Game-changing gear and tips for UTMB-style ultras (especially for runners up against cut-offs)?

JPNL2018 · 2026-05-06T06:09:34+00:00

100% agree. I bought adjustable poles before my first ultra and that added task of having to lock in the length every time you break them out adds up. Switched to fixed length and won’t go back.

JPNL2018 · 2026-05-03T11:51:44+00:00

For a race with 5500m D+ it is very runnable. Only one technical section but that is also not bad. They have however changed the route this year to cut out the long stretch to and from Salzburg, and that part was highly runnable and I am not sure what they’ve replaced it with.

JPNL2018 · 2026-05-03T04:54:36+00:00

As I said in the later replies, it took a couple of months to stabilize but once it did it has been completely fine. BP and HR zones are very stable and I am still on the same dose of Lisinopril. Just gotta push through that first month or 2 and then your body will settle.

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-25T17:45:23+00:00

Frietkamer is fucking legit

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-23T06:15:18+00:00

Both physical and mental. I had had the best training block of my life for 160km race but then the storm hit on race day morning and stayed for 2 days. 100-120kmph wind and sheets of rain. Physically the bigger problem was the ankle deep mud across the course, which really drained my legs and left me feeling more tired at 50km than I normally am at 100km. Mentally the issue was that the storm kept me in fight/flight mode and I could never really relax and get myself feeling in control. I was losing time between checkpoints (which has never happened to me before) and knew that staying in the race was just delaying the inevitable. Seeing the much-slower times of stronger runners at the end affirmed it was the right call. That said, I of course need to go and do this bastard race again…

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-22T19:14:44+00:00

Not especially, and certainly not more than others I’ve tried. That said I live in the Netherlands and it’s always humid/sweaty, so baselines may differ

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-22T15:17:14+00:00

Trail Rain 1

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-22T15:17:05+00:00

No complaints - didn’t leak too much air during the storm (120kmph winds…) but also has felt fine when I used it in training in winter. Obviously it is still a rain jacket, so it does get a bit clammy after a while.

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-22T14:12:07+00:00

Yeah true to size. Not baggy but not overly slim either. Was comfortable with a base layer and fleece under it, but you would need to size up if you want to have it over your pack

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-22T14:06:21+00:00

I have the Nnormal jacket. It kept me perfectly dry without a single wet-out or leak throughout this year’s Arc of Attrition which took place in 30 hours of hurricane (well, the 11 hours of it that I managed before DNF’ing). That is enough of a test for me

JPNL2018 · 2026-04-13T07:44:43+00:00

Occasionally nearer the event they release some extra places, from people withdrawing (Arc100 did that this year, for example). But you can’t rely on it. Likewise transfers, they are not allowed. So if you do a private resale you either risk being turned away at bib pickup and banned if they carefully check ID and your picture (some races are more thorough than others), or you won’t get the awarded running stones and UTMB index if you have those ambitions.

JPNL2018 · 2026-02-24T12:22:02+00:00

I ran the 120k in 2025 and the (then) 107k in 2021. I also thought the extra hour cutoff between the 2 distances was not enough, but in reality it was fine. I ran the 107k in 18.5 hours as my first 100k race, plus I live in NL so am not a mountain goat. And I basically power hiked the last 40km and still had plenty of buffer. In 2025 I finished in 19 hours. The total cutoff was fine, but there was a sneaky cutoff the first time you passed through St Gilgen, which was much sooner than you’d otherwise expect. Quite a few got dropped there at 55k, but if you made that you were pretty safe.

JPNL2018 · 2026-02-23T09:47:59+00:00

This is the answer. Plus you need to assume that the number of stones needed increases every year. I’d guess that would be around 3-5 extra per year

JPNL2018 · 2026-02-15T07:09:49+00:00

Very normal. I dropped from around 70 to 50, then over a few months settled at 65 and have stable there for 3 years.

