New York Appalachian Trail

Location: Appalachian Trail, New York

Total distance: 88 Miles
Notable features: Point to point course with lots of ascent and descent and scrambling over rocks and tree roots.
Weather: 55º at the start, going down to 37º during the night and then back up to 60’s during the day.
Cutoff Target: 24 hours
Total Elevation Gain: 17,000’
Total Elevation Loss: 18,000’
Average Elevation: 1000’
Max Elevation: 1500’
Min Elevation: 120’
Total runners who started: 2 (not including crew)
Total runners who finished: 0
Goal Time: finish under 24 hours
Distance covered: 71 miles

What started with a random cold and mid winter sunrise run back in January snowballed to the concept of running the New York Appalachian trail. Looking back the unexpected situation with Covid shaking up everyone’s calendar certainly helped convince Greg and myself to look differently at our options for running related challenges in 2020. 

From that initial wintery run there had been a variety of running trips throughout New York and New Hampshire. My summer training plans briefly interrupted by an injury I picked up in June/ July, which along with gyms being shut hampered my progress. It’s safe to say it was tough being patient and letting the healing take its course. Nonetheless I was managing to keep my fitness ticking over with some cycling and strength exercises. Fast forward and we were suddenly in September and counting down the weekends till our inaugural FKT attempt. We had planned out some longer training runs which my incredibly supportive wife, Laura, came out to drive between aid stations. Her supporting was a massive help for my training as well as helping us to fine tune what we would need on the actual day of the run. There is one thing running for 5+ hours but it takes a whole different level of dedication to drive between random spots for 5+ hours and camp up waiting for the 5 - 15 min stops we would take to pass through in.

I spent the last couple of weeks tapering with a mix of yoga, mobility work and making sure I was eating, sleeping and drinking well (I probably should have been doing all of these more often throughout my training) . The final supplies were ordered as I settled on a selection of food and drinks for the run. For drinking I used tailwind the flavourless variety, energy gels by spring energy then I mixed in some solid foods of Lara bars, hummus wraps, beef jerky and a selection of waffles. At the aid station I was able to add in some pedialyte, water and an assortment of cake we were planning on rustling up closer to the day of the run.

Aid Station supplies

The jars were pre-filled tailwind

The plan was to start at 6pm at the edge of the New York and New Jersey border where we would complete the slowest and overall more technical section in the dark whilst we had fresh legs. With the thinking we could catch up some speed on the “smoother” sections during the daylight the following day. The day of the run was spent with the final small pieces of preparation and making sure we had everything. It was certainly different to the Pine to Palm 100 miler (you can read about that here) I did where we were limited by what I could physically fly with to the event. Laura between helping me organise a few bits was busy baking treats for the runners and crew. Driving out to the start line my nerves and excitement were starting to build. Meeting up with the rest of the team we transferred kit and food between the cars, took some photos of us looking clean and fresh before hiking up to the start line. The sun was beginning to set, flooding the area with a golden hue. We could not have asked for better conditions! No rain was forecasted, the days were due to be cool. The night was looking to be a cold one!

Greg and myself posed for a few final pictures whilst we tried to look relaxed and fresh. Standing at the line painted on the rock marking the border of New Jersey and New York we were finally ready to set off. After months of training, planning and preparation, all those hours had built up to what we hoped would be the next 24 hours of running. With no fan fare other than just the four of us we did our own count down, started our watches and headed off down the trail. Having run it a few times previously we felt the familiarity as we jogged along. Pausing briefly on top of a ridge line close to the beginning to admire the sun setting across the surrounding area. It was a beautiful sight! Before heading back into the forest and being plunged into growing darkness. As the light died the forest started coming alive with noise from all the bugs, birds and what sounded like a pack of dogs howling as the day came to a close. The odd crashing through the forest with a flashing white tail of deer as they bounded away from us. Not too surprisingly through the early stages of the run we hardly met anyone along the first couple of sections.

Arriving at the second aid station and we picked up the pacers joining us, Dan, Dan and Mike for an extra set of eyes in the dark. Unfortunately Greg’s foot was beginning to cause him some issues and in the midst of it I managed to have a trip hitting my knee and bashing my hand. The skin ripped on my hand with blood beginning to drip down my fingers. Not a great start given we were so early in the milage and the night. We met the crew at a road junction where they helped clean me up. Patched up and we were back on the trail.

During the night we lost time with our pace not being quite what we hoped or expected. We were at third aid station and we had already lost a decent amount of time but there was still the potential to catch up some of the lost time. It was also during this stage where we bumped into a number of camp sites, with dogs barking and growling to the sound of our foot steps. Despite being a dog owner the sound of a dog growling and barking angrily in the darkness wasn’t exactly reassuring, particularly as it became louder and closer. In parts people had set up camp almost immediately off the trail. We past one man asleep in his chair outside of his tent and I am pretty sure his eyes were open, at least it wasn’t halloween….

An extract from Greg’s experience:

“If Nikki can endure great pain daily, I can do it for one day" This is what ran through my head at 1am on the Appalachian Trail on Sunday morning. I was 25 miles into our 88-mile trek to be the first to do the New York Appalachian Trail in a day. My foot had hurt all week (long-time plantar fasciitis), including on a short walk the day before. It was hurting badly by mile 15 of the run, and by mile 25 at our 3rd aid station, I pulled Becca aside who was crewing us throughout the night and said "This is the worst it's ever been. What should I do?" "Greg, all you can do is listen to your body.", she responded. I threw every treatment I could at my foot at the aid station - massage, yoga, CBD cream, new shoes. But none of it really seemed to do too much. I just listened to my brain and my heart instead (those are part of my body, right?) and took it one painful step at a time.“

At the third night stop we ended up pausing for a while with Greg’s foot causing some issues. After sorting out some of the essentials and feeling the temperature plummeting as our bodies cooled in the cold night air, myself and some of the pacers wrapped ourselves in towels round our legs and wore puffy jackets up top. The night had cooled down substantially and by the time we left my teeth chattered away despite being wrapped up with a jacket, gloves and hat on, it was time to get going. Thankfully the immediate uphill helped with warming up quickly and soon we were stripping off the extra layers. The extended break had done Greg a wonder of good. Our pace improved and we were making better progress as we headed towards Bear Mountain. As we headed on up the mountain the sun was beginning to rise. Despite all the extra eyes on the trail we some how cut a section off the trail ending up at the summit prematurely. Realising our error we doubled back before finding the right trail that took us in a long sweeping loop back to the summit of Bear Mountain. We paused briefly along the trail to see a full moon lighting up the valley along with a cloud inversion siting beneath us. The sun was beginning to rise with the dark night sky beginning to turn a blue grey as we made it down the steps of the mountain. The whole area was still and quiet in the early morning hours, a change from the normally full parking lot and bustling paths. There was even a family heading up for sunrise. Unfortunately because of it being early in the morning we were not able to take the route through the zoo. That will have to wait for another day! We were met near the base by the next round of running pacers, Dave and Chris, who had headed out to meet us, they had been there quite a while unfortunately due to us being pretty behind schedule by this stage.

Heading over the bridge and the Hudson river at the fastest we had travelled for quite a while we arrived for breakfast at the aid station at the base of Anthony’s nose. We grabbed a bunch of supplies for our packs and the next stage of the run and most importantly breakfast along with a much needed coffee. It’s amazing how much difference a new day and sunrise makes.

With headlights off we could finally run and see where we were running, which felt like a luxury after the hours of darkness. With the sun up it felt like we were back on familiar ground again as we made our way along the second half of the route. With new pacers the time passed quickly chatting away. Despite already completing one ultra and being about halfway I felt pretty good. Over time we split into two groups with the differing paces. I was looking forward to the next stop where Laura was going to greet me, amazingly she met me mid stage at a road crossing with another cup of coffee. Perfect. I sipped some down as we chatted briefly before crossing the road. Myself and Dave headed off back into the woods on and up the trail. The forest was a beautiful temperature in the morning as we made progress along the trail. Not long later and we arrived at the official aid station. Laura had picked up on the fact that I had misjudged my previous stage on both water and food, so started filling up my running vest with extra goodies for the next stage. We waited around a bit and not long after Greg turned up. He decided to take a bit of a longer stop at this aid station so after getting ready I decided to head on. Dave kindly joined along for the ride (of the running kind). Passing the time talking about his time spent filming in Bhutan and visiting far flung monasteries. Passing along the trails in their full fall colours was an incredible experience. It was mid morning as we came to the point I would not longer have a pacer for a few hours. It had been awesome but I was equally looking forward to a period of just being by myself on the trail.

it also coincided with me beginning to not feel on top form. I just wasn’t feeling particularly hungry or thirsty and was having to try pretty hard to remember to do either. My mouth felt and tasted consistently sweet. I arrived at one of the unplanned aid stations. Laura had decided it would be a great point for a pick me up. Resting under the bridge trying to smile and to get some calories in. I felt ruined. Describing it to Laura with a few choice words on how I felt. Some coffee and a load of water helped kick start me. The next section was uphill for a few a while. I grabbed my running poles and loaded up my pack with a bunch of wraps and some delicious cake Laura had baked up. Feeling slightly sorry for myself I jumped off the back of the car and made my way up the hill. I started to feel better bit by bit as I munched down some food. It wouldn’t be long till I would be joined by Mark who had agreed to come down from Massachusetts to pace for me towards the end of the run. We were massively behind time by this point and after doing the maths I realised it would be a night time finish at the rate I was going. I needed to make up even more time. There were yet more miles of running flowing through the trees as the day progressed I felt stronger and stronger again. Fortunately it was just part of the ebb and flow of these longer runs and the highs and lows that accompany it. I had been a bit worried that it was potentially the same wall I hit of Pine to Palm at mile 80 where everything slowed right down and basically the wheels fell off the cart. Between the running and some force feeding at the aid stations the come back was on.

Soon enough I was joined by Mark for the final sections, he provided the boost to my speed with a huge amount of energy and a definite mental boost. We caught up on how the year had been and of course how the run had shaped up. All in all it seriously helped pass the time. It also gave me the opportunity to reflect on the experience and ultimately what I wanted to do. When I met him there was still about 23 or so miles to go. I did the maths and realised it wasn’t just going to be a late finish but with where we were finishing would likely mean finishing up at home in the early hours of the morning. The FKT by this stage was well and truly not on the cards, it just had not been our time on this occasion. After much discussion over the couple of hours I made my decision on what would happen at the next checkpoint. In many ways it made the rest of the run time to relax and really enjoy the beauty of what we were running through. The scenery was spectacular with flowing trails through the forest and the area covered in fallen leaves. The cherry on top came with the setting sun and yet another gorgeous evening of golden light flooding the forest it was incredible to run through. Some might debate how my “running” looked by this stage but it was still my slow version after almost 24 hours of running and 36 hours of being awake. Mark pulled out one last surprise of swedish fish sweets.

As we came into the final miles we picked up the pace with the prospect of stopping being so close. Coming round the corner to cheers from the crowd of the support crew and the run was over.

We had not completed the planned run or achieved the FKT we envisaged months earlier but I finished after 24 hours of running feeling great. Sure I could have continued and aimed to finish the full distance but I felt the balance of risk and reward for me had shifted. Instead I finished short, I was happy with how the day had shaped up, the overall experience and rather than finishing late into the evening I enjoyed the moment with Laura, Mark and some of the support crew all washed down with a small dram of whisky.

Have you done something which did not go to plan? Or changed plans to enjoy the moment rather than the finish line?

