Takeaways From My First 50-Mile Ultramarathon
A few months ago, while still riding my morning coffee high as I sat at my work desk, I signed up online for my very first ultramarathon. An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional 26.2 mile marathon, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. The more common distances you’ll see are 50km, 50 miles, 100 km and 100 miles.
The event I signed up for, the Dirty German Endurance Fest, offers a 50 mile option which is what I decided to take on. Held annually in May, the race takes place within Pennypack Park in Philly, the course consisting of three 16-ish mile loops. The mostly single-track trails bring you through the park’s Narnia-esque woods, across streams, over large overturned trees, under several cathedral sized bridge arches, and across a few stretches of paved bike path.
“Why Would You Do This To Yourself?”
My inspiration to participate in an ultramarathon can be attributed to when I read Christopher McDougall’s, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. I picked up a copy a few years ago while training for my first regular marathon as a means to get myself motivated. This book details the unique and niche world of ultra running, and introduces the reader to the mysterious tribe located in Mexico’s Copper Canyons, the Tarahumara.
These extremely reclusive individuals can run hundreds of miles in one go, wearing minimal footwear consisting of make-shift sandals. Their epic running excursions often took place after long nights of drinking cactus moonshine and smoking tobacco. And yet, they are able to tackle these mind-boggling distances as if it were nothing.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading, I mean how on earth could anyone carry themselves across such an incredible distance on their own two feet in one go? By the time I finished the book, I was obsessed with the idea of ultra running and I continued to read book after book on the subject matter. While it would probably take a bit of time and training, I knew that one day I simply had to participate in an ultra marathon myself.
Building Up Endurance
As motivated as I was to attempt this feat, I tried to be somewhat realistic in getting myself adequately prepared. After all, at this point I hadn’t even run my first marathon yet so I decided I should at least start there and then work my way up to longer distances over time. I completed my race later that year and thought it would be wise to perhaps do a few more marathons before tackling an ultra. However, the pandemic soon hit and any race plans I had were put on the backburner.
Despite the lack of races taking place, I decided to use the time to build up my endurance, increasing my weekly mileage to about 100 miles per week. Then on the same day I was supposed to participate in the N.J. Marathon which is annually held in April, I decided on a whim to attempt a 50 km run. I finished this run feeling good and confident that I would be ready to take on a 50 miler the following year.
Going into 2021, I had my sights set on a few different ultras that offered a 50 mile option. However, with the pandemic still very much around it was uncertain which races would even be happening in person. I eventually decided on the Dirty German Fest as it was relatively close to where I live and seemed doable as far as ultras go.
Getting The Essentials
A lot of the ultras I’ve read about, at least the more well known ones, are pretty hardcore having runners race at high altitudes in the mountains with aggressive amounts of elevation gain/loss as well as being subjected to extreme temperatures. Part of the reason I went with The Dirty German Fest was that the trails are not too technical and while it has hills, they’re manageable and beginner friendly.
Regardless, since this race is run almost entirely on trails I figured my road shoes probably wouldn’t cut it and it was time to invest in my first pair of trail shoes. After doing a little bit of online research I decided on a pair of HOKA’s Challenger ATR 6’s. The shoe is marketed as being versatile, allowing runners to comfortably traverse over a variety of different terrain, which appealed to me since I’d be on trails with varying surfaces.
Next, I looked into purchasing a hydration vest. The course offers aid stations along the way stocked with all the essentials, but it is still advised to carry some kind of hydration flask or water bottle. Since Solomon is a reputable company in the ultra running community, I decided to look into running vests through their website.
Their ADV SKIN 5 seemed like a sure thing as it’s lightweight and allows easy access to the front pockets on the straps when needing to grab nutrition while racing. The pack also comes with two 500 ml soft flasks which are held in the front straps.
Morning Preparations
Having taken the day before the race off from work, I used the time to make sure I had everything I needed in terms of supplies and nutrition and that I would be in bed early since I planned on waking up at 3:00 am. I ended up waking up just a bit earlier at 2:45 am and decided to begin my preparations.
