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Thailand Ultra Marathon?


gc777

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Having done many similar events and looking at their webpage. I advise you to be well trained, self reliant and not to expect too much from the organisers. Better to be pleasantly surprised and have too much than to be short of fluids/energy in the middle on nowhere. Good to seek out friends as you are doing because you never have too much support.

So many weekend warriors enter all kinds of events woefully unprepared(not that it will be your case) and deaths/serious injuries very often occur in all kinds of races even when you are prepared so it's good to respect those events.

I was reminded of that recently when I read this story.

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/multisport/Man-Under-Avishek-Sengupta-Tough-Mudder-Death.html

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Hi,

Thanks for you response, when you say that you have done many similar events do you mean in Asia or is this in your experience in your home country? I ask because I have completed events such as Iron Man UK and the support was great and although I did carry plenty of food and fluids I could have survived just fine on what was supplied by the organizers. However, I guess racing through remote jungle is a totally different kettle of fish to racing through Yorkshire!. I'm thinking a three litre hydration pack, electrolyte sachets, plenty of energy bars and a good first aid kit would be sufficient?

Thanks again for the advice it is appreciated.

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Did one many years ago when carb loading was in but now the whole carb issue is on question and at root of many illnesses ( everything changes

Ultramarathon Runner Timothy Olson Thrives On A Low-Carb Diet | The Livin La Vida Low-Carb Show

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/7302/642-ultramarathon-runner-timothy-olson-thrives-on-a-low-carb-diet/

What we think we become ...

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Yes there are a lot of fads regarding what you should / shouldn't be eating. I just find having a balanced diet and taking in enough calories when training works for me. On race day just taking in plenty of calories, it doesn't seem to matter much where they come from as long as I make sure I eat something small every half an hour.

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I've done events on most continents including Asia. I will tell you want concerns me the most about this particular one... First, it's the first one which means that it's guaranteed to have kinks to iron out. That's is to be expected... What is more worrisome in my opinion is that there are no details on the organisers, events they might previously have organised and it's pretty thin on logistics. When you do an ironman, you know that there is support from a well established organisation and they will pull their name out in a heartbeat if certain conditions are not met. Looking at the website and the comments, it looks extremely amateurish and a bit fly by night.

That can add a lot of charm to the event and the organisers may be very responsible and hard working but as I said before, it's better to expect the worse and be pleasantly surprised than to be caught with your pants down. If you're doing the 100km, you will spend around 7000 calories and will need more than the three litres in your hydration pack. I would suggest bringing purification tablets in case there's a problem with fluid on the course. A compass is also small and can be useful in case of problems. I would also make sure to have something to deal with blisters in your kit. October is the tail end of the rainy season so you could have very wet conditions or it could be sunny and very warm. One of the biggest difference between events in Europe and Asia is the humidity. Replacing salt and electrolytes is crucial. I was out cycling the Samoeng loop last weekend and drank the equivalent of 9 bottles of liquid over 4-5 hours and was still dehydrated afterwards. That's easily double what I would drink for the same effort in european conditions.

Edited by GBHK
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Ok, thanks again, it seem that the best way to approach this is to be fully self-sufficient then and see any extra support as a bonus. Goof point re the water purification, I know someone who ended up seriously ill on one of these events because the organizers didn't provide enough water, and that was in a very well established race.

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When coming into work on the Canal road this morning around 9:00AM there were well over 100 bicycles in a caravan lead by several vans, police motorcycles and same at the tail causing quite a jam. Wonder what that was about? Looking at the link above that seems to be a running marathon not cycling. Maybe this is the same group and on PR or warmup?

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Have you been in contact with the organizers yet?

I am interested in it but just need to confirm my work schedule first.

Looks like a nice weekend away if nothing else :)

I would be doing the 50k only and as above would try to be self sufficient as much as possible.

Not available for training sessions though as I'm down south..!!

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No not yet, we are still not 100% sure where we will be in October, just waiting to see how my wife's work pans out before committing.

We will also be doing the 50K and treating it as a trek rather than a race, seems like a nice way to see some remote parts of Thailand.

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I have been in contact with the organizer.

This is his first time putting on a race but he assures me that he has competed in lots and is doing everything possible to ensure a good event. He did take the time to write a very long and informative reply to my email.

The 50k is nearly sold out, I think I was the 91st applicant but still lots of places available for the 100k.

I am looking forward to completing my 1st Ultra and hope a few more of you might join in the fun and games :)

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Does any know if there many poisonous snakes (or other scary wildlife) around there?

I like long-distance running and really enjoyed the 1 off road race I did, but that was in Sussex so maybe a bit different.

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Yes there are, there is a fairly extensive list of things that might kill you on the organizer's website. I think I will be doing this in a decent pair of hiking boots as protection against that sort of thing.

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