Elizabeth McGurk of Lebanon, a former runner at Mascenic High School, recently ran a 100-mile race in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. This is her recap of the event.

I had this feeling that I needed to get something profound out of Wasatch, and yet when I ran there, I just felt free and happy to be out in the mountains -- moving, breathing.

I was able to just be present there, and so the experience was simply that – an experience. It wasn't really transformative or filled with earth-shattering revelations. I had an incredible time, but I felt a little worried afterward that maybe I had missed something, some essential part of the 100-mile journey. 

If we're friends or if you've followed me on Strava for a while, then you know that the last few years of my life have been complicated and mostly tumultuous. 

I've experienced a lot of change in a relatively short amount of time. I was engaged and then not. I moved four times. I watched someone close to me battle substance use. I battled with my own disordered eating. I first hated the version of me that I was and then got to work crafting the version of me that I am. I'm quite proud of this version, though there's still a lot of work to do and better iterations to come.

To make a long story short, I was working on removing myself from an unhealthy relationship so that I could build a healthy one with myself. It was a long road with a lot of turns and obstacles. Parts of it felt dark and never-ending. The dead-ends felt like the final destination. 

But they weren't, and they weren't because I chose to turn around and find a different way forward. I decided to continue pushing through the obstacles and working, slowly, on the life I envisioned for myself. I look around now and realize how vibrant my life is. 

The summer of training I put together to get myself to Wasatch was a blast. I explored new trails in the Adirondacks with a few of my favorite colleagues. I pulled off a win and met some awesome people at Manitou's. I watched a new friend push his limits on the Long Trail. I shared my first hut traverse with old friends who have been showing me how to mountain run since the very beginning. I met a lot of new people and found community through LTC, and I deepened some of the friendships I've made there. 

I was able to share a lot of this summer with people I truly love. There were lot of fun climbs, great miles and meaningful conversations. I lived the hell out of all of it. Races are great -- it's really a wonderful experience to set and achieve a goal – but racing is not the point. That's not why we're out there. 

We're out there to be together – to see sunrises that make us feel something powerful, to breathe so hard that we have to pause whatever we're talking about and just breathe together, to watch each other push through our lows so that we can get to the highs. We're out there to share the experience of being alive and moving in these incredible places that some people just never get to see. We're all lucky to have stumbled into this sport. 

So, Wasatch. 

My first 100. A profound, spiritual experience? 

No, there was no profound revelation at Wasatch. I ran 100 miles. I found myself in a mind-blowing place doing an impossible thing with phenomenal people. 

I was just there, taking it all in. Enjoying the life I've made for myself.

McGurk’s coach at Mascenic, Mike Smith, joined McGurk in Utah, and noted in his report about the race: “This is a girl, as we were able to talk quite a bit in all the down time, who avoided running cross-country as a freshman because three miles was too long.  You can now times that by 34.”

“She showed me what grit and determination can get you.  She’d tell you there were dark times.  She’ll tell you she wanted to quit, she even planned to quit,” Smith wrote. “But she didn’t.  And I, for one, am very grateful to her for that. And grateful for this weekend, the Wasatch weekend, with good friends sharing great experiences. How wonderfully fulfilling.”