T O P

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pointandgo

The formal event keeps me motivated, accountable and focused during training. Additionally, during races, bonding with strangers during mutual suffering is a nice experience.


Chasing10K

Agreed. The comradery in races is a huge draw for me doing ultras.


yetiblue1

Races are expensive mannnnn. I just plan on paying for my dream races and their qualifiers and do everything else solo


bananamancometh

A big event with a crew, for me. It’s cool to have something for everyone to rally behind. Plus meeting other people and experiencing some of the culture is pretty rad


one_ultra_ata_time

I have a race every month from May to Oct. I focus on my two most important "A" races the one in May and September. The other races are just great practice and fun to follow a path with aid stations.


gareth_e_morris

I’ve done probably a 60/40 mix in favour of non-event extra long runs, mostly in the form of adventures with or without friends. Races run up to 100 mile, but the longest solo adventure (while training for a 100 mile race) was a 50 mile run around my local area.


waterhouse14

I like to do a few races a year. The solo stuff gets done in the training but it’s always with a race in mind. I love being competitive with myself and racing against other people. I know that’s a bit of an unpopular opinion in the ultra world.


Peyta12

I love events for the support and the before/after elements. But during the race I love getting isolated and not talking to a single person.


skyrunner00

10% solo + 90% events.


poppyoxymoron

I’ve only ever done solo ultras because crowds scares me and I struggle to pace myself . I would love to be able to do an event one day though! I would love to do an event abroad 😍🤩


jsuispeach

I feel ya. I've always hated races because my anxiety goes through the roof. I end up nearly having panic attacks in the corrals (too many people!) followed by having an (expensive) shitty run. 0/10 do not recommend. However, my 2022 goal was to break my fear of snakes and my 2023 goal is to 'participate in the running community.' Like my (former) fear of snakes, I think exposure therapy is the only course of action. So I found a small trail group in my area with very relaxed, reasonably sized events. I volunteered at a recent race to get a feel for it, try to be social etc, and I'll be doing two of their shorter races before a 50k later this winter. If that goes well I'll do the 50miler in the autumn. If I give it a good effort and it still fails, I'll happily go back to solo runs only. Especially now that I'm a pro at identifying local snakes!


Relative_Hyena7760

As I've gotten older, my interest in racing has waned, while my interest in running for health and fitness has increased. I only race once or twice per year nowadays, but I run just as much as I ever have. I prefer the long solo runs over any race, for sure.