How to choose your first ultra marathon
With the rise in popularity of ultra races many are turning their ambitions to these races where once a road marathon was seen as the ultimate test. If you are curious how do you go about choosing and you have decided this is for you, here are my tips for selecting your first one:
1- Go as local as you can. The very nature of an ultra race means that it will be run off road so you will need to be prepared to travel but an ultra is a big day out and if you cut down on logistics it will take the stress out of race day (think no need for a hotel to race prep if you are not experienced). Endurance Life have excellent accessible races nationwide and avoid an overnight stay.
2- Go with an established well organised race. I have raced both well organised and not so and the less organised races can be chaotic, have poorly stocked checkpoints, badly marked routes, lack of parking which all add to unnecessary race day stress. Endurance Life, Mud Crew Events, Freedom Racing and Runaway Racing are a few. Niche races can be excellent but my advice would be to pick a well established race.
3- Go with 50km for your first race. Ease your way into ultras! There will also be no need to bring a crew member to assist you this. Having crew to help is a whole extra consideration.
4- Don’t choose a mountain race, go fairly flat to begin with. All ultras in the UK have an element of undulation but a mountain ultra brings in variable weather and terrain that are more suited to experience runners. If you fancy a mountain race, try a 25km such as the Ultra Tour of Snowdon (UTS) 25km.
5- Choose beauty – the joy of an ultra is experiencing the best of the outdoors and enjoying the experience. The more beautiful the better!
6- Avoid winter events! Winter ultras add additional layers of difficulty such as carrying more kit, dealing with adverse conditions and running in the dark! Of course you can have summer extremes which can be challenging and night running needs additional training and more kit! Navigating with a head torch requires experience and when it goes wrong (and you are tired) trying to find and fiddle with your back up headlamp requires patience!
My suggested starter ultras:
Any Spring, Summer or Autumn Endurance Life 50km – There is a race for everyone throughout the UK. I have run Sussex 50km a number of times. Starts with a tough hill but otherwise a good starter race. Endurancelife - Coastal Trail Running - 10K to Ultra Marathons
Chiltern Ridge 50km – Always top organisation from Runaway racing. Chiltern Ridge Winter 50K | Trail Running Races | Runaway Racing
Serpent Trail 50km – Little brother of the Serpent 100km but still beautiful pretty flat. Really well organised and draws beginners and experience athletes alike. Serpent Trail 50k Ultramarathon — The Serpent Trail (serpenttrailrace.com)
