2 x 100 ≠ 200 (a.k.a what makes 200 mile races unique)
200 mile races have always intrigued me….
Actually, that’s a complete lie. For 46 years of my life I never thought about 200 mile races. However, over the past year I’ve become increasingly interested in the unique challenges of running one.
The reason for my interest is the inordinate amount of time they take to run. My best 100 mile time is 16 hours 10 minutes, earning me 5th place at the 2022 Centurion Autumn 100; while the equivalent position at the Winter 200 (not me) took nearly 62 hours!
Yes, the conditions aren’t comparable but it got me wondering, why does it take 4 times longer to run twice the distance? And what better way to find out the answer than run a 200 miler yourself.
Well, it turns out there is a better way. My wife, Sally, wanted to run a 200 mile race, so I stayed home to look after the kids, and she got on with it. And she came up trumps, finishing in 77 hours 40 minutes and 2nd woman!
Here’s Sally in her own words…
I entered my first 200 miler out of curiosity over the distance.
US trail running coach, David Roche, wrote ‘200-milers are an organized existential crisis’ in great article on how to train for one.
And that got me even more intrigued; as who doesn’t love the idea of ‘an organised existential crisis’! In his article, Roche writes, ’When it comes to [training for] 200s, we are all making it up as we go, and there is no chosen winner yet (and might not ever be)’.
I’m not sure if I have the all answers but the following points worked for me:
1. Take good care of your feet
As Wild Horse race medic, Chris Hewitt, said in the pre race briefing, you learn to ignore your body during ultras.
BUT FEET ARE THE EXCEPTION! If there's something niggling your foot, stop and sort it out. The longer the distance, the more this is true. And foot problems are the most common reasons given for not completing the Wild Horse 200.
There are two schools on how to protect your feet: taping or lubing them. I’m a taper. You can find out more about the ‘science’ of protecting your feet, courtesy the amazing people at Dragon’s Back Race.
On race day itself, I wasn't originally planning on sleeping/resting the first night, but my feet got very wet on day one due to the rain. And that clinched the deal for me, so I stopped to let them dry out.
2. Fueling: variety is the spice of life (& so are Ritz crackers)
I'd always heard people talk about the need for real food during ultras.
But in reality, for events around the 24 hour mark, I'd found sports nutrition was fine - convenient and space efficient. Although I would supplement it with real food, to act as a sort of glue to hold everything together.
This was my plan for Wild Horse, but the longer I went on, the more I found I needed real food! My usual strategy worked initially, but as I went onwards, I adapted to switch to eating more real food.
Throughout the race, my check points involved eating porridge, pasta, noodles, toast, bananas etc. And what started out as Voom bars and Precision Hydration gels, very quickly ended up being banana sandwiches, chia seeds soaked in coffee, Huel and Ritz crackers.
Ps: I've never eaten so many Ritz crackers in my life. It turns out when everything else seemed unappealing, I could usually keep eating Ritz crackers!
WARNING: At a certain point eating became a chore, which is hard to believe for anyone who knows me. I really didn’t want to eat but I knew I had to. And at the end, I developed some horrid mouth ulcers, so remember to pack Bonjela in your medical kit!
3. Playing the long game
I'm usually all about minimising time spent in aid stations…
But footcare and eating real food meant I spent much longer than I would in a shorter race. It really is all part of the long game!
I wasn’t chilling out. It’s just that there was just more to do eg changing shoes and socks, putting tape on areas of chafing, eating, eating, eating…
I also had a checklist for aid stations to make sure I didn't forget anything. Believe me, this becomes more important as you get more and more tired!
4. Sleep, glorious sleep
One thing I like about ultras is how they're about more than just running.
It really is about a much wider skillset, and ultimately boils down to knowing how to look after yourself and your ability to problem solve on the go.
The whole strategy around sleep adds another crucial aspect to 200 milers. I’d originally planned to crack on through the first night without sleeping, and then sleeping for a couple of hours on the second when it was dark.
I had to change this on the fly when day one was rainy, as my feet were wet and I was tired. Especially after a battering on the first night in horrid conditions up high in the Black Mountains. So I gave myself a three-hour stop on the first night.
