Race Report: London Ultra 50km

It's not every day that ultra runners give back to the sport but today it was our turn. Starting from yesterday I took delivery of water and food for CP1 of the London Ultra. I had met Rory Coleman before but only to shake hands at the end of an event. Rory and Jen repeatedly phoned to apologise for their lateness but actually were not really that late and we decamped the bounty to my front hallway.

Next morning the alarm went off, we drank coffee and ate hot cross buns together and loaded the car for the 300m journey with 300 bottles of water, a table and some snacks for the runners.

We literally pulled up the car to see about 40 runners coming straight at us!!! OMG!!! We panicked and started throwing our toys out of the pram and then realised that this was Striders of Croydon on a Sunday session in New Beckenham!

Not 10 mins later and the first runners were through. They were as quick as shit off a hot chrome shovel!

We were inundated with packs of runners, while new found buddy Doug blasted out tuned from an iPod dock rested on a dog shit bin! And as soon as they came......they went.......well nearly. We set up and the first runners were through and then after a flash mob of Dulwich Park Runners turned up to shout encouragement and hand out much needed supplies.....Great to see the AWESOME Helen Smith who I ran the SDW100 with last year in 23 hours and Peter Bowles who I saw at the Bewl Marathon and 3 Forts Marathon the next day! This also included the awesome Eric Richardson and Phil Beecroft from DPR. Phil and I are running Wainwrights Coast to Coast over August bank holiday.....192 miles in 5 days.....Awesome............and then we were done.........

But......just out of the rolling mist came runner after runner after runner......It was 83 minutes from the start until the last runner through the 10k mark. It was going to be a long day! I started to decamp and realised that there were runners who after 10k, were spending 5 mins at the CP... We took some shots.....This was deffo the best CP of the day and there were some awesome characters there. George who ran the last 25 miles of the SDW100 with me, Chris, fresh into fatherhood and an Ironman and Connie and Ian who had been running since 7am this morning!

Finally the last (walkers) were through, we decamped and then off to the house to drop the remaining water, have a cup of tea and then off on the route. (thanks Doug for the map!) Mrs UB is training for VLM so wanted 16 in her legs and a train home today. We ran up to Crystal Palace, over Westow Park and despite an hour from the last group through we caught them up really quickly through Norwood Rec. These 100 marathoners were seriously walking so we just carried on. Within a mile we had caught the next group. Susie was a little heavy hearted as she thought this would be a rally long walk and not a run, but these chaps begged us not to wait for them. I informed CP2 that there were 4 runners behind and to phone Rory if necessary.

Over St Reatham (!) Common and down the Bec we predicted more runners but were pleased to see nobody on route meaning that we could do our job and have a run too. Through the Bec and Wandswoth Common and then past the twists and turns betwixt Balham and Earlsfield, the route was London Streets. I would now feel sorry for any trail-hooven runner as these are the same tough paved streets that we run every day. 

Little did we know that there were quite a number of runners that had fallen foul of the street directions. Capital Ring signage was good. Yellow graffiti on the pavement was good and the "Ur" stickers were where they were needed. Lots went wrong here which I would put down to inexperience. Even a girl in the street stopped us and asked what the yellow arrows were for. 

CP3 arrived and these chaps and chapesses were laden with water melon SIS and coke (cola!) They were ready to pack up as they had been there since 10.00am. We traversed the hill up to Putney Vale and across to the Windmill on Wimbledon Common. At this point the Capital Ring signs aren't great and we found our way to the left of where we should have been by about 1km. We had a longer trek down the Kingston Bypass and over into Richmond Park than we thought. Susie wanted to do 16 today and now as tiring as we turned up Sawyer's Hill in Richmond Park. She had decide that at the next junction, coincidentally the start of the Raneligh half marathon, that she would take the bus and train home.

My turn to hit sweeper mode. I upped the pace from a nice 10s to a 7.45s and got to CP4. I stopped for a while and informed the crew that there were 8 behind.....all who did not need or want support. I whizzed on through Isleworth and phoned my buddy Simon who lives there....somewhat under the thumb of his lovely wife. "Any chance of a cheeky cider on a riverside pub in the sun?" "no mate......the wife..." and so it was not to be that I carb loaded with a cider!

