There will be enough thrown at you on race day without tackling rocky mountain trails for the first time. However, to ensure your experience is as good as it can be, for a first timer, it is advisable to keep the unknown variables to a minimum. That is not to say you can’t run high gain races as a beginner, for some that is the essence of an ultra marathon. If you live in a flat area and it is difficult to train with a great deal of elevation change, it is probably a good idea to choose a race with less gain for your first ultra marathon. One of the principal ones being that in an ideal world you would want to train on terrain that is similar to the race you have entered. The type of route you will likely choose should be driven by a number of factors. How hard a 50k is will depend largely on the type of terrain you are running on. They may both measure 50k but those are two completely different events. Others will be technical and rocky terrain in a mountainous region. Some will be on relatively flat easy terrain such as public rights of way across rolling fields. Not all 50k ultra marathons are created equal. The 50k distance is not to be underestimated, should be most people’s entry into the ultra running landscape and is our focus here. Some feel that they want to really push their personal limits from the get go and choose a longer race. Some people will have completed road marathons and want to go a step beyond the 50k distance. Needless to say it is entirely up to the individual what distance they choose for a first ultra. You should also consider your post ultramarathon recovery plan to get back running as quick as possible.
The factors to be considered when choosing your first ultra will obviously be the distance but also terrain, elevation gain, location and support, aid stations etc.
Not to mention multi day ultras and 24 hour events. The first 50k training plan detailed here covers the entry point to ultras but there are multiple distances to choose from which include 50 miles, 100k and 100 miles. Choosing your first ultra marathon event may make a big difference in how much you ultimately enjoy running ultra distances.
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