Hear from Elsey Davis after her recent success at the UTS.

UTS is famously tough, with big climbs, technical terrain, and unpredictable weather. What draws you to races like this? 

This year I was keen to do some races in the UK. I find being able to see and run the route before the race really helpful and this is easier to do when it's not too far from home and you have a newborn baby!

I went to Snowdonia about 4 weeks before the race and actually messaged my coach feeling uncertain that I wanted to do it, the terrain and amount of vertical gain felt really intimidating and not completely in my comfort zone. He promised me I'd be strong and ready and he was correct!

You’ve gone from smashing road marathons to taking on some of the world’s toughest ultras like UTS. What sparked that shift from roads to mountain trails? 

I was getting recurrent stress fractures running on the road and starting to become disheartened and lose my enjoyment and love of running. During the Covid pandemic and lockdown, I started exploring the trails in the Peak District near where I was living at the time and really enjoyed the sense of escape it gave me, and it turned out the trails are kinder on my body.

Since making the switch I have not really had any major injuries. I think this is partly due to the terrain but also instead of running at a pace, you run to feel on trails which demands you to be more in tune with your body. I did my first major trail race in Switzerland, the Eiger 35km and the landscape and place blew me away so I didn't really look back after that. 

The mental side of ultra racing is huge. Were there any low points in the race, and how did you manage to push through them? 

In this race I didn't really have any low points. I felt good and enjoyed myself the whole way. This is unusual for me though and I've been in many a "hole" before in an ultra.

When I am there I try to problem solve in my head - do I need more gels? Do I need more fluid? Would caffeine help? Shall I slow down and regroup? I then just try to focus on breaking the race into smaller chunks and instead of thinking about how far I have left, focus on making it to the next aid station. Music can sometimes help too! 

You mentioned that UTS was the best you’ve ever felt at the end of an ultra, thanks to better pacing and dialling in your hydration and salt replacement. What did you learn from testing your fluid and sodium loss, and how did you apply that on race day?

I found I was losing way more fluid than I thought. Just on an easy run in warm weather I found I was losing around 1L. In that litre I lose around 1000mg of sodium.

Until this race I had been replacing less than half of this! You don't need to replace all the fluid you lose but I think knowing how much you lose is a good motivator to keep drinking when you are racing.

I prefer to have my fluid as just water or electrolytes so I replaced my salt in the fluid I drank with the Styrkr 1000mg tablets (cut in half and put in each 500ml bottle). At most aid stations I picked up 3 x 500mls of fluid. Over the 6hr 45 race I drank 5L and 3000mg of sodium.

As a GP, a mother, and an elite athlete, how do you manage to balance everything and still perform at such a high level? 

I am currently working part time as a GP so that helps, I also love my job as a doctor, I find it really rewarding, so it's much easier to fit things in when you love doing them!

My wife and I are also a really solid team and she is incredibly supportive, I couldn't do it without her. I guess the benefits to being a professional athlete is that I am home a lot more so we share the parenting and as she is on maternity leave, her and Victor are able to travel to races with me which is really nice. We had a lovely time in Wales and Victor made it to the top of his first mountain which was cool! 

From your very first race to standing on top of the podium at UTS, what’s changed the most for you as an athlete along the way?

Probably the way I look after myself outside of running. At the start I hadn't appreciated how important recovery was and likely a large reason I was injured and ill so much. I am much more dialled in on fuelling during and between training now. I find fueling training well makes a huge difference to how I recover for the next day. 

We’re so happy to have you on board and to be fuelling your ambition. What’s next for you Elsey?

I am thrilled to join the team! I am headed to the Alps next week for a training block ahead of Mont Blanc 90 km in June followed by CCC (UTMB) at the End of August