A massive thanks to all the team who supported us, Greg for pulling it all together. Elizabeth for supporting Greg. Mike for your organising of the pacers. John, Becca and family for the night crewing. Dan, Dan, Dave, Chris, Mike and Mark for the pacing! Rachel & Katie for inspiring the Big Run and Nikki’s cause. And of course Laura and Onyx who supported me throughout the training and the run!! The experience was made by the people along the journey.

Pine 2 Palm 100 Miler

Location: Williams, Oregon

Total distance: 100 Miles
Notable features: Point to point course with lots of ascent and descent; parts on the PCT; rock scrambling.
Weather: 55º at the start, going up to 89º at peak and 50’s during the night.
Cutoff: 36 hours
Total Elevation Gain: 20,000’
Total Elevation Loss: 20,000’
Average Elevation: 4872’
Max Elevation: 7448’
Min Elevation: 2042’
Total runners who started: 110
Total runners who finished: 82
Goal Time: finish (pre-training it started at sub 24 hrs then post a lack of sufficient training it increased) 
Finish Time: 28:51:37
Overall Place: 49

https://roguevalleyrunners.com/pages/pine-to-palm

My first 100 mile trail race. I should probably start with how I ended up choosing to do one and equally how I settled on Pine to Palm 100. 

Why run 100 miles?

I get asked this question quite a bit shortly followed by did you stop, sleep and what about the bathroom. All good questions some easier to answer than others. In terms of sleeping, no. Stopping, occasionally. I tried to limit this to the aid stations but towards the end of the race or for a selection of the many spectacular views where I paused to take it all in. In terms of the bathroom, when you have to go you go. More on that later. In terms of the why its always difficult to put it into words. There have been some famous phrases such as George Mallory’s “Because its there”. But that would probably be cutting the story short. I got into ultra running on and off for the last maybe 7 years or so but apart from a charity 100 mile road run I hadn’t dipped my toes into the trail running 100 miler range. I had read and listened to countless stories from team mates, good friends, strangers at races as well as many a blog, magazine, podcast or trail running film. Each little nugget of inspiration budging me ever closer. I wanted to experience the gorgeous views, the crisp mountain air and that feeling before the finish line when you know its yours for the taking but not  quite over yet. Overall I wanted to experience it for myself. Ultimately to see how I got on as well as whether its something I would potentially enjoy doing more than once. After deciding on entering a 100 miler next was the question of which one. I first set my sights on one of the east coast races like the Vermont 100 or eastern states. Both ended up clashing with another engagement that I couldn’t miss. So instead I opened it up to one in the US. I soon came across Pine to Palm, a race on the border of Oregon and California. It boosted gorgeous views, a bunch of mountains and almost of equal importance it was not limited by a lottery system, waiting list or anything like that. Plus it was a qualifier for Western states. It felt like a perfect option. I even thought in September the North West coast would be cooling down a bit more making for some ideal temperatures for running. With a few clicks of some buttons and I was entered. I have read and heard about the doorstep mile being the hardest. Making that initial first step to commit to doing something being the hardest part of the journey. And in some ways it was, roaming the niche corner of the internet devoted to individuals who want to pay money to join some other nutters in seeing how long and potentially painful it will be to travel 100 miles on foot. The training hadn’t really started at this point as I was still very much thinking of skiing whether it was hiking up mountains or cross country skiing around them. Spring time and summer would be the time for the miles to build up and for the task in hand to really sink in.

After deciding and entering to do the race early on in the year I thought I should at least try to structure and tailor my training to be more focussed on this 100 mile goal rather than my usual of doing multiple sports and activities. Post ski season after a short break I got back into training more regularly, slowly the additions of crossfit were replaced with more running sessions. I tried my hand at using one of the generic training programs through training peaks to help prepare me for the race. Training peaks is an online and app platform for training, in particular making use of heart rate information to gauge how you are developing. Overall the program made it pretty easy for each weeks training plan, which for years I have been working out myself. With all of life’s normal commitments  popping up it certainly helped put some much needed structure in place. Despite this the one major challenge I did have was that unlike an actual coach, I wasn’t able to always adapt it to my personal circumstances. Which when I planned on using the program wasn’t much of a consideration but a series of personal commitments throughout the summer particularly over the weekends meant that my plan for regular long runs took the hit. In retrospect I could have opted to compress the mid week training with back to back runs morning and night to try and maintain a balance of quantity and quality. Overall would I recommend training peaks, for me it worked well and for another 100 miler I might be tempted to seek some more advice or input from an actual coach but I was happy enough with the generic program. I think had I followed it exactly I could have achieved an even better result. Saying that if you are using a heart rate monitor during training and with a bit more research you can probably achieve similar feedback through the likes of garmin/ suunto/ strava apps. Feel free to reach out to me or ask questions in the comments.

Onyx a new member to the family

Going back to the run. Despite a slightly more disrupted summer running plan than I originally had planned for, the race was quickly approaching. The ripple effect was that some of  my decisions around nutrition and equipment were made quite late in the day. One big decision was I opted to use poles and for nutrition I would be mainly reliant on First Endurance both of which I chose fairly late in the game. In fact due to some travel arrangements I had to take near to the race, I ended up picking up my first endurance gels and powder just before the race for the first time. This is definitely not recommended but after reading a bunch of reviews and looking around at the various options I took the gamble. Fortunately it worked out for the best generally speaking but more on that later. 

A friend of mine had very kindly agreed to join me out in the depths of Oregon to provide some crewing. Which I was delighted about, as being able to see a friendly face in the early hours of the morning or  the later hours of the race would definitely be a benefit. Having not had a crew before and with it being a far longer race than I had previously entered I realised that there would be additional admin to sort out. Such as being much more organised on what would be required for each drop bag/ aid station, which stop would I require additional clothing/ head lamps and estimated times for each of the aid stations. I will follow up on a blog with my top learnings but overall depending on the race and your objectives I would recommend doing this admin straight after entering a 100 miler particularly if its your first. It will provide you with the time to reflect on what you need to achieve in your training as well as giving some clear ideas on what you will want to test on on various training runs. Doing that at the start of your training whilst the mileage and training time is lower also  means you aren’t trying to do this all last minute or whilst trying to balance life along with a heavier training plan as you get closer to the race. 

With the final few weeks to go I started getting together various supplies, final bits of kit and bagging it all out with a few last minute pieces before flying out west. Leaving the east coast as autumn/ fall was beginning to take full effect with cooler temperatures I arrived on the west coast to positively balmy 32C/ 93F. It was roasting and certainly a lot warmer than I was expecting for that time of year. After a bit of a lie in, I began getting the final bits of kit ready. Laying out the various drop bags and getting all my kit organised. As this was my first 100 miler as well as being crewed I certainly had brought far too much kit. Essentially everything can be brought along including the kitchen sink. Particularly if you are flying with a huge bag. With various spares and back ups in case something didn’t work/ break etc. With the car loaded and kit laid out for the morning, all that was left was for a pre-race evening meal. A hawaiian pizza and a couple of beers to wash it down followed by an early night was exactly what was required for a good nights sleep. I slept like a baby despite the ridiculously early alarm of 3.15 am. Driving through the town of Grants Pass in the early hours of the morning we were surprised by the number of people driving about in the small hours of the night as well as the prolific number of red traffic lights we managed to hit. We arrived at the drop off point to the eerie sounds of Coyotes howling. The sun had not begun to rise yet with a sky full of stars and a bright moon lighting up the area, to the point where a head torch was hardly needed. The temperature in the darkness of dawn was pretty chilly, compared to the highs of 93F (33C) the day before.  If only it could stay this cool morning temperature it would have been perfect. Various groups huddled around waiting in random spots around the parking and drop off point as we debated on where the school bus would turn up. Slowly its lights came up through a swirl of dust off the farm track. We all bundled on board to make the drive to the start line. It turned out the bus would not go the full way to the start line and we end up walking the final stretch up the hill. Which it transpired we were to run back down as part of the start of the race. Nothing like some additional miles for a warm up.

Runners queued outside the port-a-loo’s for their final relief prior to the race start and zero toilets for the coming 100 miles. Head torches shone and swept across the area as runners looked out for friends, support crews, warmed up or looked for an alternative relief area to the long queues of the port-a-loo's. After a speech from Hal the race director we all lined up behind the start line facing down the hill. A count down began, some music blaring and we were off. The start of 100 miles. The initial speed of the group was infectious forgetting that this was merely the start in a long, long day (or two days), at least for those in the mid to rear of the pack. The sides lined with family, supporters, crew and a whole variety of vehicles that had made the drive up. It didn’t take long to reach  the bottom of the hill that we had not long before walked up.  Rounding the corner and it was on for the first ascent of the day. A series of switchbacks up the mountain along a dirt track to the first aid station of a water stop. Soon the pace broke into a speed walk as racers settled into their own strategy. I was certainly swept along by some of the atmosphere and joy of running with others in a new mountain range to help spur me on. As we reached the top of the mountain and began the meander back down the other side the sun began to rise and night transitioned to dawn in the blue and grey colours of the morning light. Head torches still cut through the semi darkness as patches of dense foliage threw us back into almost darkness again.

As the race continued I found myself with a group where we were all paced fairly well. Across the ups and downs we would leap frog one another as we chatted away, the path continually rising up a series of switchbacks up and up the mountain all the while surrounded by towering pine and red cedar trees. The second set of switch backs was where we got to witness the first sunrise of the race. Glorious rays of gold cut through between the trees. Runners would be momentarily bathed in gold before heading back into the shadows.  

Its safe to say the morning kind of flew by, my legs and body felt strong. The pace felt good and my stops at the aid stations thanks to Mark who was crewing me were significantly quicker than if I was doing it by myself. The first surprise of the day was running towards what I thought was a field of rather stumpy looking Christmas trees. However as we got closer and the wind started blowing in our direction the aroma that hit us was surprisingly strong one guy described it almost like the aroma of a hoppy IPA. The aid station was situated right opposite the entrance to the field of marijuana as we paused to take in the views, a quick break and some much needed cooling thanks to an ice bucket and sponge. Once brain freeze was achieved it was time to continue running.

After a relatively flat section along some baking hot tarmac and trails we finally arrived at the check point. A quick transition thanks to Mark before being ushered by him to a kid with a water spray gun. Sprayed down in cold water. It was so refreshing! Like starting the day from scratch (almost). It was time to continue climbing. Heading up to Stein Butte. The day was heating up and the climb seemed to go on and on. I found out later this particular section alone had a 2400 ft elevation gain. The sun was beating down on us to the point where it appeared we weren’t even sweating, it was evaporating so quickly. As we neared the top of the ridge line we popped out from the trees. Running along the mountain we could see all the other peaks around us. The sun at this stage was baking down on us. I hadn’t appreciate that I was not feeling 100% until I arrived at the check point where there was a huge bucket of ice cold water. I grabbed the sponge and doused my head several times with the icy water dripping down my face, neck and back. Instantly cooling me down. I felt far more refreshed and revitalised. After grabbing some water, electrolyte and some food I headed on down the path. I didn’t get far, realising I had left my poles back at the check point I headed back the way I came. Fortunately it was not a large detour. Poles in hand and it was back down the path again. Second time round and slightly further down the track I missed the turn off for the runners. Spotting what I thought was one of the runners markers I ran down the mountain. Despite the route being in my watch the warning signal of being off path did not go off. But something did not feel right. Checking my route on both my watch and phone I quickly worked out that I had gone wrong. Time to run back up the mountain. Nothing like a bit of extra mileage in a 100 mile race. After the joy of running down hill in the shade, turning around and running back up the hill was not what I wanted to be doing. I arrived at the junction after maybe 5 - 10 mins of running and spotted one of the guys who had arrived in the checkpoint after me who was now a head of me. I also realised the stupidity of my mistake with sticks across the road and another marker further up the path I was meant to head up. It was certainly my mistake. The next section was mainly downhill to a lake, it would also be the point to pick up head torches for the next section of the race. I ended up joining a few other runners for this section as we ran towards our next checkpoint. Having a bit of company was fantastic and a good opportunity to pass the time. Arriving at a packed check point with runners and support crew members littered everywhere. With a variety of kit and food laid out waiting for their runners. I stopped off with Mark to grab a few bits and top up on some much needed food before heading on. In retrospect I definitely could have left my vest at the stop given we were doing a loop round the lake before continuing on. It did give me the opportunity to properly top up on some much needed nutrition for the trail a head. Back at the stop it was time to grab torches and head on. We were still a long way from darkness but this was going to be one of the final stops before darkness would set in. 

