.Last week I finished Mauritius by UTMB ultra trail marathon, Running my first 100k trail ultra-marathon I made many mistakes that pushed me to my physical and mental limits. It was a journey filled with challenges, setbacks, and moments of pure joy. It took me 26 hours to finish the 99km and I finished dead last. I was on the verge of quitting 8km before the finish line. That’s why I’m writing this article to avoid those mistakes the next time.
Here are some mistakes I made during my first 100k Mauritius by UTMB :
Underestimating the Mauritius by UTMB race distance, elevation
Singing up to Mauritius by UTMB race I was excited about it, the initial distance of 92km was not hard for me, I’ve done 2 Comrades Marathons with almost the same distance. The elevation I can train for “How hard can it be” I thought back then, dismissing all that those numbers meant to many others.
Later in the race, I knew firsthand that Mauritius by UTMB race was a killer, and the distance/elevation was the hardest ever I’ve been through and I shouldn’t have compared it to the road running cheerful comrades marathon.
Never checking the weather and training for the environment
In addition to the distance and elevation came the environment, the jungles of Chamarel and Black River were not what I was expecting at all. There was only a single track that you could run in for most of the race, the vegetation covered everything. I lost it once I reached the Jungle.
The weather was the cherry on top. A full day of rain, cloudy skies, and wind blowing you away. If I had the time to think about these conditions I’d change my outfit and race plan to accommodate the slippery muddy trails before standing at the start line of Mauritius by UTMB.
Not having the proper gear
Again comes another problem when you don’t know the race, the environment, and the weather, all my gear is suitable for running in the desert, but they are not made for rainy humid jungles. My phone stopped working because of the rain. My shoes and socks were not suitable for the terrain. And the sunglasses I had had no use for them.
The major drop in my gear was missing hiking poles which I think could have helped prevent some of the slides and compensate for the pressure on my knees in the slopes going up or down.
Another drop was my headlamp, which was perfect for the GOAT race, the darkness of the forest and the shade from the trees were too much for such a beam, I could barely see with them, while my running buddy lamp was like the xenon lamps of a car. Also, the batteries on them were not for a full night race I had to recharge them several times during the run.
Things that I got right and helped me finish Mauritius by UTMB:
Mental resilience for trail ultramarathons
The main reason I was able to finish Mauritius by UTMB race is my mental resilience that I’ve trained during all my runs and races. I always know that there is still some energy left in my body.
Only at some points where my sugar levels were low, I did talk myself down to quitting the race, then I remembered what nutrition my body needed and after eating some I came back to my strong mind view of me at the finish line, one of my lowest points ever in any race where I almost DNFed was at the last checkpoint Case Noyale and the details for it is down below. Sport Psychology is an important part of any athlete’s training plan,here is how to train your mind
Support crew and Running partners
I’ve always known this and had it in my races, running with someone is way better than running by yourself, and this came in handy when we got lost after the Pitrin checkpoint for 3 hours, being the two of us kept our mental health strong that we are together at least. Also when I went out of both of my headlamps, we had to run side by side for about an hour to reach the Visitor Center checkpoint. Friends and support crew are a must-have in all ultraraces, just meeting them in checkpoints is a massive mood booster. There effect of me not quitting the race was huge, read more about the Case Noyale case below.
Nutrition for Trail ultramarathons
By experience I know what my body needs, this is one of the benefits of training, you can listen to your body and monitor the levels of sugars, salts, and energy. I had all the nutrition I needed during the race, and I used only some of them because the checkpoints were full of all the natural foods that would give me more boost and elevate my mode. Again check the Case Noyale case to have an idea of how nutrition can effect your decisions.
What happened in Case Noyale
At the last checkpoint Case Noyal, I reached the checkpoint and my running buddy Alina was sitting there waiting for me, she knew that I was out of energy to continue the race … she looked me dead in the eyes while sitting on that plastic chair with her back fully straight out of pain.
And said in a very firm voice “I’m going to continue, are you coming with me?!” Reaching the station I had my decision already made that I did not want to continue this race, the last 20km were in open fields where we had to endure all the rain and wind in our faces and run in the darkness with shadows of animals running all around us, I was out of energy and my mental resilience reached it’s lowest level.
I looked her in the eyes and shook my head from side to side. “No, I’m not going to continue” She left me her phone and told me the password to unlock. I dropped my phone at the Visitor Center checkpoint and the marshals of Mauritius by UTMB gave it to our support crew Alex. She knew that I’d need to contact Alex to pick me up from this point and she decided to go on her own without a phone. After she moved I unlocked the phone to text Alex.
My message was “I’m at Case Noyal, can’t continue, come pick me up” It took him a couple of minutes to reply during which I was talking to myself, “This is the first time I walked out of a race without a medal. There is a first time for everything. Maybe it’s time to stop long-distance running.
After 18 years, maybe that’s it” Then Alex replied, “You have to meet me on the road I can’t go in the private land” This changed my whole mindset, i looked there in the conversation and found the last msg he sent to her which was “only 8km to go” my mind started recalculating while I was munching those nuts and raisins at the checkpoint. “Only 8k to go!” and “I had to walk another 2k to reach the coastal road where Alex can pick me up” This means that I’ll walk out of 6km only!!” I ate more oranges and had one of my gels.
Then came a 100M French runner with a smile, and asked me “You are not going to continue?” I instantly stood up and told him “No I’m going now” I unlocked the phone again fast and texted Alex, “Don’t come I’m gonna finish this shit” This by far was the lowest point I’ve ever been in any race, I was a couple of nuts and oranges away from DNF, I let my demons talk me into quitting, but I dodged it.
Once the nutrition kicked in my veins I was good to go again, walking only no running, my feet and knees can’t take more pounding, I’m gonna walk for the next 3-4 hours but will finish this race and get my medal “It’s not my time to DNF yet”
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