Des Case Story

Just Another Runner’s Story February 2025 Written by Gale Fischer

Finding Your Sweet Spot

“The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more than life.”

—-George Sheehan

Running offers its participants an array of  emotions with thrills, misery, and feelings that fall somewhere on the spectrum between these two extremes. Agony and adventure can occur simultaneously  but also at times in isolation. Each runner experiences the runner’s high with varied elements of the sport. Locking into a fast pace is what works for some. Others find the ultimate joy completing a slow pace for a longer distance. Running bliss can come from a certain pace, a given distance, or preferred weather conditions and terrain for running. Some experience running euphoria traversing a sunny beach on a  warm summer day while others find this sensation on a wooded trail with a fresh blanket of snow. Running can provide positive vibes under all circumstances. Each of us finds a sweet spot with specific scenarios, which can offer the biggest source of individual satisfaction. Coldwater runner, Des Case has found her sweet spot in running as an ultra-marathon runner.

Running has become the sport of choice for Des, but other activities satisfied her athletic palette as a child. “Growing up I came from an athletic family,” Des said. “My siblings and I all participated in sports at a young age, and our mom and dad coached the little league teams we were a part of.” Des excelled as an athlete in high school but not as a runner. “I played varsity basketball and softball for Coldwater High School,” Des added. “The cross-country and track coaches always wanted me to run, but I wasn’t interested in doing this. I graduated from high school in 2008 and went on to play college softball for two years at Glen Oaks Community College. I continued with rec slow pitch softball after college.”

Des gave running a try nearly five years after graduating from high school. “I started running some local 5ks starting in 2012,” explained Des. “Initially I never trained much but just liked to go out and participate in local races.” Des started without any expectations of where running would take her or how it might fit into her life. “Not long after starting, however, running began to grow on her,” Des recalled. “I became a vegetarian and also was going through a breakup.These two things triggered a surge in my running. Running became my me time. I always feel so much better after a run.”

Des enjoyed what running was doing for her mentally and physically. She wanted to build on the momentum and run longer and more often. “In 2013 I ran my first half-marathon,” Des said. “I hit my goal, finishing in just under two hours.” The half-marathon distance seemed to keep Des satisfied for a few years, but eventually she would take on the next logical step as a runner. “My first marathon was the Kalamazoo Marathon in 2016,” she explained. “At this time I still wasn’t following a training plan, but I was still able to hit my goal, crossing the finish line in just under four hours. Finishing a marathon was fatiguing but also gave me an adrenaline rush.” 

The marathon distance was a new type of high for Des and something that satisfied her running fix for a few years, but eventually another type of racing experience presented a fork in the road for her running journey. “I ran the Yankee Springs Half-Marathon, a trail race, in June 2021,” Des recalled. “After completing this race I was hooked on trail racing.” Becoming a part of the trail racing scene also introduced Des to ultra distances, something that seems more common in the world of trail runners. She wanted to run farther. “In October of 2021 I completed the Pinkney Trail Weekend 50K, finishing first among females,” Des noted. “I was sore but the entire experience gave me an adrenaline rush. It made me feel like I could accomplish anything that I wanted. After running the 50K with a first place finish I became more serious about making goals. I wanted to race on trails and continue to increase the distance that I could run at one time, and I also wanted to increase my speed on the road for the marathon distance. I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon.”

Des had experienced some success as a runner prior to her first place finish at the Pinkney Trail Weekend without following a scripted training plan but with the goals she had made for herself it was time to change this. “I started getting more serious about training and hired Lorretta Toboskie Horn as my running coach,” Des said. “I qualified for Boston with a finish time of 3:24 in April of 2024 at the Carmel Marathon. I ran Boston in April of 2025. Running Boston was amazing. The weather was perfect and there were so many runners and spectators. To date I have completed four marathons.”

In the midst of qualifying for and running the Boston Marathon, Des was also gaining more experience as an ultra marathon runner. “In September of 2022, I ran the Woodstock 50 miler and finished as second overall female," Des noted. “I felt great after this and felt like I could have run 100 miles. I bumped up to 100 miles in June of 2023 at the Kettle Moraine 100 Mile race in Wisconsin. I was third overall female. To date I have completed two 50 milers and just one 100 miler. I would like to run another 100 miler, a 200 mile race and a Backyard Ultra.” A Backyard Ultra is a last man standing race in which participants must cover a 4.2 mile loop on the hour every hour. Participants keep going with the winner being the final runner who has met the cut-off each hour. 

Although Des is working with a coach and following a script, her weekly training runs are not ideal for trail racing. She would prefer to log the bulk of her miles on trails, but circumstances make this a challenge. “There aren't any trail running options near Coldwater,” Des explained. “My schedule does not allow time to travel to a trail system to run. I am a single mom with four children, a twelve-year old, a nine-year old, a six-year old, and a two-year old, all of whom I have adopted. I also home school my children and work nights and weekends as a nurse. Much of my running is done on a treadmill with some miles completed at a local cemetery.”  Des loves the trails and would love nothing more than to run more on trails, but she has made due with her circumstances and excelled in the world of ultra trail running despite not training on trails. She is a great role model for her children with her dedication to her sport and flexibility in getting her running in while being a mom first.

Des has learned from other ultra runners, especially her coach on how to prepare for races. “For my long races and long training runs I have implemented walking intervals with most of my walk breaks on inclines,” Des added. “I have struggled with nutrition for these long runs, but am starting to figure out what works for me. I take an energy gel every thirty minutes. I hit the aid stations for races using the nutrition offered. Watermelon and pop sicles have become my go to. I also carry a handheld water bottle with an electrolyte drink. When training for an ultra I typically complete a double day long run each week.” 

Running requires a strong mental resolve. Ultra distance puts this mental resolve on high alert. Des relies on her mental focus to get her through the rough patches. “Being an ultra runner has shown me that I can do more than what I think I can,” Des shared. “As endurance athletes we experience physical pain but our minds quit long before our bodies. We can accomplish so much more by remaining physically tough.Whenever I think of quitting, I break things down mentally into manageable segments. I tell myself that I can run another mile and repeat this process for each mile.”

Des’ current sweet spot in her running journey centers around the trail racing ultra marathon scene. The allure of nature that comes from a wooded trail, the confidence that comes from completing distances of 50K to 100 miles and beyond provides her with that thrill. Locking into the mental focus required to run for hours at a time is a task that she craves. 

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.