior as well. I think I get it now. While anything can obviously be taken to an extreme, I believe "Uncle Newt" made the point that it's not common for people to call participants in mainstream sports like football, baseball, etc. "crazy". They go to similar extremes in pushing their body and pursuing their sport. In some ways, humans moving their bodies for really long distances is very much inline with what people have been doing for millennia.

My Goals

In some ways this event had been planned for years, and in others ways it was not planned at all. I had some goals and motivation for why I wanted to undertake such an endeavor. I was curious of a few things:

1. How far can the body go and what's needed to take care of it, there's a degree of compassion and kindness toward the body that I wanted to explore. "Grit" was not a tactic I was looking to employ.
2. I wanted to see my friend and ultrarunning legend John Geesler (Geez) in his natural habitat. I also trusted he would provide the best possible introduction to multi-day running.
3. I wanted to see if I could take on a long distance, while avoiding injury and not losing my mind.
4. In some ways there was a spiritual element here for me that I can't quite describe, just a matter of going deep to see what might turn up.

Strategy Considerations and Reflections

Stress management

Stress management was a primary strategy for that I had been thinking about for years whenever Geez talked about these types of events. Given that the event is time based, there is a lot of room to take breaks and tend to taking care of oneself if needed. The basic structure of this strategy was to try and take breaks every 90-120 minutes. Within the break I would usually lay down on the ground in my tent on a yoga mat, put a yoga block under my hips and elevate my legs. Usually this break lasted about 20-30 minutes. A younger runner named Matt Hume that was doing the 6 day made a good point about rests potentially being too long then things can start to stiffen up, which I definitely found to be true. If I sat in my "anti-gravity" chair without actively stretching or massaging, then I could feel things stiffen pretty good, it just didn't feel right. But to more actively use the foam roller, do some really gentle yoga positions, massage gun, etc. usually kept a lot of tight areas from becoming debilitating. Early on when I filed up my water bottle, I noticed my back and hamstrings were really tight, so while it was really difficult, I made it a point to get in a deep squat regularly to stretch out. It was difficult to squat, but I think this really helped. I also really wanted to pay attention to what I was feeling both mentally and physically. So I did not take any pain killers, caffeine beyond normal intake, and although I brought head phones, I did not listen to any music/audio. I think this strategy worked really well for staying in the moment and taking care of myself.

Rest Cycles Every Few Hours

Taking a rest every 90 to 120 minutes is tied to some existing research on ultradian rythyms source that I originally heard about on the Huberman Lab Podcast. Ever wonder why a typical movie is about 90 minutes? I suspect it's ultradian rhythms and that humans tend to get a little restlessness within about 90 minutes. As humans, we tend to get a little fatigued or agitated around 90 minutes to two hours. It's pretty easy to ignore the signals and just "power" through, but when I really watch, I can see this pattern taking shape. I get a little cranky, a little bored, and start to have more negative thoughts and self-talk. Everybody is different, but the signs are usually there when we pay attention. Just sneaking in a quick break on these intervals, even if I thought I didn't need it, seemed to create a really sustainable cycle. When I would lay on the ground, it was just enough of a different feeling that parts of my body would relax, my back would feel some soothing and I would come out feeling pretty refreshed. I am happy to report that over the 48 hours I did not experience any low points on the course. On the first night when I went to sleep I did have a low point where I couldn't imagine how I would be able to continue in the morning given how sore I was, but that was the only time, and after sleeping about 3 hours I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed.

