In which I'm still not running, so upload my race report from UTN2020. This was my second attempt at UTN - the first time, in 2019, I wound up with an injured knee. I'm so happy I came back for another go. It was incredible.
The great thing (some might argue the only great thing) about starting a trail run at 4am is that when the sun eventually rises, 2 hours into your uphill slog, you should have just made it far enough into the mountains to really enjoy that sunrise. That was certainly the case in Nan. There started to be just enough light to start switching off head torches as the 100km runners were making their way through Water Station 1. By the time the sun came up we were fully immersed in the mountains, working our way up to the ridgeline.
To say it was beautiful really seems like the understatement of the century. For the next 30km or so these views sustained me, made me enjoy the run more than I’d ever anticipated I’d enjoy the beginning of such a long race. Normally there is a sense of dread about what is to come, but in all honesty, those first few hours were so incredible that all I felt was pure delight at the fact I was there. The views were infectious. Everyone was in a good mood, everyone was friendly, everyone was supportive. Even as the temperatures started to rise, a glance around helped to calm the soul enough to stop heart rates sky rocketing.
I did this race in 2019, and while the first section had changed (for the better: a highly technical downhill followed by brutal uphill that I recalled hating, had vanished in favour of some gentler climbs on dirt roads and easy trails) the middle 60km or so remained the same. Interestingly, for the second, long race this year, I realized that I had managed to erase all memory of sections of the course. Specifically, the difficult bit. The first 30km were relatively easy, largely uphill, but on easy trails. Nothing too technical. The early start helped to keep things cool as well.
Between Aid Station 2 and Water Station 2 (about 30 – 40km) came the section that I had managed to blank entirely. The elevation map makes it look like a fairly gentle uphill slope, with a few little dips. Of course, elevation maps are designed to trick you into false confidence. In actuality, this section had a lot of up and downs on much trickier single trail. I am not good at technical downhills. I found this to be a struggle. Having said that, it was also a shaded section, and as this was now nearing the middle of the day, I was grateful for the shade. And I quite enjoyed the varied terrain – it was still early enough in the race to feel comfortable making the odd mistake. The lack of rain also helped – I can well imagine that had it rained I would have felt very different about this section. Luckily, despite the sharp uphills ensuring this took a couple of hours, once we crested the hill we broke out into another stunning vista. Which made it all worthwhile.
Nan is famous for having a long stretch of road. That came next. This first 8km of road (5km uphill, 3km down) was actually quite a nice break from the trail. It was nice to not have to worry about the terrain and to be able to make up a bit of time. The Aid Station at the summit was billed by road signs as a ‘Scenic Viewpoint’, but to be honest, after all the amazing sights along the way, it was a bit of a letdown. Luckily, the snacks made up for it – the noodles were amazing and the lovely volunteers who were willing to make hot drinks and refill drinks containers were bliming marvelous.
Last year this is roughly where my knees gave up. I was just not used to long stretches of downhill and that 3km stretch of downhill on the road really destroyed me. I learned from my mistakes and took it slow this time. I wasn’t in a hurry. I was bang on schedule (I’d been hoping to get to the drop bags at 60km in roughly 12 hours) and felt that I was relatively close to the front of the pack (although it’s so difficult to know on a trail, I was mostly judging this by the ‘Oh, you’re so strong’ comments that kept coming as I’d overtake other runners). I took that 3km slow and steady.
I got to the next trail section feeling great. And here the views started again. I was on my own. I saw no one else for almost the entirety of this trail section. Honestly, it was bliss. For the most part. Close to the 60km mark there was the section that I’d been dreading. A steep, slippy downhill with wooden rails to hang on. The problem being the wooden rails double up as home to lots and lots of ants. So as you start sliding down and reach to grab some support you have to look, quick, and check your hand isn’t about to get devoured. This is how I remembered it. This time however, was different. I felt fresher, I still had energy, I felt far more confident in my abilities, and it honestly seemed like there were less ants. It was still slow progress, and I still didn’t enormously enjoy it, but I wasn’t close to angry tears of frustration this time. Big plus.
Aid Station 4, in the valley after a couple of river crossings and a slow flat jog across paddies, was a welcome sight. The drop bags were here, the volunteers were so organized with them, and more importantly – the noodle shop! I remembered this from the previous year. The Aid Station had snacks, fruit, drinks, but also a deal with a noodle shop nearby. You could go and order what you wanted. Tom yum sen lek please and thanks. A concerned look from a fellow runner – it’s a bit spicy, will it be ok? Yes, yes, a bit spicy is exactly the sort of soul warming goodness I need right now.
Back up to Aid Station 5 was entirely on the main road. And honestly I walked the entire way. It was about 13km, and actually didn’t take as long as I thought it would. The road helped, not having to think too much about where you put your feet helped, even if it was a bit boring. I overtook a couple of guys at this point – I’m much better at powerwalking uphill than sliding downhill. I arrived at Aid Station 5 (back at the ‘Scenic Viewpoint’) not long after sunset. The first glimmers of stars were starting to show. There were no clouds in the sky. I sat down to eat, and then it hit me. It. Was. Cold. So, so cold.
The rest of the race passes in a bit of a blur. The run to Aid Station 6 was entirely on roads, with large stretches of downhill. I met another runner and ran with him for a while, which was nice as I am always terrified of meeting snakes when running through the night. However he soon dropped back (although I did see him again briefly at the next aid station). I was relatively happy at this point. I felt strong still and was moving at a reasonable pace, although my feet were starting to hurt. AS6 was where I had a chance to sit down and give them some proper TLC. Well, not me, but the poor medical staff. What on earth had they done to deserve this?!
With a fresh pair of socks I returned to the trail. Looking back I really think I could have run more of this section, but at the time I was tired and really lacking the motivation to do so. I walked this entire part. It was all on trails, with only my headlamp and the light from the moon. Which sounds romantic until you remember my paralysing fear of snakes. Having said that, I did really enjoy looking at the stars. And the next Aid Station was the last.
I didn't stop for long there at all. I knew the rest was almost entirely downhill and it was only about 10km til the end. I filled up my water, knocked back whatever sugary drink it was they had there and set off. I remember passing a few people on the way down, and being convinced I'd taken a wrong turn (even though there is no way I could have done that) at one point. For some reason I also remember this happening in the light, but this could not have been the case. I was definitely running through the night still!
The final 5km (ish, difficult to tell) was run with a lovely man. He couldn't speak any English and I was far too tired to be able to understand his (or for that matter any) Thai, so we chattered a bit in our respective languages. We bullied each other into running for 500m at a time then walked for a bit. We'd look behind us and reassure each other that no one was following. And so it went, until the finish. Again, in my mind we finished in daylight, but it can't have been, it was just after 2am. I finished UTN in 22 hours, 23 mins, over one and a half hours faster than I'd hoped for. I was 4th placed lady, 28th overall, and absolutely chuffed. Best. Race. Ever. 10 out of 10. Would do again. Maybe not for a couple of years though.
My physio has said that I have one more week of not running to look forward to. All being well, this time next week I'll have an actual run to tell you about.
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