So I was able to get in 28 loops for 116 miles before ringing the bell. That got me a 3rd place finish, or Loser #2
The #2 finisher didn’t make it back in time to start loop # 39. He and the woman who won are both animals!
My take-aways:
550’ gain per loop on trails is no joke
what goes up also goes down and the downs are killers
camp placement near start corral is important
have a long game mindset
should have never run loop faster than 55-57 minutes=walk it when you can
take water with you as 50 minutes is too long to be without
take food with you as 50 minutes is too long to be without
the rest gained from a sub 50’ lap is not worth it=too many matches burned
you can use the toilet during your loop
I think looking back, I should have not run as fast as I did. My quads were trashed. I was actually wanting to continue to climb hills just so I didn’t have to run anymore. The loop we were on could not be walked in 60’. My head lamp was subpar for technical rocky and rooted trails at night so I used a flashlight as well. That left me leaving my hand bottle behind during the dark. Looking back, that got me behind on fluids. I should have used a vest. The unraveling came not that long after that once the sun came out and the temp went to 80*F.
I will say, I have done a lot of races, the crew of Race Directors that are WausaUltra are top notch! I would recommend anyone to join them in the future for any type of event they might put on.
That’s my Backyard Ultra experience