100k Ultramarathon Finished

This isn’t just a run, it’s a testimony. 

I believe that God asks me to do the very best with what I’ve been given and display the gift of adaptability. So I turned my severe birth defects that stretch from my face to my feet into my greatest strength. Each run is an opportunity to display my ability to adapt and thrive despite the adversity I face. And when I run difficult distances, I feel a deep connection to our Creator. On occasion, at night, deep into miles, I feel so connected, that my mind is sure that the separation between this world and the next is thin. I feel the other side dancing and weaving around me, wrapping me with a blanket of understanding that this life is a place to develop. This brings me peace while I destroy my physical form chasing ultra distances.  

For me to make it to the starting line, I need a village. This village includes my family, close friends, prosthetist Ryan Blanck, and coach Lisa Smith-Batchen. Doctors state I shouldn’t be walking, yet with the help of this village, I go far. 

Scott Davidson and Ryan Blanck at Ryan's clinic

I finished the 100k or 62.14 miles on November 22, 2025. 

 As I crossed the finish line, I felt good, but not elated. I immediately focused on getting back to training. I want to know how far someone like me can go. Someone like me, meaning those running in limb salvage situations and wearing true hybrid prosthetic-orthotics like the Exosym and IDEO. So my vision quest continued and my training resumed a day after I crossed the finish line.

 Going into this 100k, I had a stack of challenges including,

1. I required a new right limb Exosym. I ran a 50 mile ultramarathon with what is thought to be a broken bone in my foot. The stabbing pain was in the 4th metatarsal, but I used my Exosym in a way that minimized pain. I needed an Exosym with a more plantar footplate. This provides quicker control of rotational forces and impact. So I flew up to the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Ryan Blanck and spent a week getting fitted and training in his clinic.
2. I fell a lot. After thousands of miles in the older Exosym and previous builds, I need to retrain my brain and legs to adapt to my new Exosym.
3. Professional and personal challenges including health issues hurt my momentum. I mean lots of adversities went down earlier this year and these beat me up big time.
4. The time and energy required to achieve a 100k was almost too much due to a small window of time to prepare myself. The Exosym is like a walking prosthetic, not a running prosthetic aka blade. Meaning, I don’t receive energy return anywhere near a running prosthetic/blade or a normal human foot. Therefore, my training requires more energy and time on feet to reach the needed distances in preparation for a 100k. Put simply, my pace is notably slower than those runners with healthy limbs and blade runners. Hitting 60-100 miles per week takes me longer than you.

 Despite these challenges, I felt strong about my ability to finish a 100k. 

 To guide me to a 100k finish, the legendary Badwater Hall of Fame inductee Lisa Smith-Batchen coached me (connect with Lisa HERE). Lisa is one of my heroes. I watched Lisa prior to running my first half-marathon. My obsession with her achievements grew from there. Once I finished a 50 mile ultramarathon, then I felt somewhat worthy of reaching out to Lisa. I met Lisa and ultra running legend Marshall Ulrich at the 2025 Badwater 135: The World’s Toughest Footrace. She was coaching a number of athletes including 80 year old Bob Becker to a successful finish. This year, Bob Becker became the oldest person to finish Badwater. You see, Lisa lives a life of helping others reach impossible dreams.  I will share more of my experience with Lisa Smith-Batchen soon. I believe God placed her in my path to help me achieve my goals.

Lisa Smith-Batchen running the Quad Badwater

The 100k went well for miles 1 through 30 as I controlled my pace. I incorporated run and power walk intervals. Around mile 31 a burning, cramping feeling developed in the upper front of my right leg. The tearing, burning, tightness grew over the next 20 miles. I developed issues with lifting my leg to move forward. In my wacked out mind, I wanted the tendons and ligaments to rip, believing this might provide relief. At the 51 mile mark I laid down for 30 minutes and rested my leg. While resting, I didn’t doubt I would finish the 100k, I just didn’t know how long it would take and how I would do it. After resting, I got moving. The next mile sucked bad due to cramping from resting too long. I felt like my legs were frozen and unable to move, but every several feet things began to thaw out. And then my legs felt much better. I didn’t take a break for the remaining miles except to quickly record some content for sponsors. Lighten up, that’s how I pay for my Exosyms. I was still moving forward, ha.

 For this 100k I only experienced a few other issues and these included: 

1. A couple nighttime visual hallucinations, such as a tree looking like smoke. I was totally mentally in the game, just tired.
2. I over-hydrated. I drank so much that I might have neutralized my sodium intake. When I pulled back on fluids and kept my sodium intake high, I felt much better. This probably caused my issues in miles 31-51.
3. Other runners were incredibly kind. They gassed me up or asked questions about my legs, but unfortunately my pace slowed during these conversations.
4. I only received 7 weeks of training with Lisa. This isn’t a lot of time to prepare for a 100k and learn a new system.

Overall, the run went great. My wife, a registered nurse, crewed me and kept me moving forward. I trail blazed another distance for those like me. This is very important to me. Also important to me is that I reiterate that I hope God and you know that I’ve done the very best with what I’ve been given. The words below ran through my head throughout this 100k experience. 

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

-Isaiah 40:31

What many believe is just a run is also a testimony. A testimony of the gift of adaptability and that God provides a way to turn your adversity into purpose. I want you to know that God placed you here for a reason. Your life does have purpose. This I know.

Published on December 8, 2025