No Buckle, No Shirt, No Problem: Running Self-Supported Ultras
By: Larin Davis
When I ran my first ultra I didn’t bat an eye at the price tag. It was well over $100 plus hundreds more for gas, food, and accommodations.
The unfortunate thing was… I loved it.
How is this something I was going to be able to do on a strict budget? I quickly realized that this was not a sport for someone in my tax bracket. The friends I was making at these events were doctors, lawyers, and other professions that give you a little more fun money at the end of the month than being a public special education teacher working in Oklahoma.
As the years went on I would save and try it and only participate in a couple of races a year. This made sense financially, but it did not satisfy my desire to push the limits more often. When the pandemic hit and the world came to a screeching halt, I was left blindsided with an injury and plenty of time to think.
Looking back, it was definitely too much time to think.
For 2021 I devised a plan. I was going to run these ultra distances self-supported, around town with friends. And the best part? Pretty much for free.
Yes, I had to buy the snacks I was going to eat during the run. But in the end there was:
No entry fee.
No T-shirt.
And, bear with me…..
No buckle.
The first run of the year was a huge success! A friend and I used the drop bag method and hid food and water in the middle of the countryside so we could run from a coffee shop in our hometown to a coffee shop in the next town over. We wracked up 36 miles that day and the only special expense was the cute T-shirt at the coffee shop. (OK, I guess I lied. There was a T-shirt involved).
As the year went on I tried different methods of completing ultra distances. One of my favorites is loops around town using gas stations as aid stations. When the weather got nicer it was time for longer distances. When you find the right kind of friends no one thinks twice when you ask them to pace you for 100 K around the county. Erin definitely had the best leg. We stopped in small town for snowcones around mile 50. (The only time in my life I order a pickle juice snow cone).
Want to make your own adventure? Here are my suggestions for how to make your own self-supported ultra!
1. Choose your route. Remember, loops are totally OK. You might drive yourself a little crazy if you try and do it on a short loop, but if that’s your thing, go for it! Pick a route that you are comfortable with.
2. Determine your gear. Do you need to set up a drop bag so you can have a different shirt for when it gets warmer? Or maybe you are prone to blisters and need a second pair of socks. Think through what you’ve experienced during training runs and set yourself up for success by planning on those things to happen.
3. F-O-O-D. Now, this is my favorite part. Plan what you are going to eat before, during, and after. Have what you need for during the run either on your person or in a drop bag. Having a friend meet you along the way to give you snacks is also a great idea. Or, my personal favorite, grabbing an iced honey bun from a gas station on route.
4. Assemble your crew and pacers! Completely optional, but for each run you should decide if you want to invite a pacer to join you. When running an ultra at an official race, you typically can’t have a pacer for shorter distances (i.e., 50k or 31 miles). The joy of doing it on your own is you get to decide. Having a buddy along for even a few miles can make a huge difference in the mental game.
So no matter your budget, know that the ultra distance is achievable. Rally some friends or go it solo. And if you need someone to keep you company for the miles, head on up to Stillwater Oklahoma and I’ll be happy to pace you for a few.
all images included in this blog post were provided by Larin Davis and Erin Wood.
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