Mawla Ghaati Ultra - Wait, What? Whyyyy? From 100k to 10k? You must be joking!

No, this wasn't me trying to steal someone's thunder. This was just me trying to be versatile in the sport of running and given the flexibility of choosing whats best for you at a certain stage was a calming experience and yes, it did help rest the horses and a very much needed one.

Having done 100ks on trails in past, the quest for 10k was a no brainer and to be very frank, no thoughts were put in to cover a 10k distance on this terrain. The only challenge arises from the stress that also gets developed when you choose to race it instead of running it. I did traverse the route a bit to get a hang of the ground beneath our foot on the mountains and gave me an understanding of the grip one gets on the soil that had faced the brunt from the recent rains.

The trail junkies

A low key bib collection event with very much enthusiasm being pumped in from the briefing session by Adi and Govind. They are trying to build the future trail events with international standards. The immense effort put it right from basics to the niche segments of this event were remarkable and the best part is the organising committee are very positive towards feedback and proactively work on it in every race that gets organised, be it jumping gorilla or mawla ultra, we see it evolving.

Jaygovind and Adinath making their presence felt.

fyi, That ice cream jacket looked dapper. While I was liking all the proceedings knowing that I was up just for a 10km run which is bound to get over under 2 hours, I could feel the heavyweight around that are to undergo an ordeal that could easily last a minimum of 9-10hours. This against the odds of nature becomes a humongous task for all and not a easy feat even for the seasoned runners. The trails of mawla exist to test every twitching muscle in your body making that will power trickle down in no time.

Thankful to myself, knowing that I am not a part of the longer format today, I was very much relieved. However, the chase to the finish line is something that started doing rounds and this was a very reason for me to venture in to ultra running. Guess, the madness still prevails and I am only to discover how longer does that last.

Reza is happy with the Tshirt fit

It showered a day ago and the very feeling of carrying all the muck under your shoe started creeping it. We being among the last who will head on the same route that has been ran over multiple times by other category runners and hence most likely to loose grip on the uphills and the downhill runs from and to the start point. Nevertheless, this was bound to happen when you plan to line up in the smaller category runs.

The food and recovery rituals were pumped with a shake out a day earlier and it couldn't get better knowing the 500-600 meters elevation gains right from the start point. Yes, you could either run it or hike it or brisk walk it depending on individuals strategy. I was out there to test all my strength. The training runs on the trails have mostly been an easy go lucky runs and not having to stress a lot on gaining pace. The elevation gains during these runs do the job of training your legs with the much needed strength that you want to endure in the longer formats.

The mayhem awaits

My journey in the 11km category was surrounded by three avid runners who were up to conquer the quest in haste and that very moment I felt the chase was on. Matching footsteps alongside the young guns was an experience in itself. It literally tasted my mettle against their fresh set of legs. I wasn't out there to compete but developing a edge over the above the efforts put in is a win-win for me. So, from the word go, I kept at it and realised how experience can matter when it comes to strategising runs. The distance, the elevation gains and drops that help in recovery got technical enough to understand what it would take to complete the run to your best capabilities. Another challenge in this category was the absence of any aid station in the route and hence the onus of keeping yourself equipped with hydration, electrolytes and munchies is on you and is a good learning curve for runners who look forward to international runs wherein the first aid stations could be as far as 7-8kms in the mountain terrain.

The painstaking effort by the Volunteers

While we weren't in luck, the volunteers had put everything necessary to setup camps to support the runners on the route. It takes a good amount of will to be out there facing the odds of the weather and still keep up a smile and cheer the runners when they arrive in all haste. The journey of the volunteers could be just never ending and they have to stay put till the last man or woman standing. The admiration just keeps growing event after event and thankful for the support system that prevails in lesser known and treacherous locations on the route. Thankyou Team.

While the first half of the run gave a good insight of whats in the bag for us, the return journey was on the same trail and had gotten a lot familiar. The rolling hills are fancy but come with a disguise if you are planning to run them over. I suppose the tempo runs on trails can help you get over such painstaking tasks on event days.

The above statistics are from the 10km category and as it is evident, equal amount of effort needs to be put in on your way back to the start point. While the chase was ON among the four of us, I only waited to see how much is left within me after pushing every kilometre.

The young guns were at it and I was reining on 4th position. The goal wasn't to speed through the rest but to keep at what best can come out of me at this stage of the race. With no aid stations in this route, the hydration bag and gels packed with it did come handy and seemed very necessary while belting those miles. A good amount of breathing with an eye on the heart rate was a must too to avoid the burn out. Passing by the young lad now who developed cramps on the way back on the climb, while it was no looking back after over taking another yet young speedster too to claim the runner up position made me realise this ball game that is not going to make life easy.

As much as I loved running alongside the younger generation, I would appreciate if more interest is also generated in them to keep up with the hydration and nutrition strategies. While the organising committee did ensure enough awareness is spread across the runners for carrying mandatory gears, nipping in the butt could be a must to avoid any unforeseen event.

Hands down, the shorter events are a bliss, while the longer format has its own charm. Having experienced both the formats, this switch within me is more inclined towards exploring the know hows of generating pace in the lesser known category especially on the trails. As long as I am able to learn more, this newly developed knack helps me look forward to something new at every run now. A lot more to write and a lot more to express and lot more runs to come. I will keep this as a open question for now while I look forward to the another favourite- Sinhagad Epic Trail run.