Cappadocia Medium Trail Race- 2021
On October 16, we embarked on a memorable “raceventure” from the heart of Urgup, a small town in Cappadocia, Turkey. We savored the opportunity to go beyond the 42.2KM as we signed up for the Cappadocia Medium Trail (63km).
Dozens of runners made their way to the start line around 6:30 am with their colorful outfits & stuffed hydration packs. I caught myself being swept into a mixture of emotions between the excitement, the exhilaration and nervousness, as I have never ran that far before and had no idea what to expect. Experienced runners would say it’s a mind game, and would go by mantras like: “mind over matter.” My strategy was to divide the race into segments based on the marked checkpoints, which were 5, so I would take it as one segment at a time without having to think of the whole distance. The race officials have shortly then announced the start of the race, and the colorful wave of runners crossed the start line as the cheering crowds erupted in excitement!
The racecourse took us on an exhilarating endeavor. We were first taken aback by the beauty of the hot air balloons, which adorned our scenery at the beginning of the race. We sure did stop shortly to snap some photos. Then, the path lead us through a whimsical forest that captivated it us with its energizing earthiness, its flamed foliage and orange hues. The trail markers fluttered in the light breeze & the kilometers flew by. We even passed by a narrow creek and found ourselves reaching out to our headlights as we ducked into a cave. We sure found our running grove at the heart of nature!
The pathway then threads through a mountainous landscape surrounded by peculiar rock formations shaped by erosion and ancient volcanic eruptions, which sure did look like fairy chimneys. The whole segment looked very picturesque and was very enjoyable despite the rolling hills that we mostly power hiked. Joyful crowds at hotel windows and alleys clapped and cheered on us as we passed by. We crossed several checkpoints along the racecourse where we would drink and get in some nourishment as they offered lentil soup, tangerines, grapes, cheese, crackers and most importantly, salty lemon slices. At each checkpoint, we thought of our friends & families who were tracking our progress and cheering on us from afar. We even wondered how our other teammates on the course were doing.
The racecourse kept unfolding its beauty as we continued with our journey and each segment was special that one would forget about the persistent fatigue. The sun was beginning to set as we entered the serene vineyards that had that strange melancholic vibe. Perhaps because there were not that many runners around and the mental fatigue was knocking our door since the last 5 kilometers were mentally hard to digest and the finish line felt distant. That was when we were saved by a random playlist on Spotify, which I played aloud as we gulped down one more energy gel to boost the blood sugar levels.
Before we knew it, the familiar cobbled streets or Urgup reappeared after a turn around the corner and the distant sound of the cheering crowds was growing louder and so did our pounding heartbeats. We picked up the pace and darted towards the finish line. We finished in 11 hours and 20 minutes!
We received our medals with a growing smile within. We walked around the finish line area in bewilderment as if we were absorbed into a wakeful dream and snapped photos at the finishers’ podium. We also queued in line to receive our well-earned finishers’ jacket (rumor has it that we switched from 38km to 63km for that jacket, did we?)
As I write this very last part here, I cannot help but think of how running transcends beyond being just a sport; it unlocks my deeper self as I explore doorways I never realized were there. This experience definitely falls under the “get out of your own way” category. It has rewired me & taught me to cherish the gift of life …as I burst with life in the joy of running. In addition to this, the amount of kindness and camaraderie in my running community (Running Amman) is off the charts. I would not have done it without them!
They say if you want to run fast, run alone. If you want to run far, run together.
