Ultra Distance??

Hi Folks

Ive got a quick question for all you ultra runners (walkers?) out there that has been niggling at me for a while now.

At the moment im enjoying running half marathons (in a respectable 2 hrs) and am in the training process to beat this. As I was a walker/mountaineer in a previous life I enjoy covering many miles over varying terrain which is why ultra's appeal to me.

I was wondering if , as ultras are the next distance on from marathons (generally) should I be competing in marathons first before I tackle ultras?? I ask because I think that marathons are supposed to be run in its entirety where as ultras are a run walk mix (please correct me if I am wrong). I could manage the mix of running and walking but im not too sure about running 26 miles straight off.

I do apologise if this is a silly question to all of you seasoned marathon/ultra runners.

Thanks

 

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Comments

  • Hi big foot.

    The are no rules. If you love being outside and you have the stamina to cover ground at your own pace for hours on end then who gives a toss how much you run or walk.

    There are some who insist on ultras being this or that, only ones of 30 miles/50k/100k count, you're not really an ultra runner until you've done a 100/mountain marathon/MdS/multi dryer etc etc etc.

    If you love running get your arse outside, see you in ten hours and I'll be happy to call you an an ultra runner.



    Please note the opinions herein may not represent the views of the majority image
  • Have a look at LDWA challenge events. They aware typically 20, 30, 50 mile distance and you get a real mix of walkers, run/walkers and runners. It's a great way to see if long distance running really works for you. And it's cheap too.
  • do want you want to and what you will enjoy./no point in doing the marathon if it has no appeal to you.......

     

    have fun.....with your walking background you should find that the ultras are great

  • have a look at the votwo challenge events too:

    http://www.votwo.co.uk/challenge-events.htm

    not quite an ultra as its 3 marathons over 3 days, but as they have 3 classes of entrant (walker, walk/runner and runner) they would seem to be ideal for a runner/walker/mountaineer image

    I quite fancy doing the jurassic coast one, but have only done one marathon before. However, like yourself, i do love a varied terrain image

  • Lirish wrote (see)
    Hi big foot.
    The are no rules. If you love being outside and you have the stamina to cover ground at your own pace for hours on end then who gives a toss how much you run or walk.
    There are some who insist on ultras being this or that, only ones of 30 miles/50k/100k count, you're not really an ultra runner until you've done a 100/mountain marathon/MdS/multi dryer etc etc etc.
    If you love running get your arse outside, see you in ten hours and I'll be happy to call you an an ultra runner.

    Please note the opinions herein may not represent the views of the majority image

    What he said....


     

  • Lirish wrote (see)
    Hi big foot.
    The are no rules. If you love being outside and you have the stamina to cover ground at your own pace for hours on end then who gives a toss how much you run or walk.
    There are some who insist on ultras being this or that, only ones of 30 miles/50k/100k count, you're not really an ultra runner until you've done a 100/mountain marathon/MdS/multi dryer etc etc etc.
    If you love running get your arse outside, see you in ten hours and I'll be happy to call you an an ultra runner.

    Please note the opinions herein may not represent the views of the majority image

     

    im quite interested to see you both agreeing on a 'multi DRYER' .....care to explain??
     
  • Multi dayer. Feckin iPad auto correct
  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    multi dayer?!?! image

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    Why take many days when you can do it in one goimage

  • you get to be a dirty stop out overnight/ s?

  • good advice has been given to you (see above)

    enjoy.

  • Thanks everyone,image

    I was waiting for a " Don't be an arse and improve your half time first"!!! but your advice was gladly received. I might do the Adidas TR24, its only really a 10K but its lots of 10K's so it may give me an idea before I drop myself in at the deep end.

    Adventure racing looks great... if you have just won the lottery or are a banker.

     

    Cheers

     

  • BIg_Foot, I'm agreeing with everyone above. I did my first 50K before my first marathon.

    The other thing to do is just look for trail runs - 20 miles, marathon, 30 miles, shorter, longer - whatever. People in my running club (including me!) completed the Beachy Head marathon last week in times ranging from 4.26 to 8.53 - I doubt any of us ran the whole way - well, I don't know about the guy who finished ahead of me, but I know I didn't!

