Why a DNF (did not finish) in your next ultramarathon might be the best outcome goal you can set
Last month, two of my athletes stepped up to ultramarathon start lines and both left with a DNF (did not finish). For one this was a tune up race early on in the season for a multistage ultramarathon at the end of the summer but for my other athlete it was her ‘A’ race and one that she had a DNF at the previous year.
For this particular race, it will come as no surprise that over the last fifteen years the number of women who reached the finish line was a mere 10%, truly representative of the European ultra running trail scene. I’d love to know what the DNF rate is for women versus men at these ultramarathons because I suspect there are some nuances here. If you do come across anything please share it with me.
You’ve probably heard the following statistic:
“Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.”
Apparently as women we are less confident in our abilities than our male counterparts and won’t apply for that job or sign up for that race if we don’t feel we are fully qualified or there is a chance we might fail or DNF.
A DNF in ultrarunning can leave you feeling disheartened, deflated and devastated. I know what it feels like, I've been there twice and I'm sure there will be more to come. In fact I hope there is. You’ve been working towards this huge goal for such a long period of time and you’re so tied up in the outcome of what happened on race day that your motivation to start training again is non-existent and you question “Am I enough?”, “Why am I doing this?” and so on.
Too often in ultrarunning, I see coaches and athletes alike only celebrating “Medal Mondays” which is fantastic. But what about all the athletes out there who didn’t come home with a new shiny piece of bling to share with their friends on social media. Are they any less worthy?
Fundamentally, even the most well prepared ultrarunner will encounter issues outside of their control but the purpose of training is to try to mitigate as many of these issues as possible or alleviate them all together.
When I talk to my athletes about pushing the button and signing up for big ultrarunning goals, there is a lot of fear around what could go wrong and resistance questioning whether they are capable yet. When really we are missing out on potential opportunities if we’re not asking ourselves what could go right and what could we learn.
Ultimately setting and achieving ultramarathon goals no matter how big or small, has everything to do with risk management and how much risk you as an athlete are willing to take. Taking that leap and shooting for a big scary goal of course carries risk, there is a chance you might fail.
But not pushing the button or stepping up to the start line also comes with risk. The risk that in twelve months time, you’ll have spent another year doing exactly the same sh**.
Still in exactly the same position, failing to learn or take that step closer to achieving your goals.
In school we’re taught failure is a lack of success but what if success wasn’t in the absence of failure but despite of failure. What is it we are so scared of? Why do we live in fear of the dreaded DNF? What if you DNF a thousand times over? If you never DNF, you’ll never have the opportunity to learn and grow to take that step closer to achieving your ultrarunning goals.
So this year, I dare you to take that risk, enter that ultramarathon, return to that start line, shoot for that big scary goal because there is a chance that a lot could go wrong but there is also a chance a lot could go right. Let's be inspired to fail, learn and rise stronger together.
Ultrarunners and coaches, help stop the shame and stigma that’s associated with DNF’s and share your experiences. Have you ever DNF’d? Have you gone back? Will you go back? Share in the comments below or on social media.
Ultrarunning Coaching
Hi, I’,m Hannah. Over the last two years i’ve coached 45 women across life changing ultramarathon finish lines.
Whether it’s your first 50K or a 250KM multi-stage ultramarathon, I can help you show up to the start line leaving no stone unturned.
Having someone in your corner who has been exactly where you are right now is game changing and I know you are capable of so much more!
Find out more about Ultrarunning Coaching together here.