So, more like 6 days at the fair. But, it was originally called 3 Days At The Fair. So, that’s what it’s still called.
But now they have a 6-day option. And I went with it.
I didn’t bring any equipment for camping. I figured I’d stay in a nearby hotel. “Nearby” ended up to not super exist, and it was like next to impossible to get an uber (or a cab) in this middle of nowhere place in New Jersey. So, sometimes I slept in a hotel. Sometimes I slept on the ground. At least one night, I slept in the extra tent of someone who very sweetly offered.
I went back to Manhattan twice for various meetings and things I needed to go to. So, I didn’t stay on the fairgrounds the whole time, as many did. But you could come and go as you please. The place was open for 144 hours, and you were on the course as much as you wanted to be.
I basically wanted to get my belt buckle (which means at least 100 miles), plus I wanted to get at least 100 more miles for Project 882. So, I needed to get in just under 17 miles per day. Sometimes this felt harder than others. I mainly walked at night when it wasn’t crowded or hot. (Though sometimes, it was downright cold!)
I sometimes walked during the day with everybody else.
They had a snack station that would make you all the grilled cheeses you wanted. And I had way too much to eat! Some other people were putting in 50 or more miles a day. So, they needed fuel. And here I was, doing roughly 17, give or take, just being like, “oh, grilled cheese. Cool!”
The people were incredibly nice. And everybody had interesting stories. I loved passing the tent of the father and son who’ve been doing at least a mile a day for decades, and decided to do this race together.
I caught up on a lot of TV and podcasts, walking around the fairgrounds in the middle of the night. If you haven’t listened to Black on the Air, I’d recommend giving it a shot. Larry Wilmore is awesome and is always such an incredible champion of women.
I also listened to a bunch of the Pod Save guys’ stuff.
One night there was fireworks. That was nice.
Basically, it was a really fun time with wonderful people. And we’ve got another 100 miles down!