Rahul's Running Realm

Sunday 18 August 2019

Muscat - A city with a Blend of everything

Hi Reader,

Thanks for visiting my blog.

My attempt here is not to provide the details about the Muscat landmarks as one can easily get loads of information online. What I will be sharing here is how I went about visiting these landmarks without burning a hole in the pocket. Browsing through the information available online, one thing which comes out clearly is that travelling within city could be a costly affair if one goes for a Taxi service. Muscat doesn't have metro connectivity and the only public transport here is Mwasalat Bus Service. So if you are someone who loves to use public transport or is planning to take a self-drive car option, this blog is definitey for you.

Before we begin, the most important conversion factor:
Currency- Omani Riyal (OMR) 1 OMR = 2.60 USD or 2.34 Euro or 2.14 GBP or 185 INR

Arrival in Muscat:
Muscat International Airport is located outside the main city. From the airport, one can use taxi services or buses to reach the main city. I would recommend to use the Mwasalat bus service.The bus stop at airport is at Ground level. From the arrival hall, just follow the directions to reach the bus stop. The bus service from airport to city operates 24 hrs at an interval of 30 mins. So irrespective of when you land, you can use the bus. Route numbers from airport are 1A and 1B.

Mwasalat Bus @MCT airport

Bus Time table can be referred in the below link:
https://mwasalat.om/en-us/Services/City

The bus ticket from Airport to city is 1 OMR, which is very low considering that taxi for the same distance will cost you anything between 10 -15 OMR. These buses are fully air-conditioned with Wi-fi onboard.

With my experience I can say that the below 3 Bus routes will be the most important for any traveller using the local transport:
1B- Airport to City
1 - Ruwi Bus station to Al Mabllah Bus station
4 - Ruwi Bus station to Muttrah

Bus fares in Muscat are charged basis zones travelled. Travel within 1 zone costs 200 Baisa, 2 zones is 300 Baisa and 3 zones is 500 Baisa. (1 Omani Riyal = 1000 Baisa)

Accommodation in Muscat:
You can get hotels in all budget ranges in this city but my recommendation will be to take a place which is on the bus route so that you have easy access to local transport. I came across many big hotel chains like Radisson, Intercontinental, Ramada which are within walkable distance from the nearest bus stop.
My pit stop for this trip was Ramada Qurum Beach Hotel (http://www.ramadamuscat.com).
This property is centrally located, the beautiful Shati Al Qurum Beach at 5 mins walk. Easy access to McDonalds, Subway, Ice Cream parlour, Super market, Theatre etc.

How to visit key landmarks in Muscat:

One google search can easily recommend the places of interest in Muscat and details about them. As mentioned earlier my focus here is on how to reach the place in the most cost effective manner and sharing any specific info which might be useful as a traveller.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque - (https://sultanqaboosgrandmosque.com)

A beautiful architectural marvel located in the heart of the city.
Non Muslims can visit the mosque only between 0830 Hrs to 1100 Hrs. ( No visit allowed on Friday)
Transport - This monument is located on Sultan Qaboos Street. Nearest bus stop will be Al Azaiba South or Al Azaiba A. (Google Link for Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque).

After the visit to the mosque my recommendation will be to take the bus no 1 going to Ruwi Bus station. From Ruwi bus station take the bus no 4 to Mutrah Souq. This entire trip will cost 500 Baisa.
As the below map indicates that this area has many of the must visit landmarks within a vicinity of 2-3 kms. You can click on the Mutrah places to visit to download the map.

Screen Grab of Mutrah landscape with places of visit

Mutrah Corniche Area - This is a paved path stretch overlooking the Gulf of Oman. On your lucky day, you can have a view of luxury cruise liners berthed at Sultan Qaboos port. The best time to visit this place is either early morning or evening when the weather is conducive for a stroll.

