First Ultra Marathon 50 K - Race Report

Niagara Ultra 50 K Race Report

Signed up for my first 50 K race late last month after the Whitby International Marathon went well (for the legs). Thrilled the 40C with humidity temperature went away Thursday night when it rained and thunderstormed. Overall, I am so happy to have successfully finished my first 50 K ultramarathon.

Woke up at 4 AM and left the house at 4:45 AM for the trek to Niagara on the Lake. Did not have time to take Bud on an early morning walk so fed him breakfast - he ate happily. Did not wear sunglasses since it broke this past week. I took it to an eye shop and was informed it could not be repaired. Will go back to place I bought it and re-order - $50 for the frame and $50 for the lens. Good deal - but guess I got what I paid for - i..e., cheap glasses. Forgot to bring a baseball cap along! Earlier in the week I bought 4 gels from Running Room. Since I did not want to secure each of the gels with a bobby pin, I opted to wear an $8 shorts I bought at Walmart earlier this week. Should have practiced this since the pockets were heavy with my car keys as well.

The drive was great in the early Saturday morning. I followed the directions from Mapquest. Unfortunately I could not find Townline Road. I went to the Tim Hortons and the cashier asked me to see customers at a table who know the directions. The key was I needed to go over the Welland Canal. Previously, I arrived at the Canal but turned back. With this new information, I made it to the start line with 20 minutes before the start of the race. I parked on the street and went to pick up bib and provided with a hoodie (not the usual tech shirt)!:

There are 4 events, with separate results for runners and walkers: 100 K start time 6 AM; 50 K start time 7 AM; Marathon start time 7:30 AM; and 1/2 marathon start time 8 AM. The race was sold out with a cap of 800 racers. I registered in late May after determining my legs were in good shape after the Whitby International Marathon. Good deal for $70.

The start line was on grass and we had to run briefly on the grass before being on asphalt. The route was scenic - "following the Niagara River Parkway from Niagara-on-the-Lake past Fort George and onto Niagara Falls and back" Each of the races followed the same path with turnaround 1/2 the distance of the race. For the 50 K, turnaround was amazing - at Niagara Falls! No spectators on the course and for the most part, I kept my eyes on the runners ahead of me to stay on route. I finally understood at the turns there was a white spray painted arrow indicating direction. There were also small flags indicating turns. No police hired (which saved a lot of money!) but there were a few volunteers at key turns. At road crossings, we had to exercise care as there was nobody directing traffic.

(photo from the Internet)

The 7 AM start was great since the sun wasn't boiling hot yet. Course markings were every 1 K but they were written with spray paint on the ground. Aid stations were every 5 K. As a result, I made a smart move to take a water bottle along. I can't recall how many times I asked for the 500 mL bottle to be refilled - 5 times? I was drinking 500 mL every 5 K. It was hot out there and not sure how I could have run this race without carrying that bottle. At the aid stations, I was reintroduced to delicious gummy (they were dinosaurs), pretzels, and bananas. Water and gatorade were also available. Each of the stations were well maintained and those working the stations were friendly and helpful.

The race is advertised as fast and flat. Unfortunately that is not true as there was inclines (and that means declines on the way back). Since my goal was to finish the race, I power walked whenever there was a steep incline. This must have been for a kilometre after 15 K when running on the trailed path and after the turnaround at Niagara Falls. These would have killed my legs if I ran. In particular, my right leg did stiffen and started to hurt. I had to stretch the quads about 15 to 20 times in the 2nd half of the race, which helped keep me going. The good news is what goes up must come down. I enjoyed the downhill running.

The Garmin said I reached the full marathon distance (42.2 K) at 5 hours 2 minutes. That's a long time due to the inclines when I was walking. The final 8 K was particularly rewarding since I have never run this far. There was a lot of walk breaks (quick 5 second breaks) as well as whenever there was an incline. The scenic route made the race particularly enjoyable - and the trail provided shade. Why didn't I wear a hat? But I did put on sunscreen but am darkened.

Post race food consisted of the needed bagel - I'm hungry - any type of bagel will do! I didn't take the macaroni salad or green salad. Pizza arrived and I had 4 square slices - delicious! There was beer but I don't drink.

Once reaching the finish line, a volunteer handed the finisher medal and a water bottle - 300 mL more was drank. The last 100 m was on the grass. There were people cheering at the finish line and this is much appreciated.

Very happy to have completed my first 50 K ultra marathon. Only concern is the fluid stations every 5 K - but I brought my own water that got refilled so this turned out to be okay. And the gummy and pretzels were great. The timing of the race is good since it allows for an ultra marathon after a spring marathon. Thank goodness the "heat wave" of a few days ago was gone. The 25 C sunny weather was fine since there was no humidity. And the breeze helped.

Overall, well-organized race. Hope to run the 50 K again next year. Not sure how people are able to run 100 K - how do you train for that? Incredible.

Gun Time = 6:08:07
Chip Time = 6:07:35
Overall = 123 out of 173
Age Category = 21 out of 22
Gender Category = 83 out of 106


As a result of this 50 K race, I made it to 700 K for the year: YTD = 701.4 K