The Many Nuances Between Road, Triathlon, and Trail Running Events. For Beginners

One thing that we’ve noticed in 2024 is that there appears to be a massive influx of new trail and ultra marathon runners, most of whom have come over from road racing and/or triathlons. The number of new runners is huge, almost resembling that of a tidal wave coming in. It’s great to have all of you here, Welcome!

We hate to say it, but many of the road and tri crowd are jumping into trail and ultra expecting that trail and ultra events will be exactly like what you’re used to; except now on trails in the mountains. You’re expecting the mileage on your watch to be exactly 31.0686 miles when you cross the finish line of a 50km race; that chip timing is a requirement of all races regardless of the surface that they’re on; that there will be (or should be) a course marshal at every turn or junction; and that the way trail and ultra race directors handle deferrals, refunds, and cancellations should be the exact same as what you’re used to experiencing in road and tri.

We want to help you re-set your expectations, to perhaps have little to no expectations for that trail and ultra event you’ll next go to. We want to help provide you with an explanation regarding some of the nuances between road/tri and trail/ultra. We want you to show up prepared for what is before you, without the disappointment when you realize how different things really are. This post, highlights most of the major differences between road and tri events with trail and ultra events, in the hopes that being a better educated participant will help set you up for a great time on a race day. Let’s dive in…

Before and After the Race

Road and tri events tend to have a very large pre-race expo as part of race weekend festivities. These expos come in a variety of sizes and are where you’ll pick up your bib and other swag. You’ll see any number of tables and canopies where event sponsors promote their brand and products. Some expos are so large that you need a map to be able to navigate them. Making these expos even larger is the fact that they tend to be in a central location within a metro-area, allowing more than just the participants to show up and experience them.

Trail and Ultra events tend to not have as many sponsors if they have any at all. I wouldn’t say that pre-race at trail and ultra events qualifies as an “expo.” Most trail and ultra pre-race festivities are humble in nature, with a very small footprint, and the primary items to peruse are upgraded race shirts, hoodies, hats, and other items a race may have for sale. Some of the larger and/or more historically relevant trail and ultra events tend to have more of a semblance of an expo, but they still pale in comparison to what one will find at road and tris.

Triathlons and some road races may also implement wave starts based on an athlete’s expected performance, or by age group. You may find yourself in corrals separated by barricades and pace signage. At trail and ultra events, you may find yourself lazily milling about waiting for someone to say go. You might not find yourself in between barricades. There won’t be wave starts or pace signage. You may even notice that no one is lined up right at the start line rearing to go, most athletes are relaxed, chatting, and just waiting for the signal. Compared to road and tri start lines, trail and ultra start lines can look and feel rather anticlimactic and disheveled.

Road and Tris tend to have the same expo feel at their finish lines as one might experience at the start or during check-in. You might find a screen displaying live results, including both overall and age group winners. Chip timing is a huge expense that most trail and ultra events simply cannot afford, nor is it technologically possible to accomplish. Most trail and ultra events still do manual timing, where the time of day is written down as you cross the finish line. You may see someone pulling tabs off your bib or asking you to hand in a popsicle stick with your place written on it for timing purposes. In most cases, you may not know your placement or age group placement until results are posted online a few days later, for trail and ultra events.

Road and Tri finish lines may have bottled water, ice cold chocolate milk, some fruit, yogurt and other snacks. You may also have a mylar blanket draped over your shoulders, while you’re literally herded to a medical area for attention and/or observation. Some of us have crossed the finish line of a trail or ultra event only to wonder where everyone is. I’ve personally crossed a finish line where there was no one present to record my final time. In most cases your time is manually recorded, you’re handed your finisher’s award, and a volunteer points you to where you can find food. Trail and Ultra finish lines tend to be just like the aid stations, where the same foods you’ve had all day are still being offered. Maybe you’ll see a single food truck, or someone brought a wood fired pizza oven. Few trail and ultra events have the same finish line feel as a road and tri, but they are out there (Leadville 100, Western States 100, etc).


Course Navigation

Road races and tris are also marked, and subsequently navigated, quite a bit differently than trail and ultra events. Road and tri events typically have mile markers every mile, traffic safety cones along a vast portion of the course, and course marshals (with or without a flag) at just about every turn. Road and tri events are typically marked with large signage, arrows on the road, and using barricades. Local emergency services personnel may be a part of closing roads for the safety of runners, and you might find police at major intersections stopping and/or directing traffic or manually controlling traffic lights.