Mutrah Corniche

View of Port Area

Mutrah Souq - This Souq is the oldest market place in Arab world. It was and still is a major commercial hub. It's located just opposite the harbour. The timings for Souq is 8AM to 1:30 PM and then 4 PM to 10 PM. It seems on Friday it's 24 hours open. You can get good quality perfumes, leather goods, spices, oils and garments.

Post visit to the Souq, one can start walking on the Corniche route, which runs parallel to Al Bahri Rd ( Yellow road on the map). This road has some really amazing green landscaping on the side. You will come across Riyam park on your right, this has children play area and a tuck shop.

Landscaping

Riyam Park

View from Muscat Gate

Continuing your walk on the same road, you will reach Muscat Gate which has a museum on top. Hence the name Muscat Gate Museum.

Muscat Gate Museum

The museum is open from 8 AM to 2 PM daily ( Fri and Sat it's closed).

Al Mirani & Al Jalali Fort:

You can never miss the two beautiful twin forts overlooking the Gulf of Oman. Both these landmarks have a special place in Omani history. Unfortunately they are not open for public viewing. Al-Mirani fort is accessible by land and one easily go till the fort gate. This fort is still used by Army. In case of Al- Jalali fort as it's on an island, one can only enjoy it's beauty from far.

Al- Mirani Fort

Al- Jalali Fort

Al Alam Palace - It's one of the six royal residences of the ruling sultan. In my view it's an iconic landmark of Muscat. Like many other sites in Muscat, general public is not allowed inside the palace grounds although one can admire this magnificent structure from outside the gates.

Al Alam Palace

National Museum of Oman - Directly opposite to the Al Alam Palace, we have the National Museum of Oman. The corridor between the palace and museum is a sight to behold.

The entry fee to the museum is 5 OR for Foreigners. Timings for the museum is 10 AM to 5 PM everyday except Friday when it's from 2 PM to 6 PM. This museum has a lot of artifacts covering the evolution of Omani history.

National Museum

Al Alam Palace view from Museum

Museum view from Palace

So this covers the key landmarks in this part of town, but if you are someone who loves history, you can also visit the Omani and French Museum and Bait Al Zubair Museum.

Just opposite the National Museum is a bus stop from where you can take the Bus no 4 back to Mutrah Souq. The last stop for Route no 4 is National Museum from where it goes back to Ruwi bus station through Mutrah.

On your way back, once you get down at Ruwi Bus station, you can visit - Ruwi Clock tower. It's a 5 min walk from the bus station. The clock tower is in middle of a park which is a good place for an evening stroll.

Ruwi Clock Tower

One another key landmark in the city which can't be missed is the Royal Opera House Muscat. Details can be found on https://www.rohmuscat.org.om/en/Pages/default.aspx

It's located on Shati Al Qurum district on Sultan Qaboos Street.

ROH- Muscat

Shati Al Qurum Beach - Muscat has few of the best coast lines one can come across. The beaches are clean and well maintained. In the evening time, the area is best place for family picnic, running on the beach, enjoying a dip in the sea or simply building sand castles on the shore. Would definitely recommend this beach for a visit.

Food - Muscat has all the famous restaurant chains from Mc Donalds, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. It also many famous restaurants serving Indian, Italian, Mexican and Continental cuisines. So getting a food of your choice is not an issue.

So this is how I enjoyed my 2 days in Muscat. I hope this blog will be helpful in planning your trip to Muscat. In case of any questions, feel free to reach out to me through the comments section and I will happy to answer your queries.

Sunday 14 April 2019

Ooty Ultra - Quest to become an #ULTRAmalaivasi

This is an ultramarathon event which happens in the beautiful town of Ooty. The event is organised by Kannan Sundararajan aka Coach Kay. Although this was only the second edition but the success of the first edition had created a lot of buzz in the ultra marathon circuit. We had runners from length and breadth of India and few international participants as well.

