Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail — 119km Race Report — Part II: Post Race
Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail — 119km (CUT) is my third ultra trail race and also the third time I participated in Ultra Trail World Tour (UTWT). Being my first three digits distance (100km+) race makes this one the most special for me. If you want to know about how I prepared for this race you can start with reading the pre-race report. Here is the race story in 1 minute:
Background
I have been participating in ultra-trail races with only one goal which is finishing. It has not been about how faster I am than others. I evaluate my progress compared to my previous race results, focus on learnings and the fun.
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if the race is a half, full or ultra-marathon. All races are painful and difficult. If not, it is not a race. As an engineer, I see the perceived pain and fatigue during races as a function of time. It is a non-linear function because the mind plays a significant role here. As the duration of the races increases, the importance of coping methods with pain and fatigue becomes key. The researchers divide these methods into two: associative and disassociative.
In associative methods, runners focus on their bodies to run faster, at intense paces. They have a close eye on their pace, heart rate, and power consumption. They also roughly estimate how much calory intake is needed at CPs, when and what to consume for nutrition and hydration. In disassociative methods, runners distract themselves from the sensory feedback given by the body during the race. Listening to music, talking to other runners, self-talking, vlogging the race, interacting with cheering people, thinking about the loved ones waiting for you in CPs are some of these methods which help to deal with the stress factors [1].
According to research, elite runners tend to apply associative methods to run faster, whereas the non-elite and recreational runners perform better using disassociative methods to enhance endurance [2].
I started this report with the above background information since as a non-elite, recreational athlete, the disassociative methods have been very fruitful for me in my first 100+ km ultra-distance race.
Preparation — Revisited
I am definitely not the right person to suggest training programs to the fellow runners who will run their first 100+ km ultra race. As can easily be noticed in the training history below, my weekly total distances before the race were quite poor due to injuries and personal reasons.
I have been dreaming about finishing this race since the day I finished the medium trail (CMT - 63 km). Although the injuries and lack of training made me question whether I could finish this race or not, I was determined to try! After finishing the race, now I think two things I did during the preparation phase were very useful: mental preparation and pole training.
Mental Preparation
There are reasons why I wanted to run my first 100+ km distance run in CUT. Firstly, it is organized in my home country (🇹🇷) which helped me to adapt to the atmosphere easily. Secondly, since I already ran the first half of the race in the previous year, it was easier to divide it into two parts in my mind. I could foresee what was waiting for me in the first part. The second part was a big unknown which made it very exciting. All I knew was it would be cold, dark, challenging and I would suffer in pain. In the end, I found out that it was beyond my imagination. Still, I managed to handle it mentally.
Now, I am thinking about what I did for mental preparation. I would say that it is a long process and I cannot come up with a silver bullet. A good starting point would be answering the why part. I knew that if I finish this race, it would be a great milestone with lots of learning for my ultra running journey. I would increase my confidence level for upcoming and challenging races in the most beautiful parts of the world.
During my training, I had the finisher photo with a medal in my mind. I was thinking about how to pose, what to write under the social media post. I went out for training in the darkest, coldest days of Finland with this goal. I spent a long time thinking about the stress factors that I would face within such a long race. Most importantly, I wanted to close the Cappadocia book by finishing it so much that in the race, I was able to sprint in the most desperate moments.
Pole Training
This was my first ultra trail race with poles. I bought them in late August. Irem advised me to go out for hiking with poles by not forgetting to take it easy during my injury.
Throughout the year, I focused on running. This was bad because it would be impossible to run constantly for 120 km. Hiking was actually, the most important part of this race. Luckily, in the final weeks, I worked on how to use the poles and carry in the most comfortable way. I found out my optimal speed with the poles. It helped me during the race to figure out whether I could push myself more or not.
During the race, I realized that using poles requires core strength. I had a pain in my core area towards the end of the race due to walking with poles for a long time. This is why core training is now significant in my training plans.