In hindsight this worked well. I'm not even sure if I slept that first night, but I think my body was grateful for the rest and I quickly made up any places I’d lost.
Unless you're chasing super fast times (and / or a trip to hallucination central), I think there's something to be said for having a rest and going into the next day with more focus and energy.
So I did this again the second night. And slept well for a couple of hours. Even if I did try to clean my teeth with deodorant when I woke up.
By the third night with the end seeming close, I opted for a 20 min and 10 min cat nap in the crew car, just to tide me over.
5. Ah, yes, my crew…
I've never really had a crew before, but I’d decided that having some of my best running buddies around me on my epic challenge would be useful.
And I was right!
I'll admit to feeling a bit guilty about it (even though they’d happily offered to help) but I'm so glad they were there. I also like to think they had fun, despite the exhaustion and having to see me at my best - and my worst - all within 5 minutes.
I found it so helpful to have the company of people I love hanging out with, rather than being alone with my own thoughts, night after night. And that’s the reality of such a long race - with a small field and without a crew - you’ll find yourself spending lots of time alone.
So having my ‘crew’ worked well plus I was able to give them instructions/lists and let them know how best to support me.
6. Riding the emotional rollercoaster
If I’d stopped to think about it, 200 miles would have seemed a VERY long way.
So I mostly tried not to think about it.
When it came to race day, I focused instead on each leg, even down to splitting the GPX down into the legs so that my watch was always focused on getting to the next checkpoint. And no further.
As I said before, having a crew helped mentally. The parts earlier on, where I was in a remote place with no company for hours, were definitely some of the toughest parts of the race. But seeing my crew, and, towards the end, James, gave me such a boost!
Another phrase I found helpful was ‘you'd be disappointed if you paid to go on a rollercoaster and it was flat!’ Looking back, the ups and downs are all part of the experience, and in hindsight, I found it fascinating watching them come and go.
Note: this is usually closely related to fueling. If I had a good meal, I felt full of beans and was a happy bunny. When fuel became an issue, everything felt rubbish.
7. Sing it loud
Finally, never underestimate the power of a song you love.
I especially love listening to something out loud, rather than through headphones when I'm away from other people. And boy do I have some great memories of zooming through 100 miles with Taylor Swift for company!
If you are thinking of your first 200 miler, or any race really, I'd highly recommend Wild Horse / Pegasus Ultra Running. Their amazing volunteers make you feel SO looked after. You get a call from Rhys (the Race Director) before the race to answer any questions. They have generous cut offs and much more.
And as evidence that they’re doing a great job there is the 100% female completion rate, and c80% overall completion. A perfect place to start your own ‘organised existential crisis’….
Some awesome advice from Sally there. But I’m not leaving it all to her.
I’m signed up to run Tor des Geants TOR330. Kilometres that is, not miles.
With 24,000m of elevation, it’s really going to take that inordinate amount of time that fascinates me so much. Probably a week.
So here’s what I’m taking from Sally’s Wild Horse experience:
Although I don’t normally get blisters, I surely will over 200 miles. So I’m learning how to treat them and how to tape my feet.
You can’t have pacers at Tor, but my coach Tom is crewing me. Mainly so when I’m in a confused state, I don’t spend hours packing and unpacking my bag looking for something I can’t remember…
After I fell on the Paddy Buckley, I struggled mentally and ultimately quit. While I’m confident I can physically prep for the Tor, I know the mental side is likely to be the real challenge. So I’m doing a mental training plan from Dr Justin Ross to work on that.
I’m planning to get some sleep every night, ideally 4 hours straight after it gets dark. But that will depend on my getting to somewhere I can sleep - at the right time - so I have to be prepared that it won’t be that structured.
I’m trying out lots of different foods on my runs, so that I have a wide variety to choose from. I’m also working out what 30g of carbs / 100 calories looks like for each type of food, as an approximation of what you get in a gel.
It’s going to be a literal and metaphorical rollercoaster and in due course, I’ll let you know how it went. In the meantime, wish me luck!