Time for some more up hill. This did give the opportunity to admire sunset from the mountain tops. With the temperatures beginning to cool I managed to keep the pace with one of the other guys as we headed up the mountain. Coming round the corner and we came across a runner who had minimal supplies and was clearly in a pretty tight spot as he sat down for a rest. We checked he was ok, offered some food and water before heading on into the darkness. Not long after my tracking device beeped as the battery finally died, my watch time gave up due to low battery around the same time defaulting it to resort to time and date only rather than tracking. For a while a bunch of us ran together our headlights bumbling in the darkness. Occasionally we would go close to the various dirt roads which were being used all night by the crew cars running between check points. Dust was being kicked up with each passing car as they slowly drove into the darkness. Their headlights cutting a path up and along the mountainside. At points it gave us hope of being near a check point while at others when we could see them miles a head of us was slightly de-motivating with these pin pricks minutely winding a head of us like lit up ants. After a while the group broke up and I headed on into the darkness by myself. My head wondering amongst the discussions of mountain lions, coyotes, bears and snakes that had been mentioned just before the race started…. I felt like peaking behind every tree and each noise that came out from the darkness got my heart beating faster. 

The highlight of the night was heading up towards Dutchman peak. Headlights of runners meandered a head and looking up I could see this string of lights heading up to the summit. As I got closer I could hear the music blaring out. It was incredible. I got in, found Mark having transported kit up the mountain. I grabbed a seat for the first time in the race. My body sinking into the seat and enjoying the weight being off my feet. I could feel a hot spot on my heel so I got some tape out to prevent any blister forming. The rest of my feet looked clean and blister free amazingly. After a much needed break it was time to head off. Back down the mountain I passed a runner and his wife who had pulled all of his supplies along with one kid on her front and side. It was inspiring to see and certainly my race was significantly easier In comparison. 

The darkness dragged on and my pace slowed. Finally the miles had caught up with me. My initial speed over the first 60 - 80 miles slowed down. Night wore on running with my light bobbing away and cutting into the darkness amongst the trees and trails. I was counting the time down to reaching Grouse Gap. Reaching grouse and I was definitely feeling it. The offering of a beer or a shot was equally tempting yet equally a terrible idea. It was at this point that my stomach gave up with the gels and powders I had been consuming. Grabbing some toilet paper from the car I dashed to the bushes. This was not how I envisaged finishing my first 100 mile race. 

With my vest filled with supplies it was time for the last 20 miles. Just 20 miles. I knew I could do it. I also knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant. My foot that I had tried to patch up from a risk of a blister was now aching on my achilles. In retrospect I should have pulled the tape off and sucked up the hot spot from the blister. Ultra runners shuffle had certainly set in. First up was an out and back to grab a flag from the top of Butte. I slowly made my way up. It felt like snails pace as I painfully made my way up and up. Pausing to try to suck in some more air into my tired body. Arriving at the top of Butte with the sun rising gave me a burst of energy. I knew I could make it to the finish for the time I had set myself. The rest of the trail was down hill. Step by step I was getting closer to the finish. Despite the distance it was amazing to be so close to so many of the runners I had spent a large portion of the race with. 

With the sun rising and the heat beginning to rise we ran amongst the red woods, these huge towering trees and these tight trails down towards the final check point. After yet another bathroom break and it was on for the final miles. I imagined the loops and trails I had ran back home in New Jersey, Scotland and the rest of the UK. With the end in sight I felt more relaxed to pick up the pace for the final miles into the finish. Coming through the town we could hear the occasional cheers coming from the finish. Suddenly round the corner and there it was. After months of training, hours of running and it was all over. 

Slumping on a seat I soaked in the moment, feet up to help start the recovery.

Relaxing by the Pool whilst icing my foot

Attending the prize giving that evening was a special time, each runner was given the chance to stand or hobble up to say a couple of words about them and their race. Getting a quick snippet into each persons story from those charging at the front to following up at the back of the back was equally inspiring each in their own way.

All that as left was a short and very slow limp to the car and to celebrate with some food, a couple of beers and a warm bath to soak in.

Batona 55 mile Run

After doing a bit of research I finally found a 50 miler to run toward the end of 2018. I had one lined up a couple of weeks after the bike ride i completed up in Canada but coming down with a cold the week before the event was not the pre-race prep that I needed. Deciding that i was probably a bit run down and still recovering I pulled the plug the day before the race. Which was why I found myself searching through the vast web for any 50 mile running race that might be happening on the east coast of the US. And ideally not too far away. 

The Batona 55 Route

I finally came across a 50 miler located a few hours south in New Jersey that was a point to point race following the length of the Pine Barrens, it had minimal elevation gain and technical sections making it a very runable course. 

The 50km run a couple of weeks before had gone pretty well, however I had managed to twist my ankle a bit on some of the more rocky and technical sections. So I had rested up, done a load of yoga and tried to recuperate as much as possible before the race. The down time did allow me to go out to get a load of supplies. Its safe to say i probably over did it with the number of gels, bars, energy and electrolyte drinks but I wanted to test a few of them out to see how I my body reacted to some of them. Over the week i slowly packed everything that I needed with a few of the drop bags for good measure.  The cherry on top of each drop bag was going to be a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Perfect for the mid race munchies.

One of the new items I found was bulk energy gel bags which I could decant into reusable gel pouches. Compared to the energy gels where you end up with sticky wrappers stuck in your pocket as well as throwing out  the sachets I thought these might provide a lower waste solution.

Gu Gel in Bulk

The night before the event wasn’t quite as smooth as I had planned. A few last minute errands changed the prompt departure. Instead I grabbed a pizza from one of our local pizzerias before making the drive into the wet and windy evening. The conditions were not expected to improve with the rain due to continue until the early hours of the morning. 

Arriving at the hotel for the night I spent the remainder of the evening munching down pizza, pre-taping my feet and doing some last minute packing adjustments. It was the first time I had pre-taped the night before a race. Sitting with one foot balanced carefully on the sink whilst I tried to gently pour this yellow antiseptic on my feet prior to putting on the tape. The antiseptic goes slightly tacky after a few minutes allowing the tape to really stick to your skin. It works really well however after completing this procedure I realised it had also potentially stained the sink. Trying to wipe it off and it was still there so rather than having a calm, relaxing end to the evening I spent the remainder furiously scrubbing away. It finally came off as I collapsed into bed a bit after 10. The alarm set for 3.30 am. 

The calm before the storm

It wasn’t my best or longest night sleep in the world nor my worst as I rubbed my eyes. I left the alarm still ringing in a bid to not fall back asleep. Breakfast was my pre-prepared not so cold oats warmed up to ambient room temperature overnight. I could still feel the stodgy pizza is my stomach. Going through my head was maybe the calzone pizza had been an error of judgement in my pre-race nutrition. Dinner had not been washed down with beer or ice cream which would have certainly tasted good but would have been even less ideal. 

Outside and the rain was still coming down as I drove over to the start line. I checked in, chatted with some of the other runners before sitting in the boot of my car waiting for the bus to pick us up and drop us to the start line. As soon as it turned up we bundled into the back. The yellow school bus being a bit of a novelty still although it’s slowly becoming a bit more familiar with each running race where we have been carted to the start. It was filled with excitement as either good friends or strangers met up and shared various stories of running or other adventures with their seat mates. A bit like heading back to school after the summer holidays.

The main piece that stuck out from the race briefing was look out for the markers and don’t get lost. Fairly easy advice but with a multitude of tracks, turns and the race beginning in the dark it would be especially easy to go wrong especially in the early stages of the race. The race began and the group slowly funnelled into the woods. The trees sheltered us from the final hour of rain. As the group slowly elongated out, the head torches bobbing in front and behind snaking through the under growth. There was a bit of chatting but clearly people were still waking up and coupled with concentrating on the route the chat ebbed and flowed as the terrain became easier and wider or narrow and more technical. 

Starting the race

As sun up began the birds started to become more alive about the forest. Dawn was finally arriving with a kind of strange early morning hazy, grey light. It was still cloudy over head and the chance of some golden glow suddenly illuminating our path was highly unlikely. 

The trail twist and turned, my headlight came off and was stuffed into my running vest as it became more than light enough to run without the additional light. All was going well and on track, despite the drizzle of rain,  we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. After some time we came to the first check point. Reading my number to the team arming the check point and it transpired that they thought I had dropped out. It didn’t feel like a great sign or omen. Particularly when I had to have the same conversation at the next few check points. Until either the message got round or the crews rotation meant they had already met me at an earlier station. 

Leaving the aid station and heading on one of the guys proclaimed he was ready to rock as he exited the state parks bathroom. Perfect point and time for a stopping point so I jumped in not wanting to get caught out part way. Continuing on and the trail skirted round some lakes which unlike the Cayuga marathon earlier in the year did not look nearly as tempting to jump in with their brown, cold looking water. A section of wooden boarding weaved amongst the trees above the water line. It was at this point I learnt that my trail running shoes had close to no grip on these. I almost ended up on my arse as my first stride hit the wood. The subsequent steps resembled bambi on ice. Despite the precarious nature of them though it was really cool running through the woods. 

Skating on the wooden boards

The day slowly heated up and each stride was inching me closer to the finish. By late morning the first marathon was complete. I felt good on my feet a few hot spots had quickly calmed down. Not a great sign but given the race length I was not so concerned. Longer or multi day races might have required a bit of an investigation but where they were I knew I would be ok for the duration of this race. The following day or week could be a different story.

I was carefully making sure to get more than enough electrolyte and food into me as the day progressed. I was using more sugary gels and bars compared to normal. They certainly tasted pretty good although compared to my normal fruit a nut mix. Certainly on a hot day this snack is sometimes pretty hard to swallow as it seems to suck all the remaining moisture from my mouth. However it does provide more natural sustenance than the sugary gels that can after a while taste sickly sweet. This was very much a test though to see how my body reacted to them through the race, ultimately whether or not I could stomach them.

Munching a PB&J sandwich!!

I made my first error in direction. With my head down for a bit I was just plodding a long and came to a soft sandy section. Not wanting to over exert myself through the short section I began to walk. It took some time but it slowly dawned on me that there were no other foot prints. Unless the rest of the field who were in front had all gone wrong, I was on the wrong trail. Tracing my foot steps back and I met another runner making the same mistake as myself. It made me feel less bad and equally fortunate that I had picked it up as soon as I did. As the day crept on my pace slowed overall, not surprisingly, and three of us ended up inter changing positions for a while before I settled on running with one of the guys for a bit. It was great to pass some time chatting away about the day so far and various running adventures. After some time we split and I went a head not expecting to see him till the finish, as one of his legs seemed to be causing him some problems.  

