The Octopus Ultra is a race born out of 2020 and the year of the cancelled races. Like most fine Ultras, the Octopus originated in the RD's garage...the summer of 2020 in South Florida. After running out and back 8 times, for 100 miles (and 33 hours), the first Octopus Ultra was in the books...0 finishers in the 32 hour limit, but 2 finishers overall. The idea behind the Octopus race is to have a centralized location, a base station, with 8 tentacles out and back. The Vero Beach Octopus allows the new Ultra runners to complete their first Ultra distance of 26.3 miles on Tentacle one (T1)..a 50k by completing T1 and T2 and a 50 mile Ultra by finishing T1, T2, T3 and T4. Finishing all 8 Tentacles within 32 hours earns you the esteemed and well earned Octopus Buckle. Last year's race featured the southern parts of Vero Beach and St. Lucie. This year, the race will feature the northern beauty of Vero Beach and Sebastian. Enjoy the water, jungles, trails, roads and off the beat and path parks of Vero Beach...but don't expect comfort and joy and vacation...it's July 24th and you are in the Tropics...not to mention the multiple (22) bridge crossings. Be ready to be wowed by the beauty and challenged by the elements and landscaping of the Vero Beach Octopus Ultra.