One should also consider the size of the field in a road or tri event, where thousands of participants are navigating the course at once, sometimes even tens of thousands of participants. This makes it easy for participants to simply follow the herd, which at times you can visibly see for miles in front of and/or behind you.

Trail and ultra events are vastly different in that they’re obviously not held in an urban setting. These types of events are typically marked using colored surveyors’ tape. Unlike in an urban setting where race officials, spectators, emergency personnel, and others can monitor course markings to ensure their accuracy and presence, it is near impossible for a trail or ultra to monitor dozens or hundreds of miles of trail. Surveyor’s tape can be eaten by wildlife or free-range cattle, they could be removed by other trail users, or moved to a different location to sabotage the race route. These instances happen far more frequently than you may imagine, or others may care to admit.

As for course signage, trail and ultra events typically use laminated signs stapled to wooden stakes. These laminated signs are typically 8.5” x 11” in size, or half of that in size (4.25” x 5.5”). Some races may use vinyl signs with metal stakes that are 24” x 24” in size at critical junctions. While running in a trail or ultra event, it would benefit you greatly to slow down and/or stop and read the signage before proceeding.

In trail and ultra it is seldom that you’ll see course marshals at every turn along a course, if at all. Course marshals are typically reserved for road crossings or at a major junction along the route where multiple race routes intersect, and confusion of participants could be realized. You will seldom find cones marking the course, and barricades will only be present at the start/finish.

It is because of these vast differences between how a course is marked, and the realities present with course vandalism at trail and ultra events, that the most important rule of trail and ultrarunning has been implemented for decades: “It is ultimately up to the runner to know the course.” What exactly does that mean?

Trail and ultra race directors will provide you with course maps on the race website, that will also be shared/communicated to you during the pre-race informational process. These maps were not made for the RDs health, they were made for yours. It is expected that all participants print a copy of the course map and have it on their person throughout their entire run. You might instead buy a map of the area at a place like REI and trace the race route onto that map. Race directors may also provide you with elevation profiles and/or a detailed course description that details every turn and what you will find along each section of a route. Finally, some race directors will provide you with gpx files of the routes, and/or phone applications you can use to live track/navigate the route using technology like a phone or gps device.

Showing up to a trail and ultra event expecting printed maps to be available to you at check-in is a recipe for disaster. Race directors truly do put the onus on the runner to arrive prepared to take on an adventure in the mountains. If you expect to see a course marshal at every turn or junction in a trail or ultra event, you are also setting yourself up for maximum disappointment.

Most trail and ultra events have a capacity limit of 200-400 runners depending on the conditions of a permit. In many cases, there may be less than 200 runners; in the fewest cases you’ll see 600+. This means you could run an entire ultramarathon without ever seeing another runner, or only leap-frogging the same handful of runners in the same vicinity of your pace. This highlights the participants need to know how to navigate as you may, often, find yourself in a race where there aren’t hordes of runners to simply follow.

One more thing of note regarding navigation of trail and ultra events. Unlike in road and tri events where the course is wheel measured and sometimes certified by a governing body, trail and ultra routes are typically not wheel measured for accuracy or certified. You will be hard pressed to find a trail half marathon that is exactly 13.1 miles, or a trail 50-miler that is exactly 50.000 miles in length. Most trails and ultra races advertise the distance, but the reality is that the distance is an approximation. Few trail and ultra events wheel measure their course, and just as few go through any kind of certification process.

You should expect courses to be +/- 1-3 miles compared to the advertised distance. If five runners were to run a route, all with the same GPS watch and starting and stopping their watch at the same locales, all five of those runners will have a different reading on their watch. GPS technology is NOT an accurate tech, especially in the woods. Tree cover, canyon walls, mountains, and weather all influence the accuracy of your watch. Should you sign up for a 50-mile race and end up with 53 miles on your watch? CONGRATS! You ran 3 bonus miles and weren’t even charged for them. Sign up for a 50-mile race and end up with 48.9 miles on your watch? CONGRATS! You ran a 50-miler and “close enough is close enough.” It is incredibly poor form to complain about mileage discrepancies in trail and ultra whereas most participants understand how insanely difficult it is for a trail or ultra event to land on the exact mileage.

Aid Stations

At road races aid stations tend to be placed every 2-3 miles where you might find water, Gatorade, gels/bars, and possibly sliced oranges or bananas. In triathlons, you might have the same type of aid stations in addition to transition areas. Transition areas tend to be massive in size with the same aid station fare as well as massage tables, advanced medical support, and chiropractors all under a massive tent.

