Team Men's Fitness

UTMB on Eurosport

2011-10-02T22:04:00.001+01:00

Great to see the race on the TV. Amazing.

Trials of the UTMB 2011

2011-09-10T14:12:00.001+01:00

By Darren Roberts

2245hrs Friday 26 August. I pulled the 2XU calf compression socks from the neatly presentedpackaging, having only worn them once before to test they fitted. I had argued with myself about wearing something new and untested, but talked myself out of my paranoia. What can go wrong? I convinced myself. it's only Lycra. Famous last words.

My Salomon ¾ length tights already on and adjusted, I pulled on the 2XU’s. Yep, nice andsnug. Not too tight, not too loose. These will do just fine I thought. The UTMB had been delayed from 1830hrs to 1130hrs and with 45 minutes to go, my friends and I were suiting up for the big taskahead. All happy, we took the chance tophotograph ourselves in a clean and uninjured state and stepped out of the doorto take our place on the start line. I say ‘on’ the start line, we wereactually 1600 people back from the actual line but what’s a few places betweenfriends. We all ran through the streets of Chamonix. An incredibly emotional start and alongside the finish, one of the reasons people return for this race.

All went well for the first 50 miles. It had rained andsnowed for most of the first half of the race, so immersion foot pain maskedany other injury. I changed socks, grabbed a bite to eat at Cormayeur andcracked on. About 60 miles in (at Refuge Bonatti for those that know thecourse), I became aware of a sensation that can only be described as a‘bubbling in my shin muscles’. I can’t think of any other way to describe thefeeling and I distinctly remember telling a friend I was running with, JoeGale, but chose to ignore it. A medic patchedup a large underfoot blister caused by the immersion foot. She did such a goodjob, it felt like I had new feet. Pleased as punch, I bombed it down to thenext checkpoint at Arnuva as if it was a 10k personal best. I felt good but pain had slowly started to creepinto my shins. My big toe nails had detached themselves too but that was okay. It was a usual occurrence for these types of race, so I ignored them best I could.

The next leg was a big climb up Col Du Ferret. A beast of anascent which deserved an extra banana as we exited the cosy checkpoint atArnuva. It was getting cold and evening was drawing close on this now 2^ndday. My thoughts however were transferring to the increasing pain in my shin.‘No way’ I thought. ‘No way was my attempt at this race going to disrupted by abit of shin pain’. I was convinced theblisters had caused me to transfer pressure on to my ankles and initiate theshin pain. Reaching the top of Col DuFerrett, I popped a Voltarol and 2 more painkillers. ‘Here we go’ I laughed ‘Downhill, just theremedy for painful shins – not!’.

Night fell and we cracked on for another 10miles. The pain got steadily worse. It felt like someone had taken a baseballbat, swung out in a large arc and bought it smashing down on my shins. Istopped on the dark wooded ascent to Champex Lac and trained my headtorch downto my legs and decided to triage the situation, running slowly through everysingle thing that could have gone wrong. My blistered feet were now fine. A couple more toenailshad come off but I’d run enough ultras to shrug that sort of pain off. Mythighs were in good shape - my training very much geared towards downhillpressure following my first successful but injured attempt at the UTMB. Myknees were in top condition. What was it? What was causing shin pain? I’d neverhad this before... I’d never.... had... this... before...

I hit me. Square between the eye balls. The ruddy 2XU calf compression socks! I immediately checked my feet to find they wereswollen. Nothing new for an ultramarathon, but it could indicate somethingwrong with either the trainers or something else. I took my trainers and socksoff. It was then I noticed the uncharacteristic ridge of swelling on my ankle –just under the place where the 2XU’s stopped. I lifted the seal up.

It was like opening a can of Pepsi. A sudden release ofpressure. A rush of fluid to and from my feet. I stared in amazement. Thedamned 2XU entrance seals were not expanding with the swelling of myultramarathon legs and for 30 hours they had slowly created a tourniquet effectacross the back and front of my leg. I tested this by pressing the front of theshin. It was like prodding a bruised bone and it bloodyhurt. My anger at the sheer stupidity of trying something new was palpable.This turned to disbelief that a product as simple as this could cause so muchgrief. I yanked the 2XU’s off and aggressively shoved them to the darkestcorner of my race pack.

I stared out over the blackened mountain range,following the trail of headtorches winding its way up to my position. Right,I’ve found the cause, crack on and finish the race - and fast. I’d saved energyin the last 20 miles through the nursing of the shin pain and now I had beansto burn. A lot of beans to burn

I must have jumped ahead by 200 places by dawn, with what seemed like new legs. I felt good. At this rate I could be looking at a top 150-200placing. Sub-35 hours. Now that would be fantastic. Joe Gale had stayed with mefor the painful miles. I urged him to crack on but he was glad for the steadypace and reasoned that we could couldn’t go that fast anyway in the dark andmist. Now I was pushing the pace with my new legs which he gladly respondedto. I'd first met Joe on the Jungle Marathon in Brazil and at 27 years old, he was 12 years younger than me and a strong runner. Wepushed on.

30 miles to go. It was going well. Painkillers were maskingall sorts of niggles but I was fine with that. I only ever take pills duringraces and they're a necessary evil in my eyes, making 100 miles slightly easierto bear. To my disappointment though,the pain was returning to my shins and it was worse than ever. At the nextcheckpoint I swung my legs up onto a medical table and explained the situationin embarrassingly-bad French to the medic. She nodded and was joined by twomore doctors. Yes, they all agreed. The 2XU’s were to blame and they haddamaged my tendons which were now reeking vengeance by inflaming. I told them there was absolutely no way I wasstopping, so they pulled out the Kinetic tape and strapped me up as best theycould. I swung off the medical table, grabbed my gear and within 10 minutes, Joeand I were on our way.

It was freezing leaving Champex Lac but we ran to warmourselves up, our muscles complaining from the rude awakening. The next 30 miles were hell. Hell with abeautiful view. We reached Trienttogether and looked up at the last climb. There was a chance we could make itto the end in 36 hours. My shins felt bad but our pace was ok. We tackled thelast climb with vengeance and made the top in good time. As soon as the summitbegan to flatten, my legs just went to pieces. I could just about walk. Thepain was unbelievable. I told Joe to crack on and leave me to it. No way was Igoing to be responsible for him not reaching in sub-40. He was reluctant to do this, and I thanked himkindly for offering to stay with me but no, I was adamant, “Go, or I’ll punchyou”. He laughed and ran on.

I looked ahead. The last 15 miles of this race was going tobe a nightmare. I’d lost my painkillers (along with my passport but that’sanother story), so no reprieve. ‘Get a grip and move yourself Roberts’. Thedownhill switchbacks to Vallorcine were tough. I rolled into Vallorcine 4 hoursahead of the cut-off time. Joe’s girlfriend Amanda helped me to the med tentbut they couldn’t do anything and had no more tape. I downed a pint of Coke,smiled ‘oh well’ to Amanda, and cracked on.

3 miles down the track, the race nearly ended for me. I wasmoving at less than 1km per hour now and I really didn’t think I could make it.The sun was beating down. I lifted my dirty face towards it and sworeloudly. Not this near. I’m not giving up this close. How can I make it to theend like this? God knows. I couldn’t physically move my legs going downhill. because the movement created too much front-leg pain. Drastic measures were called for. I sat down, drank half a litre of water, rammed a gel in, scoffed a Mulebar, swore very loudly again and then had a very stern, quiet word with myself.Onwards.

Once again, my Gipron Ultra Light poles carried me intoArgentiere checkpoint. The applause and cheers from the crowd were a welcomebut an embarrassing reminder that I looked like Forrest Gump on crutches. Arepeat of 2009. Damn, I do not want to be known as ‘Mr Sticks’ everytime I dothis race! In 2009 I pulled my thighmuscle 8 miles from the end but made it back on my poles again. Little did Iknow but I was being filmed by a camera crew and to my astonishment had astarring role at the end of the official race DVD. So much so, that about 15people came up to me during the race and told me they had seen me and congratulated me for finishing. So, here I was again. On crutches. Limping into the finish. ‘Mr-Flippin-Sticks’. The shame of it.

I left Argentiere and knew I’d never give up this race.Never. You’d have to fight me first.

Only 8 miles to go. 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... Jesus whenwould this end. I cursed 2XU over and over again. I had taken 6 hours to move 8miles. 6 long, dusty, hot and painful hours. My very good friend Andrew ‘Bullet’James ran out from Chamonix to meet me with 2 miles to go. Needless to say helaughed at me from a distance and in a reminder to our Army days, shouted, “Moveit Roberts, what are you taking your time for!”. It was good to see him. I have to admit I was close to tears by now. I dug in and Bullet shouted at me to get thepace right and move faster. I responded by telling him to Foxtrot Oscar butknew he was right. Left, right, left, right. 1.5 miles.... 1 mile to go...

I could hear the Chamonix crowds now. We reached a road andI looked at my watch. 3 hours until cut-off. I’d made it to Chamonix. 1 mile togo through town and to the finish line. I knew from 2009 that the last mile ofcrowds would give you some of the best moments of your life. I crossed theriver and the cheers started. Joe and Amanda were there too, Joe havingfinished 6 hours earlier. I was very pleased and proud for him. They looked at me and Joeapologised for leaving me. ‘Shut up old boy’ I said ‘You did good’.

I looked past them, up the road and started to concentrateon the last mile. It was like the end of the Tour Du France. Crowds shouting ‘BonCourage’ and ‘Allez’ poured into the street ahead of us. It took all mystrength to hold the tears back. Tears of relief, joy and pain. I soaked it upand tap, tap, tap, my sticks led the tune to the finish.

Rounding the bend to the last 100 metres was amazing. Emotionflowed. Vangelis’s Conquest of Paradise pounding through the noise from thecrowd made me forget about all of the pain. I crossed the line. 170km in 43:49:26. 8 hours slower than my target but by god, I’ve never been so pleasedin all my life. I stood on the finishmat and looked back towards other runners coming in. We’re all bonkers, Iconcluded. Amanda got me an ice-cream. A blueberry tradition for me now. Damn it tasted good. I collected my finishers fleece gilet andhobbled through the last of the crowds. The UTMB 2011 was over.

2 weeks on, I’ve lost four toe nails, most of the toes are dead, only started walkingproperly 5 days ago and still, STILL, my tendons are painful from those damn 2XUcompression socks. The question on my mind: When does a compression sock becomea tourniquet? Answer: I'll need to ask 2XU after I finish telling myself off for trying something new on one of the hardest races in the world. What a pillock.

What a race though. I’m becoming more and more obsessed withit. Obsessed with the distance and the courage displayed from every singlerunner, whether they complete it or not. Obsessed with the reality that you DO need to do the training. Obsessedwith the atmosphere and the incredible organisation and support from The NorthFace and Chamonix. I’m utterly convinced with the fact that you DO need to sacrificesome things in order to get ready for this race and you DO need to display aform of courage that you will never quite find elsewhere.

I tip my hat to Journet, Wolfe, Bragg, Hawker, Chaigneau and all of the top runners who can nail this event in sub-25 hours. Ican’t quite comprehend it. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how they do itbut one day I vow I’ll come Top 50.

Viva la UTMB.

Great video http://ow.ly/6kGQo

Photos to follow. A big thank you to all those who followed the race and supported me. You helped more than you know. Finally, to my wife and friends. My wife Sarah's father died on Mont Blanc, so it is with great worry that she watches this race and I thank her for not making a massive deal about me running the same ground. To Bullet, Joe and Amanda - thank you chaps. True friends.

UTMB kit list & pictures

2011-02-11T22:50:00.004Z

Chamonix weather can be beautiful but it can also be brutal. The race is in August and mountain weather at this time of year is very temperamental. If you are Killian Journet or Jezz Bragg and nailing the course in 20 hours, it is likely that you'll have the very minimum of kit to see you through a day of running. If you are like me, a normal bloke, you are probably looking for 35-45 hour finish time. That means two nights and two days of running. So, at the very worst, imagine yourself in a storm from the starter gun to the finish line, and then slap on top of that, 28,000ft of height change and possible snow - for two days. That will help you determine your kit requirements if nothing else. Prepare for the worst.

