Race: Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge
Runner: Austin Tiller
Race Date: 04/25/2020
Location: Asheville, NC
Results: 31.7 Miles 5Hr13Min
Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/3355758069
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
- The “newness” of doing something so different. (6 runs every 4 hours within 24hrs)
- The ability to pick my own route
- Running at different times of the day
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
- Getting back into a sleep schedule was odd…
Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?
- Running on such little sleep!
- Spreading it out over so much time changed how I thought I needed to approach eating/fueling myself. I was unsure exactly how to do it and learned the hard way what not to do next time!
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
- I enjoyed running different routes I’d never done before at different times of the day.
- I feel like my training over the past couple of months really helped me do so well and feel so comfortable during each of the runs.
- It was such an interesting experience to be able to test how I perform under such interesting conditions.
Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
I made a point to make sure I didn’t overthink the race and what the exact schedule would be. I would definitely start earlier than I did (started at 11am) so that I could finish even earlier next time. Mostly so that I’m not attempting more runs that interrupt my normal sleep schedule. I normally sleep from 9pm-5am. I would start at 6am next time so that I’m not messing with my normal sleep rhythm as much. My mind easily overcame the lack of sleep this time as I only slept between the last three times and it wasn’t too hard to keep going. So I would make a point to try and time it around your normal sleep schedule.
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around
I’ve always been pretty good about fueling myself during and before my long runs and I’ve never really had issues with lack of or too much fuel before. I can’t remember the last time I had stomach cramps/stitches during a run.
After run 3 I was very hungry and didn’t think a snack would be enough to keep me going and get me through the next one. I made some chicken and eggs right after the run. I didn’t feel too full or anything after eating. I felt content and satisfied. I hung out and rested until the next run.
I suffered from the worst stomach cramps/stitches during each of the last three runs that I know killed my times. It was so hard to focus on my breathing and not it ruin my even strides. I kept catching myself landing heavy on one foot or the other and had to focus to keep it even. I was worried about dragging it out and hurting a knee from too much exaggeration on one side or the other. About halfway through each of the runs the pain started diminishing but never went away. I’m still amazed at how well I did on the last three with the stomach pain. I was determined and didn’t want to slow down too much.
Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?
If you do something like this, bring enough clothes to change into and out of for each run and break. It helped feeling fresh for each one.
How’s the Swag?
Shirt is nice!