OlymPicnic Ultra race report (Hannah)

When something describing itself as the toughest race in Britain is spitting distance from home then its begging to be taken down! Some might disagree that this constitutes enjoyment and so argue that it shouldn't be included on this blog. But bear with me...

The race I'm referring to is Trionium's Picnic Marathon - held on the same day as the gruelling Midsummer Munroe and covering twice that course. As the race organisers say... "its no picnic"!

The idea of the Midsummer Munroe is that it is (1) held as close to midsummer as possible (2) is equivalent to running a Scottish Munroe - 3000 feet of up and down and approximately 13 miles in length.

The first time we headed out to Box Hill to sample what was in store for us was the last weekend in May - a very hot and humid weekend when temperatures hit 28. Being South African, Brett comes alive in this sort of weather. Me being more of an English rose, my body turns heavy and lethargic - the last thing it wants to do is run, let alone do endless reps up and down steps! Experiencing half of the course that weekend (we 'just' did the half marathon course) had me feeling less than sad when the heat wave broke. I kept doing rain dances in the four weeks running up to the actual event!

The week before the event the organisers sent an email saying they'd decided to extend this year's race in honour of it being an Olympic year - the course would be 30 miles rather than 27 and we'd be climbing (and descending) 1000 foot more. I think it says something about the type of people who enter the race that the organisers can do this kind of thing!

So at 2pm on Saturday 23rd June, we found ourselves standing at the start of the only ever running of the OlymPicnic ultra...  There was a rousing rendition of the national anthem, after which 200 odd people (arguably 'odd' in more than one sense of the word!) started running up a very steep grass slope at the bottom of Box Hill. Only to turn around after about 100m and hurtle back down to the start again. Then we started the less extreme climb up Box Hill via the Zig Zag Road.

I won't describe every bit of the course in detail. Suffice to say that it involved a lot of steps and a lot of steep hills. Thankfully it also involved a lot of drinks stations, each with a plate of jelly babies and other delights. Energy boosts were definitely needed as we were out there for over 6 hours and the course doesn't really allow you to be particularly prescriptive about heart rate zones. I just run on feel these days rather than wearing a watch and that less scientific approach probably helped!

Something I've enjoyed about most of the off road events I've done is the real sense of camaraderie. This race was a great example. There was even a sense of 'tin hat syndrome' - we were all in it together! And we all knew we had something in common due to the fact that we'd been crazy enough to enter! Given that so few women enter these sorts of races (only 20 entered this race) I find the support I get from other racers (male and female), marshalls and supporters is even greater.

Throughout the race the marshalls commented that I had a smile on my face. So this got me thinking about why. And the truth is that I was really enjoying myself! Why?!

• I was running in a really beautiful part of the country.
• I enjoy pushing my body hard and seeing how it responds to the challenge. 
• By its definition an ultra goes on for a long time - you experience different weather, course conditions, physical and emotional ups and downs. The whole thing is an experience. And there are so many things that come together to decide how it goes. I honestly think that smiling and enjoying the experience helps me race better.
• The sense of camaraderie I've already mentioned.
• It was extremely satisfying seeing all of the hard training paying off especially as I moved up through the field in the second half and felt strong running into the finish.

3 months before this race I hadn't run an ultra. Now I've run three... And have realised that I really enjoy them! The Transalpine is starting to feel within reach...

A picture I like (Hannah)

I saw this picture and I like it.  I think it fits with the ethos of this blog so here it is...

Marlborough Downs Challenge race report (Brett)

I have finally got round to doing a race report on a race we did a few weeks back - I have been to busy enjoying the good weather!

Recently Hannah, Barney and I ran the Marlborough Challenge (http://www.marlboroughrunningclub.co.uk/downchallenge.shtm) which is a 50km trail run.

I had not planned to run the race as I have not been training for a while due to various commitments; and with the weather being rather cold and wet I thought it would be best to not run it.  However when the forecast said it was going to be a glorious day I just had to do the run. So having done only 3 weeks of training I was already getting back into running ultras!  Plus, having Barney and Hannah dragging me around, I was sure the day was going to be a goodie.

Having recently changed my diet to exclude dairy, refined sugars and other such pleasures I was intrigued to see how the body would hold out.

We started the race rather conservatively as Hannah’s plan was to be “take things easy and then at mile 20 - Bang!!!”.  In hindsight (which is frequently the best sight) we started far too slowly as we let everyone go ahead of us on the various single track paths and stiles – therefore, we got caught behind some people who were wearing new road running shoes and weren’t keen to get them dirty.  It was a trail run after much rain….enough said!!!  However, after the second checkpoint the field and paths opened up so that we could get into a solid stride with Barney being the pace-setter. This was our routine for a number of miles while observing the stunning scenery between Marlborough and Devizes.

Once we passed half way and left Devizes heading towards Avebury we got into our usual stride.  However, just after 26 miles the markers disappeared and we could see a number of runners standing around trying to work out which way to go. This was where Hannah stepped up to the plate magnificently and took charge of the situation and become our navigator. It’s interesting to note that the top guys felt that having one section of navigation makes a difference as it ensures that the trail runner has to have an additional skill – it could potentially slow someone down if they are continually looking at the map or getting lost.

Once Hannah had saved the day, Barney set the pace which allowed us to drop the guys who were using Hannah as a navigator. We managed to maintain a decent rhythm which ensured that we finished the race just over 6 hours and were presented with a locally made mug (which we do actually use).

There were definitely a number of learnings which we could take from the race:

1. Trail running is about just being consistent and enjoying the scenery (it also helps take your mind off how far you are running).
2. The body held out well having not had milk, sugars and coffee for a few weeks.
3. Running in a group only works if you have run together before and are happy to help each other through tricky moments (the three of us had been doing all our weekend training runs together).
4. Always make the most of the feed stations – not only to get your money’s worth but also to regroup slightly and set the plan for the next section.
5. No matter where you are racing/running in the world the marshals do appreciate some light banter and thanks from the runners.