Horsenden Hill XC Met League & Canterbury 10 mile

Back in the mud - Horsenden Hill

After a short last season I plan to train and race a lot more than last year. Last weekend I started with my London Club (Woodford Green) at the traditional XC metropolitan League. It was a first timer for me at Horsenden Hill. What I have heard of the venue was that its usually deep mud more or less all around the course. That's not exactly what I like ;)

And it was really muddy - apparently not as bad as it has been in recent years. But the water was forming some puddles in places and the previous categories have left quite a mess. Even my 9mm spikes did not help much - and from what I have heard neither the 15 mm spikes. I started relatively slow and was expecting a battle for half an hour with myself which it really was. After only a couple of minutes I was thinking of every possible excuse to abandon the race as it was no fun at all. However I came all the way here and everybody is in the same situation so I knew I had to deliver the best I possibly could. 

In this three lap course there were places where I didn't had any grip at all, constantly slipping. It seemed the runners around me were better off. However in the bottom part of the course the grip was better and I was able to take over a few runners.

As I was running I could feel all muscles connected to the greater trochanter (where you feel the hip bone) because I have been braking up the facial tissue with a foam roller around it. Over the years this area has stiffened up considerably so I thought its the perfect timing of the year to make a change. From the research I have read (mainly G. Schleip) I thought I have to try for myself. And it really seems to have an effect as the muscles have to compensate now for the lack of stability of the passive structures. 

I ended up on the 31st place - not being able to close the gap to the runners in front of me on the last lap. Considering the type of course and my form I think the result was ok - it could have been worse. Cross country running is tough and always a good exercise to analyze strength, cadence and core stability. I think the strength training I have done is certainly doing some good but I have to keep working. However it was difficult to bring the legs forward - especially as the shoes were glued in places to the ground. Next and last stop of the Met League series will be Ally Pally in February. 

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Canterbury 10 - or how to battle for a place on the podium

The first Kent Grand Prix was held today over the distance of 10 miles in Canterbury. With nearly 1200 finishers it was well-attended. Probably more than they were expecting because the organizers were struggling handing out the numbers, there was a lack of available toilets and also the bag drop was overextended once all the runners came back. 

I made up my thoughts what I want from that race. It was important to me not to start to quick and to maintain the speed in the bottom half. I would have to see how to adapt as the race was unfolding. There was one young runner quickly getting away from the field. I thought fair enough - he would probably hit the wall at some point. Greenwood from Kent AC was chasing him. I looked on my watch and decided to hang on with the bunch as I couldn't have gone any quicker anyway. 

I was soon forming a group of three with Jackaman (Cambridge) and Rendall (Tonbridge). I could barely follow them and kept myself back in the last position as we ran roughly a 3:20 min/km (5:20 min/mile). They both seemed to be confident and my thoughts were how long I was able to hang in there. This would change as we came to the first hill. Jackaman soon lost touch and I then followed Rendall to the top. 

As it got flat again I could feel that he was struggling a little so I pushed a bit harder. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold onto the 3rd place on my own for the second half so I let Rendall get back to me but made sure he had to suffer for it. He then took over the lead again and tried to get away after about 10 kilometers. I really struggled to follow but was able to stay with him. Soon after he was not able to maintain the pressure and as we hit the last hill just moments later I made sure there would be a little gap as I seemed to be more efficient uphill. It was now less than 4 kilometers to the finish but I only had like 10 meters. Sometimes that is all you need! The mind game was full on. I made sure to show no sign of weakness. I focused on a steady pace and effective stride (harder does not mean faster - and a tick faster is not necessarily harder). I reached the finish after 54:13 minutes in third position, just 8 seconds in front of Rendall. I was sorry for him because he did a lot of leading work until I was able to put a gap between us but that is racing. 

Abel Tsegay was the young African lad getting away quickly and finishing in 51:36. Certainly a runner to look out for as he has not reached his 20th birthday if I was informed correctly. 

I really enjoyed this race with its competitive field with the change of rhythm. It was also great to see so many familiar faces from the Maidstone Harriers family! 

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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Top 10 bei Morat - Fribourg!

