Race Idea

Once again a huge posting delay but the reason for my last Lagan Towpath flooding post was initially because I had a race idea but safety advice kind of ran away with the post so I decided to leave it for another post.

This is probably completely unworkable/unorganisable/unmanageable/uninsureable but I cant help thinking that these conditions would be great for a mountain bike race down the towpath from Lambeg to Shaws bridge.

It would probably be best run as a time trial event with competitors going at 1 minute intervals as the towpath is fairly narrow at the best of times let alone when you cant see it!

Obviously there are loads of problems with the idea not least the following:

• Obviously the biggest issue is that you cant know in advance when the towpath is going to flood. You would have to have people on a list and mail/phone/text them on the morning the race is to take place. This means people cant make themselves available in advance etc.
• I very much doubt if this would be doable as a propper event not least because of getting insurance. Even with people in life vests etc the unknown of the date/time of the event probably makes it uninsurable.
• Would people be interested?

This was just a crazy thought about an event that I know I would be up for if someone else organised it so would anyone else be up for it assuming it was possible or does anyone else have any thoughts about the viability of this?

Lagan Towpath Flooding

When we had that mad flooding a couple of weekends ago after a couple of months worth of rain fell over the weekend, I cycled to work as usual along the lagan towpath on the Monday and Tuesday mornings. I noticed that part of the lookout point at the Lisburn Civic Centre was underwater and the river was unusually high but I had seen that before and didnt think too much about it.

Problems started at the Coca-Cola bottling factory in Lambeg where there was a stretch of the path about a kilometre long which was hub deep and more. I had only seen this flooded once before in my life and on the previous occasion it was only a couple of inches deep. I should have turned back at this point but couldnt be bothered cycling back through the flooded section upstream so I pushed on.

All was well again until just under the foot bridge close to Ballyskeagh greyhound track. The field beside this was a lake but due to the water levels starting to reduce this was draining across the towpath creating quite a cross current for mtb tyres in water that was again hub deep and worse.


There was about 100M of respite before the motorway brigde which again I have never seen flooded. Under here was relatively still water but it was almost covering my tyres! I was determined not to have to turn back but I had nowhit the point I thought would be the worst part. About 200M after the motorway there is a sharp 160 degreeish bend which previous experience told me is the lowest part of the towpath relative to the river. I have seen this flooded a few times and it had been flooded recently but usually its a couple of inches deep and the worst I had seen it was about knee deep and only for about 100M. I was worried about it today but pushed on anyway which was a bit of mistake. I could see from the hedge along the path that the water had actually dropped about 4 inches from its highest point but even so when the water got to the point that it was deeper than my handlebars I got off and walked! Because of the shape of the path at this point the water from the main river was actually flowing towards me and eventually got chest deep so it took me about 10 minutes to walk the next 50M trying to keep my backpack out of the water and coping with a bike that was floating without me on it.


Once I got to the point where I was going with the flow of the river and it was down to the level where I could see my handlebars I got back on and began cycling towards Drumbeg. The water came down to about the same height as my wheels which was cyclable but very draining. There was also a couple of bits of cross current which is very hard to navigate through. Eventually I got to Drumbeg and went up onto the road as under the bridge is a point where the canal sometimes linke itself up again where it has been split by the path. This is usually passable on a bike but today the water was the height of the safety fencing and the current as a wide river tried to get through a much narrower tunnel was mad. A couple of bemused pedestrians took a photo of me in the wheel deep water but a quick look a tthe path on the other side made me decide to go along the Malone road at for a while.


On the far side of the bridge the path dips sharply a couple of feet after 50M and it was already under water before this so common sence prevailed for the first time this morning. I went as far a Mary Peters track on the road then down the back of the track back to the towpath. The section here recently resurfaced was under a couple of inches of water. This is a part of the path I never thought I would see flooded! It was roughly this deep most of the way to Shaws bridge and then after that there where a couple of short sections a few inches deep all the way to the main wier at Stranmillis.


By tuesday morning the water had dropped another foot or so so I cycled the entire towpath. The part that I had missed was still wheel deep for quite a bit of it and also had two fallen trees to navigate. At Edenderry there is a tight bend beside the golf course and this is another part that I know is a low point relative to the river. This was still handlebar deep and so I was glad I had skipped this part on the Monday. By Wednesday they had opened every wier on the river and the water had gone from as high as I had ever seen it to as low as I had ever seen it.


Both mornings took me 1.5 hours which is more than twice what I normally take. I was wrecked both mornings as once the water gets this deep it is like cycling up a very steep hill and is exhausting.


For anyone who regularly cycles the towpath and happens to see this, I have some advice if there has been any heavy recent rain. If the path is badly flooded dont cycle along it. I know this path blindfolded and so know how far to stay from the hedge to keep on the path. The water is very silty so once it is more than 2 or three inches deep you cant see the bottom and as the path is only a couple of feet wide combined with being very twisty in some places it would be very easy to end up in the river. I am a pretty strong cyclist and this was very tiring for me so be carefull you dont get into trouble due to tiredness when you get to a really deep part. This would be more true if cycling up-river (which I didnt on either day).


For people who join the path at different points, the following might help guage how bad certain sections might be (the following all assumes you are traveling down river).

• If the river is obviously moving very fast with a narow channel at any point carrying the majority of the foam generated by the water crashing over the wiers.


• Also look out for the water flowing over the wiers so fast it is not foaming - this means the flow is very high.


• Any vegetation under water also means that the levels are higher than usual.


• If all the adjustable wiers are fully open then this can mean they are trying to drain a lot of water very quickly.


• Lagan Valley Island - if the lookout points low down towards the water at the down river end of the island are under water at the edge (they slope slightly towards the river) think twice about using the whole towpath as there are likely to be points about 2 feet deep. If these areas are completely submerged think three or four times!


• Coca-Cola factory - if any of the path along side the factory is even slightly submerged or the water is almost coming up over it then about a mile down river from this is usually at least a couple of inches deep. If this is a foot deep then seriously consider going further.


• Any of the path close to Ballyskeagh - if this floods then there is likely much worse to come within a couple of hundred metres.


• Motorway bridge - If it is flooded under this then other parts are possibly very deep.


• 100M past the motorway - beware if this is flooded it hides that there is a fair dip in the path at the sharp corner. This is also against the flow and it is harder to walk against this than it looks.