By early afternoon the sun was out and it had truly turned into a beautiful day for running through the woods. One section my mind was pulled from its meandering thoughts by a cacophony of birds calling out clearly disturbed by myself or some other runners a head. The sound they created was amazing. What felt like not long later I was caught back up by one of the runners who had had a second wind. It was great for me having someone to chat about various races and adventures to pass the final hours of running. The definition of technical terrain or a hill had by this stage in the race very much changed in profile and now even some of the more minor slopes were in the bracket for walking up. We were however on track for hitting the sub 12 hour mark. Which was perfect, the sun was still due to be up by the time we finished so at the penultimate check point I ditched the torch in a bid to save some weight for the final miles. I ran out of water just before the final check point which although was close to the finish I felt I should top up just in case. In retrospect I should have just sucked it up for the final miles but hindsight is always 20:20. 

The final few hundred meters were marked with plenty of flags, there was to be no sprint finish and as we crossed the finish line just after the 12 hour mark the race was all of a sudden over. Not wanting to be too sleepy for the drive back I said my thank you to the race organisers, grabbed my drop bags which had magically made their way to the finish before me and made a dash for the drive home. My legs I could feel were slowly stiffening up and I was particularly thankful as I filled up at a New Jersey gas station (petrol station) where someone fills up for you. By the time I was back home, my normal jumping out of the car had transitioned into a slow, steady but fairly uncontrolled slide out of the car. Before making a beeline for the back door and the stairs that had all of a sudden become my Hillary’s step on Everest to getting into the house. Laura found this equally funny and I think concerning as she kindly helped unpack the car whilst I summited the steps. After a shower, food and a good nights sleep my legs slowly began their recuperation. With a 1000 cycle in September, a 50km running race in October and a 50 mile running race in November it is turning into a fairly solid finish for the year! Now just time to plan 2019’s events! 

What events have you got planned for 2019? 

Trail Run Racing North East USA

I recently took part in my first running trail race in just over a year and prior to that one it has been a couple of years. It also happened to be my first since arriving in the USA.

The race was along the Shawangunk ridge in the state of New York. It's a beautiful part of the state as well as being a tree covered ridge line with enough hills to add to the difficulty. The event had 4 choices of race lengths; 70, 50, 30 miles and half marathon distances. Each followed the same route you just jumped onto the course at different stages along the way. The beauty of it being point to point is the added interest along the trail. When looking out for races I managed to find a large number of them in the northeast of the US that did laps of a trail circuit. Both options have different benefits. But for my first one back in a while a point to point was perfect. You can check out the race details on the link below

https://www.longpathraces.com/shawangunk-ridge-trail-run

I had opted for the half marathon, having not had a suitable amount of time to train up for some longer I was thinking of using it to get me used to races run in the US as well as a good stepping stone to some longer events later in the year. 

Turning up to the event early on a cloudy and cool Saturday morning I had estimated my finishing time. Not on many hard facts for this one just rough estimates based on the distance. As I got chatting to people at the start line it transpired that my estimation was probably off, a quick time for the half marathon and winning time the previous year was just over the 2 hour mark. Along with this a number of people mentioned various points in the course where it was difficult finding the route. There are route markers but they are intermittent and are just the normal Shawangunk ridge trail markers, rather than any additional ones being used other than at the end where some occasional additional red strings of tape had been used. I picked up the map which being for the full length of the course (70 miles long) didn't provide great detail on a side of A4 to really navigate by. With the route on my gps I thought this would suffice. But after speaking to the fellow runners I decided to try to download the route map onto my phone as a back up. Being out in the middle of  nowhere with limited reception this took until part the way through the race to download fully. Better late than never. 

My first yellow bus journey

Boarding a couple of yellow school buses at the finish line we headed to where the half marathon started. It was my first time on one of these American icons. Boarding the buses made me realise the vast array of runners from whippets at the front to experienced runners right through to those who fancied the challenge for a weekend. Arriving at the start line we all bundled out and did our final preparations before the race started. This along with the race briefing where getting lost was mentioned again. I hoped this would not be me...

We were set off in waves according to our running numbers and I quickly got into a rhythm following behind a few people. We were making good progress along the trail and had made the transition from the little tributary of a trail the half marathon started on to the main trail. It followed beneath pine trees on a hard packed trail as the day began to heat up. Well above the temperatures I was expecting. Rather than being in the mid teens (60F range as I get into the US metric) it was well into the high 20's ( high 70F low 80's).

All was going well till we passed another runner but he was heading in the other direction. It turned out the girl who I was following was his wife. They had a brief chat and she carried on. Now I assumed that he had come out to meet his wife on the trail and as she had continued on we must be heading on the right direction. Turned out this wasn't the case he was doing the 70 miler and we were going the wrong way. About 15 to 20 of us spread out along this part of the trail. Checking and re-checking the maps we turned around and headed promptly back in the reverse direction. We had travelled about 30 mins round trip in the wrong direction. Not ideal on a race that was already due to be a tough half marathon.

Turning around and it was back the way we had come. Sweat already soaking through my top. I met up with a runner who it turned out spent a lot of time of the years running in the area and knew some of  the tougher sections of the course. It was great way of passing the time chatting away as well as getting some local insight on the course or at least pointing out some cool looking areas which I may have otherwise just run past without looking up. Despite being hard packed trail we had already passed one guy limping the other way having gone over on his ankle on one of a number of roots, which I had almost slipped on as well. The trail meandered along a spectacular ridge line with views up into the Catskills. The odd tree hinted at the transition to autumn or fall with the colours beginning to change but there was still a way to go for the real show to begin.

Views from a clearing

Making it to the second a final check point marked the start of a long ish up hill section. As well as a short scramble through a boulder field to reach the top. A definite possibility for some scrambling or potentially some bouldering at a later date. I had heard the area was famous for roped up climbing as well. 

Making it to the top and my legs still felt pretty good I bid farewell to my running buddy for the morning and headed off. The trail flattened out and was beginning to descend towards the finish I passed by one of the 70 mile racers who was running in sandals although he was doing incredibly time wise looked to be struggling a bit. Think I would have looked distinctly worst at that stage of a 70 mile run! The heat of the day had clearly had an impact on me as I could feel the odd twinge of cramp setting in. I just hoped a random movement wouldn't set it off. Easing up on the pace for a bit I was trying to minimise the risk of it happening before picking up again. The course by this stage was a gentle descent through cool and damp under growth. With old pine needles littering the floor making for a soft cushioning feeling for the body. 

Warm conditions out on the course

I came across a few more runners not really knowing which course they were on I greeted them as I passed them by on route to the finish. Coming round the corner and I was greeted to the bridge I had driven under earlier in the day. By now the day had well and truely cleared from the initial clouds of the early morning to reveal the view across the valley. I quickly stopped to admire the view before the final few hundred metres to the finish line. 

Crossing the finish line and being welcomed to cold drinks, a toast with a very small beer and a slice of pizza was a perfect finish for the race. Before making a rather sweaty journey back south again. 

16th place in 3hrs 10mins. Shouldn't have got lost for 30 mins! 1st place was completed in 2hrs 8mins. I think i will be back for one of these events next year.

Blinded by the sun a great shot...

Got any race recommendations? Or have any questions about trail run racing? 

Chamonix with Run the Wild

It has been a couple of years since I found myself in chamonix during winter or summer. Finally I was heading back albeit for a very quick trip with Run the Wild. Jumping on the last flight to geneva followed by alpybus a shared mini bus trip up into central chamonix. Despite the late night arrival it all worked really smoothly as I had forgotten how quick and relatively easy if is to get there.

Alpy bus has arrived!

We awoke with views out onto Mont Blanc, relatively early to get all the supplies,equipment and other bits and pieces ready a head of meeting the runners we were due to be taking out on the mountain. The plan was to meet them for a food and water stop before joining them part the way along the route to run in the final section together.

A Glacier Tumbling down the Mountain, much shorter than they used to be!

Despite it being September the sun was out in full blast, I was wishing I had some sun cream!! The views of Mont Blanc were fantastic with clouds occasionally covering the summit, known as a lenticular cloud. The weather despite looking fantastic was not to last with high whispy clouds showing the high winds at altitude and the change that would happen. For the moment though we could enjoy it! With fresh legs at the ready the gang of runners set off from St Michaels church in Central Chamonix.

St Michael's Church

We pulled up and jogged out to get some action photos amongst the woodland. The timing was perfect as within moments they came round the corner. In good fashion a local dog also decided to join the photos.

IMG_0519

Running back to the food stop and we could catch up on the days running so far as we went along. The food stop had a fantastic spread with everything from gu gels to local cheeses and of course hot tea. Having not run and sampled the morning breakfast quite heavily, I found myself still pretty full.

Our first stop

IMG_0510

As they headed off we had to quickly pack up drive over to la flegere and get up the 1000m to the refuge in a pretty quick fashion! With my Aarn bag packed with some essentials and then it was straight onto the trail as we route marched past walkers enjoying the scenery whilst we flew past them. Sweat dripping down our faces and our already, or at least mine was, soaked tops. Despite this we manage to talk about what Si had been learning about on the topic of fauna for his up coming mountain leader assessment. I was trying to work out how he was managing to continue speaking which turned out he was wondering how I kept being able to ask questions.

The time remaining certainly made if quite tight with meeting them, as we got closer I was checking my watch constantly to see how much time we had remaining. As we ascended the gaps between the trees reduced till we were basking in the sun rather than the shade of the woodland. Coming round the corner we could see the restaurant marking our meeting point just as the runners heads poked above the crest of the ridge. Perfect timing. We stopped for photos, a quick drink and a chat.

la flegere

Joining the group for the descent was a welcome change in pace and gradient. Taking the slope in our stride we began weaving down the mountain, avoiding the exposed roots and stones that littered the trail. I am always amazed at the route and how technical it is as there is a famous ultra race called the utmb which covers some 160km and around 8000m of ascent. Si who we were running with, did this race the other year and hearing the stories first hand on the brutality and beauty of the event, it was certainly inspiring whilst jogging along.

The trail was a series of switch backs all the way down the mountain some sections you could let your legs stride out where others demanded a lighter step between the obstacles. Coming round the bend we had arrived at a beautiful cafe perched on the mountain side. It was the perfect place for a quick coffee before the short descent into chamonix.

Cafe stop on the mountain.

We reached the church where the day had begun, despite the weather due to turn against us it was still sunny. Heading back to the hotel and the spa that awaited us. After a days good running we could stretch out on the grass surrounded by mountains taking in the views before a sauna and a trip into town.

We went along to meet up with the team from Ravanel & Co which is a treasure trove for trail running equipment in the summer and no doubt in the winter equally well equipped. Not only that but the staff are all seriously impressive athletes themselves. Would definitely recommend them, next time will probably take a much emptier rucksack.

Piolet d'or (the golden ice axe award), mountaineering award

Waking on Sunday and the weather had closed in with thunder storms forecast it was not the day to be in the mountains. Instead we opted to explore the local area and head for a short walk further down the valley before heading off to the airport.

Walking in the lower valley

Arriving in london and it had been such a fantastic yet quick trip, certainly one that I could happily repeat. If you fancy experiencing trail running whether just breaking into it or want to be beasted on the trails in the uk or abroad then check out run the wild.

