The Trionium Picnic Marathon

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Comments

  • Joining the nutters brigade (As if doing the Picnic didn't give me entry), I've been talked into doing the Welsh three thousands the following weekend.....
    If reality matched intention I'd know I was dreaming
  • Have entered this race, purely to accomplish a marathon run, so I guess I'm classified as a nutter then!
  • QBQB ✭✭✭
    I'm in - quickly entered having seen how fast it was filling up and having missed out in 2009 I thought
  • Dr RobertDr Robert ✭✭✭
    Oho Chimney... what a comedian you are! You won't be walking by then, let alone running.
  • Dr RobertDr Robert ✭✭✭
    20 places left.
  • Right. Im in. I am terrified!

    I completed the C2C this Winter and the 2 day Pilgrims Challenge - any idea how these compare? Ive got 6 road marathons prior to the picnic, as well as a week in the alps before (just hiking).  Aside from some serious hill reps, do i need to worry about anything else?  Or and are road shoes ok?  Or is it weather dependent?

    Am I the only girlee???  looking forward to the pain though!

  • QBQB ✭✭✭

    If you managed the 2 days of the pilgrim challenge then you should be well prepared for this I would have thought? It's around that same area but 26m compared to 33m per Pilgrim day, so whilst probably a more hilly route for Picnic, I was assuming that my 33m last year would be equivalent.

    May be terribly wrong though! I only did 1 day of Pilgrim last year and not run the Picnic before

  • Hi Dr Rob

    I did this last time and came in on six and a half hours, about sixth from last .... but I finished! Tempted to have another go, are there any places left?

    Katiecom, it is step-reps you need! I also have a few mara's to do before this, London, Richmond, Neolithic but just come back from Rome with an achillies problem .... hope it heals by next week. I have also done the C2C (last year), and the Druids 3 dayer and this is much more intense although the atmosphere is much better!

  • OFFA

    I'm hoping to sweep the Picnic - Dr Rob and Arthur Itis permitting - and though I may not be older than you I will be slower, fatter and balder. I was born to waddle!

    STEPS AGAIN

    The typical height of a domestic stair is 20cm. One Canada Square, according to Wikipedia, is 230m (50 storeys) high. So we might expect about 1200 steps from ground level to 50th floor. Maybe there are four staircases ? Or one with teeny-tiny 5cm steps for pixies and teddies?

    GEEK 'S CORNER

    Did you know that you can export your Garmin data from the Garmin Training Center to Google Earth, which draws it as an interactive route? You can then get GE to generate an Elevation Profile of that route (and of any other line that you draw on the screen). One possible advantage of this over Training Centre and SportsTracks etc is that GE might use its own terrain data to plot elevations along the route, so the elevation profile could be much more accurate than Garmin's.

    ROB'S RAQ

    How was the elevation profile on the Picnic webpage drawn?

    In the Picnic Mentalism Scale, is No.7 a "man eating fireplace" or a "man-eating fireplace" ?

  • Hi Rob,

     This event came highly recomended by a friend but wanted to wait and see how I did in the Brighton (my first mara) before signing up. Got 3:17 so figured might give this thing a shot. Are there still places left? Thanks

  • Oh the temptation - the temptation!  But my Mrs will kill me!  Already in the dog box over a little 33 miler.
  • Dr RobertDr Robert ✭✭✭
    Only 7 places left as at 14 April. How many nutters are there out there?
  • Thanks Dr Rob, I'm in!

    In 2009 this was my fourth marathon after London, New York and Paris over the previous 3 years and boy what a difference - I came in on 6:28:35, 85th out of 91 finishers. Since then, I have done a further 28 marathons/ultras (including London, Neolithic & Richmond in next 5 weeks) so I should be better prepared! 

  • Dr RobertDr Robert ✭✭✭
    Holy cra*p... that's quite a progression!
  • oh gawd it's getting closer....

  • ChimneyChimney ✭✭✭

    Thankfully I had a gander at the course with the wife and the dogs the other day. To say this will hurt a little, is like saying the sun is a bit warm.

    *****Spoiler Alert***** 

    The jog up the first part is slow and ok the first time, not so sure about the second. Coming up the steps after the stepping stones isn't so bad, there's parts that are almost flat! A little jog down the hill, then back up to the pub. A nice leisurely recovery run through the trees to Juniper Top, down and back up, the up at a very slow pace.....A long mile downhill and you arrive at the 2nd steps full of vigour, which quickly evaporates if you try to power up them. At least once you get to the top you're rewarded with another long flattish stretch before you drop off the end. Turn round, return to start.

