Ultrarace 100 2012

Feral Travellers, a Helpful Drunk and the Quest for the Elusive Snack Van

The journey into the strange and frightening world of ultramarathons continued at the Ultrarace 100 and preparation and training for the event had been as good as I could have hoped for. I had remained injury free while managing to gradually increase my weekly volume to peak at over 20 hours of running, and hadn’t suffered any illness at all during the entire build up.

I arrived at Stratford-upon-Avon on the afternoon before the race with the intention of relaxing and getting my kit sorted at a leisurely pace as there’s nothing worse than arriving late and staying up all night getting ready. The Travelodge I had booked into was cunningly situated next to a little Chef which as far as I was concerned was the perfect pre-race set up.

What I hadn’t foreseen was the group of travellers who had also decided to stay there. After pottering around in my room and watching arguments break out between the various groups in the car park I decided to have an early evening meal so walked across to the Little Chef, negotiating my way through the obligatory detritus and abandoned building materials. The next half an hour was like sitting in a car driving through Windsor Safari Park. The children were running around the restaurant knocking chairs over, stealing snacks and climbing on the counter. Once they had eventually been locked out they then proceeded to walk around the building banging on the windows and demanding to be readmitted. The only thing they didn’t do was press their arses against the windows but I’m guessing it’s only because they couldn’t reach.

It wasn’t the relaxing preparation I had planned so I left as soon as possible and returned to my room to continue preparing for the following day. After a few more altercations, shouting and general antisocial behaviour the travellers eventually fell silent and I miraculously managed to get a very good night’s sleep.

Now that's what I call a proper breakfast.

The race was to start at Stratford-upon-Avon Leisure Centre at midday on the Friday so I called in at Morrisons at around 9am and had the best and biggest possible breakfast imaginable to prepare for an ultramarathon. I bumped into Hugh Pinner who obviously had the same idea. I’d previously met him at the 24 hr race in September and he’d passed on some very useful advice to me at that event. We sat and swapped our respective race strategies, and it became apparent that the main idea we had in common was to start the event at a very conservative pace and walk every hill.

Rory beginning the race briefing.

The event registration was relaxed and straightforward and after a quick briefing by Rory Coleman ("You can’t get lost, just follow the signs"), we were off.

And they're off! (Photo Ultrarace).

The route was basically an anti clockwise 100 mile loop heading South from Stratford-upon-Avon through the Cotswolds and then back to the start. The entire route was on road and there was - according to Rory - 4464m of climbing. The route was signposted with stickers on all road signs so as long as we paid attention there shouldn’t be any dramas (!). The first few miles were uneventful as we made our way through the outskirts of the town into the countryside, and as people were still chatting and running in groups it felt more like a club run than a race.

Course profile.

The weather forecast in the days preceding the race had been mixed at best and I was fully expecting to spend the first half of the race soaked through. However the weather was slightly windy with intermittent sun, and it only rained for a few minutes in the first couple of hours. I was wearing more clothing than most people but as I seem to be the world’s biggest pansy when it comes to dealing with the cold I was confident with my decision.

I had spent the first half of the TP100 well down the field as I had planned to race conservatively, and was determined to use the same tactic again. I was therefore surprised to find myself in the top ten from a very early stage in the race. I felt very comfortable, was walking every incline and was confident I could maintain to the finish so I carried on at the same pace. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - if I was going too fast I would certainly find out during the latter stages of the race!

Ageing one year every mile... (Photo Ultrarace).

The groups gradually dispersed as people found their own pace and I found myself alone, a situation I would successfully maintain for the remainder of the race. I gradually became aware of how many people were receiving support from family and friends along the route. It was allowed and actually encouraged in the pre-race literature so I didn’t have a problem with it, but I grew quite envious of them as they didn’t need to carry anything with them and had their own choice of provisions.

Because crew assistance had been encouraged by the organisers the aid stations – which were situated every 10 miles – had very basic supplies. As they were supplying water I carried enough SIS Go electrolyte sachets and food to get me through the first 50 miles which is where I would be able to access my drop bag. In this I had placed enough food and drink for the final 50 miles with a few spare items of clothing which I would potentially use depending on the weather.

One of the route markers in Snowshill (Photo Ultrarace).

Another downside of the limited provisions was that there was to be no hot food or drink provided during the event. After the lessons learnt during the Triple and the relative success during the TP100 where I had drunk at least one cup of hot sweet tea at every opportunity, I was concerned how my body would cope during the early hours of the morning.

