Stray Cattle, Unrelenting Rain and the Magical Properties of Hot, Salty Soup
After finishing 5th at the Double Enduroman Lanzarote earlier in the year I took a few weeks off serious training and, as with any ultra-distance event, there was a period of anti-climax in the following weeks. However, I’d discovered years ago that the best way of preventing post event blues was to have the next event planned and entered beforehand.
I had already entered the Triple Enduroman UK the previous year and it was to be the biggest athletic challenge of my life so far. I slightly modified my training after the Lanzarote Double with the main difference being Ironman tempo efforts on the bike. There was only so much training time available so volume didn’t increase at all during the build up. The main difference at this event was that Brian Mullan (who had competed with me at Lanzarote) and my sister Anna were going to help crew for me during the race.
The event was held at Avon Tyrrell outdoor centre, a country house with substantial grounds and a small lake. In true Enduroman style the course was to prove challenging, so much so that – due to longer anticipated finishing times during the Deca and Quintruple Enduroman events already in full swing - the start time was brought forward several hours to enable more people to finish within the cut off.
Perfect conditions for the swim (Photo Enduroman).
Swim
At 8am on Friday morning twenty one athletes made their way towards the lake and waited for the start. After Lanzarote my big worry before the swim was the cold as I would be in the water for another 2.4 miles. Steve Haywood measured the water a few minutes before the start and announced it was 20 degrees which was a huge relief.
View of the swim start and finish.
We made our way into the water and after floating around listening to the familiar nervous banter we were off. The course of multiple anti-clockwise laps with drinks and food available whenever we required it. I had previously put hot energy drink and gels by the side and asked Rev (one of the loyal helpers) to ensure some was poured for me every few laps. Amazingly I reached the first buoy in first position, and was never passed during the remainder of the swim. I aimed to maintain a comfortable pace from the outset, but was conscious of not staying in too long and getting cold. I simply kept the pace up to stay warm. Despite the regular feed stops I was cold by half way which was both surprising and worrying: whether it was low bodyfat or a weakened immune system causing it I don’t know but the second half was a massive struggle to stop my body grinding to a halt. I was more than relieved to eventually be informed I had one lap to go, and was finally pulled out in 3hr 49min. There was then a walk of a few hundred metres to the campsite where we were to change for the bike leg.
How many laps...?
Bike
Because it was a multi-lap bike course, there were plenty of opportunities to change clothing so I wrapped up to begin with even though it was a warm sunny morning. The first few laps were a case of relaxing into a rhythm and getting warm. The course was rural and undulating with no particular challenges apart from the final climb back to the race venue. As was the case in Lanzarote I decided to snack lightly while riding, use isotonic energy drink throughout and replace a bottle each lap. As every lap was taking around 45 minutes it worked out perfectly. At mealtimes there was also hot food available to ensure we were getting enough calories during the event. The only problem was that Brian and Anna weren’t arriving until the next day so every time I needed to swap clothes or fetch some hot food I had to leave the course and get it.
The laps passed without any drama and the weather was dry with intermittent sunshine throughout the rest of the day. I maintained a high cadence throughout and I rarely saw anyone on the course even though there were now three events sunning simultaneously. Once the light began to fade I fixed my lights – as there was no lighting of any kind throughout much of the course high powered lights were essential. In true A Team style a mechanic at work had cobbled together a bracket from spare parts which allowed the light to be attached below the tri bars so I could maintain my riding position throughout the night.
336 mile time trial - I hardly saw anyone at all (Photo Enduroman).
Riding through the night proved to be as interesting as it had been in Lanzarote. There were periods of low-lying fog where I could only see a short distance in front and it felt as if I was isolated in a small bubble for hours on end. The only company throughout the night were wild horses and cattle who kept straying onto the roads. This became quite unnerving at times as the only warning I had on the descents was seeing their eyes light up as I approached them. People often assume ultra are boring but this course was a world away from the usual criterium style courses used elsewhere.
Because I had no crew yet I was stopping each lap to swap bottles and food, but Paul Thompson (the Lanzarote Double winner) appeared in the late hours of Saturday and helped refill my bottles saving me a decent amount of time for a couple of laps.
I was starting to weave across the road in the early hours so decided to have a short rest. I went back to the tent and set my alarm to go off in 50 minutes. As it was a clear, cold night I lay there and basically shivered for what seemed like 5 minutes before getting back on the bike feeling much worse than I had before (I was later told it had dropped to 4 degrees during the night). Some competitors had sensibly ridden through the night and I was down to fourth place by the time morning came.
Anna helping me refuel on the second day.
