STERLING, Ill. — Hundreds of people from around the world hit the ground running this weekend for Illinois' only all-trail ultramarathon: The Hennepin Hundred.
Those running in the signature 100-mile marathon had 30 hours to complete the course. It began in Sinnissippi Park in Sterling, stretching the entire Hennepin Canal State Trail before ending across the street from the Colona Fire Department. Runners can also compete in a 50-mile race.
It all started at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Runners had help along the way, with volunteers scattered across 20 different aid stations. The support crew refilled water bottles and passed out snacks to keep runners' stamina up.
Some of the aid stations doubled as a bag drop area, giving runners access to bags they'd prepared ahead of time. Some people had packed a change of clothes or spare shoes, but not Steph Smith, who competed in Crocs.
"It was a simple experiment," Smith said. "I had a pair of crocs. They were comfortable to walk around in and I was curious whether or not they'd also be comfortable to run around in."
This was Smith's first time participating in The Hennepin Hundred but she's traveled across the country competing in other events. Smith didn't have a target time and was solely focused on making it to the finish line before the final buzzer. Ash Slaughter, visiting from Miami, Florida, was set on clearing the 100-mile course in under 24 hours.
"We're about a third of the way through and just hit six hours," Slaughter said at the seventh aid station. "So if I keep the same pace that I've been doing, that's an 18-hour [marathon] pace."
The final time might not have been under 24 hours, but Slaughter and his crew still felt good about the 28-hour adventure.
"We were always going to finish it," Slaughter declared. "There were times where I doubted myself. I remember miles 20 through 30, I was like, 'What are my life decisions that led me here?'"
Slaughter maintained a blistering eleven-minute pace for the first 32 miles. Fatigue began to sink in around the halfway mark, and that's when his trainer, Mauricio Lobo, stepped in.
"[Mauricio has] never run 40 miles before," Slaughter chuckled. "But there was one point he left me, and I told him you're never leaving me again."
Most of the runners News 8 talked to said they've trained for months, spending countless hours away from their families. But Chelsea Betz's sister, Ali, cheered the runner on at every aid station she was allowed to — making the journey so much sweeter.
"Ali is known as a big woo-er," laughed Betz. "And I'm not kidding. We'd be a mile away from an aid station and we could hear her going 'woo!'"
James Lambert, who everyone calls "Frenchie," was flooded with tears running down his cheeks as he crossed the finish line. His running family kept him going in a marathon wasn't supposed to be in.
"Last year in October, I got diagnosed with stage four of [sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma] with a tumor that was right behind my eye."
Lambert signed up to run the 100-mile ultramarathon while in chemotherapy — when he wasn't sure if he'd actually make such a journey. He ultimately was able to push through and finished almost 30 minutes before the final buzzer. His people love him for it.
"I'm just an average guy, and so I think everyone can relate to a story like mine," Lambert argues. "I'm not famous, I have no talent, I just work really, really hard."
You can find the participants' final times here.