The plan was to stop at every garage and snack van I passed and buy a hot tea and drink it while I walked. The only flaw in the plan was that it became apparent that Gloucestershire doesn’t have any garages of snack vans, or if it does they’re very well hidden. In the absence of any hot drinks, I used every aid station to refill my Camelbak and take a few sweets with me as I carried on to the next checkpoint.

Chipping Campden: Miss Marple is just out of shot.

The route took us through some fantastic scenery and very picturesque villages. Early in the race we passed through Chipping Campden which is one of the nicest places I’ve ever seen. It was one of several quintessentially English villages which seemed to epitomise the character of the race route. At any moment I expected to see Miss Marple ride by or stumble across the Famous Five in the middle of solving a mystery. The experience was very different from running around an athletic track for 24 hours.

As evening approached I was still determined to find a hot drink from somewhere but without any success. It seemed that the reason there were no garages to be found was because there were no cars to use them. I’d hardly seen a car since leaving Stratford upon Avon and the only ones I did see were being driven by support crews for athletes in the race.

At 40 miles there were also sandwiches and crisps on offer so I made use of them to provide a break from sweet snacks. It gets to the point in ultra-distance events where you’re sick of eating the same sweet things repeatedly and anything savoury is a welcome relief.

A typical view of the route (Photo Ultrarace).

I was holding up well and apart from my legs becoming stiffer as the race progressed the only thing that was concerning me was a hotspot which was developing under the ball of my right foot. It hadn’t happened at the TP100 so I was suspecting it was due to the repetitive nature of running on road for so long. I took some Ibuprofen as a preventative measure and carried onto the 50 mile checkpoint where I could change socks and Vaseline my feet.

I arrived at halfway point at Farmington in 9 hours exactly which was slightly faster than I had expected. After attending to my feet I filled the Camelbak as usual and carried on my way while eating a peanut butter sandwich I had previously packed in my bag. Run 100 miles? Peanut butter sandwich? Treat yourself, you’re worth it! I know how to live.

As we entered the early hours of the morning I was expecting a slow deterioration due to the absence of any hot food or drink, but it didn’t happen. I had pushed at an even effort throughout the race and – apart from the creeping boredom which always surfaces in the early hours when you’re alone in the middle of nowhere – I constantly felt in control and my legs were still behaving themselves. There are always a few moments during the early hours of these events when I think to myself "Why the fuck am I running around like an idiot in the middle of nowhere at three o’clock in the morning?" but it soon passes and I get the focus back.

The roads were deathly quiet during the night and the only cars were being driven by various support crews. The crews were very friendly and supportive and were constantly offering me help every time we passed each other during the race. I rarely saw another competitor apart from the occasional to-and-fro as they stopped to meet their support crews and because of this I remained in 5th to 7th position for the majority of the race. 

During the Thames Path 100 I had walked progressively more often in the second half of the race but here I was almost making myself walk during the flatter sections. My real concern was how my quads would react to the relentless descents, some of which almost demanded to be walked down especially in the last few miles.

As the course was run entirely on road I had done eighty per cent of my running on road with hills whenever possible. To prepare for the hilly terrain I had been running once a week in the Peak District finding the steepest routes possible with a loaded Camelbak. The longest run was eight hours and this had lead to a huge amount of muscle damage which affected training (and walking) for several days. However, subsequent runs of a similar nature didn’t leave any resultant soreness at all so I was fairly confident I had prepared my body for the stress it would be subjected to on race day.

At around 65 miles there was a considerable descent which seemed to go on forever. It then developed into an unlit a road and as I progressed for the next couple of miles I started to get a very uncomfortable feeling. Up to this point we had only run along main roads for very short distances but this one was stretching out into endless darkness. I couldn’t see any illumination from head torches behind me so decided to check my location on my iPhone. By comparing my location on Google Maps with the route on the event website I would be able to pinpoint my location relative to the course. As the map appeared on the screen I heard some rustling and turned my head towards it. I immediately illuminated a very drunk man staggering home (God only knows where to) and approached him. Amazingly he had a snottier nose than me but was able to show me on the map where I was. Even more amazingly I was still on course and less than a mile from the next checkpoint at 70 miles in Moreton-in-Marsh. I was so relieved  I could have kissed him.  

I find the 70 mile point to be turning point in 100 mile events. You’re well over half way and you basically have a marathon to run. It’s unlikely anything will prevent you finishing this late into the event and it’s a relatively short distance to cover to the finish. I took advantage of another sandwich from the aid station and pushed the boat out with a packet of crisps.

Perfect conditions as the sun appeared on Saturday morning.

By now the sun had risen and it was promising to be a very pleasant morning – it looked like we’d missed the worse of the weather that had been predicted and everything was positive as I ran into the final marathon. The terrain was still hilly but we finally dropped down from the hills to more level terrain for the final miles of the race.