I eventually warmed up again and spent the next two hours focussing on the fact breakfast would soon be available. As it meant me leaving the course again someone kindly offered to get it for me and have it ready by the time I completed the next lap. Sure enough, 45 minutes later I returned and had a full English breakfast, bowl of porridge and coffee waiting for me.
Peel me a grape.
The sun gradually appeared and race conditions looked very promising. The laps continued to pass by but on each lap the small inclines seemed to become longer and steeper. I was lapping each lap consistently and felt surprisingly good in the final few hours. Brian and Anna had by now appeared and I was changing bottles and restocking much quicker than I had been previously.
Quick five minutes...
Run
After 28hr 29min I finally climbed off my bike for the last time and began to prepare for the run. It was a warm sunny day by now and the first few laps were really enjoyable. There were 76 off road laps to cover, half a lap gradually climbing and the other half descending towards the lake. I set off running continuously as I felt so good, but remembering how I had felt at Lanzarote a few months earlier I forced myself to start walking all the inclines.
A balanced diet of sugar and caffeine.
Anna and Brian did a great job of keeping me fed and hydrated and eventually set up my own aid station table which I could use every lap. I had a mixture of every kind of food available throughout the run, and went through phases of wanting certain foods and avoiding others. The main concern was to maintain a constant supply of easily absorbed calories with the hot meals providing the most important feeds.As the laps were so short I eventually had the chance to see more competitors on the course, from my race and the other events. From late afternoon onwards the Deca and Quintruple athletes started to appear on the run course to begin yet another marathon, and one of these was Anthony Gerundini who I had previously met at the Lanzarote Double. He would eventually win the Quintruple event. Another athlete from Lanzarote was Chris Ette who was behind me but running consistently with a very good support crew (his mum!). He was Eddie Ette’s son, an experienced ultra-endurance athlete and an ex Royal Marine so he was a real threat.
During the first marathon.
I ate lunch and the evening meal while I walked, partly as I felt good but also to prevent my legs becoming stiff. By evening I was in first place as one had dropped out and a couple had gone to their tents for a rest. As evening came I gradually put more layers on and started to use my head torch as the run navigated down some rough tracks and through some woods with barely a trail to follow. Because of the uneven terrain, tree roots, mud, puddles and complete lack of light the course was the slowest one I had ever run. I also twisted my ankle on a tree root which gradually began to become very painful. Any ideas of a fast finishing time were by now completely out of the question and I was already hours behind my target schedule.
With Brian at meal time.
The sky gradually clouded over and eventually it began to rain. I had a huge variety of clothing with me so I was prepared for as many changes as necessary, and I soon covered up with hat, gloves tights and waterproof top. Brian and Anna continued to ensure I had enough food and drink throughout the evening, and I was becoming more concerned about getting regular hot drinks whenever possible. I continued to feel comfortable until the early hours of Sunday morning when I gradually began to feel more tired and my legs started to stiffen up. This was the first time during the entire event I had really struggled and it deteriorated further over the next few hours.
I was forced to walk for much longer periods, and it was at this time another club mate – Chris Brobin – turned up to watch. He had recently moved to Bristol and was also a friend of Brian. I walked a lap with him at possibly the worst point in the race and remember slurring a load of incoherent bollocks during the time we were together.
Snack time - the rain would soon arrive.
I wasn’t sure what to do about my physical condition. I was continually eating and drinking, I felt warm and I was mentally very positive. My legs simply refused to work and I was hardly running at all. To compound things further, I could now feel every stone under my shoes which made running (and walking) absolute agony. The twisted ankle was now worse than ever and it was preventing me from dorsiflexing my foot properly. I was eventually provided some powerful painkillers by the medic but they didn’t seem to make any difference, and I was eventually reduced to a walk.
The caterers were scheduled to provide breakfast at 7am so I decided at around 6am to have a short rest before I had a proper feed. I limped to my tent and had about 30 minutes rest. Again, I didn’t seem to sleep but I felt so exhausted I just needed to switch off for a while. I then returned to the course and shuffled around another lap before disappearing into the catering tent. I sat for a while and had as much hot food as possible including at least three bowls of porridge. I then filled my flask with sweet coffee and resumed racing.
Soaked!
By now the weather was getting worse. The temperature had dropped, the wind had picked up considerably and it was continually raining much harder than the night before (this was the same day as the Bala middle distance triathlon which was severely affected by the weather).
Refueling for the hundredth time...
