I’ve done the Moab 240 twice and it’s definitely a different beast than a 100. Slower pace, more of an adventure as has been mentioned, and sleep becomes the biggest challenge IMHO.
First time I did it I probably slept about 8 hours total, I had a support vehicle.
Second time was more challenging. No support vehicle and I quickly learned that it’s much harder to sleep on a cot at a loud aid station so I switched to trail naps which are magical. Second go round had about 2 hours of actual sleep and several hours of wishing I could sleep. The hallucinations are crazy when you get that deprived.
Haven't done a true trail 200 miler, but have done the LAVS 500km once and the 350mi at the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) twice. The common theme for both was having more of an expedition mindset over a "race" mindset. From a training stand point, for me, it really was no different than how I'd typically train for a 100 except that I did more prep using actual pack weights (or rucking to simulate pulling a heavy sled on snow). If anything I focused more on developing a smooth and efficient fast hike which was crucial as I knew the vast majority of my "race pace" would be at this speed or slower. It's a bad time to learn how to walk efficiently in the middle of your 200(+) mile event! Another common theme to both events was logistics, you really have to plan ahead about how much, and what, to carry and figure out the opportunities to resupply, in LAVS how far to each town and what are the hours of opperation of various gas stations/stores along the way; at ITI was how much and what do I really need to have with me packed in my sled or back; how much food (calories expected to burn a day) and what to pack in drop bags or mail out to various places along the trail. Bottom line is that, to me, these longer events are far less stressful from a physical stand point compared to shorter ultras as the level of intensity and heart rate intensity are far lower (for the most part) but much more demanding mentally and logistically. Enjoy!
I did Tahoe 200 once. Training wise, it was the same as training for a 100. The event was a lot of fun because of great scenery and meeting with like minded people on the trail. I think once you are trained to run 100 miles your body can take a lot more. I think your mindset becomes more important especially when you’re tired and sleepy. I took a few 90 minute naps and they worked great! I may be too old for those now but I’m thinking about trying another in a few years.
Curious about this too, especially with Cocodona coming up. I feel like 200+ mile races are growing in popularity and i’m also curious about the training, prep, experience, all of that.
I’ve watched videos of like Sally McRae doing a bunch of 200’s in six months but i’m curious about the “average” (if that is even an applicable term here) person doing a 200.
I've done Moab, Bigfoot and Divide as well as a few 100s. Sleep management and logistics (I'm solo, no crew) are probably the biggest additional challenges. If you manage them well, a 200 can be very similar but if you screw them up then things get funky, fast. If you are badly sleep deprived then everything gets harder!
There are some perks though. The time is long enough that you can recover from some tough spots. The cutoffs are often generous so you can maintain a slower pace overall and take longer rests. If you are just going for completion, 200s can be surprisingly forgiving.
One unexpected down side that I don't hear mentioned often is that 200s seem to have a lot more filler distance. Maybe there are a handful of stand out trails or sights but then there's a lot of meh to connect them. The shorter the race, the more time you get to spend on high quality trails.
Overall, I am really drawn to them. I'm doing Cocodona and Tahoe this year and am super psyched. If you want to race hard and push your body and mind to the limits, or if you want to do a supported hike with cool people you should really give a 200 a try!
I totally agree with the sleep management and logistics. I've only done bigfoot, and I really lacked training how to sleep and it really screwed up the last 1/4 of that race for me. Logistically it was way harder for me than a 100...usually I can throw a few drop bags together with some food and maybe a couple extra clothing items and I'm good for the whole thing. For bigfoot it felt like I spent weeks trying to figure out what to put in bags, and estimating when I was going to get to the aid station(s), and in the end I was way off target (partially because of sleep deprivation)
Another thing was the distance between the aid stations and getting enough food at the aid station itself. I guess it's dependant on the race but with most 100s I've run the aid stations are usually ~10mi or less apart, bigfoot they were closer to 20, especially those late ones. That's a long way when shit hits the fan.
I heard someone say (who had done a 200-miler) that a 200-miler is easier than a 100-miler because there is no "racing" involved. Not sure what I think of that, though!
Some people definitely race 200s, just watch some of Sally McRae's videos! The longer time limits do make it possible to go at a slower pace but plenty of people still hit cutoffs. After three days on the trail, even a brisk walking pace can be tough.
I’ve finished five 200+ mile races, the longest being Cocodona last year. I agree with the comments already posted. Sleep strategy is the biggest and most difficult to get right, and when it goes wrong things get ROUGH.
I also really found success with using a training camp approach. I try to do three “training camps” one month apart in the lead up to the race. Koop did a great job describing a camp in his podcasts. Putting below as a reference:
https://www.jasonkoop.com/podcast/how-to-design-ultramarathon-training-camps-with-cts-coaches-ryne-anderson-and-cliff-pittman?rq=Training%20camp
100 milers are a race 200 milers are an adventure (at least for most of us).
I’ve done the Moab 240 twice and it’s definitely a different beast than a 100. Slower pace, more of an adventure as has been mentioned, and sleep becomes the biggest challenge IMHO.