Run the Wild with Simon James

In between us both working I managed to catch up with Simon James the founder of Run the Wild which launched last year as the UK’s premier running holiday. It’s been built around the passion of running and exploring the outdoors.

http://www.runthewild.co.uk/

As an incredibly experienced ultra runner and mountaineer he has conquered peaks over numerous continents and run in some of the most extreme environments. I first met him a few years go whilst training for Marathon des Sables, he has gone on to do the GR20 (the toughest long distance trail in Europe) and Ultra Trail Mont Blanc considered by many to be one of the ultimate races when it comes to ultra running mixing distance (160km ) and elevation gaining more height than Mount Everest.(you can find some interesting facts in the link below http://visual.ly/ultra-trail-du-mont-blanc-utmb-all-stats-youll-ever-need-know)

Marathon Des Sables 2011

Where did the idea of Run the Wild come from?

After being made redundant from the city I spent 2013 running and climbing full time. It was a big shock after working 12 years at the same bank, but looking back, one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Whilst I was climbing an 8,000m peak in the Himalayas (manaslu) it suddenly came to me. I love climbing because of the amazing places as well as friendships you make, but it's not a race. I love running self sufficient style over the alps, so why isn't the mentality of climbing in running? Running for the love of running, with a team... So "exploring places, not running races" was born and Run the Wild.

Denali Summit

How did you get into running?

I used to run as a kid on the cliffs in Gower, South Wales where I grew up. But I didn't do any running really until I was 28, when a business client challenged me one evening whilst in a bar to a 36hr walk across 54 miles of the West Highland Way in Scotland. I foolishly said "yes". He then rang me the next day to tell me we would be running it. I was 3 stone overweight and had not run more than 8 miles in my life. We finished it in 14hrs and I was hooked. And he's now one of my best friends.

Most enjoyable event you have taken part in?

Race - London Marathon, no one normally shouts my name like that crowd!

Trail Run - running round Mt Blanc on my own in 2.5days, self sufficient.

Maxim Bouevs Photo

Hardest challenge you have taken on?

Running The Walkers Haute route when there is too much snow and with a broken backpack.

Best bit of trail running?

Freedom

Most important item you carry with you?

My lightweight Patagonia smock

What is your luxury item on multi day challenges or expeditions?

Jelly babies

Check out run the wild and if your a runner of any level get yourself booked onto one of the trips as they are certainly worth the experience. Until then where abouts do you normally go running? Have you got a favourite place or route?

The Manchester Marathon

A couple of weekends ago I made the journey up to Manchester to visit my brother and for the two of us to compete in the Manchester marathon. For both of us it was our first road marathon. The idea started around the beginning of the year where during a conversation with my brother he dropped into it that he thought we should do a marathon and more to the point the Manchester one. We checked it out and entered that evening. A few months later and no specific training other than my usual training of a bit of everything and his rugby training as a hooker, in the forwards, and we were standing in the queue waiting to pick our race numbers up. This in itself turned out a bit of a challenge as we joked about forgetting our running numbers having only just looking at them before realising that neither of us could remember them. Back to the start of registration all over again. We managed to make it out of there with all our documents and freebies which included everything from a liquid iron supplement, a razor and the all important finishers t-shirt (despite the fact that we hadn’t actually done it yet).

The following morning saw us being woken to the alarm, far too early for a Sunday morning. A quick check out the window confirmed to both of us that as usual when the two of us do an event together the weather is guaranteed to be awful. Raining and windy. Trudging out the house the rain changed to hail forcing us to pull our hoodies tight over our heads. After a quick tram ride packed with other runners we arrived at the finisher area to drop kit off, supposedly join in with a warm up before heading to the start line. This plan quickly changed to huddling in one of the tents with a number of other competitors trying to stay warm. The start time loomed and it was time for the dreaded strip off into running kit time. It was certainly a day for hats, gloves, waterproofs and any other apparel you wished to have to stay warm. And certainly not the sort of weather for the shorts and t-shirt that my brother and I were kitted out in. Trundling to the start line was a cold and bitter experience. Reaching the start area we were surrounded by the other 8000 participants, minus those who on the day thought better of it, waiting for the gun to go. It was an amazing experience being surrounded by so many people certainly creates an atmosphere. Very different to the races that I have mainly done with maybe 100 to 150 people in them. There was a real sense of anticipation and as the gun went gloves, jumpers and space blankets were thrown off in all directions as the race got under way.

The route consisted of 2 loops a small one that went right by where my brother is living before heading almost back to where we started before heading out of Manchester on a much larger loop.

Manchester map

We got into a good easy rhyme right from the off and had a good chat while we were jogging whilst taking in the sights of Manchester that neither of us had seen before, mainly the industrial estate near old trafford and smells which neither of us had smelt before such as outside the Kelloggs factory. I’m still not sure whether it was a good or bad one. The crowds were still out in their masses even though the conditions had begun to deteriorate; clapping, drumming, passing on messages and shouting out words of support. It was a fantastic atmosphere that continued to surprise my brother and I on our way round.

After passing so close to the start it was time for the larger loop, the first 10 miles had gone well and we were doing well time wise too. But conditions had really start to deteriorate the wind had picked up and the rain set in. We looked like drenched rats.

The course is one of the flattest I have done but with a couple of lumps thrown in there just to keep your legs and mind guessing. However the route was to take us out towards Dunham Park where we had learnt to roller blade years ago and out into the sticks. It was at this stage that the weather felt like it was really deteriorating and conversation slowed as we shut down everything with the only aim of moving to stay warm. It felt like gale force winds, fine with it behind you but incredibly unhelpful if it is blowing in your face, coupled that with the driving rain and our teeth were soon chattering. I’m sure in the sunshine the course would have been very beautiful and the country paths a joy to run down with miles of traffic less asphalt. But instead they were a mine field of mud and puddles to keep you on your toes.

We continued on and at the checkpoints, which they had every few miles, we began to stop for the goodies they had. I have to say though the chocolate energy gel was pretty horrible but some stuff that looked and tasted just like jelly from the packet was a real pick me up. Think they are called shot bloks.

The route started making its way back into town and with this came more cars, clearly irritated by the congestion caused by the runners, which were driving all over the course. It was also here that the mile markers really didn’t help motivate you to the end. I can understand why there is “The wall” in marathons because you can see exactly how far you have left and you end up mile counting. I’m more used to the finish coming as a welcome surprise round the corner where you just have to continue till you cross it but instead you start thinking only 8 miles left, 7, 6 …. It just makes it seem to go on forever.

The last few miles began to feel like they were going quicker, and each large gathering of people brought on a momentary burst in pace. The weather had finally turned and it was dry. We began to dry out in the brisk breeze and certainly felt warmer already.

All that was left was the final “sprint” to the finish, with crowds, photographers, cameramen and runners wrapped in space blankets it was a great atmosphere to finish in and certainly help spur us on. We crossed the finish line together with smiles all round, before getting the all important finishers medal.

IMG_1940

Overall despite the weather it was a great experience and one which I am sure my brother will always remember too. If you are not sure which marathon to do next or fancy a challenge I would definitely recommend it.

Running 55 miles and 2700m Ascent Non-Stop

A few weekends ago I headed up to the Yorkshire moors as I had entered an event called the Hardmoor 55. It is a 55 mile running race over 1 day along part of the Cleveland way and unbeknown to me the hilliest course I have done. It started with an epic drive on a Friday night where I joined thousands of others getting out of London before flying up the motorway. This was done whilst chomping on some tortellini that I had cooked up the previous night. I hadn’t really spent much time looking at exactly where the event was but was slightly surprised when I saw my usual turn off on my route home to Scotland.

I arrived at the B&B/ pub full of people and asked about my room. My mind quickly turned to the much more importantly issue of breakfast. It turned out the cooks had gone home which meant I couldn’t even get some bread or cereal for the morning. Not the most helpful answer. Going upstairs I quickly laid all my kit out, there was a rather excessive food pile for the race and certainly far too much to eat over the space of 1 day. But in it all went split equally for the 2 bag drops allowed in the race.

I was anxious and excited about what the next day would involve as it was much longer than I had run for a while, in fact the longest had been 10 miles plus a bit of cycling and swimming. I wasn’t too concerned though as I knew that my only target was to enjoy the day, get some miles done and finish. This didn’t exactly help for a restful night sleep as I twist and turned with an over active imagination. It wasn’t of winning the event...

5.40 am came round quickly.

I wanted to ensure I arrived early after strict instructions from the race organisers (I was to find that everyone took them seriously) that we had to be bang on time otherwise no lift to the start line. I turned up to the waiting point with all the racers already clad in lycra and I was still munching my breakfast of hummus and pitta bread. However the organiser was late. Everyone one  had one thought only “Could have had longer in bed”.

Chatting with some of the racers on the drive over there was a good mix of newbies and experienced ultra runners, some of whom I had met briefly at previous events. I spoke to one individual who claimed although he hadn’t done the whole course the Yorkshire moors aren’t really that hilly. I was pretty happy with this, although he did point out he was from the peak district, the alarm bells should have started, as not that hilly for a fell runner is certainly different to running round London.

Exiting the bus we were quickly ushered in for a kit check and handed the finishers t-shirt at the start. The race seemed to come round incredibly quickly and my plans of looking at the route quickly vanished with last minute bits and pieces, including the usual huge queue for the bathroom. We were soon off trudging along at a brisk pace up the first few inclines, experience told me that this pace would soon drop off. Or at least that is what I hoped for. The day had started much warmer than expected and within a short time I was dripping. Plus my rucksack which was far too large for a one day event, (being the same that I would use for 7 days) wasn’t setup rightly and the pouches on the front were slapping into my sides.

It was a beautiful day, slightly overcast but running through fields, forests and passing confused looking walkers was a great feeling. On the way to the first check point I foolishly followed a couple of guys in front of me, not knowing the way myself only to realise very quickly that it was the wrong way and had to turn back. Although going slightly off track seems a common theme in these longer runs its still frustrating as all the people you had passed trudge past in a slow version of the tortoise and the hare.

Chatting to some of the competitors passed the time including a guy who was in the middle of his 75th marathon a fantastic achievement in 2 years.

Hardmoor 55 checkpoint 1

I found out that the first check point we had to go back on ourselves but the views were spectacular as we made our way out onto a plateau with patches of mist rolling in and views across the valley opening up as we got closer to the edge. We dropped down to the 1st checkpoint where I found us standing in front of the Yorkshire moors Kilburn white horse. A top up on some water and a quick bite of flapjack. The race was on.

kilburn-white-horse

It is amazing especially with hindsight how quickly the miles get eaten up but it went surprisingly quickly up to the next checkpoint. I ended up running by myself for a large portion of this section as my pace settled into a rhythm that I could maintain. It still felt a bit too fast. We continued a long rolling hills dropping down, before climbing and continuing a long ridges. The 2nd checkpoint was down a long decline which helped with passing a few runners. I also found out that this section of 22 miles was the quick section as what was to come would certainly slow everyone down. Not exactly what I wanted to hear as the hills we had already passed seemed quite large.

We came into the small wee village of Osmotherley where our first bag of goodies had been dropped off. I reached the checkpoint had my card stamped to say I had arrived and then started rummaging around for my 1st bag of goodies. It was missing. There was other food on offer but I was looking forward to my nuts and soreen. There was however homemade sausage rolls and after speaking to one of the organisers I managed to get hold of some soreen too. Definitely a positive point.

