Hi all, I'm going to be running the London to Brighton Ultramarathon 56 Mile trail race which is on Sunday, 30th September 2012. I have started a blog which is based on my training and conditioning leading up to the big event. Please take a look!
Also... Is anyone else running this event? Or have you run this event in the past? Please let me know.
Here's the link to my blog. http://londontobrightonandbeyond.blogspot.com/
Comments
Something I forgot to mention is that I am running this race to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. Here's my sponsorship page incase anyone would like to sponsor me! (Even if only £1, every penny counts) Thanks for your time.
http://www.justgiving.com/mattygilly
For more information about this event please view the linke below.
http://www.extremerunning.org/index.php?page=London%20to%20Brighton
WELCOME TO THE FAMOUS EXTREME RUNNING LONDON TO BRIGHTON TRAIL RACEThe London to Brighton Run is a roughly 56 mile (90 kilometre) self navigating (maps supplied) ultra running event from Blackheath in London, starting at 6am, on trails through the beautiful English countryside of the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex to the vibrant, cosmopolitan, coastal city of Brighton on the South Coast of England.
Starting at dawn, overlooking London whilst she sleeps, the route begins on sacred ground where victims of the Great Plague were buried, leading you out of London on its way to the spectacular countryside of the South-East of England. This trail run passes through the edge of North Kent on to the North Downs in the County of Surrey from which, weather permitting, you can see the distant hills of the South Downs that hide the English Channel just beyond and your final destination.
From the North Downs, the paths and tracks of the route run through fields and lanes in a quiet and beautifully preserved part of England. The steam (Bluebell) railway at Horsted Keynes (at about the two-thirds stage) will be tempting at this point as the challenge of the South Downsawaits and can be seen in the distance as this incredible journey approaches its end phase.
From Black Cap, a brief few miles will take you to the finish, all the way by trail, to our camp on the sea front, where other competitors, friends, family, onlookers and other supporters will greet you and help you to celebrate your success.
We will be running some more navigation courses this year for people who need to brush up their skills ot who want a nice run out in the country with us for 10 or so miles over a couple of hours.
For those of you who have completed the London to Brighton Road Race of old, this run, although not a direct substitute, will offer a new challenge and a different perspective of the country as viewed from the route. For newcomers to this type of ultra running event, or experienced trail and endurance runners, one thing is certain, it will be a joy, we promise. However, don't under-estimate this - it is a very difficult running challenge indeed. This run is now an official qualifier for the Mont Blanc North Face Ultra.
Hi Matt,
Have enteered the L2B as well.
Have you managed to get hold of a copy of the map book? I can't do any trial runs from up here in Scotland, so need to study the route rather thoroughly beforehand.
Here's a link to the route I found on another thread from a previous competitor, though obviously the route may be changed slightly for this year's race (a couple of small wrong turns on it - from what I have read it seems that it's quite easy to go the wrong way in places).
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/47787921
As far as training goes, it looks like you need to get your long runs up to around 30 or 35 miles, and most programmes I can find seem to include back-to-back 30 mile runs or so. Does that sound in keeping with what you guys think? It also seems that finding out what to eat and drink is as important as running.
As I say, this is my first ultra, so all / any advice very welcome!
Matt
Im running L2B this year,would appreciate a map too,if anyone has one..
Found this if it is of any use:
http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=brlyxygvxmcvcfop
If anyone is in the London area, let me know!
Training is not going as planned as I injured my foot about 2 months ago. Not giving up though.
As quite of few here, I am based in London as well (Manor House, Ruth's neighbor as it were ).
If somebody could send me a copy of the map book that would be great.I would like to start running parts of the course rather sooner than later.
Just entered this. A faint heart never won a fair lady
Carl
Bad news... I'm having to skip L2B. My best mate has asked me to be godparent for his first child and the christening is on the Sunday of all days!
It was a tough decision but at the end of the day I knew what I had to do. Anyway, if anyone is interested in buying my entry off me at a reduced rate (total entry was £104 with fees), drop me a message.
I'm still planning on doing my first ultra around then, looking at the Caesars Camp 50 3 weeks later so will still be up for a bit of long distance trail training.
Did the Picnic (30 mile) marathon at the weekend.. now looking forward to running to Brighton. Can anyone recommend a Hotel in Brighton?
I've decided to run this now, hoping to get around in about 10 hours. (or less) Anyone else want's to tag along I'll be running roughly 9:45/10 min miles. Let me know!
Matt
@ Ruth, Marathon times roughly 3:20 to 3:40...
@ Lingster, I would have tagged along but I'm on holiday during those dates.
Hi Matt, Ruth, everyone,
Hope training is going well, Ruth - it sounds like we're moving along similar lines, I'm just about to start trying these back-to-back runs - they sound awful to be honest! We'll see....
Seeing the comments above make me start worrying about navigation (again). I've never tried a self-navigating run before - how tough are they? If I'm honest, I haven't looked at a compass since I gave up geography at school (and that was a while ago). Or is it more a case of coming to a fork in the woods and working out which one points roughly south, which I think I could cope with?