0530 Hrs : 7-Apr-2019, it was a chilly Sunday Morning and Ooty residents were still asleep but the YWCA campus was buzzing with activity. This was the start point of the race and in an hr's time 700+ runners will start the journey to become an #ULTRAmalaivasi, for many it will be the first time and for few (like myself) it will be an attempt to get the title for the second time running.

As the digital clock indicated the numbers 06:30:00, hundreds of tracking devices started from 00:00:00 and with that started the quest to become an #ULTRAmalaivasi.

Ooty Ultra - My Garmin ( Click on the link to go through elevation and route profile)

The race starts from YWCA, Anandagiri, Ooty (~EG -2215m). For the first 4 km, the runners run through Ooty town, YWCA - Bus Stand - Main Market - Assembly Room Talkies - Botanical Garden, before starting the ~ 6km ascent to Doddabetta peak- the highest mountain peak in Nilgiri & also the highest point in the race situated at an elevation of 2627m. The elevation gain to the peak is around 400m. The 4km descent from the peak brings runners to the 4 road junction from where they take the road towards Kothagiri. At the 15km mark, comes the beautiful Tea Park, Battarakambi (~EG - 2430m) which is the end point for 15k runners and first cutoff point for 30k/60k runners. The second phase of the race starts with a downward descent, the route comprising of tar road, and a section of trial passing through tea gardens. Although one gets to admire the beautiful tea gardens and green surroundings but the pleasure is short lived as the runners starts the return leg of 7km ascent back to the tea park. The ascent is a tar road section deprived of tree cover for almost 5 km, so it becomes a challenge with sun god at it's full glory. The 30km completion at tea park signals start of final 30km loop for 60k runners.
This is the most challenging section, where the runners start with descent on the 7km section (ascent of 2nd phase) and go down further till the 48th km (Elev. Gain of 1837m), the lowest point on route. So technically the 18km descent has also brought 600m of elevation loss which makes the last 12km back to tea park the most challenging section of the race. For an average runner like me, this is a section where running becomes literally out of question and it's more about walk-jog-walk to the finish line. Hence it becomes important that you time your run in such a manner that you have enough time on hand when you start the final ascent. The cut-off time for 60km section is 10 hr 30 mins.

So after encountering a total elevation gain of ~ 1865 m and being on road for close to 9 hr 12 min, I completed the 60km Ooty Ultra for second time and in doing so improved my previous timing by 28 mins.
Yes, Ooty ultra is a challenging course but it's one of the most beautifully organised ultra marathons in India. The aid stations are adequately stocked and volunteers are ever smiling. Coach kay ensures that runners get the best support possible within the logistical bandwidth which this course can allow.

#ultramalaivasi #ootyultra #ootyultra2019

Want to be an #ultramalaivasi, log on to www.ootyultra.com for more details.

Monday 17 December 2018

Sinhagad Rajgad Torna 2018 - An Ascent worth the view

SRT 2018

SRT stands for Sinhagad Rajgad Torna, named after three ancient forts which are nestled in the beautiful Shayadri ranges and are connected with each other since time immemorial. In ancient days, this route has been used by kings and peasants alike for trading, community building, farming and unfortunately war as well. Fast forward 2000+ years and this route becomes the backdrop of the first edition of Pune's toughest mountain Ultra marathon. This race also is the first race in the maiden edition of Hell Race Trail Series (http://www.thehellrace.com/hell-race-trail-series). SRT event is conducted by Western Ghats Running Foundation (http://wgrf.in). SRT is an UTMB qualifying race with finishers of 50k category getting 3 UTMB points while 25k category finishers receive 1 UTMB point. The third category is the 11k event but no UTMB points for this one.

SRT Experience: ( My Garmin Profile of SRT)

The event starts from Ghera Sinhagad area, a small town at the base of Sinhagad fort. I stayed at Kondhana Guest House ;t he official hospitality partner for the event. The guest house is at a distance of 1km from starting point.

