Prathima's Miles & Milestones

A visual treat to the eyes running amongst tea plantations

Vagamon is a hill station located along the Kottayam-Idukki border of Kerala and has been nicknamed the “Scotland of Asia”, thus providing a paradise for trail runners. The Vagamon ULtrail is an Ultra Trail Marathon organized by Soles of Cochin in the hills of Vagamon.

Running has given me many things, but greatest gift has been the people that it’s brought into my life. Hence here I’m on another race registration haha to a new city, a new state altogether.

The trip started with the train journey to Ernakulam followed by a warm welcome by the Soles of Cochin team for the outstation candidates. The bib collection was right there at the pick up point, boarded the bus, and 5 hours journey to Vagamon begins. It made me recall my school trips. 
Most of them were trail runners & some were being introduced to trails hence transitioning from road running to trail running.

Met of lot of runners as well as volunteers. Felt welcomed. They were generous in helping us get used to the weather with the tips and tricks to beat the heat. The overnight train journey tiredness vanished with the high of trail conversations amongst many runners. Witnessed a very scenic route along the way with the mountains, valleys, and tea plantations. 
Upon booking the accommodations along with the registrations, behind the bib were our resort & room numbers. It was a mystery to figure out my roommate as multiple buses picked us up from Ernakulam.

When we finally reached the resort, figuring out my room the roommates were already there. I was the last one. We introduced ourselves, the cities we come from, the running journey, & so on. Post it took a shower and we left for the race briefing. It was mesmerising to see 100s of crazy runners with the same ambitions as mine. Coming to a different city and running on a new trail is fun in itself. An adventure all together.

We ate, prepped for the race day morning, stretched a bit, set up the alarms, and went to bed in a flee as were tired. The next day morning was super cold and dark! We were excited, wished each other, clicked pictures, followed each other on Strava, picked our quick breakfast & all set. A bus picked us up to the start line. Quickly finished the chores of hydrating, baggage counter, washroom trips, warmups, and posing for pictures & no time heard the whistle for the race countdown. It was dark & freezing. Yet, we had our sun protection gear like caps, sunglasses, ORS, etc.

The views were lovely and the biting cold did not bother me much. It’s magical how our body gets accustomed to nature. The dark slowly faded which made us happy. The marking was excellent. The orange tapes and the white paint with red dots on the rocks (similar to the Japan flag) were useful. The ribbons were also tied to the creepers on the floor where I thought that the ribbon had fallen! Given that trail routes can be modified even at the last minute, it does take guts to choose the paint approach.

As always we were instructed not to use the .gpx map or rely on GPS. Hydration stations had potato chips and coke! My first time to observe these. Felt as if we were at a party! However, since we rely on gels & less solid food the stomach acids can act weirdly hence coke, plus the sugar rush helps since we lose a lot of salt & sugar during the race in the humid weather. Some aid stations were set up in a house for cooked food like omelette which even has a bed set up to rest & washrooms! This was a blessing amidst running up and down the tea plantations. The three stream crossing gave me goosebumps towards the ~20kms mark. Fruit punch was also served in an aid station. The terrain was hard for using the poles. However, it was slightly easier with poles which I did get offered by fellow runners. Relying on our gels, hajmola, pulse candy, ORS, energy bars, and water was all our thing as planned. Running with the weight was another hurdle. Some uphills had to be walked & not all downhills we could run. It was very steep. One wrong step could lead to twisting & turning of ankles. Tired legs have to be paused before we aim for a step otherwise it’d be very risky. And amidst all these, the sun started shining & here came our sunglasses else it’d lead to a severe headache. I had also packed a headache tablet in my backpack given my immunity to harsh sunlight.

The best part of Vagamon when compared to other ITRA trails is that it usually gets lonely in some parts. However, here I could see people far ahead of me on the hill opposite to me in a different tea plantation & another bunch of people behind me on a different plantation. That human touch felt good & less lonely compared to many ultras.

A few sections were scary. We held hands, and created a human chain in between to hold the grip of none other than the tea plant roots! All strategies of crossing went in vain. I just thought of sliding down the terrain and I did. The rest followed. We laughed so hard that our stomach hurt. These memories are so wholesome. Feels like yesterday. I feel fortunate and grateful to live this life where I’m 35 & yet can slide down the muddy trench, get into slushy waters and enjoy life 🙂 Thanks to my swimming skills that I’d use if I slipped & fell while crossing the bridges. Met some amazing folks in these tough sections which was unexpected. Felt like a breeze! Not sure how long would I’ve taken given that I was alone traversing these tough stretches. A helping hand works miracles & fosters bonds beyond just race timings and certificates. This is where we know humanity wins over race PRs and titles. A lifelong friendship & memories over any race completions. No TED talks work when you are dead tired, your legs giving up, your body giving up & a fellow runner in the opposite direction encourages you and narrates what’s next with a number. Just a nod is an acknowledgement & boom I’m magically supercharged in a second. Most of the trail friendships are from such moments. Touchwood!

If you have read so far, yes I’m not adding pictures as many I captured as no image can provide justice. But here’s how much my roomie enjoyed the views 🙂

I wish everyone reading this article to witness the place & enjoy the race! 🙂