It's very easy to convince yourself to save weight in this race. It's even easier to ditch warm kit, saying to yourself "I won't need that, it's lovely and sunny in Chamonix today" or "Nah, I'll be running fast as a 'happy antelope in Salomons' and will be boiling". Now, that of course is your choice and far be it from me to try to convince you otherwise but I would recommend you take some essential items.

Here's a list of stuff I took:

Headtorch: Make sure you have spare batteries (mine ran out on the 2nd night).

Water/windproof jacket: Lightweight but sturdy enough to take on a weather change. I nearly took a Montane Lightweight Smock and I'm glad I swapped that for something slightly heavier and more water-resistant.

Compression tights/socks: A lot of runners had the socks. I used mine in the last 30 miles and it made a difference to muscles that had been thrown around for the last few hours.

Shorts/t-shirt: Each to their own on this. I personally found that a slightly longer pair of shorts than my budgie-smuggling running shorts were more useful in weather changes and limited chaffing. Tech-t's are also good at getting rid of moisture. Watch the Helly Hensens though. Although they are fantastic tops they can tend to wick away warmth when it's cold.

Socks: A spare pair.

Laces: I always take a spare pair. Simple, but being without them can ruin your race

Rucksack: If you haven't bought one yet, make sure you don't get a big one. I ran with one Berghaus issued us and it could hold seven litres (+4 expanded). That was enough. It depends how you want to tackle this race really. If you are aiming to plod at a constant pace that gets you through CPs on time and brings you in bang on 46 hours, then you may not care about a nice, slim and lightweight rucksack. I'm running the UTMB 2011, and have been eyeing the North Face sacks worn by Mike Wolfe and Jezz Bragg last year. The buckle system at the front look good for stabilising the sack. See it here

Poles: Before this race I was a defiant-hater of poles. Fortunately I took some advice from a couple of french chaps in Chamonix and made a last minute purchase of some foldable Gipron ultra light poles. I didn't employ them until 60-miles but thank the stars I did. They are leg savers and essential in this race. See the poles here

Hat: Baseball hat and a warm beanie. Probably only needed a beanie but the peak on the baseball hat did keep the sun off.

Gloves: A lightweight pair and a just-in-case item, but I did use them. They are also very useful at avoiding pole-use blisters.

Warm top: I didn't pack one in for the first 50 miles but decided to leave one in my drop-bag at Cormayeur, and I'm glad I did. Tiredness during the second night and a temperature drop left me damn freezing and I was really grateful to have a v. lightweight TNF top.

Mobile phone: (mandatory)

A few Euros: You shouldn't get lost but if you do, it's easy to forget you are 80-miles from home in a foreign country. A few euros might buy you something useful. help you out.

Whistle: (mandatory)

Painkillers: Voltarol and codeine saw me through nicely, although watch the dosage when you are tired. There are loads of aid staff available so you don't need a portable ambulance in your pack.

Food: I was utterly amazed at the amount of food provided by the event. The checkpoints had buffets of soup, cheese (yes, loads of brie!), biscuits, cake, fruit, water etc etc. I'd tuck some emergency rations, nuts/sweets/gels/powders in the bag but don't load yourself down too much with food. I probably had too much (see photo below). Natural food is better too – 2 days on processed sugary shit can leave you a little furry tongued. Be very careful of caffeine supplements, as too much can leave you properly wired. I would advise taking salt tablets though – Nuun are great – one tube should do.

Hydration: Bladders are good but you can't see how much liquid you have left. The water bottles you can strap to the front of your sack/body are good. Again, each to their own. I used a combination of both.

Humour: Pack a ruddy large packet of humour. You'll need it for the some of the last mountain climbs ;-)

DROP BAG. You get the chance to leave a drop-bag at the half-way point at Cormayeur. This needs careful thought. The bag is big enough to take on a whole outfit change if you want. I'd suggest a gel/nuts/powder replenishment, a sock change and a t-shirt change. You may want to throw in some bits like chaffing cream and sunscreen too. Take this opportunity to prepare yourself for another 60 miles. Again, there will be loads of hot food available.

CHECKPOINTS: Don't lull yourself into a nice long rest at CPs. In my view an ultra is all about taking part and completing it but all of us have the desire to get a good placement. If you treat your checkpoints with care, you can jump ahead of hundreds of runners during the race. What I'm trying to say is, don't treat checkpoints as picnic areas – get in and get out. As well as getting you through the race quicker, it's good for your morale.

Grabbing an early place at the start line

Why poles are good... Incredible valley views...

You need a headtorch

Indication of some of the climbs

Help at hand en route...

Scanning in at checkpoints..

Bundles of first aid supplies at CPs

More hills...

A celebratory ice cream at the finish!

Snapshot of the kit

Chia what?

2011-02-10T11:36:00.000Z

Born to Run mentioned that the Tarahumara tribe used Chia seeds in their diet to help their running performance. Bonkers I thought, but being a person who doesn't like knocking things before I've tried them myself, I bought some.

A packet of tiny poppy-like seeds arrived and I set about making the gloopy frog-spawn-like substance. Days later, as all the runners were preparing for the start of the Lakeland 50, I stood in the pouring rain glugging my homemade concoction (sans sugar/lemon). It seemed utterly ridiculous to be doing this instead of noshing on a tasty cookies-and-cream protein bar. Ten minutes later - we were off. God knows if it was the seeds, but my first 22 miles were run fast with the front group, something I never do, and it felt damn good. If it wasn't for a major attack of the cramps clouding an otherwise good day, I would have said that the chia seeds played their part. They definitely had an effect. Not sure what and maybe it was psyco-somatic, who knows.

Anyway, thought I'd share a few resources on these supposedly magic seeds. Try them.

Buying them: http://www.chia4uk.com/ You can buy off Amazon but its more expensive (P&P is double on Chia4UK though)
Making them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k3FnTFiKsw&NR=1
Runners videos on seeds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHfGAdBpr7s&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Izgd_Fx0A

"I cut my balls off because they got in my way"

2011-01-29T11:42:00.006Z

Ironman vs. Ultra-runner. Brilliant video from James Adams @ www.runningandstuff.com (tweet from @PolarOliver )

Is £24 for an 8-mile off-roader justifiable?

2011-01-29T10:43:00.014Z

By Darren Roberts

I ran the GRIM Challenge for the 4th time a couple of weekends ago. The race has grown in popularity since if first started and I remember racing against 100's in the first race over 6 years ago. Now there are thousands of people of all levels of fitness.

This year was more about encouraging my younger brother to get off his arse. At the age of 37 he's out-of-shape. He did it and it was good to see other people out and getting fitter but it occurred to me half way round that this is one hell of an expensive fun run - £24 for an off-road 8 miler. Now that is an expensive gig considering any decent running club hosts similar races and charges around a fiver! Lets say about 5000-7000 people signed up to race The Grim - that's £120,000 - 168,000. OMFG!

The finishers bag didn't exactly match up to the price either - a t-shirt, a plastic water bottle, a small protein bar and an energy powder sachet. Compare this to the Helly Hensen Adventure Series and it pales into insignificance - baseball cap, t-shirt, lots of different food bars, stickers etc etc.

My point: Is this taking advantage of the 2-times-per-year-not-so-fit wannabee-fit-person? Damn right it is.

I paid to race The Grim this time but no more. That fee is the same price as a yearly membership at the local athletics club - The Fleet and Crookham Athletics Club, a place with like-minded people where you can improve/run Tues, Thurs and weekend - that's roughly 100-150 times for the same damn price as 1 day at The Grim.

#StopTakingAdvantageOfRunners

Ultra reflection

2011-01-25T12:35:00.002Z

Not sure why, but this piece of music from The Cinematic Orchestra seems like the perfect track to reflect on 100-miles just run...

UTMB registration is open

2010-12-23T19:49:00.004Z

If you are thinking "Shall I do it?" Go for it. Best decision you will ever make.

Here is some more on registration

UTMB: UK Qualifying Races

2010-10-17T14:15:00.021+01:00

Posted by: Darren Roberts

Source: UTMB website 17/10/10.

Race	Distance	Elevation	Points
AFOOT IN TWO DALES	81km	1700m+	2
ATLANTIC COAST CHALLENGE	125km	???	1
BEACONS ULTRA	72km	1700m+	1
CAESAR'S CAMP 100 MILE ULTRARACE	161km	4600m+	3
CAESAR'S CAMP 50 MILE ULTRARACE	81km	2300m+	1
CALEDONIAN CHALLENGE	87km	2500m+	2
CLASSIC QUARTER	70km	2090m+	2
COAST CHALLENGE	160km	10000m+	3
COUNTRY TO CAPITAL	72km	525m+	1
DEVIL O THE HIGHLANDS	69km	2500m+	1
DORSET DODLE	53km	1400m+	1
DRUID CHALLENGE RIDGEWAY	132km	1615m+	1
EAGLE ISLE ULTRA	120km	???	2
HARDMOORS 110 ULTRA	177km	5900m+	4
HIGH PEAK 40 MILE CHALLENGE	65km	1067m+	1
KARRIMOR MOUNTAIN MARATHON	80km	2500m+	1
LAKELAND 100	161km	6300m+	4
LAKELAND 50	81km	3350m+	2
LDWA 100	161km	4030m+	4
LONDON TO BRIGHTON	90km	1480m+	2
LYKE WAKE RACE	67km	1200m+	1
MALVERN HILLS ULTRA	83km	1200m+	2
MONTANE HIGHLAND "FLING" RACE	85km	2592m+	2
OLD COUNTY TOPS	60km	3000m+	2
ONER (THE JURASSIC COAST)	125km	0m+	2
OXFAM TRAILTREKKER	100km	2400m+	2
OXFAM TRAILWALKER	100km	2755m+	2
RELENTLESS PENNINE CHALLENGE 100	161km	10000m+	4
RIDGEWAY CHALLENGE	137km	2740m+	3
ROUND THE ISLAND	111km	735m+	1
ROUND THE ROCK	76km	1000m+	1
ROWBOTHAM'S ROTHERHAM ROUND	81km	785m+	1
SENI EXTREME 200	322km	2000m+	4
SOUTH DOWNS WAY RACE	164km	4145m+	4
SPAR COAST	168km	5000m+	3
THAMES MEANDER	87km	???	1
THAMES PATH ULTRA	80km	???	1
THAMES TROT	80km	240m+	1
THE BOB GRAHAM ROUND	116km	8230m+	4
THE BULLOCK SMITHY KIKE	90km	2460m+	2
THE FELLSMAN	100km	3500m+	3
THE LONGMYND HIKE	81km	2400m+	2
THE PILGRIM CHALLENGE	106km	???	1
TOWN2TRING - TRING2TOWN	128km	200m+	2
WELSH ONE DAY ULTRA MARATHON SERIES, THE BLACK MOUNTAINS	48km	2130m+	1
WELSH ONE DAY ULTRA MARATHON SERIES, THE BRECON BEACONS	64km	2860m+	2
WEST HIGHLAND WAY RACE	161km	4499m+	4

NB. it's worth checking this page to see the list of past years qualifying races.

(If anyone knows the elevation of those missed out, leave a comment please)

Post-UTMB interviews

2010-09-04T08:09:00.005+01:00

Some nice interviews from irunfar.com

Jez Bragg Mike Wolfe Lizzie Hawker Scott Jurek

UTMB - as it finished

2010-08-29T10:49:00.007+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Been following a few mates all weekend - they did an incredible job. From a selection of people en route tweeting/blogging, here's what happened in the midst of all the confusion (as far as I can tell anyway):

The full race (166km/103miles) was cancelled at Col de la Seigne due to severe weather and landslide http://bit.ly/bpzE3U Everyone was bused back to Chamonix and 1300 selected to run a mini-UTMB the following day at 10am - starting from Cormayeur. http://bit.ly/9G9jTe

A lot of unhappy people but generally recognised that safety comes first. A few of the North Face guys properly upset from disappointment http://bit.ly/9lEFM1 (Check the muscle strapping - amazing) The weather was grim. One lead runner of the CCC rolled in with mild hypothermia! Here's a video of the organisers explaining why the race was cancelled http://bit.ly/9lpKlE

The restart route course followed that of the CCC, which happens every year in addition to the full course and starts at Cormayeur. It is 98km (60miles). The weather at the start was pretty good, sun was out, but in patches throughout the day it continued to be uber-shite. Here's a vid of the start http://bit.ly/cVex4o Check out the cloud level and snow in the background. Reports of snow down as low as 2000-2500 metres during the night looked to be true.

