Tuffman Shimla Ultra Trail 50k 25th June 2022 - The declines are such a tease.

Yes, June 2022 has been hectic in terms of travel and ultra events. A 50km and a 60kms down South was well cherished but was equally demanding for recovery post runs. Back to back weekend ultra and with a 13 days break, it was time for Tuffmans Shimla Ultra 50kms trail run. All the events have been trail event for the month and couldn’t wait to get done with it to take the much needed break alongside a beach.

The hot and humidity was now going to be replaced with cold and more cold. Shimla had forecasted rains over the week and with Mashobra being the race venue, the conditions were not predictable. Weather forecast and it’s variation have always been a point of worry toward the northern part of India. Nevertheless, we put on our trail running shoes and head to yet another experience on a new location and unexplored trails. Venturing new places is something that hits you hard and travel to run becomes your go-to formula to break the shackles of boredom.

Shimla was indeed a new place for me and one of the driving factor for signing up for the event. Mashobra is yet another scenic location that can lure you in to exploration. So, wrapped up Vagamon Ultra on 11th June and flew down to Chandigarh on the 17th. Shimla is closest to Chandigarh and a cab or a bus from Chandigarh can get you here in 4 hours. Settled in one of the beautiful Airbnbs overlooking the hills was quite satisfying.

An uber ride can cost you 3000 including taxes and toll charges and would best advise to tag along with runners if you plan to travel private. A days rest on. Saturday and Sunday to just sink into the weather conditions is all that was needed to prep for race day rituals. Booking Airbnbs for longer stay that allows you to cook your own meal and all other facilities to work from home has worked quite well since COVID struck us.

Shimla is a town of ups and down, by that I mean you either walk up or rather climb up or walk down. Bottom line is , you cannot escape warming up your quads if you happen to step out of your house. Ended up walking for 4-5 hours just to figure our the neighborhood and commutes to and fro market. The local transport works well in terms of commute and grocery shops are open till 10pm. Food is quite reasonable but you need to be on the hunt to search those niche restaurants and cafe.

Okay! Now down to some serious business. A week had past after the last trail ultra and it was time get miling in a new territory. And when you have your favourite inclines and declines in the town, you are bound to head out for a dose of run. So, did we and went ahead for a short run in Sunday evening and ended up falling in love with the peace around the trails and also got a hang of the cold weather conditions. The event venue is Mashobra, 8-9 kms away from Shimla and we tend to expect similar climatic conditions. Down with sweat and by the time we headed back home, it was getting chiller.

The Sunday ended up climbing up and down 800+ steps. Phew!.

Continued with the week with work as usual and offcourse some time off in the late evenings to just sit and admire the sundowners and visual sites in the night sky.

Milky way sighting by Kireet Pant.

Up comes friday and time to head towards the race venue and to yet another beauty of a stay in the midst of mountains. A short 8-10km ride to Mashobra and you race feels start kicking in. The bib collection and race briefing was scheduled post 1pm.

The elevation profile study is an agenda that you tend to cover to plan your strategies in advance prior to the race day. This gives you a fair idea of the time you may take to cover the distance on that day, also taking in to consideration the weather that will prevail.

The weather was quite breezy and cold during the late evenings but day times were particularly warmer. The week ago had seen folks at making camp fire to save themselves from the cold and had been a point of worry for a early start. The 80kms runners were to begin at 5:30am whereas the 50kms category runner were hosted at 6:30am.

With ample electrolyte in the hydration bag and some munchies and walking poles, I headed to the venue at 5:45am and it was quite bright. Conditions were warmer and hence decided to peel down a layer of warm clothing for the run. I put it in the drop bag that was to be attended at 17.5kms just incase if there arises a need to either put on or cut down on the remainders. The run started at 6:30am as scheduled and the first trail climb begins in no time.

The initial 2kms of trail was carefully taken over by the runners to ensure no one burns out right at the start and not have any injuries on those fresh legs. I reckon seeing 3 army cadets taking lead in no time.

With some run and brisk walk, the patch was covered to reach the top and then began the gradual incline and declines.

A hydration point was placed at this point too. The tar road till the 5th km check point was quite easy on the legs and happiness strikes when you tend to head towards yet another decline.

The road all the way down helps you cover up to the 17th km. This is a mix of a trail and road and with few steep declines and uneven turns, the poles had come in handy to avoid off balances if any. The check points at 10th and 15th km needn’t be bothered as I was well equipped with my hydration. With Kireet alongside in the initial stages of the run, but no where to be seen till the 17th kms, I was banking on him for some company on the route. I tagged along Nitin on the route as we were pacing down the declines and got to know him ahead about his running adventure and this seemed like his first Ultra in India after a very long time.

The need for the grabbing the drop bag at 17.5kms wasn’t a ask yet but definitely planned a stop by to refill the energy gels and some fizz on the way back. The climb from the 17.5 kms checkpoint towards the 20th km was a mix of run and brisk walks. Waving at the 80kms category runners , I could only imagine the pain they have to go through on round two that covers the entire loop again. Phew! Lucky me that I wasnt in for this today and stuck to my humble 50kms.

