The Burning Man Ultramarathon
Note: I decided to write a long-form story about this experience, as it was so impactful for me. Check out the full post about my Burning Man Ultramarathon experience!
The Burning Man 50k was my first ultramarathon, and it was awesome.
I was fairly nervous leading up to the event, as I’ve never run more than 26.2 miles.
Camping with Opulent Temple had me a little concerned about how I’d sleep, as the DJs go all night, and my tent was about 100 feet from the main stage.
We got to the playa on Friday, so by Tuesday my body was fairly accustomed to the volume/bass frequencies. I woke up at 4am wondering whether I ever really slept at all. I was so ready to get started that I practically leaped out of bed.
I estimate that I got about 5 hours of sleep before the race. That should be enough for anyone, right?
The run was slated to start at 5am. I got to the starting line about 15 minutes early, and the energy was palpable. Everyone was super excited and happy to be there. The most common sentiment shared was “this is so cool”.
When the sun started to rise over the mountains, I was in a groove and felt so grateful to be out there running with everyone, a part of “the most niche ultramarathon in the world”.
Our camp was at such a prime location for the race, sitting at the corner of 10:00 and Esplanade. This meant that I passed it during each lap, and I always looked forward to seeing whoever was awake… Or hadn’t gone to sleep yet from the previous night.
I had great company with me the entire time, and the conversations helped me to stay out of my head. I ran the first 3 laps with new runner friends. For 4th lap/final stretch, my wife Lauren and friend Jimmy rode along with me on their bikes.
At no point did I ever grapple with those familiar temptations to stop and walk or take a break, and I owe this entirely to the company and other distractions out there.
This run really helped solidify just how much of the challenge of running is mental vs physical.
I ran at a moderate pace, and indulged in some novelties in the final lap, including a martini and a shot of whiskey. I was running for the full Burning Man experience, not to break a record. I also think the booze helped dull some knee pain I was experiencing around the 25 mile mark.
My chip timing was 5:53:59. I’m not sure why my Garmin timing was so much shorter. I’m extremely happy to have finished without dying. I feel like I took in the entire experience and didn’t deny myself anything for the sake of speed. This was my goal.
I trained for the event, but the conditions on race day were perfect too — no dust storms, perfect temperature, etc. I’m not sure things could have gone any more smoothly.
With my first 50k in the rear view, I now feel like I could take on longer distances. Nothing really seems absurd anymore. Except for those 100 mile freaks, of course… So what’s next? I’ve got my eyes on this…
Thank you so much to Cherie and Camp Pink Lightning for hosting this incredible event, and to Samuel-Christophe Tedjasukmana for being out there to capture awesome race photos.
