By now no introduction is needed for the events of 2020, or rather the lack of any events. I optimistically set my sights on some trail and mountain running goals as it became apparent that our planned Mountaineering trip to Romania in April 2020 was no longer going to happen.
The bonus of trail running in Cornwall is you don’t have to travel far to do it. In fact you don’t really have to travel at all if you plan your routes wisely and don’t mind a couple of miles on that pesky tarmac. Like many others I entered a bucket load of races, including my first official Sky Race in 2020, only for the apocalypse to continue a little bit longer than anyone anticipated. I’d somehow been quite lucky to fit in one Ultra event, the Classic Quarter, in September 2020 as the restrictions eased. Then during a family trip to Wales I finally ran the Welsh 3000s unsupported as a bit of a recce for a future Sky Race. Roll on 2021.
The start of the year wasn’t great and a slight calf injury meant the winter off running. In reality I needed the time off the constant intensity of running and my lockdown purchased turbo trainer (didn’t everyone?) had proved a real bonus in between rubbish weather, injury and child care.
With hope on the horizon the myriad of deferred races loomed. The first race due was the excellent Freedom Racing Salomon Serpent Trail. A 100km twisting and turning trail linking up some of the fantastic Nature Reserves and Environments of Southern England. I like to think we’re pretty spoiled in Cornwall with our coastline moorlands and wild spaces, I always completely forget and under appreciate how many of these places there really are in other parts of the country that equal or better what I have at home.
From January I had set out my training plan to hit the 100km distance. I always plan a little bit over what my plan dictates to allow for any issues along the line and also to hopefully help on the day with being able to go that little bit harder on the pace. This year I took less rest days and a typical week was 5 days of running, 1 day of turbo training and 1 day of strength training. No rest days as such but the change in exercise allowed me to rest different aspects at different times to avoid injury and over fatigue. I can honestly say it worked and my fitness improved significantly in this training block. With my Son starting Nursery more days a week it allowed me more time to accomplish this. When he wasn't there he tended to keep me company on buggy runs, usually shouting some sort of instructions whilst munching a bag of whatever he had salvaged from the cupboard. On average I would squeeze in two actual days of rest a month, mostly enforced due to demands at work.
By May everything had pretty much gone to plan and I lined up a Trail Marathon as a bit of a tester to see how my legs were feeling. Well to say it went horribly wrong would be an understatement. I flew through the first half and pretty much fell apart in the second. I had underestimated the weather conditions which turned out to be scorching. Not only that, I had forgotten any salts or electrolytes and burned through anything my body was holding by mile 23. Queue me in a vomiting mess at the last aid station whilst hiding in a hedge. Not the most glamorous finish I have had to a race, but at least I didn’t have to walk back thanks to the medical staff. Valuable lessons learnt.
I pulled it back by the end of the month and through the amazing guidance of Precision Hydration stocked up on a lot of salts and electrolyte mixes. I’d also found some Gels that didn’t make me urge which partially replaced the whole malt loaf I frequently carried for ultra-events (I couldn’t quite let go of my attachment and still carried half a loaf on subsequent races).
At the start line in July for the Serpent Trail I felt ready, rested but nervous. I feel the same at
every race no matter how well I’ve trained or prepared, I think in some ways everybody does. I have done several of Freedom Racings event over the years and everyone is as good as the next. Superbly organised, clear instructions, fool proof route marking and most of all, no faff. There’s a great feeling and vibe at all of their events, it really feels like a community activity when you turn up and line up. Despite the growth and size of some of their events now they have somehow managed to maintain and keep that “togetherness.” I have raced with other event companies and it can feel very “us and them” between the hobbyists and elites, or other organisers make you feel little more than the number you have pinned on as they churn out their events across the country with little or no regard for the runners experience on the day.
The route itself snakes (see what I did there?) through the South Downs National Park. If the 100k distance was a bit concerning at the start line, it was soon forgotten about as the rise up to Black Down was mesmerising. On a rather cool and damp morning, the fog had settled all below us and the views stretched out to the fields below as the sun crept out to burn it off. I don’t think I’ve ever ran a race with such a variety of trail types. I’d spent the first half working my way up some steep hills on the way through woodlands and then open trails on top of expansive vistas and heather ladened moorland. The second half was pretty much flat and took us across sandy paths and open fields through the surprising southern England country side, the side of Southern England I had completely forgotten about. When I say “flat” I mean there was nothing significant in the second half to make my now tired legs complain. The whole race had only 1700 metres elevation gain, most of which was during the first half. Over 60 odd miles this is as nearly as flat as you can get.
It wasn’t until the drop bag station around half way that I picked up my token half a Malt Loaf. I really hadn’t needed it with the spread put on at the aid stations by Freedom Racing. They certainly don’t skimp on the selections, I have been to buffets and Birthday parties with less choice than these aid stations, albeit there’s probably a more adult choice than the jam sandwiches and jelly sweets I picked up. Of noteworthy mention is the home made flapjacks which tend to appear near the end of the Freedom Races events. I am reliably informed these are made by the Race Director, Tom Suttons, Mum. They’re almost worth running the 100km for.
The second half I pretty much switched to cruise mode and just let my legs do what they felt like doing. The lack of hills was greatly appreciated but by this point even the little bumps in the topography were a challenge to egg myself up.