Morat-Fribourg is to my knowledge the most traditional run in Switzerland. This years edition was already the 82nd and attracted more than 12000 runners in total. It is in memoriam of the messenger of the battle of Morat in 1476 who was carrying a branch of lime tree to Fribourg to proclaim victory - similar to the messenger from Marathon to Athens.

It is the first time I made an appearance at this run. It is 17.17km long (~10.7 miles) and has about 300 meters of incline. It is a fast road course which gives me the opportunity to use my favourite shoe - the Scott Race Rocker. The race is usually dominated by runners from Africa. This should not be any different as the winners of the last couple of years were again at the start giving each other a hard fight to the finish line. I was not to sure of my own capabilities. My last training runs were strong and fast but I had no idea what it was really worth and if I could go with the fastest Swiss runners.

Right from the start in Morat I ran my own pace and didn't bother what the others did. After the first Kilometer I was in about 40th position and at one point it was the first female runner leading! I always say it does not matter if you run the first Kilometer with the leading pack - you just overexert yourself right from the beginning. If you can put in this effort on the last Kilometer - that is when it counts.

In the meantime I was overtaking all (native) Swiss runners and after 4 Kilometers I was running just a few seconds behind Tesfaye Eticha (4x Jungfrau Marathon winner) and Oumoussa. I could drop all the other runners and was now in 9th position. Just before we got to the halfway mark, I bridged the gap to these two runners. When they realised somebody was coming from behind the gave each other a look saying "who the hell is that".
I took my turn in leading our group. On the downhill to Kilometer 12 just before the biggest climb I got a stitch and lost about 40 meters on my rivals. I managed to get rid of it just in time to get back in touch with them on the uphill. The huge crowd literally carried me over the climb and I managed to overtake both of them so I tried to break at least one of them. It seemed to work as Eticha fell back a little. On the big road into Fribourg I didn't had the gear anymore to go with Oumoussa. I had to let him go little by little. And just before we got to the very final climb Eticha was back on my heels. He rushed past me and as we approached the climb I didn't had the strength anymore to fight back. I was giving everything but that was not enough - I pushed probably to hard on the penultimate climb. I crossed the finish line in 9th position and in a time of 57:47 which is an average of 3:21 - a respectable result on this course.

 

During the race everybody was cheering for me as everybody assumed I would be the first Swiss runner. It was not until after the race that I learned that Tesfaye Eticha has got also the Swiss passport.

It was a great race for me and I loved the atmosphere. The organisation is fantastic and very professional. Merci pour tous Fred ;) I will be back for more! It is a shame not more runners from the German part of Switzerland participate in this race.


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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Ultraks Zermatt

Ultraks Zermatt K46

It was only the third edition of this race which replaced my favourite competition - the Matterhornlauf. I guess there are not many places which could inspire you more than Zermatt and the peaks which surround you. Zermatt - one of those places where cars are not allowed - has its very own charm. Especially in the light of the Matterhorn!

I knew this would be my longest race I would have done so far with 48km and 3600 meters of up & downhill with start and finish is in the heart of Zermatt (1605 m). And thats the kind of race where you know you would have to pace yourself well to make it to the finish in one piece.
The guys from Scott (thanks Martin) organized an apartment for the weekend where the whole team could stay. It was very nice to meet with all the other great athletes from all kinds of countries and also the crew from Scott. We sure had a good time! It gave me also the opportunity to help my teammate Elisa Desco with a hyper-contracted adductor muscle before the race. It felt a lot better and probably prevented her from any discomfort during the race.
Analyzing the times from previous years I set my target to beat the 5 hour mark. I knew this was going to be very hard as not many runners have done it previously. And they had more than 3 months of training. I also set a minimal target as 5:15 hours.
I had a bit of a handicap because on the Wednesday before the race I was doing some applesauce in a pressure cooker with apples from the garden. Even though the valve was in its original position somehow there was still pressure in it. When I tried to open the pressure cooker the lid would fly off and actually boiling applesauce was flying everywhere. The result was a burnt back of my left hand. Look for yourself what it looked like a week later. This was not what I needed before my biggest race of the season. It seems like I was incredibly lucky in the long-term outcome without any sensation changes.

