Kackar Ultra 2015

I was lucky enough to run the first edition of Kackar Ultra in 2015, a 45 trail with amazing views. Kackar mountains are not just beautiful: despite the constant torture of people and those mountains are ultra beautiful. Fortunately, this beauty is now protected as a national park, giving me some hope that we will not entirely trash it for future generations.

In Rize, it rains a lot. I mean quite a lot. Below a certain altitude, the forest is very thick, dark and in every way unique. Not quite tropical, but dense, wet and hard to pass through. When I served as an officer in Bolu, this range of mountains and forests which stretch across Turkey for a thousand kilometres never ceased to amaze me. “Trans Kackar” route is a very popular and well trodden destination, which takes typically one to two weeks to complete.

When I first heard about the the new race, I thought, o-my-god, that will be great and hoped for a multi stage race and I was slightly disappointed when I learned that would be only a 45 K trail. The website says, the 2019 edition still gives us only a 45 k route as the longest route but that is more than ok. Such a thing would be extremely complicated, expensive and perhaps a bit risky to organise without some experimentation. Races in Turkey are still young, evolving and I am sure Kackar will be the home to longer and more challenging courses in the coming years. I take my hat off for all the people who organised this first edition of the race.

You can reach the current race information here.

I remember arriving in Trabzon on Friday evening and renting a car. As usual, I was pressed for time and I could not arrive earlier. It takes roughly three hours from the airport to the Natural Park region, where you can find many small, cosy hotels. The place looked like a small mountain ski hotel, packed with runners. I joined my team at a late dinner and joined the race brief afterwards.

The start point was an hour away from the hotels region. We woke up around 5:00, had breakfast and then hopped on our minibuses which took us through a very rough country road uphill to the start point. That ride was pretty run in itself.

For this race, I decided to run with my dear running buddy Serhan. In a first time event, without GPS trackers, we decided to be smart. We were training for the Berlin Marathon therefore extremely cautious about injuries. Our plan was to walk the hills up and down, not get pumped up, finish in health and have lots of beers afterwards.

The course is uphill immediately after the start. A group of heroes set off running but almost everyone other than the elites ended up walking anyways. I don’t remember the quality of trail markings. We did not feel the need for them most of the time. Control points were well positioned.

After the first 10 k, we started running alone, meeting with friends at checkpoints and running in single file through narrow passages.

This bridge was the finish area – beautiful 🙂

All through the race, it rained and rained and rained. This is Rize, the wettest region in Turkey. The ground does not loosen up, so rain was hardly an issue. I even enjoyed it a bit. My only disappointment was the final 7k descent, extremely steep and concrete, which felt like hammering nails into my heels thanks to my poorly chosen shoes. I remember wearing a Fuji something, which had no padding at all.

The race ends at a small bridge where you can dip in freezing cold waters and wash off your fatigue. We completed the course at 6 hours 30 minutes, without breaking bone or snapping an ankle. We still had half a marathon program ahead of us.

Overall, I recommend this race to anyone who looks for a mid-difficulty race to gain experience, try something other than a road race or just enjoy the nature. Two night at the mountains, a fantastic trail, all green and silent, far from the madding crowd. What else you can ask for? (Tip. You can ask for a drink or two. The chances are you will not get it. Bring your own afterparty booze for celebrations.)

Again, I would definitely recommend running with a buddy and carrying enough foodstuff, basic emergency needs including a small flashlight just in case. If you are planning to run the hell out of it, the more protection and support you can get for your feet the better. Remember packing a camera too. Also consider just walking it. The trail is amazing, perhaps you might slow down now and then and enjoy the view.