Uludag Ultra 100 K – UPUT100 – 2022
You’ll probably like this post if you are a road runner transitioning to ultras, preparing for your first 100K or would like to learn about Uludag Ultra 100 K course. I completed UPUT100 a week ago and this is a brief account of my experience.
Maybe I should clear out a few whys before jumping in the race.
Why a 100K? Because I aready completed a few 12-hour races and I wanted to test something longer. Until now, I kept telling myself that “I did not like running at dark” which led me to races with 12 hour cut-offs. This “running in the dark” thing was my wall and I needed to learn more about this mental barrier.
Why a “trail” race? I would prefer a flat 100K road race if I could find one. Longer races seem to be all trails. To the best of my knowledge, there are no 100K+ foot races in Turkey. Transitioning to trail running was again my only option. (An exception is RFSL, Runfire Salt Lake, which is neither road nor trail, but I could not make my agenda work)
Why Uludag Ultra? Because it is the only available ultra-race in July. Uludag 100 has 5100 m elevation difference, not at all suitable for a road runner like me. But I knew the first half of the course from last year’s 66K. So I wanted to give it a go.
Two things about this race scared me shitless for months. Number one: darkness. How would I run the final 20-30 K descending down the summit and cross the forest segment all by myself (assuming I would have to do this all by myself) Number two: How would I survive the cold at the summit if it rained like last year? I had no means of training for those two.
Uludag is a National Park and supposedly there is still some wildlife. There is always a buzz about bear encounters in the social media even though nobody seriously claims to have seen one during training runs or races. I don’t think any sane, normal bear would target 1200+ runners but there is still this elemental fear in everybody’s mind. What if I get lost? What if I bump into some angry wild boar?
This year, I was more prepared than ever. For the very first time, I completed all the long runs in my training plan, lost enough weight to reach my “acceptable” range and somehow managed to shop up at the start point without any health issues. I was able to rest well during the taper, got my nutrition pretty spot on. Everything was super good.
Before the race, I divided the course in 3 major segments.
First 30 K. Start – Cumalikazik (CP3) First 30 k of the race is almost always downhill. Except for a few very short climbs, the course goes down and down for 30 k from 1750 m to 500m levels. This is good if you are light runner with good technique but terrible news for a guy like me who hates descents. My priority was to cross this segment without trashing my quads, therefore I planned to maintain a comfortable pace.
Middle 40 Climb. Cumalikazik – Buzul Goletler (CP6) From 30th to 71th km. The course climbs from 500 levels to 2400. It is like a marathon with 2000+ elevation gain. Especially the first climb between Saitabat and Alacam was brutal.
Final 30. Buzul Goletler – Finish. I dreaded this final stretch for two reasons: It would be dark (unless you finish the race under 14 hours) and cold.
So my race plan went something like this – Run/walk comfortably until the first 30k preferably under 4 hours, focusing on hydration, nutrition and saving my power to the climbs. Powerwalk the middle 40 climb as fast as I can, reaching Alacam under 8:30 hour, specifically focusing on hydration. About the final 30k, I had no plans. I knew that I would somehow crawl downhill If made it until 80th km.
Another thing I wanted to get right was “constant movement”. To quote Western States 100 website says “Beware of the chair!”, “When you can run, run. When you can’t run, walk. When you can’t walk, walk anyway”. Having wasted more than 120 minutes at checkpoints, I was determined to spend no more than 5 minutes per CP.
This year made it to the starting line just in time because I wanted to avoid the hassle of repacking. I was staying in one of the hotels, so I basically walked from the hotel restaurant to the race. If you are planning to run 66 or 100K, I highly recommend that you stay on the mountain. Some runners choose to stay in Bursa and use the cable car early in the morning. Don’t do this if you can afford the hotel. There is also a camping area.