 When we gathered for the start at 7 am in the morning it was really cold. The forecast was really good so nobody bothered about wearing to much. The pace felt quite hard right from the beginning. The first few kilometers I joined Martin Anthamatten as we climbed towards Sunnegga. Just as we approached it the first sunrays dazzled us through the highest trees as we just reached the forest line. It was pure magic! I tried to hold on to my pace, not overdoing it but also not to lose contact to the group of runners I was in now. After a short but brisk downhill we climbed up to the Gornergrat (3130m). Yes the air is thin up there, especially if you are not used to it. But again - the scenery is just spectacular with the Monte Rosa - the highest peak of Switzerland - in the backdrop. During the following downhill I did a misstep which hurt quite a bit. I tried to stay focused but only about a minute later I was about to do another one. Thanks to a reflex I avoided further damage but smashed my other shin on a rock instead.. After a bit of swearing I was back on track but loosing quite a bit of time on some specialists. It was Pere Aurell who went past me as if he had stolen something...

During the next climb up to Schwarzsee I could see a few combatants in front of me. I tried to go my own pace but also trying to catch up the guys in front of me which were not exactly low profile athletes. Even though we were high up in the mountains I was boiling and using everything I could to stay cool and hydrated and energized with the bottles I was carrying with me. For that I used the old version of this Scott bag. Even though this meant I was carrying constantly more weight I was able to drink at any time I wanted and what I wanted. And I was able to refill it on top of the peaks where the aid stations were.

On the third and last big climb above Stafel I was out of juice. In about the only section which could be considered as flat I was feeling dizzy which was a good 4 hours into the race. At that point I just tried to get as much sugar in as I could and the goal was now just to make it to the finish line with the least damage. I recovered a bit as I got to Trift. The last 200 meters uphill was followed by about 800 meters downhill in 3 kilometers. In case your legs have not been sore before they certainly will be now! During this downhill I was chased by Eirik Hausgnes and after a lot of pushing downhill I caught a stone with my foot and landed on my front. Nothing happened and I was standing already again before he was able to pass me but I gave way to Eirik as all I wanted is getting down without any injury. I was hanging on to the 9th place in 5:09 hours which I thought was realistically a good result in this highly competitive field which counts towards the skyrunning world cup.
It was great to see that my long-time rival and friend Martin Anthamatten was able to take the win on hometurf with almost a 10 minute gap to the second runner. Well done!

The views were absolutely stunning throughout the race. I think every competitor would agree in this. And the trails are so well done that you don't have to worry to much about any missteps. It just happens if you are going for any shortcuts or are trying to go faster than your legs allow you to. It is an incredibly beautiful race I can recommend to anybody. There is also a 16km, 30km and a vertical race (uphill only).

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Shoes: Scott Kinabalu RC
Bag: Scott Trail Summit 16

Swissalpine Marathon K42 2015

It is a long time since I last updated my blog. This was also quiet intentional as I did my last race in October at the Beachy Head Marathon. Since then I have taken some time off. It was not until the beginning of June when I picked the training up again. I gradually increased my mileage on the bike and carefully started my running again. The stride did not feel natural and it was hard to get back.

It was clear that I needed a target for my motivation to work towards something. As the events were unfolding with my University I knew I had to do something. My girlfriend mentioned the Swissalpine Marathon in Davos some time ago and this got wired into the brain. As I got back home to Switzerland and did some good training in the Alps I thought all of a sudden that I could be able to do this race a week before the race. After some discussions I knew I should give it a try. When I got a starting place I knew it was real now - and that was 4 days before the event. A few days of tapering and working on my running ABC the body just had to be ready.