On the climb, the 20th km checkpoint was quite visible from a 1km away and with destination in site, the wait period tends to reduce as your next immediate goal is to march right into what you can see.

On U turn, the 2.5km downhill on the tar road had come in ease and was well learnt when it was covered from the other side.

And by now, you had the much needed clarity on the entire route that needed to be covered on the way back and the last leg of 5kms that requires to cover the initial trail climb and could pose a challenge to the fatigued legs. But that was not the chain of thoughts yet. The honeymoon period from 5th km to 17th km now required to be dealt with and it was all the way back and upwards. Using the walking poles were a no brainer and offcourse are my go-to support for the inclines. This helps me keep my back away from further injuries and gives the much needed support to not only walk up but also take that recovery rest without having to sit anywhere on the route.

When back to the 22.5 kms mark which was also the 17.5km mark and acted as a pit stop for our drop bags, to my surprise, the drop bags had not made it to this point and all that preps to refill had gone in vain. Lessons learnt!. As a ultra runner, it is quite advised to be self sufficient with your refills and in trainings, it needs to be a part of the plan. Self support is the best support. Period!

With nothing left to wait and think around, grabbed a fizz from the checkpoint and lead my way towards the climb. This climb lasted for approx 12km and took the maximum time during the run. This climb takes us back to 5th km checkpoint and is followed by a downhill and ends at the event venue.

At around 35th km, I hear voices calling my name and I see Kireet catching up quite well and was elated to share the misery that both were going through. The brisk walks were a way out of this ordeal and had to be done. Adequate sips of water and electrolytes plus the refills at aid stations were done without fail. The sun had been out since 6am and it just started getting hotter and hotter as we proceeded ahead on the route.

The shade from the trees did act as a rescue from the direct sun but the heat trapped within was turning in to a nightmare. This was taking a toll on me and the hunger to munch on to something was taking precedence. Picked up the fruits from the aid stations wherever possible and was mostly preferred over the others.

The climb was indeed hectic and the look out for the 35kms checkpoint seemed never ending. I could see other runners passing by and the climb seemed and was indeed a weakness that needed to be overcomed owing to the conditions of my back that prevails in every ultra run.

I did my best and the hunger and chase to survive lead me to the 35th km checkpoint ( also the 5th km checkpoint). With some quick refreshments, I fairly ran through the next 3kms followed by the 2km trail that headed right to the start point. This downhill wasn’t a happy moment either because the entire 2km trail climb plus the 3kms had to be covered to make up for the remainder of the 10kms.

So here is a short brief. The loops is a 20km loop. Upon covering this loop, you happen to finish the first 40kms of the 50km category. The rest 10kms was covered by running back 5kms and heading back to the start point which is also the finish point and completes the 50km mayhem. And with no drop bag for our refills at 17.5km, it became an obvious question at the start line at the 40th km to know if the team had forgotten to transport our bags to the checkpoint and that is exactly what happened in the picture below.

The real pain was felt while on the way back from the start point again to cover the last 10kms. The 2kms felt like it took ages and was set as next short goal followed by the next 3km short goal. It becomes quite necessary to break down the mileage in to shorter goals to avoid any breakdowns that may cause due to the mental stress that gets created during such runs.

At this moment, we could count in the number of runners that were representing the top 10 runners. The fellow runners were quite a inspiration to keep yourself going and not having to give up. But at the same time equal thoughts were put to understand how much my body could cope up with the efforts that were put and had to be carefully calculated. Technically, you neednt worry much when you have quite a experience of distance running on and off road. All the decision making capabilities come to you in a giffy and this is the state of mind an ultra runner should thrive to attain to avoid any life changing unfortunate incidents.

Kireet and I were both suffering from muscle cramps on the way down from the 35th km and knees did feel the knocks towards the 40th km. The conditions were getting worst while on the way back and was dealt with brisk walks and recovery stops whenever required.

The 2km climb felt like a achievement indeed. Kireet felt the cramps getting even worse and the ideal thought was to give it some recovery with stretches at the 45th km. By now, I had realised the pain could aggrevate for me too and halting abruptly was making things difficult as the leg muscles started twitching on every halt. The momentum had to be kept on till the finish line and by the time I reached the last aid station on the way back, I was told that I am heading towards a podium finish. The only thing doing rounds in my mind to get off this route injury free and finish the race in yet another high for making it to the three ultras in a single month.

Yes, I did finish 3rd and grabbed yet another podium at Tuffman Ultra event.

The celebrations are a epic at Tuffman and Fizzing out the beers is a norm. With the race director doing what he does best , it is quite a site for the paparazzis to click click click.:)

And taking the much needed opportunity to share my experience, the feedback and a thankyou note to the Tuffman team cannot be a miss.

The vibe at this event finds a new high as you are tagged Tuffman Yuvaraj Patil and is an honour much appreciated by bystanders and fellow running colleagues.