Nutrition

I started eating early, and kept eating, and eating, and eating. My pace was quite casual (3-4mph / 15-20min per mile), but I knew I didn't want to get hungry or feel hungry because I suspect that would start to be more of a deficit that might be hard to recover from. On the first day I had brought oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. Throughout the entire event I ate a few dixie cups of fruit or portion of banana nearly every single loop. The fruit cups were usually 3-4 grapes, or a couple sliced strawberries, or 8-10 blueberries. I also brought some salty mixed nuts and raisins, which I took a few handfuls of throughout each day. After 8-10 hours on the first day, I was surprised to be eating on every lap, but I think this went really well. Every 3-4 hours I would request a black bean veggie burger and eat it while I walked the next quarter mile or so, the burgers were a delicious way to get a bite of something savory. I also had a lot of PBJ whenever it felt right. On Friday night, it seemed late, but not sure what time, they had a nice Crockpot of fried rice, I ate a serving of the rice for each of the next two loops. Geez also had some rice, but this seemed to make him need to use the bathroom very quickly to poop, so I didn't see him again for a little bit. After the fried rice I felt super-charged for the next few hours as the temperatures dropped into the low 60's and running became really comfortable after sunset. In the morning I would have a half cup of coffee to maintain my usual caffeine routine and timing. I did not use caffeine outside of my routine at home. A few times I hit the sugar cinnamon pop tarts pretty hard and some girl scout cookies. At one point on the second day after sweating a bit I had some Fritos to put a little salt in the system. I did not take any GU or other heavy packaged carb nutrition throughout, it just didn't seem appetizing. I had brought Xact bars (which I love), Clif blocks, Clif bar, and GU. Digestion held up perfectly and bowel movements were consistent given the relatively extreme change in eating times and frequencies.

Hydration

Similar to nutrition, I was very diligent about hydration and monitoring the color of my urine. If there was ever a hint of yellow I was drinking more to get it closer to clear. At some points I was drinking a full hand held bottle per lap or lap and a half, and only peeing every 3-6 laps. I was really trying to keep the pace at a level where I sweat as little as possible, but the perspiration rate was difficult to pay attention to with the breeze. It was hard to tell if the sweat was evaporating faster than I could feel it on my skin. During the hot hours on day 2 it was 80 degrees and direct sun. During the heat I took a Nunn tablet every 3-4 hours for a total of maybe 4 tablets throughout the day. Again, with hydration, I wanted to keep it really clean, consistent, and not getting into a dehydration or deficit situation, so a lot of consistent and proactive sipping of the bottle while also being aware not do overdue it and run into things like low sodium issues.

How it Went - Day by Day

I initially waffled on the 24 hour event versus 48 hour. I wanted to just get wrapped up in the 24 hour, get home and lay on the couch, but then given the minimal price difference, I decided to sign up for the 48 hour and if I wanted to tap out it would become a camping trip, I figured that would be a good option too. The 48 hour also created a much less rushed experience.

I showed up Thursday night for a 9am Friday morning start time. I immediately found Geez who introduced me to Gary Ferguson and "Uncle Newt". Gary and Geez helped me set up my tent. When we woke up Friday morning before the event, Geez was beaming with excitement and pacing around like my Australian Cattle Dog that wants to get outside and go ballistic in a game of frisbee. He was almost giddy in his excitement to get ready to run. I am not sure when he got up, but I suspect he had been up for a while just chomping at the bit to get on the course. While I was still in my tent I could hear Geez chatting it up with all the folks he knew that were out on the course.

When the event began on Friday morning a lot of the crowd went off running, including Geez who went off like a bat out of hell. I wanted to keep it slow and steady for a while, so I walked the first loop just to get a sense of everything. There would be a lot of running to do if it felt possible. The first part of Friday kind of went by in a blur and Geez was encouraging I set my sites on 100 miles, a few other folks seem to suggest it was very achievable as well. I had never gone beyond a 50K prior, I was still a little uncertain about finishing 100 miles, but just kept getting in the miles. It was fun to cross the marathon mark, and then the 50K mark. After the 50K mark, which was my prior longest run, every lap became a new longest run PR. Geez had adjusted his run to a strong walk early the first day to try to preserve his body in the long run and avoid getting all bent over. He was chipping away at the miles and loving every minute of it, chatting up friends new and old all along the way.

We had some pretty heavy rain that was predicted on the first day. I made sure to wear some old shoes and got out the rain jacket. It rained pretty steady for about two hours, and then the sun came out. After the rain I switched over to dry shirt, socks, and shoes, and put the wet stuff out in the sun to dry. When switching socks and shoes, I made sure to let my feet air out for about 20 minutes during the break time when changing. When I was trying to make up excuses not to attend the event prior in the week, such as the 10 day forecast, Geez had assured me the rain might actually feel nice after running a bit. He wasn't wrong, it was nice to get some cooler temps and a change of conditions.

