The Spring marathon’s are well and truly upon us. Although I decided against the running the Manchester marathon, I'm loving seeing club mates and others chasing their dreams. Some have met their targets, others haven’t, But everyone I can think of who put their foot on the start line of both Manchester and Brighton (London is coming - and no one I know actually ran Boston this year) finished. That’s got to be the goal, even the C or D goal for those chasing great times - Marathons can be unpredictable.
Well for most who enter a marathon for anything other than their first time, will want to do well. Life does get in the way and for a few they are happy with just finishing. Having not trained as hard as they had done in previous years and have been accepting of their times. I know of one who didn't get his goal, but by any standard he still did well. For him it wasn’t lack of training, he had trained as hard as anyone probably harder and put it all out there, but today just wasn’t his day. A stunning athlete, I’m yet to have a conversation to try to see if he knows why. Finishing 26.2 miles isn’t easy. I should know, its a distance that still holds my only ‘race DNF’. Okay, yes I also didn't finish a parkrun once, but that was due to injury, but DNF doesn’t show next to my name on any race other than a marathon.
I chose not to do Manchester, not due to worrying about a DNF, no, I chose not to do it because in all honesty I know I wouldn’t have been happy with my result and it is a long way to travel to be unhappy with a result. I’m sure that at my current fitness level I would have finished. But the bigger problem is, I don't actually enjoy road marathons. Yes I have unfinished business, my first one, the 2010 London still officially holding my PB, although I've gone quicker on 50k races and when I ran Brighton (not in my name.. yes I know thats naughty )
My passion is trail running. Specifically long distance multi day trails. Not necessarily self supported, though I do love those too, but running a distance over mixed terrain with like minded people who would stop and help you if you were injured. It seems that on road races, this isn’t considered normal, I guess by the way the press report it, more the kindness of the human spirit when someone helps someone else. In trail running, its more of the norm that you wouldn’t think twice, You could be the only person for an hour or so who would be in the position to help. Or worse for someone to help you!
It’s not only that though. That’s one small aspect to it. For me at least the love of the outdoors feels far greater than being in a built up area for a road marathon. What’s the time for a good trail marathon? Well that depends on terrain, gradient of climbs and many more factors. The road is different. Not too many road marathons will vary much by time, Say if I did 4 hours in London, I'm pretty sure I could do 4 hours in Brighton, Manchester, Boston, New York, give or take a few minutes.
With trails that variant will undoubtedly be much different. 26 miles across the South Downs is tough, but 26 miles on the Lake District or Snowdonia, the Alps will all vary considerably. The distance is hard enough as it is, but add the terrain, weather conditions of a mountain, carrying survival gear on some. Yes, survival gear, these are inherently more dangerous races. I don't know on anyone that has died recently, but you could probably put that down to things such as GPS, tracking and following, mandatory gear, race directors, and such like, because I know that many people die on UK mountains every year. Wales, Snowdonia, Brecon, Scotland. On the Lakeland50/100 for example they have mandatory gear, Waterproofs, top and bottom, spare base layers (yes spare in a bag to be opened in an emergency) and that race is in July!
Last weekend was a glorious but cold weekend on Brecon, I know I was there. The sun was out, so was the wind! I carried my taped seamed waterproof, small medical kit, spare gps, food, extra water, base layers bottom and top and headed up the route from the Stoney arms, Its pretty much a tourist route up. I was lucky to go early so missed the bulk of the traffic on the way up. I carried up an over Pen-y-fan, Fan-y-big and down the other side to Talybont Reseviour, in a big loop around and back down.
On the route back down, I was amazed to see flip flops, trainers and jeans, Wellington boots and all sorts of unprepared people coming up the other way. Fathers with ‘all the gear’ with kids with no gear in tow.
I've taken my family up into the mountains in early spring, Ive known that mountains can be unforgiving. We didn’t summit Snowdonia the first time I took my wife and Daughter up the Pyg track. The snow was too hard packed and icy for the 100meters or so that would have seen us at the top. I decided we didnt have the necessary gear to do the final assent. I’m no professional, but i like to think that I wouldn’t become a statistic, or have to be rescued from a mountain for stupidity, Injury’s are one thing, taking a risk is another.
Had I done a poll on who had checked the mountain weather forecast I wonder what the results would be, or had they just checked the inbuilt weather apps on their phones?
Am I being mellow dramatic? Okay Saturday was very kind, but I have been up Pen-y-fan in March in 2017 and it was a totally different picture, Driving snow, ice packed and none too pleasant. Agreed no one was going up without some protection then. But my point is that mountains are unforgiving. Uk mountains kill. There were 5 mountain rescue vehicles waiting at the bottom. I bet all of the staff, who are largely volunteers, would have an opinion on people with young kids ascending a mountain, in where, lets not forget the SAS train, and in recent years have perished.
I feel strong about this as you can tell. No I'm not a mountain rescuer, But I have called them for people. These people risk their lives to save injured people on mountains. They don't ask if they are unprepared, they go if you have all the gear or none at all. They risk their lives to save a life. Maybe it’s something i was taught in the Army, or as a child with my Dad taking me into the Mountains as a child.
To be 100% clear, Its great that the mountains are accessible. The last thing we need is them to be policed in any way. The nanny state can leave them well alone. They can not and should not asses people before they set off. I did hear an RD for a race that was running last Saturday question one person on their intent on the mountain. That was late in the day though and the father was taking young children up. I did say it was cold on the summit didn’t I? It was freezing. Snow was still on the ground in places. I had to put my waterproof on the keep the wind off me on my final few miles. I had gloves and hat on! His kids were in t-shirts. So to be fair to the RD, it was a fair question. The father still set off though.
I do feel that mountains should be respected though, Especially if you have young children. Okay, Killian Jounet did the Bob Graham in no more than shorts and vest, but he did have support runners and locals with him. He has summited Everest! He is a man that knows what he is doing, I am not in his league !
I was planning on escaping the main tourist routes in Brecon and yes there were many miles that I was on my own. But I had the right gear to survive, I had shared my route with my wife, I had told her I would check in. I set my strava beacon before hand, I have an emergency mode on my watch that transmits (admittedly via my phone ) should I fall and not move. But I had checked that the majority of my route would have 3g at least. I think I had taken enough precautions to be out there on my own and it was glorious, but boy was it cold. I had to put my waterproof on in the end. The summit was freezing!
I was left with a sting in the tail though. DOMS! Ive not had DOMS in a long time. Though i did spend 5 hours 30 on 22 miles of mountains. It was a tough day out, but being a 3 hour drive from home, one I plan to repeat very soon!