I bumped into Army vet Big Sol on the Brentford section. We walked and ran-walked for about 3 miles and was great to have a conflab with a no-nonsense back of the pack bullish runner for a while. he was in high spirits as his wife was driving back to CORNWALL tonight.......Jeez! Anyway, we departed as he wanted to walk the last 4 and I blasted away the last muddy miles and had a catch up with Rory at the end. I''m not sure why he gave me a medal but thanks anyway. I was bowled over by the offer of a free entry in the Cotswold 100. I'll look into that but I might have a wedding on that weekend. Really generous fella but I am always happy to give back to the sport that I love so much. 

Then it was off back home with a packet of crisps and a can of coke in my belly. I ran for about 4 miles, grabbed a tube, ran again for a couple of miles and then ran from the station, to the offy to pick up some wine and then home. 32.6 miles today. All of them great! Will crew next year and happy to do this any time again. It is very fulfilling to do this and I'm happy to have helped out today

Green Belt Relay day 2

It is hard to start a story when you know what the finish already is......but if you could believe that a small kernel of optimism could grow inside your belly and make you feel like you can achieve something special, then that is one big adrenaline kick.

Last year we fielded 2 teams and came in at something like 29th and 34th......This year we had 3 teams and 2 aims.....to get a top 10 finish and not to finish last with our mixed teams. (note.....Chris thought we could top 10 and I seriously did not think that we would have done badly if we came top 15!)

A cold start to day 2 after the humidity of day 1. Perhaps the least inspiring start at the Dartford Bridge at a skanky old bowls club was just the tonic to wake us up from a muscle fatigued slumber. Coffee at the ready, Eric was ready to go with Susie and Lily for the mixed teams. Luckily stage 1 was not hampered by the closure of the Dartford tunnel. Stage 2 was under way with Susie and Lily shooting off and leaving Eric scrabbling around on the floor with a dropped mobile phone. No bother though as JP and I scooted down to Farningham to watch the team through at an unscheduled flash mob supporters stop. We hadn't even pulled in when the Serpie had gone through (course record!) and then Eric came through in 12th. We were worried as he looked rough, but not as rough as we heard at the finish. They don't call him Ambulance Man for nothing! Luckily at the finish, he was fine and not in need of an ambulance.

Something else happened....the mixed teams had opened up a gap between themselves and the last team. Amazing work! Sterling efforts!

Smiffy had done well to come in 14th on the tough tough Lullingstone to Tatsfield leg and then it was my turn. time to exorcise the demons of last year. I started off sitting on the back of about 18th place. There were some wiley runners on this leg and I didn't want to blow it for the team. I came in 30th last year with 1.31 but this was a red course, hilly and easy to get lost......and off I went up the hill and onto the North Downs. I was 7.15s for the first 2 miles and then a couple of undulations saw a 6.52 and a 6.40. I overtook a couple of chaps and picked a Ranelagh runner to hang onto. Then it got really hilly. I could barely breath going up the Downs at 6 miles, the hill was steep enough to have me slipping back down as it was muddy. I had run this part of the Downs about 2 months ago so I didn;t think there was much chance of getting lost. Then, I went for it.......On the top of the Downs from 7.5-8 I hammered it, missing the place where I went wrong last year and hoofed it down the chalk hill towards Merstham. A couple more miles and I would be home. A glance round behind confirmed to me that the Ranelagh, Sussex and the ultra running Golden were not behind. Bang! And the last mile, all downhill, from the top of the downs to the bottom was run in 4.39s.....

I had to have a sit down at the finish....I was bombed. But 21 mins faster than last year and sub 7s for the leg. Not bad!

But, the end goal was the more important! It was no rest for the wicked and onto the next stage. I wanted to wait for Linda but we needed to get JP to the next point and see Richard. 

We missed Paul on the NDW as he was so F'in fast...running in 2nd place,we scooted to Westhanger to see out Rich and Paul in.....Rich had a downhill 5.6 with Rachelle and Natalie V. Rich had 6 ciders in the car for later so I knew he would be quick!

No sooner had Rich gone but Paul came in........The photo does him no justice but our club record marathoner's (who has "just got back into running") ghostlike appearance swooshed over the line in 2nd place, 2 days in a row. The kernel of optimism was now becoming something larger (perhaps water melon sized!)

