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Message in the Drop Bag at an Ultra Run


In work.. In personal life... In Ultra Running... All that matters is "Don't Fu***** Give up!".......


MESSAGE IN THE DROP BAG AT AN AID STATION OF A PUNISHING ULTRA

In Oct’18, I finished Malnad Ultra in almost 14 hrs 30 mins. One of the toughest Ultra run in India, I finished 80 Kms over a super tough terrain of hills and trails…. An ultra-so tough that the DNF rates are at a staggering high of ~50%....

In such events, runners are allowed to submit drop bags, which are then made available by the organizers at pre-informed stations during the event {at 50kms & 67kms in case of Malnad Ultra}.

Malnad Ultra was an event with sectional cut-offs, that is a runner to be considered as a finisher needs to reach 50km checkpoint & 80km finish mark in pre announced timing. As the DNF rate of  Malnad Ultra stood at a considerably high number, hence one can make out the tough challenge that the sectional cut-offs gave to runners…
Well this post is about what happened at the 50Kms checkpoint…..
Running non-stop for 8 Hrs 30 Mins in a tough terrain with crazy elevation profile makes one’s body and mind suffer… Coherence of thoughts and synchronization of body movement comes under threat… Similar was my condition. 
While I made it to the 50Kms cut-off with a comfortable buffer, the tired body & dizzy mind were definitely playing games around how the next 30kms {consisting of running last 2 hours in dark with just a personal torch} will be tackled. What if the body doesn’t support & give up now? Too much mathematics in the minds – 30 Kms to go, what pace to be maintained, am I starving, should I eat, gels? salt caps? Random questions to self. Random doubts of own capacity to pull thru the last leg… an absolutely disturbed and delirious mental state while approaching towards the drop bag at 50Kms aid station to take out some much needed supplies….

A volunteer came to me and said a runner requested heavily to keep a tissue paper in my bag & they allowed him under supervision because of his persistent requests. {5 stars Malnad Ultra for being so much regimented about ensuring drop bag safety!}
An already confused mind in a struggling body & now this confusion, what the hell!

Inside was a crumpled tissue paper. On it was a simple message.

DON'T FUCKING GIVE UP!



 UltraR left that tissue paper, took out time from his own timed run, made a huge request effort so that volunteers allow him to open my bag…He predicted my state an hour before I reached the checkpoint and left the message to ensure I come out of it…

It took precisely 2 seconds for the entire body to come back to action and mind sprung back to the run-ready-state! Hell someone else has so much confidence in you! Time to believe in yourself!

Malnad Ultra finished well within cut-offs. The hard-earned finisher buckle sits with pride in the medal hanger. The tissue paper is preserved carefully in my personal locker.

The Ultra got finished months back, the message stays loud and clear in my mind - whenever facing a steep climb, even at work, Don't f88***$ give up! WE GOT THIS!

“”A very famous & old rule that we used to swear by in engineering college – Best friendship are always forged over cigarettes and drinks in your college  days??”” – WRONG!
Best friendships are forged on tough hilly terrains with crazy elevation gain under a bonked mental state & body enduring immense pain!

Thank You UltraR!




P.S. – UltraR runs Ultras without posting about it on social media {yupe, weird but he makes it possible!}. He would not want his name in this post as he wrote to help a friend and not for social media likes, however I felt compelled to write about it because if you have come to this blog of an average runner you might as well get benefited by the simple message just like I got at the 50Kms mark!

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