• Under the road at Drumbeg - this is always fast flowing so if it is more than 8-10 inches deep it is carrying a fair force and you are going across the current so be carefull.


• Just past the previous bridge - The path dips suddenly about 2 feet so if you cant see this dip due to water then dont go down the path.


• Sharp turn between the river at Edenderry and Malone golf course. The path here is quite low relative to the river so this is one of the first points where it gets deep.


• If you can see lots of water, particularly if it is flowing, in parts of the towpath that are usually clogged with vegetation this means the river is unusually high.


• Anywhere else - if the path is flooded anywhere else then I would not use the towpath as that means it is approaching at least as deep as dscribed above.

It is also worth noting that when they open the Wiers along the river to try and drain it these have differing effects depending which ines they open. Opening one of them only seems to have an effect a supprisingly short distance upstream. There are also a couple of points (such as at the sharp turn at Edenderry where the path floods supprisingly earlier than othe rparts that seem usually closer to the water. I suspect this is due to the water "piling up" at sharp corners.

I started to write this post with an idea in mind but given how long I have droned on I will keep that to a separate post.

Mark

Three Rat Ladies

First off appologies for the huge delay in this report. Most of it was written while it was fresh in my head but due to some madness in work, I'm only getting to finishing it now

The first Belfast Rat Race was held on Saturday the 9th August and we welcomed Paddy to our team to make up the three. We had been really looking forward to this race since we heard it was going to happen as we can never manage to get across the water for any of the other rat races. We also decided to do it as a fundraiser for Harberton Special School where Chris works as a teacher and the early total looks to be around £1500. A huge thanks to everyone who sponsored us.

Anyway, onto race day and as promised by the weather man I woke up at 6AM to the sound of rain beating off my window. This was plenty of time to clear up for the 11am start but I was cycling there and had to leave at 6:45. My day started well as I had packed my stuff the day before for the first time ever and so had no issues looking for kit before leaving the house. Unfortunately it was raining fairly heavily the whole way to Belfast City Hall so although I was wearing dry gear, my feet and cycling shoes were wet which would turn out to have a huge impact on our day.

We where there early to register as we had signed up for a basic rope course at 8 just in case but it didnt really teach us anything we didnt know so it was basically just a matter of making sure we where properly packed and ready to start and then pre-hydrating and getting some food into us. At around 10 the rain had died off and there where the first signs of the weather (which would be great all day) improving - excelent.

Around 9:30 we where handed route instructions for the 2 main bike loops of the day to mark up our belfast street maps. Coming from about a mile and a half from City Hall, the route was pretty easy for me but I imagine would have been difficult enough for folks not from Belfast.

Fairly close to 11 we all gathered at the start trying not to look too nervous for the cameras and group of shopers who had gathered to see what was going on. The race briefing was the expected rules and safety info and then we where handed over to the Lord Mayor for the start. We were promptly handed back to someone else to explain what we had to do after the start as we had no idea at this point!

Race started properly and it was a mad dash to a questionaire where we had to get 6 out of 7 correct before being issued with the next instructions. The answers where all to be found within the railings of City Hall and included things like "How many non stained glass windows are on the front of City hall?," "How many tonnes can Samson and Goliath each lift?" and when was Belfast Castle built?" This was good fun and spectator friendly as it was a while before everyone dispersed for an hour or so.

Questions answered, we got our instructions for the next section which was some orienteering round Belfast city centre. We had a 12 o'clock cut off time which we hadn't fully realised and this gave us about 45 mins. We didnt really pay enough attention to all the points and assumed they would be in roughly a sensible order. They were...ish but a couple where not so we missed a couple and where en route to the last one at the back of City hall to find a marshal removing it. This was when we realised the 12 cut off time but at least we where not far from the bikes.

I was feeling good at the fairly high pace Chris and Paddy set at the start but unfortunately 11:30 had marked the last point of the day where I was able to walk/run properly/at all. Having left the house in the rain at 6:45, and getting caught up in the pre race excitement and chatter, I didnt think that by the time the race started, my feet had been wet for 4 hours already!. I had also lifted my trail running shoes without thinking simply because I always wear them during adveture races. However, although they are worn in fairly well they are very much not comfortable on my feet on tarmac. This, combined with wet feet meant that I blistered very badly very quickly and after 1/2 hour of the race was reduced to a hobble for much of the time we were not on the bike.

Anyway back to the bike which gave my feet some rest and it was a cycle to the main Cave Hill Country Park entrance way up the Antrim Road. This is not steep until the last 200M but it is uphill all the way and Chris' usual knee issues started bothering him about half way there on top of cramps in his calfs. These issues would hamper his cycling all day and added to my feet issues, slowed us down a lot.


The bikes where dropped again and it was a clockwise run up the side of the hill, along the top, down the other side and then across the bottom back to the bikes. This was an interesting jog/walk/hobble as I'm much more used to cycling on the hill. We walked up one particular trail I cycle down regularly and I can't believe the speed I usually go down that on a bike. It really gave me a new perspective of my usual route. My feet where ok up the hill as I just walked/jogged on my toes but across the top and down was really bad, but eventually we made it back to the bikes. A huge thanks at this point to the medic on hand who bandaged my feet up as well as he could. This gave us a 20 minute wait but the extra cushioning made walking a bit more bareable and off we continued on up the Antrim road.


After a few 100M we swung right onto Greys Lane for a fast twisty decent to the Shore Road. This decent has speed bumps every 100M or so and these are great fun for getting some quite impressive air. Another advantage is that landing like this on a hardtail MTB repeatedly is great for bursting blisters! Another right onto the shore road took us back towards Belfast centre until a footbridge across the motorway. Then it was through the docks, across the Lagan and past the Odyssey. This leads to an industrial area and so wide open straight boring roads it was.


We made fairly good time along the Sydenam Road, Airport Road and then onto Airport Road West where there was a brief stop for a knot tying task and water fill up. On out the road again brought us to the Team Time Trial. We where told that the marshal had ridden the 1.5 miles out (taking us almost to Hollywood) and 1.5 miles back again in 9 minutes and we would get a 2 minute penalty for every 15 seconds we took over his time! The results sheet shows we took 11:25 for this which was pretty good at this point. Visit to the medic number two was then required when Chris suddenly got a bad nose bleed for no apparent reason. He was told it was probably a combination of exhaustion and dehydration so we took a 10 min break to refuel and increased all our fluid intake. We also dropped the speed a little (more) and there where no more nose issues.


