Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Ultramarathon Research: Learn All You Can About the Race

Now that you've signed up (and nursed that hangover), you can start researching the intricate details of the race. You'll want to know important things like:
  • The race rules,
  • Lodging options in the area,
  • Typical weather conditions, and
  • How other runners approached the race.
All of these items can be found on the race websites or by reading race reports. When some people run a race, they write race reports to document their experience. These can be found in a number of places, including ultrarunning forums, blogs, or ultrarunning websites. Some race directors even post race reports on the race website. An easy way to find them is Googling “[insert race name] race report.”

Don't discount the best possible resource- runners that have first-hand knowledge of the course or race. If the race is local, it should be pretty easy to find runners that have run the race. Check with local running clubs or running stores.

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1 comment:

  1. All that research and pace charts fly out the window at mile 80. So I don't look at anything other than, how far apart are the aid stations, how much elevation gain between aid stations, where/when is packet pick up and race start. Other than that, I just show up and go for it.

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