Prathima's Miles & Milestones

I successfully tackled my first 50K ultramarathon

Bhasin Sports organises the Jarakabande Ultra in the Avalahalli State Forest, Ramagondanahalli. The track is a complete trail with sand, gravel, a hill, a lake, and the surrounding sounds of peacocks and birds. Mornings were greeted by peacock and peafowl sounds known for their loud, resonant calls that can be heard over long distances. We could watch them going by their right in front of us. This memory is etched in my mind as this was my first time watching so many of them at once, just minding their business despite so many people jogging/running/walking around.

The run had many categories catering from beginners to the novice starting with — 5 kms, 10 kms, 20 kms, 30kms, 50kms, 80kms, 100, and a 100 miler which sums up 161 kms. The event was organised for two consecutive days for shorter distances and longer ones.

All of us looked serious during the race briefing near the start line. The Do’s & Don’ts, the loop, the “be careful of gravel, I slipped a couple of times”, the cut-off, the pitstops for hydration & aid stations, and so much more. Sushil & Ankur Bhasin are such kind souls who humbly say I’ve done 500-miler & have run this loop for approval. We could not digest what he just said haha. In my mind, I was calculating the numbers in kms.

With my runner buddy & roomie from Vagamon Ultra, Sandhya who is a Doctor & a strong runner, we reached the venue for a quick breakfast & warmup. The run had a 2km common stretch, followed by a 3km loop, ending back to the initial 2km common stretch summing up a 5kms. There were timing mats, in the beginning & towards the end which we were supposed to cross. After the first loop, with hydration every 2kms, we dropped the bags as its a loop. We filled our pockets with necessary gels, & started running. Only when it started to get sunny & humid, we grabbed our sunglasses & hat. The loop made it seem very easy initially as it felt a very short distance, more like you are going round and round your house or the neighbourhood. The volunteers were kind enough. They even remembered the number of loops by each of us as we struck up a conversation. They did not move an inch from the very beginning to the end of the race so that nobody got confused with the loops as we tend to hallucinate after a certain amount of time running the loops back & forth. Some volunteers made a note in their books, plus there was a beep for crossing every timing mat which was getting synced as well. No place for errors in such an environment. Kudos to their patience & efforts.

My mind marked the course & I knew what was next every minute whether it was flat, uphill, or downhill. We easily clocked 6 kms every hour in the beginning. It was more of an easy chatty run. The fun part was that the non-ITRA races with a distance like 50 kms or above are more of a training run rather than a race.

The crowd was excellent. Usually, ultras tend to lead to loneliness at some stretches. But here since it was a loop, we always crossed paths with other runners at the same points where we exchanged pleasantries. Initially, it was all smiles and the rush of hormones early in the morning plus the chilly winds. But as the sun shined, it was humid, which made us tired — we had the energy to show a thumbs-up as we passed super tired. However, the 100 kms & 100 milers athletes were super enthusiastic as they knew that they were running continuously for two days with occasional naps in their tents. It was mind-blowing to aim for such distances. I even met a few retired 70 years old runners running a 100 kms. It takes guts. I did accompany them for certain kms & they were full of life enjoying every next step when I was dreading the heat & sweating. I luckily had my breakfast in under 8 minutes & got back to the loop as I could match my race strategies. However, I did get a little slower & had to skip lunch to meet the distance within the cutoff of 10 hrs.

The last three loops were gruesome. I could do it with the people cheering for me — some known & some unknown. Yet, I did not want to disappoint them as it takes energy from them to read my name from the bib & say a word or two. I’m just glad & surprised at how selfless the runners’ troupe is. Some even said to catch up faster, time was running, and the cutoff was getting closer towards my 8th hour. That is so kind of someone doing a higher distance than mine, being so mindful even after 8 hrs of running to keep an eye on. I’m sure they know the value of their DNF’ed races, hence 2 hrs ahead warning & I received a gush of energy as their words “Good going”, “strong run”, “cutoff is nearing, speed up girl!”, “last two loops towards the finish line” crossed my ears. We all want the medal of course after the gruesome 50 kms. The pain and the sweat need some appreciation & validation at least. One can’t let it go in vain. It was my very last loop, & braved myself with some pep talk as I wanted to finish strong. I thanked every single volunteer in the aid stations, they smiled & even congratulated me in advance. We don’t know when we’d cross paths again or not, yet that sip of water was more than worth a million dollars standing in the scorching heat waiting to serve the runners — be it water, electrolytes, coke, medicine, watermelons, chikkis, jaggery, salt, even some ice or the motivation & appreciation needed for each one of us.

And, finally, I crossed the finish line. It was surreal. It felt like I was in a dream. Received my precious medal from Ankur Bhasin. It took some time for me to realise that I finally did it. “First ever 50 kms in an ultra” was finally ticked on my bucket list.

Seeing my name on the banner & accomplishing the same was & is such an awesome feeling. I was just proud of myself that I could do it. The human mind is crazy to participate in ultras. But the human body is more magical to accomplish what’s on our mind.

Once we results were out, I was mindblown to know that I stood 4th in the women’s leaderboard! It was more of a dream ultra run for me. If I can do it, anybody can do it. The ultras have won my heart than the road running.

My runner buddy Sandhya, was the first runner-up in her age category. I could not ask for anything more. We all are winners end of the day to even take the first step into the world of ultra running I can say. All’s well that ends well. We stretched, showered, had our dinner & crashed into a wholesome restful sleep with the blisters on our feet dreaming of our next ultra together 🙂