Thames Path 100

Important features seem to be later time of year, 28-hour cut-off, 2500', and serious competition at the sharp end with 2:09 marathon man Mark Steinle in the field.

First time for me and just about got in yesterday.  It seem s previous adverse conditions have not put people off entering!

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Comments

  • I've always thought it a bit of a shame long running threads full of experience, anecdotes and the odd bit of wisdom were abandoned to make way for newer ones based only on the fact that another year has passed. But hey ho.

     As for Mark Steinle I've never heard of him, I assume he's done other ultras? Or is he going to be incredibly fast over the first marathon and then nothing?

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Sorry, GKD. OK, that's one request for a new thread and one lamenting the demise of the old one already this morning.

    I've kept the 2012 Ridgeway 85 thread going, anyway.

    Can I suggest then everyone read the old thread first before asking facile questions?  This race seems to have quite a history of battling against the odds and possibly a lot of unfinished business?

    Mark S was a leading UK road marathon runner, had several years out with injury and has come back onto the ultra scene.   I understand he's quite useful.  He won one of the Endurancelife coastal ultras, about 36 miles, finishing 50 minutes ahead of the next bloke.  Not sure over 100 miles, though.

     

    Looking forward to this.  A lot.

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Right, first facile question coming up ...  Was this the cut-off time this year?  NDW is 30 hours.

  • This years was 30 hours as well so want to do this again but if I get in the gucr then its to close to when thats run. O what to do may just volunteer instead. You'll enjoy this trex centurion put o  a good race and the volunteers make the race image

  • I'm in. If Centurion do half as good a job as they did with the sdw then it should be a cracker - same weather too please.

  • This one's not for me, flat races aren't my thing but I'll be there at registration and on the course again. Weather permitting I'm expecting a low 14 time from the winner 

  • I'd ask you to pace me, GKD, but I'm not sure I could handle the abuse, and you couldn't handle the cold pizza.

  • This event could become the British Rocky Raccoon in a few years. 

  • There was only some gentle teasing at the SDW Tiago, for proper man up abuse you need to go over 100 miles and well into your second day 

  • I'm only a newbie. It's all there for me to look forward to.

  • To be fair, I contemplated starting a new thread prior to posting on the last, most comprehensive one. This new thread now means there's three tp100 threads, the other one being abandoned as a "duplicate"!  But hey ho.

    So 2014 will be a rematch for me. 2012 I withdrew at Reading with the sweepers headlights bearing down on me, knowing I had no chance of making the cut for the next aid station. The cut off's were a bit nasty around the middle - I believe it was a tad more even this year. Can't really blame that for my dnf though, to be honest I was a bit green and under-prepared.  For 2013 I spent too long contemplating an entry, so it was full before I could commit. This time round I'd set a reminder on my phone to get my entry in!

    There's something about this race. It doesn't have the technical trail, mountain terrain that perhaps a lot of us would prefer, but there's some sort of magic about it. 

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Not aware of 'duplicate thread', sorry.

    We'd better gravitate to the one most used, I suppose.

  • Aww, now I'm not sure which one to use!  Perhaps I was being a bit flouncy with my last post.  I was all proud about kicking the last thread off again image

    So. Not specifically training for this at the mo' as I have a few other things planned in between, which should lead up to it.  Providing I don't break myself.  On that note - I started doing yoga this year and fully intend to keep it up, as it does seem to have improved my ridiculously tight hamstrings.

  • Sorry if new threads are not the thing for all, but annual ones for Comrades work well as you can jump more or less to start / beginning / end of an annual cycle without trying to read thousands of posts...  If its my fault I'll post this URL to close off the others and avoid confusion, and maybe this one could have 2014 in the title to help others ?

    I DNF'd early this year because (a) it was absolutely horrible and (b) my Comrades B2B was more important, especially when my average pace after Windsor dropped so much that I really wonder whether I would have made the cut-off anyway. So no excuses this time, as no Comrades and perfect weather... ??  Except its my first wedding anniversary and I haven't had the nerve to tell her yet..... Hmmmmm.

  • agreed - I think having a new thread for a new year is a good idea. perhaps you can change the title and add 2014 onto it?

    anyway, I'm in for this one - cant believe how quickly it filled. it'll be my (hopefully) third 100. I did the NDW100 last year and have the Winter 100 coming up in November.

    have to say, I'm pleased about the date change...should be glorious sunshine - there, I said it.

  • so do they run this one up stream or downstream out of interest image

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Yes, they could do it like Comrades - up one year, down the next!  

    Goes upstream, seren.

     

    Against the flow, that's us.

     

    Umm - 2014 is in the (sub) title.

  • Hmm strange starting a new thread when all the info you could ever need is on the other one?? So all the newbies to the race can read the info on the other thread and comment on here. Very arss about face.

    I'll just go with the flow though..

    I'm in again btw...image

  • We could start another one laying out the choices available.

    Will this event be a different beast with the date change?

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    I think we should have a thread where we can discuss a new thread before it is created.

  • I think its a shame. I liked the earlier date, filled a nice gap in the diary and still challenging conditions.

  • WiB that is probably the greatest idea in history.

    I think I'd have preferred it earlier in the year.

    Compression tights - is my answer to an upcoming question. Followed by - no, 10 on Sat and 6 on Sun does not count as a b2b.

  • I'm sure the Centurion weather curse is just as likely to make an appearance in May as any other time, so I don't think it's worth being too concerned about that.  

    A bonus will be the longer daylight hours - that's good for me cos I can get a bit spooked in the dark on my own! image  In fact I'm sure we were warned about the huddy-types around Reading?!

  • No weather curse on the sdw100, the conditions there were close to perfect.

  • Gud. Not sure about the others, but TP100 in 2012 - blizzard, 2013 - flood, W100 2012 - flood, SDW 2013 - hurricane (slight exaggeration perhaps)... Yeah, ok, for all their races it might not even be 50/50 bad/good weather, so to call it a curse might be a bit strong.  And all those above are Autumn-Spring races, so pretty much expected for our recent climate I suppose.  

    Still, I'll expect the worst weather-wise, then I can only be pleasantly surprised.

  • I think that's a pretty sensible approach in this country image

  • manged to get a place in this as my first 100 miler next year image Put my name down on the waiting list not expecting anything and got an email Saturday saying their is a a place if I want it and thought sod it why not. Luckily I have 4 people within 5 miles of me who are doing it this year and done it last year. They have all commented on the lovely weather last year and I think they are coming back for that reason, just to get to Oxford! Also after talking to other forumites I think doing my first 100 miler through Centurion is a good idea as i'll be in safe hands.....I hope

  • Congrats - surprised people have dropped out and freed up places already. Perhaps a few spouses disputed the credit card charges, as its tough to bouce a cheque these days !

  • Lol I was quite surprised wasn't expecting it so jumped at the chance. Yeah ended up costing over 130£ which is a lot of money howver my birthday is on the 4th of May so its a nice little treat. Cant think of a better present than hopefully finishing 100 miler image

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    This clashes with the marshals' walk for the Welsh Valleys 100 (LDWA).  Not sure I can do two 100s in one weekend.  I'll have to look at the logistics ...

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