We travelled on Saturday morning to Davos where I took the train to Bergün where the start of the K42 is. It is the bottom part of the main race which is 78 kilometres long but covering most of the inclines. I knew the course very well from maps and pictures and had already a good idea what was waiting for me. In Bergün I got my bib and went with Lukas Gehring for a warm-up. Lukas is an athlete I know from my early days in Duathlon. As we were just warming up with only a few minutes left before the start Sandra surprised me to be support me already at the start in Bergün. We planned that I would not see here until the other side of the Sertigpass. But here she was and she passed me the much needed water bottle which I used to cool down my body. Here is one of my personal secrets: When did Noah build the Ark? Before the rain! So start to cool down your body before he is overheated which is already before the start.
Standing behind the starting line and waiting for the starting signal Andrea Tuffli appeared the give us the best wishes for the race. He is the great organiser for the past 30 years of this fantastic event who went forward with it and re-invented this race many times to make it more attractive.

With Martin Lustenberger the oldest of the brothers also started in this race and was apart from Lukas the only person I knew who could get dangerous. The course does a 6 km introduction loop around Bergün (1383 masl) before it joins with the full distance. Very soon it was only Lukas, Martin and me. In the first uphill I thought it would be quite quick so I stayed behind and would see what is going to happen. In the downhill I thought it was a bit slow and just let my legs go and so I was on my own coming back to Bergün. "This is dangerous, don't overdo it" went through my mind. Sandra passed me another water bottle as I came through the town which I emptied completely over my body. As I went on it was clear that I had to stay calm and just run as I would in a training because its going to be a long day.

I enjoyed leading the race and never looked back really as I did not want to push myself to much. I got further up to the Keschhütte (18km, 2632 masl), the first pass before you cross to the Sertigpass. I could feel the lack of oxygene and looked on my watch. I was aware that I was on a similar pace as last years winner Bundi. A quick look back and all I could see was runners from the full distance so I kept going. Here I grabbed a wrong cup and poured an isotonic drink over my head. After a first shock I didn't care to much and tried to forget about it.
After the traverse towards the Sertigpass the runners from the S42 joined our course. Now it got a bit tricky. There were now not only the K78 runners but also a lot of runners which are doing the same distance on relatively similar course but started 2 hours earlier which means they are roughly half as fast as I was because by that time I was already 2 hours on my way.

I climbed the Sertigpass (24km, 2739 masl) next to the trail because it was blocked by other runners which was annoying. Once I reached the top of the pass the steep and technical downhill started in this rocky section. Instead of the best line I was doing a slalom around runners in flat trainers which were just not made for this sort of course (especially when they would slip on the snow). So because they were anxious they were not only slow but also unpredictable.

However I made it down to the Sertigdörfli (1861). I felt still ok even though I was pushing the downhill hard but the shocks from downhill running were noticeable as well as the distance. Sandra was waiting for me here to supply me with a gel and drinks. I was quite relaxed as I did not expect anybody to catch me now. A quick look on my watch showed with a 4 min/km average I would make it to Davos just under 3:30 so I had a goal. I soon realized that would not be easy as the course is not exactly straight and slightly undulating. I started to suffer but what else did I expect? After all its the Swissalpine Marathon! So I made sure I would make it save to the finish in Davos. Exhausted and happy I reached the track in the center of Davos after 3:33:52 hours.

I absolutely loved this race and I think I will be back for more. I know what to expect if I would have the silly idea to do the full distance one day. I am looking forward to it though ;)

And finally a big thank you to my love who was looking after me throughout the course which is hard work - and this on her own birthday!

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Shoes: Scott Kinabalu RC

Tough day at Beachy Head Marathon!

After my low in Summer I had to set myself a target to end my 2014 season. It did not take long until I was sure I would like to do the Beachy Head Marathon with start and finish in Eastbourne. It is regarded as one of the most scenic Marathons of the UK and is quite demanding with about 1300 meters of ascent/descent and it is all on trails which should suite my abilities. My goal was to win the race but then again every Marathon is a long way and anything can happen. You can feel great one minute and then find yourself in great trouble just after but that is what Marathon running is all about :)

The start of the race is quite famous as you run directly into the steepest part of the course: the East side of the Beachy Head which would make a natural selection of all the different speeds including some false positives who go off to quick. Before the start I was looking around if I would spot some familiar faces (apart from all the mighty Harriers). The only person I could identify was wearing bib 1 which was Jeff Pyrah, the winner of last years edition.

