Ultra Running

‘Slip Sliding Away’

It’s not often you get to see and experience the full perspective of a race. Watching the preparation, looking behind the scenes, understanding strategies, decisions and equipment choices.

I have just been fortunate enough to spend the last 10 days at two races; the Transvulcania La Palma in the Canaries and the Zegama race in the Pyrenees.

What was notable about these two races was the runners. Both races had arguably some of the best runners from the trail, ultra and mountain running scene. Both races also offered great contrast. The Transvulcania race was run in hot temperatures over some 50 miles. The Zegama race was marathon distance and took place in cold, wet and even some snow at the top of the mountains.

So, why the post?

Well, Zegama revealed many weaknesses and ultimately bad decisions by runners that seriously affected the ability at which they could perform. Yes! Even at the top of the sport, poor choices can be made.

What should you consider when racing?
1. What terrain will I be running on
2. What will the conditions be like
3. What variables do I need to consider
4. What clothing options will I need and shoe choices
5. Will I need ‘mandatory’ kit to race
6. Race day temperatures and variables
7. Will I need to be self sufficient or will they have feed stations
8. What pace will I run and how long can I expect the event to take
9. Best case scenario
10. Worse case scenario

The above questions are all completely relevant when undertaking any event. Certainly, the longer the event takes or the higher the event goes then the above list has even more relevance.

Assuming that your training is done. You have prepared meticulously and arrived at the race in the best form possible, why ruin it by making decisions or should I say, making a lack of decisions that will ultimately result in a below par performance or even worse, a DNF.

Zegama

As a reference point I am going to use the Zegama race. We arrived in the Pyrenees on Thursday two days before the race. Weather conditions were chilly and wet. On Thursday we attended press conferences, looked at the course and went out for a short 10k run covering a small section of the race route. I was with Mike Wolfe, Nick Clark, Ian Sharman and Marcus Warner. So, as you will note… Mike Wolfe was 2nd at 2011 Western States and Nick Clark was 3rd. Need I say more… Two very experienced ultra runners at the top of the game. We discussed the terrain on the run, the footing, the fact that it would be possible to run quick and as Mike and Nick said, this part of the course was Douche Grade meaning that it was easy. I guess they were right. This part of the course was downhill single track trail and a mix of rock, mud and grass. Mentally the guys made a decision that this was a quick and easy section.

The next day I ran the same section of course but this time went to the summit some 12k away and approximately a 1000m high. This time I was with Serge who is an R&D guy with Salomon. I was also joined by Marcus. Notably the previous night we had had thunder, lightening and torrential rain. A low lying mist covered the course making visibility a little poor but not problematic. The terrain was considerably muddier and much more slippery than the previous day. As we covered the course we discussed sections, looked at possible problems, discussed the weather, discussed temperatures, discussed footwear and then at the summit noted how cold it was. As we did all this I took photographs of sections.

That evening I saw Serge sit with Salomon Team Manager, Greg Vollet and Kilian Jornet and he talked them through step by step what we had done. He mentioned temperatures and he discussed shoes and made recommendations. Imperative. This information was then related to each runner within the team and they than had a team meeting. The information was relayed back to all the runners, clothing for the race was discussed, strategies for feeding/ nutrition planned and they then went to sleep armed with the required knowledge for the race.

By contrast, I showed my images to the other runners and by this I primarily mean the Americans. I relayed that it was potentially chilly on the tops particular if it was constant rain. I also mentioned that it was technical in places with rocks, mud, loose leaves and potential other hazards.

That night it never stopped raining…. Harder and harder. The following morning was considerably colder and snow was forecast for the summits. I had gone to the 7k checkpoint some 2 hours in advance of the race and relayed back by phone that it was cold and wet. At the 7k point the trail was a mud bath and slippery.

As the race unfolded and as I looked on at the, it was apparent that it was going to be a tough day, the front runners slipped away on the terrain. Of course good technique reduced some issues and good shoe choice also made a big difference. But it was apparent that a lack of technique and more importantly the wrong shoes could mean the difference between performing and surviving.

At the summits light snow was falling and then at the final summit a 13k decent lay ahead. Waiting near the last section of trail with just 2 km to the finish I watched runners appear. Firstly Kilian bouncing along like a mountain goat, then Hernando, Tom Owen and the first American, Mike Wolfe. It was a surprise to see Mike as pre expectations had touted Max King as a potential winner. Then Max King arrived not looking happy at all. One by one the Americans arrived and ran past me. As Joe Grant passed I asked how he felt. ‘Not good’ the reply.

Post race talk was about the terrain, the difficulty and more importantly the ability to run or survive the final descent. Although wet and although snow was falling at the summit, few runners said they had got really cold. Certainly the compulsory jacket had helped here! What was apparent though was the inability for many to stay upright.

Nick Clark said I had no grip
Joe Grant said ‘not sure road flats was a good idea…’
Mike Wolfe said ‘I had the wrong shoes’
Max King said ‘I was completely un prepared’
Lauren Jeska said ‘I am just not good on downhills, I couldn’t keep upright’ (importantly, Lauren was leading the women’s race and lost a podium place on the 13k decent, Emelie Forsberg was over 13 min behind Lauren at the top of the last climb but went past her and took 3rd place)
Ian Sharman wrote in his blog ‘It was fun to see what the Skyrunning guys do and to see really European-style races with huge amounts of vert and more technical running than back in the US. In fact, the mud, rain and snow of Zegama made me feel like I was on a fell run in northern England…just wish I’d had some fell shoes with me.’

I have to ask the question what preparation pre race was undertaken to make sure that nothing was left to chance?

It is appropriate here to make one or two defences.

A) The American contingent may very well have struggled with luggage/ baggage allowance that restricted the option to bring multiple shoes (I usually think running first and then bring what will fit after that)
B) Sponsored athletes may very well have not had a shoe available from the sponsors range for the conditions (not much you can do about this BUT Mike Wolfe can use any shoe he wishes as can Joe Grant)
C) Extreme weather that created out of the ordinary conditions (always expect the worst)

So although I provide some defence, between the lines I am sure you can read that ultimately they have no defence… School boy errors that could so easily be rectified. I liken the lack of prep to a new or novice runner.

Prep
Prep
Prep

These guys and girls can run, no doubt but it’s no good being one of the best if you throw it all away by doing a Paul Simon by that i mean, slip sliding away!

Endurancelife Weekend – Flete

Imagine a weekend on the southern coast at the Flete estate near Plymouth. Open fields, a bunch of endurance addicts, evening lectures, a camp fire, plenty of food, some sun, yes, some sun!

Endurancelife for the second year once again arranged a superb weekend. They even managed to secure some dry weather amidst a very wet April and early May. Ironic that parts of the UK are in a drought.

Based on the Flete estate, the surroundings are superb. Stunning coastline, sandy beaches, quiet inlets and of course the opportunity to camp on site. The weekend is a mix of events all geared at fulfilling new desires, testing new boundaries or fulfilling the needs of the dedicated.

I arrived on Friday via train with Niandi. Lacking a car at the moment made logistics a little awkward, so we managed to find some cheap accommodation in Plymouth and along with ELA ambassador James Adams we shared a hire car for the weekend. The plus side for us was that we had a warm bed for the evenings but I can’t help but think we missed out on some of the fun.

We arrived on Saturday at event HQ just in time to see the ‘Raid’ get underway. A multi discipline event that involves mountain biking, running and kayaking. Being the dedicated endurance athletes that we are, Niandi, James and myself got a Laver bread sandwich and coffee and relaxed on the grass. Laver bread was a new one on me, made from seaweed you wouldn’t expect it to be too tasty but it sure was. Especially when you add a fried egg, some mushrooms and spinach. Oh I do love sport as it does allow you to indulge in endurance eating too.

Neil Bryant arrived and asked if we had planned to take part in the Aquatrail. A swim, run, swim run and so on event. James did go through the comical process of trying a wet suit on but thought better of it and with the exception of Neil we decided that spectating would be the best option. Not before we had another Laver bread though first…

Late afternoon, what looked like a bunch of tall seals lined up on the beach ready to do battle with cold water and trail running. As they entered the water you could hear a few screams as the cold took the breath away. Out to a buoy and back to the beach they then ran off around the coastline taking in two more swims and run sections to eventually return back to the start point and repeat the process a couple more times. For nearly everyone this was an introduction to Aquatrail and although they had been told that it would involve 2k of swimming and 10k of running I don’t think many had anticipated how hard the event would be. Certainly as they came out of the water at the end of lap one the cold water was having an effect but many battled on with cold hands and feet to a successful completion of the first Aquatrail.

