Buckle Earned: Brenda Folkerts’ First 100 at Ultra Fest

Brenda Folkerts(MM15695, DA3674, HF18068) – My 1st 100M at Ultra Fest, Easton WA. What a beautiful, amazing epic experience. It takes a village and my village showed up. ❤️ I’ve dreamt and planned for this day for at least 5 years and I’m seriously crying tears of joy as I write this. Thank you to my friend Cecilia who kept my pace in check for the first 28 miles while she ran her 100k on the same course, to my team of pacers, Chris, Kat, Tiffanie, Michelle and Adriana who came onboard at 54 miles and each took a turn encouraging and supporting me to the finish, to my husband who was the best crew support a girl could have! And to all the doctors who told me that someone with severe rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and POTS could not run 100M, yesterday I proved you all wrong. Hard work, consistent training, determination and a lot of love and support from my friends, family and running community made this dream possible. I earned the buckle, the 100M tattoo, and the decal on my car. It’s a wrap! One of the best days of my life, but the toll it’s taken on my body has been pretty big. I’m okay with saying it’s a “one and done”, celebrating my success but also knowing my limits and sticking to 100K max from here on in and working on my 50 marathon States.

Photo and post credit Brenda Folkerts(MM15695, DA3674, HF18068)