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Thames Path 100
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I enjoyed the race, got lost once adding a couple of miles which was very frustrating, had great company which was fantastic. Hope everyone recovers well.
Agree totally. I hopefully thanked everyone at the CPs for their tireless work. Look forward to seeing the results, and hearing more from peeps on here about their experiences.
THe temp changes that mimi was on about is also on the mark - I have a bit of a tan from the sunshine on Saturday!
Very well done Nick, that was an awesome time. It was good to run with you for the 1st bit but glad I didn't try to keep up!
I had a good run to about 65m and was well on on target for a sub 24. After that I got lost, my knees seized up, I got bored (12hrs of darkness is a long time!) and run/walking after that lost me a bit more time than i'd have liked.
I was a bit behind at Goring but it was retrievable till the weather took a turn for the worse. after that for me the path was just unrunnable. wind, rain, mud and then snow.
I have run a lot of Peak District fell runs in pretty bad weather where full body cover is mandatory throughout the race because the weather can turn in an instant. I guess like others I wasn't expecting it in Oxford but I was glad old habits die hard and I had a good waterproof throughout the race.
I was on the WHW once when the race organiser stopped the race when i was 5 miles from the end. I was extremely frustrated at the time but it was the right decision and I guess I recognised that after a few weeks.
The right decison was made here too (though i'm glad I escaped the cut!) that last section in the mud & snow/sleet - whatever you like to call it, it was very very cold. I finished in about 26.20 having spent a good 1/2hour at Iffley Lock in a lockkeepers hut trying to keep a female runner with clear hypothermia warm until the medical team got there. up until that point I was a bit blase about it all but that really brought it home to me and was actually quite frightening. with all this this happening even just 2 miles from the finish a responsible organiser had no option.
Many thanks also to the guys in the Ice stadium. They were as awesome as the medical team/organisers and without their offer of a place to warm there would have been many more at the finish with hypothermia. I just hope someone gave them a hand sweeping up all the mud.
PP. Me and Ben ran the last five miles as he was so cold we could no longer walk even with our injuries. Was you the lady in the long poncho?
The last 5/6 hours were truly horrendous. I am so glad I take my Hagloffs coat to every event I compete in it was worth every penny this time. It was bloody freezing! I had shorts on but it kinda worked well as the cold numbed the pain in my legs.
My race was a bit of a disaster. I got my nutrition perfect, clothes were right and I was well trained but my feet caught me out again. The blisters started appearing very early on the bottom of my feet and by mile 60 every step was like running on broken glass. Feet were taped (In the wrong places) and lubed but they were agony. First half in 10 hours second in nearly 17 says it all. I have never felt pain like it but I was never going to give up. Need to work on this for next time.
A big thanks to all the marshals and other helpers you were great! I will certainly be volunteering myself soon as I feel I owe it. All the checkpoints were a real boost and those beans tasted like the best beans in the world.
Ben I hope your foots ok and it was a pleasure to have your company for the race. I have never seen anyone as cold as you were you must have been near hyporthermic. Hope you make your Viking Way ultra and all goes well.
A new day dawns and yes i was one of those under prepared. For most of the night it was unseasonably mild and i was quite comfortable in shorts a long sleeve top and lightweight jacket, what i didnt do was pack into my rucksack spare clothing at Benson knowing that i wouldnt see my crew again until Abingdon. Ive never run 12 hours in darkness or a 100 miles before and didnt realise quite how vague my mind would get.
That 8.5 mile stretch to abingdon was awful, like a flick of a switch i went from a 255 strategy to being bearly able to walk it was the longest 3 hours of my life, as first my sub 24 target went, then i was overtaken by a number of people who i had spent all night trying to stay ahead of, and then i started to become hypothermic, at points i didnt think i would make it to Abingdon.
I,m very disappointed still at the moment and analysing it just makes matters worse, but i hope in days to come i,ll realise that running 91 miles in under 22 hours was a real acheivement.
ps. i met vicky at the start and probably met some of you all on the way without knowing who you were, for those around the same time i was the one wrapped in blankets by the door in Abingdon pavilion.
That is a cracking time nonetheless H1ppo - and a very altruistic action on your part. Luckily a couple of years ago I ran from Reading back upto Cricklade, and knew the route really well (although I had forgotten that really really steep descent through the woodland!)...espcecially the last 10 miles and the underfoot conditions.
I think the fell running experience in you is a good thing, with the full body cover etc...I had showerproof trousers, but didnt need them - Had I been out for 2 more hours I would have though. It was nice to know they were there.
Mark, 91 miles is an achievement to be proud of whether you did it in 22, 24 or 30+ hours. That's over 3.5 marathons back-to-back and nearly a full day on the move which is still an amazing thing to have done - especially with the conditions as they were and, as you said, with you becoming hypothermic. You're no doubt saying "never again" right now but I'll put good money on you having a change of mind in a couple of weeks and entering next years event to deal with Unfinished Business. You'll be more prepared and have a better idea of what it feels like to go through the night and next year you'll finish it.
Well done to all who took part and to all the marshals and aid station helpers.
(I had to pull out at the 11th hour on Friday owing to illness so it's unfinished business for me too!)
Dill, no I wasn't that lady, I was just a bit ahead of her, probably the last lady you both passed, wearing a yellow jacket with hood up over blue fleece hat (and still bordering hyperthermia!!).