Back at camp we sat around the fire and listened to stories and music. A wonderfully chilled hour as the sun started to disappear on the horizon.

With darkness the first evening of Live More Lectures started. Stories of crossing Oceans rowing, climbing to the summit of Mt Everest and running the Bob Graham Round in the English Lakes. Stories to inspire and motivate. The three of us left the camp close to midnight not leaving much opportunity for sleep before the early Sunday start to take part in the Coastal Trail Series.

Niandi and myself ran the marathon and teammates Oliver Sinclair, Neil Bryant and James Adams ran the ultra. Having run nearly all the Coastal Series, Flete is the one race I hadn’t run so I was interested to see what lay in store. From the off, the eventual winner flew off at break neck pace and never eased up. We only saw him again at about 5k into the race when all the front runners missed a left turn due to a misplaced course marker (very unusual). The early miles had a couple of tough climbs but then the middle section had some great single track. At checkpoint 2 I dibbed in with my Sportident and ran straight off leaving my two running partners. Slowly opening up a gap I remained in 2nd place right to the end to take a very satisfying 2nd place. However, the top 3 place was not that easy to come by! the final 6-8 miles of the Flete course are pretty darn tough. The climbs are vertical and seriously hurt the calf muscles and hamstrings. Over the final climb and on the run in to the finish we had a river crossing which was just what the legs needed. All that cold water on tired muscles. Perfect. In the Ultra, Oli was second and Neil 3rd making a good haul of the top places for the Endurancelife Team.

The sun was out and recovery for the next few hours was paramount. Of course that meant some chill time by the fire, another laver bread and plenty of fluid… no, I was good, no alcohol. Well, not until later when I treated myself to a glass of red!

The evening lectures soon came around and we kicked off with tales of going to the North Pole. Our final talk of the evening was by Deborah Searle who had achieved stunning feats by rowing solo some 10 years ago. In the middle was me! Yes, me!

When I had been asked to talk I was left with a dilemma. I felt that in comparison to rowing the Atlanic, climbing Everest or going to the North Pole my achievements were insignificant. But I have one strength, I feel that I am an ordinary person who could inspire other ordinary people to also achieve and push boundaries in a simple way. Since the passing of my Dad in 2009 I had never spoken in public about my 8 marathons in 8 days that had become such a test at a very trying time. So, putting myself under the pressure of literally breaking down in tears in front of a packed room I put some demons to rest in my talk. I managed not to break down (just about) and I hope that I got across a simple story of running that anyone could undertake.

It was a brilliant weekend. Both Niandi and myself had a great time and it was such a pleasure to mix with some great friends, make new friends and soak up the south coast.

As per usual, the Endurancelife crew but on another super slick event with the whole team being so helpful. I would like to give some special thanks to Kate for all the help prior to the weekend and on the weekend.

See you all next year

Iznik Ultra

From the sound of the morning call to pray to the evening call for prayer, Turkey has a charm and a charisma that I have not experienced in another place. The people epitomize friendliness and an openness to help and a willingness to go out of the way to make your experience as a tourist a pleasant one.

 

Istanbul is chaos! The roads are blocked, the streets are frantic and amongst this is a calm and a charm that one cannot help but warm to. The Grand Bazaar I guess has lost some of the original charm of a typical ‘souk’. It shows signs of commercialism but how can one resist the urge to indulge. In close proximity one has the Blue Mosque, the Fire Tower and San Sophia. Working your way down to the Bosphorus one is greeted with ferry boats, fish restaurants and a bustle that increasingly comes to life with the approach of the night. Lights glow, the sky goes to a deep dark blue and the skyline is illuminated with Mosques. It’s quite magical.

 

Leaving the chaos of Istanbul and heading north for the 2+ hour journey to Iznik that included a relaxing ferry crossing was a stark contrast to the attack on my senses for the last 24 hours. Suddenly we had some calm and a time to reflect.

 

Our approach to Iznik was greeted by entering the north west corner of the lake ‘Iznik Golu’. Making the road journey to Iznik Village gave us wonderful panoramic views of what lay in store with the Iznik Ultra. A large beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains and fields of Olive Trees.

 

Iznik formerly known as Nikaia is in the province of Bursa and is some 90km south west of Istanbul as the crow flies. Iznik was surrounded by walls to protect it but now the walls are pierced in many places for roads. With a population of around 17,000 it has been a district center for Bursa since the early 1930’s. It has a deep history, Orhan 1 captured Iznik in 1331 from the Byzantium Forces and for a short period the town became the capital of the expanding Ottoman Empire. Famous for pottery and tiles, many of the Mosques in Istanbul have Iznik tiles designed by Mimar Sinan. This history was reflected in the wonderful finishers medals and plaques for the Iznik Ultra.

 

Our arrival at our hotel on the lake was a pleasurable one and soon followed with arrival at the race headquarters. The MCR Racesetter event team had taken over a club premises on the lake and turned into a control hub for the race. You would never have guessed that this was the first ultra that the they had organized. It was very slick and the attention to detail was immaculate. Caner (pronounced Janer) Odabasoglu , race director, the previous year had taken part at the TDS in Chamonix and he had obviously learnt a great deal from the experience. He had taken all the good aspects of the UTMB series of races and applied them to his own race. I had been helped expertly by Burcu Karakelle and Rabia Karaağaç in my pre trip preparations and they also manned the registration point. Needless to say, once registration was over they re applied themselves to the course and the smooth running of the event. Caner had not only pulled in his working team from Macera Akademisi but he had also pulled in the help of personal friends and he had mobilized the Iznik community and supporting villages and made this event important to them. They had a real pride in servicing all the competitors.

 

With a pre race kit check done that included a ‘typical’ requirement of : base layer, jacket with hood, first aid, elastic bandage, head torch, hat, gloves, food and the capacity to carry 1.5ltr of liquid I was able to relax and mix with other racers. I was initially surprised by some of the entrants, we had a couple of South Africans, French, Russian and even a Brazilian on the start sheet. The Brazilian unfortunately didn’t make the race due to some travel issues. On chatting, it turned out that the French guy was Jean-Loup Feneaux, the creator of AHOTU (www.ahotu.com) what I would consider to be the best reference point for all races in the world. In addition I was introduced to Ilgaz. Ilgaz is a co presenter of an ultra running podcast for Turkey. Quite amazing as he introduced himself to me as he recognized me (and my voice) from Talk Ultra. The ultra world really is a small one!

 

So the race!

 

We congregated in the Iznik centre for a pre race briefing at 0700 and then the race started, on the dot at 0730.

 

The previous days blue skies and warm weather had been replaced with rain but temperatures were mild. In many respects, perfect conditions for me! On the end of the count down we left on mass being told that the first few km’s although part of the race would be neutralized. They wanted to create a run procession as we left the town. It was perfect!

 

The race route was marked to perfection with either floor paint or red and white ribbons every 30-100 meters. Literally, if you had run for more than a minute without seeing a marker you knew you had gone wrong! It’s very reassuring. Although the 126k route was a loop of the lake and of course, the 60k was pretty much half of the lake, it was by no means flat as one would expect. Quite the opposite! All the vertical gain was undertaken in the first 60k making the shorter race a tough one as obviously you would be pushing harder, for the 126k runners this also meant that ‘pacing’ was crucial.

 

The short road section lasted 4km and  soon became trail and then climbing to 580 meters. The trail path was wide, rutted and in parts slippery due to the falling rain. It was possible to run/ walk much of this early section, however, I am sure those running the longer race will have walked much of this first climb. Harder steeper sections had sections of flat and then more climbing. This scenario repeated itself constantly over the first 13kms and the first checkpoint at Derbent. From Derbent village we once again re joined trail heading west and this section incorporated a whole mixture of trail. Rutted ground, soft ground, rocks and of course plenty of climbing and descending. Under foot conditions in general where very good. To our left as we ran this section of trail we had the stunning views of snow capped mountains and to our right, the Iznik Golu lake and the Yenisehir Plains. It was stunning.

The Suleymanie checkpoint at 28.5km was an opportunity to re fill bottles/ bladder and soak up the appreciation from local villagers. Caner and his team had done a superb job informing, mobilizing and involving the local villages and communities. You must remember, running is not something the Turkish people have much experience of. Ultra running is pretty muck unknown…. The Iznik Ultra is very much at the forefront of Turkish ultra running.

