By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
DALTON, Ga. – When Katelynn Ledford-McCoy finished The Georgia Jewel 100-Miler trail race recently, she wasn’t concerned with her time nor place in the race. She was concerned with finishing work that was started last year.
“I attempted it last year (2022) and did not finish), and I sat there watching all the other people coming through, finishing their hundred miles races,” said Ledford-McCoy. “I decided right then, I was coming back for redemption.”
Katelynn Ledford-McCoy, left, pictured with her husband Kallup McCoy II, is shown at the finish of The Georgia Jewel 100-mile trail race recently. She finished with a time of 31:37:24. Both are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. (Photos contributed)
And, after putting in the work for 100 miles, she got her redemption finishing the race with a time of 31:37:24.
“I love to do things that will challenge me. I used to be so afraid to even attempt things because I was so afraid of failure, but now I can embrace the journey, even if I fail. I have paced my husband (Kallup McCoy II) at this race previously, and ran different distances of it, so I figured it was time to give it a shot. There’s something magical that happens when you attend one of these races.”
Beyond the redemption end of the event, Ledford-McCoy said the race provides many more rewards. “You see the camaraderie amongst runners and support people. You see people digging deep within themselves to complete this extreme task, and it stirs something within you to want to do it yourself.”
She added, “I also follow other women who do races like this, and I love what they stand for. They want to empower women to be strong, and to attempt courageous endeavors. I want to be that kind woman for our Indigenous people, to empower, and to show that we can truly accomplish anything we set our mind to.”
Training for a race such as this requires dedication on many different fronts. “Last year, I jumped into my training way too quickly after an injury and developed plantar fasciitis. So, this year, I wanted to be smart with my training. I had a run coach, who is also my husband, who programmed training runs for me. I had to incorporate running on trails, so I usually ran on Deep Creek and Mingus Mill.”
“The Georgia Jewel race has a lot of elevation in it, so I had to make sure I was training with elevation. If I had 10 miles on the log, I would make sure I ran Sunkota Ridge Trail twice on Indian Creek to make sure I was getting elevation training in. I would power hike the mountains, then run the flats and my favorite-downhill running. The best way to train for an ultramarathon is to train on heavy legs, so I had a lot of back-to-back long runs. I continued to do CrossFit at CrossFit 2232 for as long as I could, which has helped me to become a stronger runner. If I had a hard day of training at CrossFit, that was better training for me to run on tired legs. I was thankful to think back on this when I was at mile 80 during my race.”
Ledford-McCoy also focused on nutrition during training which carried over to her race-day regimen. “You want to make sure you are fueling correctly for any kind of race, including a 100-mile race. I had to practice fueling during my training runs to make sure I knew what I wanted to use come race day.”
Ledford-McCoy represents with the EBCI tribal flag following the race.
And, on race day, her food and drink regimen was intense. “I hydrated with Skratch, which has carbs in it. Carbs and electrolytes are the most important nutrients you need during an ultra-race. Kallup had set a timer on my Garmin watch that would alert me every 45 minutes to eat and drink, which was so helpful. I would usually eat a spring energy gel and couple it with a honey stinger waffle, or other snack I had like a nut and seed protein bar. Whenever I would come to aid stations that were set up throughout the race, I would try to grab some solid food that they had available, which was usually half of a grilled cheese sandwich, fourth quarters of a cheese quesadilla, and bananas. Once I broke the night hours, I came to an aid station that was around 70 miles that was making pancakes! So, I ate two with some maple syrup.”
“I also drank the most Coke I have in the past four years of my life during this race. Running for over 24 hours, my body was pushed past the point of exhaustion, and the Coke would bring me back to life – that and coffee!”
When asked what advice she would give to people considering such a race, Ledford-McCoy answered, “Put it on the calendar and train smart!”
“The running community is so friendly, and love to talk about their experiences! So, my advice would be to pick other people’s brains, so that you can test out what will work for you.”
Her biggest piece of advice is, “Just go out there and have fun with it! If you’re not having fun, then why are you even doing it? And don’t let the thought of failure hold you back! I never got into this thinking “’I know I can go dominate a 100-mile race.’ It was a scary thought! I knew that I could potentially fail at this, which I did the first time, but that’s the beauty of failure, is you can learn so much about yourself during those moments.”
Ledford-McCoy is thankful for the support she receives noting, “I would like to thank my husband and run coach with Lion’s Den Fitness, Kallup McCoy II, for helping me to get prepared for this amazing race, crewing me, and for pacing me 36 miles back to the finish line. I would like to thank my friend, Shawnda Martin, for crewing me and the guys, and friend, Adreinne Swanner, for pacing me during the most crucial part of the race which is the night loops. Thanks to Ally Griffeth for coming out to encourage me during 18 miles and to CrossFit 2232 for my strength training and always encouraging me during my wild races. Thank you to Pass the Torch running club, which I am a part of. We team up together as one big family at these endurance events. I would also just like to send out a big thank you to all my friends, family, and community members who sent words of encouragement, prayers, and smoke up for me during this endeavor! Sgi!”
