UTHC 125, 2022: Lessons Learned

A few months ago, along with a few dozen other trail runners, I was on the starting line of the Ultra-Trail Harricana of Canada 125 trail race (aka. UTHC 125, 125 km / 77 miles) in the woods of Charlevoix, Québec, Canada.

To cut short the suspens, I didn't reach the finish line. Bad nutrition management led to an uncontrollable and painful hiccup for 6 hours, not as funny as it may sound, slowing the pace to hiking until reaching the midpoint aid station (and my partner/crew) at 2 AM with 15mn left before cutoff time. Wasn't long enough, dream's end.

Lots of efforts were put to reach that goal, and - no surprise - this was then quite a hit to take in.

Yes, that was tough for everyone, as shown by the 51% of "Did not finish" (DNF), or this Englishman fellow who had already successfully completed the UTMB (170km/105mi in the European Alps) and was shocked to be stopped at half point by the clock too as he was not moving fast enough.

But I had no other plan than reaching the finish line, whatever it would take, relying on my Will when things would turn rough. Haha.

So, as inspired by Hilary McVey in a following discussion, here are some lessons learned - that can probably be applied outside of the trail running field too - I'll let you figure how this translates to your field. As a reminder for this year's new attempt (if needed at some point), as well as hopefully useful for any fellow interested in this amazing challenge:

• Taking the services of a (running) coach was a great idea.

It helped very much to channel "training enthusiasm", especially during vacation, avoiding the usual Summer' "too-much-time-to-run" injury, and building strength and endurance. When stopped by the cut off time at the Parc des Hautes Gorges, that was definitely not due to the legs.

• With one drop bag allowed at mid point, having the luxury of a one-woman-crew allowed for changing clothes before reaching the drop bag.

This was more than welcomed and a noticed bump on morale.

• As said by Mahima Chaudhary, MBA at Deloitte University North a few weeks later: "What brought you here is not what will get you further". And that couldn't be more true in this case.

Assumptions were based on previous experiences, completing a self-supported 80k (50 mi) during pandemic on the Mont Royal in Montreal, and the Bromont Ultra 80 (BU 80) the following year.

So, similarly, I contacted Antoine, running coach at Le Coaching Du Coureur , only 3 months in advance. This could have been good enough from an endurance perspective, but clearly not from a nutrition one. Starting the training early is a better idea, allowing time to include at least one really long (and tough) run during the prep, which is a good way one can think to train on nutrition, right?

Then later when building a race plan, I based all my passage times on the BU 80 race pace. Newbie mistake. Antoine helped again here by suggesting a more realistic (read: slower) pace. This led to plan B (and plan C and plan D) timings - the C one was actually quite "spot on" during the first third of the distance.

• UTHC is happening litterally in the middle of nowhere,?dans le bois, where there's little to (most of the time) no mobile phone coverage.

In this regard, the race plan will be the guide for both the racer and the support crew.

Trying to communicate between aid stations is just a waste of time. Support crews have to take decisions by themselves with what they have, so prepared scenarios will definitely help them. Best decisions are based on the right information, and real time is not an option here.

• Communicating correctly when meeting is then crucial.

When reaching the first crew-allowed station, I wasn't clear when heading to the "Runners Only" buffet that I would come back before continuing. So my partner left for the next spot and when coming back I lost 20+ mn trying to find her on the parking lot while the sun was almost set. As a bonus, this was a mental down, blaming myself for not doing things properly.

Maybe preparing/rehearsing with the crew 'what to ask' with a few possible answers in each case can smooth everything and avoid miscommunication.

• Clarity of mind goes down with the time passed on the job.

Not a surprise to anyone interested in neuroscience, is it? That first crew-allowed station was the first one with a full eat-what-you-can station. Though still having a supply of boiled potatoes in the bag, I followed the movement without thinking much and got a nice supper to start the second third of the course. Yummy! Probably the biggest mistake of all, as it created something like a stomach choc that sticked for the remaining part, and led to this final half point stop.

To remember: considering aid stations as refill points rather than eating points. It's not because you can get it that it's a good idea to grab it.

• It's hard to think about everything that can turn wrong on such event - in short, everything - but perhaps having some idea about "how to handle such or such occurrence?" could be wise, too. A risk matrix, basically.

When the shit hit the fan, I had no plan other than sticking to the plan, hoping the hiccup would magically stop at some point so that I could get back to running again. "Having a plan is mandatory, following the plan is optional" (quote not mine).

A good thing about ultra trails is that you have plenty of time to meet fellow friendly runners and have a chat - if you'd like to talk. One advice was to try a soft drink at the next station, but it was probably a bit late, though, and trying didn't change anything.

Best option is maybe to stop right away, lie down and rest for 30 or 40 mn, then get back on the trail. Sometimes taking a break can still lead to less time lost.

• Terrain: this one could be seen outside of the "mandatory category", depending on your usual training spot. If there's a possibility to train on the same type of trails as the ones from the race, then it's worth a try.

This would help have a better understanding of the trail conditions, and to adjust the race plan accordingly. Acknowledging this is not always possible, just like training on the same temperatures - September 2022 was warmer than usual so this one hasn't been an issue.

With that being said, one of the UTHC goals is to support Research on Multiple Sclerosis through fundraising - and there was some great progress done recently. Far more important than finishing any race, no?

Recent study offers evidence of link between Epstein-Barr and multiple sclerosis.

See you in the trails,

Arnaud

#ultratrail #lessonslearned #trail #running #planning #charlevoix #quebec #canada