The climb out of Suleymaniye was steep and tough and lasted almost 2km and then a long decent to the next checkpoint at 36km at Muskule. This was a simple checkpoint and really more of timing check than anything else. A small climb and then a long steep decent to a section of road than ran parallel to the Lake. Police escorted the runners and provided safety. This section lasted almost 10k going from the 37km mark to the next check point at Narlica at 42km. This was a key check point and a larger village. The whole town had turned out to cheer everybody on.

Now the hardest climb of the course. Heading out of the village you immediately headed up on a muddy, rutted trail that lasted for 7km climbing to 750 meters. It was made even more difficult as this track was used by the farmer, therefore the route up was basically in deeply rutted tractor tracks.  The rain was falling harder and harder and the course was now becoming increasingly slippery under foot.  It was tough on the mind, the body and more importantly the legs. Finally at the top a flattish section of trail was followed with a long quad busting decent to the 60km finish in Soloz. The trail to the finish was technical in places and quite steep. I know that many post race expressed how difficult they found this run in to Soloz.  Again,  the local community was out in force. As it happened, I was the winner of the 60km race in 6hrs 01min. It would have been nice to have been under 6hrs and certainly if in future editions the course is dry and without rain, that time will drop. To run the final uphill road section to the line with the applause of the locals, the cheers of the children and the appreciation of the Iznik Ultra team will be a memory I hold forever. I sincerely feel that what has been created in this race is the start of an ever increasing and ever popular ultra scene within Turkey.

At the finish I was able to relax, applaud and watch my fellow runners come in. For many though, this was only a 60km checkpoint. Motivated by a finish line in the centre of Iznik some 67km away, they refueled and step by step rejoined the course. It was now early afternoon and the occasional glimpses of sun and warm started to disappear. The rain increased and with it, the wind.

 

With the climbing done in the first 60km, the remaining running should have been relatively easy and flat. The course now pretty much hugged the lake until the 76km and the checkpoint at Ornekkoy. Here, you are taken inland to the 81km checkpoint and you then remain inland with the lake to your right until Ilica at 95km’s.

Running through Olive fields, the increasing heavy rain now made the course difficult under foot. With the added difficulty of night, it was now a test of will power for the remaining runners. A welcome section of road from 100km’s to 107km’ s provided some rest with the inclusion of a checkpoint at the village of Boyalica.

The dark, the rain, the mud, the wind tested everyone, the runners and the dedicated team of helpers and check point officials. At 111km’s another section of road and then the final push with a check point at Kurukpru at km 119. With just 8km’s to go, the finish was in sight. The arrival in Iznik awaited. But of course it was now the middle of the night. The winning time was 15hrs 45m.

The next day a 10km race had been arranged that created a perfect opportunity to introduce running to a greater audience. The town came out in force and was superb to see all ages and abilities taking part. Potential ultra runners of the future…. With marching bands, local dignitaries and a superbly organized prize presentation at 1pm the Iznik Ultra came to a close.

The medals and award plaques were something quite special. Iznik, famous for its hand made tiles had produced via a local tile maker all the finishing medals and plaques. A truly great memento.

I have raced all over the world and I have raced for many years. I have rarely scene a race so expertly organized or put together. It was the attention to detail, the course marking, the staff, the local community, the friendliness, the awards ceremony and the prizes that all came together to make this one of my fondest racing experiences. For this to be the MCR teams first event was quite incredible. I cannot praise Caner and his team enough.

Moving forward, this race will increase in popularity, it will bring in runners from around the world and will become a race to add to a runners ‘bucket list’. All I can say is that it deserves all the praise it can get. I for one will be back in 2013, no doubt

Notes:

Traveling from the UK to Istanbul is possible via Easyjet from London Luton.

Depending on available time, I would recommend a Thursday flight with an overnight stop in Istanbul. Stay in the Old City near all the sights.

Transfer from Istanbul to Iznik takes approximately 2 to 3 hours and includes a ferry crossing. Traffic in Istanbul is chaotic so be prepared.

Iznik is well serviced with hotels and many are on the Lake just a few minutes from race registration and the race start.

The first 60km are hilly and many may find poles useful.

Trail shoes are essential.

In training, practice going uphill and in particular train on hills putting as much emphasis on going down as going up. Many found the running downhill is what tired them the most.

Temperatures are usually quite warm but for this years race conditions became difficult, Particularly those running in the 126k.

Check and make sure you have mandatory kit. You will be checked pre race and during the race,

 PLEASE VIEW ALL THE IMAGES of Turkey and the race here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iancorless/sets/72157629440938000/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iancorless/sets/72157629851013253/

Details for 2013

www.iznikultra.com

Race Director – Caner Odabasoglu

Address :
Macera Akademisi – MCR Race Setter Geyikli Sokak No:4/2
Beşiktaş – İstanbul / TÜRKİYE

EcoTrail de Paris 2012

Another year and another EcoTrail. Since 2008 I have been in and out of Paris on a regular basis. Niandi, although South African born is a Parisian at heart and after living in the City for 20 years she considers it her home! I personally love the place. It’s my favourite City. No doubt!

In 2008 the EcoTrail de Paris was originated. I missed the first edition but 2009 was my introduction to the event. What could be better, 50 miles of trails, beautiful forests, stunning views and of course, the best finish line in any race. A night time run up to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. It’s magical.
In my first year I ran with Niandi wanting to enjoy the experience together. Although I had a tough day I loved it.

In 2010 I went back with friends and ran quicker, in 2011 I went back again and ran quicker. Each time I missed my own target of sub 8 hours.

This year, although my training had not been perfect I hoped would be my year. As it turned out, it wasn’t. Not by a long shot…..

The EcoTrail has developed considerably over the five years of its life and they now offer a 30k, 50k and 80k option. The races start outside the centre of Paris and you basically run into the city with a final 10k along the Seine and an ascent to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for the 80k runners at the finish. The course is predominantly trail through woods, forests and trails. You have a few villages to pass through and few road sections but ultimately it is wonderful off road trail.

Temperatures in Paris shot up to the mid 20’s when I arrived on the Friday. On Saturday, race day, with a midday start we knew it was going to be a tough one. The previous day I had discussed with Jean Charles the Race Director, about the feed stations. In previous years they had the first feed and 14 miles and the second at 31 miles…. A long way! JC informed me that they had added an extra feed station to fill the gap! Good, it was needed and particularly with the weather forecast.

On race day, the sun beat through our hotel window at 7am. It was going to be hot. We made our way leisurely to the start allowing for plenty of time. With such weather it was no problem to be out in the open air relaxing on the grass. We had an opportunity to meet up with French friends; Huguette, Katel, Jean Pierre and I also met up with Emre Tok from Turkey.

At midday we started. It’s always congested initially as 2000 runners head out to the trails. I controlled my effort wanting to slowly move up the field without exerting too much energy. My target was to run 8 min miles on the flat and power the hills. Within 8 miles I had moved up the field and was running in clear space with small groups of runners. The heat was beating down but I felt good. Relaxed even!

The first feed seemed to come quickly. I filled two 500 ml bottles and probably had about 500 ml left in my bladder. I grabbed food and walked out of the station taking 3-5 mins to eat while still making progress on the course.

I was now much more in isolation with just handfuls of runners here and there. Twenty miles came and I was suddenly feeling not too great. I was getting some spasm in my legs, particularly calfs and I was starting to feel just not 100%. Nausea was making feel light Heade and I was getting some double vision. I couldn’t understand it? I had drunk over 2 litres of electrolyte drink at this point. Surely I couldn’t be dehydrated. The previous night I had had some bad headaches late at night. I was beginning to think that maybe I had picked up a bug.

From here on in it just got worse and worse. Headaches, tightness in my chest, my throat ‘closing’ not allowing me to drink. The climbs became purgatory and the flat sections just ridiculous. I was jog/ walking and could do no more. Runners started to come past me and it was becoming survival. Not really what I wanted….

I though of JC telling me that they had added a feed station and I thought, I just need to get to that! I went through the marathon in 4 hours, so, I was sort of on my 8 hour pace but I just knew that unless I got energy, hydration and somehow had a remarkable recovery, this was not my day…. The feed finally came but it was at 30 miles!!! Yes, some 16 miles after the first. It turned out NOT to be a feed station but just a water point.

I have only ever quit one other race and that was because of a hernia! The process of handing my number in at the second feed in the EcoTrail was an easy one! I was in bits. No broken! I had no mental strength and no determination to push myself to the end. I wouldn’t say I am the ‘best’ at suffering but I can do it. Today was not one of those days.

