# Vermont 100?



## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

Hello!!

I have my sights (hopes and dreams too) set on doing to Vermont 100 in July of next year. Reality is that I will probably go up and do the 50 or 75 in 2013 with plans to return the next year to do the 100, but you never know. This would be my first 100 and I chose this one because my hubby does ultramarathons and wants to do a 100 mile foot race soon. The Vermont 100 has both the horses and runners, so we could have both our dreams come true at the same event. 

Has anyone ever been to or completed this race? Any pictures, stories or tips to share?


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

I can think of bunches and bunches of better places to do your first 100. namely somewhere flat. How many mountain rides have you done ? I have done a few and they are serious butt kickers. Do you have mountains to train on ? I see you are from WS, pretty flat there isnt it ? But good luck, I hope to do Tevis in the next couple of years.


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

Joe - there are plenty of hills around here to train on. I also do jumping with my mare which wihile it is not the same, it has built up her rear end and abs very well. This is special in that my husband can run it while I ride. The only other horse and runner event I know of is the Man versus Horse race in Arizona, but the travel logistics would be a nightmare as we are moving out east next spring.


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## usdivers (Jun 27, 2012)

Joe4d said:


> I can think of bunches and bunches of better places to do your first 100. namely somewhere flat. How many mountain rides have you done ? I have done a few and they are serious butt kickers. Do you have mountains to train on ? I see you are from WS, pretty flat there isnt it ? But good luck, I hope to do Tevis in the next couple of years.


I concur with Joe, I have done plenty of mountain courses with my other horses, and they will seriously kick your butt, even horses that do a lot of hill work get a good workout on these courses. I am lucky with hill training at my place, not only do I have hills, but my hills are in soft sand.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

livestoride said:


> Has anyone ever been to or completed this race? Any pictures, stories or tips to share?



I have been to Vermont 4 times, twice to ride and twice to crew. It's a great place to do a first 100 as you have not only all the holds, but you have another 6-8 "pit crew" places that your crew can meet with you on trail with water, food, etc:











The ride terrain is certainly challenging, as it is either going up or down, and there is a lot of gravel road riding, which is very concussive (esp for horses used to training down south in nothing but sand). However, as someone who did the OD 100 as their first 100, I don't think flat is necessary for completion!

Having the runners also on course is simply amazing. The runners think the riders are crazy and vice versa. Because of the difference in hold times, you are generally with the same set of runners most of the day, so you get to have familiar faces along the trail. Having the runners there also means all the runner crews around, which is a totally different feel than most other races:


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Vermont is a gorgeous place, so you never get tired of looking all over and "playing tourist" (as I call gawking and taking pictures as I ride).


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Hope to see you there next year!!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

This kind of ride is totally out of reach for my horse and I, but given that it's really close to where I live, I'm definitely going to check out volunteering next year. I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner. OP, would love for you to update us on whether or not you decide to go. You mentioned you'd be moving east soon- feel free to PM me if you'll be in the NH/VT Connecticut River valley area and I'd be happy to give you a "virtual intro" to this part of the world.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

have you looked into ride and ties ? 1 horse 2 people teams. Also the ultra marathons are gettign talked about more and more. I would keep eyes and ears open as you move east. I wouldnt be surprised to see new ones coming up soon. Was talk about combining Leatherwood NC with one.


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

Phantom horse - THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for taking the time to post those pictures and videos!!! I really, really appreciate it  That makes me want to do it even more. After looking at the reality of the situation with us moving halfway across the country just a few weeks before, I think my plan will be to do the 50 or 75 in 2013 while the hubby does the 100k and then shoot for us both doing the 100 mile in 2014. I hope to see you there next year!!

Egrogan - you live in a beautiful part of the country and I hope to see you volunteering there next year. I am moving to PA though. 

Joe - We did a ride and tie this year, but my horse hated it. She just couldn't figure out why we kept stopping. She tied well and never pulled, but by the 3rd time or so I could tell she was getting angry and just wanted to keep moving down the trail. I will keep my eyes open for others that might pop up. We would love to put on an event like this ourselves someday when we are settled down finally. There are numerous parks and places to both ride and run in PA and we both would love the chance to give back to our sports.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

livestoride said:


> I am moving to PA though.


What part?


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

Hopefully western - Pittsburghish area which is where my folks are. I am finishing up residency this year and have just begun job searching, so we will see where life ends up taking me, but that is the plan.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

It's near my home too and this is the first I've heard of it.
Beyond my skills but if anybody wanted to practice for it they are welcome come camp out here. Same terrain. I've got miles and miles and miles of dirt roads and snowmobile trails here.


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