I made a pot of coffee and for breakfast had a bowl of steel cut oats with almond butter, sliced banana, and honey. After a quick shower I got dressed and generously applied Body Glide all over my feet and any other potential at risk chaffing areas on my body. I packed my running vest with cliff bars, dark chocolate covered espresso beans, and a bison bacon cranberry bar.
After filling my hydration flasks, and a quick review to make sure I had everything I needed I began the drive to Philly at about 5:00 am.
The Race
I arrived at Pennypack Park and after parking my car on the road adjacent to the entrance, I hastily made my way over to the check in table by the starting line where I received my bib. I brought a beach towel and a bag, which runners were allowed to leave by the start/finish area for easy access when finishing up a loop. In my bag I kept extra shoes and socks, bananas, more water, coffee, and a jacket. Once I was settled, I made my way over to the starting line to warm up. As anxious as I was, I felt ready to take on this endeavor.
The race went off in waves every minute consisting of about 10–20 people and my group went off at 7:22 am. Once we made our way onto the trails in the woods we ran single file. Since it rained the night before there were quite a few muddy sections on the trails to slosh through, but it made the experience feel all the more authentic. Having not participated in an actual race since late 2019, it felt refreshing to be back out running with other people again.
One concern I had before the race was how would I occupy my mind for the many hours I would be out there running? I brought my Bluetooth ear buds with me but with their limited battery life I thought it wise to hold off turning them on until later in the race. I ended up not using them at all as I soon became engrossed in the course, taking in the views and paying close attention to the trail markers.
I think being fully engaged in the course made the time go by a lot faster. I had the Nike Running Club app on my phone tracking my progress, but I hardly checked it as I knew that if I were to religiously watch the miles tick by I would be in for a long day.
Luckily I was feeling good on this particular morning, making sure to pace myself and to take it easy with the hill climbs. It wasn’t until the third and final lap that I began to feel the pain and discomfort that you hear of ultra runners talk about. But rather than suffer I chose to embrace the discomfort as I knew it was just all part of the experience.
Of course it’s difficult to gauge exactly where you are in the pack in such a big course, but by the third and final lap I had a feeling I might be closer to the front, as I continued to pass group after group. And this was then confirmed by one of the aid station attendants during my final loop. I ended up finishing 4th overall and 1st in my age group with a time of 7:42:59.
Lessons Learned
I knew that since this was my first 50 miler, it was going to be a lot of trial and error to see what worked and what didn’t in terms of my gear, nutrition and hydration choices.
I was pleased with my shoe selection as they held up quite well against the muddy trails and stream crossings. And having applied Body Glide also ended up being a saving grace as my feet were left mostly unscathed with the exception of a black and blue pinky toe.
One crucial lesson learned from this experience was I need to pay better attention to my water intake. While the temperature remained in the 50s with no humidity and the course being mostly shaded, I did not see it as super urgent to pay close attention to how much water I was taking in. In fact, I don’t recall taking in any during the first loop.
However, dehydration slowly started creeping up on me and during the second loop I started going through my water flasks at a fairly quick rate. It never became a major issue that impeded my performance, but I think had the weather conditions been hotter, I could’ve had some issues. Luckily, the aid station attendants were incredibly helpful and I had stopped at a few towards the end to get a water refill.
Nutrition is also another department that I should try to work on. I only ended up eating two cliff bars and honestly was feeling pretty good. However if I were to hone in on the nutrition game and try taking in more calories during the race, I may see better results in future races.
I went into this race not having very high expectations in terms of performance. Prior to this day the most I had ran was 32 miles so my goal was ultimately just to cross that finish line before they closed down the course. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I had put in a lot of hard work into training, but it’s seemingly inevitable for your mind to have you start second guessing yourself.
As I mentioned earlier, it felt great just to be out running again with other people for the first time since before the pandemic began. And for it to be my first ultra marathon, a longtime goal finally being realized, only made the experience all the more special.
Being one of the top finishers was beyond a pleasant surprise and it made all the extremely early runs before work worth it. As a prize, I won a German weather house which now sits proudly on my mantel above the fireplace. I left this experience feeling hungry for more and while I have a IRONMAN 70.3 and another 50 miler lined up this year, I hope to compete in my first 100 miler sometime next year.
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