She is absolutely smashing the other ladies out of sight
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Ok, tried to sleep for an hour and despite being dog tired just couldnāt.
I knew obviously going into this race that there was a chance of a DNF caused by something other than fatigue or the course itself.
I rolled the dice but it doesnāt make it that much easier to swallow but as the saying goes, you learn more from your failures.
The race HQ is at Porthpean Outdoor Ctr. Iām not sure what it does but thereās a big barn with climbing walls, some camping pods and thatās about it.
Mud Crew have a great reputation for their races and they really do look after you but in general, despite the filming and hoopla, it was a bit rubbish at HQ. This wasnāt their fault but there seems to have been an issue with licensing and food trucks, beer etc. there was one small tent from Vaga selling hats and that was it and it felt a bit flat TBH.
The race has extremely tight and strictly enforced cut offs and the cut off at Gorran Haven, 17kms in claims a lot of victims.
The course is what I would call technical. Not in itās rock scrambling or sheer height or anything but the course is strewn with steps, especially in the first 8km. If youāre askingā how bad could they possibly beā? The answer is very very bad. I couldnāt believe it until I experienced it.
On top of that, the course is littered with badger holes! The condition of the course was pretty challenging. Very narrow in lots of parts, too narrow for both feet a lot of the time and very badly overgrown, to the point where I thought it was a bit dodgy at night, you couldnāt see rocks underfoot. This course was impossible for me to get a rhythm on.
However, that was the same for all. My own race took a different dimension. I was moving pretty well but solidly BOP and I could feel my hamstring and quad tightening at about the 12km mark.
I made the cut off at Goran Haven by 6mins but 7 people dropped here. I think one ājust becauseā two fell and hurt themselves and four missed cut off.
I should have dropped here really but went on the 12km to Carhays but I was slowing down and in the end, dealing with leg pain and barely lifting my left foot, which in turn caused me to trip on rocks.
I suspected my race was done at Goran Haven but now I knew I was toast. I waited for the sweeps, Stu and Becca, they walked me into Carhays and I dropped with two others. One lady with fatigue and another guy who had fallen pretty badly.
BTW Becca knows GIngerBongo and letās just say his rep is known outside of these pagesš
I lasted 4hr45 and 26km only on that course. Itās very tough.
What did I learn: when you are my age and run 75miles, take twice as long as you think you need before training again.
Donāt be afraid of aggressive cut offs, Iām slowly getting the chops to deal with them, even at BOP.
Donāt expect more than your body can provide and donāt get down about my DNF/finish ratio but be realistic about what I enter.
Iām learning to deal with different trails but getting a feel for what I like and donāt like. Iām not afraid of technical trails at all but I prefer open trails rather than closed in. That trail today was like a humidity couldron with the overgrowth and trees.
Iām getting better at night stuff. I like the poles the more I use them.
You can sometime wing what you eat but get hydration and electrolytes dialled in. Iām getting there with this.
DNFs are part of ultra running. Nobody wants one but everybody gets them.
I still want to crack 100miler but I āthinkā the 50mile and 100km is better for me.
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Someone mentioned breaking course records
Badwaterā¦gets popcorn
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Well done on getting to the start line. Still managed 5 hours running which is a decent chunk.
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Courtney was just phenomenal today
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Crap at cooking though 
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Last runner still out on the course at 70 milesā¦.
Willing them onwards
#Hardrock
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Absolutey nailed the womens race though
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As I have said before kudos for toeing the line
100ās are as much mental as they are physical
I know you you got this
You need a sustained long run at the distance - build the training steadily and incrementally to avoid getting crook
Focus on the event at hand - TP100 or SDW 100 2023 - whatās it going to be?
I have seen the determination first hand
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Cheers mate, I think with my age and body, it has to be accepted that not all of these will go my way, about a 50% success rate right now!
I think SDW100 is the one Iād really like but Iām also realising Iām not bad at E24 format. They are on the same day but I said Iād not do it again, so more likely SDW. There is something about that race!
Definitely need to screw my head on with training. I am not sure if I screwed things up with a 19km 11 days after E24 and then a 500mtr vert session two weeks after but It couldnāt have helped.
Right now I have an entry for Wendover woods 50 in Nov but Iād like to give NC110km a nudge again, mainly because itās in Oct, starts at night but does involve a lot of sustained walking.
Cut offs are not Mud Crew tight but you canāt dawdle . I will see what the latest is for that is I can enter. I may look at the 56km that Iāve done before.
There are things I battle with that are out of my control somewhat. My tender feet and obviously back.
However, there are many things I can do to help myself better. Smarter training that includes more hiking at speed. Eating strategy could be better ( think Iāve nearly got hydration down now) but by far the ābiggestā thing I can do is lose weight. Every issue I have (except hamstring maybe?) can be helped by being lighter.
Iām determined for sure but that wonāt always make up for my lack of prep in other areas.
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PSA: SDW100 opens today at 10.00
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Yep, heading to parkrun now and will enter from the coffee shop after 
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Was randomly looking at the results of the Eiger Ultra trail 101 and noticed Emma Pooley was the 2nd female in 14:56:53.
@FatPom enjoy the park run 
Also going to throw in an entry - will withdraw if get into Western States
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Whatās the SDW like compared to the NDW?
@tunster has done both I think but from what I read, the NDW100 is considered tougher.
Doesnāt look like the entry link is working yet
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Longer gentler hills and not as overgrown in places - I prefer SDW over the NDW every day of the week
I canāt get the link to work either
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Link working now
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