Aid stations at trail and ultra events are legendary for the spread. You might notice that aid station foods at trail and ultramarathon running events are considerably stouter than those you find at road and tri events; and all underneath a 10’x10’ pop up canopy.

Many of us refer to trail and ultra aid stations as “all-out buffets.” Generally speaking, you’ll come to an aid station every 4-8 miles on the trails. These stations will have a larger variety of food and drink as compared to road and tri. Liquid items might include water, event sponsored electrolyte drink (or Gatorade), a variety of sodas (Coke, Ginger Ale, and other flavors), and coffee/tea/cocoa. Food items will include a large variety of “junk foods” like potato chips, pretzels, and granola/cliff bars; and an assortment of candies including m&ms, jellybeans, gummy bears, and red vines.

Depending on the length of the event, trail and ultra events tend to have more robust food options as well. Many aid stations will have a cook area with stoves, utensils, as well as pots and pans. Additional food items made with these camp kitchens may include soups, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, quesadillas, tater tots, bacon, quesadillas, and a variety of wraps (turkey & cheese, hummus and avocado, Nutella and banana), and other sandwiches like PB&J and Grilled cheese.

Finally, some aid stations may have various surprises as well. Some of us have come across aid stops with Ninja Blenders running off a small generator to offer a variety of smoothies. There may be an ice chest full of ice (or dry ice) and chock full of popsicles on hot days.

Why the big difference? Road and tri events are anaerobic exercise activities, while trail and ultrarunning events are aerobic. The body has very different fueling needs between aerobic and anaerobic. Foods at trail and ultra aid stations cater more towards aerobic fueling needs. If you are not familiar with the differences between aerobic and anerobic fueling, you should start your research therein prior to running a trail or ultrarunning event. You should also spend more time than you think is necessary testing a variety of foods and drink during the training process to ascertain what works for you and what is a bad idea.

Finally, in road and tris it is customary to grab whatever you need as you quickly pass through an aid station, without stopping. You’ll chug the drink and eat what limited food you grab, then throw your trash on the ground for race volunteers to clean up. Anyone who has participated in a road or tri event has run through a sea of crushed paper cups strewn all over the ground.

In trail and ultra events littering is grounds for immediate disqualification. Under no circumstances is it okay to throw your banana peel or paper cup on the ground, whether in the aid station or out, during one of these events. In fact, most trail and ultra events are cup-less; meaning you’ll need to bring your own collapsable cup to carry with you in the event you need liquids (like soda) at an aid station. You’ll find a garbage bag and/or can within each aid station, and another about 50-100 yards down the trail after leaving the station. It is imperative that you throw your trash away during trail and ultra events, even if it means carrying it with you to the next station.

While most road and tri events implement chip timing along their routes, most ultra events are manually timed as mentioned earlier regarding the finish line. Aid stations at trail and ultra events are where the race keeps track of you. It is imperative for the runner to announce their bib number upon entering and exiting an aid station in a trail or ultra event to ensure you were recorded. You could be disqualified if you are not recorded at an aid station, and it is most definitely the runner’s responsibility to ensure that they have indeed been recorded.

Emergency Services

Road races and tris tend to have Emergency Services like ambulances or fire dept paramedics at numerous locales along the course. In an urban setting, it is generally safe to assume that should an emergency arise at a road race or tri, emergency services personnel will be on site within 10-minutes or less.

At many trail and ultra events you may not find an ambulance or fire department vehicle anywhere. Not at the start/finish, and not at any aid station. Being in a more “wild setting” most of the medical personnel present are at a minimum certified as a Wilderness First Responder. Many trail and ultra events rely on volunteer medical staff who work as nurses and/or doctors as part of their day job, who have offered to be on site at aid stations along the route. We’ve even seen events where the medical staff on site is anyone with basic life support training such as chiropractors or those with a Wilderness First Aid certification.

Consider for a moment that while running on a trail, you could be miles from the nearest road. That road may be a dirt forest road that is in various states of disrepair and/or seldom sees vehicle traffic if at all. Each participant should assume that it will be many hours before any emergency personnel reaches you out on the trail, and many more hours before you are transported out of the woods and to definitive medical care.

Helicopters are only used as a last resort in special life or death medical situations, and at times when conditions for flying a helicopter are perfect. Helicopters are seldom used, and most injuries in the wild will require the patient to be carried out, slowly, via a litter and team of Search and Rescue volunteers. You will not be hauled out on a horse, ATV, dirt bike, or any other type of vehicle. Hope is not a good plan.


