Ultra X Azores Trail Race 2021
Ultra X Azores Trail Race 2021
Emily Evans – a personal reflection
On Sunday 28th November I took part in the Ultra X 50km trail run event alongside my boyfriend, Tom. This was the shortest of the two events, the longer being a two stage 125km route. To be honest we signed up to the event a little late and even though we had friends doing the 125km event, we didn’t have time to train for that, which if you’re considering any of the Ultra X events, I would seriously consider your training time. For us that was the right length to challenge ourselves and still enjoy our holiday we had planned.
I didn’t even know where the Azores was before I booked the event, so I was pleasantly surprised by the lush temperate climate of the Atlantic Archipelago. There is so much to see on the Island, it felt a shame that a lot of the competitors were flying in just for the event and out again before they had a chance to explore, but for those short on time around work, the run routes sure gave you a full 360 view of the island through the 5000m+ climbing (2000m+ for the 50km event) so you wouldn’t feel disappointed with a long weekend away.
For the 125km event, the route took you from Sao Miguels’ main city, Ponta Delgada, along the coast a short way, before climbing through the hills, fields, a lot more hills (according to my friends) and then finally descending down to Faial Da Terra, where there was a camping spot arranged a stone’s throw away from the sea and where the start line stood for the next day. After speaking to a few of the 125km participants they seemed pretty worn out yet not deterred by a very full day covering 75km and 3000m+ of climbing. There were plenty of abilities taking part in both distances and the Ultra X crew had unfailing enthusiasm for keeping everyone motivated throughout the two days, helping wherever they could, especially making sure that the final people finishing in the early hours of day one were as safe and happy as possible after 17h of being on their feet!
At the start of day two the 125km participants went an hour ahead of the 50km. There was well organised transport arranged for those coming in from the main city for the shorter event to the start line, which was about 80 minutes away and a stunning journey in itself. I really didn’t know what to expect not having ever done a route so hilly before and I was getting a little nervous. However once we started everything went like a whirlwind. At 1.5k we started the first accent and I was immediately grateful for having walking poles with me. We had already heard that our fast running friends from the 125k had taken 55 minutes to cover the first 5k, so that pretty much set the tone for the day! Tom and I plodded up the hills using our poles at a pace that I wouldn’t normally be proud of, but to be honest I think his wise pacing saved the day. The severity of the incline never really let up and we mostly opted for power walking Nordic style with our poles for most of the uphill, and jogging on the flat and the down hill. However the downhill was pretty sever too and took a lot of concentration to cross land slips, streams and boggy ground. It was really a wonderfully epic event. The event was well marked, although sometimes you had to look a little harder to find a flag, but all the major turns were unmissable. We took one wrong turn, but that really was our own fault for reading the arrows the wrong way around! I guess that’s what happens when you get a bit tired!
There were check points roughly every 10km with plenty of water available, massage, physio and medical treatment on hand too, most importantly many friendly faces to keep motivation high. We really tried to enjoy every moment along with all the spectacular scenery, as it can be all too easy to be focused on time and pace. We passed through the town of Furnas which is a great tourist attraction, there is a lot of geothermal activity there and the town can be seen for miles by the billowing steam rising from the ground. Although my personal highlight was running down a double row of Plane trees which stretched for about 1.5km. They are found all over the island, but this was really quite enchanted. Tom also spotted some fantastic wild plants that are mostly found in the UK as ornamental garden plants, so if you are green fingered there is plenty to marvel at.
As we were nearing the end of the race and descending, I can’t deny that my legs were really feeling it and that Tom had taken a couple of painkillers to take the edge off his own wears and tears, but we were still smiling! Although we met and chatted to many wonderful people along the way, I was most pleased to bump into my good friend and sports buddy Fieke, as she completed the last 2km of her 125km journey. She started an hour ahead of us but it took us about 6.5h to catch up with her. The 3 of us ran in together accompanied with two of our friends and supporters where we crossed the line together. It felt like a long time coming of being able to do an international event, travelling somewhere new and spending time with some friends in the way that we knew best- by doing an epic sporting event.
Medals and beers were well received, many hugs were shared and laughter had at recounting stories of the gnarly parts of the trail.
Thank you Ultra X crew for a great event!
Emily Evans
Report by: Emily Evans