421995_327207643994585_100001160575917_853104_1180507452_n

The race quickly slowed. Exiting the village we worked our way back up onto a long plateau where we could already make out the penultimate checkpoint. Unfortunately it was a lot closer than the route we had selected which took the form of a long sweeping curve. We could also make out most of this path too. Slightly depressing when you can see the whole route practically laid out in front of you for the next 5 or so hours. Regardless of this a group of us trudged on chatting about a whole host of things, as one man described it “anything to take his mind away from the agony”. I’m not sure he was having such I great race as the others all seemed in good form. We covered some spectacular scenery traversing stoned paved paths, up steep side hills, through rocky out crops and the odd sheep or fellow competitor. This was interspersed with periods of cramp an affect from the morning heat. I unfortunately hadn’t managed my electrolytes resulting in these random but uncomfortable twinges as cramp set in.

Fortunately I had packed a few packs of dioralyte which I have found great for rehydrating on long races, though the one major drawback is it doesn’t taste great but it is cheap and works for me. This started getting me back on the road to recovery. I ended up running with 2 others for what was to be the rest of the race. For a few miles we had been constantly playing cat and mouse as I caught up on the up hills before they passed me on the down. That was until the hail started. What had been a blue skied day suddenly turned very cold and dark. The hail bounced off our hands, faces and hoods of our waterproofs. It was certainly a motivator to keep moving forward as we shuffled in silence with nothing but the pitta patta of the hail on our heads. Reaching the second bag drop was fantastic, especially as my food was actually there this time.

427671_327207713994578_100001160575917_853107_481073909_n

We all collapsed in some chairs kindly put out by the staff and tucked into the food in our packs, on the tables and anywhere else we could find it. I also had my first and hopefully last cup of special tea. The recipe for which is 1 strong cup of milky tea, add several heaped teaspoons of sugar and 1 of salt. Pretty disgusting but I hoped this would help with the cramp which still seemed to be plaguing me.

We left the checkpoint shivering uncontrollably, the cold had caught up with us during the short break. But with full bellies we started to make our way towards the goal which we had been so close yet so far all day Roseburry Topping, a single peak that we would first have to make our way to the bottom before scaling it to the summit before going back the way we came. The plan had been to make this in daylight but it was becoming apparent that this was not to be the case as we donned head torches as dusk set in. All you could see was a small patch 3 feet in front of you, the steady stream of people making their way up to the top and back and a glimpse of people’s faces illuminated in an unusual way from their foreheads. After a slog up we made it to the top with views out across the evening landscape. It is amazing the amount of light that is created from all our street lighting and this area felt relatively rural.

Roseburry opping2

Rosebury topping1

The last section was made slightly trickier by the lack of light and the criss cross of paths that went their separate ways. We negotiated our way towards the final push up to a plateau before dropping down towards the finish. It felt tough as hills we weren’t expecting suddenly seemed to appear and as our legs tired what was classed as a hill at the start of a day was very different to that towards the end as each slight incline became an excuse to go that bit slower. Yet finally my legs had stopped cramping and I was still raring to go as the course dropped down towards the finish. Potentially a sprint one. We reckoned that we would have to seriously pick the pace up to beat the 12 hour mark but as it would make little difference to our finishing position we decided to just enjoy the final couple of miles. As we started to sense the finish though we realised that we could still make it and the final meters did become a sprint into the hut to ensure we beat the 12 hours. We were greeted to a round of applause by the competitors who had already finished and a welcome chair. We finished in 11 hours 53 mins joint 43rd overall. I got changed into some clean clothes and the quickest top that came to hand was the finishers t-shirt. I checked it out before putting it on it was bright blue with a bold statement “55 miles and 2700 m ascent”. No wonder my legs hurt so much. I was definitely glad I hadn’t read it before the start line that would definitely have made it more daunting.

Overall another race, a lot learnt but certainly an awesome race to be repeated.

Marathon des Sables A Year on Reflection

Last week I met up with some of my tent mates from the marathon des sables and chatting to a competitor this year with some last minute tips. It got me thinking about this this time last year and since.

Even before finishing the marathon des sables last year my mind was already whirring with ideas for possible races, expeditions and trips. Just meeting all the people who made it to the start line and hearing many incredibly inspiring stories made we want to experience more challenges.

Since then I completed my 100 mile race, completed an ultra running event called the Hardmoor 55 (still writing the review) and dipped into adventure racing. Also over the last 6 months or so I have spent a wee bit of time researching and discussing various ideas about adventures with some of you (hopefully your reading). I am sure many of you have your own ideas for adventures, challenges and dreams to fulfil over the coming months of 2012 or maybe you have plans for past that point to which is even better. The next challenge will be announced soon....

Whats your next challenge? Have you got plans for the year or maybe a longer term vision? Would be great to hear about them as I know many of you have got them lined up.

Mt Everest

Nirvana in the Mountains

Continuing the idea of getting more people involved in this, it would be great to hear about a moment you feel you have achieved something great. It can be in anything finishing a race, winning a match, maybe giving a speech. The greater the variety the better.  

Day 2 was the day for a lie in, so we woke at 8am, I didn’t consider myself a fan of the freeze dried breakfasts so instead opted for a morning curry. What better way to start the day. I was a bit behind in the morning somehow and as we jumped into the car to head to the start point I was still pulling on socks, brushing my teeth and trying to put sun cream on all at the same time. Amazingly I didn’t end up spreading toothpaste over myself by mistake.

The plan for the day was to make our way up from near the centre of Chamonix up into the mountains and the ski area of Brévent-Flégère before traversing the mountainside and up to a lake called Lac Blanc. Before running back and down to camp as fast as we could. There wasn’t as much ascent as the previous day but certainly a longer distance to run and we reckoned it would probably take about the same amount of time as the previous day.

After a slightly stiff start the first section was followed a mixture of road and single track paths up the mountainside continually switching backwards and forwards. On parts of the way up you could make out all of the switch backs to come. Not the most enjoyable view knowing that each switchback gained hardly any height. Luckily the majority of this 1st uphill section was in the shade of pine trees with glimpses through to the surrounding mountains. Of all the days to climb Mont Blanc that day would definitely be one of them. The sun was gleaming off the top of it, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and we guessed most teams would have set off long by now. As we made our way up I was noticing that my chest was getting quite wet, it turned out my water bottles were not particularly great and had a habit of leaking everywhere not great news when it was already getting hot in the morning sun.

DSC00832

We rounded a corner and came across a sign diverting us in another direction, but it was clear people had been ignoring it. Just as we were deciding an old French runner came over glanced at the sign before telling us it was fine and skipped under the tape blocking the way. The path was alright except for a section where there had been a large land slide taking out the path along with destroying anything that was in its way. We had to carefully balance across the debris and over the boulders, including over some random plastic pipes.

The first stop came at a restaurant next to where a telecabin finished. We basked in the sun briefly, tried to dry our already sweat soaked tops out on the grass and munched down food and water. It is amazing how good food tastes when you work up an appetite. We noticed there was a constant stream of paragliders gracefully gliding up and down the valley on the thermals that surround the area. Something to come back to Chamonix for! At this point I realised my camera was broken and after several failed attempts at getting it work I gave up.

Continuing our way up the mountain further we came across the launch site for the paragliders. It was fascinating watching as they constantly lined up across this take off area in singles and tandems, preparing themselves before launching themselves down the mountainside. We quickly left this new distraction to hit the trails we had come here for and finally a flat section that we ran down and across dancing between walkers and over stones that littered the trail floor. We ran through gaps in towering rock avalanche defences protecting the villages and towns below, across rock strewn slopes and through the grasses now covering the once snowy slopes. It was strange seeing these areas I had skied over on numerous occasions now bare in the sun. One of the sights of the day was coming round a corner and seeing the track ahead cut out of the mountainside.

We reached the next mountain restaurant/bar. There was no water. A bit disheartening with the distance still to cover and not knowing how much further it was to the next watering hole. Luckily Si and Kov had enough to share some out. The next section was going to involve a bit more of a traverse before starting to ascend up to the lake our final destination. On our first and only glance it looked like there was about 300m ascent, not too much really given what we had already done. We passed a steady stream of people from every walk of life. Everyone was on the mountain; guided tours, families, the keen hiker and mountaineer to couples on a retreat. I think we tended to get the same look of slight bewilderment as we ran past them or as it got steeper marching past.

Chamonix stream

The climb up was a bit of a challenge, it became evident fairly quickly that this guess of 300m of ascent was slightly off and as my water and energy levels began to dwindle a mental battle ensued to keep me going at a good pace. Parched mouth and with the sun reflecting off the rocky surfaces around, the muddy puddles and trickling streams became ever more inviting. One of the biggest challenges was our pace becoming more and more dictated by the steady train of people up to Lac Blanc and with few passing places our group soon became dispersed along the mountain trail. At points I did wonder why we were running, I am often asked this too about my various runs. As I came round the corner I knew why. We had arrived at the lake finally.

I dropped my bag by Kov and Si. I approached the crystal clear water, firstly washing my face, then a quick drink before dunking my head in it. Incredibly refreshing.

It was a moment of elation, all be it a small one when I considered we were only half way but still we had reached our goal for the day. The lake was crystal clear and nestled amongst the peaks with views out across the valley. It was picture perfect. Speaking to the guys it turned out that there had been about 800m of ascent.

We filled our bottles at the mountain hut that was beside the lake and munched on yet more food, we could finally appreciate the views that surrounded us. Noticing a guided group were about to move down the same path that we were to go down we decided to go for it and begin the traverse and descent back towards Chamonix.

This started with climbing down a ladder than was bolted to the rock face that looked like it was about 50 years old before flying down the mountain and enjoying the change to a descent. The only thing that slowed our pace down was huddles of tourists enjoying a trek in the mountains who were being briefly interrupted by 3 sweaty, lycra clad guys. We came to a stop after coming round a corner to a view that included a new animal and one that we later found out was an Alpine Ibex. These are awesome animals which made Kov, who had gained the nickname of mountain goat, look incredibly tame in comparison as they galloped off down the mountainside as he scrambled to get his camera out in time.

The final section was spent sliding down scrabbly slopes which I distinctly remembered after the numerous chunks the route had taken out on the bottom of my skis. The car park suddenly popped into view and with a mixture of sadness, relief and pleasure the days running was over after spending 6 hours on the mountains. A quick change and we nipped into town where we gorged on pizza and bee, surrounded by a buzz of tourists, mountain bikers, climbers and loads of other outdoor enthusiasts. The day finished with wine cheese and another boil in the bag curry.

A perfect end to the day.

Where is your Mecca?

I thought I would try and find out where other people make or try and make trips to, whether it’s a music festival, ski resort or an awesome holiday destination. It would be great if you could comment with your places on here, whatever or wherever it is the only rule is that you have to find it incredible. Here is an account of somewhere that I find amazing. I’m quite a bit behind with this but back in August myself and two mates from the Marathon des Sables travelled to my Mecca of the outdoor playground in Chamonix, France. It’s an amazing place during the summer it’s packed with everyone from mountain bikers to climbers then during the winter there are thousands of skiers and snowboarders and many other winter pursuits.

We were there for one thing only and that was a long weekend of hard trail running.

After catching late night flights to Geneva and after being welcomed to I think the worst, most expense and lukewarm spaghetti bolognaise I have had, we set off in a rental car up to the top end of Chamonix. We walked further up the valley to find a secluded spot to camp as all the camping sites were shut. After a great team effort the tent was up and we were tucked up in our sleeping bags before falling asleep to the sound of a gurgling river and incredibly excited about what day 1 would involve.

Day 1 – Mont Buet

We woke at 6 am.