After the start you have to get through a relatively narrow gate and then climb the hill. To my surprise I was setting the pace of the pack and soon I would even lose my last companion, Jeff Pyrah. I felt a little twinge in my left calf but it was not bothering me and I started to focus to have an effortless and effective stride. Just as I approached the third kilometer mark this little twinge got more and more aggressive and forced me to stop as my left calf cramped up completely. BOOM! that was it I thought. I sat down, digged my thumb into the triggerpoints in my calf and started to stretch it. At the same time the first competitors passed me and asked me very kindly if they could help. Find that on a road Marathon I thought! And they must have thought - how typical; overestimating himself and that's what he get - serves him right!
In the meantime I managed to get up again but there was now way I could run so I sat back down again. Luckily I have the best methods how to handle such a situation in my repertoire as a prospective Osteopath and applied some Muscle Energy Technique. After about two minutes I was standing again, trying to do a few steps. It was hard, very hard as anyone must know how it feels when you have cramps. But only 3 kilometers into a Marathon? That was just not right.
I then told myself I either stop right now or I try to get on with it and see how it goes. As we all know sportsmen are stupid and they carry on. A decision had to be made so I got up and headed towards the next town we crossed after 7 kilometers. I was hobbling along one and a half legged. As soon as it went downwards to Jevington the trail was rocky with wet chalk which was extremely slippery in places - not the best thing if you got cramps! I made it somehow to the bottom of the hill and was happy it would go up again because then I would not feel my calf as much. I have worked myself through the runners and was back in about 5th position.

The discomfort got slightly less by time as I went on to Alfriston which was after 10 miles and a couple of hills later. I had some great supporters waiting for me there to supply me with drinks. They told me after the race I certainly did not look good. But I thought for myself the worst was over and its still a long way to catch up. I believe the maximum gap I had to the leader (Pere Capdevila) was about 4 to 5 minutes. My supporters say it was 8 in Alfriston but I can't quite believe that.
I saw the next two guys already for some time and I knew I was getting closer. At the time I thought I was third and did not realize Pere was leading with such a big gap. On the way to Borstal Hill I saw him far away and clocked a good 4 minute gap. Despite whatever trouble I had I needed to shift a gear up and my fighting spirit was there. During the next descent to Littlington (kilometer 26) I passed Luke and Jeff and clocked now 3 minutes to Pere. Right after the aid station in Littlington a sign went missing. I had to wait for Jeff who pointed me towards the right direction. Soon after, I found Pere in front of me who was also confused and lost nearly all of his advantage. The following passage to Exceat (km 30) included two stairs where I was able to close the gap on Pere. After we crossed the road towards the coast it was "only" the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head which seperated us from the finish. Pere pushed the first uphill to hard as he tried to get away from me. I overtook him over the top and was able to drop him.

As he was losing ground quickly I thought the seven sisters would be a stroll in the park now. Think again.. With less than 10 kilometers to go and after I was pacing myself I realized Jeff Pyrah was just about a minute down. I did not feel like I wanted to push any harder but that is what I had to do now. It got to a hard fight where I knew I had to dig deep to get out on top. I knew many psychological factors were on his side so it was time I remembered mine. I took my second PowerBar Gel which prevented my sugar levels from dropping when I needed them the most. Even though it was relatively cold I was boiling and I had to make sure I could lose some heat. Every cell was now focused and I had to retain my composure. I could not believe that I went through all this pain and trouble and losing all those minutes at the beginning of the race only to lose it at the end?
When you feel a competitor is closing in from behind it forms like a bond between the two of you which gets tighter and tighter. I had to break this chain in my head and I could feel like I was more confident immediately. And then again I told myself, if he could close the gap he would have done it already. So it was all up to me to make it first to the finish line.

At Birling Gap (km 36) it was down to 50 seconds (its hard to monitor this if you're in front!). I was almost able to maintain the gap to the top of Beachy Head (km 40) and from there it was all downhill to the finish. It was only when I actually saw the finish line that I could ease off and knew that I would win. It was a relieve to cross the finish line after 2:55:38 and just 21 seconds in front of Jeff.