Some of the elite runners, such as Killian Journet, who won the full route last year - opted not to run the shorter route. In the end, Jez Bragg won in 10:30:37, 8 minutes ahead of Mike Wolfe (fellow runner from the jungle). Lizzie Hawker won for the 3rd time - making it a double Brit win (11:47:30). Ace. Here's Jez's pre-race interview http://bit.ly/JezBraggUTMB. Here's mid-race video http://bit.ly/c7SZiz and here's a video of Mike & Jez at the end http://bit.ly/a0SCdl (Incredible effort Mike!) As you can see - the end of this race is unbelievable in terms of spectator support - it's also like that for the normal people amongst us too. You've got to experience it - its amazing.

So, here's how Alex and Nick faired on their first trip to the best race in the world:

Nick 'I have a permanent smile' Wright, and a mate called Joe Gale ran together and finished together. Results put these guys across the finish line in 18:18:17 & 18:18:18 - 434th and 435th. Damned excellent effort Nick. Here's a breakdown of your race http://utmb.livetrail.net/coureur.php?type=dossard&rech=3944

As for Mr Alex 'the student who runs like a horse' Bamford, he had a cracker too. He got to the 1st checkpoint in 568th position. He finished in 208th and 101st in his category (23-39yrs). Supreme effort. He crossed the line in 16:06:34. Here's your journey http://utmb.livetrail.net/coureur.php?type=dossard&rech=4160 Brilliant.

TNF post-race press conference

2010-08-28T09:11:00.000+01:00

http://uk.thenorthface.com/blog/winners-press-conference-the-north-face-athletes

UTMB starts at Cormayeur

2010-08-28T08:44:00.000+01:00

Race starts again but reduced to 1300 runners

http://uk.thenorthface.com/blog/

UTMB Cancelled!

2010-08-28T08:41:00.003+01:00

Severe weather and land slide at Col de la Seigne force cancellation. http://www.irunfar.com/tag/ultra-trail-du-mont-blanc

More in depth article here: http://www.irunfar.com/2010/08/exciting-utmb-cancelled-or-not.html

Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc 2010 has started

2010-08-27T21:03:00.004+01:00

By Darren Roberts

It's hard not to feel very jealous of the folks starting the race today. The UTMB is possibly one of the biggest physical and mental experiences of your life. It was awesome last year. 106 miles with 28000 feet of ascent, passing through 3 countries - France > Italy > Switzerland > France. Jaw-dropping scenery.

My thoughts go out to 5 people today: Alex Bamford - my team-mate on The Jungle Marathon, Nick Wright - a fellow-runner from The Namibian 24-hour Ultra, Andrew 'Bullet' James - an old Army buddy, Tracy Garneau and Mike Wolfe - fellow runners on The Jungle Marathon, who also race for The North Face. All top, top people.

2 hours + ago, they all started the UTMB 2010. Mike and Tracy spoke about the race on a bit of content that The North Face published. Click here to view the video

My thoughts however linger on Alex and Bullet. Alex texted me today to say that he had woken up this morning with some sort of fever and didn't feel at all well. Didn't sound good but could just be 'race fever' I guess. Whatever it is - 106 miles with the flu is shite - he's hard though - hope he's still going..

The other is Bullet. He's nails. He's also a proper old school gent and a bit of a loon. He came 1st in the Lakeland 50 this year in a quite stunning time of 7hrs 46mins (or something like that anyway - awesome). He went to Chamonix a few weeks ago to 'test' the route out - and ended up pulling a muscle or something. He's gone dark since and I have no idea if he started today... but his aim is to beat the British record of 24 hours or something.

Who knows.... we will in 30-20 hours or so.... I remember last years race, thinking "I've been running for 2 days and folks back home have got up, done a days of stuff and gone to bed twice"

They'll start the race to this Conquest of Paradise

North Face Single Track shoe

2010-08-26T09:18:00.003+01:00

Darren Roberts

I race on Salomon XT Wings and have been thinking about swapping to the SLAB for a while. Having said that, when we raced the Jungle, Mike Wolfe and Tracy Garneau were trialling the new North Face Single Track shoe. It looked more like a trainer but they did well and rated them. Here's Tophur Gaylord talking about them. The main reason I chose this video, was the great scenes of the UTMB. It really is like that (when it's sunny/clear of course).

http://uk.thenorthface.com/tnf-uk-en/explore/videos/#/1148

Namibia 24 hour Ultra 2009 - The Video

2010-02-23T18:45:00.010Z

By Darren Roberts

Click here to see it on YouTube

Namibia Ultra : Medical Factsheets

2010-02-19T22:39:00.000Z

Posted by Darren Roberts

Amy Hughes, Across The Divide's Doctor, has kindly prepared the following fact-sheets on reducing the risk of medical problems from endurance racing:

Part I - Over-hydration Part II - Heat-related illness

Jungle Marathon Cameramen release teaser

2010-02-10T22:32:00.001Z

http://joachim.tv/2009/11/jungle-marathon-promo-video/

UTMB signup now open

2009-12-29T10:23:00.002Z

By Darren Roberts

Pre-registration is open. You'll need 4 ultra points to sign up. If you haven't done this race before, you must. It's the best experience you'll ever encounter. The organisation is incredible, the crowds amazing and the distance is enough to totally do you in. It's an amazing journey.

http://www.autmb.com/utmbetp0.php?idcourse=utmb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmVwcQGR7hM

Here's a reminder of the course:

TMF - Jungle Marathon

2009-11-14T11:17:00.011Z

Jungle Marathon
Here are the daily videos from the race.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Nutrition

2009-11-06T21:43:00.010Z

We're back from the Amazon - just. Whilst we gather our thoughts to offer information that is useful to people like kit list and routes, I'd like to say thank you to the sponsors who have supported us in the last year. I do not overstate things when I say that the following products had a massive effect on our performance in the events on this blog.

High 5 A big thank you to High5. You have supported us in all events. I have been using 4:1 for years to help with endurance and we were very pleased when you agreed to support us. For this who have never used or heard of 4:1, I have added an overview here with information from High5 about the make-up of the product.

Click here to view a Triathlon guide (with product push of course but useful info in it)

Avatar running

2009-10-26T10:12:00.001Z

By Darren Roberts

I saw Avatar last night. It was jaw-dropping. The 3D effects, something I've never seen before, were astonishing. Many scenarios and situations were evident, and it had its share of cheesy moments. I'm not writing this to discuss those socio-political undertones but instead would like to draw on something else in the film, which may not have been noticed by people who don't share the love of running.

The main character of the film is called Jake Sully, a marine injured in combat and paralysed from the waist downward. Now that, to people like us, active and forever seeking the next trail, is a indescribable dread.

Jake gets the opportunity to transport his brain into an Avatar, which is a hybrid of the Na'vi, the indigenous people of the planet Pandora. In a Matrix-style mind transportation he is transferred to the Na'vi body - his Avatar - and while his human body sleeps he is a Na'vi, with a mission to mix with the Pandora tribes and learn their ways.

The first time he wakes as the Na'vi, he notices that instead of his atrophied leg muscles, he is now 8ft tall and strong and lean. More importantly, he's not physically impaired.

Now, three things entered my mind at this point. 1) How incredible would that be for a person in that situation in real-life; 2) how lucky are we, who daily take our mobility for granted and 3) the Internet allows this to happen in a virtual sense every day, albeit relatively statically at the moment.

When Jake wakes up in his new form, naturally the first thing he wants to do is get up, walk and run. He wobbles off the bed, out of the laboratory and outside into a lush landscape - and runs.

As sad as this sounds, I could have cried at this point. Not out of sadness or joy really but more from a deeper feeling of excitement. That feeling we all get when the endorphins kick-in during a run and produce a strange ear-to-ear grin and bright glazed eyes, were there on screen, in glorious 3D technicolor.

Running through the trees, digging his feet into dirt and bounding from one foot placement to another, I felt I was looking at myself for a short moment of time. Then I realised how ridiculous I must have looked grinning like an ape on acid, at a blue alien, whilst wearing a pair of 3D glasses which make Roy Orbison's spec's seem slim. (Which was further confirmed by my wife after the film.)

I settled into the film, but not before a last thought. We do that every day and I never want it to stop. I salute those who carry on with physical problems; they put people without impairment to utter shame. I humbly rejoice in the fact that some of us can and do run though.

I never want that feeling to stop. If we can run through the lush scenes in Avatar I'd be amazed, but for the time being, the green fields of England await, and they'll do just fine.

Next stop - The Jungle Marathon

2009-10-07T17:10:00.010+01:00

Been a hectic preparation. All that is left to say as we wait for TAM airways to take us to Brazil to run 166 miles through the Amazon, is thanks to all those who have supported this trip:

Berghaus, Mens Fitness, High5, Mule Bars, Eletewater, Garmin, Cotswolds, Dr J A De V and the ladies at Milestone Surgery, family and friends, Delaney Lund Knox Warren and those who have supported the fundraising at www.justgiving.com/teammensfitness-jungle .

Last but in no way least, my long suffering wife - I will be back.

Rumble in the Jungle

2009-09-27T20:57:00.016+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Whilst our new team mate Alex nailed a 160-mile rowing race around Lake Geneva -Tour du Léman à l'Aviron, Nick and I spent the weekend with Colin Towell, the survival expert. His job: to get us up to speed on the jungle and surviving in it - more specifically camp admin, hammock preparation, fire lighting and medical drills.

To say Colin is qualified is an understatement. He's trained the SAS, Navy Seals, Delta Force, Marine Commandos and pilots to name a few - and on top of that, put Richard Branson through his paces and worked alongside Ray Mears. Despite all that, Colin is very easy to get on with and comes across as a normal, switched-on bloke - although he did have that 'been through some shit' look in his eye.

We met him down in the New Forest, ensuring we were bang on time for our instructor. The training ground was in the woods as you would expect, and consisted of a HQ made from sheds and logs. He welcomed us with a cup of tea - or 'brew' in forces speak - and we spent the 1st hour sat around a well-established fire, introducing ourselves and talking about the Jungle Marathon safety and course.

After this we learnt 4 great knots - which were so damned good, I swore a little bit of wee came out in the excitement. Once they were mastered, we went through camp clearing and administration - then onto hammock setup using our new found knot skills.

The hammocks in question are made by a guy called Hennessy and as well as being amazingly designed with integrated fly sheet and mosy net, they are the choice of the Forces. Colin showed us how to fashion tent pegs from the wood around us, and before long we had successfully put a hammock up and dismantled it - a key skill at the end of a race in the midst of 100 other runners.

Colin's method for dealing with a 'No.2' in the field. "This is the way to wipe your backside with 1 sheet of tissue paper". (Photos: Tom Miles, www.photosmudger.co.uk)

Following that we ran through encountering dangerous creatures, and then covered foot and body administration. Rounding the day off with another brew, we bade farewell to Colin and his assistant 'Baldy Bob' (not an assistant in a skirt but a hard-as-nails ex-SAS soldier!). What a fantastic day. Colin was brilliant, and I look forward to the day when I can learn more from him. I just hope we can carry out our new found skills as well as he taught them to us. Bring on the jungle.

Colin has written a book. Click here to view:
The Survival Handbook
(in association with The Royal Marine Commandos)

Click to view a page from the book
All proceeds go to Help For Heroes.

Click here to see Colin Towell's website

Alex Bamford joins Team Men's Fitness

2009-09-25T07:44:00.003+01:00

Team Men's Fitness report on mensfitnessmagazine.com

To Salomon or not to Salomon

2009-09-14T22:09:00.009+01:00

By Darren Roberts

I've avoided Salomons up to now but can't find the reasons to any more. Maybe it was because too many people were wearing them, maybe its because I just hadn't worn Salomons before. Whatever the reasons, I've changed my mind. I raced the UTMB and the Lakeland 50 in Montrail Hardrocks and they were great - my only issue with them is the weight and also the high heel/sole which gave my calves alot of gip.

