My First Ultra - UBS790 2023

Sardinia! 790km and 14,000m of elevation in 60 hours. Out of my depth? I felt like it looking at the other participants! Would they all think I’m crazy even attempting it? Did it matter?

Pre-race preparations

The day before the race there were pre-race checks and a briefing where we would get our essential kit checked, get a safety briefing and a chance to meet with the other participants. I was almost as nervous about this as the event itself and the anxiety and doubts were really starting to kick in. But we had a really useful briefing, group photo and I got the chance to meet some other participants, including the 3 other Brits taking part!

That evening there was a pre-race dinner, something I wanted to attend but skipped because I knew it would be too much for me socially and that I needed to preserve my mental energy as well as make sure I got a full nights sleep, the last for a few days!

Day 1

Surrounded by support and encouragement, and with my little mascot minicorn hitching a lift, I set off! I knew this would be the biggest challenge so far, not just physically but seeing how I would cope with little sleep and how I could cope mentally. But I wouldn’t know unless I tried.

I like having a plan, knowing where I can eat and what I can eat but this wasn’t going to be possible for the next few days. I had stashed sweets and some sweet snacks in my bags and was going to have to rely on those and make it up as I went along.

It was hot, over 30 degrees, there were several occasions where I ran out of water. Luckily we had been told about drinking water fountains which can be found on the mountains and in some towns. In the heat of the midday sun one of these was a welcome oasis.

There were 2 checkpoints in the event, both at hotels, and everyone had the option of staying at these. I knew I had to book rooms and try and get some sleep, because I was so inexperienced cycling through the night or trying to sleep by the side of the road like other participants would have been a step too far for me at this point. Just functioning on very little sleep would be enough of a challenge!

I made it to the first checkpoint at 10pm, slightly later than I had hoped but still well inside the cut off time. I found my room, put everything on charge and set my alarm for just over 1.5hrs later! I fell straight to sleep.

Day 2

After about 90mins sleep my alarm woke me up. This is the first time I’d ever tried to function on so little sleep and I was surprised I managed to get up quite easily. I quietly walked past other dreamers sleeping in the hotel reception room and mentally prepared myself for a climb I had been dreading the most in the whole event, which was just round the corner to the hotel. I took it slow, and in places where I was going no faster than walking I got off and walked. Steep climbs are not my strength at the best of times and I gave myself permission to take the easiest route up!

I could feel I was running on empty and hadn’t refueled properly. I was very slow and would be stopping more and more. Upon reaching the ‘flat’ section of the route I quickly realised flat was not what I would describe it. Coming from Norfolk the flat section was hillier than some of the ‘climbs’ I was used to. Trying to put that thought aside I carried on and tried to focus on my next goal, reaching the next checkpoint in time.

Reaching the second checkpoint with less than 2 hours to spare I quickly ate some food, checked in, had a shower, put everything on charge and set my alarm for 90mins time. I knew my speed had dropped off a cliff due to tiredness and lack of eating properly and I needed to allow myself maximum time for the next day. My stopping had also been slowly increasing. Pushing these thoughts to the side I messaged my family to let them know I was OK and quickly dropped off to sleep.

Day 3

Setting off after another 90mins sleep I was struggling with the amount of times I was stopping. I was really drained now and at some points would stop every 15mins or so and had almost no energy to get going again. I was hungry and thirsty all of the day. I put on a podcast and tried to zone out.

The night before I had realized I had bad saddle sores when I stepped into the shower and was met with unexpected pain as the water hit me. On day 3 these started to cause me problems on the bike. I would try and stand up when possible and relieve the pain even if just for a few seconds. I had never suffered saddle sores before and for some reason hadn’t really thought these would be a problem! I managed to zone out from the pain quite well though and concentrated on pedaling to the finish!

UBS was an unsupported solo event, we weren’t allowed within 100m of other participants for more than 5 mins. But I would often see others, at shops, being passed, and a friendly hello and brief few words would follow. These little exchanges were always so welcome and gave me that extra motivation to keep pedaling.

This was especially true on the 3rd day. I had no energy left after my awful food intake. My saddle sores were getting more painful and my mind was constantly filled with calculations of how fast I was going and if I would make it in time. I was being passed a lot by other participants now and knew I was slowing right down but just had to do the best I could.

It was around 3pm I worked out I was going to make it! The cut off was at 6pm and even at my now crawling pace I could still do it! I stopped on the side of the road to message back my family, I had constant messages of support coming through on my watch. They were tracking me and could see how close I was to the end! Their words meant so much and I didn’t feel alone. Then another Brit passed me and gave me more words of encouragement briefly and I started to feel excited that unless something unexpected happened I would be a finisher!

At this point I suddenly seemed to be struggling to hold my head up and my upper back was starting to hurt. I wasn’t surprised and was grateful it was happening so close to the end, I knew it was a matter of hours and that I could soon rest. My body wasn’t conditioned for this ride, I had thrown it right in the deep end as an experiment and was pleased it had got me this far without much complaint.

Rolling into Alghero I felt ecstatic! 10 miles to go … 5 miles to go (oh I could walk that!) … 2 miles to go (yep def could walk that!) … 1 mile to go (well I’ve def made it now!!!).

I rounded the corner and into the campsite where the finish line was and was just overcome, I was close to tears. You can see I can hardly hold my head up but I just didn’t care. Against all the odds I had done it! I was a finisher!

Post event

After finishing the race so close to the cut-off time I had about an hour to get back to my apartment, have a much needed shower and get ready for the post event pasta party! I stepped in to the shower and remembered my saddle sores! I quickly made myself slightly more presentable and headed to join everyone in town. It was lovely to see some familiar faces at this point! I was still firing on adrenaline and was surprisingly not very tired, although a few hours later I suddenly struggled to keep my eyes open! It was lovely to talk to others about their experiences and stories. Everyone had done so well, from the amazingly super fast people who had flown through the route and had already had a good night's sleep at this point, to the people who hadn’t managed to complete due to various reasons, in my eyes they were all pretty inspiring individuals and I was super chuffed to be part of the group!

I have the fondest memories of UBS790 2023. The event, the team and other participants all made the experience one I am excited to experience again in 2024! I am so glad it was my first ultra and I am definitely now a dreamer!