At TPU - it’s still the Wild Wild West…5th Annual TPU2019 awaits new course record and offers $10k prize purse!
In TPU’s young life, the finishes have been dramatic and epic simply because of the titanic effort it requires to run across the Chihuahuan Desert in Big Bend Ranch for six days, not so much because of tight competition.
The biggest exception was the men’s division in 2016, when Marine veteran Thomas Karlick, running to benefit returning warriors with PTSD, had a moral incentive to win. But Eric and Paul Chan, Canadian brothers on a mission to break the world record for running the most deserts in a single year, made Karlick work hard for his victory. The final stage was a nail-biter, and Karlick won by a mere 4 minutes, an eyelash of time in a 6-day race. Read the full TPU2016 race report in UltraRunning magazine, or the Chan’s personal blog to learn why they called TPU - “The Most Hostile Desert‘ stage race in their world record year.
Wins in other years were fairly clear before the final stage of the race even began. Runners like the local, Texas winner in 2016, Thomas Mullins, 2017 winner, Leadville finisher Adam Harmon, and the 2018 champion, veteran ultra runner and Ironman Demétrio Fernandez, led their years unstintingly from the first stage.
Harmon holds the male course record, in 35 hours, 17 minutes. On the female side, the record set in the inaugural year by Cheryl Tulkoff and Molly Troy, 40 hours, 45 minutes, has not yet been broken.
In 2019, the fifth-anniversary race will encourage competition with a short but technical course change and substantial cash prizes for first, second and third in the 6-stage, male and female divisions. A sponsorship by the City of Alpine and other regional supporters have made possible a $10,000 prize purse for the 6-stage race, with $3000, $1500 and $500 available for 1st-3rd in the male and female fields.
Prize money in ultra running is a new phenomenon, as the sport has only recently gained popular attention. Some of the larger ultras with prize money attract deep competitive fields, but at Trans-Pecos Ultra, it’s still the Wild, Wild West. A small, intimate race which has mainly received regional, rather than national attention, offers a chance for less-known (or unknown) ultra runners to claim a prize.
Finishing “in the money” at TPU requires a slightly different set of skills than most ultra races, since it is a 165 mile, multi-day race. Pacing is crucial, as are recovery routines each evening and long-term nutrition. The challenge at TPU is not altitude, sand dunes or long climbs, but loose rock and constant rolling hills, hostile desert flora, and the sheer lack of shade with extreme southern exposure for a week.
Plus, at TPU, there’s not a burger and fries waiting at the end of the day’s run. In a self-supported stage race, athletes carry their own nutrition and gear throughout the week. Since it’s all riding on your back, you’re more likely to have freeze-dried lasagna or a protein shake for your post-race meal. So careful planning is necessary to get maximum nutrition and comfort from minimum weight in your pack.
In addition to nutrition, some of the unique challenges of TPU are the dry desert climate and flora (cactus, javelina, occasional heat waves even in the late fall) as well as the endurance required for a week-long race.
TPU gives participants every opportunity to do well in this unique format, with blogs on every aspect of preparation and execution, like:
There are lots of reasons to come out to Discover the Chihuahauan Desert in Big Bend Ranch and run TPU! See the Top Ten at http://trans-pecosultra.com/top-ten-reasons-tpu/ In addition, there are the UTMB points and the $10,000 PRIZE PURSE!
See all the many resources on our website at http://trans-pecosultra.com, email Race Director Chris Herrera at [email protected] or talk one-on-one to him at 432.294.5284
