To DNF or not to DNF, that is the question
DNF. Did Not Finish. When a runner drops out of a race before reaching the finish line.
DNF-ing’s on my mind because two athletes I coach, recently DNF-ed their races due to injury. And while my wife completed the Lavaredo 120k, maybe she shouldn’t have (more about that in a bit)?
Most experienced ultrarunners have DNF-ed at least once. And let’s be absolutely clear, there’s no shame in DNF-ing. There are many reasons why an athlete might DNF a race, especially an ultramarathon.
But it's important to know when it's the right decision to make and equally, when it’s not.
Should I stay or should I go?
This isn’t a straightforward question. Here’s an example of why.
My wife Sally, recently completed the Lavaredo 120k. What should have taken her about 20 hours, took 27 hours.
And ultimately resulted in a slow trudge to the finish, where she sought medical assistance for altitude-induced breathing difficulties.
She wisely chose to stay overnight at the local hospital. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems reasonable to conclude that Sally should have DNF’d but, if so, when?
That’s when it gets difficult.
While she was finding breathing somewhat challenging, it never seemed bad enough to her at the time to suggest she needed to stop. She’d also seen the medic and sought their opinion on route.
For what it’s worth, I can’t say that there was a moment during her race where you can look back and say, ‘yes she should have DNF’d there.’
Of course safety should always be the top priority, in life, let alone in an ultramarathon. Harsh terrain, extreme weather conditions, and challenging courses create risks for participants.
Ignoring warning signs of physical distress may lead to potentially serious injuries and in extremis life-threatening situations, for you and/or mountain rescue or the race crew that might need to come to your aid.
As a runner, it's crucial to be honest with yourself and recognise when pushing forward might compromise your or others’ well-being.
What happens if it’s not clear cut?
Experiencing discomfort and pain is common in ultramarathons, and pushing through some level of discomfort is often part of the challenge.
How do you know the difference between what is enduring the hardships of the race and what is harmful to your body? Now this really gets to the nub of the issue.
Before and during the race, your brain is making conscious and subconscious calculations about the level of exertion needed to get to the end of the race, and your body’s ability to tolerate that exertion based on what’s already happened.
If your brain concludes the level of exertion needed to complete the race exceeds what it views as tolerable, it’ll signal you should quit. This could be via feelings of fatigue, or intrusive thoughts suggesting it would be wise to stop.
This calculation is difficult enough over shorter races, but the sheer length of time and number of variables impacting an ultramarathon means the brain is likely to be wildly out in its prediction. As a result, you get runners who quit a race, only to immediately regret the decision.
This process is not helped by any expectations you have of how you will perform. My own experience of Lavaredo 120k was more difficult than it needed to be as a result of two expectations I had:
The UTMB app predicted my finish time as about 17 hours and when I drifted off that schedule, I started to worry about my performance.
Someone had told me the last 13 km would be a really nasty descent, and I spent the whole race worried about that.
Let’s unpack that….
Despite never having run a mountainous European ultra like Lavaredo, I spent 18 hours worrying about my time against some random prediction made by an app!
And nearly 110 km worrying about a descent that turned out to be my best bit of the race.
While I never felt like quitting, I was seriously questioning my life choices throughout, including whether I ever wanted to run another ultra.
So what’s the magic bullet?
Honestly, there isn’t one but there are mental* and physical strategies you can adopt.
*Mental strategies for ultras are worthy of a whole book. Guess what? There actually is at least one!
Perhaps the most effective mental strategy is to ‘stay in the moment’. It’s a massive cliche but don’t worry about what has happened and what might happen. Almost everyone can complete the next kilometre.
As long as you don’t think it’ll have a serious negative impact in the short or long term, focus on doing that, and then do it again, and again, and again…
Also, remember why you're there in the first place. What’s important to you about the race? And why do you want to finish?
You’re here for a reason and if not, or the reason’s no longer true (for example you were chasing a particular time which you’ll no longer achieve), then maybe you should stop.
It might be better to save yourself for the next race.
On the physical side, have a mental (or even better a physical) checklist you run through to see if there is anything you can do to help yourself feel better.
Do you need to eat? Are you dehydrated? Do you need electrolytes? Do you need to cool down?
You could also do a body scan. While it’s easy to focus on the bits that hurt, don’t forget to remember all the bits that don’t hurt and are working well!
Time is your friend
Unless you’re chasing cut-offs, remember that time is your friend. Runners who are thinking of DNF-ing often arrive at aid stations and quit.
But there’s no need to quit straight away.
Have some food. Have some water. Rest. See a medic if you need to and take your time. Call or message a supportive running buddy and think about how you’d feel tomorrow if you did DNF.
After resting and recovering for a while you may find that you want to continue.
Admittedly, there’s an unpleasant reality in most races, in that if you don’t DNF at certain particular aid stations, you’re going to have to hike back to civilisation.
So what do you do if you're OK to continue at an aid station, but are worried you won’t make the next? In broad terms, there are two options.
Embrace the moment and continue, risking a hike out if you can’t make the next aid station
Speak to someone - a friend, race official or medic
At a recent mountainous ultra, an athlete of mine took the decision to stop at an aid station, as it was 17 km to the next one. Having consulted a medic, he was told his injured knee was unlikely to hold up for that distance.
With that information, he chose to stop there.
So what if I do DNF?
As I said before, there’s no problem with deciding to DNF. It may feel raw for a while and it’s OK to embrace that feeling.
Try not to ruminate on the decision while it feels raw, and let the feeling pass. Once it has, review your decision and learn from it. It may have been the right decision.
And with the benefit of hindsight, should you decide it was the wrong decision, ask yourself; could you have done something different at the time?
And if you could, what would you do different?
Back to our friend Hamlet..
“Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die - to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks”
Hamlet's ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy, one of the most famous speeches in all of literature, is about the pain and suffering of life.
And whether it is better to endure it or to end it. He ultimately decides against suicide because he fears what comes after death.
Maybe there’s an analogy to do with DNF-ing wrapped up somewhere in there?
Don’t fear the DNF, as Blue Öyster Cult almost said. If you’re not risking your or others’ well-being, do your best to try to keep moving forward.
Focus on the kilometre you’re in, and so on. If something doesn’t feel right, do what you can to improve it.
And, remember, there’s no need to quit immediately. So don’t forget to take a moment to rest and consider your options.
You may just surprise yourself with what you do end up doing (or not doing).