If you’ve been reading along with the Snowys Blog for a while, you’ve hopefully gathered enough encouragement to begin your trail run racing career. If not – stop, check out Trail Running Guide for Beginners or Picking the Right Trails to Run, then re-join me here.
Or, maybe you were already a trail runner and are now thinking of attempting a race.
Orrrr… maybe you’re an experienced racer and you want to get better.
Whoever you are, and whatever your experience – here are some considerations when entering your first trail running race.
Whether you’re thinking to attempt a race, or already an experienced racer – here are some considerations.
1. Pick a Race Suited to You and Your Running Motivations
Choosing your first race is like going on a first date.
You’re hopeful things will turn out well: happily married, with three kids after a while (or in trail running terms, an absolute crusher with a full trophy room). That said, your first date is never that extravagant; things start pretty slowly.
So, in trail running terms, look for a race that appeals to you. It might be of different taste from your friends’, but close to home and doesn’t last the whole day (i.e. don’t start with an ‘ultra’). That way, if you don’t enjoy your first race, it’s not the end of the world or your weekend. You can learn from that first mistake.
Avoid races that market themselves as ‘tough’, ‘extreme’ and ‘masochistic’ too – just like you would for a first date.
For your first time, avoid races that market themselves as ‘tough’, ‘extreme’ and ‘masochistic’.
2. The Six P’s: Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!
Anyone can sign up for a trail running race, rock up on the day, and get through it. Chances are though, if you’re parting with some hard-earned cash for the entry fee, you want to enjoy the experience! To make it more enjoyable, I suggest some elements of preparation.
If the race you’ve selected is close to your house, run the course a few times in manageable segments. Learn the course just like you’d learn the parts of a song. If you find some of the hills difficult, work on that weakness by running hills more often.
To manage running the whole course in one go, try working on your endurance and increasing the amount of running you do per week. For any uncertainties on how to prepare physically, ask some experienced trail runners – I’m sure they’ll have a few ideas to help you properly prepare.
Learn your chosen course just like you’d learn the parts of a song.
3. Get Your Head in the Game
As the race date approaches, the excitement will start to build…and maybe some anxiety, too.
Can I actually do this event? What will happen if I don’t finish it?
Put those doubts out of your mind, and remember that trail running is supposed to be fun – and you feel great afterwards. Worrying about your performance is just an unnecessary waste of precious energy. In the final week leading up to the event, it’s more important to ensure you have all the necessary and mandatory gear, and you’re across all the race details.
Mandatory gear is different for every race and might include water bottles, food, a rain jacket, and even a map and compass. Storing it all is very easy with a Salomon Running Vest or product alike, and purchasing one well in advance will allow some time to train and become familiar with it too.
Each event will also have different guidelines around car parking, bus transportation, bib collection, rules, and more. Ensure you’ve read all the information the organisers have provided so there are no surprises on the day.
Mandatory gear is different for every race, and might include water bottles.
Storing your mandatory gear is very easy with a Salomon Running Vest or alike.
4. Race Day
Here’s where things get serious.
Hopefully the weeks – even months – of preparation have you feeling ready to rumble on race day! You’ve wisely chosen to eat at least one high-carbohydrate meal the day before, and you’ve just consumed a tried-and-true, carbohydrate-rich breakfast. The golden rule here with food choices (and gear choices too, for that matter) is to never try anything new on race day.
There could be all sorts going on at the event when you arrive, but remember to focus on why you’re there and why you signed up for the run in the first place. There’ll be groups of people warming up, and lots of volunteers, race organisers, and maybe even sponsors accumulating a bit of a crowd at the starting line. Basically, a very different environment to your usual, quieter trail running experience.
On the day of the race, there’ll be groups of people warming up, and lots of volunteers, race organisers, and sponsors.
Appreciate that everyone is there for the same reason. They all went to their first race at some point in their career too – so if you’re feeling a bit stupid and out of your depth, quit that thought process and instead be confident in your ability to go out there and give it a good red-hot crack!
Try and place yourself at the starting line near people who will likely keep to your pace, or close to. There’s nothing worse than being a fast person trying to overtake slower people on singletrack – or, for that matter, having a fast person huffing and puffing down your neck like the Big Bad Wolf! If you’ve mucked up your positioning, the etiquette is to allow faster people to pass by stepping off to the left of the track.
Try and place yourself at the starting line with people who will likely keep to your pace.
As you’re running the race, follow the directions, thank the volunteers, look out for any injured runners, and stop and assist them. Know too that at some point in the race, something will go wrong. You’ll fall over or get lost, the aid station might have run out of food, or maybe you’ve just hit a wall.
This happens to everyone, and being mentally prepared for it will help you get through and complete your race. All your prior preparation hopefully diminishes the possibility of any catastrophe, but sometimes things just happen! Do your best to get back on track and to the finish line. If you’ve paced yourself correctly, you should arrive at the end absolutely spent!
Stop to re-fuel along the way!
If you’ve paced yourself well, you should arrive at the end absolutely spent!
5. The After-Party
You did it! You’ve considered these tips, smashed your first race, and have a big, cheesy grin on your face.
Be sure to take a few photos at the end to reflect your achievement, and enjoy some of the food usually on offer at these events. Don’t go overboard with your celebrations, or your disappointment if things didn’t go so well. Back to that ‘first date’ analogy: you wouldn’t walk away yelling and screaming about how good it was, nor crying about how horrible they were (because it’s never your fault), would you?
Remember to thank the race organisers, and the family members or friends who helped with your preparation or covered any family duties while you trained.
You did it! Be sure to take a few photos at the end to reflect your achievement!
Thank the race organisers, family members, or friends who helped with your preparation.
You did it!
Lastly, as dust begins to settle back at home on your bib, or maybe even a medal, I suggest putting some thoughts down about how the whole process went for you. This way, you have notes to work from for your next race. The aim of the game is to continue to enjoy trail running – so if you can improve either your preparation or performance at races, you’ll be well on the way to mastering trail running races (and with that comes a lot of bling)!
Good luck following these recommendations – and for your first race!
As dust begins to settle back at home on your bib, put some thoughts down about how the process went for you.
Have you ever taken part in a trail running race?