About talkultra

Ian is a photographer, writer, reviewer and blogger at iancorless.com. Ian is currently travelling the world capturing stories from some of the most iconic ultras on the planet. Ian is also creative director and host of an ultra running podcast called Talk Ultra. The show is available every 2 weeks 'for free' on iTunes and talkultra.com.

The Coastal Challenge 2023 #TCC2023 – Stage 3

Posted on February 7, 2023 by talkultra

The ‘Queen Stage’ of The Coastal Challenge at 49km’s is for many, a highlight stage. Have no doubts though. it’s a tough one!

A rollercoaster day, the early km’s are spent boulder hopping through a river bed and then the impressive Nauyaca Waterfalls.

Fire roads, steep climbs, brutal descents and eventually a beach section arrives before several water crossings and then a very demanding road section leading to camp 3.

It may come as no surprise that Mathieu Blanchard and Didrik Hermansen dominated the day. The duo battled it out foot-for-foot in an impressive display of tenacity, grit and endurance.

Didrik and Mathieu head-to-head ©iancorless

With less than 10km’s to go they were neck-and-neck, the final sections of road certainly would play in to the hands of Didrik.

But no, the strength of Mathieu is currently off-the-scale and he managed to apply pressure and win by 2-minutes, 4:51 to 4:53 respectively.

Dani Jung ran a solid day, with the withdrawal of Sebastian Krogvig and now Peter van der Zon, Dan’s 3rd place is secure and so he ran a smart race.

For the women, Katie Schide set the pace early on and by the waterfall she already had a huge lead. When Marianne Hogan finally arrived, all was not well, she was suffering… Marianne would eventually drop at CP2 with a sprained ankle.

This opened the door for Costa Rican, Paola Herrera to move into a strong 2nd place.Tomomi Bitoh now in 3rd.

Katie once again clinched victory with a huge margin, she just needs to now run smart for the remaining three days. Paolo is on a strong 2nd and Tomomi a secure 3rd. However, we are only halfway through TCC and the first three stages have only confirmed one thing, anything can happen!

Stage 4 tomorrow at 35.5km and with 2434m+ is considered ‘a very tough day’ by the race organisation

Stage Results:

Mathieu Blanchard 4:51
Didrik Hermansen 4:53
Dani Jung 5:35

Katie Schide – tbc
Paolo Herrera – tbc
Tomomi Bitoh – tbc

#tcc2023

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The Coastal Challenge 2023 #TCC2023 – Stage 2

Posted on February 6, 2023 by talkultra

It was a 0330am wake-up in camp this morning with race start at 0530am. It may sound early, but trust me, the earlier hours pay dividends for everyone. Body clocks are now reset, bed between 1900-1800, wake-up 0330.

Sebastian Krogvig unfortunately succumbed to his sickness and did not finish day 1. He will rest and recovery and hopefully rejoin the race in the later stages for fun.

Peter van der Zon struggling in the early stages of day 2 ©iancorless

Mood in camp was buoyant, however, nobody was under any illusion of the severity of the TCC. The heat and humidity are one thing, but the fire roads, climbs, technical trails and long stretches of no shade a punishing.

Mathieu Blanchard taking the lead ©iancorless

“They say Marathon des Sables is hot, it’s nothing in comparison to this. I was in the ‘notorious’ October MDS that had intense heat, trust me, it’s hotter here!” – Mathieu Blanchard

Climbing out of camp, mountain man Dani Jung was in his element and he lead Mathieu Blanchard and Didrik Hermansen. Peter van der Zon was a way back, it was obvious he was struggling… As he passed he mentioned tight hip flexors.

For the women, Marianne Hogan had a very small lead over Katie Schide. Katie looking strong, the previous night she had questioned if she should withdraw from the race as illness from previous days had returned on stage 1 making for a tough day.