Finishing up Friday night, I ended with 47 miles and the last few hours of the night went really well, but it was time for some rest and I called it a night around midnight. Throughout the night I could hear the distinct sound of Geez opening his cooler, probably for some milk or root beer (or both!). Geez of course did not sleep beside taking 10-20 minutes every once in awhile to give his feet a rest. After the rain he had transitioned to his big shoes with the cut out toes, but was still having some foot pain, so was taking measures to rest his feet.

I think it was around 3:45am Saturday morning when I heard a familiar voice (Geez of course), say, "the birds are chirping", and nothing else. Then about 20 minutes later, I heard the same voice say, "you better get up if you want to get in 60". Geez had encouraged getting to 60 miles within the first 24 hours to have less to get through on the second 24 hours. This made sense, so I got out of bed and got on with the morning. It was nice to start the day in the dark with the other folks on the course and see the sun come up. By 9am Saturday I had crossed the 60 mile mark. At 9am the final 24 hour racers went off and they went off very fast. It was surreal to watch them slowly crumble, almost in slow motion. Time had become a little elastic for me at this point, so it was easy to watch some runners just going all out, sweating like crazy, breathing really heavy, and then eventually piling themselves up. I am not knocking their method, it was just really easy to watch and I am curious how it would have worked out if they started a little more conservative.

I knew the weather was going to be hot during most of the day Saturday, so I tried to push a little in the morning and keep on the course as much as possible. The sun and heat weren't too bad, but it was a little fatiguing. I was able to keep some decent paces throughout the day, but I think it did take a bit out of me as the night session was a bit more painful.

Going into the evening of Saturday there was a lot of pain, all over, mostly from the hips down. Particularly my left foot and toes, and right hamstring. By keeping up with the 2 hour breaks, I was able to relax any fears of injury, mostly by doing some self-massage or massage gun. I was able to guess that something wasn't broken because it didn't really hurt with pressure, and usually felt a little better when taking a break.

Beside he goal of hitting 101 miles on Saturday night, I just really wanted to be able to sleep without having to worry about getting up early Sunday morning and having to be rushed to get in the final miles. So I really wanted to go to bed with the 101, and ideally before midnight. The math was adding up for this to work out as long as the pace didn't slip too much and I kept breaks to a minimum. At this point, higher cadence, short stride, shuffle running was possible. I am not sure the slow shuffle running helped the overall pace all that much, but just the change in stride shifted the pain and things that were sore. So I would try to alternate between walking and shuffling, just to pass the time.

Saturday night seemed really quiet. The day had been really busy with new start folks, but by early evening the course seemed really desolate. By Saturday evening the course felt like a ghost town, all those wild 24 hour folks that started in the morning seemed to have faded out pretty hard. For quite a few hours it seemed like maybe there were only 10-15 people on the course. A lot of miles passed for me alone at this point. After a lot of hours alone I eventually sync'd up with Geez when I was in the high 80 miles to low 90s. It was still going to be quite a few hours before I would get to rest.

Geez and I stayed together for the 2-3 hours from low 90s through my 101st mile, and then I called it a night. I did some massage and self-care before bed, brushed my teeth, put on some compression tights, and settle in for the night. I wasn't really sure what the morning would bring, but I didn't really care, becausec the 101 had been secured.

In the hours we spent together leading up to midnight on Saturday, Geez of course started planting "subtle" seeds of doing more when I got up in the morning. "Ya know, so many people stop at 101, if you put in a few more miles you could end up in the top 10". Ugghh, he was right.

I was really sore going to bed, so the sleep was pretty restless and when I woke up Sunday morning around 6am, I was like "hell no", and fell back asleep. Then I woke up around 7:30am and really had to pee. Ninety minutes until the course closed at 9am. I checked the leaderboard and Geez was right, if I snuck in 5-6 more miles I could get into the top ten. I figured I would walk the loop and see how I felt. When I was putting on my shoes I noticed my body was feeling really good, it was a beautiful sunny morning, there were upbeat voices on the course, my brain got excited, and was like, "Lets fxcking go!". I start jogging pretty quickly and was feeling surprisingly good on Sunday with more 46 hours behind us and 101 on the legs. It felt like a nice 10K was going to be sustainable as an actual run. I sync'd up with Geez pretty quickly. He was looking pretty tired and bent over at this point after running through his second night. His spirits were upbeat and encouraging as always, even though his eyes and voice seemed a little fatigued.