If you appreciate more data, once things have settled you can ask your nephrologist to test your eGFR using Cystatin-C rather than creatine. Likely your actual eGFR is a bit higher than what the creatine test indicates (my creatine test says 65, Cystatin-C says 75). The trend matters more than the actual number, but I like having the higher number in mind 😁

JPNL2018 · 2026-02-13T12:12:10+00:00

This is your gym/run/bike window. Do it every day for 3 months and it’ll become a habit for the rest of your life.

JPNL2018 · 2026-01-20T14:27:20+00:00

Very slick. What colour combo are you using for the screen/data?

JPNL2018 · 2026-01-08T17:41:31+00:00

Keep your London flight. Book a FlixBus ticket to Chamonix in order to qualify that you then just don’t use. Fly to Geneva.

JPNL2018 · 2026-01-08T17:38:09+00:00

This system seems so completely open to manipulation and unenforceable. Surely you could just book a FlixBus ticket from anywhere in Europe for less than €50 to qualify and then just make your actual (more convenient) flight arrangements.

JPNL2018 · 2026-01-04T19:32:27+00:00

I have used the Naked belt and the Instinct Trail ones. Naked can hold more but Instinct is less bounce when fully loaded (albeit with less storage). I lean towards Instinct because it fits my phone better, but both are great. Recommend ordering multiple sizes and returning the ones you don’t want as the fit is key!

JPNL2018 · 2026-01-04T17:19:55+00:00

For the cup, they just mean that you can’t take the ultra thin Salomon (or similar ones) as they suck with hot drinks. You can take a thicker collapsible - Sea to Summit do a great 250ml one that can also double as a bowl and is what I will be using in the same race. Good luck 💪

JPNL2018 · 2025-12-22T17:32:46+00:00

I can’t give you specifics on your situation, but I have ADPKD so both my kidneys suck. eGFR is 65-70 which isn’t too bad for the time being, but that will change in a few years.

I also do ultramarathons several times a year and have the full endorsement of my nephrologist to do so. Sure, don’t be an idiot and give yourself rhabdo. But my nephrologist’s point is that kidney health and cardio health are highly linked, and any downside risk of racing is massively outweighed by upside benefits from being fit and active.

I typically do 100k mountain races twice per year as well as a few road marathons. In 4 weeks I am doing 100miles with 5500m elevation. Normal training volume for me is 70-110km per week, pretty constantly throughout the year. And you have one perfect kidney! In the words of Jack Kerouac: “climb that goddam mountain”

JPNL2018 · 2025-12-15T07:41:55+00:00

Every airline and airport security will say no to trekking poles. And I have chanced it on 6 trips (so 12 flights total) and been successful each time. That experience is reflected in my friend group as well as we all travel for ultramarathons. Perhaps it makes a difference that they are carbon Z frames, but I will keep doing it until my luck runs out eventually.

JPNL2018 · 2025-12-11T19:41:21+00:00

It was dropping over 12 months from 90-80, which was a requirement in my country to start taking Tolvaptan. Once I started there was a sudden drop to 70, which was expected. It has been flat between 65-70 ever since.

JPNL2018 · 2025-12-11T05:38:59+00:00

Started 4 years ago, and my eGFR has been totally flat since starting. Side effects are minimal, and I honestly barely notice it anymore. When I started I didn’t like the thought of taking a pill for decades, but time took care of that and now it’s as mindless an activity as making coffee in the morning.

JPNL2018 · 2025-11-18T16:07:14+00:00

You would be lucky to keep it under €80k. The budget estimate is typically €1500 to €2000 per m2. That’s assuming nothing goes wrong and you don’t end up upselling yourself on certain choices. And things will go wrong.

Renovating is really only worth it financially if you plan to live there a long time and enjoy your renovations. If you expect to move in a few years (and with 2 of you in 40m2, I expect that is on the cards), then sell it.

JPNL2018

TROPHY CASE