Usually when I write about endurance sports or adventures it is an event I have taken part in myself. Or it is a race I have photographed. Something that I have had hands on involvement in. But this story is a bit different.

At the 2026 Hills Creek Endurance Challenge my role was the complete opposite of what it normally is.

I started my foray into running over a decade ago. If you had asked my wife then if she wanted to run she probably would have laughed at you. I mean I would have too back before I became a runner. When I started running I went to my first few races on my own, ran, and then came back home. No big fanfare or anything.

Then my wife started going to events to cheer me on. She would bring our dogs for me to hug afterwords. She supported me and she supported every other runner involved in the events she attended. And somewhere along the way she caught the fever.

She decided to run a few races. She ran a 5k here and there. In 2018 after I finished my first 50k we ran an 8k together. Eventually she decided she wanted to run her first half marathon. And we were able to run that race together, side by side the whole time. It has been one of my happiest and proudest moments with her. A day I will never forget.

My wife’s role in the running world has been mostly as my crew chief and supporter during my ultra marathon events and as a cheerleader for all the other participants. I always know I have her full support. Even showing up at events she was not originally planning to be at, and I told her I knew she would show up because she was so predictable. And she is. Predictably dependable for support and encouragement. She is always there for me.

And now it was my turn to be here for her.

My wife decided she wanted to participate in the 2026 Hills Creek Endurance Challenge. This is a loop course event with options for 3, 6, or 12 hours. My wife decided to take on the 12 hour event. No prompting or suggesting or encouraging, no poking prodding or nudging from me. This was all her. Her goal. Her story.

In 2025 we were both planning to participate in the 2025 edition of the Hills Creek Endurance Challenge. I was planning to take on the 12 hour event and she was in for the 6 hour. I ended up getting injured so I could not participate at the level I had wanted and been planning to. So I teamed up with my wife and we hiked together for 6 hours. My wife got a distance PR of 18 miles and a time on feet PR of 6+ hours. All of this as it rained most of the entire day. I was not particularly enjoying myself, but my wife was having a blast. She pushed through and found all the fun despite a few moments of doubt as to whether she should continue or not.

When she told me she wanted to do the 12 hour event this year I was quite surprised. I had never mentioned the idea of doing the event or anything like it. I really didn’t think she would want to after the last time stuck in the rain all day. But she maintains that it was a fun experience. She supports me and crews for me but I always believed she thought most of the things I did were a bit crazy and she could never understand why I did them. But maybe now she does know why people do it.

So I was in full support and crewing mode for this event. I gave her any advice I could if she asked. I made sure she at least had the basics covered. But as anyone in running and especially ultra running knows it is a very personal endeavor in every way. What works for one person from food to hydration, to clothing, shoes and gear may or may not work for someone else. So I was really hesitant to say you need this that and the other to make this work because what works for me very likely might not work for her. But, she stepped up and made sure she was prepared. As an inexperienced person at this she made sure to have EVERYTHING she might need and mean everything. We had a huge tote full of supplies, a cooler full of food, and a back full of all the possible options of clothes, in addition to all the basics. I give her a lot of credit for being prepared even though her day went so smooth we needed almost none of that extra stuff. I think the only thing I really told her was to use her poles, which she did and said she was glad she had them.

On my side of the coin. I really was not sure how I would respond to being the crew person. Especially at an event where I could literally just sit in one spot and do nothing the whole day. Just wait for her to complete a loop and get back to me so I can get her whatever she needs.

I am not really a sit still kind person. I don’t do rest and relaxation very well. I don’t do boredom well. I like to be on the move. I like to be doing something. If not physically active then mentally active, reading or creating art or writing.

I brought almost as much “just in case” stuff for me as she did for her. Things to keep me from going stir crazy just sitting on the sidelines. I brought my camera so I could take photographs if I wanted. I brought my kindle. Had my iPad to make art. Had audiobooks and podcasts downloaded. Guess what I was as successful on my end as my wife was on her end. I did not need any of that stuff. I was able to let go. Relax and just be there to experience the event. Watch the other runners and support my other friends at the event when my wife wasn’t back yet. I took a few strolls and scrolled a little social media, but not nearly as much as I thought I would, especially if I wasn’t engaged in other activities. I can’t believe eI did not even get out my camera. I only took a few photos with my iPhone right around the start finish area.

I also found myself surprisingly unworried about if my wife would be able to do this or not despite not trying I for it and having very limited experience with much of anything like it outside watching me do it. My wife has been able to do some remarkable things when she is 100% committed to doing it. And when she told me she is determined to get at least a marathon distance but really would like to get over a 50k I was pretty sure she would do it, baring n injury. Because she didn’t hesitate or waffle. Those were her clear goals that she knew she was planning to achieve. So even though I think anything longer than a 5k she had ever done we did together, except one 10k trail run recently, I was pretty sure she would be fine. But I had a little bit of concern about how she would feel being out there on her own for so long. She has never done anything like this and events like this are a huge mental challenge as much as they are a physical challenge.

I was going to be there to crew and support and I could pace her for a lap or two here and there if she really needed some moral support. Which it turns out she really didn’t need much of. I would not have been surprised if she had asked me to go wwith hr for the majority of her laps after she reached the point where everything was new experience. Once she got past the 6 hour mark. But she didn’t really. She completed 11 laps and I only paced her for 3 spread out over the whole time. One was just after the 6 hour mark only because the course reverses and she wanted to make sure she would be ok going the opposite direction. And once when I asked her if she wanted me to go with her she said, “I think I can go faster without you”. Then I went with her on her final lap.

The only time I got even a little nervous was when on one of her final laps she texted me to say that her leg muscles were cramping up a little bit so she was slowing down a bit. So when it got past the time it normally was taking her to get back I got up and paced around a little walking to a point where I could see the other side of the loop course to see if she was moving through that area. I was pretty sure I saw her cross the bridge and headed my way. I wasn’t concerned she would make it back but I was a little nervous about how she would feel and how long subsequent loops might take.

But she arrived back at the start finish line still in good spirits and ready to keep going despite the pain. She was committed and ready to reach her goal.

In the end my wife didn’t even really need me. I was just there to hand her a couple of sandwiches and bear witness to her doing her thing. She was pretty amazing out there. Just keeping going. Remarkably consistent with her pace. She reached her goal of 11 laps and 33 miles. Her first ultramarathon. I am beyond proud of her. And what makes me happiest is that she is proud of herself.

I am a little concerned where this is going to lead us though. I have done some fun/dumb things. And now she is starting to feel the pull of doing fun/dumb things. And she has always been the type who is motivated by the PR. Every 5k she runs she wants to PR. She has enjoyed getting new distance PRs. And I can scarcely go for a walk with her where she isn’t checking her watch and trying to make sure we are going “fast enough”. What happens if we start doing all these crazy things together at the same time?

And like she says, “what would happen if I actually trained for these?”

If you enjoyed this article you can click the link below to support the work I do here or subscribe to my email so you don’t miss out in anything I share.