Anyway, they did me proud but they just weren't 100%. To seal my decision, I bumped into a chap called Mark Brooks half way through the UTMB - who raced the UTMB last year in Montrail Hardrocks and swapped them for the XT Wings - saying they were as comfortable if not more so, and worked for him in the Lakeland 100. Now, that for me is first-hand experience I can't ignore - especially from a Montrail fan such as myself.

So, for the next few weeks I'm trying them out:-

Salomon XT Wings

(backed-up by my ol Montrails of course. Thanks to Mark for the advice too - well done on the UTMB if you ever see this)

Useful review on the S-Lab version

UTMB timings are in

2009-09-14T07:17:00.000+01:00

Darren's Nick's

Vollebak reports in

2009-09-07T22:14:00.002+01:00

Nick & Steve aka Vollebak post their UTMB race report.

The next one ... The Jungle Marathon

2009-09-06T09:15:00.011+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Whilst we recuperate from the UTMB, our minds switch to the next race...

2004

Prerace
Stage 1 / Stage 2 / Stage 3 / Stage 4 / Stage 5 / Stage 6
Postrace

2007 (most non-english)
Stage 1 / Stage 2 /
Stage 3 / Stage 3a
Stage 4 / Stage 4.2
Stage 5.1 / Stage 5.2 / Stage 5.3 / Stage 5.4 / Stage 5.5 / Stage 5.6
Stage 5.7 / Stage 5.9 / Stage 5(end)
Stage 6

UTMB pics on Telegraph.co.uk

2009-09-02T20:42:00.002+01:00

Click here to view some photos on Telegraph.co.uk

Au revoir Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc

2009-09-01T23:16:00.020+01:00

By Darren Roberts

We're back. Whilst I collect my thoughts to post a story about our UTMB adventure - check the route out. It blew us away. 166km, 3 countries (France, Italy and Switzerland), 2300 competitors, of which 1238 finished (I'm luckily included in that). An elevation gain higher than that of Everest. It was more than we thought it would be. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I'll never go back - well - maybe once more ;-).

And while you watch it, open this in another tab as background music - it's the theme tune for the race. It plays as you start and its incredibly moving. The race organisers ask you to close your eyes and think about the courage you'll need. When you cross the finish line it's playing for you again. Quite emotional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWUD7M-Vf_Y

There's also a great fly-through here:
http://therunscout.com/2009/06/ultra-trail-du-mont-blanc/

Bonjour Chamonix

2009-08-24T22:24:00.002+01:00

By Darren Roberts

3 days until we go to Chamonix and 5 days until we start the race. I've got to be honest and say that I'm a little nervous. This is a big event. 46 hours to run 100 miles may sound a lot but mix it in with Alpine mountains and it becomes a monster of an adventure. In addition to that, the whole PR and administration machine that revolves around this adds that sprinkle of anticipation.

I'll be happy to finish this one. I'm happy to have achieved the points to qualify but if I crawl over the line in Chamonix, I'll be unashamedly in bits.

There is a little more to Chamonix than just the race though. My wife Sarah, lost her father to a climbing accident there when she was 2 years old. It has become a yearly pilgrimage to return and see him in the Chamonix cemetery. I'll think of him and his quests when I'm there, and how there is a large slice of selfishness in those of us who seek mad past times. More than anything though, I'll think of Sarah, and how the void of losing John as a dad has affected her, and promise that I'll return to thank her for being so damned patient with me. I wish she could be there to share the sunrise that will stretch across the mountain peaks and passes after 40 miles run. It's going to be incredible.

The Lakeland 50

2009-08-11T22:28:00.011+01:00

By Darren Roberts

I ran the Lakeland 50 last weekend. Its a 24 hour race through some of the Lake Districts favourite spots, and as the name suggests, its a 50-miler. I desperately needed this race to compete in the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc later this month, so there was a lot of pressure to complete it.

We started at 12pm on Saturday and fortunately the weather had cleared following a very wet night. This was the type of race that fields experienced ultra runners and I could feel it was going to be a tough one. Looking across the start line, I was slightly nervous and that in my book, is a good thing as it keeps you on your toes.

The first leg was fast. I kept up with the front group and felt great. The winner last year finished in 12:06 and at Checkpoint 1, I was 20 minutes ahead of this time. 3 miles into the next leg however It all started going wrong. Easing up the first big climb, I suddenly felt very strange. I realised I had hit a wall, and stopped to shove some sugar and electrolyte down my throat. Satisfied I had fixed the issue, I cracked on. That's when it happened. For the first time in my running career, I got the most severe cramps in my legs.

15 minutes later I was on my way again and for the next 10 miles suffered more crippling moments. The next checkpoint offered an easy way out but I couldn't give up. I had to finish this race. At this stage I didn't care if it took me the full 24 hours as long as I finished.

Scoffing salty food to try and calm my leg spasms, I shuffled and ran through the rest of the race, careful not to over-extend too much and risk pulling already tight muscles. I clawed back the time bit by bit, and as it started raining and turned dark, I was glad to see on the map that I only had 6 miles to go.

Wet and bruised, I stumbled down the last mile to Coniston with a big smile on my face and crossed the finish line in 12:38 and 32nd place. Who knows what it would have been without the cramps. Oh well, I was just glad to finish.

It was a hell of a race but an excellent course. The organisation and support were very good and I highly recommend the challenge. Once again, I met some really great people during the race, who are nothing short of inspiring. [Thank you to those who kept me going up the hills, it was a pleasure meeting you - Richard, Bob and Sandra.]

Since then, I've successfully managed to do absolutely nothing. I needed it but with 3 weeks to go to the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc, the trails are beckoning. No rest for a wannabe ultra runner I guess.

Scanned map of the route to follow shortly...

Classic Cliffs

2009-08-11T22:12:00.006+01:00

By Nick Tidball

I knew this race would be hard as I’ve run quite a bit on the Cornish coast paths, and with this race billed as one of the UK’s toughest ultras with 57 miles of rugged coast paths and 15000 ft of climbing it was always going to be a tough one. When we got to the little village we were staying in called Clovelly and even the village was built on a 25% hill it was clear this area wasn’t going to disappoint. We rested on Friday as much as we could and tried to sleep before being met by the Endurance Life guys at Clovelly. We were then driven to Port Isacc before being set off at midnight.

Within 20 minutes of the race starting and once we were out onto the cliff paths I noticed I couldn’t see much. I was using the same head-torch that I had been using in the Namibian Ultra, but I couldn’t see a thing. Then an hour in and when the drops to our left started to get a it bigger; as in 400ft bigger, I started to think I might have to do something, so I changed my batteries. It was schoolboy error not to have put fresh batteries in, but its hard to think of everything in these races, I think it takes time to learn, although the idea of taking a swim or dying made the choice of stopping and changing them easier for the sake of losing a few minutes.

We went through amazingly craggy places like Tintagel and Boscastle it was like being in Lord of the Rings just in pitch darkness, and for some reason you’re running like a nutter with a number on your bag and the knowledge you are going to be running for a long time. I cursed that night section a lot, it would have been fine if it weren’t for the vertical cliffs. You would scan the way with your light and realise that 3 feet to your left the cliff just disappeared. At about 2 hours in and after the first checkpoint, Steve and I found ourselves lost on the edge of a cliff with a crazy drop down to the sea. It’s just so hard to follow the exact paths at night. We were standing there thinking ‘surely the organisers can’t have wanted us to run on this cliff?’ It was like full on climbing but without the ropes. But it’s hard to think clearly at 3 in the morning, but eventually realised we would end up in several pieces if we went much further so we turned back.

About 3 hours in and it was obvious that Steve was starting to be in some serious pain with his foot. I could see him trying to hold it together but he looked like he’d just gone 10 round with mike Tyson and he was falling over a lot, it was gutting to see when it’s your brother. At about 4.45 in the morning he was all over the shop, he could walk and that was about it, the sun was starting to rise. We were pretty much in last place, and we had chat about the fact I would have to go this one alone otherwise I would be in danger of not making the cut off times. So I gave him a hug, tried not to cry, and legged it.

We’d done 5 hours in the bloody twilight zone, but I felt as fresh as anything now that it was daylight and I could see where I was going. In ultra marathons you should really pace yourself, but I couldn’t really be bothered at this point when I left Steve and I felt great so I went for it. I ran flat out for the next 2 hours 30, overtook about half of the field and came into halfway, not too far outside the top 10. I had told my girlfriend that I would call her halfway round ‘when Steve and I would be going for a swim and taking the race nice and easy’… as it happened things don’t always work out to plan!

What hits you running the coast paths is the distance. A mile on the coast feels double what it normally does, so you have to get your head around that. After half way I was caught up by Vicky Skelton Britain’s top female ultra runner, so I ran with her for around 3 hours, she was treating this as a training run, and with her record of running 131 miles in 24 hours, this was just a little jog for her! She was great, although I had to drop off her pace after a while as I was getting very low on energy, coupled with her being a bit good! I find it hard knowing how much or what I should put in me. So I ate some food and drink, and soon was feeling better again.

The rest of the race for 6 hours I then ran on my own. I really enjoyed that, as I got to experiment with how hard I could push myself. I started drinking from the streams and cooling myself off in them. That was like heaven, as I find my body and feet really heat up doing these races. I didn’t ever look at the map as all you had to do was stick to the coast path really, a task that was much easier during the day. Keep the sea top your left and were on track. Some of the beaches I went past were just wild, it was a lot not to stray off the path and just go for swim instead.

During this race unlike our desert race, I didn’t stop at the checkpoints for any longer than a couple of minutes, I did however chat to all the walkers I saw on route. The majority knew there was a race going on and looked at you like you were crazy. One couple asked what the prize was, ‘to be able stop running at the end’ I replied.

Near the end at about 14 hours in I was nailing myself into the ground up yet another hill maybe at 50 % gradient and breathing like a psycho when I got a text from our team mate Darren saying ‘how did it go lads?’ It’s moments like this that make you laugh. I felt like replying it ‘it still f******g going!!! and its still f******g painful!!!’ but didn’t have the energy.

Within the last few miles I thought a couple of people were catching me as I entered some very steep wooded valleys. I thought I could see them at the top on the other side as I was just leaving them, so I tightened my bag up and pushed on as hard as I could. As it happens no one came in for quite a while after me, so I must have been imagining it! It was funny having this kind of adrenaline after 15 hours of running, but I used it to motivate myself. The last few miles seemed to go on forever, but as I reached the village of Clovelly some 16 hours after starting I just felt pumped. I ran down the village street which was pretty much the gentlest slope I encountered on the whole run. I then stood in the sea for a long time, something that I had been dreaming of the whole race. It was an brilliant and brutal race by the Endurance Life guys, but one of the most amazing runs I've done in my life.

Lessons learnt.

1. Always have a good light when you are running on cliffs that can kill you.

2. Never underestimate the British coastline.

3. Don’t drink from the streams, as they are not made from Evian water…*

*I spent the Sunday travelling home on the train vomiting my guts up into a tiny sink in the train toilet, it was as fun as it sounds!

UTMB qualifying races - update

2009-07-26T19:59:00.015+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Just heard from Steve and Nick following their UTMB qualifying race - Classic Cliffs

It sounded like a shocker. 50% of the field didn't finish and unfortunately for Steve, he had to drop out 5 hours into the race with a definite foot fracture. Really bad news. That's his UTMB attempt over. Nick finished 11th, an excellent result considering the terrain and weather.

Mixed feelings. More from them later...

6 days until The Lakeland 50 for me. By all accounts it's not a walk in the park, which is not suprising as it's in the Lake District. I've spent alot of my free time in the Lakes - it's amazingly beautiful but it can be an unforgiving environment - so I'm not taking it lightly. Got to finish it. The fastest time last year was 12:03:00 and the last to cross the line finished in 24:00:35. I'll be extremely happy to finish somewhere around 18:00. There are 7 checkpoints, covering 71.2km and an accumalative ascent of 2944m, so it promises to be a cracker.

