Nice - you’ll know if you’ve gone too hard the first trip up to the castle 
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I can barely run as it is, so it won’t make a jot of difference 
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Yeah that’s BS.
Have they changed the run route from previous editions? I know there’s a river in Stafford but you don’t see much of it on the run course.
The whole section leading up to the castle is uphill then you have to get up the lump. In the grand scheme of things it’s not really that bad but it killed me off last year
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Yeah. They’re liars.
Check out LCBs time.
Then look at the Strava Adam posted.
It’s rolling, but there’s 6-7 of them over 90km.
Cotswold 113 it ain’t.
I would enter as its two weeks out from Frankfurt, but not for £369
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Maybe that was written when Wimbleball was still on the calendar 
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WHAT. THE. HECK 
I paid £275 for Staffs back in Nov ‘19.
And £470 for Bolton.
Having done Bolton, and seen the race week set-up and venue etc etc, I’m in no rush to enter an M-Dot™️ Event again.
The price is ludicrous.
Staffs, I’ll be looking at £58/hour 
Bolton I was eyeing up £42/hour (cheaper than most local sprint races 
)
It’s not “an experience” or a chance for this or that.
It’s utter madness.
They charge that, because that’s what people pay.
It’s 100% not worth it.
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Yes I have to admit I looked last week when some promo email got sent.
Baulked at the price
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£370 for a half??
Need to work on your hip flexors for that, given how much youll be having your leg lifted.
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For a half? FMD! 
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With the Active fee on top of that
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So it’s about £400 currently.
Most entrants ever eh, @r0bh 
I’ll be down to watch!
Stones throw from where I grew up.
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Staffs is popular but pricey for a race I’ve already done. At least a new race has novelty factor in for your £400…
Tier 1 and tier 2 ‘deferrals only’, those tiers must have been tiny as most deferrals from 2020 raced the 2021 edition in the furnace……
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So…on the SATURDAY;
you take your bike down to Cannock Chase?
Then back up to Stafford for your car to go back to the hotel in?
And to rack your swim kit.
Seems like a long ass day!!!
Sunday: Park in Doxey Road/Sainsbury’s car park all day for £1.
Get the bus down to Cannock Chase
Rolling start race
Finish
drop IM merch/garbage off at car
walk to T2 to collect bike
walk bike back to car
Home
For SUNDAY, I’ll be on my own, so is there a bag drop at the lake? (EDIT: I’ve seen that there is 
)
For my car key and phone, etc.
EDIT: I’ve done a triathlon at Cannock Chase before! The SportsTest Wolverhampton Classic back in 2007!
On the Saturday you can drive to the lake.
From memory my Saturday / Sunday looked like this:
Got up around 5 and drove to Stafford,
Parked in business park carpark (can look this up later) that’s a short walk to registration/T2
Registered and popped my trainers, gel, visor in my T2 bag and racked it.
Then drove out to Cannock Chase, parked there, racked my bike and T1 bag.
Had a short 1km swim in the lake then had an overpriced lunch at the lake.
Then drove back into Stafford had a wonder around then sat in a park and read a book.
Had an early dinner at a ZiZi - table for 1 - plenty of others doing this too 
Considered watching a movie at the cinema but only crap was on.
Schlep back to the hotel for an early night
Saturday is a day for steps and I racked up too many - it was friggin hot too.
Early Sunday drove to that Sainsbury’s carpark then waited to get on the bus.
You get dropped off. Stuck my bottles on the bike went on the hunt for a pump and pumped my tyres up.
Sling my white bag on the truck back to Stafford then got in my wetsuit and got in line.
Once finished, I sat in a heap and ate pizza, chatted to @TROSaracen then plodded back to sainsbury’s bought lunch. and ate that in my car. Then went back to the finish area to cheer while while waiting for transition to open.
Walked back to transition got my kit, then back to the car and home!
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Sweet, that really helps, thanks
I reckon this is why I don’t like going abroad, it’s the unknown more than anything!
I did The Vit three years in a row, Bala three times, Outlaw five times now, ForestMan twice, Beaulieu twice - ha ha ha!!! I like to know what I’m getting 
It’s only 45 miles from my house, or an hour driving (so similar to Bolton, with the traffic)
So going down to register and drop my run kit off on Friday is also a go-er, then I can get that stress out of the way.
Then just drive straight the 60 miles (80 minutes) to Cannock on Saturday (as the bike will be pre-stickered that way) then we can go somewhere nice for lunch on the way home…
then it’s a case of jumping into the car at 0330 for the bus on race day, should arrive at Sainsbury’s for 0430, straight into a bus. On site for 0545, have a poo, starting sometime after 7am
Yeah, that seems like a plan now actually.
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