Ultraman 2.0: Lessons From My 104 Mile Ultramarathon

Running 104 miles non-stop is a very long way! I have heard it said 'that a 100 mile race will encourage you to be yourself, allow you to be at your worst, & push you to be at your very best'. Reflecting on this statement post-race, it couldn't be more true. See what I've learned by simply refusing to give up.

The Race

Why did I sign up to run a 100 mile ultramarathon? Why do I continue to put myself through this intense pain? Why not do something less extreme like run a fast 5k, or take up golf?

These were all questions I asked myself 21 hours into the race, at 85 miles, with no sleep - while wading through chest height nettles for the umpteenth time, at 3 O'clock in the morning!

My quads & foot hurt so much they started to tingle with a heavy dull throbbing pain - which later turned out that my ankle bone was cracked from rolling over a tree stump, only 15 miles in to the race!

Everything in me was telling me that the most rational thing to do at that moment was to lay down and go to sleep - irrespective of whether or not I would die of hyperthermia.

At 87 miles I was moments away from ripping off my number with a dreaded DNF, & quitting! The prospect of running another 17 miles was simply incomprehensible!

But then I remembered - with a little encouragement from my wife - that I wasn't a quitter!

I hadn't trained ferociously for months - often at the detriment of my family & social life, & invested heavily in this process to become a quitter. Quitting was not an option!

The mandate is always the same - if nothing is broken (although it actually was but I didn't know lol), if my lungs & heart are performing ok, I am not allowed to quit.

Beans on toast, a very sugary cup of tea, a little encouragement from the amazing GB Ultras crew, a quick 20 minute power nap, & I was back on the trails.

Suddenly, with the freshly risen sun, the prospect of quitting was a mere distant memory.

A few hours later I crossed the finish line & received my prized golden buckle!

So what did I learn during this race?

External Factors & Internal Discomfort Are Solutions To Be Managed

At the point of scrolling the internet to find a 100 mile race to sign up to, I was already excited & a little anxious of the eventual discomfort that would soon be experienced. It is the obsession with such discomfort that keeps ultra runners coming back for more.

Race day turned out to be hottest day of the year. It was an unbelievably hot day to be spent climbing steep hills, trapsing through fields, & wading through nettles for what would be a very long & exposed day in the sun.

The heat, & my propensity to sweat heavily, resulted in a chafe under my armpits that gradually became like a Japanese torture routine as the race progressed.

I noticed that what separated those who would go on to successfully complete the race, & the many who would drop out, was their responses to the external factors & internal discomfort they experienced.

As I chatted to people throughout different stages of the race, the people who made it to the end - although evidently in pain themselves, were often better at managing the discomfort. They were able to adapt quickly to ensure they had a better chance at finding a solution to the challenge.

Whereas those who would eventually drop out would often allow themselves to be managed by the external factors or internal discomfort, which would eventually force them to obsess about whatever it was that was impacting them.

Lesson 1: I have learned that discomfort is inevitable. However, we can learn to embrace discomfort as something that is necessary. When you embrace it as a necessary process it is much less likely to dominate you & your performance.

Lesson 2: External factors are out of our control. However, we can control how we respond by being adaptable & managing it as a problem to be solved.

A Smile & Positive Outlook Gets You Further Than You Think

The picture above is me at 97 miles, at the next checkpoint from the previous one were I almost quit. In this photo I could have easily vomited all over the floor, & was terrified about going back out in the increasingly hot morning.

My fellow running friend, of whom I ended up sharing many miles with was struggling to walk at this point, & worried if he would make the cutoff. At this moment, how I felt was no different to any person in the race at that time. We were all feeling the toil of the sleep deprived hardship in our own way.

We could have wallowed in self pity OR we could remain positive & smile in our suffering as we edged closer to the finish line. I opted for the latter.

The alternative - & one I have witnessed frequently, was adopting a posture of defeat with a negative outlook. The posture of which is incredibly contagious!

I recently supported a friend in her ultra race, & while waiting for her to arrive at the aid station, I listened to a group of runners ruminating about how badly they were feeling & how hot they were. It wasn't long before the whole group were obsessing about the difficult day ahead of them.

As the conversation continued, one man quit & another was about to - because he too had been infected by the negative outlook of the group.

Overhearing the conversation I intervened & pulled the man aside with a smile, gave some positive encouragement, & eventually persuaded him to continue. I l saw him later that day with a medal - he gave me a smile!

Lesson 3: How you posture yourself in hardship has a direct influence on those around you. Positivity & negativity are highly contagious! Be careful not to get sucked in to a cesspool of defeat because it could it quite literally ruin your day.

Lesson 4: By wallowing in self pity you will never get to where you want to be. Positivity is the only thing that keeps you moving forward.

A Consistent Steady Pace Is Faster Than Short Bursts Of Speed

The funny thing about ultramarathons is that because of the long nature of the race, those who run off fast at the start you will likely see - & probably pass, again much later. It might not even be for 24 hours, but you will no doubt see many of them again!

