"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend
a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean .." - John Muir..
That's probably close to my experience this weekend at the Sinhagad Epic Trail 2024.I registered for the 30k run seeing the enthusiasm from fellow runners at TRYSquad.
With rains for the past 3 days and rains even while starting , I had mentally decided not to push hard and instead focus on completing the run without falls.
A short recap of my race:
◾0- 2.5 km : Sleep uphill and that too it's majorly boulders. I had come prepared for this and I am satisfied with the way I completed this section. Definitely less tiring that the last time.◾2.5-6 km : Perhaps the only section that was easy 😀. Complete downhill from the top of hill until 5.5k followed by a short climb on trails.
◾7-10 km : A moderate hill. The tricky part was the downhill section which had become a bit slippery due to the rains. However, this was more like a prelude.Little did I know about the challenges that the rain has created in the coming kms 🥶
◾11-15km : after completing the hill, the trail took us through a narrow passage that would eventually take us to the next village.Rains has turned this path into a sludge trail and there was no place to keep the legs without getting soaked in sludge fully .😀. One of the most memorable experiences from this run.Although the shoes got fully soaked, the water or sand did not deep in and I really felt the utility of a trail shoe for this run.
◾16-21 km : the 30,40k runners have to complete the additional hill ,before joining the route of the 21k runners. I was really exhausted and this section was the most tiring one in the whole race. Thanks to Dipak who stayed with me and we both navigated this section together.
◾21-26 km : We climbed the third hill before reaching the top of the fort before getting down to the finish line. The uphill section was better than the previous one but I felt totally exhausted. In hindsight I feel that a more aggressive fueling with gels could have helped me with energy to climb the section.
◾26-Finish : Reaching the top of the third and the final hill was a huge mood booster. It's fully downhill from now ! Dipak and I managed to get down this short but very tricky downhill section.
After about 30-45 mins of excruciating downhill navigation, Dipak and I crossed the finish line together at 12:56 pm . Yes i completed the distance without any falls inspite of a really challenging route 😮
◾Nutrition :
Pre run : Bread + PBJ + 1 banana+ upma
On run : Energy bars at 11k. Non caffeine gels at 11k , 24k.
Post run : carb rich lunch 🍚
◾ A memorable run : Overall , a memorable trial run. Great organization of the run by WGRF..Hats off to the team .I highly recommend this trail run for anyone who wants real adventure 😁. This is so different from a road run and if you come with the right mindset it will be a great experience 🙌
Thanks a lot to Dipak who stayed with me till the end . Without Dipak's company i would have surely lost my way and wouldn't have completed in time 🙌
