Following on from my first official ultra marathon story talking about the lessons I picked up from the preparation, conduct and aftermath of the race, which you can find here (link), it came to me that I should write about the organisation of the event itself. Prior to the run, I was left with a few questions about the support that you actually in and around the race, such as the shuttles or the aid stations. I got a few answers from those that had completed the race a couple of years ago but with me planning on utilising what I could carry and what was on offer at the aid stations, knowing if that would suffice based on an in-depth breakdown beforehand would have be useful.
By the fact that I was left with these sorts of questions, there’s no doubt that others would be too, with their own preparations relying upon it. Fear not, I am here to bring to light all elements of the event organisation so that you can meticulously plan everything and ensure that you have the best race possible! In writing this blog, the only thing that I find frustrating is my lack of pictures of videos of certain elements, which I apologise for. A picture paints a thousand words and rather than me have to describe things like the aid station, a picture would have made it much easier. I’ll take note for next time I do an event like this so that I can improve the quality of the content that is produced. It’s all a learning curve. My main priority was of course simply putting one foot in front of the other this time round.
So let’s get into things and hopefully, I cover everything you want to know about.
Website & Bookings
Ultra Challenges have a good and clear website design that breakdown into all the individual challenges and gives you all the information you need for each event, from the course route to distance choices available; from how to fundraise your race to a full PDF that has everything in it including where the stations are. Really good resource to use.
When it comes to the booking of a race, booking the event itself is very simple to do by hitting the “Sign Up Now” and following the process that way. One thing I did find a little clunky though was the add ons you can have such as parking, shuttles and bag transfers, as it requires you to go another route to book those. Once you find it, it’s not too bad but having it all in one place when you book it would have been ideal.
Pre-Race
In the build up to the race, all the communications that came via email were both clear, detailed and sent through in a timely manner to allow me to prepare adequately. At no point did I not know what I was meant to be doing, when I was meant to be doing it and where I was meant to be doing it. Prior to the race, they take the time to publish a detailed video that gives all the information you need for the event such as emergency numbers, how to organise final add ons and any course specific heads up you’ll need.
This is a really useful resource, especially the emergency information!
I decided to take up the offer to get my race pack the day before, which is recommended especially if you have an early start on race day, and that was very smooth procedure. In, ID shown, pack handed over and out. It was also good to get my bearings of where I was going on race day with the early morning start out. There’s nothing worse than rushing round to find out on the day when you’re trying to get into the right frame of mind. There was also a hand merchandise gazebo that were selling race specific t-shirts, snoods and the like in case you forgot something at home. No socks though! (If you don’t know why I say that, check out my first blog about this race.)
Race
Remembering that the organisers have thousands of competitors spread out over 100km undertaking a variety of race distances and formats, it’s quite the task but one that’s done really well with the number of staff there are at each aid station. Obviously, you can’t line the whole of the course but the presence of the kilometre markers and route signs helps a lot, whether keeping you motivated or on the right path. When you’re manoeuvring over various pieces of countryside with a variety of paths, having this clarity, especially when you’re tired, is perfect. No one wants extra distance!
The only small gripe that I had at the start line, and it’s a petty one I guess, was having to humour the cheesy warm up when I just wanted to get going but these things happen. I’ve got to remember it’s for charity for many people and they aren’t all there for the competitive element. Apart from that, I can’t fault anything else when it comes to the organisation during the race and was impressed with how smoothly everything went.
As for the use of the emergency contacts or processes should something go wrong, fortunately I didn’t have to use these so I wouldn’t be able to comment on their effectiveness.
Aid Stations
Something that you’ll be very interested in, as was I before I took part, is what are the aid stations like. Well, I’m more than happy to answer that question right now for you. All I can do is comment on my personal experience of the facilities that I did use whilst giving my opinions from afar or what I overheard from others of the elements that I didn’t use, such as the medical support.
Facilities
I’ll start by giving you a general overview of the make up of each aid station along the route:
- Hydration station – As it says on the tin really! Tables set up to provide your usual hydration staples.
- Hot drinks station – Offering teas, coffees and everything needed for making hot drinks.