Volunteerism

Road and tris are often held in areas of massive population where recruiting volunteers is generally “easier.” These types of events can easily recruit local high school teams, scouting troops, and other local organizations where volunteerism is encouraged or required. Also consider the family and friends of the thousands of runners in attendance, who are also willing and able to lend a hand. The pool of available volunteers for road and tris is massive. When thousands of people in a metropolitan area know about an upcoming event, they show up.

Trail and ultra events tend to take place in the mountains, in places some would consider to be “far from” areas of mass population. Most times, locals have no idea the event ever happened; or that people even run on trail or “that far.” The family and friends of the few hundred runners who attend are typically there to crew and/or pace the runners. It is not at all easy to recruit volunteers for trail and ultra events, and many of the organizations mentioned above (school teams, scouts, etc) can be the worst type of volunteer at an ultramarathon simply because they don’t understand the many medical and physiological nuances present.

For these reasons, it is imperative that those who decide to be a member of the trail and ultra community, also take on the responsibility of giving back as a volunteer. Surveys indicate that most trail and ultrarunners feel you should volunteer at one race for every three that you run in. You may notice that a lot of trail and ultra events are operating on the fewest number of volunteers necessary for a successful event, and that they’re begging for more help in the weeks and days leading up to the event.

COMMUNITY

The single most magical aspect of trail and ultra running is the community you’re apart of simply by participating. Trail and ultrarunners are most supportive by way of their caring and giving nature. In a trail or ultrarunning event, should you happen upon a runner who is down on one knee simply tying their shoes, the general protocol is for you to stop and check in on them. You might ask them if they’re okay, and even if they are you’ll offer them support. “Do you need anything? Salt? A gel? I’d be happy to share some of my extra bacon.” You may even offer to keep them company for a few miles, and if declined you’ll be happily on your way knowing you did your part to make sure they do not require assistance.

Trail and ultrarunners talk. Many of us hope to find someone interesting whom we might spend countless miles with. You become invested in each other’s journey and willing to help one another reach that finish line in any way you possibly can. You may even learn far too much information about a fellow runner’s personal life. Trail and ultra events are communal, where all understand that it takes the entire village to see everyone to that finish line. In trail and ultra events your time is not more important than your fellow runner’s health and safety.

Many of us have our own perspective on the lack of community and/or lack of care for one another, in road and tri events. Many of us have experienced a road race where not one other runner ever said “hello” to us. I have personally witnessed a runner fall to the road due to a cardiac emergency, while 80+ runners ran by without ever stopping to find out if the runner was okay or needed help. This is one of the biggest differences between road/tri and trail/ultra events. Your opinion may differ and we hope it does!

MISC

A few final points before we go…

It should be noted that there are “industry standards” for road and tris that all race directors try to follow. There are some semblances of governing bodies for both types of events; and while a vast majority do, not all races “buy-in” to USATF certification or USA Triathlons rules or regulations. For the most part, it is more than evident that all road races and tris follow the same set of guidelines, rules, regulations, etc. You may be hard pressed to find too many differences from one event to the next.

Trail and ultrarunning is more of a free-for-all. There is no formal governing body in the trail and ultra space. There are no certifications, guidelines, rules, regulations etc that any trail and ultra event is required to follow. In fact, being the “dirt bags of the endurance world” has encouraged trail and ultra RDs to do it their own way. There are some organizations (Like ATRA) out there trying to promote a set of guidelines upon the race directors out there, but they’re not at all a requirement and most RDs tend to go with what works for them. In general, it is a good idea to show up to a trail and ultra event with no expectations, certainly not expectations that the event you next attend will look and feel like the last. Trail and ultra direction is indeed a free-for-all.

In road and tri events, you may experience course changes, race stoppages, and all out cancellations depending on weather conditions. A lot of road and tri events are cancelling their events if it is entirely too hot or in the event of poor air quality. Should severe weather roll through the event may be paused, with you sheltering in place until it passes, or cancelled mid-race altogether.

In trail and ultra, many of us have hiked up a mountain under pitch black skies and tornado sirens blaring from the town below. We trudge through torrential rains, hail, high winds, lightning and snow. We acknowledge that wildfire has become a serious issue for many of us, and we’re hard pressed to cancel a race simply because of poor air quality. Many trail and ultra RDs believe that we’re all adults who can make sound decisions for themselves, to run given the conditions, or not. In general, trail and ultra events will transpire at all costs unless there is a serious concern for the ability to evacuate runners in the event of an emergency, or by hosting the event irreparable damage will be done to the trails we recreate on.

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