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NDW50 2013
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ian brazier: thank you.
Back2basics: got that one; thanks for the confirmation that I've not missed anything since then.
I see we're presently being forecast a cool and cloudy start with light rain for most of the day... At least the wind looks set to be more of a tail wind than it was for SDW50.
well i guess at least i will be wearing all my crap instead of carrying it then!
Just hope it doesnt get too muddy! Im running with shoes on my back just in case its too muddy for the sandals
Forget minimalism, shoes for your back?! That's where I've been going wrong, I've stuck with the old fashioned foot variety.
Spine race?
its so I can army roll with grip!
no point messing about eh?! 
So it looks like we could have a good 12 hours of rain, wonderful!
Now where did I put my flippers?..........
You're going to be covered in footwear, B2b.
Good luck with the weather, I've never known a forecast to be right yet for a race.
This is a centurion race, rain wind and cold are all a guaranteed. Sure james does sone sort of rain dance the week before just make it more challenging
Anyone familiar with the route know which are the tricky sections where it's possible to get lost?
No chance for a recce but will study the map in advance. Just need to know which bits to concentrate on. Often find that having a map on the ground is a bit useless once you're lost, and can't identify where you are.
Dan, there is a fair bit of the route which is not marked as well as it should be by the permanent waymarkers. The tall wooden fingerposts are often hidden in vegetation - e.g. when you get to a road, you may not see the sign for which way to turn, because it's right beside you and covered in branches, rather than across the road from you. Some of them have had an arm broken off and not replaced; one or two posts have fallen down. At least one (just after Caterham Aid Station) has been replaced with an arm saying "Public Footpath" instead of "North Downs Way". You also have to look for the half-height posts with the acorn on - although some of these have been defaced or broken off.
Luckily Centurion puts out lots of extra markings - mostly red-and-white tape, some arrows.
Look out for the left hand turn off the road as you go through Merstham - several people missed the turning there last year.
Very familiar with the route and course marking from Reigate Hill to the finish - so I'll have to try and think what it looks like if you've not run it before!
You should be OK to after Newlands corner (after Martha's Hill); after that you run through woods for a couple of K, then the path jinks over a lane and along gravel paths for a few hundred meters - this isn't hard, but I'd pay attention there! Then after an uphill K, make sure you follow the fork RIGHT to take you onto the Downs.
From there, the section to Box Hill CP is fairly straightforward; after the asphyxiating climb from the stepping stones, make sure you turn right and cross just below the viewing point memorial - then concentrate as the path wanders a bit (but it should never take you quite up to the road); after about a mile, the path dips steeply downhill to the right (steps) before you turn left uphill, them at the top turn right.
From there, it is hard to get lost till you get to the section between the road crossing and Reigate Hill - there is a section about 2K into the woods where there is a nice downhill path - with an easily-overlooked turn off to the left (steps up through the hedgerow, marked by a finger post.
Leaving Reigate Hill is straightforward till you come out of the section over the Golf Course to the old mainstreet of Merstham; turn left and run up the High Street/ Quality Street (I kid you not!) at the end of the road is a private gateway with a few parking spaces before it on the right - before those spaces take the singletrack on the right; when that emerges at a lane then 'yes' you do run through the churchyard, then cross the road and turn right then left over a couple of rail bridges.
onceyou are on the residential street after those, pay attention after a few hundred meters! You are looking for a finger post on the left side of the road (you will be on the pavement on the right).
From there on the only point that I can think of that is remotely challenging is going through the woods after the Caterham Hill CP - again pay attention and follow the red and white tape!
I can only speak for myself, but I will try and give people 'notice' of any difficult bits or changes of direction, so if the frequency of tape 'flags' goes up, pay attention/ slow down/ look around you; if you are on a straight and obvious path then anything up to about a K without a 'flag' is normal, but after that you should be wondering if you missed something!
Hope everyone has a good run - despite the rain, the course is holding up well (the wind does a lot to dry it out again!).
OldAndCreaky: I recced from Dorking onwards a couple of weeks ago. There was a point (I think it's at about 19.5 across on section 3 of the Harveys map, flanked by the caravan and telephone markings) where the NDW veers right and slightly downhill and the main bridleway continues straight on, which wasn't marked at all (there's a notice board there, but no sign I could see, unless it was being hidden by one of the Duke of Edinburgh lads having a breather there - but they said they couldn't find a sign either) - I guessed*, went straight on and realised I'd gone wrong when I reached a road and a fingerpost said "Public Bridleway" rather than "North Downs Way". There was another place where there was a footpath going straight on or a wider path turning about 90 degrees left (I think at Juniper Hill, about 24 across on the same map section); there was a waist-high post with an acorn on, but no arrow and the placement of the post didn't really make it clear which path to follow - another bit of tape a few yards further on there would be useful...
I think both must have been well marked for the race last year, as I don't remember having problems (or I could see runners ahead of me at those points).
From my experience of SDW50 last month, the extra bits of tape soon after junctions were REALLY comforting to confirm I'd gone the right way.
*Okay, so if I'd been properly thumbing my map and known exactly where I was at all times I should have been able to work it out from the map.
Its not a massive section but I have recorded on Youtube the route from just before the Gravelly Hill aid station to Botley Aid station if that's any use to anyone, it has been edited to show the main junctions along that section.