Then came Rich.....5th place and only 3 mins behind the winner of the stage.......amazing as he must have been buzzing after 7 places higher than his run yesterday!

Then it all started to fall into place.....Walton Bridge and Steve B came in 4th place......and didn't throw up at the end like yesterday. He looked so smooth and there are a few things he can teach us as the club about going fast!

Bring home the bacon.......the roar from my hoarse gob as the final leg ensued.....

Tappo was ready for this last leg, with JP in tow, and Sue and Glen bringing in Taidgh...who was now 2nd claim Golden Joggers!

JP overtook a nun from Olsgobosco Runners and did himself justice on the glory leg. Here he is flying along for DPR!

Tappo, the legend......coming into the finish at the Hawker Centre...no doubt as fast as he could to get hold of a good bottle of cider, but with 5th place for the stage he did not hold back at all and we were hoping......just hoping that we had done enough to secure a top 10 spot with 26.2, Stragglers and Clapham all breathing down our necks!

 JP cruised in and then.......

 Glenn mistakenly pushed a bin.......

 Oh, no, it was a buggy, with a salute from the Golden's as his 2nd claim passenger upheld the Chariot of Fire and the team came in to bring up 33rd place....

And so to the finale, inside a hot and sweaty Hawker Centre, beer and cider flowing to the max.......DPR had not only done better than last year....not only had we come inside the top 15.........the top 10

6th place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And so the party started! Amazing...........and thanks to Linda and Di and Chris and Tom P for organising, all the runners and supporters and marshals and drivers..........

DPR....ON THE MAP!

The irony is that my legs hurt more than they did 2 weeks ago when I ran the double marathon weekend! Obviously I need to run harder!

Green Belt Relay 2012 Day 1

What a day it has been so far. It is the first time that we have had 3 teams at the GBR. 2012 is the awesome year! We have a fast team for the first time!

Tappo went off on leg one and came in 3rd. Steve Barber came in 4th on leg 2. Richard got lost on 3 and came in 12th, despite running 1.33 for 14 miles. Ace.

Then the man Smithy came to the fore....

And the Letty Green leg was a monumental 4th place for Mr Cool himself. LEGEND.....

Onwards and it was the turn of our club record holder...out of retirement Paul Griffiths for a crazy 2nd place!!! He is hiding in this photo........keeping out of the limelight until the end.

......and Mangioni came in 5th....Something was a foot part way through day one in that a dream, a small snippet of a dream became reality when not only did our lovely tiny little running club get a top ten place, but we started pushing for something a bit more serious......we put down a marker that let the Capital know that we were not the whipping boys anymore......that we had a great bunch of runners.

and the dream started to become a reality....

Spenser held the Great Marlow leg well and Eric mashed up the North of the Capital in 12th place........TP was next...fresh from his VLM PB.

The dream started to become a reality on leg 11, the last leg of the day. Not that I am a self promoter but I was shitting myself all day. I don't think I have been as nervous leading up to a race than for this. I just did not want to let the boys down! I had run 250 miles in the last 3 weeks and had 4 days recovery. Shot to bits I had been driving and marshalling all day. Thank goodness for Lily and the lunch at her restaurant. Marshall point x2 later and I was at the start of the Toot Hill leg.

I went off too fast. My first mile was an exuberant 5.56, followed by a 6.04. Too fast. I slowed to a 7.15s pace as we hit the fields and forests of Epping. undulating farmland opened out into vast expanses of skyline, punctuated by the spires of (not doubt) Godfearing Essex-types....through fields of face high oilseed rape, pungent and dosing eyes and cheeks with sneezeworthy pollen, whilst the deep ruts of tractors prevented even cadence.

Mile 3-4 I suffered and mile 5 was a quagmire of stentorian proportions.......arrrgghhhhh, the Garmin hinted at a 9  in mile! I had to put a stop to this at once.......with a Serpy, a Dulwich Runner and a Clapham Chaser, I hit the gas and found that I had plenty in the tank. The last 3 were 6.45s and the last half was 6.20s! Very muddy and very happy to happy to glance back and see the other club in Dulwich about 200m behind I huzzed it to the line.....

So I didn't let down the boys. I came in 7th and ran a 6.45s XC hilly run. Fucking brill. Still buzzing and so glad that we are now 6th in the competition.