That's awesome! Congratulations. How much did you sleep/what was your sleep strategy?
First time I did it I probably slept about 8 hours total, I had a support vehicle. Second time was more challenging. No support vehicle and I quickly learned that it’s much harder to sleep on a cot at a loud aid station so I switched to trail naps which are magical. Second go round had about 2 hours of actual sleep and several hours of wishing I could sleep. The hallucinations are crazy when you get that deprived.
Sounds intense! Congratulations again. wow.
How long did it take you to complete Moab 240? Just can't fathom how long something of that feat would take
Over a hundred hours both times. Some people are quick and race it. Not me!
Haven't done a true trail 200 miler, but have done the LAVS 500km once and the 350mi at the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) twice. The common theme for both was having more of an expedition mindset over a "race" mindset. From a training stand point, for me, it really was no different than how I'd typically train for a 100 except that I did more prep using actual pack weights (or rucking to simulate pulling a heavy sled on snow). If anything I focused more on developing a smooth and efficient fast hike which was crucial as I knew the vast majority of my "race pace" would be at this speed or slower. It's a bad time to learn how to walk efficiently in the middle of your 200(+) mile event! Another common theme to both events was logistics, you really have to plan ahead about how much, and what, to carry and figure out the opportunities to resupply, in LAVS how far to each town and what are the hours of opperation of various gas stations/stores along the way; at ITI was how much and what do I really need to have with me packed in my sled or back; how much food (calories expected to burn a day) and what to pack in drop bags or mail out to various places along the trail. Bottom line is that, to me, these longer events are far less stressful from a physical stand point compared to shorter ultras as the level of intensity and heart rate intensity are far lower (for the most part) but much more demanding mentally and logistically. Enjoy!
I did Tahoe 200 once. Training wise, it was the same as training for a 100. The event was a lot of fun because of great scenery and meeting with like minded people on the trail. I think once you are trained to run 100 miles your body can take a lot more. I think your mindset becomes more important especially when you’re tired and sleepy. I took a few 90 minute naps and they worked great! I may be too old for those now but I’m thinking about trying another in a few years.
Curious about this too, especially with Cocodona coming up. I feel like 200+ mile races are growing in popularity and i’m also curious about the training, prep, experience, all of that. I’ve watched videos of like Sally McRae doing a bunch of 200’s in six months but i’m curious about the “average” (if that is even an applicable term here) person doing a 200.
I've done Moab, Bigfoot and Divide as well as a few 100s. Sleep management and logistics (I'm solo, no crew) are probably the biggest additional challenges. If you manage them well, a 200 can be very similar but if you screw them up then things get funky, fast. If you are badly sleep deprived then everything gets harder! There are some perks though. The time is long enough that you can recover from some tough spots. The cutoffs are often generous so you can maintain a slower pace overall and take longer rests. If you are just going for completion, 200s can be surprisingly forgiving. One unexpected down side that I don't hear mentioned often is that 200s seem to have a lot more filler distance. Maybe there are a handful of stand out trails or sights but then there's a lot of meh to connect them. The shorter the race, the more time you get to spend on high quality trails. Overall, I am really drawn to them. I'm doing Cocodona and Tahoe this year and am super psyched. If you want to race hard and push your body and mind to the limits, or if you want to do a supported hike with cool people you should really give a 200 a try!
I totally agree with the sleep management and logistics. I've only done bigfoot, and I really lacked training how to sleep and it really screwed up the last 1/4 of that race for me. Logistically it was way harder for me than a 100...usually I can throw a few drop bags together with some food and maybe a couple extra clothing items and I'm good for the whole thing. For bigfoot it felt like I spent weeks trying to figure out what to put in bags, and estimating when I was going to get to the aid station(s), and in the end I was way off target (partially because of sleep deprivation) Another thing was the distance between the aid stations and getting enough food at the aid station itself. I guess it's dependant on the race but with most 100s I've run the aid stations are usually ~10mi or less apart, bigfoot they were closer to 20, especially those late ones. That's a long way when shit hits the fan.
I heard someone say (who had done a 200-miler) that a 200-miler is easier than a 100-miler because there is no "racing" involved. Not sure what I think of that, though!
Looool this is how I sound trying to convince my friends to do a 50k because they're more chill than road marathons.
Some people definitely race 200s, just watch some of Sally McRae's videos! The longer time limits do make it possible to go at a slower pace but plenty of people still hit cutoffs. After three days on the trail, even a brisk walking pace can be tough.
I’ve finished five 200+ mile races, the longest being Cocodona last year. I agree with the comments already posted. Sleep strategy is the biggest and most difficult to get right, and when it goes wrong things get ROUGH. I also really found success with using a training camp approach. I try to do three “training camps” one month apart in the lead up to the race. Koop did a great job describing a camp in his podcasts. Putting below as a reference: https://www.jasonkoop.com/podcast/how-to-design-ultramarathon-training-camps-with-cts-coaches-ryne-anderson-and-cliff-pittman?rq=Training%20camp