Race Report - CapitalTrails Race Series Asola 2025

A Humbling Journey Through Post-Monsoon Wilderness

The morning light started falling over the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary as I stood at the starting point on September 7th, 2025, surrounded by fellow trail runners who had gathered for the third edition of the CapitalTrails Race Series - Asola Edition. There's something profoundly humbling about standing at the edge of a wilderness area, knowing that for the next few hours, you'll be entirely self-reliant, navigating through one of Delhi NCR's wild spaces using nothing but your own preparation, a GPX file, and determination. What I didn't anticipate was how this race would teach me some of the most valuable lessons about preparation, adaptability, and the unforgiving nature of trail running.

Pre-Race: When Preparation Meets Reality

The weeks leading up to Asola had been a mixed bag of confidence and concern. My training had been solid – consistently logging 40-50 kilometer weeks with a good mix of road and trail work, complemented by strength training sessions that had been a regular part of my routine for a couple of months. I felt physically prepared and mentally eager to tackle what I knew would be a challenging course through the post-monsoon forests of Asola Bhatti.

However, life had other plans. Just 9 days before the race, during construction work at home, I injured my right big toe. It was one of those seemingly minor incidents that had major implications – the kind that immediately makes you question your race participation. The injury forced me out of training completely during what should have been my final preparation phase, leaving me with nothing but rest and hope that the healing would be sufficient.

The two nights before the race brought another challenge: poor sleep. It was just unfortunate timing of some events (Life just happens). Anyone who's done endurance events knows that the pre-race sleep deficit is like starting a bank account in the red – you're immediately operating from a disadvantage. My gear strategy was straightforward but tested.

1. 2. 3. I loaded the GPX file onto my watch, ensuring it would beep if I strayed from the trail – a lesson learned from previous CapitalTrails events about the importance of

navigation.

I carried my phone in a flip cover that allows easy handheld use while running, making

it simple to navigate and check my position when needed.

Hydration was planned around familiar products, and nutrition was meant to stick to

tried-and-tested options. The only thing new was dry fruits ladoo made by my friend to use them as race fuel. They looked delicious, packed with energy, and seemed perfect

for the long effort ahead. I completely forgot one of the cardinal rules of endurance

racing that I'd heard countless times from fellow runners – never try anything new

on race day.

The Race: When Humidity Meets Reality

The CapitalTrails Race Series is renowned for its self-supported, self-navigated, and self-timed format – a minimalist approach that strips away the commercial aspects of traditional racing and returns to the pure essence of trail running exploration. No aid stations, no route markings beyond the GPX file, no external support beyond the QR codes you scan at checkpoints. It's you, the trail, and your preparation.

The weather that morning was deceptively pleasant – the recent days had been beautiful, making me optimistic that humidity levels would be manageable. However, the post-monsoon conditions in Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary had other plans. Despite the seemingly favorable day, the humidity was crushing. The thick, moisture-laden air characteristic of Delhi's September weather pattern had settled over the sanctuary, creating conditions that felt more like running inside a greenhouse than through a forest.

The first section of the race felt manageable. The trails were lush and overgrown from the monsoon rains, creating a tunnel effect through dense vegetation that was both beautiful and challenging to navigate. The recent rains had transformed the sanctuary into the vibrant, wild landscape that makes the September timing so special – but they had also left the air saturated with moisture that made every breath feel heavy.

I pushed myself hard, perhaps too hard given my compromised preparation. My target was aggressive – finishing in 2 hours and 30 minutes – and I was determined to make up for the lost training time with race day intensity. The early kilometers felt strong, and I was making good time through the familiar terrain of rolling hills, rocky outcrops, and the occasional glimpse of the beautiful lakes that dot the sanctuary.

The problems began to compound after the second checkpoint. The combination of high

humidity, aggressive pacing, and my less-than-optimal preparation started to take its toll. My body began to struggle with temperature regulation in the oppressive air, and the effects of poor sleep became increasingly apparent as my focus started to waver.

Then the nutrition disaster struck. The dry fruit ladoos that had seemed like such a good idea began to wreak havoc on my digestive system. My stomach turned rebellious, refusing to process what should have been valuable fuel. Instead of providing energy, they became a source of discomfort that made each step increasingly difficult. This reminded me, with painful clarity, why experienced runners constantly advise against trying new foods on race day – your digestive system, already under stress from the physical demands, cannot adapt to unfamiliar foods under race conditions.

Around the 18-kilometer mark, another challenge emerged. One sharp thorn along the trail found their way into my left shoe. Simultaneously, my left foot began experiencing chafing on the small toe – that kind of friction-induced pain that starts as an annoyance but quickly becomes excruciating. The combination of thorns, chafing, and digestive distress created a perfect storm of discomfort that tested every aspect of my mental fortitude.

I started to mix walking with running. Initially, 200m walk followed by 800m running. Then

100m walk followed by 400m run, then 200m walk and 300m run, then you can guess almost walking and barely running. My heart rate was in 170 bpm zone even while walking suggesting the exhaustion, but I kept going strong and pushing my limits – one step a time.

The Finish Line: Lessons in Humility

I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 55 minutes – 25 minutes slower than my target time.