Didrik and Mathieu set a relentless pace, they are very well matched. Running at this pace and in this heat and humidity, victory may well come down to the one who manages effort the best, it’s a fine line.

In the final 10km Mathieu opened a slender lead and Didrik chased. The gap remained and it was another victory for Mathieu.

Dani was 3rd, he looked relaxed and in control, he is running a smart race.

In the women’s race, Katie opened a gap on Marianne and in the final 7km that gap opened, post-race on the finish line Katie discussed her race:

“I was so happy to recover from yesterday, that was helped by cooler temperatures and a climb to start the day today… I had planned to run with Marianne but on one of the more technical sections I opened up a gap. When I eventually looked around Marianne was not there, I hope she is okay?”

Marianne Hogan with a strong finish ©iancorless

Marianne was okay and finished strong with a smile looking relaxed and at ease. With 4-days to go and a long day tomorrow, there are no guarantees, the men’s and women’s races are still wide-open.

Paolo Herrera flying the Costa Rican flag ©iancorless

The biggest change of the day was with the 3rd place woman, Paolo Herrera. She ran an incredibly strong and consistent race to finish with a good margin over Tomomi Bitoh, this making the local Costa Rican contingent very happy.

Stage 3 tomorrow is 40km and 1828m+

Stage Results

Mathieu Blanchard 3:38:01
Didrik Hermansen 3:38:29
Dani Jung 3:57:15

Katie Schide 4:22:47
Marianne Hogan 4:37:12
Paola Herrera 5:18:28

#tcc2023

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The Coastal Challenge 2023 #TCC2023 – Stage 1

Posted on February 5, 2023 by talkultra

It was an early start (0300) leaving San Jose and heading to the Pacific Coast for the stage 1 of the 2023 The Coastal Challenge starting at Del Rey beach, Quepos.

This year, the shorter Adventure category and the longer Expedition category would run different distances for stage 1. In the past, they have run the same course.

Expedition would run 41km with 1071m vertical gain and the Adventure, 32km.

Getting underway before 0800, the rewards were blessed with cooler’ temperatures for the first hour, however, cooler is all relative when on the coast, it was still hot!

Overnight, Sebastian Krogvig unfortunately had picked up some sickness, although feeling generally okay, it was clear as the stage started he was not 100%. He struggled with any pace, it was a tough day…

Didrik Hermansen pushing the pace ©iancorless

Didrik Hermansen though set his stall out from the start setting a strong pace. He was followed by Dani Jung, Mathieu Blanchard and Peter van der Zon.

It wasn’t long before Didrik and Mathieu broke away.

For the women, Katie Schide and Marianne Hogan ran together and behind, Tomomi Bitoh followed.

Checkpoint 1 and there was no change, the pace by Didrik and Mathieu was fast.

As the race progressed, Didrik and Mathieu took a wrong turn and lost in the region of 1.5km allowing Peter and Dani to take the lead. They chased, caught them and then once again pushed ahead in 1st and 2nd.

Peter van der Zon at the finish©iancorless

Peter started to struggle in the heat and Dani started to hold on to the duo. However, Mathieu found the energy to break away and take victory on stage one, closely followed by Didrik and Dani.

“Very happy, a hot day. In Canada it was -40, today 40-degrees here, that is a big change…. My body handled the waether today. It’s a big Tropical environment, wonderful trees, amazing bridge and waterfalls.” – Mathieu Blanchard

Katie and Marianne finished together, Katie looked happy to be done, she had also struggled with some illness and fought hard throughout the day.

Tomomi came in securing 3rd place, all smiles. Last year, Tomomi caught Covid one day before the race and had to miss four stages, this year, she is so happy to be back.

Faces told the story at the finish, the heat and the humidity had taken its toll, it always does on stage 1, it’s such a shock to the system without pre-acclimation, something that Marianne and Mathieu had done.