The route from here was basically a reverse along to the Odyssey and then back to the City Hall. One thing we hadn't realised on the outward leg was how much of a tail wind there was and so the head wind at this point was another unexpected hindrance. We had been told to stick to the exact route which included following traffic rules and we did but it was a mental battle to follow the one way route round the City Hall which included about 5 red light waits instead of the 50M roll to the transition point.


There was a blind mans buff waiting for us at City Hall, where we had to navigate a blindfolded Chris round a course made up of crowd control bariers to a specific point where the checkpoint was located. Once he had dibbed in we then had to get him out again and it was off again on the bikes for loop 2.

This took us to the Ormeau park where we dropped the bikes and headed to the river for the Kayaking. It was the usual two man jobs so I sat this part out while Chris and Paddy sped off at a good pace down the less than clean looking Lagan. They where about 25 minutes so I had cooled down by the time they returned but I wa sbetter than Paddy who got serious cramps and couldnt walk after sitting in the Kayak. Im not one to laugh at a team mate but Chris and I had to mention that it was good to see him struggle slightly instead of us.

Back into the park and we decided to skip the space hoppers. Previous experience told us that these are very hard on the legs and the course was pretty long. Paddy was up for it but it would have probably spelt the end of my race had I attempted them at this point. We headed over to some trees to follow a rope through themwhile blindfolded and tied together which was fun. Then into the tenis courts for some short tenis and basket ball tasks before heading to the BMX track to do three laps. At this point we knew it was only an hour to the supposed time cutoff and knowing that in our state it was a 25 minute cycle up the towpath to the next tasks we where very close to calling it quits at this point. Due to Paddys encouragement we decided to go for it anyway and headed up the Lagan towpath, not too different to me as I commute along this every day.

We missed the rope task and got to the tasks at Shaws bridge so a bit of back tracking found us standing at the bottom of a tree in a queue with our harnesses on. After waiting for about 30 minutes we where told that they where starting to close the tasks so we had to do either the Shaws bridge tasks or this rope task. Since by this point, we where not exactly fighting for position, Paddy decided to hit the water and Chris and myself waited at the ropes. This probably messed up our timings but we where not fussed. The ropes involved a ladder climb onto a cargo net. This net was very difficult at this point as I could barely hold on. At the top it was a rope change onto a zip to another tree where a rope with knots was thrown to me and I was told to pull myself up it. I could only laugh at this so the marshal pulled me towards the tree until I could get a foot onto the branch. Here it was another rope change and an abseil to the bottom again.

Chris and me headed back to the bikes and with Chris by this stage barely able to bend his knee to pedal, he headed back down the towpath (by this point ignoring all route instructions) while I went to get a slightly damp looking Paddy. We caught Chris him about 5 minutes later and rode at a fairly decent pace back to the finish where by this time all the finishing obstacles where being bypassed as the course was being wrapped up. We clocked into the finish about 8.5 hours after the start and barely able to stand. Some warm champ was wolfed down and I headed to wait my lift. The weather had been great all race but I got drowned in the 10 minutes I had to wait on my lift - typical.

Roundup
We thoroughly enjoyed this race and will be back for another go next year assuming it comes back. It was a new experience for us having a team of three and its supprising just how much this changes the dynamic of a race.

Having said that, I was left slightly dissapointed with the experience. As I said above it was great and I will be back for another go but one of my issues was simply our performance and this was mainly due to me on my feet. We are pushing it if we claim we got 2/3 of the course completed and it really was not that hard. This probably contributes to my points in my next paragraph but does not completly account for it. Here goes...

My other main issue was the actual feel of the race itself. Im going to get complaints for saying this but my personal opinion was that the actual course/tasks and hence the whole experience was a bit of a let down after years of reading the reports from the rat races across the water. It just didnt seem to be as impressive an event. There didnt seem to be a "biggy" to talk about for weeks afterwards. I know that they had a rope task canceled on them in the docks days before hand and perhaps this was the "biggy" in which case my complaints probably are not justified.

One thing I could perhaps say about the actual route taken is that I dont think you are really seeing the best of a city in an industrial estate which was a fair percentage of the route. I know in belfast the "Titanic Quarter" is a big thing but the reality is that these are just boring, wide, long, straight roads. I also could not help but notice that the smaller tasks where not terribly well spaced out. The first bike loop was by far the harder and although this got it over with, it left the more fun loop which had 90% of the tasks until you where too wiped out to enjoy them.

I hope any organisers who read this can take these points as constructive. The organisation of the race was fantastic. Everything that I saw was very smooth. The marshals where all brilliant. The course was in general good. The small tasks where all fun. I could go on and on about the good points but why do I get the feeling everyone one is only going to remember my previous two paragraphs? I should mention at this point that a good few of the people I talked to afterwards where in agreement with me about the race not being quite as grand as they expected.

Any how I will be back next year for Rat Race Belfast round two (assuming they allow me).

I wont mention our exact results and final timings but... other reports and the final results can be found here.

Mark

Fat Ladies Training Log

I have added a training log to the blog starting on 28/07/2008. My reasons for doing this are twofold.

• It provides me with a record of my training efforts and as such is not of much interest to anyone else but me.
• I am, however, hoping that the fact that I have made it public where anyone can see it will inspire me to keep my levels of training up and hopefully encourage me to do more running.

Mark

Two Fat Ladies at the Kilbroney Challenge

After a fairly long while without anything to report, the Kilbroney challenge was last Saturday, organised by the good folks at Not The Sunday Run.

Our last race was April 12th and since then all my running training has involved thinking "I should do some running" while on a bike! Given that we where starting at sea level and the route profile peaked twice at about 450M (strangely enough the same as Slieve Martin!) I knew that I may be in trouble on the run.

No bike issues this time as I recently purchased a shiny new one that matches my "Oscar the Grouch" jersey nicely. I was not fully used to the bike yet but fingers crossed. At this point I need to say a tearfull word about my Klein. In short this bike was perfect and the Cube is simply the closest I could get to the feel of the Klein. I have been nursing the Klein for a while now but it is 10 years old and has done who knows how many thousand miles. It needed an entire drivetrain change including the shifters and the hydraulic rim brakes where falling apart and becoming dangerous (dangerous in a held on with cable ties kind of way). The headset was starting to move a bit and who knows what else was about to go. The forks didnt take disks and either did the frame so with much regret it has been left to the side for the moment hopefully to return at some point as a single speed. RIP Calvin (yes I named my bike - the new one is called Boyd).