Looking back on this race I am chuffed to bits that I was still able to win this race. It could have been a lot easier. But it makes me proud I was able to respond to every problem I faced and to get through it. All pieces of the puzzle had to fit and they did. This includes the support on site but also all the amazing material I can count on from my sponsors. The Race Rocker from Scott was super comfortable at all times and because a lot of the course was on grass cushioning was not really required. The lightweight running shorts had two pockets for gels but they never bothered me. Not to forget the supply from PowerBar which all together made this possible.
I would like the give a massive thank you to all the Harriers who supported me in any way. The warm response after the event was incredible and I am really happy to be part of this club.

The toll on the body was big because my training was very limited recently. I need to recover now so I will not be able to compete within the next few weeks. The priority is now on my undergraduate dissertation and I have to think of all the work that has to be done for my final exams next spring/summer.

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment!

Finally back at Chilham Castle Duahthlon!

It has been quite a while since I did my last competition. It was the European Mountain Running Championships in Gap (France). I came 37th there which is not a bad result, but compared with other years what I could be capable of. To be fair, it was right after the exams at Uni.

After the race in Gap I had to focus on the work in the clinic and another set of exams which left me no option but to prioritize. When I was just about to get back into it and sat on my bike, I got less than a mile and had a collision with another cyclist and broke my zygomatic arch (cheek bone) in 4 places. I recovered real good and was able to start with training again immediately.

CT animation of my fractured zygomatic arch


So I started the first Duathlon for some time which is quite a local venue held in the beautiful premises of Chilham Castle next to Canterbury. My expectations for this race were relatively low as I was sick for quite a few days and only managed to get on my bike the day before and did a 68km recce ride. This did not go very good initially but the further I went the better the legs felt so the confidence was back.

The rain started just on time, about 40 minutes before the start which is always nice if the run is cross country. Putting my bike into the transition area was a special feeling but the routine came back immediately. There were about 70 people at the start waiting for the signal. Apart from my brilliant team mates from the Harriers I didn't know anyone and wasn't sure what to expect, as there are very good time trialists in Kent. I thought we would see soon enough who is left after the first run.

Beautiful morning mood; thanks Jo for the great pic!

The first kilometer or so went steadily uphill in the forest on a muddy and slippery trail. I was immediately on my own which suited me very well and set a pace I was comfortable with and would not be to exhausted after 10km. It turned out I increased my lead on the first run to more than six minutes on the second guy.
This allowed me to start the bike in my own pace which went gradually uphill. After almost half an hour I reached the highest point but was just 15 km into the course. On the way back down I was just pedaling whatever I could to not lose to much terrain on my fellow competitors. Reaching the 25km mark and with it the bottom of the hill my legs felt pretty empty. I had to reduce the speed a little to make sure I wouldn't blow. The last 15 kilometers of the course went out & back in on the same road. As it went relatively well out, I had to realize on the way back that I had head wind which made it even harder. I clocked my watch at the roundabout to see how far the next competitor was back. It took nearly two minutes and funny enough he (Tom Vandenbussche from Belgium) did the exact same thing and was clearly determined to catch me if possible.
I just wanted to survive the last bit of the bike which had a brisk and steep uphill into the premises of the castle. When I reached the dreadful running path it was transformed into a tough mudder. I fought my way up but once I reached the top, the ground was again normal grass and I was able to get back into a normal stride. I crossed the finish nearly 4 minutes under the old course record and was happy everything went as smooth as I could wish for.
Analyzing the split times I gave everybody a beating on the run with 6 and more minutes on 10km and almost 4 minutes on the last 5km. On the bike I had the 2nd split including the teams but then again Tom caught up 4:30 minutes on 40 kilometers. Great performance mate!

 Mens podium and post-race treat :)

Here are the results
And my splits on strava (1st run, bike, 2nd run)

Now its time to look forward to the Beachy Head Marathon next weekend. I am now confident that my running form is good enough to race relatively hard. I just don't know if my legs will carry me the full Marathon as I haven't run further than 30 kilometers for a very long time. Well its time to find out :)
This is my goal for this late part of the season and it is important to me to bring it to a good end. Until then have a good time!

