Jackpot Ultras – Jason Bahamundi

Where: Nevada

When: March 4, 2023

Race length: Ultra

Quick Tips:

• Make decisions on what you want at the aid station before you get there so you can grab and go. With it being a closed loop you can carry your trash with you and find garbage cans along the way so no reason to stand still and eat, if you can move.

• Make friends on the course. Chat with the other athletes. There are people out there for 72 hours, 48 hours and 24 hours. Some will be running 100 miles while others are running 50 miles amongst other distances.

The best thing(s) about the race:

• A 2 mile loop in a park where the entire course is visible. This made it easier to understand where you were on the course and not feel 'lost'

• The aid station food. It never stopped coming. Vegan breakfast burritos. Vegan chili. Hot food, cold food. Snacks. You wanted something, they had it.

• Tent City. Having a place on the course where you could pick-up or drop off items made it easy to get around and grab what you needed.

What was less than ideal: Less than ideal would be a harsh description and there isn't anything the race can do about this but it was windy and very cold at night. Be prepared for that.

What I didn't expect: That my feet would hurt as much as they did at the end. This is a road ultra and athletes need to understand that they will be running on concrete a lot.

Race organization: Very organized. This was my first loop race and having everything I needed within reach made it easy to not think and be able to run.

Fuel and aid stations: Fantastic. Everything you could want.

Additional info: Have fun!

Overall grade: 5 stars