Anyway, when we set off from Lisburn nice and early, the weather was a bit cloudy but not too bad. By the time we hit Rostrevor it was raining fairly steadily and there was a fair wind - hmm the mountains where going to be fun. A quick look at the route told us that the cycle was going to be roughly the same as last year with an extension out past the red bog and then back through it. The run as promised was an open mountain afair. As per last year, our goody bag was brilliant with plenty of energy stuff, a t-shirt, info leaflets etc. Purchasing this on your own would eat a fair bit into the £30 entry fee which highlights just how good value this race is.

There was lots of "can every body leave their bike to the lorry" being ignored by people who no longer wanted to do the race but eventually they where all weeded out and herded into the yacht club for the briefing.

Highlight of the briefing was the "unfortunate" mentioning of 4 girls in a tent waiting for us at the top of the mountain. Whoops of delight where mixed with calls of "is that the special task." Briefing over, we headed outside for an 11am start.

On the sound of the horn, it was a brief run from Carlingford Lough Yacht Club along the beach to the mad dash for a Kayak. This is always our least favourite part of the races so it was interesting to have it first while we where still fresh. It was also shorter than usual (2K) , there was not too much in the way of waves and the wind was at our back. This also gave us an indication of how we fare in relation to other folks in the kayaking. Having all started together, we finished somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 down the field which is usually roughly where we finish overall. We both enjoyed the kayak more than usual since we where fresh and would look forward to another race with the kayak first.

At this it was up onto the pier and onto the bikes. We where using the sport ident tags for checkpoint marking and I found these to be great. The beep is very reasuring in the middle of a race for some strange reason. From here it was into Kilbroney Forest Park where I knew the real pain would start. I know this forest well and the only way is up and up and up... After about a kilometer there was a short reprieve along a nice bit of single track where I had my first big off on my new bike. We where all cycling in a big line too close together and so when someone about three bikes in front of me braked fairly hard so did the folks directly in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and got myself off balance. My front wheel caught a tree root and sent me directly into the blunt end of a cut down tree. I went over the handle bars and as my feet did not unclip from the pedals the bike landed on top of me. I was unhurt but had difficulty getting myself untangled from my bike.

From the end of the single track it was uphill again for what seemed like an age picking up checkpoint three under a bridge on the way. Finaly we got to checkpoint 4 where there was a short (1-2K) run for checkpoints 5, 6 and 7. Along with some other teams we completely missed checkpoint 5 - no idea where it was but as far as I know with the electronic checkpoints, once you miss one its tough so we didnt bother going back for it.

Back onto the bikes for a short climb to the red bog and what turned out to be the best cycling of the day. I had never been through here on a bike before and it was great. I also had another over the handle bar incident when my front wheel suddenly got bogged down. I missed the mud with my face but my hand splashed muck all over me so might as well have landed face first in it. I really should think about getting contacts as this meant my glasses where a mess and very difficult to get clean so I couldnt see properly for the next hour until I found a fast flowing stream. As I said the single track through the bog was great with simple sleeper bridges over streams and some well made north shore sections over the really mucky bits.

The last section of this was a push up a trail (would be a great ride the other way) up onto the open mountain, There was a barely discernable sheep trail for about a kilometer back down to the path. This was fairly rideable with care but it was very easy to go off the trail. At this point we where back on the course from last year, a few ups and downs on forest roads then onto the open mountain for a hike-a-bike through a bit of a bog and up almost to the summit before the short cycle to the mast. Up to about 350m it was wet and windy but above this the weather was mad. The wind became really mad and made the rain hurt if it hit bare skin and you couldnt see your hand in front of your face. We met a group of about 5 other teams at the turn for the mast, unsure of what direction to take. I knew which path it was so we took that and after changing into our runners we decided to stick together for safety. My only issue with this was needing to keep up.

For some reason, however, this was by far my best run to date. The next three checkpoints where a blur of whiteness untill we headed down for the checkpoint at a bath in the middle of a field. From here we where running diagonally across and down a field and it was killing my ankles so we droped the pace now we where out of the cloud and wind. It was down to the archery task where my main memory is of being freezing waiting our turn. We each scored 4 so it was 8 minutes off our time.

We started the long climb back to the bikes at a steady pace. I didnt want to push it with my ankles so we kept it to a brisk walk which I could keep up without having to stop for a rest every now and then. For the next checkpoint we had to go past the bikes to the other summit and on approaching the top we could see the grass disturbed by the 40 or 50 pairs of feet veering off the main path. We followed this but how the first folks knew exactly where they where I will never know. Soon enough we saw the fence we needed to cross but where met by two marshals who said the race was being stopped so we headed straight for the bikes.

I must say that I agree with the decision to stop the race short 100%. Enough teams had finished to sort out the prize positions and the risk of people getting hurt/lost or worse was far too great to risk. I know the decent they had planned well enough to know that we did miss one of the best decents in Northern Ireland, but I also know that it would have been madness in those conditions.

In the three minutes it took me to change into my cycling shoes and get a drink I had gone from feeling good to shaking almost uncontrollably and following the (still pretty dangerous as it was easy to pick up huge speed) rough road down I could only tell my fingers where on the brakes because I was slowing down. The difficulty of this decent was demonstrated by Chris having a high speed off near the top but luckily surviving unscathed.

And so it was all the way back to the yacht club to try and get warmed up with a shower and COLD!? salad (I must say though it was probably the best salad I have ever eaten). I didnt fully warm up until half way home.

Despite being called off we still got in all three disciplines, got to the main special task, covered a fair bit of ground and had a great day at a perfectly organised race. We never intended to do the orienteering anyway and the ride back down was almost as long as the intended route anyway so the only major thing we missed was the second paddle.

A huge thanks to all the folks at NTSR and all others who helped this to be such a good race. Hopefully thats the race stamped permanently on the calendar each June.

Mark

Two Fat Ladies Push Their Limits

We decided to have a go at a race that was a level up and so entered the Adventure Ireland race starting at Ballyeamon Camping Barn on 12th of April. The race was longer than our usual CCAR races but we decided to give it a go and just keep to our own pace.