Initially I felt as bad as before but I gradually began to pick up. The legs began to work. I didn’t feel every stone beneath me, the ankle pain subsided and I was able to run for longer periods. By now everyone was piss wet through - including all the helpers - and it was a case of dressing appropriately and maintaining hot fluids. The course was now waterlogged and deep in mud at the bottom end of the course which slowed progress even further, and the wind was so strong the organisers were forced to deflate the finish gantry. I was by now covered head to toe in several layers and never once felt cold. I was therefore amazed to see people on the course still dressed in vests and T shirts looking absolutely frozen and barely moving.
Second day of running, soaked through.
I soon learned I was down to second place as Chris Ette had overtaken me while I had rested during the night. For the next few hours we were never further than one or two laps apart from each other, and at times we ran together. I was feeling 100% better than I had during the night and was lapping as fast as I had been the previous day. Chris was running well and it was a real motivator to have him so close. I still wanted to win but it became apparent that the only way this would happen would be if one of us snapped. I’m sure he realised the same thing and consequently the remaining laps involved us shadowing each other, beating each other into the corners and dropping each other at the aid station. It was a real buzz and I was really enjoying the surreal nature of the whole situation: we had started racing over 48 hours ago and neither of us was prepared to roll over.
Life saving hot soup in the last hour
I had by now received more painkillers and was consuming regular hot tea and coffee. There was also someone Anna had met at Club la Santa watching the event who lived nearby. Before I knew it they had returned home to bring a flask of hot tomato pasta soup to share out. I ran two laps drinking it and it was the best race fuel I’ve ever had. I also changed my clothes as they had become wet despite the waterproofs.
Last few miles with a change of clothes.
I never closed the gap on Chris, and eventually he began his last lap. Everyone was required to complete their last lap in the reverse direction to greet the other competitors, and it was great to see him approach. As he passed I congratulated him and he called me a twat which was a fair comment. One lap later it was my turn and I ran the entire lap, something I hadn’t managed since the first few miles the previous morning. I felt much better than I had at the end of the Lanzarote Double which is something I still don’t understand. I finally crossed the line in 53hr 23min to be met by Steve Haywood and Eddie Ette (who had probably had less sleep than me). After a few seconds getting my head together Brian and Anna came over and we quickly made our way into the warmth of the catering tent.
The P2 having a well-earned rest - note the rear light integrated into the seatpost.
After some more hot food Anna bundled me into the tent under a couple of duvets and put some snacks and drinks next to me. She and Brian had to return home so basically ensured I was self-sufficient for the next few hours. I was completely finished - mentally and physically - but it was an understandable fatigue rather than the total shutdown I experienced at Lanzarote. I then spent the rest of the afternoon drifting in and out of sleep before finally reaching a deep sleep later that night.
Reflection
The race was very well run in difficult conditions, and Enduroman again proved to be the real deal in ultra-endurance triathlon organisation.
The day after - up yours Weightwatchers!
I was happy with my performance but was not sure what happened during the early hours of the second night. I think I paced the race correctly and dressed appropriately throughout. As I was constantly feeding throughout the race, and always felt adequately warm, it was hard to pinpoint what made me feel so bad and what reversed the situation so quickly. Apart from the painkillers, I think the main factor was the hot breakfast and soup during the final morning. The only period where there was no hot food supplied was during the night, and this is when I suffered. Over one night this is manageable but by the second night – especially in wet weather – I believe the body needs hot calories to maintain adequate endorphin levels.
Iron cankle.
For my future ultra-distance events there are three main priorities I believe can maximise performance and minimise time wasting: eat and drink as many hot calories as possible from the outset, ensure there is a support crew if possible and increase running mileage in training. For an Ironman I firmly believe cycling is the priority throughout the preparation. However, once you start racing ultras where the minimum run distance is 52 miles (in this case 78 miles) you simply can’t run that distance unless there is a certain amount of running miles in the legs. I had modified my bike training after Lanzarote to spend more time at mid-high end aerobic intensity and this resulted in a much higher position on the bike. I therefore think I would approach training for future ultra-triathlons with a ratio of 50% running, 40% cycling and 10% swimming.
As in Lanzarote I had used my training shoe, a road version of the Brooks Adrenaline. I had assumed the route around the lake would be similar to Sale or Chorlton Water Parks but I was way off the mark. To provide more grip and give me more protection from rocky ground, in future off road races I will use the trail version of the same shoe. You live and learn.
As in Lanzarote I had used my training shoe, a road version of the Brooks Adrenaline. I had assumed the route around the lake would be similar to Sale or Chorlton Water Parks but I was way off the mark. To provide more grip and give me more protection from rocky ground, in future off road races I will use the trail version of the same shoe. You live and learn.
Thanks to Anna and Brian for helping during the event.
Race details here: http://www.enduroman.com/uk/
