Heidi Bender
I recently had one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I completed a Mammoth March at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
A Mammoth March is a 20-mile hike to be completed in around 8 hours. However, no one is keeping track of your time, and it’s okay if it takes people longer to finish.
The event was in September. I committed to doing the hike with family members the previous November.
When I started training, walking 2 miles around my mostly flat neighborhood felt challenging. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park hiking route had an elevation gain of about 1700 feet.
I finished the hike in about 9 hours, and it felt great to cross the finish line. I had some issues with wet shoes, wet feet, walking up hills that were much higher than what I encountered during training, and not eating enough during the hike.
Overcoming the challenges made it all that much more rewarding to finish.
The Mammoth March Event Day
The event was very well organized.
There was a check-in station, and you had to sign a waiver before starting the event. Also, there were plenty of port-a-pots and a water bottle refill station.
There was a fun area set up to take pictures of your group with a volunteer taking cell phone pictures.
It was exciting to be completing the hike with so many others. They even had an official start line. It’s not a race to finish. The starting line is used to space people out so everyone isn’t in a huge clump at the start.
Another thing that I liked was the route being made available in the All Trials app with the aid stations marked. If someone needs to drop out of the hike, they can do so at an aid station, and someone from the event will drive them back to their vehicle at the starting area.
There were several stations with snacks, electrolyte packets for water, water bottle refill stations, bananas, and peanut butter sandwiches.
I also liked that they have professional photographers taking pictures at various spots along the route.
Overall, it was a great event, and the weather was great the entire day.
Things That I Learned
Here are a few things that I learned that may help or inspire someone considering a Mammoth March.
I can do hard things.
I was about 40 pounds overweight when I started training, and walking two miles felt like a huge distance.
I started walking nearly every day when the weather was good outdoors.
I used the Map My Walk app to track my progress. My average pace per mile decreased from about 24 minutes to 21 minutes, and this was mainly walking on sidewalks in my neighborhood with only a few short hills. If I pushed it, I could do a 19-minute, but I knew that pace would not be sustainable for 20 miles.
Walking 20 miles seemed so far to complete at one time. When the event day arrived, I was prepared enough to push through and complete it.
Having Accountability Helped
My family members made a “Mammoth Marchers” group text to encourage each other as we trained for the event.
We supported and encouraged each other and I never felt judged having a lower fitness level than the others.
Knowing I would be doing the event with others helped me stay focused on the goal and not give up after a month or two of practice walks.
The Right Shoes Matter
I bought a pair of hiking shoes because I was going on a hike. That seemed logical.
The pair I bought turned out to be too stiff and my feet would fall asleep after walking just three miles!
I was very surprised by this. I thought they just needed to be “broken in,” but it turns out they were just not going to work for my feet for a long distance.
Eventually, I heard about trail running shoes and decided to give them a try. They seemed perfect and felt great when walking in the woods.
They were not waterproof, a decision I would regret when doing the Mammoth March.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park trail had a couple of shallow streams to cross. My agility wasn’t good enough to walk on top of the stones and my whole foot submerged.
Fortunately, I had dry socks that I switched into after my shoes started to dry.
Next time, I will have waterproof trail runners! My family members had waterproofing hiking shoes that they were happy with.
I also followed the advice to buy shoes one-half size bigger than my regular size as feet usually swell up during a long hike.
Also, socks matter as well. Darn Tough hiking socks are my preference for now.
The Gear Choices May Feel Overwhelming
For a 20-mile hike, I needed a way to transport water.
My niece recommended a backpack with a water reservoir.
I chose a purple backpack for a day hike (not a huge one for overnight backpacking trips) because it was on sale. At this point, I was still trying to be a minimalist and didn’t buy the reservoir.
However, my first time using the backup out on the trail, I realized that I could not reach a water bottle in the side pockets without taking the backup off. That was going to be a hassle.
We headed back to REI, and I bought a water reservoir and a fanny pack so that I could easily access snacks.
There are so many choices for hiking gear.
It was interesting at the event to see other people’s setups. Since water and snacks were provided at the aid stations, some people only had a water bottle. They didn’t carry any extra water, knowing they could fill up at the next station and have a snack there.
With whatever gear you choose for a hike, practice with it a few times before the event to make sure it will work for you.
Big Hills
I should have practiced more hills.
The park near me has trails in the woods and some hills. The hills were nowhere near as long or high as what we encouraged on our Mammoth March.
The event details have the estimated elevation gain for most (maybe all) of the Mammoth March events. Also, there is a link to the All Trails route from the previous year, which shows the route and elevation changes.
Once you have an idea of the hills at the Mammoth March event, you can look for trails nearby with similar-sized hills for practice hikes.
I didn’t lose much weight.
I assumed I would drop pounds with all the walking. I didn’t lose a significant amount.
My doctor told me that walking usually doesn’t lead to weight loss. She was right! I lose about three pounds.
On days that I walked more, it seemed like I ate more. Weight loss tends to be more about the food being consumed than the amount of exercise.
However, my blood pressure dropped back to a normal range, which was probably from the walking.
No one cared that I was overweight at the event.
Rewarding Experience
I was out of shape when I started walking.
Setting the goal to complete the Mammoth March and finishing it was gratifying.
The sense of accomplishment felt great when I finally saw the finish line.