DSC00826

It turned out we were camped on a mountain bike track and were greeted to incredible views of the mountains including Mont Blanc. Our plan for the 1st day was to run up Mont Buet (3,096m high) a peak not far from Chamonix near a wee village called Vallorcine. As we drove over we were trying to work out whether we could see the peak but unfortunately it was sitting just behind a bit of cloud. By 8am we were preparing physically and mentally in the car park for a hard days trail running and looking bleary eyed. The sign at the base reckoned 6 hours to the peak.

DSC00830

We started slowly getting used to the exposed tree roots, rocks and boulders, a bit different to potholes, uneven paths and pram or shopping laden people on the roads and paths of London. The plan was to follow a stream up into the mountains through huge pine forests where the smell of the mountain air and pine was incredibly refreshing. This slow pace didn’t last long and soon we were running at speed a long a u-shaped valley (great gcse geography knowledge) with peaks towering around us. Part the way a long we met a French group one of whom was an elder lady who mentioned that the peak had “knee deep snow”. As we reached the halfway refuge we changed into longer clothing despite not entirely believing the description from the top, she was much shorter than us after all. A quick look at the map confirmed what we were all thinking, that the next section was going to involve a lot more ascent than the first. It looked like we were to ascend 1000m in 1.5km roughly; it was going to be tough.

After the refuge the terrain became much steeper, the other two had walking poles but they became a hindrance tip toeing around, over and between large boulders. We were certainly working up a sweat as we over took all those in front of us. Coming out of the boulder field into a bit of a bowl covered in slippery small pebbles, we hit the first section of snow at 2500m. I was beginning to think my road running trainers might be inappropriate for what we were doing. However we were still flying up the mountainside and took full advantage of these flatter sections.

DSC00847

The sun felt very strong as it was reflecting off the snow now all around us. We could see what appeared to be a summit and as we slipped, slid and sunk in the snow up towards it we realised pretty quickly that it was still below the top on Mont Buet. Reaching the top of this dummy peak we could see the true summit in front of us. It was our very own mini Everest for the day. We carefully traversed a ridge but the drops and more importantly the bottom looked a long way down. Although not quite the drops I imagine from the top of Everest. However it wasn’t ideal when your trainers feel like they would rather do anything else than grip the terrain we were crossing. There was a final 50m push to the top.

DSC00857

We reached the summit in glorious weather with a cairn on top decorated in flags from over the years. Unfortunately Mont Blanc was covered in clouds. We ate and admired the views while climbers appeared equipped with crampons, ice axes and a whole arrange of other serious looking kit.

DSC00879

DSC00869

Before setting off we had hoped to do a loop but on seeing the cornices and the steep snowy ridges that lay in front of us. We decided to ask the climbers who had come up a similar route to the one we planned to descend what the route was like. They casually looked us up and down and said it was far too hazardous and very dangerous as the going was much more technical than the way we had come. Especially when they realised we were in running shoes.

It was incredibly difficult heading back down the snowfield with our feet sliding under the crusty snow surface. I had the constant thought of not knowing what was underneath the snow and how it could be a slight problem if any of us injured an ankle up here. On approaching the dummy summit we came across a French group who we had already passed on the way up.

After a quick dialogue they asked if we were Mont Blanc guides.

I am pretty sure all our heads suddenly exploded with that ego boost, we must have looked nuts or highly professional. At least I would like to think so. We did point out that we weren’t guides but were just having fun running in the mountains. I borrowed a walking pole off Si just to help balance on some of the more precarious sections as we bolted down the mountainside, only slowing slightly as we re-entered the boulder field.

Running into the halfway stage at the refuge we certainly received some slightly startled and surprised looks. Without stopping we continued on down back along the river and now hoping to have a quick dip at some point in the cool mountain water. It wasn’t to be as the thought of food, beer and camp took priority for the final sprint to the finish.

We finished in 6 hours smashing the idea of it taking 6 hours just to reach the summit.

We went and grabbed a beer from a local cafe, I bought some trail running shoes hoping they would help over the next few days and we headed off to a campsite. The campsite was further down the valley to the previous night and sitting below the Argentiere glacier with spectacular views of Mont Blanc. After stuffing our faces with food we passed out.

Out in The Scottish Wilderness

After not racing or running much for a while I decided a new aim was needed. I wanted something tough, would only take up a weekend and was in the UK. It didn’t take long before I came across The Original Mountain Marathon otherwise known as the OMM. It is a race with a reputation for being wet, cold and tough and this year’s race was staged in the highland of Scotland between Loch Tay and Loch Earn with the start and finish near Crieff which was handy being near my home. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjWBODfduWk]

The race is done in pairs where you carry everything you might need over the weekend such as food, sleeping equipment, clothing and most importantly food. There are no water stations or food points it is very much about self sufficiency. I was competing in class B with Kov, who was one of my tent mates from the marathon des sables.

After a late night packing and an early start to catch an 8am train including a wee jog down the platform to ensure I actually made my train, we were off on the journey up to Perth. We met my parents and organised all our kit into the stuff we actually needed from the huge pile of stuff we had taken up. My dad made an amazing and vast amount of pre-race spaghetti bolognaise which was quickly demolished before heading up to Crieff the night before the race. The camp was set in a 2nd World War POW camp and after almost getting the car stuck we pitched our tent (in typical fashion it started to rain at this point) and went in search of the beer and registration huts. They had already sold out of beer.

The next morning we woke to yet more rain.

With a coach full of lycra clad people we headed up to the start line, a short drive followed by a very dubious “1 mile” walk to the start line right at the bottom of a valley not far from Loch Earn. The format for these races is that you have no idea where you are going until a minute before the start of the race. At which point you are given a map with various checkpoints which you have to reach in order but the route is up to us. The pre-race nerves began to kick in, a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

The Start of the Omm

On the sound of the horn we were off and within about 5 minutes of starting we had already gone through heather, 1 stream up a bit of a hill and my once dry, clean and white socks (bit of a mistake I admit) were soaked through and covered in mud. It was going to be a long, hard and wet day. As the day wore on the cloud level dropped making map reading up high quite a challenge. We ended up trying to follow the route as the crow flies. On the longest section this resulted in us almost scaling a Corbet (something between a hill and a munro I found out) as well as having to scramble up a fairly miserable, wet and windblown rocky section. My fingers were getting incredibly cold; it was time for gloves and hat. At this point everything was soaked and as we reached the checkpoint Kov was pretty cold too and couldn’t get his gloves on. We decided a bit more running and a bit less scrambling was needed.

We traversed round a hill side and the ground was dropping away quite steeply. It was becoming a bit more of a scramble again and resembled a hillside made up of a series of large steps but we managed to keep the speed up. This was until I came round the corner to see a map on one track and an in pain Kov a few tracks below after slipping on one of them. We made it to the finish of the 1st day knackered, elated but feeling pretty strong, despite having a bit of dip after my energy levels got a bit low. We finished the day in 28th place with a time of 6 hours 29 mins.

As we pitched our tent it started to rain the heaviest it had done all day, typical. After getting water and changing into dry kit we decided to cook and stay in the tent for the rest of the night. I found a great use for my sleeping bag, it has holes around the arms which can be unzipped to make it into a gillet (something I don’t recommend) but it was great for being able to cook whilst completely cocooned in my bag.

The night was quite restless as I couldn’t get comfortable and later on was desperate for a pee but the warmth and comfort of the tent and the rain prevented me from going. It stopped about 5 am and I decided to run for it. I came out the tent and almost fell into another which had been pitched later in the evening right next to ours. It turns out that at 5am in the dark and starting to rain again that a green tent amongst a sea of 400 or so green and the occasional red tents is pretty hard to find. I spent about 20 minutes trying to locate mine before having to revert to calling out to Kov till I found the tent. Not ideal but certainly a learning point.

As it was in Scotland they had organised a piper to play at 6 am. After cooking breakfast and trying to put off the crawling out of the sleeping bags it was time. We slipped back into our wet kit after trying to wring out as much water as possible, except a pair of dry socks the one luxury. As soon as we stepped into the morning air the wind began cooling us in the damp clothing. We trudged off to the start line slightly stiff and trying to avoid the puddles before our feet were guaranteed to get wet.

The route for day 2 was different again but took us towards the campsite from the 1st night. Although the cloud levels were higher today there were still points that were difficult to navigate particularly on a rather flat plateau. I found the day a real challenge as I ended up having a constant battle with something known as “bonking” after allowing my energy levels to drop to low. With the help of Kov and by trying to stuff as much food as I had into my mouth we managed to overcome it. My eyes and mind began coming back from the glazed over state that they had become. The day was a lot drier at least. Instead of the wet conditions though there was more up and down over some big steep sections. This really sapped the energy from our legs.

As we got closer to the end we met some others who were going a similar pace and we constantly switched positions for a while despite not knowing where each other were in the field overall. It was great to have a visual and more competitive influence for a period of time rather than just the sight of hills, heather and a point on the compass. We did go past some incredible views; one that particularly shone out was coming down a hillside to the view on the opposite side the valley of 2 huge waterfalls crashing down the hillside. We were also about to run back up that very hillside which was slightly putting off.

The final sprint to the finish was pretty sickening with even slightest of gradients feeling tough but we knew that that extra effort would pay off. As the finish line came into sight all the negative feelings went and we crossed the line together. Shuffling over to the drink station at the finish we downed a load of sweet tea, think there was about 6 heaps of sugar in mine, and some juice. As we rested it began to sink in what we had been through and achieved it was an incredible feeling and definitely something to have a big grin about. We were 13th in our class on the day, helping us to finish 20th overall.

To view the route maps

4 marathons, 24 hours -The Rampant Run

It all started the day I arrived back in the UKhaving just run 250 km through the Saharadesert. I was in Whsmiths in Euston train station on my way home and picked up a running magazine while waiting for my train. As I flicked through I noticed an article about Ed Stafford, the 1st person to walk the length of theAmazon River. It finished with an invitation to join him and other runners on a 103 mile run from a small village in Leicestershire to the coast ofNorfolk. There was a cycle race following the same course and the plan was to arrive at around the same time. It was in 6 weeks time, so I thought it was more than enough recovery time. After a couple of emails and a phone call I was in business. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kq0VvOFMMs]

6 weeks later and hardly any running miles under my belt since finishing in the desert I was on the train to do my first +100 mile run. It had taken longer to recover but I was more than ready, it wasn’t a competition but a challenge to see if we could do it and finish. I met the other 5 members of the team (Ed, Cho, Rich, James, Charlotte and myself) that was up for the challenge and our support crew from “Rampant Sporting”. Laura and Fred had found themselves having to crew for us for the next 24 hours. After waiting all day for it to start, the start was only 30 mins to go and we still had photos to go, I had to get changed and get my feet prepared. I had left too much too late. Between photos with the local press I was hurriedly getting ready and as the others called me to start I had my socks partly on but had to shove my trainers on regardless and start as I threw my travel clothes into the back of the van that was to be our home for the next 24 hours or so.

As we introduced ourselves to each other having never met or really spoken other than the odd email it became evident that although we were all strong runners but none of us had done anything like this before. Mentally we were in a good place however it was going to be a steep learning curve.

Team Rampant

Having never done a road marathon my 1st one and with still 3 to go was certainly fast at around 4 hours 30mins. I also had the pleasure of visiting ever pub toilet along that section of road as my stomach was doing cartwheels. I wasn’t sure whether it was something I had eaten, drunk or just nerves but it wasn’t pleasant. Trying to rectify this problem on the run was pretty difficult. My stomach didn’t want anything else but I had to try to balance this with the food and water that I needed to keep performing in a couple of hour’s time. It was certainly a challenge that I hadn’t anticipated at such an early stage.

