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OK, I think I'm ready now. Just got to get some zzzzzz in.
Enjoy your run everybody. Hope to meet some of you. Weather sunny Sat, turning to light rain Sun. 15 mph westerlies to combat though.
Got back home at 1030am this morning.
Finished 19th in 20hrs 33 min. Had a good run but feeling it now. It was very cold during the night. Well done to the organisers.
Nice one WWN.
I didn't have good day and dropped out at Goring.
Sorry about that, Joe. I think there were a lot of DNFs for different reasons. Good one, WWN.
I like running at night. Here during the night section I was completely alone, as I was for all the second half. I enjoyed the night navigating - those tracks on the Downs were like a labyrinth but I managed to make no errors. During the second half I was overtaken by no-one, but got by about 20 runners, some in varying stages of distress. The last 15 miles seemed to take ages.
My highlights include doing a negative-split type of performance - the first time in an ultra; running along Grimm's Ditch in the semi-dark - very atmospheric; the friendly checkpoints; and, at 0450, a short diversion to visit Wayland's Smithy, Britain's premier Neolithic long barrow, 5500 years old. Those huge stones like broken teeth guarding the entrance looked menacing in the light of my headtorch. I wonder how often it gets visited at that time of day?
My target was 23 hours, which was really an hour's buffer to ensure I did it in under 24. So I was well chuffed to finish in 21:46.
AND this event is 87 miles, isn't it? You leave the Ridgeway at its mile 85 and then it is about a 2-mile run in to the finish. They do not tell you this.
Definitely. Great course and good value. Naff medal, though. Not even the name of the event on it.
It only felt cold when turning out of the hall at Goring! Once you got going it was fine. I wore the same one-layer windproof top and shorts day and night. I thought it was too mild even for a hat.
Sorry not to see you at start.
Yep this one will definitely get another going over.
Yeah sorry that I did not catch up at the start T-rex.
Joe Hawk - Don't worry Goring is still a very long way. There is always another day. You'll be back for another blast!!
Roadrunner that is a good finish time. I also took a wrong turn but 20:33 was a good time for me. I spoke to a guy who ran over the big hill with the war memorial down the side. That is what the post said. He should of ran accross it. That part needed sorting a bit. I nearly messed up there!
Anyone have a number of starters and DNF as I passed a few people in agony.
Well - I finished in 21:52 so I must have been very close to you T-Rex. Maybe you even passed me close to the finish as I was into super-plod mode then and couldn't even run the downhills (quads trashed) ! I "enjoyed" it up until about Wayland's Smithy - alternating running and walking. After that I just ground out the last 15 miles in 5 hours.
Got home and crawled up the stairs but was almost unable to get into the bed as it was just too high off the ground. Must develope more strength in the quads before doing this again!
Forgot just how good a trail this is to run and really enjoyed it - but oooh me neeeeees! Remembered how good the organisation and CP's were though.
Good time WWN, must've just missed you - I did 20.49.
Chuffed to have lost less than 30m since i last did it in 2005 & still got 2nd V50 too.
Good to meet you too T Rex - we met in the bus on the way back to the station, it was the comment about Waylands Smithy that did it ... & my GPS said 84.98m but it was off for about 15mins whilst i tried to find some new batteries in the dark. since I was doing about 3.5-4mph at the time I reckon it was about 86m.
Roadrunner, I ran with a guy for a while who took the lower track just before the war memorial and got lost for about 20m - was that you?
One question 2 anyone who is fairly new to running this kind of distance and competed... How many months serious training did u do for this event? 4-6-8 months? Cheers
MuddlingAbout - you almost certainly would have seen me. I was wearing an orange-and-black top, black shorts, Inov8 sac and going very fast over the last couple of miles or so, and probably would have overtaken you.
Do you folks mean Coombe Hill with the Boer War memorial (near Wendover)? Seemed OK to me - west to the memorial, then south. Hope you all touched the memorial like I did.
H1ppo - sorry we didn't get introduced. See you next year maybe?
Stuart B - I would say you need a few years' background of marathons and some shorter ultras if you want to enjoy this sort of distance. Your body needs the conditioning. I keep marathon fit all year round and do a few training runs of 30-33 miles before a longer event.
Roadrunner - great time, well done. Was that 20 minutes or 20 miles you got lost for??
Yes T-Rex, I think I recall the inov-8 and the vast speed on the steepest part of the downhill! I was most envious - there was a lady trying to stay with you too who also passed me. I was wearing a yellow luminous Brooks wind jacket. I muttered something about "I wish I could do that" but I daresay you didn't hear over the passage of the wind.
I was spurred on to at least try a bit and increased my walk up to a slight, stumbling run. Managed eventually to stay with the lady who encouraged me to keep running, then for some reason I couldn't understand claimed (as we ran into the finish) that I was running faster and should go first (we ran in together in the end).
MuddlingAbout - yes, I remember our brief conversation. And I think I was muttering how the race was 87 miles not 85!! I caught you just on the turn off the Ridgeway. Just as we were turning there was another lady at the farm nearly a mile away and I caught her too just outside the Red Lion. I was sitting outside in a chair at the finish clapping you and the lady you mentioned in.
WWN - I'm looking forward to seeing the results too. I like analysing the splits which I hope also are published.
I was going great up to about 55 miles and then my legs cramped up and the bottem of my feet started to burn. I made many basic errors which means I will have to come back next year to do it right.
My biggest errors was not staying longer at Goring and not eating enough. Oh and my spare socks were not up to standard.
Never mind all that though, wasn't it a great day and nights running?
I think I was in 12th place before I faded badly. I could only walk the last 10 miles but I was happy because I knew I would finish. A whole line of you went past in the last couple of miles( cheers Peter, Anna and Jon , for your kind words, to name a few)
This was a whole new ballgame to me and it turned out to be one of the best running experiences I have had. The check-points were top-class as were all the people manning them.
I even managed to get a bronze medal for 3rd over 50's.
Yes, there is a lot to learn about yourself on events of this length. Things went right for me perhaps more by chance than anything. I found it very helpful to have a change of shoes (road) at Goring and three changes of socks. I put an extra footbed in my shoes for extra cushioning to help prevent hot and sore feet. And, yes, you do have to eat a lot on the way round.
The aid stations were the best I've known in 10 years of running. They were on the verge of being too comfortable!!
Looking forward to next year. When do the entry forms come out??
I'll probably do this again as I enjoyed nearly all of it.
Even managed the bronze for the men over 35 category! Wasnt expecting that.
Cheers
I did email Anthony a while back and he said they weren't ready yet. Apparently he was waiting for official times from one of the CP's. Not heard anything since.
If I have time to do some pre-reccie reccieing, possibly walking with non-running friends, can you suggest which bits of the course are most tricky, or least well sign-posted ? And then next year I should have more time to do some long runs on the route as well, so your suggestions would be most welcome.