I had registered myself for the 50k event and was looking forward to the event. As this was the first edition, not much information was available on internet in terms of runner's experiences but going through the videos and course details on organisers website, one thing was crystal clear that the race will be anything but easy.

@Starting Point

The 50k event was flagged off at 0600 hrs. The first part of the route is the 5.5 km Vertical climb to Sinhagad fort. The total elevation gain on this climb is ~645m. The first 2.5km is through the town till you reach the base of the Sinhagad trek. Beyond this point, one will literally trek and running is beyond question for amateur runners. The route is like any hilly climb dotted with rocks of various proportions and one has to take help of walking stick and sometimes their hands to move forward. As we started the race in dark, it's during this climb one witnesses the sunrise and the view is awesome.

Pune Darwaza

The most prominent address on top is "Pune Darwaza" and one can't control to click a picture against the majestic backdrop. As you enter the fort area you will come across the first aid station and timing check point (@5.5km).

Mountain Traverse

After the tough ascent to the top, the downhill stretches were a welcoming change. The route was highly technical and one has to be extra careful while going downhill as one wrong landing and your race could be over. The second prominent section on the course is Nagphani Mountain Traverse. Although in this section one doesn't climb the mountain top but this is a tricky one. In few patches of this course, one had to literally run on the mountain ridge with deep ravines just a step away. As it's on the edge of the mountain, the soil is very loose and slippery. While running this course you are bound to think on how the course will be during monsoons.

After successfully navigating through the traverse, I reached Vinzar Village. The second aid station was at 15.5 km, a much needed pitstop for re-fueling and re-energizing oneself for the challenge ahead. The next 9km stretch leading to the half way mark, is one of the least taxing section. One gets to run for ~ 3km on paved State highway 65 and then on ~ 6km of non paved section passing through Sakhar, Ghavar & Chimodi villages and terminating at Gunjavane village -- Welcome to the third aid station and timing check point.

Rajgad Fort

Job half done.. Miles to go and two forts to climb.......

Now comes the second notable climb Gunjavane village base to the Rajgad fort top - total elevation gain of 535m. This was also a rocky and muddy climb. As it was Sunday, came across lot of tourists and locals going on Rajgad trek. Although purely from data perse, this is an easier climb then Sinhagad but this one literally becomes tougher as you will encounter this at the halfway mark into your run with "SUN" not on your side. Along the route, one will come across lime juice shops and shaded rest areas. As a runner on this trek, it is tough to explain yourself on why one needs to run, when one could enjoy a cold glass of lime juice under the shade. As you are looking for an answer, you will hear "Keep going" & " Best of Luck" from people around you and you have replied your inner self.

Rajgad Descent

The last section of this climb is steep and have railings for the support. This is part where you will encounter human traffic jam and keeping two hand distance between self and others is highly recommended for safety of all.
As one enters the Rajgad fort area, you get a glimpse of vast spread out fort area. As you run through Sanjeevani Machi fortification, keep an eye out for water cisterns. I think this was my first event where I was so circumspect about the descent section. Few patches had ropes installed to aid in descent, minus the rope, and you need to be superhuman to climb down with all limbs intact. Cactus warning....be extra careful on the narrow route to avoid massive cactus vegetation, no one wants a thorny finish.

The first and the only cut-off point in the event comes at @32km which also happens to be 4th aid station. One needs to reach this cutoff within 7hr30mins. It looks simple and doable from numbers perspective but trust me on this, don't leave it too late. Arriving late at this point results in a direct DNF and unfortunately your SRT experience will be cut short.

Torna Ascent Trek Section

If you have successfully managed to avoid the DNF tag, you will start the final leg of your journey which comprises of ascent to Torna fort. The first 6.5km section from aid station is primarily a trekking path with a fair share of elevation. It's a beautiful section where you will be running all alone in the wilderness. The interesting part with Torna ascent, is that the fort is always in sight, always near but yet so far.

