The Malnad Ultra – 2018 (80 Km/50 Miles)

Having being bitten by the ultra running bug, Malnad Ultra was always on cards for me. Having signed up for the Bengaluru Stadium Run (2018) for a 12 hour run (Aug 2018) and Ladakh Marathon (Sep 2018), I thought I might as well sign up for this as I would surely have enough training miles. Decision to go for 80 Km was an easy one as I have decided to restrict myself to 80s in 2018 and move to 100s only in 2019 (and 50 Km did not sound like challenging enough).

The Malnad Ultra is by far one of the toughest ultra marathons in India. It is one of the very few ITRA certified races in India and also a UTMB qualifier.  It features a scenic yet brutal course through seven coffee estates amidst the views of the Bhadra Reservoir and Bhadra Wildlife Reserve in the Western Ghats of South India. Its cut-off times might appear relaxed on paper but only when you run on it you realize that they are quite the opposite. This course features more than 30% DNFs every year – you get the drift, right!

So, I land in a nice little town named Birur (near Chikmagalur) via a train journey on the day before the race. Incidentally, the train is full of runners from Bangalore. Infact, with so many participants from Bangalore, you actually feel like you are running in Bangalore (minus the trail ofcourse). On the race day, we get ferried to the race venue, a private coffee estate in Lalbaugh via shuttles buses; journey takes about 90 mins!

The run flags off at 6:30 am. The first stretch of about 7km is a nice downhill. Like with all runs, I look for a good comfortable rhythm and luckily settle into one quite early and hope that downhills continues forever. The first aid station also happens to be a mandatory rest area for manual bib marking so I make a quick mandatory stop and move on.  And, then the real fun begins. The inclines keep coming; I try to run through them while notice other runners walking. A few downhill comes as a great respite but extremely short lived.

At around 17km mark, we hit a the highest point of the trail, aptly termed as ‘the Summit’ after a gruelling 2 km of uphills. By this time, I have shifted to power walks on extreme inclines as I realize that there in not point running up. The view at the Summit is magical, I take a few seconds to savour it and move on. Payback time, as I run the downhill stretch to get my pace back. And, then again uphills starts. Most of them so excruciating that its tough to even walk up without an intermediate break. I caught up with Devi and we run together till about 30 Km mark and then the tragedy strikes. A nagging abdomen cramp develops and refuses to go away. It forces me to run slow on downhills and I get a series of Kms with 10-12 min pace. Meanwhile the sun is up and it starts to get hot and humid, thankfully most trail was shaded. I somehow push myself through the pain to move to 42/43 Km mark; the first logical point and I am already exhausted. After a minute of stretch break, I move off with the single minded objective of reaching the 50 km mark (start point). 6 Kms of road follows; all uphills but still a great respite and I run to cut losses.

Finally, I reach 50 Km mark about 45 minutes behind my pace plan but extremely relieved. At this point, I decide to change tactics – minimize stationary time, push pace on road, push on downhill, walk the uphills and put a personal target of passing atleast 15 runners in the last 30 km. Within 15 mins, I squeeze in food, change tee, socks and stretch and move out. After 2 km of walk, I hit strides and to my relief, I get much needed second wind. Then begins my most productive section of the run – between km 50 to 72km. I stop at alternate aid stations to cut down stationary time and pass runners with great regularity. By 72km, I had passed 17 runners and someone informed me at the bib area that I am running within top 30 runners in 80 Km. The last 6 km stretch is on the road so I was positive about good finish but then it gets dark and I am forced to run in head light for last 4-5 km. But, this stretch was magical – pitch dark, not a soul around, eerie silence interlaced with frequent animal/bird sound. A surreal experience and I soak it in (I did not have any other option, anyways). Finally, with last 2 Km to go, I hear the drum sound at the finish line. Its a nice down hill. I see 2 runners about 300 mts ahead. I decide to push pace and pass them and hit the home stretch with long strides. At the finish line, I put on jump with a hope that photographers catches it. I stop with a big relief. Volunteers come in and usher me immediately to the medal area where I get my that wonderful prize – the buckle and a bandana. And, then I sink into the rest area with a feeling of elation.

Malnad 80km is finally done with a net finish time of 12:34 as per the official results. Top 25 finish for me in a race which was 10x tougher than anything I had done so far, I could not be any happier. Several learning out of this run which I will probably summarize in another blog.