The great feature of trail races is the people you meet. You can’t help but get chatting (panting) to people along the routes and I find ultras
are the best for this. No ones is really going flat out with survival being the general goal for the day. I was lucky enough to bump into a couple of people along the route and run with them for a portion of it as our paces matched. In the last 15 miles I was grateful to have company that spurred me on through the last sections. I don’t mind admitting that my legs were totally toast by now but I knew they could still finish the race with ease. The difficulty was trying to remind my head of this as I repeatedly found excuse to walk some of the easier sections. Trying to breath whilst eating Malt Loaf was running and walking is near impossible anyway.
The end of the Serpent Trail is in Petersfield, conveniently the campsite and event centre for the race. It’s a great feeling to start heading into the town before eventually seeing the turning to the finish…only to be sent straight pass it. Yes that’s right, you’re not done yet. A short diversion around the leisure centre and rugby pitches takes you into the back avoiding the busy entrance and exit of the centre. It really is short, but by this point you kind of feel every bit of the 2km around to the finish line. You really do earn those finish line elations in this race. After twisting your way across the national park you’re met with enthusiastic and raucous applause as you stumble over the finish line. Again every bit of that community vibe Freedom Racing delivers.
I was elated to have finished this race and still feel relatively ok, I wouldn’t have wanted to run any more than I’d had to, but I certainly would have dragged myself on a bit more if I’d needed to. You can imagine my shock to find out I’d managed to place 11th overall. Not something I was expecting but perhaps testament to my strict training approach this time around.
A massive Kudos to Freedom Racing for delivering such a fantastic event. An Ultra taking you across multiple terrains and perhaps the most runnable I have done to date. When you turn up to a race like this, a race you have probably trained several months for and put your all in to, the last thing you want is any stress or hassle on race day. There was none of that. Even with the pandemic still looming, everything that should be in place was. The volunteers and Marshall's were fantastic even when stood out in the pouring rain. It's testament to the vibe Freedom Racing creates that the Marshall's and Volunteers come back year after year to help out. This is certainly a race with the runners in mind and planned from the runners perspective to ensure all you have to worry about is putting one foot in front of each other.
Now, on to the next ones…
My Race Kit;
- Peaked Ceile Go Cap – Provided by Suunto. Standard Ceile hat. They do the job, they’re lightweight and provide protection from the elements. Pretty good at wicking and protecting your face from sweat too. Easy to fold and stash.
- Montane Dragon Zip T-shirt. Fantastic, lightweight, comfortable, wicking, very quick drying! My preferred running top. Expensive but worth it. Saved for races usually.
- Salomon Agile 5” Shorts. Simple, effective and affordable shorts with a brief liner. Never had any issues with chaffing and they dry superbly fast. My go to shorts.
- Montane Minimus Stretch Ultra Waterproof Jacket. Does all I need it too in every eventuality. Overkill for this race as its more suited to Mountain Environments and remote routes. Stayed in my bag throughout as the rain was never too sustained. Packs down into its own pocket to ease compression and storage. Seems to be pretty hard wearing after multiple miles wearing a running pack and dodging gorse bushes. Breathability is fantastic.
- Montane Razor running pack. I’ve had this for years and its been great. Bottom-less storage and easy to synch in when you’re running with less kit. The Velcro closure does annoyingly stick to most things though.
- Socks – Rockay Razor. By far the best running socks I have ever used. Expensive but they last and come with a life time guarantee which they always honour!
- Buff – Equivalent provided by Suunto. You can’t underestimate the benefit of one of these. On your wrist to wipe the sweat off or to put on your head when the weather gets really bad. Provides a surprisingly amount of heat retention when worn as a hat/band.
- Sunglasses – SunGod Velans. Provided to me by SunGod who have remained sponsored by since some Expeditions. An optimistic inclusion, they stayed in the bag all day. Otherwise the best glasses I have used. The Velans had limited use at this point but the clarity and eye protection is spot on. You hardly notice they're there when trying to race which for me says it all.
- 2 x Soft flasks – From Montane, supplied with the running pack. They do what they should.
- Nutirition – Tribe Bars, Malt Loaf, GU Energy Gels. Being sponsored by Tribe I took several of the new triple deckers which were ace and didn’t melt in the cool temperatures (usually they do when it gets hot so I swap them for the Energy Bars instead.)
- Shoes – Adidas Terrex Speed Flow/ Adidas Terrex Speed Ultra. Changed at half way. My preference was the Speed Ultra but due to muddy conditions on the first half I started with the Speed Flow for the extra grip. Unfortunately they rubbed my feet and actually started to split at the seams after little use. I swapped them at half way for the Speed Ultra which was a dream to run in from the half way point. The Speed Flows have since been returned under warranty.
- Watch – Suunto Baro 9. Kindly provided to me by Suunto for an expedition in 2020. I’ve been through many iterations of Suuntos tech and this is by far the best. Battery life is brilliant, used approx. 50-60% for this race with full GPS logging, navigation and heart rate tracking on at the same time.
Find out more at: www.serpenttrailrace.com/
Official Serpent Trail Photos by the PH Balance: www.thephbalance.co.uk/
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