I have to say the organisation has been superb. I've received a race pack with details of the route, drawn on copied maps, predicted timings, kit lists, directions on the tricky bits and incredibly - photos of all the checkpoints - and even the food that is being served on them! I'm looking forward to pasta and rice pudding after 35km and cake and all sorts in between. Magic - really looking forward to it. www.lakeland100.com

Sibling rivalry

2009-07-19T11:41:00.005+01:00

By Steve Tidball

Without doubt the highlight of my week was dropping Nick on a training ride. I took him out to the hills I train on where we planned to do multiple reps for a few hours. Naturally we soon starting racing each other, upping the tempo on every hill, until on the last one we were both going full pelt. Nick cracked first. I could almost hear the lactic acid surging into his legs. Since I’m such a kind brother, I kicked harder just so the effects of defeat could really sink in for him!

Because of my foot injury I'm still doing nearly all my training on the bike so it's good to see it's working – I hope it has the same effect on my running. Certainly I feel much stronger and fitter than I have for a long time. But the reality is I'm going to be going into the Classic Cliffs Ultra – a 94km race in Cornwall Nick and I are doing on 25th July – having not run for two months. I’ve even avoided walking as much as possible.

In light of that I've been doing a lot of really high intensity sessions which I'm hoping will minimize the amount of pain the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc will inevitably bring. I think the combination of high altitude and deep fatigue will push our heart rates to near maximum. So spending a lot of my training time feeling like I might throw up seems the sensible thing to do.

Harden the fuck up

2009-07-19T11:38:00.004+01:00

By Nick Tidball

Motivation for training has never been easier for me as this week: Lance Armstrong is back in the Tour de France. You can’t beat the Tour for getting the inspiration to go out and try to destroy yourself on whatever session it is today. Those guys are insanely tough – one of the teams recently competed in wrist bands which had ‘HARDEN THE FUCK UP’ written on them. That’s a pretty good training mantra to adopt.

The best session this week was when I was running through woods as massive storms ripped through the sky overhead. At the time I couldn't remember whether or not it was a good thing to be surrounded by trees in a storm, as the ground turned into a lake under my feet. Perhaps it wasn't the brightest move but I was totally pumped during the run, so I just kept going – fast. I figured if you’re going to get hit by lightning, you may as well be running.

I also had a great session on Saturday: a three-hour run and bike flat out before breakfast, then I went out to Steve's and rode hills reps in the afternoon. I kept up with him for six hills – about 1hr 40min of cycling – before he turned to me and said he was going to start going at 100 per cent! Steve's turned into a beast on the bike, so this wasn’t much of a shock. In a perverse way I think it’s good for you to get smashed by someone else during training, although it hurts more when it’s your brother.

Kilian - Corsican Quest (part I & II)

2009-07-19T11:21:00.006+01:00

Stint in Corfu

2009-07-19T10:56:00.004+01:00

By Darren Roberts

I've been in northern Corfu and Paxos for the last 2 weeks on our honeymoon.

The perfect beach holiday always offers something in terms of trails, so whilst my wife extended her wake up times, I pulled on a pair of shorts and trainers and sneaked in a daily run before she woke up.

At 907 metres, Mount Pantokrator offered a testing stomping ground. Surrounded by cypress-clad hills, plunging steeply down to picturesque bays and the bluest of seas - it was hard not to smile.

I spent an hour and a half every morning on a rocky trail with no other human in sight, breathing in huge gulps of oregano and lavender infused air. Cicadas blazed a shrill tune in the background, as the heat soared to 35 degrees.

Webs spun by spiders as big as 50 pence pieces, kept me focused on the way ahead, as well as the odd snake. The largest of which measured about 4ft and scared me half to flippin' death when I nearly trod on it - jolting memories of the Namibian Desert Ultra Marathon. A bite in the middle of nowhere would not be fun.

Back home now, and continuing the effort in preparation for the Lakeland 50 in 2 weeks. It's just a shame I can't now finish my run with a dive in the Mediterranean. Alas, we can't have everything.

One Step Beyond

2009-06-20T08:53:00.006+01:00

By Darren Roberts

It's hard to comprehend the diffculty of the UTMB. When I see videos like this and see that people like Scott Jurek DNF'd it certainly makes you think (there are reason's for this of course - explained in his blog here). Marco Olmo is quite incredible...

Keep on running

2009-06-20T07:53:00.004+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Been a while since we blogged but training is back in full swing (or should I say 'swig' following a stag do last weekend *groan*) in preparation for the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc. We've all got qualifying races to nail first though. Steve and Nick are running the Classic Cliffs 55-miler in Dorset and I'm attempting the Lakeland 50. Both races give us 2 ultra points, to total 5 for this year - 4 being the requirement for Mont Blanc.

Namibia seems like a long time ago and Nick and I are in pretty good shape. Steve has had a rough time though as the following articles will tell you.

Men's Fitness Magazine blog 17/6
Men's Fitness Magazine blog 8/6
Men's Fitness Magazine blog 29/5

He needs to keep it going and it has helped reading motivating books like this - Born To Run. We're all reading it at the moment. Chris McDougall's style of writing made me laugh as soon as I picked it up - great book. Amazon link here and video with the author below.

Team Berghaus

2009-04-25T10:35:00.001+01:00

TEAM MEN’S FITNESS FLIES FLAG FOR BERGHAUS (29/04/2009)

It's all over

2009-04-16T21:37:00.055+01:00

By Darren Roberts

126km. 24 runners. 24 hours. It's all over but what a race it was. On Sunday 12th April, Nick, Steve and I crossed the finish line of our 1st ultra and with temperatures up to 44 degrees, experienced one of the toughest races on earth. Nick and Steve finished in 23hrs 17mins and I staggered across the line in 20hrs 38mins - to win. I can't quite believe it still and it's only just sinking in.

Here's a link to the results (note how incredibly close the finish was!). 1 marathon finisher, 12 ultra finishers (8 within time) and 11 DNF's. Full list of times.

I'll write a more detailed entry in a few days, but I just want to say thank you to the people that have supported us. In no particular order: Men's Fitness, Berghaus, Across The Divide, Garmin, High5, Eletewater, Cotswolds Outdoors, everyone at my work - Delaney Lund Knox Warren, every single other competitor and support crew member, my friends, family and my staunchest supporter and beautiful wife Sarah. It's a surprise to me as much as it is to you ;-)

At the finish with Tom & Tom - true gents.
Left to right: Tom Maguire (3rd), Me and Tom Adams (2nd)

Men's Fitness magazine articles
Team Men's Fitness wins the Namibian Ultra Marathon
Team Men's Fitness - A winning formula

Team Men's Fitness pre-race

Amour de chaussette

2009-03-28T11:49:00.005Z

By Nick Tidball

I think my feet are in love with a pair of socks.

They are called Injinjis.

Here are my feet and my socks getting on like a house on fire.

Secret formula?

2009-03-23T16:35:00.019Z

By Darren Roberts

At the weekend myself and a friend called Rups, ran a 21.5 miler around Richmond Park and along the Thames. It was a hot day and we weren't moving slowly.

Today, to my delight, I have absolutely no aches at all. Usually I have at least a twinge here or there. Nothing. Why? Could it be the food and water strategy? I tested a couple of new things: Eletewater & Hammer Bars.

Before the run, I drank 500ml of water with Eletewater, upping the concentration slightly as it was a hot day. (Kind thanks to David at Eletewater for supplying some testers to Team Men's Fitness) You can't taste it if you get the mix right. If you feel like upping the strength you can catch a faint salt taste to the water - nothing offensive.

On the run I ate 2 Hammer bars and 1 banana. And drank 500ml of water with Eletewater and 500ml of water with Nuun. Following the run, another 500ml with Nuun and a nice ham and cheese bagel.

There are no refined sugars or trans-fats in the Hammer Bars. They have 220g calories per 50g bar, which isn't bad for the weight. Easy to eat and light. The new cashew nut ones add another 10g of calories.

What made the difference? Was it a combination of the Hammer Bars and the electrolytes in Eletewater and Nuun? Or was it just the Eletewater? I've taken Nuun by itself before and did have aches after.

Conclusion: Run a marathon next Saturday on Hammer Bars and Eletewater only. I may have found my new best friends.

Links
www.Eletewater.co.uk
www.hammerpro.co.uk

Advice for 1st your ultra

2009-03-14T18:08:00.006Z

Posted by Darren Roberts

Whilst trying in vain to find a pair of Montrail Hardrock to buy on the Net, I came across this article by David Horton.

http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/1stultra.htm

Team Men's Fitness Go Size Zero

2009-03-07T08:47:00.008Z

By Steve Tidball

They say the wives of the Tour De France riders can always tell when their husbands are peaking because they start to see their internal organs through their skin.

While I haven’t asked my wife to look for my kidneys just yet I am starting to take race preparations very seriously.

With 5 weeks to go, if it isn’t a muscle or a vital organ I’m getting rid of it – and I’m already down to my race weight of 64kg.

I’m also making sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night – something I’ve never really experimented with – but the results are phenomenal. My energy levels are a lot higher throughout the day.

Finally there’s the training. Most of my runs are now marathons. Last weekend alone I covered 63 miles. And instead of swimming at my gym I now sit on the leg press machine for an

unsociable length of time before cooking myself in the steam room.

Bring on the freaking desert. I’m ready!

Kit for the Namibian Ultra Marathon

2009-02-22T08:00:00.051Z

By Darren Roberts

I've been listening to the people who raced the 2008 Namibian Ultramarathon and reading what ultra-runners experience, and I think I've made my mind up about kit. Although we are doing this as a team, the component parts have to be functioning as efficiently as possible and this means ensuring our personal strategy and kit is sound. Here's some thoughts and links:-

Trainers
Last years competitors all bashed their toes on rocks and suffered bruising and deep blisters under their feet due to the terrain. It is generally accepted that normal road trainers just don't provide the extra layer of protection that your feet need. Yes, they are light and comfy but they don't have a hard enough upper toe box to ward off the inevitable toe punts on rocks. Also, road trainers don't provide you with a hard enough sole to stop the rocks from punishing the forward half of your foot.

Overall, the consensus is: run with off-road shoes. They should have enough sole to withstand nobbly rocks. Ideally, the sole should have an integrated plate and the toe needs harder material or has a tough rubber rand.

I've had a scoot around and have a reasonably good list to choose from. Here are a top selection with links to reviews and places to buy. *Big caveat - this is a list generated by me, not an uber experienced ultra-runner, but a mere beginner in the search for ultra-bliss. Having said that, I've been running long distances for years so have experienced every foot hot spot imaginable.*

Inov8 Roclite

Roclite 315 (top left)
Click here for a review

New Roclite 320 (top right)
Click here for a review
Click here for a RunJunkie review

New Balance - 1100 MdS Trail. Made specifically with the Marathon Des Sables in mind, these trainers suit most types of trail running and should be ideal for the Namibian Ultra.

Montrail Hardrock

Click here for a good Montrail Hardrock review from 4 different people

Click here for a Runner's World review on all off-road shoes

Backpack
Crikey - you wouldn't believe the conversations around this bit of kit. As soon as the distances are increased and there is a need to carry water and food, life gets complicated. It doesn't have to of course, people have been walking the globe for years with very simple devises for carrying supplies. Hell, you could probably carry everything in a Sainsburys Bag For Life if you really had to. Having said that, it would be mega annoying and there is no point ignoring the advances that have been made in ultra-light rucksacks.

In comparison to their trainers, Berghaus have provided us with an absolutely cracking trail running ruck sack (see picture below). I'm not one for stuff hanging off all over the place, so this bag is great. It holds 12 litres with a zipper that expands the body to create 4 more litres of space. Another great feature is an elasticated waistband that velcros together. No clips and no chunky waist pads that don't form to the body. The band really brings the sack close to the body so that no movement is experienced during the run.

Click here for a Trail Gear review

On the pre-Namibian training weekend, I watched a couple of lads use the Raidlight sacks with the optional clip on front sack. At first the idea interested me because bottles and food are easily accessible. Then I watched them in practice; they bounced around a lot whilst running and looked hot to deal with. A comment from one of the lads was 'I've just bought this, and it's annoying the f*ck out of me already'.

Andy McMenemy, runner-up last year, uses one but had to fix a carabiner system to it to stop the excessive movement. I've come to the conclusion that the front attachment is a sledgehammer to crack a nut and not worth the hassle.

Having said all that, its a personal thing of course. Two blokes who raced last year certainly would disagree with me - half way through the race, they moved their sack from the back to the front and ran the rest of the race like that. It clearly works for some people.