Dealing With Stress Factors
Many ultrarunners would answer the why part similarly. We like pushing our limits of endurance both psychologically and physiologically. During the races, we deal with several stress factors that affect our performance. Since this was my first 100+km distance race, I would like to talk about how I coped with them one by one.
- Nutrition In 42 km Nuuksio Trail race, there was no food provided by organizers and I had to consume gels periodically. As a result, I couldn’t eat anything for a long time towards the end and after the race. I know gels don’t work well with me as many other people. CUT is an exceptional race in terms of provided food in the CPs. I used this big advantage and consumed only a couple of gels in the beginning. In the night, although I met runners complaining about stomach issues, I had zero issues related to nutrition throughout the race. One should be very careful while spending time in CPs, though. It is a trap! It is always tempting to eat, drink and chat with runners in CPs but you will need to consider the time spent there. This was my biggest mistake. I wasted significant time in CPs which I really needed in the second half of the race.
- Hydration The distances between the CPs are ok for consuming 1 liter of water. Unlike last year, CUT organizers added extra water stations due to increasing temperatures during the daytime. As I already found out in the previous year, the mineral water provided in CPs were very useful for mineral intake and preventing cramps. That’s why I didn’t carry electrolyte tablets with me this year. However, I would suggest starting with one electrolyte tablet inside one of the water flasks since the first CP was lacking mineral water.
- Sleep A race with 24 hours limit should be challenging for people who are easily falling asleep. Although I am not one of those people, I made it even more challenging by not sleeping the night before the race day. Apparently I was too excited for the biggest physical and psychological challenge of my life. Although I was laying on the bed eyes closed all night, there was no sleep at all. Surprisingly, this didn’t affect my performance. Probably, it was because in the first half, I was busy recording the race, and in the second part, I was in constant panic mode to arrive at the CPs before cut-off times. Sleep is a stress factor that has different effects on individuals. I witnessed 2 runners sleeping for 5 minutes in turns, and also another runner almost beating his friend to wake him up.
- Climate I mentioned the daily roller-coaster climate of Cappadocia in my pre-race report. Literally, during the day it was summer, and in the night it was winter. I can give you two tips. Firstly, in my opinion, using a buff instead of a cap is better. I heard many people complaining about the Sun effect although they had a cap. Buff might be more useful than caps because you can switch between the ways of wearing it. Especially, protecting the neck from direct Sunlight is very important. The second tip is wearing light but multiple layers. I know light and protective gear is expensive but I would say that it is very useful. I have been running in Finland down to -20 degrees. Using the same gear, I was running in Cappadocia around 5 degrees. Since the gear I wear is technical, it adapts to different temperatures. Instead of wearing one thick layer, choosing multiple layers would also help to add/remove the layer during the race based on need. I remember in every CP people warned me about the temperature which is getting colder by time. I answered everyone the same: “No worries, I live in 🇫🇮”
- Injuries There is not much one can do once injured. On the way, I saw people dropping the race because of injuries. In the first part of the race, for sure you will be amazed at the nature of Cappadocia and probably will want to run fast in the downhills. I would suggest not to go so crazy because running downhill increases the load on your quads. In the second part, you will need those muscles in tougher downhills. Especially, after 100th km, the downhills are so challenging that I was hearing the regret of a runner who didn’t have poles. Towards the end, If you are at the risk of cut off time, you will want to run fast but seriously, the trails will not get any easier even in the final kilometer. I would strongly suggest using poles and avoiding the stress of cutoff times if possible because it is very easy to fall down the cliffs and be injured.
The Race
The atmosphere at the start was like a carnival with runners from many countries. The morning was cold, but the sun was rising beautifully and warming us slowly. I was running with Irem and Levent. From time to time, I was ahead of them, and I was slowing down to meet them again. It was helping me to take the race easy, especially for the first half.