Torna fort is the highest fort in Pune and is ascended from Budhla Machi. This ascent point comes @ 39km. The ascent is quite tricky as the rock patch has to be climbed with the aid of ropes and ladder.

Budhla Machi

For me it was an experience and quite challenging to be honest, as I had never done a technical trail before. Once you have climbed the Budhla Machi section, make your way towards the main fort area. It's a steep climb but railings will come to your rescue. Few sections of the climb are exposed to huge falls and one needs to be very very careful.
As I entered the Torna fort complex, I experienced a massive sense of accomplishment. It was a great feeling to have finally completed the SRT ascent which boasts of 2000+m of elevation gain. Although the job was still far from over, but I took some time to enjoy the moment and let the feeling sink in.

Torna Fort Section

Mengai Devi Temple is located in Torna fort complex, I missed visiting the temple but I am sure would have got the blessings of the goddess.
Like all the descent in this route, Torna descent was all but easy. Some sections had steps missing, so one literally had to to take the support of fragile railings and walking stick to move forward. The day being Sunday was not at all helping as the route was getting blocked in areas which had tricky patches of descent. Not everyone was bothered that you were running a timed event and the only thing you can do is to wait in line. I still remember that one particular ~ 1km descent section took me 30 mins.

The final aid station comes at 42nd km and then finally you will have 8km of road running. This is the section, people say, you can run and improve upon lost time. The section passes through Velhe village and then you come back on State Highway 65. It was almost 10hrs since I started running and I didn't wanted to overdo myself on this section. Quick mental calculation gave me the confidence that even at a normal pace I will finish the run within cut off.

As I entered the Pabe village and was in my last km, all the day's happenings were going through my mind. I was extremely proud of myself that I managed to pull it through. I thanked the hills for one last time for taking care of me and with the promise that we will meet again.. I scanned my timing chip for one last time.

Yes, I have completed SRT 2018 and it's just a start of things to come.

Wednesday 7 November 2018

Hyderabad Ultra Marathon 2018

Hyderabad Ultra Marathon (HUM) 2018
Event Date - 4th Nov 2018
Location - Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, India

This was the second edition of HUM, an ultra marathon event organised by NEB Sports. Anyone who has run in this event or the course, will acknowledge that it's a challenging route. Having previously participated in the 25km category, I opted for 50km for this edition. I very well knew what I was signing for and the course didn't disappoint me, yet again.

RACEDAY:

The starting point for all categories is Gachibowli Stadium. The 50km race was scheduled to start at 0415 hrs, an ideal time to start considering an average runner like me will take a minimum of 6+ hrs to finish and one would want to run maximum distance before the sun comes out.

As the digital clock indicated 04:14:50, the countdown started and after 10 secs, I crossed the timing mat for my 3rd official 50km run. I had the company of Upen Sir, a seasoned runner, from whom one can learn so much.

The 50km course comprises of two loops of 25km. One loop is 12.5km out and 12.5km in.
Garmin Route - HUM 2018
The race starts from inside the Gachibowli indoor stadium and we covered around 2.5kms within the stadium campus.After this, we got on to a stretch of ~4.3kms on ISB road. This stretch (2.5km to 6.8km) had a descent of ~ 68m, happy!!, hold on to that thought, the same will become an ascent when you come back to finish the loop.

After ~6.8km, we took a right on service road running parallel to Nehru Outer Ring Road. Now you have a relatively flat 2km course till ~8.8km. Then comes the ~1km ascent (Movie Tower Road) with 50m elevation gain, toughest section which I remembered from my last run. Next a "breather" for 900 m with descent on Kokapet SEZ Main Rd. Next is a stretch of ~1. 65 km to turnaround point of 12. 5 km @Shankrapalli- Hyderabad Road.

