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Ridgeway 85 - 2012
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Aww really sorry to hear that Mr F
that's bad luck, hope you're ok now and well done getting that far. That was a hard checkpoint to leave I found, with the amazing fire and the chairs around it and everything ... You'll just have to do it next year won't you? No I was alone and I think we ran together early-ish and compared notes about how dreadful the Thunder Run race was - but that could have been someone else, it is a bit of a blur to me too, I ran briefly with a few people and am still a bit sleep deprived.
I'll post my report later - just about to go away for a few days. Only to say for now that it was, for me, in 13 years of racing, my first ever DNF. A sobering experience and one I hope I can learn from. One thing I know - do NOT do this one only 2 weeks after finishing NDW100!! (Unless you're exceptional.)
Well done on completions and very sorry on your second DNF, mr f. You know what that means, don't you? No, once you're nauseous and unable to eat it is pretty well impossible to carry on. Ways of avoiding this I have found, for me, are to start eating from the very first CP (never let your stomach empty) and move away from sweet and sugary stuff the further you get into the race.
It wasn't easy was it? I was about 2 hours slower than last year but undoubtedly benefitted by knowing the course and which bits would drag on when tired. Checkpoints were fab as usual (baked potatoes back at Goring, hurray) and probably had a lot to deal with as a result of the weather so thank you to all concerned. Just glad the rain didn't go on all night.
Don't know if I tmet any of you on route but I do talk a lot so likely, T Rex I must have met you as this is my 3rd Ridgeway outing.
I second your advice about nausea. As another dodgy-stomached runner I have coped by walking and taking ginger sweets or mints and caffeine tablets if I can stomach them till I can eat again (usually just soup and crisps). The good thing about ultras is that if they go on long enough you can get hungry again and start to refuel.
Taking a couple of weeks off now, a bit of biking and swimming and a more structured training plan for the thames100 in march, probably taking in the country to capital on the way.
Well done everyone who took part. Wet and miserable conditions made it tougher than last year.
Nice to speak to Andrew/Helen and others on route. Despite the weather, I took it a lot steadier than last year in the first half and managed a bit more night running than usual and came in a shade under 19 hours which was 1.5hrs quicker than last year.
Hot food and a virtual complete change of clothes at Goring was essential. Feet got soaked several times but a thick layer of sudocreme before the race and at the half way point with a sock change meant blistering was actually minimal at the end.
Another good value enjoyable event by the TRA team.
Mr F - I tend to place compeed plasters in advance on the usual hotspots on the feet (base/heels) and then rub in a layer of sudocreme all over the feet. I usually wear injinji toe socks on longer runs (the ones with the padded heel) and may change them to a fresh pair half way through the race. The sudocreme reduces the friction in the foot and essentially all I'm trying to do is to eliminate one of the main causes of blisters (heat, friction, moisture).
I guess different things work for different people. However, I always suffered bad blistering until I started to experiment with a few things and found this solution has definitely worked for me on longer runs. After yesterdays effort, blistering was limited to a couple of toes.
Only just feeling like back to some sort of normality today.
From about CP7 I seemed to be suffering from more exhaustion than usual and a pain on the inside of the left quad was developing, which I took to be some stiffness from all the slipping and sliding we were doing. By the time I got up Smeath's Ridge and to CP 9 I was wondering how on earth I was going to continue. During the night I'd been revising my finish time from the original target of 21 hours right down to 25. The pain now was in front of the quad as well and getting worse. Even walking was difficult.
But I still had 2h41 left before the 26-hour cutoff and only NOTE 7 miles left, so surely possible at a reasonable walk? Managed 4 miles of hobbling and then onto those grassy ruts where progress was virtually impossible. Every vertical or sideways displacement of the left leg was agony. Still had 1h08 to do 3 miles, so possible, but, no, a mile further on I finally came to a complete halt. My left leg was no longer working. I could only move it forward by literally placing my hands under the hamstrings and lifting it manually. Tried to do 10 paces at a time, rest, 10 paces, rest, but soon realised this was too desperate for words and rang to be rescued just half a mile from the Herepath descent off the Ridgeway.
Was very impressed how quickly St J A came to where I was in their 4x4 - within minutes of ringing!
They gave me some first aid and ROs bundled me onto my train home after first arranging a wheelchair. Can't praise these organisers enough.
Then home and 24 hours in A&E on a drip and blood tests which showed extremely high levels of dead muscle cells in the blood - 7x what they considered safe!
There were some concerns overnight, but the further blood results showed improvements and I wasn't about to develop a nasty illness or go into renal failure.
Still feeling a little feeble but improving each day.
So, for the first time in 13 years of racing, a DNF. This more than anything I'm finding hard to cope with - a humbling experience.
Obviously going back in 2013. Anyone else?
I think it's valid for you to DNF due to (almost?) rhabdomyolysis T Rex.
Rest up and get well. I might make it to this for next year, but for right now I'm just hoping to get through my planned races for this year.
pmo - you clearly know the technical term. It was precisely that that they were worried about in hospital. I think any worse trauma and it would have been a possibility.
Not racing in Sep but a couple of marathons in Oct and that will wrap things up for this year. I don't race in winter because of bad asthma symptoms. (I train with a buff over my mouth and nose - not a suitable set-up for races.)