In my mind, the first 60 km of the race was just a warm-up for the second part. I was planning to finish it with minimum problems. I utilized the disassociative methods mainly. I didn’t focus on my pace and heart rate. The beautiful nature of Cappadocia, and telling the story of the race to GoPro helped me to distract myself from pain and fatigue. I was enjoying the race as much as I could. Time was flying as I was moving from one CP to another.
I am terrible at planning. Even when I travel with my partner Dilara, I leave all the planning details to her. It is just not something that I enjoy. Similarly, in this race, I didn’t plan the timing beforehand. Since Irem finished this race in the previous year, I relied on her. I was too lazy to come up with a backup plan in case I had to move on alone. Unfortunately, I lost to gambling. Due to injury, Levent had to slow down and Irem didn’t leave him alone. Until the end of the first half, I had no idea if my timing was good or bad. I was simply ahead of Irem and Levent and that meant ok.
When I was taking my time at the 60th km after Akdag CP, I heard Irem’s sound and waited for them. According to Irem, we would most likely not make it to the CP after Goreme because of the tight cut-off time. The weather getting dark was a signal of it. This news was totally shocking to me. I was in a panic and told Irem that I would run… I was running faster and faster as I pass the runners but none of them was running the CUT. They were 63k runners. This was also another sign of how late I was. I didn’t accept the failure. This was the most critical moment of the race for me. I still cannot believe how I was able to run the most boring part of the race this fast.
Goreme is the CP, where the drop bags are transferred so that the runners can change their clothes. When I arrived at Goreme, I was in such a big panic that I am sure the volunteers in the CP hated me. Luckily, I saw Aykut Celikbas there. He calmed me down and told me that the first part of the race was over, and the second part had jus started. He convinced me that I was not late, and I could still make it to the next CP on time. In Goreme, I quickly changed my clothes and prepared myself for the night. Before leaving the CP, Irem and Levent arrived. I told her with a great passion that I would finish this race.
When I left the CP, I was all alone in the dark. The first uphill and downhill after the CP are very challenging as a signal about what is coming in the second half. The uphill was very steep and unsafe even with the poles. When I saw how crazy steep the downhill, I screamed: F@#K! Then I promised to myself aloud: “I will finish this race!”. I sat down and started to slide down on my ass.
After a short while, I noticed someone behind me. It was Fatih Saatci with whom I was going to finish the race. He finished the same course 5 minutes before the cutoff time in the previous year. Since I had no idea about the timing, I was just moving as fast as I could. I thought it would be great to keep up with him since he was experienced with the second part of the race. First, he made me believe that I was not late according to his experience from last year. I pushed myself even harder to catch up with him. He was good at uphills with poles. I was behind, and asking him to let me know when the uphill ended. It was helping me mentally.
After passing the tough uphills, we were running next to the river. The dry part of the track was so narrow that I had to run in the water. After my socks got completely wet, I didn’t give a damn and run on the wet part. Luckily, I had two extra socks with me. While we were approaching to the CP, we realized that we were catching up and even passing other runners. In Damsa CP, there were only a few runners. Realizing that we had 3 hours to move 12 km before the next cut off time, increased our confidence.
Fatih was faster than me, especially at the uphills. I was pushing myself harder and harder not to lose the advantage of running with someone who finished the race before. However, I didn’t want to slow him down and I told him not to wait for me. Being in the never-ending uphill in dark and cold all alone was something I have never experienced before. I think the adrenaline pushed me and I was moving up with poles as fast as I could. The dusty terrain was causing difficulty in breathing. I covered my mouth with the buff but it didn’t help because it was too thick for breathing. I was too focused on timing that I didn’t want to lose time by wearing the surgical mask that Irem gave me.
When I arrived at Taskinpasa CP, I saw Fatih leaving the CP. He was happy to see me, probably because he felt sorry when he left me behind. I quickly changed my socks once more. There was a terrible pain in my quads. I was paying the bill of running downhills fast in the first half. It was amazing to receive medical help from the organization team who applied the gel on my quads. There were two other people who boosted me with motivational words when I left the CP.
