Race Report - 2020 Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge

8AM, first leg, 5 miles

What a strange two months it's been. 2 weeks of voluntary self-quarantine after my return from Spain followed by all hell breaking lose here at home in the US. Knowing that I would not be unable to do much away from home for the foreseeable future, I decided to start a running streak to bring some consistency to my training when there weren't really any big events on my race calendar to keep me focused. Then all of a sudden virtual races started popping up all over social media. In the past (i.e. pre-pandemic) I had always shunned virtual events as a way for someone to make money without any real effort. Now, I had become a believer in these events, not to collect another shirt or medal or whatever, but to help amazing race organizers survive a most difficult time in a very small way, so that they may continue to put on amazing events once this crazy time we're in passes.

12PM, second leg, 5 miles

Jason Green of Yeti Trail Races is a prime example of an exceptional RD, so when the Yeti 24 Hour Ultra Challenge showed up in my feed I had to sign up. 5 miles, every 4 hours for 24 hours sounded just like the thing to do...period.

4PM, third leg, 5 miles

I started my run at 8AM and would consider that my only strategic mistake, I would have been better served to start my first run at 4AM as I usually get out to do my daily run at 5M anyway. It would also have meant that my last run would have happened that midnight rather than at 4AM.

8PM, fourth leg, 5 miles

The laps were pretty uneventful in general, which was great. I had just finished a solo 100 miler a week or so earlier, so I wanted uneventful. It meant no aches or pains. My biggest challenge was the mental aspect, staying in the moment. I ran every lap on my own in my neighborhood except the midnight lap. For that, I was supposed to meet a group of fellow challengers. All but one were no shows, I won't name any names:-) I was glad to have had the company for at least one lap. 

12AM, fifth leg, 5 miles

The last lap was the hardest by far. I had managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, but that made it even harder to get up to run. I only managed a shuffle, even though I was determined to get it done quickly to go back to bed for a few hours. It was a worthy challenge for sure, an ultra of 30 miles spread over nearly 24 hours adding a heavy mental spin on the "traditional" 50K distance. I read more than one comment of fellow challengers who just wanted to keep going to get the miles done in one swoop and I can't say I disagreed. Well done, Jason, well done!

4AM, sixth leg, 5 miles