After the turnaround point, it was just a reverse of the first 12.5km, with earlier "ascent" becoming "descent" and vice versa. As we had to do this loop twice and we knew that second loop will be in much warmer conditions, we tried to conserve our energy and took it slow and steady. We completed the first 25km in 2hr 35 mins but this "first half -finish" will always be a beautiful memory, courtesy the moment captured in the below pic. We ran the last 2 kms with Sunil Sir and it was an absolute delight.

By the time, we started the second loop it was 7 am and as predicted the conditions became slightly challenging. Had requested Upen sir to move ahead as I didn't wanted him to slow down.

The hydration support was excellent along the route with adequate supply of water, enerzal, salt, biscuits, bananas etc. I kept my body cool with 200 ml water shower's at regular intervals. In the second loop, I followed the approach of walk-run on uphill section, although I took more time to cover these stretches but I was comfortable. You don't want to overstretch your body as you still have miles to go before the finish line is in sight.

After running few long distance runs, I have realised one fact that during the run, one can get maximum encouragement from "Self", because it's only "You" and "You" who will be with "You"for the entire distance.
The course was now relatively empty with only 50km runners dotting the course. As I crossed the 45km mark, I decided to give one last push and promised myself that I will avoid walking in the last stretch. I kept my promise to self and crossed the finish line with a timing of 5hrs 56 min. This was my first Sub 6hr timing in 50k and bettered my previous best by 45 mins.

Having ran this event twice now, I can say that "HUM" is a tough nut to crack.
Till next time.....

Event website : http://hyderabadultramarathon.com
Organisers website : http://www.nebsports.in

Sunday 28 October 2018

My Maiden Malnad Ultra

Malnad Ultra 2018

Event Date - 13th & 14th Oct 2018

Location - Lalbagh Estate, Near Ballavara, Birur, Karnataka, India

Malnad Ultra is one of the most challenging ultra marathons in the country. Although it was only the 3rd edition of this race but there was quite a buzz around this event in the running circuit. I had read quite a few articles on this event and also had the benefit of getting first hand info about the event from my running coach cum friend Brijesh Gajera (he is part of the core team of Malnad Ultra).

The registration can be made directly from event website - www.malnadultra.com.As the event is conducted in remote location, the accommodation choices are very limited and if not booked in advance, one can end up without the luxury of a bed before the race day. The organisers recommend to take the services of Active Holiday Company for booking stay packages. www.activeholidaycomapny.com

My Malnad Experience

Now coming to my experience of the event. I reached Birur a day before the event along with few of my running friends. As we disembarked at Birur station, one could see who's and who of the Indian ultra running world. We had quite a few international runners gracing the event. Our accommodation was in Ballavara town which is around 22km from Birur station. The organisers had arranged pick up buses from the station to the various hotels/homestays located in Ballavara town.

Pic: Train Journey to Birur from Bangalore

I was sharing my room with my friend Anil Muduli and we were booked at "Z- Point". The room was simple and clean. As soon as we checked in, we were told that the town has a scheduled power cut from noon to 6 pm every day, but we were assured that no power cuts at night.

As per the schedule, in afternoon,we were supposed to move towards "Rajgiri estate" for briefing by Race Director Anand. The estate was around 30 mins bus ride from town. During the briefing, all runners were once again taken through race guidelines. High Tea/Light dinner was also arranged at the venue.

Pic: @Rajgiri Estate with Coach Murthy, Upen Sir and Peter

Pic: Ashva Team @ Rajgiri Estate

I am part of the Ashva Running Club in Bangalore and we had 12 runners (pic above) from our group taking part in the event. Our T-shirts read " Anything is Possible", no more explanation needed!!!

After the race briefing, all the Ashva members had a pre-race dinner in town. It was like a family affair and everyone was pretty relaxed. After dinner, all members waved off each other and signed off for the night. Bring on the Race Day!

RACEDAY:

Although the race was scheduled to start at 0630 hrs but the transport pickup was arranged for 0330 hrs as the Lalbagh estate (start point) was at 1 hr drive from town. So literally all runners were expected to be ready by 0315 hrs latest as missing the transport bus was not an option. If one misses the bus, he/she is assured DNS tag.