A day or two before the race a team list went up on the site and the teams mainly consisted of people who are at the front of the CCAR races or organise the CCAR races which alarmed us slightly. "Surely this could not be that much harder?"

True to form we did not do a huge amount of training and practically no running in the run up to the event. It is also becoming increasingly clear that my bike is fast approaching the end of its life as it is really starting to fall appart. Since Chris' bike has been in the shop waiting brake pads for 2 weeks it was borrowed bikes for the day which we got the day before! On the friday I had everything we needed sitting ready except for my map case, but I knew exactly where this was. Didnt I? Well no I didn't so I ended up leaving about an hour late with no map case and arriving at the start at 9:30 for a 10 start and I needed to put a tire on one of the bikes. This all amounted to us being less ready for a race than we have ever been before and also about to start the hardest race we have entered yet.

We where just about ready for the start when the time came and I think this was a few minutes early so from arrival to start was about 20/25 minutes or so for me - talk about flustered. I must say though that there is something to be said for this madness with no trace of method. I did not have time to worry or over prepare etc.

Instructions issued, we marked our checkpoints for the first run (a few of them twice - along the corridors then up the stairs Chris!) and set off at a brisk pace. Checkpoint one was at one end of the forrest behind the barn and checkpoint 2 was at the other end. This period of the race stands out for a number of reasons:

• It was the last time my feet where dry for the next 8 hours or so.


• It was the last point where we where not last - and I suspect only because the teams passing us at this point had spent the time marking all their checkpoints.


• It was the last point where this race seemed like a good idea.

From here it was North West towards ish the summit of Trostan and checkpoint three which marked the point where we took a hard right directly towards the summit. Since we did not have a map case, and our map was not well protected (just in the plastic cover it came in) we had not paid enough attention to the next checkpoint except that it was on a summit so we headed to the summit of Trostan and promptly did not see a checkpoint. Looking at our map it quickly became apparent that the next checkpoint was actually on the summit of Tievebulliagh.

The walk up Trostan was boggy and muddy and fairly tough going but across between Trostan and Tievebulliagh was much worse. It was very wet and we where regularly walking knee deep which was very energy sapping. Once the worst of the bog was over it then became very tussocky which was also hard to negotiate at any speed. The worst terrain behind us, we headed to the summit by the most direct route, passing a slightly bewildered group of Duke of Edinburgh folks with huge packs and 5 layers each, giving two guys in Sesame Street cycling tops and one also in cycling shorts funny looks, as we ran past them!

Despite the weather forcast being for a really bad day this was the only part where the weather was not glorious all day. We had 10 minutes of rain, 5 minutes of hail while we where on the summit and 10 minutes of rain down the other side. At the summit we knew that due to the (as it turned out, temporary) heavy cloud and unfamiliar terrain, we needed to be 100% sure of our direction to the next checkpoint. Im not sure if it was the hail/tiredness/soreness/being a bit flustered/scared of getting it wrong, or all of the above, but I discovered that im not 100% sure of how to use a compass properly when I need to (im fine in my living room or if im with a group of other folks to agree with me etc) which I was a bit anoyed at as I should know. Anyway, once we had our barings it was down the rediculously steep summit to the valley and what I think is the Glenann river. A quick refuel and it was straight up to the Glenann road where we made our first big mistake. We where not too far off but where heading to the wrong place on the far side of the hill and so crossed the road and kept going. We realised our mistake after not to long when we noticed we where heading to the end of the forest not the middle so headed back to the nearest part of the road and followed it to checkpoint 6 having been told that point 5 had been canceled.

We where now 40 minutes behind the team in front of us so opted out of the optional stage and instantly made our second big mistake of the day. The transition was at a funny sort of crossroads but we had marked the transition on the wrong road so when we took the correct turn relative to this we actually turned up the Altarichard road instead of the Glendun road. this seemed wrong to me but a quick check of the map confirmed that it was "correct". This is all up hill and the road we should have been on is all down hill so it was a costly mistake. After about 20 minutes we realised and reversed our route slightly anoyed with ourselves. This first bike stage basically involved rolling the whole way down the Glendun road to the car park in Cushendun picking up 3 checkpoints on the way.

This also confirmed that I should have just used my own bike. I borrowed a Specialised and am well documented in my hatred of them (MTB only - I have a Specialised road bike which I love). The stem is too short, the bars are too wide, the frame is too short, the seat tube is too angled resulting in the BB being too far forward and the seat being angled back. The result is you end up using as much energy holding yourself on as making the bike move and have to use small gears where I prefer a big gear (rant over).

We reached the carpark in good time and left on foot just as the first team was finishing the Kayak, putting us about 2 hours behind them. We followed the trail up the river Dunn which was very enjoyable despite the pain I was now experiencing in my feet. At the top pf the kayak I stood in the water for a minute while we ate some food to numb them and this worked well. The river did not really have enough water for the heavy 2 person kayaks which actually sit fairly low in the water and so the descent of the bottom 5K of the river involved quite a lot of getting out and walking in 6 inches of water with the kayak and paddling where the river was deeper. Keeping to the outside of the corners where the water will always be deeper in any river worked well and kept the getting out to a minimum.

The kayak also marked the last point where we bothered with checkpoints. At the bottom of the river we where supposed to turn right and get a checkpoint in the caves then round the bay to get another on the pier before heading to the middle of the bay. We simply turned to the middle of the bay as we where very far behind and did not want the marshals having to wait for just us and (very secondary reason) we where shattered. We missed out much of the open water kayak but the run down the river was a fair bit of the distance and also a very tiring part of the route so we did not feel we had left too much out.

From here we started to follow the route again on bikes but missed a turn with Chris a bit in front of me just out of earshot. When the marshals came passed us and stopped to let us know we decided to just keep following the main road to Cushendall and then take the B14 back to the finish. This missed the last few checkpoints but not much distance as we where roughly following the route. I had the disadvantage of knowing the B14 and what a climb it would be but I have only cycled down it before and did not realise that there is never a part where the climb takes a break. The combination of bike and tiredness made this one of the most difficult cycles of my life but I took it slow and steady and made it. Chris' knee was also playing up at this point but we covered the last K or so at a good pace and arrived to a big cheer from the marshals and remaining competitors. A special mention to Ivan and Steve from CCAR who must have finished hours earlier but where still there to cheer us home sometime at about 6:15 ish.