Victory at the North Downs 30k run

It is now four weeks since the race in Zegama. And on Friday the exam period finally finished! This was a big relieve and it feels great not to think all the time about the next exam or essay. For months there was one submission or exam after the other. It is time again now to focus on sport.

Yesterday was the North Downs 30k trail run which is a very scenic run not far from Maidstone. I cross the ridge of the North Downs on a regular basis in my trainings and thought I would have to do this race at least once. It was also a Kent Grand Prix and I would like to help the Harriers to get a good position in this series. Unfortunately I can't do enough races on an individual basis.
The North Downs run claimed the first place in UK's Runners World in the category "other distance" so it would have been a shame really to miss the opportunity to start here!

On a training run on Wednesday some muscle groups started to be painful which forced me to stop. I had a few days left to treat my symptoms and my (still-) housemate Loic has helped me quite a few times in the past with some massages (thank you!).
On raceday I felt good and was just hoping the pain would keep within a bearable limit. It was a very hot day and I knew it was very important to drink enough on this day but also to cool down at every possible opportunity. Thankfully I had Josh who would supply me with Powerbar and water to cool down at the 10km and 20km aid stations so I had actually something different than just water. I also took a PowerBar gel on the way and chose for that my comfy Scott loose fit shorts with a bag either side.


Some familiar faces at the starting line would tell me that it would be hard to win today. After one minute of running a bright yellow shirt appeared next to me. It was to my surprise (and I am sure to his as well) Harold Wyber, teammate from Woodford Green. We were running the first mile side by side. I was trying to set a pace which I was comfortable with and was curious who would come with me with the result that I was on my own after two kilometers. I thought this was a bit early for a brake but I took it and just carried on and increased the gap to my competitors. The course went along a golf course, up and down some corn fields and into the woods. I was able to enjoy the scenery even though you have to be careful at every step as the whole race is basically on trails.

After about seven kilometers I crossed the bridge over the A2. The race marshal told me to turn right and to move on under the bridge. As I was just running on a bridge I concluded to make this 270° right turn and follow this cycling path which I could see from the top. Long story short: I went the wrong way because I could not see any sign saying any different. After a good minute I was quite sure I was wrong so I turned around but lost 2:20 with this maneuver and had an extra 600 meters on my watch. I was furious about myself because I knew there are some quality runners in front and it would not get easy to catch them. I knew I had to fight hard to make this time up but on the other hand I had to be patient not to overcook things in this heat. The water and Powerbar drink at kilometer 10 surely helped to delay this process. Soon after the aid station I saw the (now) leading five runners far away who did not realize they were leading the race!

There were just a few uphills on the north downs way and because they were pushing each other the group split up on the way to the highest point, Holly hill. I timed the distance between me and them and I just would not make up really any ground on these sharp uphills. Once it got flatter I started to catch one competitor after the other. They were all surprised to see me again and asked where I was coming from...
Before I reached the top of Holly hill I regained the lead and just carried on in my speed as the others were not likely to be able to change their pace just like that. I was happy to be upfront again and just carried on. I sure started to feel the muscles I was struggling with a few days ago. So I focused to have a smooth stride and to be as effective as possible. At the 20 kilometer mark Josh was awaiting me again and it was great to get this extra cool down and to move on with confidence because I was leading again with some distance. The last 10 kilometers were quite undulating with a few short but sharp climbs. I managed to get back under 2 hours and crossed the finish line after 1:58:30 and was 2 minutes in front of the second runner. Harold managed to get in 3rd place.

Results
Data on Strava

It was a beautiful day and I absolutely loved this race. It was very unfortunate I went the wrong way but apparently the leading group took a wrong turn at the very same place last year. About 120 marshals on the course made sure we would make it back to the finish and they did a great job. And the live music in the finish area gave it a special atmosphere. A free cake and free massage in the finish area and other little efforts are the reason why this race is ranked #1. I only can recommend this race to everybody as it is well organized, quite challenging and brings you to some very scenic places.

Hopefully my next race will be the short distance European Mountain Running Championships in Pau (France). The selection will be next weekend. I would love to represent my country again at international championships!!!