I had a fresh start after leaving the Taskinpasa CP. I wore the surgical mask and noticed its huge impact on breathing. I was feeling so energetic that I was passing other runners one by one. Then, I saw Fatih on the way. He was struggling with stomach issues in such bad pain that I was afraid he would give up. We were chatting all the way but this time, he was the one trying to keep up with me. After a while, he felt much better. Then again, it was my turn to keep up with his pace.
There was a relatively smaller uphill after Karlik CP. We were almost sure that we would finish this race! Fatih said that he left the last CP before the finish at 5:25 in the morning last year, and arrived at the finish line 5 minutes before the cut-off time. Now the target was arriving at the last CP at 5:00 AM so that we would be more relaxed. On the way, Fatih boosted himself and ran faster at the downhills. I was slower due to quad pain. The downhill was very dangerous, and without the help of the poles, I would be desperate. After a while, the path was flatter but the last CP was not visible although the time was getting closer to the 5:00 AM. There was no other option than running. This was the second most critical time that my willpower boosted me. I was running through the runners one by one. We were finally at the last CP with Fatih at 5:00 AM as we planned.
As we were getting closer to the finish, the city lights were visible but the trail was not getting easier. Although the uphills were not big, the downhills were more challenging than before. Again, Fatih was stronger and faster than me. He was not on my sight. I was constantly checking the time and pushing myself for running as much as I could but it was not helping due to quads pain. As I was in the final kilometers, I looked behind me seeing the headlamps at the hills. I was thinking about how devastating it would be for those runners to arrive at the finish line only a few minutes after the cut-off time.
Finally, I was in the civilized area which hinted about how close I was to the finish line. It was 25 minutes before the cut-off time. I was walking and walking but there was no clear sign about the finish. All of a sudden I noticed a big uphill in front of me. I stopped and yelled: F@#K! I was swearing all the way up to the hill and running again with my limited energy. Once more, I bumped into Fatih on the way. He told me that he was sure I would make another sprint, and he was actually planning to wait for me in the finish line. In the end, we finished together and built a great friendship for life.
Final words
While chatting with Fatih in the final kilometers, I told him that I would not run Cappadocia again. He said that I would change my mind after the race. Eventually, I did change my mind. I would want to run again, but this time with more experience! I am not planning to do it again in the near future, but never say never.
All in all, this was a great adventure in my life. I was a hardworking student at high school who was trying to graduate with the highest grades. After graduation, I had nightmares in which I took exams but I was not able to do well. Then, at the university, I acted in small theatre groups and prepared for plays for months. After the university, I had nightmares in which I had to memorize all the lines of a play in 1 day, and stage, I forgot my lines. After finishing this 120 km race, which I prepared for a year, I started to have nightmares in which I was late for the start, and had various problems during the race.
If you come this far reading the report, I would strongly suggest watching the full story of the race in the video below.
What’s next?
The next is taking action for the learnings. I started to visit the gym more often for strength workouts. I am also reading books and articles related to ultrarunning, and anatomy for runners from a biomechanical point of view.
I have two target races in a year. One in spring, and the other in fall. I have recently picked my spring race. I will be running in Alanya Ultra Trail. The purpose is having more experience in races with high altitude profiles. It will be 4300m+ ascent in 76 km. Considering CUT was 119 km, 3730 m+, Alanya will be much more demanding in terms of altitude.
The second target race of the year is not yet decided although there are even more challenging candidates.
References
- Holt, Nicholas & Lee, Homan & Kim, Youngoh & Klein, Kyra. (2014). Exploring Experiences of Running an Ultramarathon. Sport Psychologist. 28. 22–35. 10.1123/tsp.2013–0008.
- Brewer, Britton & Buman, Matthew. (2006). Attentional focus and endurance performance: Review and theoretical integration. Kinesiologia Slovenica. 12. 82–97.