Once we could make it to the kitchen we where treated to soup and sandwiches but dont ask what flavour they where as nothing was given the chance to be tasted. I must have eaten a whole loaf worth of bread without chewing any of it!

This race was a good bit harder than even the notorious CCAR Castlewellan race a couple of months back but was still hugely enjoyable and I throgughly enjoyed having the oportunity to push my limits. We also both probably learned more from this race than all the others we have taken part in combined and so any newbies thinking of having a go at a race, pay particular attention to our lessons from this race (but dont let them put you off giving them a go).

• Sort out all your kit and have it ready to go at least 2 days in advance so all you need to do the day before is one last check then load it into the car. Leaving anything to the last morning automatically means it will be lost or broken.


• Aim to be out of the house an hour before you actually need to.


• Print directions at least the day before and be sure of them even if you think you know where you are going.


• If you borrow a bike, get it early and have at least one proper mountain biking training session on it.


• Make 100% sure you can use a compass even if you are good with a map. Practice using the compas even if you know where you are going so you verify that you would have used the compas correctly if you had needed to.


• Be 100% sure of how to mark checkpoints on a map (along the coridors then up the stairs).


• Stick to your own pace even if this means you are much slower than others.


• Skip parts/take shortcuts if you need to. You are better finishing a course having had to skip a piece or two than having to get a lift to the finish. I dont think I would have made it back under my own power if we had done the full course and would have been disapointed at myself for that. As it stands I know that skipping the parts we did was a good call.

One of the things that slowed us down a bit was stopping to take photos (thats one of our excuses anyway) and a link to a flickr set of these is here and also added to the links of the blog.

A huge thanks to Greg and the other marshals/folk involved for a great race and also thanks for waiting extra just for us.

Mark

CCAR Baronscourt 2008

While I was marshalling this event, I was taking photos of the race start on the bikes and also at the gravity karting. I managed to get most folks at the gravity karting except the last few teams when my batteries had run out. I have uploaded the photos to flickr and added a link on the RHS of the blog. The photos are in no particular order but if you can find yourself then you are welcome to take any you want.

Mark

One Fat Lady Gets (Porta)down and Dirty

Well, since I didnt get to take part in the adventure race on Saturday, it left me fresh for the Mud Race in Portadown on Sunday and this turned out to be a good job. The course was a very tough 2 miles and it was 2 laps but it was probably the hardest 4 miles of my life.

I set off far too fast and ended up walking about half of the first lap but by the start of the second lap, I had settled into a rythm and was able to run the second lap. The terrain was at best ankle deep mud or water for 90% of the lap and the water plunges varied from knee deep to waist deep to upper chest deep.

The results are out and im very happy to say I came in in under an hour (57:09) which was my target. I was 80th out of 151 starters and 123 finishers so not being a runner im pleased.

The race might have only taken an hour but I was as wrecked afterwards as I usually am after a day long adventure race.

They are talking about another one in the autumn and I will definately be there.

My wife was there to spectate and took some photos which can be seen from the photo links on the RHS

Mark

Two Fat Ladies - A View From The Other Side

Well, as per my previous post I ended up marshaling at the last race as Chris was ill, so I wanted to give an account of my day and a bit of an insight into the worthwhile day of a marshal.

First let me say I was a last minute marshal and in no way part of the huge task of organising the race. However as someone who had more access to pre race marshal talks and discussions than usual, I can now appreciate more just how much work goes on behind the scenes even up to the very start of the race. Lots of things like special tasks can only be set up on the day of the race and some marshals have to be quite far away and it is quite a logistical feat to make sure everything is as it should be as the first teams get to each checkpoint. Also bare in mind that Ivan and his team have often done the full course a day or two before hand to put out checkpoints. I know that after the races I am still in a lot of pain 2 days after, just another indicator of the fitness and comitment levels of all the folks at CCAR

As someone who has now completed 3 of CCAR's races, I am now doubly impressed at how smooth everything always goes from the competitors point of view. Behind the scenes, while it is not disorganised chaos, it is certainly very busy.

Anyway as for my day as a marshal, it was pouring down for the first 2 hours or so but luckily I was in the car and so had a nice hour or two on my own in the middle of some lovely scenery [http://www.barons-court.com/] stuffing my face with the food provided to marshals (thanks Joan) and listening to radio 2! I was marshaling the gravity carts and due to the format of the race, teams suddenly started coming from all directions. There where over 30 teams racing and the most I ever had with me was 4 but they where spread out all over the afternoon and so kept me interested most of the time. After about half of them had passed, I was joined by CCAR's by this stage "official" photographer, Shane, who provided some company towards the end when teams where becoming more sparse.

At one point I realised that I had left my cars electrics turned on and the radio and air running all day and knew that the car was not going to start so it was no supprise that it did not. Luckily the two of us got it pushed off the verge and the tiny gradient was just enough to bump start it. Its lucky that it did as we realised that had it not it would have also blocked Shanes car in.

Late in the afternoon I recieved the phonecall to confirm that all teams where back and I could head back for some lovely soup and muffins. Having not just raced I was able to actually taste these this time.

So all in all a very good day and an excelent oportunity to see things from the other side. I would greatly encourage someone who is considering doing the races but not quite sure, to give marshaling a go first. You will get to experience the brilliant atmosphere and general friendlyness on race morning and also see the kind of terain covered. You will also see other people who are no fitter than you (me for example) completing the course and having fun even though they are a good bit behind the leaders.

Also, to the folk who do the races, if you find yourself teammateless (not a word, I know) volunteer yourself as a marshal for the day. You will be helping to pay the CCAR team back for all the hard work and hours they put into every race. I know I also got a huge amount of satisfaction, just being a small part of the team and knowing that I had contributed in my small way to making the race a sucess for all involved.

Anyone wanting to volunteer - see the link to the CCAR website on the RHS of this blog

Mark

Two Fat Ladies Weekend Does Not Quite Go To Plan

Well, Im a bit gutted but it cant be helped. Chris got back home from Marrakech [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakech] late last Thursday with a really bad chesty cough/cold.

This was the first chance he had to tell me he was not able to do the race and so I only had Friday to try and find a replacement. Typically enough this time round no one had contacted Ivan looking for a team mate and every one else I know either couldn't or wouldn't.