That said, take the front-attachment off, and the actual Raidlight sacks are good bits of kit and praised by those people I've met. See Likeys for some examples www.likeys.com

Sleeping bag (mandatory item)
The smaller the better. You have to carry one for emergencies. The likelihood is you wont use it, but the desert at night is not a warm place and if someone goes down, you'll need to wrap them up in one asap.

PHD (Pete Hutchinson Designs) are extremely small and lightweight.

Steve Clark, the Across The Divide Race Director, owned a Minim Ultra Down and at 345g, packed into a fist-sized bag, it was a nice bit of kit. At £170 it's not a light decision (excuse pun).

First Aid Kit (mandatory item)
Across The Divide carry nothing short of a miniature hospital and in my opinion take nothing for granted. Their safety record is well-established and they take their own doctor, so you'll be well looked after. You will need to take a small med kit with you though. Amy, the ATD doc, advises nothing more than pain killers and stuff like imodium. I'll get an exact list and post it in a separate entry.

Food
I'm just not sure about this yet. A lad who is running this year, Jerry, is thinking about Smash.' It's lightweight and loaded with calories' he says.

All a personal taste but you need something with a high calorie count to low weight ratio eg. Nuts salted. The winner last year did it on just 9 bananas!

It really is each to their own on this one. I've been on my feet all night a few times in past endeavours, and all I can tell you is; get something you like eating. It needs to be convenient enough to eat too.

If you want a good race time, you don't want to be boiling water all the time to add to dry food. Minimal hassle factor will keep you focused. All I know is, you have to constantly take a bite. Force yourself to eat and drink. It's too hot in the desert for these but peanut M&M's have kept me going before - burst of sugar with a slower burning complex carb. Magic. They rattle like buggery though :-)

*I'll write a separate entry on food, as its a discussion in it own right.*

Water
Across The Divide medical staff recommend taking on 2 litres at every checkpoint. The method for carrying it is personal but essentially its a decision between a platypus and bottles.

If the decision is bottles, then that introduces the question of bottle placement. On your belt? In your sack? On your shoulder straps? I'm torn at the moment and I think it will come down to 'what method allows me to drink the 2 litres needed between each checkpoint?'.

The normal mistake is that you just don't drink as much as you should, and having run with both bottles and platypus before; if it's constant fluid you need, then there nothing quite as easy as a tube placed next to your face.

One from Raidlight (left). Click here for Likeys product page

Hydration tablets
As Amy, the Across The Divide doctor. pointed out 'Energy powders are suprisingly low in salt. It's not until you really look at the ingredients that you realise its just a trace ingredient in most cases. To avoid Hyponeutremia (too much water in your system) you have to have an additional intake of salt. In the desert environment this equates to approx. 1.6grammes per hour.'

Nuun tablets are perfect and recommended by Across The Divide. From the 2 litres of water provided, I'll probably supplement the 1-litre with Nuun. Its non-sickly and extremely palettable. I've tried the combination of Nuun and 4:1 on numerous occassions and it works very well. I'd go so far as to say that the intake during exercise assists my post-race fatigue.

Energy supplement
What works for me might not work for someone else, so this is an opinion only.

High Five 4:1 powder: I've used this on endurance events before. It's 4 parts carbohydrate and 1 part protein, which they say is the perfect ratio. God knows if that's right but I've sipped it constantly on a 15-hour endurance event before and, it keeps you going for hours. Some people get stomach upset with these supplements but if you mix to the right levels it's normally ok. High Five's 4:1 product page

Across The Divide will give us 2 litres of water for approx every 13 miles. I'll use 1 litre for 4:1. It's energy with relatively low weight. NB. They do sachets too. High Five 4:1 sachet product page or click here for a site which sells up to £4 cheaper.

GPS (mandatory)
GPS is mandatory. Across The Divide supply and say that you don't need a mega expensive one. Having said that, here's a links to some nice ones:-

Garmin Colorado T
http://www8.garmin.com/uk/outdoors/colorado/Colorado/

Garmin Oregon 400 T
http://www8.garmin.com/uk/Oregon/

Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=310#featureTab

Fleece
You need some type of lightweight warm top. Apparently it gets cold at night, as low as 5 degrees. Compare this to 45 degree heat in the day and that's one mighty shift in temperature.

T-shirts and shorts Haven't found the perfect shorts yet. Something that does't give me damn crotch and thigh grazes. I've just bought some Body Glide which helps but still searching for the perfect short. [Please leave a comment if you can recommend any].

Socks
These need to be seamless. I'm trying out a pair at the moment called 'More Mile'. They are very comfy and caused no problem on a 20-odd miler. That said I've just been reading the MdS forum and want some of these! Injinjis They look great.

Let's face it, for those who run all the time and muliple terrains, skin level blisters and black toe nails are par for the course.

Dean Karnazes wrote that he thought he had a shell or something in his trainers but when he stopped and took his sock off, he found to his suprise that it was a toe nail. Know how he feels. All part of the process. My missus doesn't find it attractive though. Oh well.

So, I think that Injinis may be the holy grail for each of my toes because it isolates them from one another. I'll update the site when I receive them. Apparently you can only get them from America but you don't get additonal charges other than postage and packing when you order.

Hat
Something to cover the head with. A legionnaire hat? I think I'll opt for a lightweight baseball cap with a flap sewn onto the back for the day and nothing for the night. More research needed on this.

Overall, I think you can easily go OTT on things. Its worth doing the testing up front. I'd like us to go as light as possible without sacrificing safety or health. The perfect balance remains to be tested.

Kobus Alberts on last years Namibian Ultra

2009-02-21T10:06:00.002Z

By Darren Roberts

Click here to view his article

Some days

2009-02-16T18:40:00.005Z

By Darren Roberts

Some days the running is just plain hard. Other days, everything just works. The feeling when this happens is amazing. First your legs aren't giving you small warning signs. Then you find that you are smiling, big wide smiles. This makes you turn up the internal speed dial and your body responds just the way you need it to. Jump the verge, up the hill, across the stream. Your on-board computer says 'Do it' and you go. Faster. Strong. In control.

I felt like this today during an 18-miler. For those that know this feeling, it can be incredibly emotional. I mean it literally makes me cry whilst running. I'm not sure if its the endorphins but short of flying along to the sound of Elgar's Nimrod, I'm there. This is what its about.

North Face Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc

2009-02-15T12:14:00.025Z

By Darren Roberts

Next year...

Mark Hannaford's Namibia Photography

2009-02-15T10:22:00.002Z

By Darren Roberts

At our pre-race training weekend, the walls of the accommodation were adorned with fantastic images of Namibia. They are Mark Hannaford's - click here to check his site out.

Lifting the lid

2009-02-08T08:07:00.010Z

By Darren Roberts

The longer distances I run the more I want to know about ultra-running. The more I search on the Net for links, the more I uncover. It's like anything I suppose, you don't know its there until you look, but there are so many people doing it. Here's just a few resources:-

http://trailrunningsoul.com/
http://planetultramarathon.wordpress.com/
http://www.ultralegends.com/links/
http://www.iau.org.tw/
http://www.ultrarunning.com/
http://www.runfurther.com/

Namibian Ultramarathon Pre-training

2009-02-04T17:29:00.007Z

By Darren Roberts

"The stars are amazing" recounted Steve Clark, Across The Divide's Race Director. He wasn't talking about a night at the Oscars, but recalling experiences witnessed during the 126km Namibian Ultramarathon.

In 2 months we would run one of the toughest foot races on earth. The journey would take us through some of the harshest and most beautiful scenery known to man, and all within a 24-hour time limit.

To prepare for this, Team Mens Fitness signed up to a pre-race training weekend with race organisers Across The Divide (ATD) and some of the other entrants. It was a chance to get to know fellow competitors and quiz the organisers about strategies and safety.

In return, ATD threw in four cheeky running sessions, presumably to see if we were on the case when it came to training. Although I suspect it was more of an opportunity to see where to divert their well-organised medical attention.

ATD are suitably based in a village in Dorset in-the middle-of-nowhere. The surrounding area boasts enough hills and bulging coastline to test even the healthiest of lungs, making it the perfect base for an event and race organiser.

We arrived in the dark to a welcoming fire throwing heat into a cavernous reception room complete with safari paintings and large wooden rhinos. Sat around this on large sofas were a group of people who had also signed up for the experience. Amongst those sat Andrew Mcnenemy, who came second in last year's race. We immediately introduced ourselves and started asking him questions. Once we had all swapped stories and tips, we slept on the floor a la desert style with roll mat and sleeping bag. The stars were of course missing but it was fun all the same.

ATD woke us all the next day with a cuppa and a steaming bowl of porridge, perfect for the day ahead. Steve handed around an itinerary with timings, his ex-Army experience obvious in his organisation.

Our first activity was a 15-mile run through wet and cold countryside. This was our first opportunity to gauge the fitness of the field. Arriving back at base it was reassuring to see that our months of training to become Team Mens Fitness had paid off, we were comfortable with the pace and ready for the next activity.

Following a presentation about the race and a kit talk, we all piled into land rovers and were ferried to the coast for the big run of the day, a 3-hour cross-country run along the Jurassic Coast. The bulging coastline levelled the field off. If you were good at running up hills and not-so-good at sprinting down, someone would be the opposite, so this served as a counter-balance and held us together well. The weather and views were stunning as we pulled and panted our way up 5 peaks. It was cold and muddy and our muscles moaned at the accumulative exercise of the day. That said, it was a perfect reminder that the race would be 8 times longer and we all stared into the distance trying to visualise 126km.

"It's going to hurt, I won't lie to you" confirmed Andrew. "Mentally, you visit some very dark places. I call it The Struggle, and I think all ultra-athletes experience it". With that in mind, Nick and I ran up the next hill with added energy, searching for our weak points in order to focus our training.

A excellent medical briefing followed the run and Andrew and Steve spent some time answering questions about the race. It was clear that it would be tough and Nick and I looked at each other every time the word 'caution' or 'harsh' came up. This was an adventure for us and the well-respected advice was adding to our excitement - we wanted to start the race now.

We all gathered together for dinner and then kitted up for a 10k night run. The cold woke us up as we carved our way through the dark country roads, lit only by our head torches. 60% of the race would be run in the dark and we all needed to get used to the tunnel-effect of torch running and the cold of the desert at night.

After a well-earned pint at the local pub, we all settled down, waking next morning at 7am in time for our 4th run, another 10k. The sleep had re-energised us and we flew round the course, our bodies glad to run on the road for a change.

We covered just over 50 miles of running all weekend and following the usual formalities, we said goodbye to our new found adventure racing friends and hit the road, back to our day jobs. The first-hand glimpse at the Namibian Desert has encouraged us. The opportunity to make some life-long friends and experience the hardships the desert would throw at us makes us feel we’ve got one foot in the sand already, just need to knuckle down to 2 more months of training.

If you haven't got em, get em...

2009-02-01T10:36:00.010Z

By Darren Roberts

If Karno does it...

2009-01-25T11:03:00.007Z

By Nick Tidball

My approach over the last week has been 'if dean karnazes does it, i do it'.

I've just finished his first book 'CONFESSIONS OF AN ALL NIGHT RUNNER' and have been training on fear ever since after seeing what these ultramarathons can do to you. so on sunday night i ran just under 30 miles. the fantasies i was having about food by the end of that run got to a pretty weird place.

I've never had cravings for burgers and honey before. Then on Wednesday night i did my first heat training session Dean Karnazes style. This involved putting on all my ski gear and going for a run.

Some of the guys (psychos) he competed against in the Badwater Ultramarathon trained on treadmills in saunas, but i stayed true to the old school method of just wearing a lot of clothes and getting on with it. It was very, very hot, which presumably means it worked.

Anton Krupicka

2009-01-25T11:02:00.001Z

By Darren Roberts

Nearly running on empty

2009-01-25T11:01:00.002Z

By Steve Tidball

For the first time in months I feel like I've really gone very deep into my reserves. On monday even speaking felt like an effort. Smiling wasn't even an option - just a waste of energy my body could be using to recover. I pushed myself pretty close to my limit. I've increased my long run to 55km, and I completed the whole thing on just water. But it has come at a price.