The feeling of complete emptiness is one that I never wish to experience again. Double vision, a dried up tight throat that made it difficult to swallow, sickness and this tightness in my chest that did have me a little concerned. I thought of Dean Karnazes saying that you should always try to finish but sometimes a DNF is okay when those initials mean Did Nothing Fatal!

It may sound extreme but I have never quite had a run experience like it.

The EcoTrail is a race I love. Paris is a place I love. I still have wonderful memories and although 2012 edition of the EcoTrail is not the story I wanted, it is still a story and one that we can all learn from! Ultimately, it’s ONLY RUNNING. Running is an enhancement of my life, a passion, an enjoyment, an opportunity to mix and bond with similar people. Saturday became purgatory and I never want running to become that! I accept good and bad days, I accept the will and determination required to complete an ultra but ultimately for me I must have the overall sensation of enjoyment. I was not enjoying Saturday!

With my number handed in, other runners began to drop like flies. Looking back, I don’t think I had a bug. I’m pretty sure I had a combination of several things but more importantly my race came to an end through dehydration! I have always needed plenty of liquid and importantly salt. Although by that 30 mile point I had consumed 2.5 Lts of Electrolyte, it wasn’t enough.

In addition to all the above, my build up to EcoTrail was not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, no excuses. The day was the day! But I have been burning the candle at both ends with extremely long and stressful work hours, reduced training and little sleep. I guess ultimately something has to give! A hot day, 50 miles of trails and I guess not being 100% contributed in what was on the day, an easy decision.

Of course, the day after is always the tough one. As I walk around Paris and see ‘finisher T shirts’ everywhere you think to yourself, was I just weak! Could I have carried on? I guess the answer is yes. Would I have achieved anything? Well, other than another finish, no. Best to take in the views, eat and drink! Why not…

I wanted to look at the big picture and in the coming two months I have a stacked calendar. To pull out and hopefully speed up the recovery process will mean that I can be back fighting sooner rather than later.

This coming weekend I have a 50k recce in the English Lakes on the Lakeland 50/100 route, two weeks after that I am heading to Turkey to report on the first edition of the Iznik Ultra and participate in the 60k. The weekend after that I have London Marathon which I hope will be ‘just fun’ and then the week after that I will be in Scotland for the Highland Fling; another tough 50 miler. Again at the Highland Fling I will be working/ running, so, the pressure is off. I will just be a participant, but, 50 miles is still 50 miles even if you try to take it easy.

So, another great weekend in Paris and of course I have the opportunity to go back to the race and try to put the record straight next year!!!

All experiences are valid, even the bad ones!

Transvulcania Ultra Marathon Race 2012

Breaking news….. I have been asked to go out to the Canaries in May in what is going to be a ‘dream’ 10 days. I will be reporting on the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon and then flying to Spain to report on Zegama.

As an introduction, here is the official press release which has been released today, March 20th

THE RACE OF THE CENTURY

Ultra running legends announced. Transvulcania rolls out the red carpet

Transvulcania Ultra Marathon, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain – May 12, 2012

Never in the history of endurance sport has such a number of world-class runners gathered together at a single event. After weeks of anticipation, the International Skyrunning Federation announces the final line-up of the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon, valid for the Skyrunner® World Series ranking and first of the five Ultra Series races.

The star-studded entry list reads as follows: the three winners of the 2011 TNF Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®, Spaniards Kilian Jornet, Iker Karrera and Frenchman Sebastien Chaigneau; Americans Mike Wolfe, 2011 TNF Endurance Challenge 50M Championship and 2nd Western States 100; Geoff Roes, 2010 Western States 100 and 2011 Ultra Race of Champions; Anton Krupicka, 2nd 2010 Western States 100; Dakota Jones, 2nd 2011 Hard Rock 100 Endurance Run and 2nd 2011 TNF Endurance Challenge 50M Championship; Rickey Gates, 2011 Canadian Death Race; France’s Erik Clavery, IAU Trail World Champion; Britain’s Andy Symonds, La Course de Templiers 2011.

The mammoth line-up continues with top French runners: François D’Haëne, Thomas Lorblanchet, Thierry Breuil, Yann Curien. Americans Joe Grant and Ian Sharman; Csaba Németh, Hungary; Florent Troillet, Switzerland; Gustavo Reyes, Argentina; Giuliano Cavallo, Italy; Philipp Reiter, Germany.

The glittering women’s field counts 2011 TNF Endurance Challenge 50M Championship winner, Anna Frost from New Zealand; IAU Trail World Champion Maud Gobert from France; Americans Darcy Africa, 2011 Hard-Rock 100; Nikki Kimball, 3rd 2011Western States 100 and 2007 TNF Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®; Kasia Zajac from Poland, Zugspitz Super Trail 2011.

With such strong competition, the 7h32’13” race record set last year by Spaniard Miguel Heras could take a beating. The question is, by whom?

The strong international team participation includes major industry players:
Adidas, Arc’teryx, Asics, Montrail, New Balance, Pearl Izumi, Platinium Sigvaris, Salomon, The North Face.

The 500 runners face a daunting 8,525m ascent and descent over the 83 km course which starts at sea level on the Atlantic coast and travels along the island’s backbone to the summit of the volcano at 2,423m before descending back to the sea and finishing in the town of Los Llanos.

From sea to sky, the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon perfectly embodies the skyrunning philosophy and unquestionably represents one of the most spectacular of the 20 races on the 2012 Skyrunner® World Series. Given the VIP entry list, it could be nothing less than the race of the century.

Follow news and updates on http://www.skyrunning.com and on Facebook and Twitter. Race website http://www.transvulcania.com

ULTRA SKYMARATHON®SERIES

*SPAIN:TRANSVULCANIA ULTRA MARATHON, LA PALMA – MAY 12
USA: Speedgoat 50K, Snowbird, Utah – July 28
ITALY: Trofeo Kima UltraSkyMarathon®, Valmasino, Sondrio – August 26
SPAIN: Cavalls del Vent, Cadi-Moixeró Natural Park, Pyrenees – September 29
FRANCE: La Course des Templiers, Millau, Grands Causses – October 28

Ultra SkyMarathon®Series champion titles are awarded to competitors with the highest points based on the sum of the three best results.
Ranking points in the final races will be increased by 20%.
Ranking points breakdown: 100-88-78-72-68-66-64-62-60-58-56-54-52-50-48-46-44-42-40.

Hoka One One 2012 due to arrive March

HOKA ONE ONE

Introduction:

Hoka One One was the brainchild of Jean Luc Diard and Nicolas Mermoud. Both very experienced adventure racers and runners. Nicolas Mermoud has placed very highly at UTMB.

They set themselves an objective. To create a shoe that reduced fatigue, impact and muscle strain. Hoka One One was born.

Sponsored Athletes include: Dave Mackey (ultra runner of the year), Christophe Le Saux, Ludovic Pommeret, Maud Combarieu and Karl Meltzer (31 100 mile wins)

The Technology behind the shoe:

  • The sole is oversized up to 2.5x a conventional run shoe and therefore offers outstanding impact resistance. It ensures a natural stride and IMPORTANTLY they only have 4mm drop from heel to toe. They are therefore very much inline with the barefoot philosophies of natural foot strike and mid to forefoot running. In addition, the shoe eradicates any harshness from the terrain, allowing you to ‘run over’ obstacles. A good analogy would be the difference between a no suspension mountain bike and one with full suspension.
  • Within the shoe, your foot sits within a ‘bucket’ that is recessed into the sole. Not only does this offer a precision foot strike but it also offers great stability.
  • Despite looks, the shoes are incredibly light. They defy gravity. The combination of lightweight and great cushioning reduce stress and fatigue. The shoe adapts and moulds to the terrain allowing you to ‘run through’ the most difficult terrain.
  • A unique addition to the shoe is a ‘rolling’ sole. This helps deliver superior underfoot performance allowing your foot to ‘rock’ forward. Try them downhill…. You will fly! The rocker sole propels you forward.
  • The increased footprint of some 35% bigger than a conventional road shoe offers increased stability. The wider base compensates for the height of the sole making every foot strike a confident one.
  • Throughout the range of Hoka One One shoes, grip changes with each model. The Bondi B road shoe has less grip and traction to allow for speed, the Stinson B (was Combo XT) mixes between the Mafate trail shoe and Bondi B and provides a shoe that works well on either road or trail. The Mafate is designed for severe off road running and the newly modified Mafate 2 has a new upper and increased grip. The new shoe in the Hoka range is the Stinson Evo. This shoe has all the benefits of increased foot platform and cushioning but has been re-worked into a shoe that offers a race fit. It has a breathable upper, speed lacing, increased grip and reduced weight; it is an out and out race shoe!