Too many people on this forum start a new thread when there's so much info on old ones, so I thought I'd set a good example by continuing this one.
But this thread is going to be about Ridgeway 85 2013.
So, who's in? I'm just about to enter before early bird entry closes.
So far three completions and one dnf (see above). This winter I broke my collarbone and have got nerve damage such that my shoulder isn't working properly. Can run OK but with increasing distance it gets very painful.
I'm in!
Yep looking forward to it.
Are you on the midday start Dill?
I am out this year unfortunately.I have the UTMB, otherwise I would be there for sure!
Completed it in 2011 and 2012, one of my favourite races.
Good luck all.
This is an event that I want to do, but the cards never seem to fall that way.
To close to Iron Trail this year, I think.
Yes WiB Midday start for me.
Not sure but training is going well and kinda hoping for around 17 hrs.
What about you sub 13?
Nice one. No idea on time mate, know very little about the trail and nothing about previous times. Will think about it after Lakeland.
See you there though!
I'll be looking for about 22 hours. 21:46 is my best time in 2009.
It's all runnable - two or three of the steepest climbs are in the 70-80 mile point. Big variety of terrain. A lot of the second half is stony tracks and I might consider road shoes for that. Trail needed for first half, especially if wet.
With such excellent CPs it is very tempting to get too comfortable!!
How many of you doing this? All a bit quiet on here...
I'll be there. Really looking forward to it. My favourite event.
Those of you who have done sections of it during the Winter 100 may feel less well-disposed to it! Believe me it's a different thing altogether in August and more daylight.
Hi T
I'm looking forward to it too. Haven't raced for a couple of months so this will be good.
Haven't recced any of it except the bit I have done in the W100. How is nav? Easy? Also what does the terrain compare to? NDW perhaps.
The W100 section West from Streatley once you get back on the track is typical pretty much all the way to Avebury, with a few hills thrown in here and there but nothing too scary. Can be quite exposed when the wind gets up and it's likely to be right in your face. Navigation is pretty easy from there and well signposted, just be careful when there are lots of tracks crossing that you stay on the right one, generally straight ahead.
First half is much more fieldy/woody/grassy and Nav possibly a bit trickier but it will be light so you should manage without a map. I got caught at Hastoe but wasn't paying attention and stupidly carried on blindly when it was obviously wrong. Potentially tricky about 3m past the last CP before Goring, when you cross a main road with a pub opposite. I think the correct path is right of the pub but I went left and took a weird route through the golf course - this may have been on the W100 course anyway.
Pretty sure the advertised 5m last leg is more like 6-7 too, so good to be mentally ready for that. Very rutted and not all that runnable for a stretch, but it soon gets better. I remember sitting down on a stile head in hands, wheels well and truly off wondering where the f the final turn off was going to be!
Thanks Shawk. don't like the sound of a head wind. After the flat out head wind we had during that section of the W100 don't want it again.
I take it you're not running this time?
Have CCC the following week so not running this year, would like to do it again though and take a good chunk of time off. May see if one of the local aid stations need a hand.
That section is easily the worst for head wind as it's so open, once past Sparsholt firs CP it's up & down a bit more so you get some protection from the landscape and the track starts to head south-east a bit too.
*Dill* - Pardon me for ignorance, but how much of the Ridgeway does the W100 cover? No point describing the bits you've done already.
I've had four completions of R85 and the horrible DNF at mile 83 last year so have got a reasonable knowledge of the course. The first half in terms of it being quite wooded and chalky underfoot makes it comparable with NDW. It's not as hilly though, and there aren't as many stretches of steps. It is quite twisty and turny so you need to keep alert for the white acorn signs which sometimes deviate off what looks to be the main route.
There are no race waymarks at all apart from a dirty big arrow where you have to turn off the Ridgeway 1.5 miles from the finish. There's usually a marshal there as well.
It terms of nav I'm always surprised how more people don't get lost on the first part of the route on the North Wessex Downs up to CP6. After that the route gets to be a bit of a motorway but before CP6 there is a criss-cross of footpaths, permitted paths, bridleways, byways open to all traffic, as well as the LDP route. All the signposts for these are in different colours but not much use when - as it is for most people - it is likely to be dark by then! I'm using map and compass fairly diligently at that point.
shawk brings up a very good point. The distance is actually 87 miles and most of the extra is in the last leg after CP9 which is nearer 7 miles than 5. The logic is simple but I have never been able to convince the ROs. The Ridgeway is 87 miles long to its proper finish point at Overton Hill. We turn off 1.5 miles before the end of it to descend 1.5 miles to the finish at Avebury. This makes the run 87 miles.
It always seems a shame that the race isn't over the entire Ridgeway but that those last 1.5 miles are missed off. The issue is that Overton Hill would not make a good finish venue with no facilities and the danger of tired runners staggering around on the A4.
I think one year though, when I'm not concerned about a time, I'm going to run to Overton Hill and then back along the road to Avebury to the finish just to say I have done the whole LDP. (Don't think I could face going all the way back up the ridge to the point where we turn off it just to go back the usual way.)
Forgot to add, it's worth looking on the map in advance for the route you need to take when crossing the M4 soon after the 2nd last aid station. It's dead easy to follow but signage is thin on the ground so good for peace of mind.