There comes a point in the race - for me it was around 75 miles, where running or short burst of effort didn't actually get you much further than walking. The benefit of a short burst may actually hinder your performance later on.

Being my first 100 mile race I learned these lessons the hard way!

My strategy was to maintain a steady pace for as long as possible. After the start I quickly found myself at the end of the pack, moving steadily with some retired older men at the early stages - oh whom had ran multiple races over the 100 mile distance before.

Sticking to this strategy, over the next 30 miles we overtook many people on the route. However, my competitive - & unaccustomed naivety got the better of me! I found myself adopting a new strategy: I will push while I'm feeling good to position myself further up the pack. My pace increased & by 60 miles I was sitting high in the race, feeling great.

I left the old men behind - who didn't succumb to the pressure, & maintained a disciplined strategy to keep moving steadily forward.

One of the men later passed me at mile 86 - while I was having a silent breakdown, speedily stomping past me at the same pace that I left him earlier in the day. I never saw him again!

Another man overtook me with 2.5 miles to the finish line. Likewise, I never saw him again.

Additionally, later in the race after coming through the back end of another low spell, I had a sudden burst of energy & pushed myself with a gentle run. I managed to overtake about 12 people between the aid stations!.

However, the sudden burst took its toll as I sat in the aid station, leaving my legs depleted of energy. By the time I left the aid station all 12 of those people had already left. I never saw any of them again!

In that moment I learned that a consistent steady pace is far more effective than short sudden bursts of speed.

Lesson 5: It is more efficient to work consistently in the small things, than work with high energy, sporadically.

Lesson 6: The long game produces better results, than short term impulses that are not sustainable.

You Are Only As Good As The People You Have Around You

I managed to persuade two people to pace me in the race. One of which is a fire fighter & travelled 2.5 hours in her car after a night shift - with no sleep, to join me for 12 miles.

By the time she arrived I was walking briskly with small intermittent jogs. I still felt relatively strong at this point, however the relentless sun had taken its toll & I was struggling to take in calories. I could think only of how sick I felt. Any desire for being social & talkative was gone for a while.

We walked/jogged slowly, waiting for the sun to set. I was miserable & a little delirious. At one point I thought she jumped out a bush at me & thought I was going to fall in the canal. This was my only hallucination of the race!

My second pacer joined me for the night shift at around 10:30pm. At this point the thought of running was hell. My stomach was spinning due to a day of endless amounts of Tailgate. We walked into the night for 15 miles, & at every point I could have fallen asleep on the ground & died. That's how I felt anyway!

Likewise, I was also miserable & not very talkative. In fact, at this point all I could muster was a muttering of swear words to myself to stop me from going to sleep.

My wife, as always was with me every step of the way, driving between check points & ensuring I had everything I needed when I arrived. Most of the time I would fly through the aid station, take what I needed & leave her to pack up my gear & drive to the next - on repeat for 29 hours with only 1 hour of sleep herself!

She has always been incredibly selfless & a huge support in helping me achieve these crazy challenges. I couldn't do these things without her.

I will forever be grateful for all of them for taking time out of their lives to support me in this race. However, during the race I was reflecting at how my lack of gratitude in that moment must of seemed.

I learned that in these challenges - as my wife paced me over the finish line, that we are only as good as the people around us.

Each of them saw me at my most raw, authentic & honest self. There was no judgement. Just pure support & a selfless commitment to helping me achieve my goal.

Lesson 7: Surround yourself with people in your life who will encourage you to be yourself, allow you to be at your worst, & push you to be at your very best. Life is too short not to invest & cultivate these friendships.

Lesson 8: The bond created over intense hardships while working toward a goal will build the strongest of relationships. Set hard goals & work toward them with your friends & you will have the strongest of friendships.

Summary

The person that started, & the person that finished this race felt like a lifetime of distance apart.

People say that running a 100 mile race will provide you with a glimpse of a lifetime of experiences & lessons about yourself, in an intensely condensed environment.

This is the obsessive pull that is making ultramarathons so popular, & why I keep coming back for more.

The desire to push myself & see exactly what I am capable of achieving, along with the amazing community of supportive people you meet along with the way is why I keep signing up.

I have learned some valuable lessons about my successes & mistakes during this adventure. This is just the beginning for my ultra career.

Was the Chester Ultra 100 hard? Absolutely. incredibly difficult! But it's exactly for that reason why I loved it.

So what's next?

I have the 200 miles distance in mind - this is within my reach! Whether it is 2024 or 2025 that is the question.

However, 2024 will definitely involve another 100 mile ultramarathon - this time much harder & with more mountains!.

Whatever I choose it will be bigger & better because for me life is about intentionally moving forward.

Whether you do an ultra or your first 5km race, why not set yourself a hard goal that will force you to become a better version of yourself? Why not do it with a friend?

Its not so much about the race, its the person you become through the process & the people you meet, that could literally change your life.

The Best Is Yet To Come!!

Much love,

Rossi

Instagram: @r_coulbeck

(I would love to hear your thoughts, & if anyone would like some help finding or working toward a goal feel free to reach out).