So I'm going to give myself a bit of a break before we do our training weekend in Yeovil. It's quite daunting feeling this level of fatigue without having even covered half the distance the race is going to be, and having done it in cool January weather with a nice breeze, a change of shoes halfway in between, and knowing I could collapse in front of the Ronnie O' Sullivan vs Mark Selby - all things I'm pretty certain we won't be getting in Africa!

Finding rythym

2009-01-18T23:09:00.004Z

By Darren Roberts

It's now less than 3 months until the race. We're all settling into a training rhythm but feeling a little trepidation about the task ahead. It's now a matter of miles, miles and more miles.

Steve did a hard 23 miles of hill reps on Saturday and is still doing all his long runs without any food to help his body use fat for fuel rather than glycogen. However there was still lots of fresh snow left in his local park so he ate that stay hydrated. He also spent a few hours hard training in an 8000 meter altitude chamber. He's felt dizzy for the past 48 hours though, so needs to take it a bit easier.

Nick has stripped chocolate from his diet after working out he has a £100 a month habit. It's had a good effect, as he no longer has sugar crashes in the afternoon. He's been combining anaerobic with long endurance runs to keep his strength up and is now injury free. He's also started upper body weight training for the first time ever, so he can cope with some of the multi-sport race disciplines like kayaking and climbing.

I'm on target with this weeks plan, although mixing work and other commitments is a challenge. Two 15 mile runs last weekend without muscle fatigue the day after proves the tactic of building a solid base by first reducing the mileage has worked. The only injury this week was due to the -10 temperature. Embarrassingly, I chaffed my nether regions but didn't feel it because is was too numb from cold. Warning: do not run without appropriate insulation! A wrap of cotton wool protection and it's been 8 miles per day since. My missus isn't too chuffed about the injury location though. My response to that didn't go down too well either 'at least the desert is warmer' I said.

Colorado States

2009-01-12T12:12:00.000Z

Map My Run

2008-12-25T08:17:00.014Z

By Darren Roberts

It's xmas day (merry christmas to you). I want to go for a run before anyone gets up. My damn iPod has no battery power, so whilst waiting for it to charge, I decide to work some routes out online.

I remembered that years ago I signed up to www.mapmyrun.com, so moving the memory boxes around, I finally login and 'wow' - why have neglected this site. It's perfect for the next year.

Unfortunately you have to pay a subscription if you are signing now but its well worth it. Track, plot and record your runs.

You can embed the routes in your blog too - et voila...this route is along the Basingstoke Canal to my pal Dan's house. 25 and bit miles. A shorter one today though, my ol mum will stab me with a carving knife if i'm late for xmas dinner.

Ultramarathon Training Plan

2008-12-23T16:25:00.011Z

By Darren Roberts

To get prepared for this...

Click here to see the Namibian ultramarathon route

This is my 1st draft of a training plan. It needs work but it's a starter for ten...

Calendar's aren't just for women

2008-12-23T13:34:00.003Z

By Nick Tidball

I always thought calendars were for boring lady stuff you couldn’t remember like birthdays.

But they aren’t. They were actually invented for sport and planning to do it in hot places.

This is what my homemade calendar for the last 5 months looks like. That’s right ladies, no birthdays, no hairdresser appointments, just sport.

Back to base(ics)

2008-12-21T22:45:00.003Z

By Darren Roberts

It's 14 weeks until we fly to Namibia. That in running training terms means 'not much time'. Every training schedule I look at on the Tinternet only confirms that fact. Despite this, it goes without saying that we just need to get as many miles under our belt as possible. It's just got to be done. So, what training schedule do we need?

Well the honest answer is - 'I don't know'. I've not done this sort of distance before and desperately need the advice of people who have - be that via the Net, books, videos or TV. Fortunately, we're not alone. Men's Fitness magazine are supporting us.

In January we officially start our year as Team MF and 2 weeks ago we met the MF staff at Dennis Publishing (known to them as MF Towers) to meet the team.

The meeting went well and it was reassuring to know that not only do we get the support we need, we are very much part of the team. This is going to be a good year.

It's 2 weeks until we see them again and really talk training and logistics but there's a lot of miles to be run in between then and now. I've decided to draw on various sources and take some simple advice - build a base to work from.

What that means is simple; even though I'm now regularly turning out 15 mile runs, I'm going to reverse my training regime and reduce the distance by half whilst increasing the frequency to 6 times a week. At the same time, I'll take the opportunity to improve my technique. This will mean running slower too. That's the focus for the Christmas break.

We've also got to train for the desert heat. Marathon Des Sable runners say that additional layers of clothing help this if you don't have access to the odd desert or two. Mike Stroud, the polar explorer and sports science expert also supports that in his book Survival of the Fittest. More on that book when I've finished reading it again.

Until my next entry I'll end with this simple question which someone may be able to answer:-

How many layers of clothing would simulate the temperature of a desert environment when running in 10 degree UK weather?

Tough one.

Go Karnazes Go

2008-12-20T15:23:00.005Z

By Darren Roberts

It’s finally sunk in. After all the excitement and celebrations of winning, I’ve sat back and really thought about the challenge ahead.

Not only do we have to run the Namibian desert in 3 months, we have to run 3 marathons back-to-back in 24 hours. I’m trying to comprehend the amount of training we need to do this and it’s proving difficult for my pea-like brain to figure it out. I turned to YouTube for help and have come across the incredible Dean Karnazes.

A week on and I’ve read his book ‘Ultra-Marathon Man - Confessions of an all-night runner’. Inspirational stuff. I find the attitude very similar to Lance Armstrong’s. It’s about getting out on the road and training – no matter what. The book doesn’t really go into too much detail about the science, injury-prevention and eating strategies behind his running. It’s more about a normal man just doing it.

More than anything though, it firmly rams home the need for miles under your belt.

So, I’m sitting here after just kicking man flu, and my running desire is knawing away at me. Do I rest another day? Karnazes says that he gets stressed if he doesn’t run for more than 3 days. I know what he means.

Looking at my trainers, I decide that where better to think over a ultra-marathon training plan than on a run.

Once more, I head for the door.

http://www.ultramarathonman.com/flash/

We did it

2008-12-18T21:47:00.008Z

Amazing news! 3 months of training and waiting. We won the competition!! Thank you Men's Fitness. Fantastic. See here

Running like a kenyan, not a penguin

2008-12-07T08:32:00.012Z

By Steve Tidball

It’s GRIM 8 this Sunday and I can’t wait.

Having taken unexpected victories at my last 2 races in Lanzarote last month I feel up for another win. The high I got from it lasted for days. Here’s me (top left) putting in a finishing kick.

Of course with a field of 2,500 you can’t predict who’s going to turn up.

I’ve also been helping Darren (top right) with his technique this week. His feet splay out when he runs which really limits his efficiency. It’s just the result of weak abductor muscles which handily can be strengthened simply by walking and running with straight feet.

He needs a lot of shouting at to help him remember, but Darren’s ex Army so he can cope with that.

Turbo X'tra mud!

2008-11-24T20:58:00.004Z

By Darren Roberts

It was a perfectly tailored cold and wet day when we drove into the car park of the TurboX SaabSalomon trail run yesterday. We were buzzing. This was it. The SaabSalomon flags were hammering in the wind as we made our way to meet Men’s Fitness. This is what we had been thinking about constantly for 3 months. It’s hard to describe the feeling but it was loaded with anticipation and ‘what if’s’.

Nick and Steve were on top form, all the fitter for their trip to Lanzarote. Looking at the other teams, confirmed that they had all been nailing the training too.

We didn’t have a strict strategy but had agreed the pace would be good for all. The other teams looked just as determined as us and staring at the mud ahead, I wondered how this was going to turn out. We really wanted a Top 3 position.

5,4,3,2,1 – we’re off. 10 miles of mud, sand, hills and bog greeted us. The GRIM challenge in Aldershot was a baby brother compared to this. The second mouthful of brown water confirmed that - marvellous.

We crossed the line in 2^nd, a couple of minutes behind the winning team (well done to them). Team racing always leaves you with a feeling that you might have done a little better for the other guys. Could I have run through that bog 10 seconds quicker? Could I have eaten more to ensure fatigue didn’t set in? The answer is ‘maybe’ but the point about team races is getting everyone over the line together.

If we are lucky enough to be selected, the endurance distances of the races would mean we would all experience highs and lows. We just have to train hard, grit it and - like my old man taught me - crack on.

Last man standing

2008-11-24T20:55:00.005Z

By Steve Tidball

For me, getting to be a part Team Men’s Fitness would be as big as being picked for Last Man Standing – the best TV show ever made.

I’m sure the training would be absolutely brutal. Just as long as we’re not made to wear pink pants I’m fine with it.

Actually, screw it. I’d even wear pink pants if we got in.

Apres race

2008-11-24T20:39:00.002Z

By Nick Tidball

I sat on the train home with mud on my face, dirt covering my legs, sore knees, cuts on my arms and I couldn’t have felt better. I always think if you come back from a run feeling like a dog it’s been a good run. And this is exactly what the Saab Salomon X felt like. Having had a week in the heat of La Santa running up big hills in the dry air it was brilliant to then come and have a race as a team in a big bog.

I ran up a red ski slope at night near Meribel last year with ice spikes tied to my trainers. I did admittedly get in the hot tub with my friends afterwards but this race was similar in terms of just how fun it was to run in conditions that are really challenging.

I can’t think of anything more exhilarating than seeing what my body feels like at 70 miles in the desert with 6 more to go. As long as we don’t die or get attacked by jaguars I can’t think of a more exciting challenge.

Here's me and Steve having just run across that ridge below us in the picture, and then up a small mountain. La Santa is the white thing in the distance. And then Steve taking a high altitude piss.

Calm before the storm

2008-11-17T21:17:00.001Z

By Darren Roberts

While the lads are in Lanzarote, sunning themselves in the marvellous athlete focussed La Santa, I went to the Lake District to enjoy a not-so-roasty climate for 10 days. As ever it was perfect for off-road training and mountain running, with loads of rain and the odd snow fall. That coupled with the hours of walking and sharing a cosy cottage with my wife, made for perfect pre-race reflection. I have to say; I don't think I've wanted to win something so much for a long long time.

It's been 2 months since we made it into the last 8 and we've talked about the race every day. We've discussed the Amazon and the desert, wondering what those far flung places look like. All in all, we've run through the odd injury and we're ready for the race now - hoping for a Top 3 place. I hope we come across as excited and keen for this opportunity as we are. We know we have the commitment to work our nuts off should we get lucky. Fingers crossed. Here's a few pics from the Lakes:-

Choosing the hardest routes..

..to stomp in for 10 days...

Final preparations

2008-11-05T10:01:00.004Z

By Nick Tidball

I saw my physio yesterday morning who diagnosed my knee pain as a meniscal impingement. Basically a sore knee. Being a kiwi though he said an active recovery of running cycling and swimming is in order. Sweet.

We’re now heading off to La Santa in Lanzarote in less than 2 weeks. To go and do a lot of sport in a hot place. We’re going to ride in Timanfaya nature reserve (below….wow) everyday then do training runs out to and then along Famara beach. It’s going to be wild.

We can basically do sport for 10 hours a day without killing ourselves. Having done this kind of training last year in Tarifa where Steve nearly drowned and where we ran all day with no food or water, its awesome training. I took this just after Steve had been rescued by a kite surfer.

The race will be 3 days after we get back, so I hope Darren’s training in the Lake District is good otherwise we might kill him on the run, or he might bleed a little.

I’ve trained harder for this event than any of my triathlons. Partly because it’s the winter and you have to just put more effort in, but mainly because we are a team, and I want to be as good as possible individually and as a group. The chance to go and race in deserts and jungles around the world is pretty good motivation.

2 faces...

2008-10-24T14:17:00.002+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Jeckyll & Hyde Duathlon on Sunday in Hyde Park. I'm on target with Steve's training plan, so I'm hoping to beat last years results:-

Run 1 - 8.0km - 00:32:50
Bike+T1+T2 - 19.5km - 00:42:30
Run 2 - 4.2km - 00:16:25

It's a friendly, flat course, so should be great fun...