Statistics:

  • Less Impact – Increase contact with the ground by some 45% and less impact by 20-33%
  • On the flat a reduction of energy consumption by -3 to 5% (oxygen+lactate blood measurement+running mechanical properties)
  • Uphill -8 to 18% decreased energy consumption
  • Downhill -15 to 20% reduced shock impact
  • Conclusion – Better performance for less effort and increased protection

The Shoes:

Bondi B – Road shoe

Bondi B by Hoka One One 2012

Bondi B is a high performance road shoe suited to marathon runners, triathletes and ultra runners. Bondi B absorbs impact, shocks and reduces fatigue. It has 2x EVA volume and a 50% rocker profile. It has a 20mm recessed bucket situated within the midsole and provides support and control as and when required.

Stinson Evo – Trail

Stinson Evo/ Stinson B Evo by Hoka One One 2012

Stinson Evo is designed for absolute racing performance. It is the flagship of the Hoka One One 2012 range. It has a new outsole with EVA lugs to improve on weight. The surface profile has been altered to provide enhanced grip on mud and wet rocks. In addition, this grip provides superior uphill traction. The upper has been optimized to provide a precise racing fit with improved forefoot hold that balances weight and support. It has a quick lace system for rapid adjustment and the new upper has improved breathability. Revisions to the mid sole include a contoured sidewall which help reduce weight and it has a 25mm recessed midsole. The shoe has a 50% rocker profile, 2x2x EVA and recessed foot bucket.

 Mafate 2 – Trail

Mafate 2 by Hoka One One www.runwildrunfree.co.uk

Mafate 2 by Hoka One One

 

Mafate 2 is designed for tough terrain. It is designed around grip and support. The outsole has been overhauled over previous Mafate models and has a 4.5mm lug profile to offer superior grip. The upper has also been reworked to offer a precision fit and with a 30mm bucket within the midsole this provides a level of hold second to none. Lacing over previous models has also been adapted by adding an additional lacing loop allowing the runner to obtain a tighter fit if required. The shoe has 2.5xEVA and a 50% rocker profile. In addition, the Mafate 2 has a 35% wider foot platform over conventional trail shoes allowing you to ‘run through’ tough terrain.

Stinson B – Road & Trail

Stinson B by Hoka One One

The Stinson B, previously Combo XT (I am awaiting new imagery of the Stinson B, this is a 2011 model) is designed as a go anywhere shoe. It combines aspects of the Bondi B and Mafate. It has a 2.5x EVA and 50% rocker profile and has a tread pattern that is suitable for road and light trail. However, if the trail is hard, dry and rocky, this shoe realty does excel. It has a soft cushioned upper, a wider fit and it reinforces comfort without compromising support or stability. It has a 30mm recessed bucket and offers supreme protection.

In action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH91KFK7ABE

 

Stock & Ordering:

2012 stock is due to arrive March 5th to 12th and is available from www.hokaoneoneuk.co.uk

 Analysis and Use:

Mafate by Hoka One One

 

First time impressions of the Hoka One One sometimes mean that potential users can’t get beyond the look of the shoe! Yes they are different and Hoka One One does not try to hide the fact. In fact, the contrary, they use strong bold colours that attract your eyes and your initial reaction on seeing them for the first time is ‘what the hell are they?’

Mafate Waterproof by Hoka One One

 

I had the same reaction. I saw them in a French Trail Race in 2010. A real tough mountainous event and in first place came through this lightweight athlete bouncing along and a pair of brightly coloured shoes. I took a second look…. and then a third and then a fourth look. I laughed to myself. But then I thought about it… hold on, this guy is in first place!

I stored the memory and then I saw them at another race, then I saw four or five pairs. I decided it was time to investigate and purchased a pair! Within 1 week I was sold… I was never going back!

Hoka One One at UTMB 2011

I started with the Bondi B. I purchased them on a Friday. Walked in them all day Saturday and then ran a road marathon on the Sunday. It was liberating! I bounced along with an effortless glide and energy return from a shoe that I hadn’t felt before. As the miles ticked by I noticed considerably less fatigue, a notable reduction in impact and the key factor was that I found that they made me want to mid/ forefoot strike. I would say the only noticeable change I made to my gait and stride was that I took shorter steps and increased my cadence.

Not long after I purchased the Mafate for trail running. Believe me, if you are running on rutted, hard and rocky terrain the Hoka One One are the full suspension mountain bike of the run world. What was obstacles became just glitches that I could run through the terrain without worry… downhill the shoes excelled taking away the harshness of the terrain and allowing a comfort level never experienced when running downhill before. At the end of a race or training, fatigue and ‘doms’ were reduced significantly allowing for faster recuperation and an ability to train at a higher level on repeated days.

Time to Fly - Hoka One One

Observers would look at the shoes and in this barefoot/minimalist market would laugh! However, they missed the point….  Hoka One One only has a 4mm drop from heel to toe making this a real mid to forefoot shoe. A low differential is key for enabling runners to land in a ‘natural’ way. The difference with Hoka One One is the cushioning. All other manufacturers obtain a low differential by reducing cushioning; not Hoka One One. They offer all the benefits of a minimalist approach but with superior cushioning and comfort. It has now been confirmed in many aspects of the natural run movement that Hoka One One are inline with the philosophies of a more natural run style.

So, back in the UK I wanted to purchase the shoes! Mmmm stumbling block. Due to the uniqueness of the shoe, obtaining and shoes in the UK was extremely limited. So, as the saying goes of ‘putting your money where your mouth is’ I did just that and I started to sell the shoe.

In the final 6 months of 2011 and certainly in early 2012 I have noticed an increased awareness and acceptance of what Hoka One One can offer.

All I can say is, if you don’t like the looks, get over it! Once you put them on and run in them, you won’t mind. They are an experience to behold…

Stinson B by Hoka One One

 

 

Nottingham Ultra 50k

As you will know, both Niandi and myself took a good beating at the Trail du Mercantour in September. With Nottingham Ultra landing exactly three weeks later, my plan was to rest and recover, do a little training and go to Nottingham ‘fresh’ but a little under trained.

I actually took a full 10 days rest. I really felt as though my body and my mind needed that break. Mercantour had twisted us and bashed us like no other race. Considering we had also used our Hoka One One shoes, I dread to think what I may have felt like had I not used them!

I started back with a few 4 mile runs and then at the weekend did a 10 mile trail and 12 miles on the road. All pretty easy paced. I felt sluggish and I also could still feel some ‘deep’ fatigue that I needed to get rid off. Race week was easy and then 3 days before the race I went out on the road and ran 8 miles tempo, finally, some two and half weeks after our French race I felt as though some zip was coming back. I purposely then took two days rest and arrived at Nottingham with Niandi feeling fresh.

Course Profile

The race was primarily off road running in the steps of Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest to the cobbled streets at Nottingham Castle and the statue of Robin Hood. Checkpoints and feed stations where placed at approximately every 10k and the route was marked by stickers or yellow arrows sprayed onto the ground or trees.

From the off a group of us moved to the front and within 3 to 4 miles the race was strung out. Two guys up front by 20 or 30 seconds, one guy in the middle and then myself and another guy in 4th or 5th.

Coming into the first check point the positions stayed like this but as naturally happens and feed stations the order changed. I didn’t stop at all as I was running very much self sufficient. I had a bladder and 2x 500ml bottles and ‘shot blocks’ for energy. My plan was just to keep pushing and not loose momentum.

Coming into check point one

 

As the course twisted and turned it was really important to keep your eye on the markers. Don’t get me wrong, the route was really well marked but it was easy to miss a waypoint if you just kept your head down too long.

Arriving at a golf course the markers suddenly disappeared. Now running 3rd/4th place the time wasted looking for an arrow allowed the 5th runner to catch us. The three of us looked left, looked right and then suddenly saw a glint of yellow that would take us around the golf course. A sudden screech and a quick turn around saw one of my fellow runners go over on his ankle… I had done almost exactly the same minutes before but had run it off knowing that I would probably have some swelling and pain the following day. He had to ease up and once we had checked he was okay pushed on.

It was becoming apparent that the early pace was now causing my running partner some trouble and without accelerating away from him he slowly drifted off my pace. I had now moved up into 3rd place but when I arrived at checkpoint three I was told I was in second place some 7 minutes off the lead guy.

