MIUT 115 Starts Tonight
Olá!
The MIUT 115 (Madeira Island Ultra Trail), our first race of the 2024 trail running season begins tonight — April 26th — at midnight local time (8:30pm NT // 8pm AT // 7pm ET // 5pm MT). If you’re in another part of the world, click here to convert for your time zone.
We’re feeling gratitude for the people of Madeira, and the race volunteers and organizers who have so warmly welcomed us to the island. We have had a chance to explore some parts of the island this past week and appreciate the beauty of its mountains and coastlines. We’re also reflecting on what it means to love, respect, and give thanks to the land that we’ll be running on tomorrow, while holding awareness that capitalism, environmental destruction, and slave labour contributed to the presence of the famous levada trails that we will be using for the race.
If all has gone somewhat according to plan, our pre-race day has been about sleeping, snacking, sipping (water, Näak, and maracujà juice), and supporting each other. Oh yeah, and for Kelsey in particular, there might be some packing and repacking of her race vest, observing how “beautiful” the landscape is, and “woohoo-ing” about how exciting everything is getting. Her vocabulary may also have morphed into trail-runner dialect — we’re ready to be “stoked,” “dialled in,” and for things to be “rad” – woohoo!
I might be teasing Kelsey about these things, but the truth is that we both have our own ways of preparing and processing. Kelsey tends to share her excitement outwardly and gets pumped up by the idea of having fun out on the trails. She just shared that she feels great, anything is possible, and that she’s looking forward to racing for the first time in what seems like a long time. I’m a little more outwardly stormy and find it important to voice a spectrum of emotions including fears, discomfort, and hesitancy. I’m noticing more curiosity about the race than excitement, but I too am feeling prepared and ready.
Our bib numbers are #77 (for Kelsey) and #866 (for Adam).
There are lots of options to follow this race, including live tracking, GPS tracking (*only for Kelsey), and plenty of live YouTube video coverage. We don’t want to overwhelm or confuse you with everything, so we’re going to list a few core resources here and invite you to get curious and support one another to figure out the best ways to follow along. If you’re finding it challenging, phone a friend and/or join the Kelsey’s Crew Telegram group (where you can ask for help).
MIUT Website (for timing and GPS tracking):
Click around on the website and you’ll probably find all that you need. The language can be changed to English using the British flag at the top right of the screen.
Check out the “Live” tab on the main header. When you click on Timing System you’ll be taken to a live results page where you can “favourite” runners and follow us through our checkpoints.
When you click on GPS Tracking you’ll be taken to a map of the course where you can follow the exact location of the Top 100 ranked runners in the race. Kelsey is within the Top 100, so you’ll find her on this map (Adam doesn’t have a GPS, so don’t be alarmed when you don’t see his name!).
If you’re into these sorts of things, MIUT has also created something called the “MIUT Bot” using the Telegram app (the same one that we use for Kelsey’s Crew). It will help you to find useful links and give you alerts for runners that you follow.
Links to Live Video Coverage:
Because the race takes so long, coverage is split into two separate YouTube links. If the one that you’re using isn’t working, check the other one!
Live Start Coverage (begins 1hr before race start)
Live Race Coverage (begins at 7am local time, the first morning of the race)
Pre-Race Coverage:
MIUT 115 is part of the World Trail Majors (WTM) — a group of locally owned events that have joined together to offer a circuit of trail races that value relationships with communities and natural spaces and have committed to growing the sport responsibly. Read about the WTM rankings system here and read pre-Madeira coverage here.
Other Runners to Watch
Our friends from New Brunswick: Jos Eijkelestam (#4515 in the 42km event, starting Saturday morning) and Noortje Kunnen (#5311 in 16km, starting Sunday morning)
Kelsey’s norda teammates in the 115km event: Richard Lockwood (#9), Ethan Peters (#39), Jason Schlarb (#64)
QMT 110km winner: Geneviève Asselin-Demers (#20)