Pic: With Anil Muduli (Race Day @0315 hrs)

We boarded the bus at 0330 hrs, came across few more known faces whom we had missed meeting the previous day. As it was a hr ride to the start point, we had time to hear experiences of runners who have run this course before, on what to expect on the course and tips on how to finish the run injury free. One glance at finishers data of the last two editions is enough to dent your confidence. In the 2017 edition, only 40% of the runners completed the race in the 50km category within cut off time. I was aware of the challenge ahead but was confident to see it through.

The start point was Lalbagh estate and it was teeming with runners. Although 1200+ runners had registered for the event but now with the results out, we know that around 856 runners started the race, across 3 categories. It's still a huge number considering its a ultra marathon,that too on a hill, that too in Malnad.

Pic: @Lalbagh Estate with Shajan, Anil & Hrishabh

I joined my running group buddies in pre-race stretching ritual.After the exercise it was time for the customary pre-race group photo. Once all the pre-race activities were ticked off the checklist, it was now time for all important race to start.

As the display clock, indicated 07:00:00 HRS, I crossed the start timing mat in my maiden 50km Malnad Ultra.

HERE WE GO:

The course map is given below. As I ran only 50 km course, will be able to share only about the same. 50km section (highlighted in green in map)was common for all categories.

Course Map (Credit : malnadultra.com)

The 50 km route had a total elevation gain of 2070 m. The min elevation was of 756 m and max elevation of 1241m.

Refer to my Garmin Malnad Ultra Profile for additional details.

The 50km route had a total of 9 Aid stations and 4 Rest areas. These aid stations were adequately stocked with water, energy drink, lime water, water melon juice, passion fruit juice, bananas, biscuits, lime wedges, salt and sugar. 29th km rest area also had eggs and sandwiches. Lunch was available at 40th km aid station.

Aid stations were located at 3rd, 9th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 25th, 34th, 40th (Doddakere lake) & 47th km and Rest areas were at 6th km( Byre Khan), 12th km (Dod Khan), 29th km (Manager's Residence) and 44th km (Byre Khan). The 6th and 44th km rest area is same.

All runners were expected to manually check in themselves to volunteers at all rest areas. It was a mandatory requirement. Also although the course cut off time for 50k was 9 hrs but all runners were expected to reach the Summit point (16.76 km to be precise, elevation of 1238 m) by 1100 hrs (which is 4.5 hrs from start for 80/110km runners and 4 hrs for 50km runners).

Myself @ Summit

As the elevation profile indicates, the course had it's fair share of uphill and downhill. The "Summit" was the highest point on the course but for me the toughest section of the course was after 29th km rest area. The section between 29th and 32nd km had an elevation gain of ~160m and trust me it was really tough and I literally walked the entire uphill section. As we didn't see much rain in days leading to the event, the route was devoid of extreme slushy passages and more importantly "leeches". I didn't encounter any leech bite so that was a positive.

Amazing view of Doddakere Lake

The above pic doesn't even depict 1% of how beautiful the lake and its surrounding was. One gets to enjoy the view only after finishing 40km of course. It was such a refreshing sight.

As soon as I moved forward after having witnessed one of the most beautiful landscape on the course, i was faced with an uphill section of 3km with elevation gain of ~ 220m (40th to 43rd km). With the sun out in its full glory, this section sapped me out.

The above two sections came as a surprise to me but the last uphill section from 45.5 km to finish line was always in the back of my mind as this was the same downhill section which we breezed through at the start of the race, now it was the turn of the course to give us back. With the finish line in sight (not literally), I pushed, huffed and pushed again and crossed the same timing mat in the opposite direction after 07 Hrs 32 Min 31 sec. Yes, I finished my maiden Malnad Ultra.

Enjoy Ultra Running... Run Malnad..

Few pics more from Malnad.. More to follow in due course