Priority now was to hold pace and maybe try for a late push. It seemed unlikely that I would reel back in 7 minutes but it is so easy to have a bad patch. Throughout the event, a MTB rider had been going backwards and forward between the fron of the field. He didn’t provide updates but it was good to see him as it always confirmed I was on the right track. At one of the many gates, I looked back to see a runner who had moved up through the field who was now in 3rd place. I think at this point I had possibly slowed unknowingly allowing him to move up to me. As we pushed on I felt his presence and not wanting to be a carrot I eased up, let him past and decided to have a role reversal. The weather now was pretty warm and this guy was running in tights, long sleeve top and t shirt over the top. He made me feel hot!

In the final sections of the race I had pegged him all the way and when I noticed his pace start to drop I put a hard effort in and pulled away only to arrive in Wollaton Park, with no markings. Looking around it wasn’t clear of the direction to take. He came back to me and then we saw a runner who pointed the direction to take. I ten pulled away again aonly to find that at the next junction we had no clear markings again. I was wasting time now and when you are in 2nd place that is just no fun!

I branched left, 3rd place followed me. I was half committed as I was unsure I was taking the right direction. Looking over my shoulder I saw 4th place runner taking a different direction. I turned, ran hard across the park and pulled my up to him. Now 5th and 6th place had joined us and it was becoming beyond funny. Nobody knew the direction to take and so we looked at the map and decided on a route. It was wrong!

My second place now become an 8th and I think the 9th place runner had come through and moved up to 2nd.

Bit between my teeth I started the chase but I was running on frustration and at 28/29 miles into a race you just don’t have that ‘spare’ resources to run hard. Out of the park around some road works and on to the canal. I had moved back up into 4th with 3rd in sight but probably a minute away. With just over a mile left I couldn’t pull it back. I arrived at the Robin Hood statue on reflection happy with my 4th but frustrated it wasn’t 2nd.

Endurancelife Ambassador

Endurancelife Ambassador - Ian CorlessI love endurance sport. I wouldn’t say I have always loved it. In Fact, I think back to when I was at school, those long cross country runs, I hated them! How funny it is to now look back and think that those runs wouldn’t even make a decent warm up now.

I guess the change came when I looked at my wedding photos. Looking back at me from those pictures I was an overweight lard arse. Don’t get me wrong. I was doing some sport, not much admittedly, but I was doing something. The problem was the combination of not enough exercise, rubbish diet and working 12-18 hours a day.

At 5′ 8″ (maybe 9″, I like to think of me being a 9″) and 15.5 stone I was well and truly a ‘blubber’. I purchased a bike. A nice one! a Giant Cadex – carbon with bonded tubes. I remember saying to myself that if I invested all the money I could spare, make a commitment then the chance of me continuing was always going to be greater…. I would feel guilty otherwise. I was no stranger to cycling, I had dabbled in my early to late teens but college and work had taken over. I was an avid Tour de France fan and all this meant I was already in a good place to progress. I remember I started cycling in June. Easy at first. As I got fitter I cycled farther. My diet was still rubbish. I knew nothing about good nutrition and my long work hours made time for food limited, hence, fast food was an easy option. Despite all this, 6 months later I went to my folks for Christmas. Mum as per usual had got me some clothes. Jeans in 36″ waist! I tried them on and they fell off….. without actually acknowledging the transformation in my body, I had gone from a 36″ waist to a 32″ and my weight had gone from 15.5 to 12 stone. I was addicted.

That is all in the past and some 20 years ago. Like so many ‘transformations’ my own personal one was significant. It has forged my life, driven me and made me the person I am now. Without going into too much detail I raced bikes until 2002 finally gaining Elite status. I raced in France, Spain and throughout the UK. I was never a big hitter but I had my moments.

After a year of ‘recovery’ in 2002 (I was burnt out with work and racing) I started to build myself up as a budding triathlete. I wanted to do an Ironman when I was 40!! Of course it was going to be ‘fun’. I didn’t have the time anymore….. I entered London Triathlon and low and behold I was 10th at my first attempt. 70.3 came then Ironman, I even represented GB in Australia for the World Duathlon Age Group Championships in 2005. I do nothing by half. I am committed and no matter how much I try to take a back seat I can’t. I am driven to be the best I can be.

In 2007 I was looking for a new challenge. Lying on a beach in Nice I started to read ‘Confessions of an all night runner’ by Dean Karnazes. Absolutely riveted, I read this book front to back as quickly as I could and then I read it again. This guy is NUTS I thought. Little did I know….. I decided to set myself the target to run 8 marathons in 8 days. This was to happen in 2008 and it all sounded pretty good, ‘8in8in08’. Mizuno sponsored me and running Fitness wrote about my progress on a monthly basis in the magazine. It was quite funny, at the time, 8 marathons seemed such an epic adventure, now it isn’t even worth writing about. Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud had done 7 marathons on 7 continents and it was actually Mike Strouds book that had gven me the idea for the ‘8’.

I needed a route and a very good friend, Jon Glyde suggested that I run the ‘Thames Path’. It started not far from my home in Gloucestershire and went all the way to the Thames Barrier – 187 miles! Perfect. It was set. On the 8th day I would run London Marathon.

I started in earnest. Remember, I was no runner. Yes I had progressed and somehow taught myself how to run a marathon at the end of an Ironman, but 8 marathons was a monumental task for me. It was in this phase of training that I was introduced to Endurancelife. They had some tough marathons on a regular basis and they provided the corner stone of my training.

All was going fantastic. I had got sponsorship from South West Motorhomes with a free vehicle for the duration of my event. My Dad (my no1 fan) was all geared up to drive, crew and support me. As is often the case, just when all is going so well, disaster struck.

“I have cancer” my Dad said. Oh my God, I cannot explain the devastation those words have.

I couldn’t go on but Dad insisted that I had to and that I had to make him proud. I was left with a dilema. This was just ‘running’. How could I put running ahead of my Dad. after much thinking I decided to continue. No Motorhome, I would stay in B&B’s and a couple of great friends decided to help me out. As the ‘event’ came closer, Dad informed me that his operation was smack bang in the middle of the 8 marathons on the Wednesday. Whoa, this was too much….

I ran the 8 and on the Wednesday when I arrived at Henley on Thames, I jumped in a car, drove to Liverpool, took my Dad to hospital, admitted him, he had the Op, I waited for the all clear and then drove back to Henley for the next marathon. I finished the ‘8’ in London on the Sunday exhausted. Not physically but mentally. That evening I made the journey back to Liverpool to be with Dad. Job done! Boy was he proud. I was an ultra runner.

Dad passed away in January 2009.

Every run I do, every step I take in training and racing is in his name.

I am not he fastest runner. I am not the best by any stretch of the imagination. But I work hard, I love what I do and I promote all types of endurance sport. I coach, I plan training holidays and I race on a regular basis. This passion for my sport resulted in Andrew Barker from Endurancelife contacting me and asking if I would be a ‘Run Ambassador’.

Wow, a run Ambassador. Dad would be so proud. Without hesitation I accepted.

I am in some pretty exceptional company. The current team line up is:

  • Neil Bryant
  • Nicky Taylor
  • Oliver Sinclair
  • Tobias Mews
  • Andrew Barker
  • James Heraty

To be honest, I am a little intimidated. All of the above are great athletes. In particular I have immense admiration (because I already know them) for Oliver Sinclair and Neil Bryant. I have raced many times with Oli over the past few years. We sometimes are pretty close on the finish line but I know when it counts, I would just eat dust behind him if he put the hammer down. Neil is a formidable ultra runner and excels at the long stuff. He has had some great 100 mile results and in the not too distant future will be heading to Greece for ‘Spartathlon’. He also has some ‘epic’ journey planned for 2012 buy I will wait a while before I divulge the info on that.

I am looking forward to meeting the other guys and girls on the team as and when. I am also looking forward to maybe some possible team events. They don’t have to be races but challenges. One in particular is an attempt at the 180km of the GR20 in Corsica.

So, Endurancelife Ambassador I am. Nothing changes from my perspective. I will still be doing all I can to promote and help the endurance community. I now just have one extra string to the running bow.

Many thanks to Endurancelife for the opportunity and the faith in me.