- Food station – A variety of food and snacks to have or take with you. Some stations had more substantial food options.
- Medical station – Each one had medical support to either sort yourself out or get help from one of the medical team.
- Supporters area – Every other aid station had the ability for supporters to park up and provide support to their competitor.
- Seating area – Areas that allowed you to sit down at a table should you need it for whatever reason.
Hydration Station
There were no real complaints with what was on offer at the hydration stations with water, squashes, coca cola and hydration salts to add to your water and there was never a shortage of anything whenever I arrived (though note I was usually one of the first to visit). It’s all personal preference but I found just water and throwing a few of the salt packs into my hydration pack kept me adequately hydrated on a hot and sunny day.
Hot Drinks Station
Apart from using the hot water, which worked just as you expected it to in that it was hot, there was plenty and it poured, when it came to deploying the Mojo coffee at a couple of the stops, I didn’t take much notice of the hot drinks stations. From what I was aware of, they comprised of tea, instant coffee and all the ancillaries required to make it to taste.
Food Station
Ah, the food that was on offer from the event organisers. This is probably where I was biggest gripe was. The overall verdict from me was it was just about enough to keep me fuelled and in a happy place to keep putting one foot in front of the other but will certainly be reconsidering how much I rely upon the aid stations next time round. The statement “beggars can’t be choosers” also comes to mind with this one.
I’ll firstly give the definite positives of the food stations and that is that they were always adequately stocked when I arrived, again noting my arrival time in comparison to the main field.
Now on to the food selection. Obviously it’s personal choice on how you fuel yourself and a lot of the onus is on the competitor themselves but the quality of the food at some of the aid stations was certainly questionable. I get that they needed to have calorie dense foods and what runners vs hikers will eat will be very different, which both need to cater for but some of the options weren’t great at all.
When it came to the snacks, the fruit options were decent sticking to pineapple, bananas and melon. No arguments with that at all. Moving over to the bars on offer, at every other station they had had Tribe energy and protein bars, which were pretty easy to eat and digest, giving you a decent hit of calories. The other options though were pretty questionable with a variety of chocolate bars, sweets and what looked like some hefty and sugar ridden nut bars.
The more substantial food options on offer for the meals did leave plenty to be desired. Breakfast was an array of baked goods such as cinnamon twirls, croissants, pain au chocolats and other foods that didn’t scream easy on the stomach when completing 100km. When it comes to lunch, I can only remember what I chose to eat based on what I thought was the easiest to digest and that was Bolognese and rice (I swapped out the spaghetti). Great for having more substantial in your stomach but something like beef mince can feel awful in your stomach. The final meal of the day, again remembering what I had, was a chicken fajita which I actually could only manage half of.
Medical Station
The only time I went anywhere near medical facilities (thankfully) was at the halfway point and finish line to utilise the free massage on offer for my legs. Outside of that, I had no use for them. From my understanding, they had everything you needed to do some self treatment on any racing niggles such as sunburn, cuts, bruises, blisters and the like.
Of course, each one had medical staff there is required should you need something a little more serious looking at or needed a hand with the treatment of whatever issue you’ve developed.
Supporter's Area
A simple one to talk about and as you expect, not much experience of any of them, as I wasn’t a supporter nor had any. They typically were dedicated areas next to the competitors area for supporters to gather. Some of the aid stations, which were detailed prior to the race, had parking making access a lot easier and some had seating. When I arrived at one of the later ones, it had a gazebo set up but not sure if that was brought by the event or supporters themselves.
From what I saw, the marshals seemed pretty hot on making sure that supporters didn’t encroach on the competitor area, even when quiet but I don’t know how strictly this was policed for the duration and at each station.
Seating Area
Exactly what you think it would entail: a collection of seats for you! At some of the stations, typically the ones serving meals, there were tables as well.
Not much more I can say here.
After Race
It’s all well and good you having a really smooth race but after being on your feet for so long, there’s nothing worse than getting to the end and you facing issues stopping you from starting the refuel and recover process as well as you getting back to the bed you’re craving. Unfortunately for me, the ending of my race wasn’t the best experience out of the whole thing. There are certainly solutions outside of that of the organisers to ensure these don’t happen but if you don’t have that option, being aware of the possibility of these things happening is valuable.
