Burning Man Ultramarathon 50k 2023 edition

Before the race

This was my 5th year running the Burning Man Ultramarathon 50k (6th time if you count the virtual one). The race takes place (as the name suggests) at Burning Man. This race happens on Tuesday – e.g. significantly before the rains hit – so we had dry and flat running conditions.

I also camped with Pink Lightning this year – they (we?) are the group who put on the event. It was great to get to hang out with runners, friends, and runners who are friends, the whole week – not just during the race itself. I helped out at other Pink Lightning events, supported course marking / gate setup, built a bunch of the camp, and tried not to mess up on-playa race registration too much.

The race was approximately as hard as usual. I finished in 5:38, which is about half an hour faster than last year (when I was injured), but not even close to my PR on the course. I took a couple of detours (see below), ran with friends, and generally had a good time. This year probably had the worst whiteout / dust conditions of any year that I’ve run it. There were times where we could not see ten feet ahead, and I had to use echolocation (e.g. make loud noises) to prevent burners on bicycles from running into me.

I love running races with friends, and this race is the epitome of that. Getting to prep with, encourage, chat with, and celebrate with friends on the course was absolutely wonderful. Seeing friends at aid stations every 3-4 miles brought so much joy. Detours through art installations, “construction” sites, and renegade aid stations are part of the silliness. The whole experience is a celebration of running – it’s just a bunch of people out to have a good time together. I love it every year.

Race info

The course is four laps and an out-and-back – see below