Endurancelife website: http://www.endurancelife.com/index.asp

Ambassador Team on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.236630569715857.57681.103168123062103

Lakeland Trek

THE LAKELAND TREK

I actually posted this Blog in 2010 but with Lakeland 50 and 100 races taking place last weekend, one or two people have asked me to re-post as they are thinking of doing the race in 2012. This blog covers much of the route but not all. I have another blog which I will also re-post that covers a recce day I did of the first 32 miles of the ’50’ route. Here: http://runwildrunfreeuk.blogspot.com/2010/06/lakeland-50100-recce.html

Photos here:http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/LakelandTrekAugust2010#

Day 1 Monday 23rd August – Coniston to Wasdale

We left my mum’s at 0700 and arrived at Ambleside for breakfast just before 0900. It was a nice leisurely start to the day – coffee and teacakes to help provide energy for the trek ahead. I also wanted to go the ‘Climbers Shop’ to purchase some trek poles. My Raidlight lightweight poles had broken and from the previous recce I had already decided ‘poles’ were an essential item to help on the climbs and decent. It turned out that they didn’t have the poles i wanted; thank god! I ended up with a much better pair and poles that are much more specific for future events. The Leki ‘Traveller’ poles come with a run glove so that you can clip the pole in and out of the hand in a flash. They work brilliantly and I can’t recommend them enough. So, with my poles purchased we moved to Coniston, parked the car and started at about 1100am. This was our first mistake…. you need to start 0700 or 0800 at the latest. Why? Well, quite simply the terrain is so tough that moving quickly just is not possible, particularly when you have ‘full kit’ and 2 ltrs of water on you. Also the rain… oh the rain!

We jogged and speed walked to start with and then hit the first climb which lasted for a few K’s to a car park at Roadhead. Here we headed right to Walna Scar. The rain was coming down but temperatures were pretty mild. We crossed a bridge and then climbed a very stoney strenuous path to the summit of Walna Scar Pass (summit 2106m). We were above the cloud. Pretty darn impressive. We headed downhill, the terrain similar to the other side. Tough, gnarly, rocky and wet. We finally reached a road, turned left and arrived at Seathwaite Village Hall. This would be checkpoint 1 in the L100 with 6.4 miles covered. We looked at each other and both thought wow! This is one seriously tough race.

From the checkpoint we retraced to a small church, opposite was a pathway. We squeezed through the stile and then navigated through woodland, over a bridge and headed for Wallowbarrow. The rain was coming harder and the ground was just boggy. Our feet were permanently wet. Passing through a farmyard we turned right and headed through woods to go around Wallowbarrow Crag on a good path. We took a permissive path and then entered what turned out to be the real ‘low’ of the 4 day trek. A boggy, wet, miserable fell and plantation area signposted to Eskdale. This area was miserable. We had no clear path to follow, the rain was torrential and we were slowly going higher and higher into the cloud and colder temperatures. We finally moved out of the plantation to a rutted, rocky and extremely wet underfoot section. It was hard. So hard, it made Niandi cry (no joke). We were cold, wet and tired and only about 11 miles in to the day. We both look back now and laugh but it was a low point. We pushed on after a little pep talk and at the top we crossed a gulley and found some shelter from a tree. We donned waterproofs, hats and gloves. This worked. It refreshed us and gave us a reason to carry on. One main problem with this sort of trek is that we are carrying minimal kit. I mean minimal. We both had 2 tops, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of socks, over trousers, waterproof jacket and a pair of ‘skins’ compression tights to sleep in; that was it! One set of kit was now wet and I was thinking how on earth are we going to get this stuff dry…..

We now took a rocky trail and made our way down the other side of the hill. We started to warm up as the rain eased. The terrain was still ridiculously difficult to navigate. The trekking poles proved an invaluable purchase as they provided that extra help and support to help keep us both upright. We arrived at Penny Hill Farm, took a permissive path and rejoined the main path. We now headed to Boot and had the wonderful site of a Pub. I needed to refill my bottles so it seemed the perfect excuse to grab a coffee, get warm, refuel and then push on. We didn’t hang around, maybe 20 min. Just around the corner was checkpoint 2 for the L100, a small Corn Mill.

From the Corn Mill we pushed uphill and headed over Eskdale Moor to Burnmoor Tarn. Again the ground was sodden and boggy with all the rain. Our feet were going to look like prunes. Heading NNE we followed a path to a wood. Wasdale was now in sight. We headed down the rutted, stoney path. Passed a climbers hut and arrived at Wasdale Campsite. It was now 1830. Our plan had been to reach Buttermere but this was another 6-7 miles away and with failing light, poor conditions we decided to call day 1 to an end. We were relieved. We were also relieved to find out that this campsite had a laundry room. Oh joy! We could get our clothes dry meaning that our following days were going to be far more comfortable.

The joys of trekking come when you have to pitch a tent in the rain, cook dehydrated food and hit the sleeping bag at 2100hrs.

Day 2 Tuesday 24th August – Wasdale to Blencathra Centre (checkpoint 6)

We were so tired we slept like logs despite the wind and rain hitting the tent all night. We awoke at 0600 to make coffee and porridge. We packed up and was on the trail by 0700. Within 1 mile we had to cross a river. Our feet were soaked. We headed to Wasdale Head Inn (checkpoint 3) and proceeded for 200m, through a gate and then started to climb to Gatherstone Beck. We then joined Black Sail Pass and pushed on going constantly up.

The rain came and battered us. Needless to say the terrain was really tough and this was topped off at the top with hale stone. We tried to shelter but it was hopeless. It is so open. We headed down a rocky wet trail. You had to be real careful. Very technical and very wet. You could slip any minute. We finally reached the bottom and crossed the River Liza. We passed Black Sail YHA hut and then climbed again to Scarth Gap.

It wasn’t 0900am and we had already climbed 2437 feet. The sun came out and our trek down from the summit to Buttermere and the Lakeside path was a real treat. We arrived in Buttermere just in time for tea and toast and a refuel of our bottles.

Buttermere Village Hall was checkpoint 4 in the L100, from here we turned right past the Bridge Hotel and then right up Ghyll Wood. We now started to gain height again, the path here was much better under foot and it was far easier to keep a consistent pace. We continued to climb to the summit at Sail Pass. The sun was out and this section was really enjoyable. I made a slight navigational error which meant that we had to do a little rock climbing up a pretty much vertical wall to rejoin the appropriate path.


Niandi was not impressed. At the Col at Barrow Door we took a good path descending all the way down aiming for the right hand side of a small wood. We went through a gate, joined a tarmac road and followed until we arrived in the centre of Braithwaite. St Huthbert’s Church Hall was checkpoint no 5.

From Buttermere we had climbed another 2440ft so now a section of flat road was a welcome relief. I called in a camp site to fill my bottles on the edge of Braithwaite and then we ran along the A66 towards Keswick. It was funny to have cars and people around us. We followed the cycle path and then ran along an old railway track. Passing a Church we then negotiated a few road junctions to take a left up Spoony Green Lane and head towards Skiddaw. Now on the Cumbria Way we started to climb up once again and good paths. After 2km or so we reached a car park. We navigated left and then climbed up and around Whit Beck. The light started to fail even though it was late afternoon and the cloud started to come in. Rain?

We struggled along Lonsdale Crags, crossed a wooden bridge and then took the upper track heading to our end point for the day, Blencathra Centre (checkpoint 6). We had covered another 1548ft making the day total around 5500ft.


Our day didn’t end here though! The L100 route continues east towards Dalemain. I had already done this section and due to time constraints our plan was to head south and pick up the L100 route at Ambleside. I therefore navigated 2 or 3 miles to Burns farm Campsite, east of Keswick and directly south from the Blencathra Centre.

We arrived at the site, pitched the tent, showered and then settled to instant noodles, dried fruit and coffee. Bliss. Today had been quite a tough day. At some point in the morning I had either twisted or banged my left knee. Unfortunately the pain had just got worse during the day. I was a little worried of the implications. I put my ‘skins’ on, took some ibuprofen and hoped for the best.

Day 3 Wednesday 25th August – Burns Farm (Keswick) to Ambleside

Wow, last night was chilly. Niandi slept with the following clothing on inside the sleeping bag: thermal long sleeve North Face top, Gore long sleeve run top, Gore Tex jacket, fleece hat, socks and skins tights. She still said it was cold….. Me, I just got cold….. Of course it rained in the night too.

We were up at 0600 again to porridge and coffee and then left at 0700. Today I was navigating to Ambleside. I had decided that if we got a good start and pushed on we could be in Grasmere for early afternoon and have a treat. A cream tea!

Leaving Burns arm we had a small section of road before following the path signs leading to Low Rigg. It was a lovely morning. Chilly but sunny. We got into climbing straight away and reached the summit pretty quickly. We descended and then took the path climbing up to High Rigg. Terrain underfoot was pretty good. Of course it was wet, boggy, rocky and muddy but we were now used to this. We expected no less.

