To celebrate turning 50, I decided to tick off a bucket list item and do the Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120, which just happened to start an hour before I officially could call myself an old man. Starting and finishing in glitzy ski resort town of Cortina D’Ampressso, the race is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.

Unfortunately the race didn’t turn out to be the celebration I had hoped it would be. Overcome by feelings of nausea a third of the way through, I found it increasingly difficult to consume any food or fluid, which had the predictable impact on my ability to move forward at any more than a slow jog/walking pace. Rather than the pre-race visions of moving forward gracefully on the trails with a smile on my face, I too often found myself sitting on the side of the trail or by one of the many beautiful mountain streams wondering why on earth I had chosen to do this race to celebrate a milestone birthday. Thankfully I managed to pull myself together for long enough to finish, which even with a much slower than expected time, was a really special feeling and one that I will cherish for years to come.

Rather than give you a blow by blow description my race, I have listed below a random selection of tips/insights (and one amusing anecdote) that I hope you may find useful. So in no particular order…

• Book your accommodation well before you enter the race. I waited until November and ended up paying a little over $500/night for a 3-star hotel (and thanks to the folks at Westjet, I spent one of these nights at an airport hotel in Calgary). First world issues aside, the hotel (Royal Hotel Cortina) was incredibly convenient, being only 50 meters from the temporary stop for the Cortina Express, 100 meters from the start of the race, close to a bunch of restaurant’s, as well as the La Cooperative di Cortina, which in addition to a supermarket, has a great sports store with a bunch of trail running goodies (If like me you have a weakness for purchasing outdoor and trail running gear that you don’t really need, Cortina is a little slice of heaven, with most of the big trail running/outdoor brands having stores in town).

• Unless you are talented enough to find yourself in the elite field, given the large number of participants (there were just over 1200 finishes this year) your pace for the first 5-6 km will be dictated mostly by your fellow participants. Expect a slow, congested conga line when you first hit single track ~ 2km in the race.

• The trails for the most part are very runnable, with only a few technical sections where you really have to concentrate on your footing. Unfortunately one of these sections is on the long, steep descent that makes up a large portion of the last section of the race, which proved to be a slow form of torture for my tired mind and already smashed up quads and toenails.

• Some of the climbs often felt like they would go on forever. Indeed at one stage the gentlemen next to me asked if the climb we were on continued on into heaven :).

• Some sections of the course are very exposed to the elements, so plan and practice some heat mitigation/sun protection strategies. Thankfully there are plenty of streams that provide an opportunity to douse yourself in beautifully clear and cold mountain water.

• I cannot speak too much of the quality/variety of the aid station fair, as after 6-7 hours my mind was telling me that all options, savory and sweet alike, were awful and shouldn’t be touched. While I had read from previous race reports that there were long, slow queues to re-fill drink bottles, I didn’t find this to be the case. Indeed, as I have found in most ultra races, the volunteers at the aid stations were super friendly, helpful and encouraging.

• The amusing anecdote. Arriving at an aid station 90km into the race completely mentally and physically spent, I lay down for 30 minutes inside a the small mountain hut, convinced that I wasn’t going to continue, even taking off my race number and changing into a dry top. When I asked a volunteer if it would be possible to get a lift back to Cortina, he mentioned the only way out (aside from doing what you had signed up for!) was by helicopter, which we both agreed would be a little excessive for someone who was a little tired and feeling sorry for himself. Slightly re-energized by my “power nap”, and drawing inspiration from my fellow suffering souls, I made the decision to finish the race, no matter how long it took.

• One final, very important lesson. If your genitals haven’t chafed in a 5-6 hour training run, it definitely doesn’t mean they won’t in longer races! Read up on some prevention strategies here. 🙂

As I have only done a handful of ultra marathons, I’m definitely not in a position to say whether the Lavaredo 120 is one of the most beautiful races in the world. What I can say with certainty is that the scenery on much of the course is absolutely stunningly, and definitely made all the suffering worthwhile. That being said, more than once during the race I did think that many of the outstanding vistas would be better enjoyed and appreciated on a relaxed multi-day hike fueled by fine Italian food and wine, along with a really nice birthday cake 🙂

If you have a passion for mountain ultras, the Lavaredo Ultra 120 is definitely a race you should add to your bucket list.