How to Pick Your First Ultramarathon
My first ultramarathon was a 50-miler in Steamboat Springs. It was, even now, maybe the best race of my life. And I shouldn’t have done it.
I have zero regrets about choosing Run Rabbit Run for my first ultra back in 2016, but I was lucky that I had a lot of mountaineering experience and was used to climbing big hills. Run Rabbit Run is probably one of the harder 50-milers in the country, and part of the reason for that is is has nearly 10,000 feet of elevation gain. It also spends a fair share of time above 10,000 feet. These are not ideal conditions for running 20 miles longer than you’ve ever run before.
Ultramarathons vary wildly in what you’re expected to face to cross the finish line, so much so that distance PRs in our world aren’t talked about as much. It doesn’t mean much to, say, PR a 50K, because you’ll find them on a track, on flat dirt and over skyscraping mountains. Running a 50K over mountains, for instance, in 10 hours may be far more impressive than running one on a flat track in seven.
Here are some things to consider before you sign up for your first ultra.
1. Elevation Gain — This is a term many 14ers climbers are familiar with, but runners may not know to look out for it. This means, simply, how much uphill you’re gonna climb to reach the top, or, in this case, to finish a race. This should help put it in perspective: Most 14ers require at least 3,000 feet of elevation gain to make a summit. Pikes Peak, known partly for its race up to the summit, requires 8,000 feet of elevation gain.
Anytime you’re climbing thousands of feet means you’ll be spending hours hiking up steep hills. This will slow you down, may make you miss your cutoffs and should affect how you train for the race. Unless you’re an experienced hiker or mountaineer, I wouldn’t do a race with a lot of climbing for your first one.
2. Terrain — Will you be scrambling over rocky trails, running over tree roots or getting stuck in mud? Will you, perhaps, be slogging through sand, as I recently did in a 50-miler (see below for more on that). This doesn’t mean you need to find one on pavement. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend a road race for your first ultra either. But you may want to look for smoother surfaces, or have plenty of experience on wilder terrain.
3. Weather — I thought I did everything right in choosing the Javalena Jundred for my first 100-miler. The elevation gain wouldn’t be too much, and I knew the atmosphere was super fun, almost to a frat party degree. But Javalena is in the desert, and the desert, even on Halloween, is hot. I thought I trained well for the heat. I was wrong. I didn’t finish.
4. Fun — Some races are more fun than others. Are they a party? Is the atmosphere iconic? Is the scenery gorgeous? These are underrated factors in picking your first race. In fact, I picked Run Rabbit Run because I’d never been to Steamboat Springs and wanted to see it on a deep level. It delivered. I still try to pick beautiful places to run: They’re one of the best parts about running an ultra, and the scenery alone gets me through some tough moments. All I have to do is look around to remind myself how lucky I am to be there.
5. Distance — I picked a 50-miler, and not a 50K, because I was an experienced marathon runner, and I figured I could run an extra five miles. I was more interested in stretching my limits than running a fast time. You have to decide what your goals are first before you decide what distance you want to run. We call this your WHY in the ultrarunning world. Most races offer 50Ks, 50 miles, 100Ks and, yes, even 100-milers, though I don’t think that should be your first ultramarathon. There are also 6-hour races, 12-hour races and 24-hour races. You have to decide what’s right for you.