The sun came over Staybarrow Dodd to the east and the light was fantastic. It illuminated the mountain ranges and showed us the beauty that is the English Lakes. Sheep kept popping up everywhere. They just wanted to be photographed.

From the summit we followed good paths to the south east corner. When we arrived at the road we had a small section to navigate before joining the pathway that goes around Thirlmere. This was a great section.

Good paths, great views and the sun on our backs. It felt like we were in Canada or the Alps.

Pine trees and Lakeland views. Halfway on the path we moved east, crossed the road and then picked up the forest path that runs parallel to the lake. A great section. We had thick forest to navigate through. Apparently this is a Red Squirrel reserve but we didn’t see any.

We now followed the trail that run parallel to the A591 crossing the main road to take the path on the west side of the road. Somehow I missed the official path and navigated south through boggy fields. It wasn’t a problem as we had the clear objective of Grasmere in-front of us. The main issue was the terrain. It was very very boggy. I decided with the help of my gps to move up the fells and rejoin the path.

It was at this point that Niandi stepped forward with her left leg and sunk straight to her waist. My initial laugh was soon stopped as I ran over to stop Niandi singing any further. Her shoe was starting to come off and I could see the panic. Walking poles stuck in the ground, Niandi took my hands and I pulled her out…. I was waiting for the outburst but it didn’t come.

It was actually about 10 mins later when I made her climb over another stone wall to reach the ‘official’ footpath. Back on track we arrived in Grasmere within 20 mins and as promised Niandi and myself had a fantastic cram tea. I can’t tell you how good a cream tea is when you have really earned it.

The break was welcome and we took the western path around Grasmere taking the lake path leading to the climb of Red Bank. This is a really steep climb but over good path and when reaching Loughrigg we had superb views over the whole of the Lakeland range.

We descended down and spent the night at a small campsite near Loughrigg Tarn. It was a simple site and unfortunately had no shower facilities. Thank goodness for ‘wet wipes’. No shower was compensated for with a pub less than 0.5 mile away. Oh the joys of some great pub food and a glass of wine.

Day 4 26th August – Ambleside to Coniston

The coldest night of the week made for very broken sleep. Never good when you have to put clothes on to go to bed. We had no rain but we almost had a frost.

Our tent was covered in so much condensation and dew that it actually appeared as though it had rained. The sun was up and the day was obviously going to be the hottest so far. Porridge for brekkie again.

We started our day with a jacket on, over-trousers, hat and gloves. We walked on roads to the Skelwith Bridge Hotel and then joined the Cumbria Way footpath to Elterwater Village. This pathway was good underfoot and flat. It was easy to make a good pace and in comparison to the previous 3 days it was a walk in the park.

At the village we turned left and took the quarry road eventually joining a footpath on the right. We followed the path and arrived at Chapel Stile and checkpoint 13. It was now pretty warm. Finally we were able to strip down to shorts and top. Summer was here!

We re joined the Cumbria Way and headed through the Langdale Valley. This valley for many IS the Lake District. It is stunning landscape and on a day when god shines his light it looks fantastic. The path is good all the way to the Dungeon Ghyll campsite.

Turning left we took the steep zig zag path leading to the summit at Side Pike Pass. We crossed the road and then took the good trails around Blea Tarn to the south west corner. We were making good time and as I have said previously today was turning out to be easy.

From the tarn we had to navigate across a rough fell with no clear path. As per usual it was bogy. More wet feet ! On arriving at the top corner of the fell we joined the road and ran downhill to Fell Foot Farm. After a small section of road we navigated towards a small white cottage. This was an idyllic scene. The property is owned by the National Trust and is picture postcard material.

Taking the path we climbed up and I took the wrong path….. doh! I took the first right path instead of following the main path to the right. Gps once again proved a real help as this provided me with an exact location and confirmed my error. Having said that, it turned out to be a bonus. It added 2 miles to the day and we got to see a disused mine.

Back on track we moved along good paths to Tiberthwaite car park and checkpoint 14.

We now had approximately 4 miles left and today’s ‘easy’ day showed the kick in the tail. At this point in the L100 you will have now covered ironically 100 miles… yes I know. It’s a 100 mile race BUT it is actually 104. The climb up Tiberthwaite is tough, steep and technical. At this point in the race it must be so demoralising.

Onwards and upwards you cross a stream at the top and then have to navigate across open boggy fell with no clear path. If you were doing this at night it would be very confusing. By taking a SSW direction and just keeping going I finally picked up the main path to then take the tough rocky and technical descent back down Milners Bridge before taking easy roads back to Coniston.

Job done.

Conclusion

Firstly, the 100 mile Lakeland loop is a classic in the making. It is without doubt the toughest course I have ever encountered. Trekking it was a real challenge and very rewarding. To try and run/walk it within 40 hours is a completely different challenge. You have so much to take in to consideration. The course, navigation, weather and basically just having the strength and determination to just keep soldiering on is a challenge in itself. If you plan on doing the 50 or the 100 mile race without doubt take time to recce the route. It will prove invaluable. The road book provided for the race is superb but it is still easy to go wrong. I made a few mistakes, nothing drastic but better to do it in training and then on race day you can just keep moving forward on the correct path. It is also important to remember that you will be on the course at night. If you get the cold and wet weather we had with mist and darkness it could very well be terrifying without a sense of direction.

If you don’t fancy racing, split the course as we did and do it over 4/5 days or why not make the course 4 or 5 separate day trips. It’s a challenge that will prove extremely rewarding.

Kit Recommendations

I am going to recommend kit here that applies to a multi-day trek as I feel that you can edit the list so that you can exclude items that will not be needed for a race.

Rucksac – I chose a waterproof salomon XA running sac with a salomon chest pack. This was absolutely perfect. The waterproof main compartment kept all my kit dry. I didn’t use a camel back but chose to carry 3 x 500ml bottles in the chest pack. This helped balance the weight front and back and made me more comfortable. Also the front pack gave instant access to maps, gps and any other essential items.

Tent – Vaude Ultralite. This was brilliant. I looked at all options and tested many before making a purchase. This tent goes up in 2 mins and is free standing. It pitches with the ‘inner’ already attached and therefore in bad weather you stand a good chance to keep the living area dry. It packs small, is light (but not the lightest) and has plenty of room for two.

GPS – I used a Garmin Oregon with Lake District in 1:25,000 detail. The gps is perfect for finding out your exact location. Also, the race directors provide the full route as waypoints, so, if need be you can navigate the whole race via a handheld device/

Poles – I used Leki ‘Traveller’ poles. I consider these essential.

Sleeping Bag – It needs to pack small, be light and warm. Not an easy combination. I chose a model that did 2 of the 3. Unfortunately warm it wasn’t…. a change required.

Sleep Matt – I didn’t take a sleep matt due to weight but I would recommend one. I found the cold struck through the tent and this added to my cold nights. Thermalite do a range. They are not cheap (ppx £80) but I will get one for next time.

Cooker – Jetboil. The ultimate boiling facility. It packs small, all folds up to a neat package and gives you piping hot water in 2-3 mins.

Food – Light and dehydrated food is the best choice. It’s not cheap but works well for treks of this nature. I took fresh coffee in sealed bags and I had a nifty little device to provide filter coffee. We had instant oats in individual bags for breakfast. Just add hot water and away you go. For snacks I had energy bars, nuts, mixed fruit, cereal bars and other little treats to take while on the route and in the evening. I also had a tube of ‘electrolyte tablets’ to make sure I was hydrated all the time.

Clothing – Make sure you have a waterproof jacket and over trousers with taped seams. If you can afford Gore Tex – get them! I used lightweight long sleeve tops by North face (flight series) as they are a warm, light and extremely functional. I had normal run shorts and long tights made by ‘skins’ for the evening to help my legs recover. I had 2 pairs of socks. Would I take more clothes? Possibly yes. If you get soaking wet or cold you have little option with minimal kit. It is a balancing act.

Shoes – I used Brooks Cascadia Trail shoes. I have tried all the shoes on the market and for me these offered the best compromise. Good on the road, good on the trails and importantly comfortable all day.

Extras – I used a Garmin 310 gps to measure my runs and provide data. I had a Blackberry phone with me as this was ideal for emergency calls or any important emails. I had 2 luxury items – a wind up radio and a ‘power monkey’ solar charger. The solar charger gave my Garmin 310 autonomy over the 4 days and it also allowed me to re-charge my phone.

I could go on with all the other little bits such as folding bowls, cups, ‘sporks’ and all the other little nicks and nacks one can find in camping shops but I feel that finding these items yourself is all part of the fun.