The Lycian Way is a long-distance hiking coastal trail (520 km) along the southern coastline of Turkey from Hisaronu to Ovacik near Fethiye. The Lycian Way Ultra is a one-day event where you have a choice of three distances, 20km, 37 km, or 57 km but take my word for it when I say this race is not for the faint-hearted. Those distances might not sound like much for a seasoned runner but believe me the terrain is brutal.
I chose to do the 37 km distance with an overall elevation of 1854m which started in Adrasan. Sixty-eight runners gathered on the start line after a 45-minute bus transfer from Tekirova at 07.30 ready for the off.
The first 2 km were along a gentle, flat paved road which allowed the pros and super-fit to get away for the group to thin out before the first big hill began. This hill was the biggest and longest of the day but drained every ounce of energy out of you. Much of it was not runnable, as the trail is actually a hiking trail but you run what you can and power hike the rest. Apart from being steep the ground underfoot was very rocky, loose, slippery, and uneven, with fallen trees and roots a huge obstacle which made the day’s work extremely challenging. I came across more than one runner nursing a twisted ankle/knee. Once at the top of that first big hill, you had the same terrain but in reverse, this was where the guy in front of me impaled the top of his head on a fallen tree.
Once on the flat things did not improve as you were running, or at least trying to run along a sandy beach for a few km’s to the first checkpoint. It was nice to be out of the “unrunnable” forest but now there was no rest or shade from the extreme heat which was rapidly increasing. Three more hills followed with less elevation but by this time my legs were already “shot”, I was a broken man, with no energy, my legs were like jelly and my head felt like a kettle about to boil.
One good thing and saving grace was that the scenery along that coastline is breathtaking. The ocean is a bewitching turquoise colour with secluded bay after secluded bay only accessible by boat, you also pass through the ruins of a beautiful ancient city with big archways and an amphitheater.
The last two km follow the paved road into town and to the finish line of a well organised, and well sign-posted, but brutal event that I would highly recommend but please be overly prepared if you accept the challenge.
I was therefore amazed after crossing the finish line a very broken man to find I had actually won my age category in the 50+. I’ll be honest I was not too chuffed turning 50 back in August, but I guess, every cloud and all that!