The gun went off as soon as I was in the start area. This year 40 people in 100K and 150+ in 66K took start at 6:00 am. While running the first 1 K, I realised that this was the first time I was running a racecourse second time. I don’t race often. Being familiar with the course was a huge comfort. It saves you a lot of mental energy.
First 30k was super fun. The forest is cool, shady, and very green. You share the trail with a lot of runners. It feels more like a “race”. It is close to impossible to get lost although some of us still do. All you have to worry about is not going too fast. The view is also very relaxing. Somewhere around 20 k you see Bursa beneath you, the slope of the trail eases up, allowing you to run comfortably while enjoying the city view on your left and the magnificent forest on your right. Speeding up is very tempting in the first 30K while you are still very fresh. In 2021, I covered the first 30 in 3 hours 30 minutes which caused my big bonk at 60. This year I was wiser, so maintained a comfortable pace up until 50K, running all flats (which are very rare) and walking all ups/downs (which are plenty).
One thing I remembered is that downhill running technique is supremely important. I envy the runners who can just “float” downhill with a relaxed flow, not wasting precious energy or trashing their quads. If you can’t run downhill properly, you can never make a good time, I guess. This could be my biggest development opportunity in this sport. Please check this link out to learn more.
Somewhere around 40k, I met Ozkan. It turned out that we shared an aversion for running alone at dark, so we decided to run the rest of the race together with a time target around 18 hours. This is a nice thing about trail events. I never met anyone at marathons but always made a few friends during ultras. Ozkan was a far more experienced trail runner than myself, and I was more than happy to have some company for the final home stretch. Knowing that you will not be alone, (or not get lost alone) lifts a big weight off your shoulders. You should always have a buddy in the mountains. Always.
Together, we set a comfortable walk/run rhythm, aiming to reach Alacam under 8 hours. But Uludag had a surprise for us. Unpredictable as ever, this year Uludag gave us “heat”. With a clear blue sky and scorching July sun above us, we reached Alacam checkpoint in 9 hours 30 minutes. I can drink natural water found in forests. This can be risky, still it did not want to be dehydrated.
The climb between Saitabat and Alacam was probably the steepest segment of the whole race. We grabbed our drop-bags, changed our clothes, had something to eat and got some rest for 15 minutes.
At Alacam, we met Tolga, a very accomplished trail runner, who was taking a 20 minute power-nap. There is no better learning opportunity than having an experienced runner as your buddy. We were extremely lucky. Tolga was getting prepared for Tor des Geants2022 and joined our little team. The more the merrier.
My trail technique sucks, yes, and I hate descents, yes, but I love the climbs. Tolga led the way, set the pace and we started our long uphill journey. I am not the sentimental/spiritual type but there is something about this ascent. You can feel the air getting thinner, cooler. Colours change. Around 1800 m elevation, the forest ends, and you find yourself in a cool desert. It is a supremely beautiful experience.
Around 72 K, we reached the summit lakes. 12 hours into the race, the sun was about the set and the temperature was close to zero Celsius. We put on our windbreakers, headlamps and marched on to the highest point of the course, “Kucuk Zirve”, literally “Little/Small Summit) at 2430 metres. This marked the end ascent. Tolga declared the race “almost over”, since it was all downhill afterwards.
Downhill, my nightmare. There as also a super strong wind which knocked me off sideways off the trail a few times. I am a biker and I know how a 90 km/h wind feels. This was something else. The cold, chilly kind of wind which penetrates your soul. Somehow pushed on. Ozkan and Tolga had to wait for me a few times until I finished my tortoise like struggle down Kucuk Zirve.
By the time we reached 80, it was almost dark. It is true that you lose a huge amount of your mental capacity in the later states. Suddenly, I felt a terrible pang of neck pain which came out of nowhere. It was so bad, I had to stop and support myself against a rock. The lights of the final CP were a few kilometres ahead. Tolga said that this was the final CP and we would proceed to finish right after that. But I remembered differently. We were supposed to to reach 84th km at the start/finish area and proceed to 16K course to complete 100K.
