Early each year we offer a few creative ways for folks on our race waitlist to try to earn a spot on our race start list, including trying to convince us why they deserve a spot by answering three questions that share their “My VT100” story!
This year, we received nearly a dozen amazing stories that touched our hearts and the VT100 race committee awarded two winners. This is Rachel O’Brien’s story. Rachel has given us permission to publish her replies to our questions and we hope you enjoy reading about her journey to the start line as much as we did.
What is your WHY? Share your story of why you should have the opportunity to run this year’s VT100.
Rachel and her husband at his VT100 start in 2021
When I was little kid loved the outdoors. I would spend every waking moment outside, playing in the woods, catching bugs and salamanders and just enjoying nature. As I grew older, I suffered from depression. I wasn’t very athletic and bullied during every sport I attempted, so I stopped trying. I turned inward, always staying inside..I got sucked into the world of the internet, tv, etc. and I became pretty overweight for a kid my age. The only thing that got me outside and out of my head was horse riding. I spent many summers in VT camping and riding horses, and also competing at GMHA events. But, even that world was one I never seemed to fit into entirely due to lack of funds and athleticism. I occasionally went for hikes but anything more than a few miles seemed daunting to me. Meanwhile, I struggled with partying too much and not taking my health seriously.
Then, in 2017 I had a work accident that involved a horse landing on top of me, and it crushed one of my spinal vertebrae along with causing several other less significant injuries. I was in a back brace for 6 months, getting cat scans every 30-40 days to make sure nothing was moving into my spinal cord. This left the hiking and horseback riding that were keeping me mentally afloat off limits. This was the peak of my depression and a time in my life when suicide became high on my mind.
Once I was out of the back brace and cleared as healthy, I no longer had any desire to spend my days inside or out partying like I had for the past several years. I spent the next years rediscovering the things that made me happy in early childhood. I discovered I was most at peace when I was outside all day long. I went from someone who could barely run a mile to someone leading their friends through 20-30 mile day hikes in the mountains. Then entered my husband Matt, whose dream at the time was his 24 hour attempt at VT 100. I watched him train in 2021 while I trained for my first 50k race and I thought to myself “man, I don’t think I could ever do more than a 50k.”
When I crewed Matt for VT, I drove through towns I used to ride horses in and reminisced at the beauty of VT and the innocence that I had there many years ago. I started getting crazy ideas in my head like….maybe I should do this one day too? With each aid station we went to, the idea got louder and louder in my head. I remember sitting in the field at Bill’s aid station at 2am looking for shooting stars…right then and there, my decision was made. One day, I was going to run Vermont. So, last year I trained to qualify. 50 miles was untouched territory for me and I had no idea how it would go. Looking back now it is one of the coolest days of my life. In September 2024 I ran 52.46 miles in 11h52 minutes….nothing incredible to most, but much more than I ever thought I was capable of. I even finished feeling like I could have gone further. I have become someone that past me could never have dreamed of, and I want to continue being that person for myself. Additionally, this community of ultra runners I have found has been nothing but inclusive and encouraging, and like no other community I have ever experienced. Ultra runners don’t care if you’re the best or even if you look good while doing it, they just care if you try…and damn do I try. Ultra running has led to a cascade of me making healthier life choices in order to better myself, my running, and my life. It’s not always easy but it is worth it every single time I make the choice for myself to get out and run instead of being self destructive.
For me, it’s not just about running 100 miles. It’s about running 100 miles through the roads and fields of my childhood memories. It’s about running Vermont 100, not just some random race I found on the Internet, in this place that had brought me so much joy once before and continues to bring me joy in this second life that ultra running has brought me.
What makes you YOU? What are the things that make you unique and special, or that we should know about you?
I am very passionate about the outside world. If it were up to me, I would live in the woods and off of the land. I try to live my life as naturally and sustainably as possible, to help prevent any negative impact on the world and on myself. In my spare time (when I’m not running) you can find me paddle boarding, mountain biking, backpacking, or walking my two dogs while foraging for mushrooms. I have worked as a Vet Assistant for 10 years (the majority of that being for an equine vet so I have plenty of experience aroun and am currently in school to become a Licensed Technician.
Anything else you want to add … We’re all ears!
After all that, the most important thing to note is that my husband is really looking for payback here, because when he ran in 2021 he got to Margaritaville and cried while eating a cheeseburger because I told him he needed to be out of there 15 minutes before he got there (but hey, he got his goal time, so was it really so bad?).