Links:
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JGol1134is&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXVRtRktAYo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
That's good, Ultraplodder - they can't get the Streetview car down there!
(Tip for you folks: you can always 'recce' anything that is on road or seen from the road, on Google Streetview - you may scoff, but its surprising how comforting it is to have visualised all the village bits etc. if you can't actually go there in person!).
@Debra: I don't have the Harvey’s map for NDW, but my best guess would be the first point is just south of Box Hill village?
Your second point is I think where I said:
'From there, it is hard to get lost till you get to the section between the road crossing and Reigate Hill - there is a section about 2K into the woods where there is a nice downhill path - with an easily-overlooked turn off to the left (steps up through the hedgerow, marked by a finger post.'
I wrote that without reference to the map, so I'd revise that to '3K' and you are right that the 'main' path is taking a bend to the right at that point - from recollection, it's not as obvious a right turn on the ground, but I've not been that way in a couple of years (small miracle I can recall it at all - that's map memory for you
!). I'm not marking those bits, but I'm sure that they'll be well marked!
I agree with your observations about tape after changes of direction; for everyone’s sake, I hope that viz will be a bit better than on the SDW!!!
Thanks guys. Really helpful.
Haven't really paid much heed to this being on this weekend, I guess I'd better have a look at train times and see if I can get dowthere're in time
Come on GKD, I bet you got a spreadsheet with all your mile splits worked out
You've caught me out Stef, I'm all about the admin and prep.
Or I'll have forgotten I've booked this race until a couple of weeks before when I discover I've actually booked myself in for three races and a fifty mile pacing stint in a five week period, not think of how to get to each of them in the belief that something'll work out and think feck it, what's the worst that could happen.
One of those persons is me......
OldAndCreaky: Yes, the first one is just south of Box Hill village. I think my second point is different from your point, as mine is a left turn to travel uphill, remaining on the wider path, not through a hedgerow and not involving steps! Either way, as I said, thankfully lovely people like you put out extra markings so us poor runners don't have to spend all our time navigating (that will be Lakeland 50...). And as for the visibility... yes, better than SDW50 would be nice.
Oh well, I've actually booked a B&B for Friday night, so I'm almost organised. Not yet decided what I'll be wearing and carrying - will have to wait a bit on the ever-changing weather forecast to confirm parts of that. But my Montane Minimus will certainly be in my backpack.
I didn't think I had a place in this race, but it seems I do. (This is slightly more sensible than it sounds, honestly but I won't bore you with the details). But I need to get to the start somehow.
I see several people from the Sevenoaks / Otford / Hildenborough area on the start list - if anyone is driving down in the morning would they be willing to give me a lift? Happy to split petrol of course.
If so please email me -- address is firstname . last name @ gmail . com
thanks!!
Email with final details this morning - starting to get excited.
Ran a brisk 2.8 miles as part of a local relay race yesyerday evening and it felt good to stretch out a bit - my ankle is quite a bit better, thankfully (although still not 100%), and my legs are not complainingthis morning. Will rest my legs today and tomorrow except for continuing the ankle exercises, and hope it's not too slippery on Saturday.
Hi, does anyone have any recommendations along the route where I can advise our family to go cat catch up with us other than aid stations?
Why
? Assuming you want somewhere reasonably accessible, they are mostly near aid stations, so they might as well meet you there (the only one that gets a bit crowded is Botley Hill).
If you are looking for a bit of last-leg-motivation, then there is the road crossing where you come out of The Avenue and cross Westerham Hill (park on the western arm of the cross-roads 30 meters down Westerham Hill not in The Avenue); if they are so minded they can walk along the NDW from the same point to the last real climb on the course (about 1/2 mile from the road)!
Also there is a point where the path runs along a hedge with a lane on the other side about a couple of miles from the finish, though parking is likely to be difficult. They could see you there and still make it to finish line.
Thanks for the quick reply, only asking as I though all bar 2 aid stations are off limits to crew?
So they are! Good point! Try:
Puttenham - in the village its self.
Box Hill - the view point.
Caterham to Botley - 'THE STEPS' down from Gangers Hill are a laugh!
I'll be crewing at Caterham tomorrow so I look forward to meeting some of you guys.
Good luck, the weather is looking ok for a change.
Sussex Slogger: thank you! I'l be the small (5ft 2) woman wearing a teal-coloured Salomon 10+3 vest backpack. I seem to be number 69.
ooh err!
I'll look out for you.
Good luck everyone. Enjoy.
Well done to all the runners today, good effort guys!
Slogger was that you dishing out the ice cream at Caterham? If so stroke of genius man, I only wish I had some but trying out ice cream at mile 42 didn't strike me as a good idea.
Great race happy with how things panned out considering I raced a very tough 40 in the Brecons last weekend and. Had to keep something in reserve to pace Dill at GUCR next week. You never really know how things are going to work when you're coming back from injury but everything held up pretty well last week and this, some hip pain but nothing I couldn't manage, going over a couple of times didn't help but that's all part of the fun.
That was the first time I'd run parts of the downs and I have to say I'm impressed, some incredible single track after st Martha's, really lovely woodland to run through.
And a final word for the volunteers, flippin amazing as ever, each and every one of them,