My neck pain transformed into a mind-numbing headache. “I can walk until the finish” I said, “…but If I have to complete another 16K, that’s it, I give up.” Tolga said that “You are not permitted to quit, and we are all in this together”. We stopped. He asked me whether I have been drinking up. I realised that I have not been getting any fluids since 65 k. “The wind and dehydration cause your headache” he said, “Drink up and you’ll be fine in no time”. And he was right! After half a litre of water, a chocolate bar and a painkiller later, I was just fine. So we moved on.
At 84, we reached the CP. I was truly and utterly tired, beaten up by the final descent and the wind. Salim, my dear friend was waiting. He decided to skip the race because of a recent covid episode but insisted on coming for support. This was exactly what I needed at this point. Support. We had glass of hot tea and something simple to eat. A few encouraging words and we were all fine.
The idealised ultra-runner meme is a lone wolf who takes on the mountains all by himself/herself. I think this is pure bullshit. We all need each other. A good crew/CP support can save you a DNF. I can’t thank Salim and the guy at this CP enough.
The final 16k of the course was literally a “muddle-through” experience. I understand the reasoning of race organisers. Maybe the want to offer a different and complete trail running experience for 16K runners by including water-crossings, steep descents and ascents, rock jumps, bridge hop etc. All those goodies are less fun when you are dog tired after 18 hours. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I hate people who come to those events and complain about “the difficulty”. It is supposed to be difficult. All I am saying is the thin line between running, mountaineering, orienteering and obstacle-course training gets blurred. It was not “technical running” anymore. So don’t get surprised. Expect some mud.
To my surprise, I was feeling quite good. Crossing the forest at night was nothing scary, but supremely enjoyable thanks to clear markings, lack of wind and relatively flat trail. After getting off track a few times, we finally made it to the finish line.
Again, Salim was waiting. I got my medal, by drop-bag and headed to our hotel. It was already 2:00 am. Crossing the finish line after 19 hours is not a slow-motion, Hollywood-movie type epic finale you would imagine. It feels more like being discharged from a hospital after bone surgery.
Learnings
A week after the race is the perfect time to note down learnings. You still feel the faint tinge of pain deep in your toes, the memory is still vivid, and your reasoning ability is almost back.
Mental skills: This time could be my first DNF. I learned that I am well capable of completing a 100K physically, but I tend to underestimate the importance of mental skills. Ultras are mentally taxing. Try to picture doing anything, (anything) for 19 hours non-stop and you will get the idea. Constantly paying attention to navigation, nutrition, hydration is not easy feat. I am an aging runner. This could be why I worry more about age-related stuff. In this race, I learned that I need to focus more on other skills.
Buddies: Yes, I should be self-sufficient but teaming up with like-minded runners improves your chances of completing a lot. Especially if you are running in course for the first time.
Poles: I got my running poles the day before the race and decided to “carry them” along, just to get some more experience. I ended up using the poles for the final 60K part. Frankly, I don’t think I could complete this course without poles. I will keep using poles and learn how to use them properly.
Downhill running: Again, training specificity matters. I will try to simulate the terrain, especially the descents, before attempting to a similar thing again.
UPUT100 Organisation
Uludag Ultra is still a new organisation, and it makes me happy to see that more and more people joining every year. Despite some shortcomings, it is a very well organised race. I am sure it will only keep getting better.
I don’t think the organisers are making a lot of money out of this – no sane person undertakes such a project for financial reasons. Uludag has a lot of advantages – it has good infrastructure, a unique nature, ease of travel, a good combination of everything to present a good racing experience. I think the organisers really own the event. They offer free and high-quality photography, free cable car service, a Saturday evening party (sadly, not timed for 66K or 100K runners) Both 66K and 100K are UTMB M100 index races.
And finally, it is the only available event in July. I would recommend it for runners looking for a nice experience during their summer holidays in Turkey.