The mile started ticking off and the pace started dropping. One of the crew supporting Sean Gavor (who went 363 miles in 144 hour), gave me a thumbs up, looked at this watched and said "5 more". It was just 8am and I thought that seemed reasonable. Each time I would pass him he would give a big smile and count down on his hands. I felt really good and just kept running. After a few loops, the race director Rick said probably time for 2 more and that got me excited. In the last two I was going back and forth with a woman named Mandy. She seemed really happy, encouraging, and was pushing pretty hard. On our last lap we were really pushing each other. She told me to go ahead, but I thought she probably had a better pacing strategy than I had, so I figured I would link with her. We were probably doing high 8min/mi with walk breaks tossed throughout. My 108th mile ended up being 8:42min/mile. It felt amazing! Mandy and I high-fived, hugged, and it was over. There was a bit of a crowd built up and it was so nice to have some cheering at the completion of our last lap. It was an absolutely beautiful morning. A few moments later the crowd started cheering, I looked back and Geez was pretty bent over and coming in the like a bat out of hell. Gary and I looked at the board, Geez had done 144 miles and finished in second place with 1215 lifetime miles at this event.

When Geez finally got to a bench and rested a little, he reported that he had ran through the night, but another runner in the 48 hour, Vinod Kripalu, age 60 of Delaware, had been chasing him throughout the wee hours of Saturday night. Geez knew that the gap was too close, so he had to keep pushing, knowing that any major rest time would allow Vinod to close the gap on Geez and potentially take Geez's 2nd place position. Vinod came over after the race had finished to discuss with Geez and was just laughing about how he was working so hard to catch his mileage, but just couldn't get there. Geez of course acknowledged that the competition made for a race that was more fun and Vinod agreed. Gary Ferguson asked Vinod if he knew who he was racing (talking about Geez) and Vinod emphatically and laughingly said, "of course I knew who he is!!". Vinod ended up in third place with 135 miles.

Award Ceremony

It took about an hour for the final results to be tallied and awards to be figured out. All of the remaining folks still in attendance gathered under a pavilion while the race director Rick McNulty and his kids set up to hand out awards. This event does a ton of awards for different achievements, like lifetime miles, overall winners, and even special giveaways for things the race director found noteworthy, like a young girl that had been attending the even since she was in the womb. The race director's had lost his wife the prior year and this was the first year without her at the event. It made for a very emotional and heart warming awards ceremony that was moving for all. While I had never met her it was possible to get a sense of her character by the way the family carried themselves.

Aftermath and Recovery

I really felt surprisingly well the days after the event. Obviously the pace was very mellow and the overall pounding on the legs was minimal, but the pain during the event made me think the days after were going to be really difficult. I was a bit fatigued and it was easy to fall asleep at night, but overall I felt really good and it was a great event. I really hope to make it a yearly tradition.

Epilogue: Leg McNulty

Early in the event I noticed something odd near the start/finish area. It was the plastic leg of a mannequin like you would see in a women's clothing department. It stood on it's toes in the posture of what I would imagine would fit in a high heal. Around the ankle was a timing chip. Looking more closely, the leg was then being carried around the course by different participants. Leg McNulty apparently has a goal to get 500 miles. Geez of course spent a lot of time with Leg, mostly in plain sight. I can neither confirm nor deny if he took it behind closed doors. It was hilarious to see Geez set a secondary goal of taking the leg for 25 laps throughout the race. He was just be shuffling along with this crazy leg, mile after mile. Tim Hardy of Green Lakes Endurance Run ultimately got the award, which seemed to be arbitrarily measured by perceived fondness for the leg. Tim had strapped the Leg to his backpack and just marched out the miles. Leg, age 16 of New Jersey, hit a final mileage of 131 miles in the 144 hour event and reaching 349 lifetime miles.