Useful Tips

TIPS TO STAY RUN READY & SAFE

As organisers we are making every effort to provide a safe Al Marmoom Ultramarathon experience, however, to successfully complete the race each athlete must take individual responsibility to be fully prepared and ready to take on the undertaking. The most important part of this preparation is attention to health and safety.
Here's some basic information about the health risks and how to stay healthy and run ready.

All Al Marmoom Ultramarathon athletes assumes full responsibility for their health during the race. Whilst health complications related to ultramarathons may not be completely preventable, certain pre-race measures may reduce each athlete's risk of tragedy. The first step is to consult your doctor and discuss your plans for ultramarathon training and participation. Your doctor should be familiar with diseases relevant to athletes AND with the physiologic stresses inherent in ultramarathon running. Your doctor must conduct appropriate cardiovascular disease screening prior to participation based on personal and family history.

Athletes with underlying health issues are at increased risk from medical complications during the running of an ultramarathon. Medical problems occurring during ultramarathon running can be serious enough to result in long-term impairment, and even death. The majority of serious health complications related to ultramarathon running are caused by pre-existing cardiovascular conditions. Specifically, diseases of the heart muscle, heart valves, and coronary arteries may increase the risk of adverse health events during strenuous exercise. These conditions can exist for years without warning symptoms until they trigger a serious health event. Environmental stresses such as heat and cold also play a role in aggravating these underlying diseases. Preventative medical attention may reduce the risk of a health tragedy caused by underlying cardiovascular disease.

All Al Marmoom Ultramarathon athletes must provide a medical file which contains a standard medical certificate that can be downloaded FROM THIS LINK. The certificate must be signed by your doctor confirming that you are cleared to take part in the Al Marmoom Ultramarathon and the distance you will be undertaking, the average temperatures during the day and that you will be carrying a 6.5kg – 15kg backpack during the race. An ECG must be carried out less than 30 days prior to the race start and the original document, dated and signed, must be presented during the administrative and technical checks the day before the race start or uploaded on the runner’s profile page, 15 days before the race start and must be considered valid and accepted by the organizers.

Participation in an ultramarathon places a huge stress on the body and specifically on both the cardiovascular system. The aim of training and race preparation is to ensure that your body can handle this stress. Safe and effective physical training involves gradual increases in exercise volume and runs of a similar duration, intensity and environmental exposure to the actual race. Training should involve runs that closely approximate anticipated race day effort to mimic the duress your body will be under in race conditions. Working with a sports medicine practitioner, an experienced coach, or athletic trainer is the ideal way to ensure that your training plans are optimized. Training should be increased gradually so that you do not suffer prolonged exhaustion and mix days of heavy mileage with days of lighter training, and allow your body to re-fuel. Rest days are also very important.
We recommend you to research about the experience of other ultra runners as this is a great way to avoid easy mistakes.
You need to find out how you will react under environmental pressures and what you can do to react to these.

Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is is an extremely tough race and you need to be well prepared physically and mentally.
Depending on an athlete's base fitness, the physical preparation for the Al Marmoom Ultramarathon may need to start 5 months before the start of the race.
For strong and experienced runners, weekly distance often average 100kms +. For those athletes who are new to ultramarathon running, weekly mileage often start at 30 – 50kms per week at the start of the training program. This distance should increase gradually, especially if aiming to complete the 270km distance. In any of the distances, though, it is important to also strength the full body through various strength exercises a few times a week, depending on needs.

As you will be running with a backpack, it is advised that you do many of your training runs with one weighing between 2–5kg. As your endurance and strength levels increase, add weight to the backpack, and periodically increase the distance you carry the backpack.
Alternating between jogging and walking is a good way to do this which may reduce the chances of getting injured.
Experiment with different backpacks to find out which suits you best.
Training will not only ensure your body gets fitter and stronger but Time On Feet will also strengthen feet and legs and get them used to the strain.

Pay close attention to your body during your training. Symptoms that may suggest underlying cardiovascular disease experienced during training should be taken seriously. For example, chest pain, pressure, squeezing or tightness around the heart or other vital organs must be checked by your doctor. Other symptoms including shortness of breath out of proportion to activity, palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting that occurs during or after exercise need to be reported immediately to your health practitioner. Failure to attend to such potential warning signs may increase the risk of serious health complication during subsequent training and the race.