  • Thanks Debra, its good to hear of people that actually gave it a go and it worked for them.

    Max's Mum, just had a look at the jurassic run... looks great! 

  • I know, my only thought is, do i go for it next year, or wait until the year after. Or there is the Purbeck marathon, which had its first outing this year, but it has got a 7 hour limit, and i'm not sure if i could manage that over that terrain. but they are both very very tempting. . .image

  • Well I've never done a stand alone marathon, only ones at the end of IMs, and the only one I am thinking of ever doing is The Picnic

    You obviously enjoy being out side and running/walking a lot so carry on doing just that  and everytime you see an event that interests you enter it and see what happens regardless of distance.

    I am probably doing 5km Park Run tomorrow morning for the first time in my life, purely because my 8yr old son has challenged me!

  • I run/walk marathons. I mean, I run most of them, but I don't think twice about walking through drink stations or while eating a gel or while going up a particularly tough hill. I ran Loch Ness non stop last month and was comprehensively trounced by a VERY fit looking guy who was doing a regimented run/walk. We leapfrogged each other a few times then his run pace just seemed to get faster and faster and I didn't see him at all after about 10 miles... I mean, okay, so most people think you should run marathons. But that doesn't mean YOU have to! Or that you even have to do one before moving on to ultras. If you like being out on the hills all day, you'll probably LOVE ultras. Go for it!

  • im thinking of adopting 20:5 ratio for my next 50miler as its flat as flat can be image so no natural walk breaks included ie.hills!! jave never tried the regimented run/walk thing before now as past 2 ultras were fairly up and downy....chance to experiment now

  • MM, the thing that puts me off marathons is that although there isn't a time limit, if I take too long the marshals at most marathons disappear!! Ide be going around in circles without a map.

    VB , RWD I think I'll train towards a marathon, it will speed my half marathon up at least. I think I'll give an ultra a go next year... I've just been talked into doing the Fan Dance as well!!! Fingers crossed

    Thanks everyone
  • Big-foot- you'll need to get used to the idea of runnig on your own, on a sparsely- marked course, if you are going to do an ultra- yesterday on my 50k race, I could see at least 1 runner for about 3/4 of it, but also had spells of 30 mins or o where I didn't see either another runner, or a course marker. This is one of the things that makes ultras very different to marathons, where you might be jostling for space on the road- but I would think it would suit you, if yuo're an experienced hill walker.

  • big foot, i marshalled at the purbeck marathon and we all stayed till the back markers had gone past us!

  • A couple of the marathons I've done very slowly were quite bad for just about everyone having packed up and gone by the time I finished. In comparison at all of the ultras I've either marshalled or run, a lot of people seem to make a point of staying at the finish line to cheer in the last folk home, no matter how long they take. Ultras are just a better atmosphere all round.
  • A lot of the feedback I've got from people who have ran marathons have said all of the ones they enjoyed the most, the Marshall's had stayed until the end. I know that the Marshall's aren't paid and what they do is in their free time, this makes it highly commendable and personally I really do appreciate it. The Wolverhampton marathon isn't marked at all so if you didn't know the area or couldn't remember it from the first time around (where you were guided by Marshall's) then you were lost. Tricialitt, in open spaces I'm quite happy running on my own, do most of them have maps provided??? but I know what you mean, i guess its something Ive got to get used to. Max's Mum, its great to see the Marshall's out on the course and i get a well needed (at times) boost from them cheering the runners on and giving you encouragement.RWD i guess the Marshall's could be out for a very long time with some of the distances involved for ultras??

  • I've just entered the Ladybower 50 as my first ultra, part of the attraction is that its run round a couple of reservoirs so hopefully the navigation side of things will be restricted to keeping the water on the same side of me throughout the race.

  • Hi GazOC, this looks good, im not too sure of the cut off times though

  • Hi BF, The final cut off of 13 hours averages out at over 15 mins/ mile so I'm pretty sure the others will be generous enough as well. 

  • .....and you wont need a drink stop!! 15 / min miles make it seem more doable.

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