Since I had arranged to be there anyway, and knowing that they are always short of marshals, I decided to offer my services for the day. Obviously I would have preferred to race and wondered if I would just end up bored to tears all day and regretting going but ended up being plesantly suprised as I will cover in my next post

Mark

Two Fat Ladies, Two Races, One Weekend

Barronscourt race is now only a couple of days away and once again our training has ended up consisting of far too much MTBing and not enough running. Too late to do much about it now so roll on race day.

I decided that one race in a weekend was too easy so we are also going to give Irelands first mud race a go [http://www.mud-madness.com/info.html]. Should be good fun but given that I usually struggle to walk the day after an adventure race, it might be tough going.

Two Fat Ladies at Castlewellan - Mugshots

Finally got around to uploading the photos of the Castlewellan race. The link can be seen at the right. There are only a few photos as we seem to have managed to time things right to just miss the cameras! We also had photos taken at the obstacle course but they have not been made available - probably because of light levels by that stage. We will have to go faster in future to make sure we get more photos.

Two Fat Ladies place 22nd at Castlewellan 2008

Well the results are out and Two Fat Ladies placed 22nd out of 32 finishers last Saturday in an adjusted time of 6hours and 31 minutes. We are pleased with this as we are not in it to win it, which is probably just as well! This gives us 237 points so far for the CCAR league.

Results:[http://www.causewaycoastar.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/castlewellan1stdayresultsdraft3.xls]

Mark

Two Fat Ladies At Castlewellan 2008

Now that the pain has started to subside I thought I'd put up an account of the first CCAR adventure race of 2008 so here goes...


On Saturday 23rd Feb 2008 we gathered at Castlewellan forest park carpark for the race. It was a bit nippy and windy but it as dry and as decent a day as you could expect for the time of year. There was a fairly big crowd which was good to see, made up of some familiar faces from previous races as well as some new ones. After Ivans usual pre race briefing it was up to the maze for the start.


At the start one team member had to run into the maze to get our maps and checkpoint cards which is easier said than done given that its the worlds biggest permanant hedge maze [http://www.peacemaze.com/]. In previous races we have been used to orienteering maps with the checkpoint positions already marked but for this race we had an Ordanance Survey map and grid references and we had to mark our own checkpoint positions. This was a bit daunting at first as the chances of being way out seemed fairly likely but most of the coordinates where at a road junction/top of a mountain etc so seemed likely to be correct. In actual fact this was a much better way to do things as it added something to the race. It seemed much more satisfying for some reason and I would welcome it for future races.


Map marked, we headed out of the forest park to the town for the first two checkpoints. This was followed by some cattle trails between fields and then a nice rolling bit of road leading out opposite the entrance to Tolleymore forest park, picking up checkpoint number 3 along the way. We followed the road along the edge of Tolleymore towards Moneyscalp where I had a fair idea what was coming. My suspicions where confirmed on spotting bikes lying at the bottom of the off road skateboarding park where we had to complete a short course on the off road skate boards. I had never been on one before but by some miracle made it to the bottom without falling or stopping. Checkpoint 4 marked we headed towards Meelmore lodge [http://www.meelmorelodge.co.uk/] at the bottom of Slieve Meelmore [http://mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?mtnindex=138]. This cycle was fairly hard and was the first time we really noticed the wind affecting us - It made the climb seem twice what it actually was.


On reaching the lodge it was off the bikes and onto foot. As I have said before, I am a cyclist and Chris is a runner, but Chris is a much better cyclist than I am a runner so this was where I started to slow the proceedings down after what we both thought had been a strong first leg for us. I ran to the wall that we had to follow westish after picking up checkpoint 5, started to experience a lot of back pain (note to self - start training with a backpack) which was not helped by running into the wind which was fairly vicious by now. checkpoints 6 and 7 where fairly close together just as the route turned upwards towards the Meebeg/Meelmore saddle. This was strictly walking terrain for most but some where still faster than others and we got passed by quite a few teams who where not as strong cyclists but had me licked on foot. There where one or two boggy points and I lost a shoe in knee deep mud at one point but the main issue was the wind which was fairly crazy at this point and made putting on a coat lots of fun. Once we hit the wall the route became even steeper to the summit but we eventually made it.


There was a fair bit of cloud but that did not completely spoil some cracking views which always make a trek up a mountain so worth it. The only thing for it now was down and we made good progress straight off the edge of the mountain using the point in the Mourne wall [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourne_Wall] as an arrow pointing the way. This descent was fairly steep and rocky but we made it to the abseil in good time. There was a few teams in fromt of us meaning a 20 minute wait at the abseil in shorts! Fairly freezing and stiffened up by this point but the abseil was good fun and we where soon warmed up again on the run back to the bikes. When we where starting our abseil there was a good lot of teams waiting behind and some must have had to wait the guts of an hour which cant have been fun.


Back onto the bikes for another good long cycle towards Lough Island Reavy Reservoir [http://www.uklakes.net/lakeinfo.php?WBID=50009] This would have been an easier cycle except that the most obvious route to me involved using the Bryansford road which is a fairly main road and I didnt think the route planners intended us to use this! So at the junction of the Moyad road and Bryansford road we headed straight ahead instead of right onto the main road. Our route choice started out as a rough track of a road marked as a dashed red line on the map but quickly turned into a boggy, rocky, bramble covered hell of an old disused cow track between fields. The lack of other bike tracks or foot prints confirmed that this was not in fact the intended route. This brought us out at Kilcoo and we headed towards the far end of the resorvoir (partly along a main road - DOH). We managed to miss Checkpoint 11 at this point partly because our route took us the wrong way round a hill and partly because this was the only point we marked wrong on our maps.


Anyway, on with the waterproof leggings and into the kayak for an hour or so of hell. This was a fairly small body of water compared to some other lakes we have used for the races and I make it about a 5K kayak but the wind made it heart breaking. The waves splashed into the kayak gradually filling it up and increasing drag. This also meant that at the back I was sitting in 6" of water making the water proof trousers fairly pointless. At one point we seemed to have been level with the same tree on the shore for about 10 minutes and seriously discussed turning round but we eventually made it. Chris lifted the front of the kayak to tip the water out but neglected to wait until I was completely out of it. I lost my balance and ended up falling into the water which was fairly nippy! After getting the two checkpoints at the end of the reservoir we headed back to the other end at breakneck speed due the the wind now at our backs. We beached the kayak but I forgot this was a reservoir and that the man made shore would be steep. When I stepped out of the back of the kayak, about 3 feet from the shore, it was into waist deep water.


