Crispi Wins ‘In the Heat of the Night’ with Super Debut

WHITE PLAINS, Ala. — It takes a few days to process and recover after finishing any distance at In the Heat of the Night endurance race. It involves heat, cicadas, an occasional whip-poor-will or owl, maybe a snake, crunch of gravel and seemingly unending hills on the 15.5-mile loop are non-stop. This is especially true for the grinding four-loop 100K, which Emily Crispi of Huntsville won early last Sunday morning in one of the event’s best times

Crispi, 31, finished sixth in 12:54:06, putting her fourth on the women’s Top 10 records list. She’s one of four women to break 13 hours. Crispi is behind Nikki Harvey (twice) of Birmingham and Jamie Holt of Huntsville on the list. Huntsville veterans Lindsey Shady (twice) and Lisa Gates also are on the list.

“I really enjoyed this race,” Crispi told TVO. “The loop setup made it fun to come back in and see people each time, and the aid station spacing was ideal for making the loop feel shorter than it was. The race director was so great. I loved the energy she brought to the event leading up to it, during, and after. I’m still floored that she handmade all those awards. They are my favorite awards I’ve received.”

Crispi’s no stranger to the the podium. In 28 races the last three years, her two lowest finishes are 10th in the 2025 Mountain Mist 50K and 43rd (out of 159) in the Miwok 100K in early May. During that iconic California event, Crispi said her training, nutrition and plans to not “go out too hard & cling to life at the end” routine propelled her to a 13:30:58 finish. Of her other races of eight miles to 100K, she has 19 finishes in the top three including second in the four-race Huntsville Slam.

Like any competitor, Crispi found things she can improve on after a few days of reflection after winning the In the Heat of the Night 100K.

“I am happy with how my race went! I could definitely have executed it better,” she said. “I was a little conservative on the first loop since we had a ways to go. Going into the second loop I felt great … and got a bit ambitious. I cruised right through that second lap, running all the uphills and pounding the downhills. I thought this course wasn’t bad, I could keep this up, right? No. Those hills caught up to me about halfway through loop three and my legs just got increasingly painful and noodle-like from there. I have actually never hurt so much in a race.

“My partner, Parker, ran the last loop with me and it was a struggle. For a while it was constant shuffling and walking for short distances. I felt unsteady and unfocused. Luckily though, my brain seemed to register how close I was about six miles out, and we put down some much better splits again coming into the finish. If anything makes me feel good about a race, it’s hitting a low point and coming back out of it. I definitely learned a lesson here. Course profiles can be deceiving … 8,000 feet over 100k doesn’t sound like a lot until you do it with zero flat in-between.”

Top Standouts

Crispi wasn’t the only top local standout in the fifth annual race, which is held on the Chocolocco Wildlife Management Area. It’s southeast of Jacksonville, part of the Talladega National Forest. The Pinhoti Trail runs through it. Summer is hot and steamy, as you’d expect. At the start Saturday night, temp was about 85 and humidity at about 89-90 percent.

The event is put on by Dirty Soles Trail Races, which offers a couple of other popular trail events. Saturday night, 199 runners lined up for the 100K, 50K, 25K and 10K. The first 2.7 miles are uphill before hitting the 10-ish mile loop, with the last 2.7-ish back to the finish line. One loop is 25K, two for 50 and four for 100. Cutoff for the latter is 18 hours.

Area top finishers:
100K — Bryan Presley, 49, Boaz, 3rd, 12:31:31
50K — Zack Mitarotonda, 23, Huntsville, 4th, 4:57:32; Kari Wever, 46, Harvest, 16th (2nd female), 6:28:55
25K — Cherie Hildreth, 27, Madison, 10th, 3:01:02

On even years runners do the loop counter-clockwise and on odd years it’s clockwise. Elevation gain is a bit less than 2,000 feet per loop. Two fantastic aid stations are about five miles apart, and a third is at the top of the initial 3-mile ascent.

Grind, Grind, Grind

One of the cool things about ITHOTN is the loop format and WMA road. It’s like the Wheeler NWR road for those who have done Blue Heron Hundreds or ridden out there. Other variables are eliminated. No winding trails, no roots, no rocks, no way to get lost.

It’s simply a lace-up, head-down grind-it-out deal. One loop is a hoot. Two can make you question the decision about halfway through. Four loops, maybe seeing sunrise and knowing more is coming, can test even the best. And even the best sometimes have issues, from blisters and gut bubbles to the relentless heat. Finishing is an accomplishment, and there’s nothing wrong with a DNF.

“No issues for me! I didn’t see any critters. I did hear a pack of coyotes going after something on the last loop, but they were a ways off,” Crispi said. “I picked this race because I wanted to get some overnight experience and this seemed like a good entry to it.

“I thought I might be nervous out in the dark all night, but it was actually pretty peaceful and helped the miles go by. I just listened to a book and didn’t pay much attention to how far I’d gone. The night passed way more quickly than I expected. I remember being surprised when I realized it was close to sunrise.”

Runners can set up a personal aid station at the start-finish line area. Come in, relax, fix your feet, change clothes or shoes, eat and drink, rest, stock up the vest, whatever. Along with the course aid stations it’s a solid way to recharge and get going for the next loop.

Crispi has been working on her nutrition as she increases mileage. It’s one of the most challenging things long-distance runners have to work on.

My partner (and crew chief extraordinaire) Parker set up a personal aid station for me at the start/finish. He also ran the last loop with me,” Crispi said. “There’s a low chance of me ever wanting to eat anything during these events, so we keep a spread of simple options – mashed/boiled potatoes, bananas, tortillas, pickles.

“This race I almost exclusively ate watermelon. Having that as a cold option (and one made mostly of water) was probably a big help because nothing else sounded remotely good in that weather. I also carried Maurten gels w/caffeine, PF chews, Tailwind, and the Skratch unsweetened hydration. That particular Skratch drink is a lifesaver for me. It’s the only nutrition product I’ve actually craved while running.”

See all of the results from In the Heat of the Night here.