Most trail runners don’t sign up for a race planning to not finish. We usually register for an event anticipating that our training and race day management will go well enough to carry us across the finish line, but that’s often not the case for many individuals. However, taking a DNF (did not finish) doesn’t automatically mean you’ve had a poor race—it can actually be the opposite.
Broadening our metrics for how we assess our race performance can be beneficial and even liberating. Beyond covering the full distance of the event, there are many ways to walk away, look back and feel successful. We tend to think of the physical aspect of preparation first, so let’s start there. You may be fully capable of all that the course demands physiologically. Whether there is a ton of climbing, a moderate amount or none at all and you actually run (versus hiking), you could find yourself handling this without too much effort. You could be well adapted to the climate and altitude, and move well over the course throughout the day. A host of issues are out of your control such as weather, a major gear malfunction or your crew getting held up which leads to missing critical items like lighting before nightfall. By most measures, you were well-prepared, had a good event, but getting the finisher’s award was not in the cards.
Many trail runners constantly struggle with gastrointestinal issues, even after deploying all of the trial and error, heat preparation, liquids, gels and solid options to no avail. Having an abbreviated race where you ace your nutrition can be a significant win for those who don’t have confidence in their fueling approach. Keeping your energy levels topped off and managing your hydration effectively is likely to alleviate some major hurdles down the road for both long runs and races. Of course, this would only be applicable if you make it beyond the window where you tend to experience nutrition complications, so keep that in mind during your post-race debrief.
Managing the “ultra sads,” as they are sometimes called, is another challenge many athletes will face at least once. These are low emotional points that can make or break a race and can be the trigger point for dropping out. If you have found yourself on the DNF side of the line more than once and it’s your mental game that’s been the culprit, you’re not alone. However, there are at least as many mental training tactics as there are physical ones. Just like physical training takes days, weeks, months and years, it takes equal dedication and consistency to practice mental strategies that will be helpful in different scenarios. Some of these might include music, visualization and specific ways to stay present in your surroundings. If you end up not finishing a race, but realize you stayed mentally buoyant from the start, especially if it’s something you’ve practiced, then without a doubt you had a great race.
These are just a few examples of ways ultrarunners might have had a stellar performance, even if without finishing the race. Other measures of success include starting a race with an injury and pulling out when you know it’s the best decision. Some runners are very intimidated to run at night, so if you don’t finish but still cover many dark miles, especially alone, that’s worthy of applause and a step toward running through the night. Perhaps you offered aid to an injured runner and missed a cutoff because you were providing them with critical assistance. That’s an honorable DNF in my opinion, and not a decision you’d regret making.
After a DNF, the realization that you could have and should have invested more into your preparation is a harder pill to swallow, but this too can be a learning opportunity. Sometimes we won’t know if we were ready until we find ourselves having to drop out mid-race, and we don’t always have to cross the finish line to gain those hard-earned lessons.