Instead of picking pieces of each person's input and spreading them around this article, I'll include various lessons learned from various athletes here. The location after their name indicates the race they learned their lessons from, if you were wondering -

Brandon Barros (Vermont) - "Definitely go in over prepared for nutrition and weather. Tahoe I had an exceptional amount of nutrition to carry on course but I also spent the two weeks prior cleansing and prepping. I constantly checked the weather and had prepared for hot or cold weather. Also while on course (to each is own) I paced myself cautiously on the first lap avoiding any other injuries than the ones I already had. The second lap was a push myself out of comfort and to get under 12. Always approach a UB with not just one plan but maybe 3 plans minimum. Anything can happen out there. Your drop bag should be organized and filled with candy, high sodium food, salt tabs and anything you feel necessary to keep you going. The second lap usually gets dark on us and becomes 80% mental."



Sonny Fricia (Tahoe/Vermont) - "Too many people ran out of food. No idea why... but they did"



Jeff Medrano (Tahoe) - "Ziplock bags to keep your shirt dry during the swim. A bottle of mustard instead of packs. This will allow you to share with those who are not in the know about this miracle condiment. Also, take cold showers. That made the swimenjoyable for me. There was no shock factor getting in the cold water"



Matthew Melcher (Tahoe) - "Personally, I think training in awful conditions helped me through the UB. I didn't do any swimming training, but in August I did the ascent of the Presidential Traverse in NH up to Mt. Washington. ~10,000ft vertical climbing but above the tree line was 40 degrees, raining hard and wind gusts 40-70mph. I can see how people unprepared die up there."



Caleb Becky Miner (Vermont) - "So, I did the beast with no camel pack and no electrolytes. Note to self... never do that again. Thanks to all the spartans who helped me along the way!"



Steven Grannary (Sun Peaks) - "Training in uncomfortable situations is a definite bonus. Trained hills in the dark at 32F and extra food. Always come prepared for all four seasons."



Christopher Kravitz Peltier (Tahoe) - "Ski mountaineering and alpine skiing in the winter provide traning conditions unmatched by any of these races. I swam competitively when I was younger, so water was an advantage. The cold weather training (often below 0) really helps with understanding gear/clothing under all conditions. Nutrition using the Hammer products (Endurolyte extreme, Gel, and Perpetuem made as a gel) has worked well for the long haul"



Mike Maurer (Vermont) - "I use Tailwind as my caloric backbone, plus the electrolytes in it help prevent cramping. I used a 50k trainer for my cardio. Not because there is a ton of running, but it forced me to train and adapt to being completely spent & exhausted. For the midwest flat lands, I needed to include more tire drags into my training to help with the climbs"



John Hayley (Vermont) - "I come from both sides. DNF and finisher. The main difference is that when I DNF'd I paced myself. By the time the second loop came around I had to hurry to catch up on lost time. Spoiler alert...that did not work. So this year my main objective was to hammer that first loop as hard/fast as I could and just gut out the second loop. That worked like a charm. I had banked so much time, that I was able to treat the second half like a victory lap. It allowed me time to stop and help fellow racers, especially some of the beast people that were obviously over their heads."



Vincente Forero (Tahoe) - "Pack a god damn dry bag, light wind breaker, light running gloves and ear covers"



Jeffrey Hella Jef (Tahoe) - "UB Tahoe was weather. I should have dress for the weather. I had enough food, was super hydrated (had to piss every 3 miles). About 2 weeks out I was on all natural diet, full serving of veggie juice each day. I started taking mass gainer to carb up from all the endurance training didn't gain more than a pound or two top. I started at 180lb 6 months out ended up at 157lb race day. I live on at sea level highest peak we have is at 4000ft, Start my run at 500 try to do it twice once a month, along with heavy crossfit and running 5 days a week."



Brannon Espy (Tahoe) - "Get a dry bag for the swim for sure... Better insulation for early lap... Hot hands from bin saved me the second lap... I still have numbness in my fingers... It was able to climb the second lap... Nuun tabs on my water helped as well as the mustard and didn't even get a hint of a cramp... Liked the thinner power gel over the GU as t was easier to swallow moving faster and breathing in the cold"



Kert Elkins (Vermont) - "If you work at a desk all day, get a stand up desk. Commit to never sitting down. I did this about 8 months out, and I think it helped out big time. You can run all the miles you want, but you also have to be conditioned to be on your feet for 8+ hours. I work Mon-Thurs 10 hours a day. The first 2 weeks is rough, if you aren't used to being on your feet. But I committed to standing. So much so, that I got rid of my chair so that I would never sit down. Again, I think this was a big help to me."



Joshua Cherwinski (Vermont) - "Get used to being uncomfortable for an hour at a time. Do 500 unbroken burpees, row a half marathon. Swim 2 miles. Do something like this once a week. I did very little running but alot of the things above."