    I now know where to hold back, and where I can cut loose. The first couple of miles, and therefore the middle four and the last two are HARD...

    To give an idea, I got 3,166 ft of climb in 13.1m on the course. A couple of days later we walked from Newbury up and on to the Ridgeway at Wantage, to Lambourn, Hungerford, and back to Newbury which was 36m and over a 1000ft less ascent.

    Had a secret hope at the back of my mind as to what I could do it in. I've now added an hour on to that!

    Cheers Dr Rob, I am so looking forward to this.

    83050 minutes to go as I type 

    If reality matched intention I'd know I was dreaming
  • So gutted that there's no places left!

    I shouldn't have thought about it and just signed up image

  • Just read through peoples comments about the course (really should have done that prior to entering!) anyway weirdly looking forward to doing this, should be a great day.

    Gonna start some hill training now......image

  • Hi,

    To follow up on other people's comments on the course from my experience in 2009...

    The start (before you start running) is great with a rendition of Jerusalam but that is where the fun stops! The first half mile is directly up hill and after a further half mile getting your breath back, it is 250+ steps downhill with each step differing in tread and riser so you can't get any pattern going, A tree-enclosed, step-stone river crossing and it is then back up those steps and further uphill to the front of box hill where on a sunny day, the crowds are waiting. Turnaround and traverse the hill right to the bottom again and then up a mile or so in a tree route lined chalky, muddy gulley to the pub. Across the road and a mile or so reasonably flat through the woods and into the open bull accompanied field downhill and around a smiling marshall before running back up the same field, The next mile and a half is through an open wood and down a sweeping chalk path until you hit the second vertical step climb. Hanging on to branches as you go, a few hundred meters until you get to an open valley which is probably the easiest part of the course up to meet the bagpipe player - just as you start to smile it is a couple of hundred meters down a vertical drop, again hanging on to  trees and branches. At the foot a pleasant sight is the food stop but then simply turnaround and claw your way back up the cliff to repeat your journey back to the start. Then  you do it all again!

    With the midsummer half running alongside you and your second run-through, you are lifted by the spirits of runners that haven't yet seen what you have! The crowds and the fellow runners offer the best support and encouragement of any race I have done, hence, I am back for more this year! 

  • David - ditto, ditto and ditto. Agree with everything you say, and that's why I'm back again as well!!
  • Adam - i've messaged you about a spare place if you check your inbox...
  • Dr Rob, I'm passing on my place to another runner as i'm unable to compete now - can I change the details beforehand with you or can they change it on the day if they provide my name?
    Thanks,
    Chris
  • hello!!!

    i'm looking for a place in the event!! is there any going??

    would like to redo the event again

    thanks

    Tango (adam)

  • Dr Rob.. a friend who's unable to run as offered me her place.. Shall I just turn up and claim it?
  • Dr.Rob- Do you still do practice runs on Box Hill before the race? And can we get a map of the course beforehand?
  • Dr RobertDr Robert ✭✭✭
    Hi all... you can either swap officially through me, or just swap (although officially it is not allowed by UKA rules and you won't get your name on the t-shirt). Don't do it on the day... it will be a bit busy..... email me beforehand. Tango, did you find a place? Slandendicular... there is a map on the race web site.

    There might be a possibility of doing a run-through of half of the Munro course (ie a quarter of the Picnic, the first outward leg) at 4pm on Sunday 5 June.... might anyone be up for that?

    Look who else is running....

    http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/ealing-news/local-ealing-news/2011/04/14/northolt-runner-reckons-london-marathon-will-be-a-walk-in-the-park-64767-28520184/
  • Hi Dr Rob,

    Could I get your email address in order to change runners details? I don't seem able to message you through Runnersworld.

    Thanks,

    Chris

  • Hi Dr Rob,

    Run through of  half  the Munro course on 5th June would be brilliant. Count me in. Hopefully there will be some other willing lambs to the slaughter!

    Thanks,

    Merilyn

  • I'm hoping to get some runs in at Box Hill over the next few weeks. Probably Tuesdays and/or Thursdays after work so if anyone wants a tour of some of the course I'll be there from about 6:30pm!
  • Hi, Chris Oco. My sense of direction is deplorable so I would like to meet up with someone for a few practice runs as my shift work bars me from taking up Dr.Rob's generous offer of a practice run on 05/06/11. Could do this on 31/05/11, 02/06/11 or 09/06/11. Any good?
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