On race day do not run if you feel unwell or have just been ill. If you feel feverish, have been vomiting, have had severe diarrhea or any chest pains, or otherwise feel unwell, do not start the race.
Start the race well hydrated, i.e urine looks pale and drink frequently, especially in the beginning when you may not feel thirsty. Pay great attention to your hydration in both training and during the race. Proper hydration increases the chances of a great race experience. However, If you are not feeling well during or after the race and simple changes do not make you feel better, seek immediate medical attention.

Fluids lost in sweat must be replaced otherwise your body becomes dehydrated and less efficient. Drink enough to keep your urine copious and a pale straw colour. Drink plenty of liquids after training, and drink regularly during the race, especially in the beginning. Practice drinking small sips often during longer training runs. Drink plenty of fluids (water and electrolytes) and reduce/avoid alcohol intake during intense weeks of training and especially in the weeks leading up to the race day. A good way to avoid dehydration is to drink enough fluid to minimize loss of body weight during the race, but avoid over-drinking and weight gain. Thirst is often a late indication of dehydration. Whether being a fast athlete or a slower runner, it's imperative to experiment to know how much fluid you will need to replace each hour of running at various speeds. Recognize that the signs and symptoms of dehydration include headache, thirst, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, weakness, abnormal chills, thick saliva, irritability, and fatigue. To race safely, take all measures to avoid dehydration.
Be careful not to overdrink. Weight gain during a run is a sure sign of overdrinking.
If you are feeling the effects of hot weather, slow your pace. Drinking more fluid will not directly make you less hot or cool you down.
If you are a slow runner, determine the fluid intake that keeps your weight balanced with a slight 1% loss during a long run or drink when you are thirsty. The rate of sweat and weight loss for the same distance varies according to weather conditions and running speed. Small sips taken frequently throughout the race is normally much better than big gulps once in while.
Ideally, try to keep your urine a pale yellow color like lemonade, neither dark like apple juice (dehydration) nor clear like water as this may indicate over-hydration.
Recognize the warning signs of hyponatremia like water sloshing in your stomach, severe and worsening headache, or feeling puffy or bloated in the hands and feet, nausea, upset stomach, or wheezy breathing. Stop drinking until you begin to urinate and the symptoms resolve.

Staying properly hydrated is important during long distance racing for both safety and performance. Hydration status in ultra-marathon runners depends on the balance between sweat losses (electrolytes, salts in the body) and fluid replacement. Dehydration occurs when fluid losses are not adequately replaced. Sweat rates are increased by; hot and humid weather conditions; male athletes sweat about 30% more than women of the same weight; a very fit person normally sweat more than a less fit person; whether the athlete is properly acclimatized to the race environment plays a role; and a faster race pace means more sweat.

It is possible for runners to drink too much fluid, which can result in a potentially fatal condition called exercise-associated hyponatremia. Hyponatremia often occurs in slower marathon runners who have the greatest opportunity to drink more fluid than they lose in sweat.

Balancing fluid intake with sweat losses to avoid both dehydration and hyponatremia is the fluid replacement goal for a safe ultramarathon experience. Faster athletes should be more concerned with avoiding dehydration than developing hyponatremia. It’s important to determine your individual fluid needs because there is no single recommendation that applies to everyone. Some factors associated with hyponatremia are gaining weight during the race, not losing any weight during the race, warm temperatures, small stature, NSAID use, and being female. Symptoms of hyponatremia include weight gain, puffiness, e.g., swollen fingers, nausea, vomiting, headache. More serious symptoms include confusion, irritability, agitation, and seizures. Left untreated, hyponatremia can progress to serious brain and lung swelling, coma, and death.

To determine your fluid needs, estimate your sweat rate by weighing yourself and run for 1 hour in the conditions and at the pace you expect to race. Do not drink during this run. At the end of the run, and reweigh. The difference in weight is your approximate hourly sweat rate. That is the amount that should be replaced in each hour of your race. Weigh yourself periodically before and after training runs so you keep track of your hydration needs.

During training and racing, drink at regular 15 to 20 minute intervals to minimize loss of body weight to approximately 2% of your starting body weight by the end of the race with adequate fluid in your system.

During training and racing, drink at regular intervals to minimize loss of body weight. How much and how often you need to drink depends on the factors mentioned above. Ideally, to stay well hydrated, you should have lost less than 2% of your starting body weight by the end of the race.

