The 5th edition of Bison Ultra 2024, Race Update! & some exciting announcement about the 6th edition of Bison Ultra
The 5th edition of Ambal Auto Bison Ultra took place on 4-Feb-2024, Sunday, marking an incredible success with all runners arriving at the finish line safely.
Bison Ultra has always been about providing a grand experience within an intimate setting at the most amazing setup inside the Gowri Estates, a beautiful coffee estate, Last Shola and Heavens Ledge, and I’m thrilled to share that this vision was realised yet again. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of our sponsors, partners, dedicated crew members, and volunteers—my heartfelt thanks to each and every individual who contributed to this success.
The runners were given gifts from our nutrition sponsors, Food Strong and Thillais. All successful finishers received a personalised Bison Ultra finisher medal with their hand-painted Bison Art, name tags, and distance.
The race commenced with a 5-minute delay due to safety concerns, with daylight breaking around 6:10 am. While the morning greeted us with a chilly breeze, the day gradually unfolded into sweltering heat and humidity, adding a layer of challenge to the rugged mountain and coffee trails.
Of the 36 registered participants, 28 took to the course, including 21 in the 25k category and 8 in the 50k category. Twenty 25k runners finished the race within the cut-off time of 6 hours and one runner finished outside the cut-off. Six 50k runners finished the race within the cut-off of 9 hrs and 2 runners did not make to the 7-hour cut-off at the 38.5 km mark.
Congratulations to all the runners!! All of us were awed by your performances, and it was amazing.
As always, our support team, volunteers, and crew members provided steadfast assistance throughout the race. Stay tuned as we verify the timing records and prepare to announce the results in the coming days.
A heartfelt thank you to our esteemed sponsors:
- Title Sponsor: Ambal Auto
- Co-Sponsors: Food Strong (since 2021) for their energising Food Strong FRESH drink tablets, protein-rich sprouted mixes, and Thillais for their generous spice contributions.
- Tourism Partner: Tamil Nadu Tourism
- Special gratitude to Kamalesh and the team at stayatyercaud.com – Yercaud for their warm hospitality, delectable cuisine, and impeccable event coordination from Shankar.
- Anton for crafting the stunning T-Shirts, and Krishna & Saravanakumar from Flashbulbzz Photography for capturing the mesmerizing #ultramalaivasi moments.
Huge shoutout to our other partners:
- Usha Kunapuli for the meticulous Medal Art & coordination.
- Townscript (ticketing)
- LEAP INDIA (energy gels)
- Oneglint (Run Memories)
- Udumalpet HAM team for their exceptional support, with special recognition to Jayakumar, Karthik, Selva Saravanan, and Gnanaprakasam for their dedicated efforts throughout the event.
- Thank you, Kauvery Hospital Salem, for providing cardiac ambulance services and medical support.
- A special mention to ALERT for their continuous support as First-Aid partners since 2018.
- Our Crew & Aid-Station captains are exceptional, staying focused on supporting the runners throughout the day – the list includes Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Shashwat Rao, Meyyappan Sundararajulu, Pradeep Pant, and Venugopal for their invaluable contributions.
A moment of inspiration was brought by Shashwat Rao, a remarkable ultrarunner whose presence and insights resonated deeply with all participants. Gratitude to Shashwat!
As always, I want to thank my wife, Meera Kannan, who is leading our hospitality squad, and all other supporters, including Rama and Harsha, for deciding to step in and extend a helping hand on the race day. Additionally, a big thank you to Selva for your magical touch in providing incredible stretches to all the runners at the finish line. Everyone who crossed the finish line truly appreciated your expertise and care.
As a coach, I’m incredibly proud to have all my KaysFIT Academy #ultraindians run the Bison Ultra and display their athleticism. Congratulations to all Ultra Indians, including Dr Magesh, Suresh, Dr Vimalraj, Dr Kamran, Ravee, Arun, and Soumya; you all rocked it!
Lastly, I enjoy sharing some advance news about the next edition of Bison Ultra. The 6th edition will feature three race categories: 60k, 30k, and 15k distances. Additionally, the next edition will be ITRA certified, and we are considering holding it on the 9-Jun-2024, Sunday. Already excited? Please soft block your calendar and stay tuned for further updates.
As we wrap up this edition of Bison Ultra 2024, I’m delighted as a race director.
Cheers & Happy Running,
Coach Kay
Founder & Race Director, Bison Ultra & Ootyultra
High-performance endurance coach, KaysFITAcademy