The last check point always seems to provide an extra gear. I checked in, performed the usual routine, took a can of Coke and (slightly!) picked up the pace. As with the TP100 I felt much stronger than I had during the preceding 90 miles and all the tweaks and pains had disappeared. I felt very calm and relaxed and focussed as hard as I could on maintaining the pace to the finish. I must have been focussing on internal factors too much as I reached a T junction and got the familiar sinking feeling. No matter how hard or often I looked at the signs there wasn’t a sticker anywhere. I was in the right place but there was nothing. S.H.I.T. The only answer was to find my location on my iPhone as I had previously done but there was a very poor signal and it was taking forever to load. I switched it off and on again while using the time to eat and drink but the map wouldn’t load. There was no option but to retrace my steps. I knew the last sign I had seen was around fifteen minutes back so off I went, not in the best of moods. To my considerable relief I saw a sticker at the first junction I came to, about a mile down the road. It was the only time during the event I had missed a turning and it was a well deserved kick up the arse.

Near the end. I. Need. A. Cup. Of. Tea.

After this unwelcome adrenaline rush I calmed down and continued towards the finish. The last few miles were relatively flat and uneventful and the only person I saw or spoke to was a farmer taking his cows for milking. I continued to push as hard as I could and began to drop into Stratford-upon-Avon. We had previously been given a map to guide us along the last two miles and as I approached 19 hours I thought I better consult it. I thought I had at least three miles left but suddenly realised I was within the last half mile. Time to step up a gear! I increased the pace as much as I could and eventually the leisure centre came into view. With almost perfect timing the hotspot under the ball of my right foot finally developed into a fluid filled blister.  After crossing the river and negotiating a couple of road crossings I arrived back where we had started the previous day.

The final roundabout before re-entering Stratford-upon-Avon (Photo Ultrarace).

"19:04, 5th" Rory informed me as I stood wobbling at the finish line just after 7am. My first reaction was surprise and satisfaction at the result but then it rapidly changed. I’d missed dipping under 20 hours by four minutes at the TP100 and now I’d missed sub-19 by the same time. Very frustrating to say the least.

For the next few hours I began factoring in the usual ‘what ifs’ into the calculations: What if I hadn’t missed the left turn? What if I had a support vehicle and didn’t have to carry anything with me? What if I had a regular supply of hot food and drinks from a support crew in the second half?  What if I wasn’t such a skinny twat?

Hugh was waiting at the finish as he’d pulled out during the event due to repeated episodes of vomiting. We walked (or in my case limped) into the leisure centre where – thanks to Hugh - I finally had the hot drink I was so looking forward to. I couldn’t believe how good my legs felt after the race and after a shower and brief sleep in the leisure centre I went for a walk around Stratford-upon-Avon for some sightseeing and eventually visited one of Ronald McDonald’s finest eating establishments for breakfast.

Reflection

The Ultrarace 100 route took us through a very attractive part of the country which I’d never previously seen and it was a very enjoyable run (despite the total absence of garages or snack vans).

I finished exactly one hour faster than the TP100 while carrying more food, drink and clothing, and on a much hillier course. I had also pretty much maintained an even pace and felt positive and in control throughout the entire event despite the absence of any hot food or drink, and not having a support crew during the event. All in all, very positive.

The priority in training had been to capitalise on the TP100 and increase mileage as much as I could cope with. I ran to and from work several times a week (9-10 miles each way) and included a long run every week between 6-8.5 hours, mainly on road but in the Peak District whenever I had the chance to go. These runs included as many steep hills as I could find to force my legs to adapt to the descents.

The sessions were run as I felt but the aim was to gradually increase the average speed I was running throughout each week. Morning runs tended to be progression runs where I started at a hobble and gradually increased the speed until I was at threshold by the end. The only work at or above threshold I did was when I ran home once a week with Ben Fish, a 2:18 marathon runner, or when I hit a hill and I would try to maintain pace as I climbed.

I also continued with strength and conditioning work at least once a week, concentrating on big compound exercises such as dead lifts, squats, pull ups, dips etc. This training was complimented with prehab exercises designed to improve my hip function and reduce the ammount my legs internally rotate when I run. Apart from a couple of weeks when my I was feeling slight pain behind my right pattela I believe the exercises were very effective.

The fact that I was faster, my legs had coped during the event and felt relatively good over the following days suggested the harder training I had been doing was effective. I intend to become much faster at 100 mile races and this was a confidence building step in the right direction. Job done. Badwater is 100 miles closer...

Race details here: http://www.ultrarace.co.uk/events/results/

Race photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ultraracephotos/sets/72157630244526740/