What I had learnt from my running in the desert was the lag between the choices, decisions and actions I make don’t usually have an immediately but do in several hours time by which stage it can be too late and the damage already done. Whether it is the sore spot on your foot or the amount of food and water I was consuming at each stop.

“Every action or more importantly inaction has a reaction.”

We slowed the pace, especially as one of the runners Cho became increasingly sore as he ran. He done incredibly well and run the furthest he had ever done at about 30 miles, but it was over for him as he jumped in the back of the van for some well deserved rest.

Cho in the Van

The sunset was incredible as we watched the sun slowly cross and then sink from the sky. We were eating up the miles. We seemed even quicker in the dark with no points of reference to go by other than what we could see with our head torches and the vans headlights cutting into the darkness. It was a crisp night and the music pumping out of the vans speakers helped pass the time as we became engrossed in our own thoughts as if our minds slept while our bodies continued.

The Longest Night

Sun rise came at about 4am as our beanies and extra clothes that had kept us warm over night began to come off. Morning revealed the flat surroundings as we came into a small village and we were feeling strong.

Perfect for a Morning Run

We were coming up to our next stop and breakfast arrived, which charlotte had prepared consisting of banana sandwiches, wheatabix and 9bar cereal bars. Rich had a quick snooze. As we continued leaving the village behind the smell of cooking bacon was wafting from one of the nearby cottages, it smelt delicious! The day was already heating up and as the day wore on Rich unfortunately had to drop out after reaching a monstrous 70 miles. We were all disappointed.

It wasn’t long after this that we were passed by the first cyclist of the day, what was to be one of many. The day was heating up and after being up for almost 30 hours it was beginning to show. The final marathon was going to be very tough and as the breaks became longer we realised we would be pushing it to reach the 24 hour mark. The now stream of cyclist passing us helped keep our spirits high with them shouting out to us as they shot passed. We increased the pace as we made our way towards the final check point for the cyclists, after a brief chat and top up with mars bars and water we continued on. Passing through the park we tried to get in as much shade under the tall trees as possible.

A Good Long Stop

The final 3 miles were the longest and hardest 3 miles I think I have ever done the heat felt like it was increasing and the final section of the course felt incredibly hilly. Getting treats off some of the support vehicles for the cyclists helped lift our spirits and the addition of charlottes family coming along for the final trundle in the last few miles down to the coast. Our pace at this point was painfully slow but all we could manage.

The finishing line marked by a pub came into view helping us jog it in at a better pace and despite the miles already done, the tiredness we felt remarkably fresh. After 26 hours we had done it, not quite as a full team but Ed, James, Charlotte and I. It had been an incredible effort. The reception by the cyclists was incredible and completely unexpected. Thoughts of a cold pint were swapped to that of a seat and a pint of lemonade in the evening sun. Hobbling round the pub chatting to the cyclists and telling the story of the last 24 or so hours it felt fantastic to be finished.

26 hours later

Finally a big thank you has to be given to the support provided by Rampant Sporting, check them out http://www.rampantsporting.com/

The Support Crew Cursing on Behind

Minty Whiskey in The Desert

It all started on the evening before we had to hand in our extra kit. As we all checked and rechecked our equipment, clothing and food for the week in a bid to ensure we had everything and that it was as light as possible I was feeling how heavy my old faithful hip flask felt. It had been on many challenges with me including upBritain’s three highest peaks amongst other places. As most competitors continued these checks or beginning to look at the map, talking of race strategy and cooking I was hunting round camp for an alternative to old faithful. After carefully consideration and searching the only option was my half used toothpaste tube. With the help from my fellow tent mate Andy we managed to clean it out and make a clever contraption out of a bottle top to fill the tube back up with single malt whiskey, Old Putney if anyone is interested. With only a small toast to the desert (for good luck obviously) followed by one to Andy and myself (also for good fortune) the task was done. Fast forward to the end of the race….

After catching my breath I took out the victory whiskey, unscrewed the top and took a swig. The taste wasn’t quite the same as when I had first filled it. In the heat of the sun the concoction had warmed and over the course of the week had taken on a new minty characteristic. It wasn’t the celebratory drink I had envisaged when I first packed my hip flask in my bag for the journey over to morocco. It still tasted sweet though, especially when it was added to the mint tea that was provided at the end of each stage.

Marathon des Sables - Resembling A Disaster Zone

You have almost 2 days ( 34 hours) to complete the "Long Day" on the Marathon des Sables, and a number of people do manage to finish before sun up the following day. These lucky individuals then have a day of rest to catch up on sleep, e-mails, eat, drink and chill out watching the day fly by as the remaining competitors demonstrate huge amounts of courage and endurance making their way to the finish. Many of whom will have been on there feet for over 24 hours in the heat of the desert while some choose to bed down for a few hours before finishing the remainder of the distance. I managed along with all my tent mates to finish well before sunrise on the 2nd day, so a rest day for all.

The day went very quickly, however there was a noticeable difference with people hobbling around, covered in bandages (not just on their feet but all over where bits of clothing or bags had rubbed their skin raw) and looking incredibly dirty. It was also the day that saw some tents lining up in a row and using spare water to wash butt naked in the middle of the desert.

I spent a happy day eating (only 3 mild curried beefs were left by the end of the day), watching the hobbling people about camp and a spot of cleaning. I was hoping this would improve my now salt, sweat and dirt encrusted clothing in the and that they would feel as good as new when it came to wearing them the following day.

There was also the need to sort out our feet, with most of our tent now suffering from blisters. However having wondered round the camp I noticed how lucky our tent was I met many who's feet were practically falling apart as blisters developed under more blisters. All the running was definitely taking its toll on people as the medical tent was packed from dawn till well into the night as a stead queue of people entered it suffering from everything from blisters, to upset stomachs and heat exhaustion. I certainly felt very lucky having not suffered too badly.

Marathon des Sables 2011

Marathon des Sables 2011

Marathon des Sables - "The Highway to Hell"

The long day had finally arrived it felt like all my training and preparation had been for this very day. Hence a very restless night thinking of the following day and how it would go. On finishing the stage I felt like having a single line in my diary:

"The long day can only be described as very hot and very long"

However after a wee break (sleeping solidly till the next morning) I managed to fill in the details.

The day started very well with another chorus of "Highway to Hell" as we all ran out under the start line. The biggest issue today being that the top 50 competitors (who knew the route) started at midday. This lead very quickly to a small issue, no one really knew where to go, as 3 groups quickly formed none of which were taking an obvious route. I ended up going with one group who went straight through what felt like several large hedges. It also turned out we were all going out rather quickly, including myself as I bumped into a Scot who was always in the top 100. Normally in a race I would say this is a good sign when your near the front but when  you remember there is still 80 odd km it kind of changes things. Anyway we were off to a flying start with  as the sun kept rising into the sky and the temperature along with it hitting about 50C in the shade (I think), it was just incredibly hot. This along with a few more passes through hills and over them (as if the day wasn't hard enough) was making for a very challenging day.

Marathon des Sables 2011

I passed the time chatting initially with a guy whose experience was in the much colder climate of the Arctic and later on another guy joined us who normally competed in endurance motorbike races. You do really get people from all walks of life. It was too hot during the middle of the day to run, so we ended up briskly walking across the desert. As temperatures cooled (still in the 30's) we reached the dunes and luckily for us before dark. It turned out some local kids moved all the markers come night fall.

The sun began to set over the desert and the first stars became visible, it was an incredible sight but unfortunately the end was still no where in sight and there was still a couple of check points left to go through and a huge laser display to follow into the finish line.

At this stage I realised I had hardly eaten any of my days rations and was beginning to feel the effects of this, the heat and the distance. So I began stuffing my face with the one luxury for the week of cashews nuts. They tasted incredible.

As the night set in I was passed by Britains best hope of making the top 25 Tobias Mews and decided that I had done enough walking through the day and it was time to run to the finish. I started chasing down the  white bobbing lights of the head torches a head of me. I felt strong and the constant changing target of those up a head kept me going. Features and things oozed out of the dark, like the big rock you dont see till you have gone over on your ankle, the odd camel skeleton or the sudden appearance of a 4 * 4 with flashing lights on. I reached the final check point and could finally see the sight I had been wanting to see all day a massive laser shining into the night sky and highlighting the route into the finish line. After a very quick refill and a chat to a fellow Brit I started making my way into the finish now knowing it should be only an hour to 2 hours away at most. Just before the finish I met my fellow Scot who I had run with at the start (who was not only in the top 100 but also had a pacemaker, a truly amazing effort ) and we crossed the line after sheering heat and 82 kms of desert in 12 hours 40 mins. I was over the moon and wondered over to my tent to congratulate 3 of my tent mates who had finished a head of me. This was quickly followed by removing my trainers, which felt incredible to be finally out of them and collapsed into my sleeping bag for the night.

Marathon des Sables 2011

Day 3 - Blisters and The Doc's

Unlike day 2 I wasn't woken to the sounds of a gale or my tenting flapping in my face but to glorious sunny weather... it appeared that the end of the week was going to be hot. However even with relatively still conditions my fuel did not want to light again so another morning of luke warm mild curried beef. Only 8 mild curried beefs left and more importantly the pack is feeling much lighter but my kit doesn't seem to pack any easier into it. The day started really well, I was taking it easy as day 4 was "The Long Day" and I wanted to be as fresh as possible so I could make some real gains. I ended up running and walking with another brit for most of the day. The heat seemed to be particularly strong today which wasn't helped by having to climb a few large hills. However the views from the top of each was more spectacular than the previous, with views of the desert flats. Looking back along the route I had just travelled I suddenly appreciated how many people were in the race with a line of participants going in both directions. Rachid the eventual winner was no where to be seen.

I finished the race feeling great and only at that point did I realise that I had some blisters, its amazing how your mind blocks out the feeling of discomfort after a while. I decided to try the "doc trotters" who I had been told had a reputation of slicing and dicing peoples feet. They were fantastic though queuing briefly before shuffling in front of a nurse who was quick to get my feet up and got to work on them by bursting them with a scalpel before before injecting this pink antiseptic into them. Compared to the antiseptic I had brought this stuff felt considerably less painful but it did make your feet look like they were bleeding and dyed anything they touched pink.

The nerves for the long day the following day were showing with everyone deep in thought and preparing

Views From the Top

physically and mentally for a big push.

Fitter, Faster, Stronger....

I have been back from the desert now about a month and after the 2 years of planning and preparation that milestone has now come to an extremely good but abrupt end. It was also about a year ago when myself and many other students at school and university reached a similar point in their lives, and the big questions gets thrown up by friends and family "What next?".

Now this thought has been going round my head since before I even crossed the desert and since then has only increased. This hasnt been helped by the fact that over the last year I have met various people who have taken on incredibly inspiring challenges. This was compounded this week having met the Mr Motivator who came to my work place to inspire people to exercise and also asked, having never met me, the same big question.

The problem comes having tasted the feeling of success by testing myself, my desire to push the boundaries of my physical and mental performance has only increased. Now there are many events out there that claim to be tougher, harder more challenging than anything else but as the expression goes the devil is in the detail. It took a while to decide on the Marathon des Sables and so I will be deciding on my next big challenge in the coming weeks and months.  Whether it is in the desert, moutains, jungles or sea it ill certainly be a challenge of a lifetime.

In the meantime next weekend I have another challenge to complete 4 marathons in 24 hours with a group of 5 others including Ed Stafford the man who waked the length of the Amazon.