In that moment, standing in the post-monsoon forest that had just taught me so much about preparation, adaptability, and perseverance, I felt a complex mix of disappointment and relief.

Disappointed because I knew I had the fitness to perform better, but relieved because I had completed the course despite everything that had gone wrong.

The CapitalTrails experience is unique because it forces you to confront not just the physical challenges of trail running, but the mental ones as well. Without external support, without aid stations to bail you out, without marked routes to eliminate navigation concerns, you're left with nothing but your own resources. When those resources are compromised by poor preparation, injury, or simple bad luck, the experience becomes a masterclass in problem - solving and mental resilience.

As I sat in the sanctuary after the race, processing what had happened, I realized that this race had been more valuable than a successful time would have been. It had identified every weakness in my preparation and race execution, providing a comprehensive education in what not to do.

Tips for Future Trail Warriors

From this challenging but educational experience, several key lessons emerged that I believe will benefit anyone tackling CapitalTrails events or similar self-supported trail races:

• Navigation Technology: Loading the GPX file into your watch and setting it to beep when you go off-trail is essential. Additionally, using Gaia GPS during monthly training runs – not just following the group – builds crucial navigation skills. Many runners rely too heavily on following others during training, then find themselves unprepared for the self-navigation demands of race day.

• Phone Strategy: Carrying your phone in a flip cover that allows easy handheld operation while running is invaluable. It makes checking your position quick and doesn't require stopping to fumble with cases or pockets. The ability to navigate efficiently while maintaining momentum can save significant time over a long race.

• Quick QR Code Scan: As this format requires the runners to scan the QR code on checkpoints. When you know that you’re near the checkpoint, just unlock the phone if it’s locked, open the Webscorer app and be ready to scan the code the moment you reach. This can save some time.

• Recovery Balance: Finding the right balance between being well-rested and not too rested at the start line is crucial. Complete rest can leave you feeling flat and unmotivated, while inadequate rest obviously impairs performance. This balance is individual and requires experimentation during training. For me, I was over rested in terms of not running since last 9 days and too little rested in terms of sleep.

• Nutrition Discipline: Never, ever try new nutrition strategies on race day. This advice is repeated constantly in the running community because the consequences of ignoring it are so severe. Your digestive system is already under stress from the physical demands of racing – introducing unfamiliar foods is asking for trouble. Since more than a week passed since the race, I’m eating the same ladoos in my training runs now and they are so easy to digest as I’m properly chewing them. I guess this is the mistake I did in race just gulped them without proper chewing.

• Injury Management: Don't underestimate the impact of seemingly minor injuries. A toe injury from construction work might seem trivial, but it can significantly impact your training and race preparation. Allow adequate healing time and adjust your race expectations accordingly.

• Equipment Preparation: Ensure your shoes are appropriate for the specific terrain conditions. Post-monsoon trails often have different challenges than dry season routes – thorns, mud, different vegetation growth. Consider the seasonal conditions when selecting gear. I’ve just got new shoes after this race to not have chafing in the little toe and I’m seeing the difference in my training now.

The Bigger Picture

What makes the CapitalTrails Race Series special isn't just the challenging courses or the self-supported format – it's the way these events strip away everything non-essential and return trail running to its purest form. Running through the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, navigating by GPS through post-monsoon wilderness, carrying everything you need, scanning QR codes at checkpoints – its trail running as exploration rather than entertainment.

The minimal environmental impact philosophy that guides these events also creates a more intimate relationship with the natural spaces we're privileged to run through. When you carry everything you need, leave no trace, and navigate independently, you become a temporary part of the ecosystem rather than a consumer of a race experience.

The sanctuary itself, with its transformation from mining sites to biodiverse lakes, represents the kind of restoration and conservation that makes these running experiences possible. Every step through those trails is a reminder of our responsibility to protect and preserve these spaces for future generations of runners and wildlife alike.

Looking Forward

As I write this race report, I'm already planning my return to future CapitalTrails events

specially excited for the first 50Km ultra on 21st December 2025. The lessons learned at Asola – about preparation, nutrition, navigation, and mental resilience – will inform every aspect of my training and racing going forward. The beauty of trail running, particularly in the self-supported format that CapitalTrails has perfected, is that every event is educational, whether it goes according to plan or not.

The race provided the perfect classroom for these lessons. The lush overgrowth, challenging humidity, diverse terrain, and beautiful lakes created conditions that tested every aspect of my running preparation and execution. While my time didn't reflect my fitness goals, the experience was invaluable in ways that a smooth, successful race might not have been.

To future participants in the CapitalTrails Race Series, I offer this advice: respect the format, respect the conditions, respect your preparation, and most importantly, respect the learning opportunity that every race provides. Whether you finish in your goal time or, like me, learn some hard lessons about race execution, these events will make you a better, more thoughtful trail runner. The wilderness doesn't care about your goals, your training, or your expectations.

It only responds to your preparation, your adaptability, and your respect for its challenges.

---

This post was voluntarily written and shared by a CapitalTrails member, and all experiences and opinions shared in the race report are the author's own.

Follow Sandeep on Instagram.