What They Had
The lay out of the finishing area was very similar to that of any of the aid stations just on a large scale. As you crossed the finish line, you were met by someone to scan your tag, present you a medal and give you a finisher’s t-shirt. The next thing that caught my eye was the medical tent, which had the opportunity for you to grab a quick massage to start the recovery process, grab any treatment for things that may have cropped up and get yourself a foil blanket to stop you getting too cold whilst you sort yourself out.
Next to that, there was a large area of tables and chairs for whether you’re waiting for your pick up or to sort yourself out, and the bag transfer collection area. Past this area was the hired food truck which was serving the finishing “BBQ”. I’d use the term “BBQ” very loosely, as I was presented with a few fries and a burger, along with a couple of pieces of cake and the choice of few fizzy drinks. This had been hyped up for me by someone who’d done the race a couple of years ago but I was only left disappointed by it. I’ll say no more on that one!
Apart from toilets and a display for you to take a photo in front of, that pretty much wraps up the finisher’s area for you.
Problem
So what was the problem that I faced after finishing? I got my food, massage, t-shirt and medal, what more could I want? To get back to my car in a timely manner.
I was relying upon a pre-booked shuttle back to the start so I could be reunited with my car and the rest of my things, allowing me to get back to the AirBnb thus the safe haven of my bed. Where the problem in this came about was that it took over 3 hours before a vehicle arrived to collect those of us who were waiting. The contributing factors that were explained to us were that:
- There were only 3 vehicles that were servicing the whole course, moving people that were finishing at the various official finish points and were also on task to collect race drop outs, moving them to the nearest viable drop off point.
- Compounding this, the rain had started 15 minutes after I finished, bringing about a number of drop outs who needed assisting off of the course.
This resulted in a few of use having a bit of stay at the finish line. I realised that this wouldn’t have been straight and was warned about this so I had prepared for this eventuality. However, I wasn’t expecting it to be the 3 hours that it was so even what I had prepared, wasn’t the most comfortable and didn’t commit to having a bag transferred to the end to extra resources. The most frustrating thing about it for me was the lack of information on when someone was going to pick us up so that I could mentally prepare myself for the long haul.
To give you insight, I had brought with me 4 extra layers for my top half (which had been spares for the run itself too), had my jacket to put on and my windproof/waterproof trousers whilst under the tent. Alongside this, the medical team had foil blankets to hand out to help conserve body heat. There was one individual who had only his running gear and I must admit, I was worried he was going to end up with hypothermia to the extent of me offering a layer or two.
They did have plenty of covered areas for you to sit under, thankfully out of the wind and rain that was coming down but the ambient temperature dropped a fair bit. This alongside your body being in a depleted state, you can start to feel the cold really quickly. Thankfully, one of the marshals had a spare sleeping bag for me to hop into and sleep a bit until someone finally arrived. Before you say anything, as much as I insisted he take it, the guy who didn’t look in a good way repeatedly refused the offer of the sleeping bag.
So as I mentioned in my lessons learnt post about the race, ensure that you prepare yourself for a decent stay in any weather at any time of the day/night at the end of the race so that you don’t end up having a medical emergency! Whether this be you taking the kit with you on the run, having a bag transfer for the extra fee or simply having support crew to pick you up at the end, make sure you are prepared! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Final Thoughts
For me, that finishes off everything I can remember about the event in its entirety, my opinions on what you pay for and what I feel you should be aware of prior to taking on an Ultra Challenge. Overall, the event itself ran really smoothly, the staff were very helpful and pleasure to come across, and it’s a well oiled machine (well, mostly). I really enjoyed my time taking part and wouldn’t have been able to complete the challenge without the support that was offered at the aid stations. Obviously, there were certain elements that frustrated me that I highlighted but don’t let my experience detract from how well Ultra Challenges are able to host an event with thousands of runners spread out across 100km of the south coast, doing a variety of distances and challenges.
This is a resource that I would have appreciated prior to the event and I’m hoping that it’s a useful one for others so allow them to perfect their preparations for the race. If you are due to be taking on one of their challenges, good luck!
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