Discussion: how hilly is your 50k? My ...

how hilly is your 50k? My first (and maybe last) had unending little up an down dips, they said not to do this one for your first on the race description, so naturally that encouraged me to sign up(???). Ended up having to walk the last couple of miles.

This one is relatively mild as trail races around here go: 1,873' total gain.

I did the 25K in 2018 (two laps), so I'm familiar with the course. I would most likely walk the uphill in the 5th mile on all four laps. But still...

I haven't registered yet. I'll wait to see how my 3.5- and 4-hour training runs go over the next 4-5 weeks ("do I really want to do this?!"). :-)

I remember a guest from Louisiana saying they fell in love w the 'mountains' in St. Louis (200') so I guess its all relative. Good luck w your training!

Planning to walk the steep ups from the beginning is probably good strategy! I used to love running with the ultra runners in Tucson because they hiked all the steep stuff. I could keep up!

I went for a longish run with PG once, and he said at the outset that we were going to do it "ultra-pace": run the downhills, jog the flats, walk the uphills. (Adjust as feels right.)

You'll do fine, keep with your strategy, and keep eating and drinking, early and often.

That's why I think I prefer trail races (and potentially "mini" ultras) more than road races & marathons: the implicit permission to walk / hike the steep stuff!

p.s. Thank you all for the tips. :-)