The One Ultramarathon on My Race Calendar in 2024
Last week I asked what your running goals were for the year ahead. For some of you, your calendars are filled with back-to-back events, you’ve barely got time to breathe in between and you’re already looking ahead to your 2025 race season before even completing your ‘A’ goal race for this year.
For others, tumbleweeds are blowing through your race calendar. There are so many events out there now that you feel paralysed questioning which ones are right for you and when, if ever you’ll feel ‘ready’ enough to finally hit the registration button.
For me, 2024 looks a little different. If you’re part of my athlete team you’ll know at the end of this year, I made the difficult decision to hit pause this year on the Breaking 250 team training for the 2024 edition of the Gobi March (Mongolia) with RacingThePlanet and the Spring training retreat in the Lake District National Park this April. I’ll share more on that in another blog post.
Whilst I don't race very often, the last couple of years I've had two, sometimes three major ultramarathons on my calendar each year. It might come as a surprise to hear that last year, I stepped up to the start line of the Patagonia Run 110km in April and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in September, as well as returning to Atacama Crossing (Chile) for a second time with the Breaking 250 team.
Because if you follow me on social media or have been reading these emails, you’ll notice I rarely if ever share much about my training journey or post about my race times. The first I need to do better at but the second is intentional.
Good for the Ultrarunning Coaches who do this but I don’t believe my race times or splits have anything to do with my ability to coach or value as a human. Plus we all know how ITRA or DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics work, so if you want to know my time (or anyone else’s) it’s no secret.
2024 marks my 10th anniversary since I started running ultramarathons and the pressure to mark my decade of experience with an even bigger and better race lineup than my 2023 season is oh-so-real. But right now, there is just one ultramarathon on my calendar in 2024 and that race is Lakeland 100.
A 105-mile circular route, encompassing the whole of the Lakeland fells, including 6,800m/22,000ft of ascent. Packed with unforgiving terrain, darkness, and tricky navigation, I’ll have 40 available hours to complete the course. At the race briefing, you’re told to turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself. Before deciding which one of you will finish. Because 50% of runners will NOT finish. So much can happen during a 100 miler and in 2021 the odds were against me.
Going longer, racing more, and qualifying for bigger and more prestigious ultramarathons is alluring. It’s sexy. It’s hard to resist. Because it’s the norm. Gone are the days when it used to be enough just to tell your friends you’re training for a marathon. Now those friends won’t blink an eye when you tell them you’re heading out for a casual Sunday morning marathon training run. Am I right?
But the truth is when you step away from the bubble that is ultrarunning, not everyone is running ultramarathons. Only 0.1% of the world has completed a marathon. In 2018 more than 600,000 people ran an ultramarathon. A 345% increase in participation rate in the last 10 years.
There have never been more ultra runners and women in ultrarunning. But that's still only 0.00008% of the global population that has completed an ultramarathon.
When I open up my Instagram feed it’s filled with ballot invitations to an impressive line-up of ultramarathons around the world, grand slam plus challenges and inspirational words of wisdom from professional trail and ultrarunners daring you to push harder, get stronger, and go farther.
One of the things that makes you so unique is what inspires and motivates you. It will and should belong to you. So, I dare you to not buy into the kudos, Instagram likes, shiny belt buckles or keeping up with cool friends who do hard races. What if instead in 2024 you resisted and chose less? Ask yourself what’s the goal that everybody seems to have but I don’t?
And in 2024, I'll be doing things a little differently too. I won't be going looking for more events to fill up my race calendar or for a backup 100-miler in case I DNF Lakeland (again!). And I won’t be able to answer the question ‘What’s next?’. Instead, I'll be leaving space to do even less racing, to say yes to even more new adventures and for you, my athletes.
What will you be saying yes (and no!) to in 2024?
Want support in 2024?
Hi, I’m Hannah. I’m obsessed with getting more women onto ultramarathon start lines by giving you the skills and confidence so you can finally realise what you’re truly capable of and more!
I support you with everything you need to show up to the start line of your event leaving no stone unturned, whether it’s your first 50K or 200+ mile multi-day ultramarathon.
2024 marks my fourth year coaching female athletes on their ultramarathon journeys and I can’t wait to help more of you over the coming 12 months.
Scheduling a free 30-minute discovery call is the next best step in finding out how the coaching process works.