Bison Ultra 50km Trail, 5th June 2022 - Bring your own Bison (BYOB)

The postpoment of this event did matter to my Laultra 111kms run but nevertheless this was one event that I did not want to miss. The reasons being, the first ultra ever in the South and a lot heard about the beautiful trails that you are going to witness. And yes, it was all worth the wait. Initially scheduled in the Month of February but later postponed to June 5th had me worry for a moment as this lead to back to back ultra trail runs without much time to recover. Nevertheless, it had to be done as I was already prepping my mind for it.

Another no brainer was the race venue being closer to Bangalore. A 4-5 hours drive time and you venture in one of the most beautiful trails of Yercaud and lot of green overdose:).

The event registration package covered the event fees, stay and food and a great vibe of like minded folks with only one ultimatum and that was how to bell the cat tomorrow on the trail. The categories comprised of 25kms and 50kms.

An usual, there was a 4pm bib pick up from event venue along with some refreshments and offcourse some humor talks by the coach at the orientation.

Lunch was served on request as per individuals choices. Got an opportunity to meet fellow runners from Ooty Ultra and shared some experiences of how LAULTRA was made possible. These knowledge transfers on either sides are eye openers on what it takes or will take to conquer such feats. However, the bottom line has always been the same – consistency is the key and not to forget your strength and conditioning along with mobility exercises to keep you off your injuries.

The day had come to an end and you had to ensure you hit the bed soon enough to be awake in the wee hours the next day. The dinner was arranged at the resort and was wrapped up early. The routine checks on the attire , shoes, hydration packs, eatables was done before you catch up with the much needed rest and sleep after a busy day of travel and socializing.

A 4am wake up call and good hot water shower was all you needed to get your day started. A glass of water and bowl of muesli does the job keeping the hunger at bay during the initial hours of the run. The start point was next to a lake and morning views as expected were a picturesque.

The runners gathered near the start point followed by a briefing by Coach to ensure everything was in place and with minutes away from the start time, the 50kms were allowed to start the run 15-20 seconds earlier followed by the 30kms category runners. Staggered start times indeed helps in avoiding a chaos and was much appreciated.

The initial 5kms felt like a breeze with neutral route elevation and descents help you warm up just before you hit the steep incline. I looked around to tag along runners as the fear of accidentally loosing track of the markers is often controlled when you have fellow runner around. Nevertheless, I headed the troop and with a steady pace started enjoying the nature like never before. All the shades of green that existed in the world were visible and the chirping of birds soothened the journey ahead.

A considerable slush and loose gravel was expected on the route owing to the rains that had hit couple of days ago and had definitely preped my mind for it but fortunately that wasn’t the case and so we were in luck.

The uphill towards 10km was followed by a gradual decline on the tar road and headed straight to the 15th kms. This again gave the much needed and comfortable time to recover for the next incline. Here, I must say – the tar roads in a trail run event are bound to turn you off if you a ardent trail lover.

The refills at 15th kms were done and still staying up ahead of the troop of 50kms runners made me feel a bit lonely and under motivated in the lush green pastures of Yercaud Hill’s. Further discomfort was added with the humidity that was on the rise along with the Sun making its appearance in the midst of the tree’s. The view indeed doubled in terms of bliss and all you get lured to do it just stop , sit and enjoy the beauty of nature around.

An easy pace towards 20th km with some more tar road to cover leads you to the next challenge of doing a loop of 2.5kms each to and fro. The distribution of inclines and declines were evenly placed and not to forget of you being in the middle of nowhere and you are again in so much awe of the trails that make you feel like running more and more.

The loops add to your mileage taking you to around 25-26kms and a quick refill was done prior to proceeding to the next checkpoint. The 26th km check point also served breakfast but I tend to avoid whenever possible and rely mostly on electrolytes, water and small muchies.

The 30th km mark was taking us back on the same tar road and to the 15th km checkpoint I suppose and all those declines that were part of your honeymoon period were turning cruel as it was a steady climb. The heat and humidity were not at mercy too. These climbs had to be supported with walking poles which I always carry on my trail runs. This keeps my back muscle pulls if any in check and also takes out the stress off my legs. The arms are offcourse at work during this motion and strengthening the arms get equally important in your daily routine to support such climbs.

Still ahead in the 50km category and no one to hook up around was now playing on my mind. The only thought I had was to get done with the remainder miles just before lunch and have a nice meal that you deserve.

11am, and In comes the 35kms at the orange busstand and a pour down of water on yourself had to be done to keep the heat off. Few watermelon 🍉 slices with salt was so much satisfying. Heaven!

The route next was a small decline in the trail and this is where the unfortunate happened. The arrow marker lead me down the same hill that was covered during the initial 5km and followed by a incline of approximately a km or so and back to the orange busstand. The volunteers at checkpoint looked worried too and so was I. Loosing your way on the route was the last thing on my mind. Without loosing any further cool , I had a volunteer take me back on the route to figure out the right away and we understood that the markers weren’t in place which lead to the confusion. Communication in this part of India can be a challenge and most of the local folks talk thier lingo and a fair amount of english and hindi and it will be up to you to fill in the blanks provided you being very animated while conversing.

The trail towards the left instead of right after 700-800 meters had to be taken that lead you on the right path and to the next checkpoint and yes, this was yet another climb. The climb lead to a steady descent and the trail got a bit technical and had to be carefully run through till the 40th km milestone.

MILESTONES – yes, this was one trail run that had mile markers that further ensured we were on the right route and also helped in strategizing the pace you need to control looking at the number of miles still to be covered ahead.

The Red ones are done 50kms category and the green ones are for 25km Category

The 42nd kms makes you hit yet another climb and now is when it literally gets on to your nerves and feels like a never ending journey because your body is already in the fatigue zone. At this point, you will realise the last climb that coach had mentioned is yet to be covered and your wait to see the smiley on the road marker begins.

With some more run on road, you now head towards the finish and mind you again here, that the route was bound to be around 51-52kms and the itch to stop at 50km adds to the gravity of restlessness that grows on your because you already know that there more to cover then you signed up for. Afterall, this is the part of the game and you have to ready to take on such circumstances and prep your thoughts for future runs.

Post the 48km mark there are no further milestones and you are to approach the finish line on a steady incline with a smile on your face to pose for the cameras. The Coach was at the finish line and greeted me with pleasure of finishing first of all and admitted of me being a victim of the missing arrow markers earlier. Well, that was again helpful in a way to recitfy the situation and put up the markers in place and help other runners to follow the right path towards the finish. I was glad to have made it to the top despite getting lost and spending 20mins in the chaos. Happy me and a happy Coach Kay, as they had the first runner cross the line.

And it was time for all the goodie shower that Coach promised. This just kept coming. A quick jab at the feedback on camera which is an another important aspect for every organizer to capture and work on the good to haves and must haves and further improvisation of the event aesthetics.

Phew!! This was it, the end. The finish point was at a different location – The Woodside and a few kms from the start point. Lucky me to get a ride to the start point followed by a good shower prior to heading back to the finish point for lunch.

That’s Lucky in black 🙂

This spot was yet another beauty soaked in the arms of nature away from the hustle. A quick meet with finishers and sharing of experiences to beat the tiredness off you does wonders. Posing for the paparazzi in the well deserved Bison Ultra Tshirt along with coach and others was a ritual you don’t tend to forget.

Iam on my way towards writing a book on Tales of my runs and with Ganesh around with his new publishment, I had to get my hands on his book – Be a runner forever.