Freezing cold at this point we headed back to checkpoint 11 (yes slightly out of order we know) and after a bit of land skiing eventually found the checkpoint in the underground tunnel. We where on the last leg now and where both tiring. Chris' knee was also giving bother so we didnt go too hard. Checkpoint 14 came and went but we missed the turn for 15 and took the next turn towards 17 and 18. This was the hardest hill of the day so we where a bit anoyed at this. After 17 we got 18 then headed back with a crafty plan. We got 16 that we had also missed then went back up the hill for 15. Round the assault course and then stamped the checkpoint card with our very hard earned 15. Looking at the map and fairly wrecked at this stage it seemed much easier to go back past the road 14 had been on and down into Castlewellan via the main Bann road. This turned out to be a good move as it was a much easier cycle. We didnt feel that this was cheating as we had already cycled 80% of the way from 15 to19 and did not want to do it again particularly as it was getting fairly dark by now. Through the town and past the forest park entrance to get 19 then back up the hill to the forest entrance and the final checkpoint. Then back to the start to hand in our checkpoint cards and stop our clock.


There was lots of home made tray bakes/fruit/coffee and soup and bread at the finish which was very very welcome. This was inhaled rather than eaten and still only just made a mark!


We did not have a watch on so are not certain what time the race was started but it was around 11am which gives us a time of about 7 hours 20 minutes which we are happy with.


All in all, a brilliant race and we cant wait until the next one at the end of march. A huge thanks to Ivan and the team for their enthusiasm and hard work in organising/marshaling etc this fantastic race. I know they had a lot of hassle geting this race sorted out and I hope they continue to get the support they need to make the rest of the series as popular and allow it to continue into 2009.


We will post some pics as soon as they become available.

Two Fat Ladies Pre/Post Race Attire Update

I finally got our shirts finished and they are not looking too bad. Im not sure how long they will stay in decent condition but we will see.

Two Fat Ladies Training

Well it did seem that the moving of the race back about 4 weeks was a good thing as it gave us extra training time but in reality we still have not done very much!

Chris ripped his knees open in two separate falls in Kirroughtree in Scotland last October which put him out for about 4 weeks then wrecked his ankle which put him out of any serious training for about 6 weeks. I had a baby at the end of December and did precious little for a month afterwards.

The end result is that if our remaining plans go well our training for the first event will have consisted of two morning mountain biking rides in the lead mines in Newtownards and three short flat runs! The first race is going to kill us!

Our only saving point might be that I cycle about 25 miles a day to and from work almost 100% of the time. Chris also started a 20 mile round trip a week or two go and has been doing this at least 2 or 3 times a week. They are not the most intense rides but they certainly help keep the fitness at a decent level when you are not getting in specific training.

As for out team kit - I have a photo or two now and will get them uploaded soon.

Two Fat Ladies Pre/Post race attire

We recently decided we should come up with some sort of team uniform. I bought a couple of cheap white polo shirts and some t-shirt transfer paper. After selecting a suitable picture I printed the images but have yet to iron them onto the t-shirts. Photos imminent as soon as I can get the shirts finished! Needless to say, they are themed with our team name!

Two Fat Ladies Race Attire

We decided to get new cycling jerseys for the 2008 CCAR series and had a bit of a search to see if we could find anything a wee bit different (yes we mean daft).

After a bit of searching we came came up with the following from Pearl Izumi! I went with the Oscar one and Chris decided to go for Super Grover

They look brilliant in real life and will be worn with pride at the races - although we do realise that the race bibs will cover a lot of them up. First impressions are that functionally they also appear to be great although I wouldnt expect anything else from Pearl Izumi anyway.

The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again

So, since the first race we have competed in 2 further AR's (with special mention to my brother Ross for taking Chris' place in one of them) and while the difficulty rating was not as high as the Kilbroney Challenge, the fun level most definately was.

The CCAR race in Gortatole was next and reviews can be seen here [http://www.causewaycoastar.co.uk/id29.html] as well as reviews of the other races in the 2007 series. Again we enjoyed this immensely although found the huge distance of the Kayak stage to be incredably hard. Our header photo is a shot taken from this race.

Then it was on to our home(ish) race in Belfast along the lagan. I cycle along the towpath every day to and from work so navigation for this race was no problem for me for a change. The format for this race was slightly different in that we had to navigate to as many of the 40 checkpoints as possible within 3.5 hours rather than complete a full course. Again this was great fun with the highlight being the river rapids on the inner tubes. Some shots from this race can be seen in the Belvoir gallery. Look out for Ross falling off the inner tube at the start of the rapids!

The Two Fat Ladies -a brief history!

Welcome to the Two Fat Ladies Adventure Racing Blog.

We are Mark and Chris, two semi-fit (in the loosest possible sence of the term) lads who, mid 2007 where on the look out for some sort of fun sporting activity to take part in that was a bit different. A month or two before the inaugural Kilbroney Challenge, I happened to come across some info on it and after having a look at what it might entail and deciding on our team name, we signed up.

This left us with about a month to train and the more we thought about this the more we realised that we where possibly not the best matched as a pair for an AR. Chris is an excelent runner and im...well...not. Im a pretty good MTB'er and while Chris was much better on a MTB than I was on my feet, his skill level was still a bit below mine. Basically I was going to hold Chris up on the run and he was going to hold me up on the cycle, assuming I survived the run. Neither of us had done any serious kayaking before so we decided to just ignore that part and worry about it as we lifted our paddles!

We where never an in it to win it team, just wanting to challenge ourselves while having fun so we made do with making sure I was capable of running 10K and still being able to get on a bike for a decent cycle and getting Chris some technical MTBing practice. The day of the race came and after just over 6 hours we crossed the finish line practically asleep. Reviews can be seen here [http://www.notthesundayrun.com/newgallery/index.php?gallery=./z/The%20Kilbroney%20Challenge%202007] so I wont repeat the details. The general consensus was that it had been considerably harder than any of the CCAR races of the year which we had been reading about to guage our ability to compete in the race. It was a good week before I could walk properly but we made it in a fairly respectible time roughly what we had aimed for. More importantly we where both instantly hooked! The most important thing after this was where do we sign up for the remaining CCAR races!