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Ultramarathon (Ultra)
Rating
An ultramarathon is any distance longer than a classic marathon (42.195 km). Popular formats include 50 km, 50 miles, 100 km, 100 miles, as well as timed races (6, 12, 24 hours).
In detail
In ultramarathons, factors that are secondary in a marathon come to the forefront: nutrition and hydration during the race, managing your gut, switching to walking on climbs, nighttime navigation on 100-mile distances, and sleep management. Pure physical speed plays a smaller role there than in a marathon.
How to use it
Before your first ultra, work out your nutrition plan and gear during long training sessions that are as close as possible in duration to the race — at such distances, untested solutions almost always lead to problems.