I changed to trail shoes at mile 91 and made all the difference in that tricky bit. Mark, I also arrived at mile 91 CP in a hyperthermic state. I just stood around dithering, muttering to my OH (who was my crew) that I was getting in trouble. My teeth were chattering and I just couldnt warm up. I changed my shoes, because like you say the section before 91CP was so muddy, it had to be walked and it took forever. I just couldnt stand the thought of another 9 miles after that, because if you have to walk, it takes FOREVER!! we were all so wet through and cold already ( and i had 3 base layers, a water resistant but not waterproof jacket, hat and gloves and then from mile 91 I added to that a hoody!) when the weather turned to hail then snow I was in the last 4 miles and it was so muddy. Because sometimes we were forced to walk, we couldn't warm up, that was the problem.
I, too, have a sunburnt face from Saturday..bizarre!!
Lirish - The problem is after talking to you guys at the checkpoints I have more races I want to do! If I need soup making in a hurry I know the man to contact now! Very impressive, what is the world record for making 100+ cup-a-soups?
It was funny to see how Tim turned the aid station into a fashion parade of gear, he must have some awesome kit knowledge now!... I found myself doing it later on when people turned up "What's that headlamp? where can i get one?" "how are you finding those shoes?". Must be contagious.
Hopefully catch up with you again at some point mate.
Dill
The only injury which is giving me serious grief today is the left foot, which is badly swollen. I think that with regular icing, it will recover fairly quickly.
With regard to the effect of the blizzard upon me, I am glad that I couldn't see myself or I might have freaked out. The paramedic took me to the viewing area of the ice rink, where there were a lot of people wrapped up in foil blankets. The people being brought in looked progressively worse, right up until the race was called off.
Anyhow, it was a pleasure running with you, and I found your determination pretty infectious.
Well done to all who took this on. Sounds amazing and horrific at the same time.
I remember talking to and running with a Tim early on at the TT50 who said he was doing the TP100, hope he did well and go round ok!?
I apologise to lex for not knowing she was on the forum! We only ran for nearly 50 miles together. Not sure I would have finished and not the 23:31 without her company. We only got lost once. I must apologise for the "death march" into Abingdon though.
I have nothing but praise and admiration for all the organisation. some achievement especially if you are in and out of a tent for so many hours in those conditions.
There must have been loads of forumites I met without realising. I had a yellow top but Lex's pink socks would have been more memorable!
Well done all, well done to James and all his team for a fantastic event.
Mr F
Any chance of posting the contents up here - it seems that the Centurion website has gone down again
Thanks
Firstly, I want to thank each and every one of you for the unbelievable level of understanding and co-operation you displayed on Sunday once you learned of our decision to pull the race.
I want to preface this email by saying that I know what it is like to get a long way into a 100 and be pulled out by a situation out of your own control. The disappointment lingers for a very long time and I want to make sure that disappointment is lessened as much as possible.
A brief timeline of events, you were undoubtedly aware of all of them but may not have seen the actual weather condition stats for that morning which are interesting to say the least.
The rain began at the finish line at 6am or just before first light on Sunday but the wind (10mph) and temperature (8 Degrees) were not significant factors at that time. During the morning, the temperature dropped to 1 degree celcius, it began to sleet and then snow and the wind speed raised significantly which gave a wind chill temperature of -4 degrees. That change occurred dramtically quickly, in a period of just 2 hours.
.
By 12 noon we had received another dozen runners who had been moving through the very worst of the conditions we saw and each one finished wrapped in as much clothing as they had access to/ bin bags and or survival blankets. 6 runners were barely coherent on finishing and had to be immediately escorted inside Oxford Ice Rink (ironically) whom had opened a warm bar for us, given access through the emergency doors and made provision for us in the way of hot drinks and survival blankets beyond those that we had at the finish line tents.
The key factor in the reason for the abandonment, was the speed in the change in conditions. Because we had all been treated to warmer temperatures and dry conditions throughout the day and night on Saturday 3rd March, the huge drop in temperature, increase in wind speed and heavy rain/ sleet was clearly catching almost everyone off guard. We felt that the risk of somebody becoming dangerously ill on a part of the course inaccessible to the medical vehicles, leading to collapse and potentially a fatal situation was high. At that point we had to make the extremely difficult decision to abandon the race with our sole remaining aim, to bring all of you in to warmth and safety as soon as possible
The point here is that it is highly probably that each of you would have gone on to finish the race under your own steam. You will therefore be listed as official finishers of the race and be given awards as such. In the eyes of ourselves as race management, you are TP100 finishers.
Some of you were picked up and brought to the finish and some of you were picked up by friends or family. Those of you have not collected your awards, please do email me and I will mail them to you in the post - these include your buckle, medal and race shirt. Getting to 91 miles under any conditions is a huge undertaking, that you could not finish the course was not due to your inability to continue on, but at the hands of our decision.
I would be absolutely delighted of each of you decided to give the course another go next year so that you can deal with any unfinished business you might feel there is, by not being given the chance to reach the 100 mark. If you choose to do so, you will be able to run at no cost. I want to make sure that you get a chance to reach the finish line in Oxford as you would have done had you not been stopped.
I am going to post a report on the website detailing a lot of the above, using a lot of the same wording in fact as there is understandably some confusion as to our decision at such a late stage. I want to make sure people understand that the number one priority in putting on a race is to ensure runner safety. Of course the reason for the waivers and the website notes detailing that it is each runners individual responsibility to take care of themselves, is that it is impossible on any course but a very short fixed loop, to monitor all runner conditions at all times. It wasn't your inability to handle the weather, just that we were all, including management, caught off guard by the speed in the change in the weather. Whilst we anticipated a cooler and wet day compared with Saturday, the drop in the temps to that level and the added wind and sleet were not forseeable.
Any questions, issues or disagreements whatsoever please do contact me.
Thank you again for your co-operation on Sunday. We are indebted to you for it.
James
veggie, I expect that the website is just being updated hence its current unavailabily
Personally If i enter this again in 2013 I'll be paying like any other runner, I dont expect Centurion to lose out because of something completely out of their control