Days at the Races

2008-10-22T22:13:00.003+01:00

By Darren Roberts

2 races in 2 days – the GRIM Challenge Duathlon, Aldershot and the Helly Hansen Weavers Down Autumn Assault, Longmoor. The GRIM was an individual entry and Weavers Down a team event.

The GRIM, Saturday 19th: Considering it was the 1st year of the GRIM Duathlon it wasn’t bad at all. The sun belted down as 300+ of us crossed the start line. If people had the desire to stay dry, that was soon dashed. .200 metres up the road, they threw the first obstacle at us – a thigh high pool of muddy track water. The next 5k consisted of large amounts of mud, water and sand in various doses. I entered T1 in 8th. I’d opted for no clip-ins because sand and mud clog too many working parts up, so normal pedals and trainers aided a quick transition. I exited T1 in 5th.

5km into the 20k mountain bike stage, I had managed to keep up with the front pack enough to start getting excited about achieving a Top 10 place, perhaps 1st in my category. The grin was sooned wiped from my face when I noticed people were passing me.
I couldn’t understand it. Why? 2, 3, 4 riders shot past. I hadn’t taken my foot off the gas, infact, I’d probably increased the power into the pedals. I looked down at the tyres and realised what was happening. I had a slow puncture! I bobbed up and down and swore very loudly.. The next 2 km was a nightmare. Mud, water and sand banks on a flat.

The tyre finally gave up the ghost 2k from the 1st loop through transition. Thank god the organisers had decided to put the 10k point there. I ran with the bike, by now on its wheel rims. I hadn’t bought a spare inner tube – big mistake. I ride road bikes normally and never go anywhere without a full-on emergency kit under my seat. I didn’t bring anything for the MBK because – why hell – it had massive tyres which were as thick as my skull! I was paying the price for that. F*^%*^%^!

I was minutes from sacking the race when to my delight, my mate Dan Tracey caught up and threw me his spare tube and pump before bombing off. Thank god. I lost 15-20 minutes.

I crossed the finish line in 38th.position. What could have been…

HH Adventure Series Sunday 20 Oct: Compared to the GRIM, the Helly Hensan race was a much bigger event. There seemed to be thousands of people. We were a team of 3. Myself, Dan and Simon Woddy. I’d been through alot with these blokes in the past and we were looking forward to bombing around in the mud and guts of the Longmoor Army Training Area. We started in Wave 1 of 4. The gun went off and 160 people belted into the forest. This was GRIM on a big scale.

Simon was recovering from a cold and admitted to a lack of training, so became the pacemaker for the whole race. We maintained a Top 20 position and finally crossed the line 17th out of 299 teams. A great course but the organisation was very bad around the transition area. Overall, a good day and one that reminded me that your team is as fast as the slowest man.

It is absolutely crucial that you all try and maintain the same levels of training. It can be extremely frustrating if someone hasn’t kept up their program of preparation. The propensity to push on regardless is great but you all need to stick together as a team. We all have a bad days though.
Simon had an epiphany of sorts. I think we’ll see another man in the next race.

November 23rd needs absolute 100% commitment, and I know Nick, Steve and I are completely tuned into that day.

Jeckyll and Hyde Duathlon in Hyde Park next weekend. I’ve got a recovery spinning session at lunch and then it’s back on the road for preparation for Sunday…

Lessons learnt:
- Always carry a a spare tyre
- Always familiarise yourself with your kit (the MBK was my brothers)
- Never give up – keep running
- Recce the route if possible
- Don’t swear in front of spectators (too much anyway)
- The whole team must maintain a similar training program

Every second counts...

2008-10-17T14:13:00.002+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Time goes slowly when you can’t wait for a race. It’s 5 weeks until 23^rd November and we’re cramming in as much training as possible. Having said that, it will always feel like it is not enough time to get sufficient amounts of training done. Is half the battle the mental state you are in when you cross the start line…?

It’s 7.30am, I’m on a train to Waterloo looking out across a sun-drenched green landscape. I’ve just turned the last page of Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong and I just want to get on my bike. This book felt more like an experience then a wad of paper. It was a glimpse into the sweat and tears that are just so hard to write down in words. As Nick said “It literally changed Steve’s and his life”. I agree it was inspiring, but Armstrong didn’t change our life, Lance fuelled an already present desire to improve no matter what. Nick and Steve already have that – oodles of the stuff..

These books are essential to a training regimen. His fight back from cancer is an incredible demonstration of human stubbornness and determination. I have literally wept in some parts of the book and been so inspired in others, that I’ve walked out of the door and gunned some miles out on the bike or a run. Again, if you have that stubbornness and desire, books like this ignite something and drive you on.

So my point is; use everything at your means to help you win. Your family, friends and other people’s experiences. Just make sure you carry on consistently pounding the ground. That is the most important part of Armstrong’s book for me – train, train and train, no matter what, it’s lonely but just do it. You’ll then be mentally and physically ready when you look across the start line of the big race.

Grim Challenge Duathlon tomorrow….I’m ready.

Race specific training

2008-10-10T12:28:00.003+01:00

By Nick Tidball

I’m doing all of my running training in Hampstead Heath to prepare for November 23^rd. As well as mud, woods, and brambles, it also has hill training…

Luxury gym-style training facilities, with a pull-up bar to get myself pumped.

And a stretching bar….

It also has an ice bath which is perfect for after runs. It looks cold because it is cold.

As Tim Krabbe wrote “Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately.”

Sweet point Tim, but she also gives you hypothermia.

My precioussssssssss…

2008-10-02T11:42:00.002+01:00

By Darren Roberts

If you have ever tried to compile a fitness plan, it’s harder than you think. It’s quite easy to write down a masterpiece full of wondrous activities, but it’s difficult to make that fit the task in hand and the timeline you need. You have to really think about the sport involved and hunt around for tips and advice. I relished the task.

Having said that, when Steve proffered a tailor-made fitness plan that he had ‘thrown together earlier’ I could have knighted him there and then, and would have nicked William Wallaces’ sword to do it! Marvellous effort I thought.

I eyed the plan in a gollum’esque way, careful not to pronounce my s’s too much in the process. Reading it through, it made sense. Not too aggressive and mindful of injuries. The trick is to peak
for 23^rd November – not turn up a strung-out wreck.

There are many schools of thought on planning, and I prescribe, in parts, to a lot of them. The one that I really gel to though, is Don Fink’s in BeIronFit. It’s all about time not distance. Get that right and then increase your plan by 10% each week on the way to race day. That book of course is geared to triathon’s but it rings a good tune. Steve’s plan had shades of this, so I decided to stick to it.

One week in and I’m on target. I’ve added cycling/spinning to the plan to prep the legs for the hills and have thrown in the odd cheeky strength session on the weights.

The diet to support this isn’t too complex. I gave up caffeine and fizzy pop about 6 years ago, don’t smoke, haven’t got a sweet tooth and stick to balanced carb and protein meals most of the time anyway.

The biggest sacrifice is booze. I’ve never been shy of a few cheeky pints. The advertising industry thrives on social occasions and avoiding alcohol is difficult. I’ve always seemed to be able to train heavily with a couple of boozy school nights per week and the usual at the weekends. This competition has flicked a switch and I’ve decided to go teetotal for the final race.

It’s been 3 weeks since I had a drink and I don’t miss it. Infact, I feel great. Concentration levels have increased and tiredness has decreased. I now enjoy saying no to a ‘swift half’ and prefer to knock back an orange juice and nipping off as the tequila slammers arrive on the bar. Everything in moderation they say, and I like a good party, but I also believe in commitment. We want to win this competition.

Waking up without a hangover just makes the preparation for 23^rd November much easier. Here it is-

Click image to enlarge

How was your holiday?

2008-09-29T22:04:00.001+01:00

By Steve Tidball

The only person in the office, apart from Nick and Darren, that I give a truthful answer to is James, an ex bodybuilder. It was brutal.

The email from Men’s Fitness to say we’d made it into the last 8 teams came on the Monday, and it gave me so much adrenaline that I swapped my end of season rest week for a Crash week instead.

I did gruelling time trials to find out how long I could keep my heart rate at maximum before losing peripheral vision. I did hill reps until I couldn’t turn the pedals. And when my legs were finished I went to the woods and trained with logs until my arms failed. It was 30 hours of all-out training for 9 days.

‘Good’ James said. ‘And in percentage terms what kind of strength gains do you think you made?’ He gets it.

I also wrote running specific training plans for me and Darren so that we’ll peak on November 23^rd.

I’d write one for Nick but he won’t stick to it, partly because he already beats me in every race, but mostly because he trains on instinct.

This basically means nailing Green and Blacks Butterscotch with every meal, (we call him Picnick) cruising through training sessions, then somehow dropping 6kg before every triathlon and winning. My highly scientific training plan on the other hand always brings me in about 1 minute behind him.

Here’s a picture of me hundreds of metres ahead of Nick out of the water in Weymouth. This lead lasted for a whole 15 more minutes.

This was taken a few hours before Steelman. I’m looking relaxed because no-one’s told me I’m going to settle for 2^nd again.

And here’s me, Nick, and our cyclist friend Tony taking a slightly disappointing 3^rd at the Men’s Fitness Rough Track triathlon relay. (Notice how Nick still manages to stand on 1^st place on the podium.) We’d have considered Tony for Team MF if it wasn’t for his rather limited skill set, which includes crashing bikes on corners, and crashing bikes at high speed. In this race he displayed his prowess in both skills at the same time.

Just can’t wait for November 23^rd now. Mostly because Darren and I told Nick he has to run with us rather than going for the win. We’ll see if he can manage it.

The Next Big Thing

2008-09-21T05:42:00.002+01:00

By Darren Roberts

Saturday 20 September 2008. Woke up at 7am and immediately stared into images of jungles, deserts and mountains. ‘Got to get up and find some information on the events’, ‘Got to get up and go for a run’ ‘got to…., got to….’. Ahhhhh. ‘Just get up’. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake the missus, grabbed a couple of bananas, fed the cat, poured an apple juice and settled on the sofa to surf for info on endurance races.

It had been 12 hours since we found out we had got to the final of the Team Men’s Fitness competition. We had a chance to represent Men’s Fitness in 3 endurance events in 2009. When the confirmation email arrived at the advertising agency we all work in (Delaney Lund Knox Warren in Covent Garden), I rushed upstairs to break the news to Steve and Nick Tidball, my fellow team mates. I burst into their office “Have you seen the email from Men’s Fitness?” I blurted out. Nick looked at me with confused wonderment “No”. “We’ve got through to the final!”

We half jumped up and down on the spot, trying desperately not to look like mad space hoppers to anyone looking through the glass walls of the office. “I don’t believe it, that’s amazing” he said. Needless to say the next hour was a jubilant one. Nick spent 30 minutes on the phone to Steve, who was on leave, and I found it hard not to run around the office telling everyone who had a day job to get on with. This was it, all we had to do now was get through the final!

8 teams had been picked to race in the final which was an 11-mile trail run called Saab Salomon Turbo-X Trail. November 23^rd 10am – this was the next big thing. If we made it through this and proved we could work as a team, we might be in for a shot at the big one – our next big thing. http://www.saabsalomontrails.com/tx_04.cfm

I started surfing for information on all 3 events which we might be undertaking. 5 minutes into it, I stopped and reprimanded myself . ‘Focus on the 23^rd November first you loon’. We haven’t got through the final and indeed - may not. I composed myself and began to devise a training plan.

My previous experience of doing this was limited and amateur to say the least. I’d been running since I was 15 (a mere 20 years ago) but had never got very scientific about it. Now I felt I had to. We have to win this race and because Nick and Steve were a good few years younger than me, I felt a pressure to be on top form.

I would be the slowest of the team but having spent 6 years in Infantry Reconnaissance in the TA, I could hopefully offer some mental endurance at least. As Nick had said on our competition entry form ‘We might be able to out-run him but he will out-survive us!”

I needed to devise a fitness schedule which would hopefully allow me to peak for the big day and not let the side down. This however would take some ‘think time’ and right now I needed a run.

Perhaps this is the feeling that Lance Armstrong had before every gruelling training session. Knowing that there is something big to try and win driving you out of the door, come rain or shine.

You’ve just got to do it. I closed the laptop and headed for the door.