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Okay, so just finishing or having fun isn’t for everyone. Many among us enjoy having time or place goals. Sometimes these time goals arise naturally, such as when there’s a qualifying standard for a future race, there’s a round number to shoot for (say, 10 or 12 hours for a 50-miler or 24 hours for a 100), or there’s a race cutoff that’s a serious consideration. Just as often, ultrarunners set more abstract time or place goals.

Before you run your first ultra, setting realistic time or place expectations is exceedingly difficult. Extrapolating road marathon times to a trail ultra is dodgy at best. Your best bet is to ask the opinion of veteran ultrarunners with whom you have run and who have run or are at least very familiar with the race in question. If that’s not an option, look at the recent years’ results for the race you’re debuting at and see if any names are familiar. Perhaps there are some runners whom you previously finished close to at other races. The shorter the races in common, the less reliable any comparison is, but you gain a ballpark sense of time. Honestly, it’s often best to avoid setting an arbitrary time goal in your first ultra. Run based on effort and be happy with your finishing time, whatever it is.

Once you have one or more ultras under your belt, it’s much easier to come up with time goals to shoot for. While you’re new to the sport, talking with veterans is still a good idea. Start cross-referencing your prior ultras with the race for which you’re building a time goal. To do so, identify a runner whom you’ve finished near in a prior ultra who has also finished your target race. This runner’s time in a prior version of your target race gives you a sense of where you could finish. Finding additional runners with whom to form comparisons builds a more accurate prediction, as one runner’s relative performance varies quite widely between any two races.

If you’ve already raced the same distance as the race you’re contemplating, take a broad look at the times for these races, particularly around the percentile in which you’ve previously finished. This gives you a sense for whether the upcoming course is faster or slower than those you’ve previously raced; if you compare the results closely enough, you might even get a sense of by how many minutes the new course is faster or slower.

Pre-Race Preparations

Logistical decisions made months ahead of race day play a significant role in ultramarathon success. Among these decisions are travel; choosing a support crew and pacers, if desired; determining everything that is needed before, during, and after the race (and packing it!); and preparing drop bags.

Travel Plans

For many, the choice between driving and flying to a race is determined largely by travel distance, time constraints, and cost. That said, travel and its effects are highly personal. Over the years, you’ve likely learned the degree to which flying across the country or driving a long distance wears you out. Take this into consideration when planning travel to your ultramarathons. If you’ll travel for more than six or eight hours, aim to arrive at your destination no later than early to midafternoon the day before the race. This gives you time to rehydrate, stretch out, make final preparations, eat a decent meal, and decompress while still getting some sleep. As will be explained in chapter 13, arrive as early as possible when you’re traveling from low altitude for a high-altitude race.

Along with your own travel plans, you may be making travel plans for others. Unlike marathon and shorter races, it’s common for two sets of people, a support crew and a pacer or pacers, to assist a runner during an ultra.

Race Research and Planning

One of the most exciting aspects of ultras is the extreme variety found in the different races. This doesn’t apply just to the courses, but to the rules as well. Carefully research both prior to race day.

As described in chapter 3, specificity is an important part of training. When you start