Position: 20/187 overall (34th in 2023 in a similar field)
Dist/Climb: 37.5km / +1,300m
Time: 3:52 (4:42 in 2023)
This is not so much a race report, as a race review, looking specifically for what I can take away and use to improve rather than just recounting how the race played out.
Context for this race: Point to point race from Marsden to Edale, going over Black Hill, Bleaklow and Kinder Scout. Considering the mid-winter timing, conditions could scarcely have been any better. Cold (~0 degrees), clear, no wind, no rain + little rain in the week leading up to it. This made it a fast year, with Joe Oldfield running 3:05 to win, and 26 runners going under 4 hours (vs 12 in 2023).
Of all races I’ve run to date, going into this I felt the most prepared I ever have. I’d put in my biggest ever block of training, with the highest average run hours/week and highest elevation gain/week. I ran ~10 recces through November/December, tested different lines, and proved the bearings I would use in mist. A 50min improvement on last year’s time is a result I’m genuinely proud of, and close to what I think my best possible performance could’ve been.
Using the Fix, Improve, Sustain format
Fix = Complete failure, needs to be done very differently in the future
Improve = Potential for appreciable performance gains
Sustain = Went well, do again
Fix:
Nothing from this race. There wasn't anything that went completely wrong.
Improve:
There is some room to refine some lines and shave off a bit of time, like cutting the corner where you rejoin the Kinder edge path near Crowden Tower. It was mostly the fiddly bits like road crossings etc. where I hadn’t really thought about the most direct way through.
I had a ~15min bonk, almost immediately after having a gel at Sandy Heys. This is likely due to slightly underfueling throughout, rather than poor timing of the final gel. The gel kicked in and got me going for the last 20min or so, but I need to increase the frequency of gels throughout to avoid hitting empty.
Legs folded after the final climb up Red Brook. In the context of massive improvement in my uphills, this is still my main limiter to performance. Suffered with some minor cramps, and just couldn’t get my legs going again, not helped by the fuelling mistake above. A block of max strength work in the gym might be the thing to ‘level up’ my legs before moving into more specific prep for races later this year.
Pacing for this duration. I was on the splits for 3.5hrs at the halfway point, which was the fastest time I thought potentially possible for me. It’s very tempting to think ‘maybe I’m having a great day’ when on track for a fast time in the first half, reality is that the early pace is probably unsustainable. Overall not too bad on this though as my pace was still within expectations rather than above and beyond, and part of what I wanted from the day was a test at this effort level + duration.
Sustain:
Overall, the application of all the lessons learned in 2023. Looked over my previous race reviews for a refresher on mistakes to avoid before the race.
Nailed the navigation over key sections. Didn’t follow anyone, trusted the compass and ran a beautifully direct line across Bleaklow on a bearing in the mist.
I recce’d very thoroughly, running over the Bleaklow and Kinder sections 3-4 times each in the weeks leading up to the race.
I’m satisfied that all the uphill training in the second half of 2023 paid off, a good blueprint for future races using the stairmaster + incline treadmill. On the day my splits on the 3 main climbs were very close to what I had done in training as race effort time trials, which I’m happy with in particular on the Snake Pass > Sandy Heys section as that occurs ~75% of the way into the race and only 1.5min slower than my training effort.
Got the whole kit list into my waistbelt. Marginal gains, but cutting as much carried weight as possible likely contributed a minute or two. If nothing else, it felt fast and light which was a psychological boost.
Carrying only 500ml water vs 1L was a risk, but I was never thirsty and actually dumped the last 200ml or so going into the last hour of the race. Possible some dehydration affected performance, but cutting half a kilo of carried weight from the start was worth it I think.
Clothing system worked perfectly, never too warm or cold and felt dry (apart from a minor bog related mishap). Tested this a lot on long runs in similar conditions, the double base layer of Helly next to skin to wick, merino over the top to absorb and block just a bit of the wind. Gloves with the windproof mitts just about maintained dexterity, but did notice that this declined when effort level dropped on easier sections.
Despite there being room to improve on the fuelling plan, the Maurten 100 gels are worth the price tag. Easy to get down, no stomach problems (especially considering the effort level), and I’ve got some real world evidence that I absorb them in ~15min. Due to the price however, they will remain a race only choice - can’t burn that much cash in training.
All in all, a performance I am really happy with; a top 20 finish on a fast and competitive day. I feel like what I put out is a fair reflection of all the work I put in training for it. I could’ve paced a little better, but I wanted to test my ability to sustain a steady-tempo effort over ~4hrs and I’ve got a clear picture now of what I can do and where to improve.
I’ve got the legs for ~3hrs worth of steady-tempo effort including ~1,300m of climbing. Pace fade after the 3hr mark indicates that any race significantly longer will need a step down in effort/intensity.
Limiter was local muscular strength/endurance, a big improvement to this could push that duration out, or push the total climbing up.
A great read! I am using the KEEP - DROP - ADD - IMPROVE method a lot when evaluating races and training blocks.
Absolutely. I get laughs for being so analytical every once in a while but people don’t know what they leaving on the table if they don’t look into their races and training….