Before the race eat what suits you! Do not change your normal diet drastically in the last week before the race, but decrease your intake of protein and increase your intake of carbohydrates especially the last three days when you should also be reducing your training. This loads the muscle with glycogen. It’s time to fuel up, the body needs fuel from carbohydrates to turn into energy.
Ultra running is a calorie-deficit sport, it is generally impossible to take in as much calories as you use while competing a multistage ultra-marathon.
An average runner can only absorb about 1 gram of carbohydrates per minute (4 calories per gram) and about 240 calories per hour, while simultaneously burning around 60-100 calories per km. If you’re coming into the race fully carb-loaded, you may not need to begin re-fuelling until around 45-60 minutes into the race. This should be tested out during the months of training, so as to avoid trouble.

Pre-race carbs will help promote the storage of muscle glycogen, which will help you to go longer before fatigue hits. After the first few km of a race you’ll want to start taking in 240 calories per hour, or about 200 calories for smaller runners. Most runners are able to digest more calories than they thought they could, but it requires training.
The majority of calories you are ingesting during the race should be carbohydrates. The most common and the most necessary carb, is glucose. Glucose helps you burn fat (energy), and it's also the only fuel the brain uses. It is easily digested, so it will give you quick energy without making your feel sick.
Newer runners may want to start with gels because they are often the easiest product to ingest and help take the guesswork out of what you should be taking in. More experienced ultra runners, and those who practice for a few months prior to a big race, can train their bodies to handle solid foods. After four to eight hours (during a 50–100 km or longer stage), you may want to begin taking in a small amount of protein to help reduce muscle breakdown.

As with training, when it comes to fuelling, practice makes perfect. If you are feeling yourself slip, try re-fuelling and see what makes you feel better. Usually when an athlete gets to a check point and they are feeling weak or unwell, more often than not, they just need some carbs, some salt, and some water.

The 200-240 or so calories you should ingest per hour include solids, gels and liquids. This means that you might want to pair a gel, energy bar, or a sandwich with a sports drink to get in the necessary fuel. The hydration and fuel can be combined in any way you want. If you’re a really heavy sweater, you could drink all your calories, however that wouldn’t work for a many athletes because they would end up with too much water. Starting and finishing an ultra-race at the same weight as you start, though, is overly optimistic. It is unlikely you’ll be able to stay on top of replenishing all that is expended, but with good calorie intake, a good aim is to be within a few pounds of your starting weight.

The intensity and duration you are running will affect how much you should or can consume. The harder you’re running, the harder it is to consume food. If you aren’t feeling well, you will slow down. As you slow down, you’ll be able to digest more.

For the race, bring enough food to cover the daily minimum calorie needs from breakfast on the first stage up to lunch on the last stage, which will be the last self-sufficient meal. We recommend freeze-dried food that can be ready to eat by just adding water. This, plus energy bars, may be a good basis of your food intake throughout the race, coupled with gels, dried fruits and nuts, recovery shakes, electrolytes, and savory snacks.
Due to the stress on the nervous system and depletion of micro-nutrients during extreme physical undertakings like ultramarathons, the immune system comes under heavy stress. To avoid getting sick during races, and many do, armour yourself with a myriad of micros during training, and possibly before, during and after each stage.

Minimum calorie need per day is listed below. This need to be easily accounted for at admin day and each day upon request from the race organizers.

Stage 1, 60km. Minimum 2500cal.

Stage 2, 80km. Minimum 3000cal.

Stage 3, 110km. Min. 3500cal.

Day 4, Rest Day*: Minimum 2000cal.

Stage 4, 50km. Minimum 2500cal.

Many athletes seek medical treatment for blisters before a race begins, either because they had been training too hard in the final two weeks with ill-fitting shoes, or they had worn a new pair of shoes for the last long training run. Use shoes you know from experience that will not give you blisters. Take into consideration that your feet may swell during prolonged hours on your feet, over long distances, in a sandy and possibly hot environment.

Once you arrive at the finish, do not stand still, but keep walking. Cool down, stretch, and replace lost liquid. Some runners feel faint more than half-an-hour after finishing a long distance race because they have taken insufficient fluid at the finish and not eaten anything. To avoid this, it's a good idea to keep on drinking small sips till your urine is back to normal, as opposed to downing 1.5 liter in 5 minutes. It can be a good idea to get your recovery shake down within 15-30 min after arrival to the stage finish. To increase level of comfort, change into warm, dry clothing as soon as you can. Seek medical attention if you feel unwell.