“I heard the sound of animals in the jungle, I turned to Peter and said this is incredible, ‘This is much more atmosphere than UTMB!” – Dani Jung

Stage 2 tomorrow is 40km and 1828m+

Stage Results

Mathieu Blanchard 3:36:08
Didrik Hermansen +1m 27s
Dani Jung +1 28s

Marianne Hogan 4:13:01
Katie Schiede 4:13:01
Tomomi Bitoh 4:42:50

#tcc2023

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The Coastal Challenge 2023 #TCC2023 – Arrival in Costa Rica

Posted on February 4, 2023 by talkultra

Runner’s have arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica ahead of the 2023 edition which starts on Sunday February 5th.

Admin day, pre-race protocols and race briefing will soon be completed and then an early morning journey to Quepos and the start line of stage 1 awaits.

For 2023, the runner’s in both Expedition and Adventure categories will experience some new route changes and distances. Notably, the expedition category, on paper, appears to be a tougher race.

Stage 1 is always brutal as for many, the heat and humidity really takes a hold and exhausts the un-prepared body. In the past, this stage has hovered around the 30km mark, for 2023 it will be 41km with 1071m+ for the Expedition category.

Stage 2 40km and 1828m+
Stage 3 49km and 1884m+
Stage 4 35.5km and 2434m+
Stage 5 40.6km and 1670m+
and the final stage 6 35.7km and 875m+

This makes a total 0f 241.8km and 9762m+.

For the shorter Adventure race, unlike in past editions, stage 1 will be shorter than the expedition at 32km.

Stage 2 17km
Stage 3 16.5km
Stage 4 12.5km
Stage 5 22.3km
Stage 6 35.7km

The Adventure race totals 136km with 4032m+.

With an International line-up, all eyes will be on the front of the race with a stellar male and female line-up.

For the men:

Mathieu Blanchard, Didrik Hermansen, Sebastian Krogvig, Dani Jung and Peter van der Zon will go head-to-head for the TCC crown. Sadly, local ever-present and multi podium finisher of the TCC, Erick Aguero will not start due to injuries sustained in a fall.

For the women:

UTMB one and two, Katie Schide and Marianne Hogan will once again do battle along with Tomomi Bitoh from Japan.

Departing from San Jose around 0330am, the journey to the coast will be undertaken in darkness. The hope is that runner’s can start the stage as early as possible, therefore taking advantage of cooler temperatures before the heat of the day arrives.

The TCC is the ultimate Costa Rican multi-day adventure. The route hugs the coastline of the tropical Pacific, weaving in and out of the Talamancas; a coastal mountain range in the Southwest corner of this Central American country. The terrain is ever-changing and challenges each participant, from wide, dusty and runnable fire trails to dense and muddy mountain trails. Add river crossings, boulder hopping, swimming through rivers, passing under waterfalls, and long and relentless beaches, TCC is a unique experience. Finally, the finish will come in the incredible Corcovado National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site with a stunning final loop around Drake Bay. After an evening relaxing, the runner’s will depart for their journeys back to San Jose via speedboat to Sierpe and then a follow on coach trip.

“TCC has always grabbed my attention, February is early in the year, so, there are not many races. For me, it will be a challenge, I’m usually home skiing in Norwegian winter and in 2023 I will be in an exotic race in the Jungle – it’s exciting! The landscapes and nature looks spectacular! The trails look challenging and fun, a perfect mix of racing and adventure.” – Sebastian Krogvig

#tcc2023

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LANZAROTE TRAINING CAMP 2024

Posted on January 30, 2023 by talkultra

MULTI-DAY TRAINING CAMP

JANUARY 2024 11th to 18th (Thursday to Thursday)

Located at the iconic Club La Santa resort, our training camp will provide you with all the knowledge, experience and practical training you need to make your next trail, ultra and multi-day adventure a success.

hires_Transvulcanica Selection22. Oktober 2022_1173

Hosted by IAN CORLESS, the training camp is the perfect place to hone your skills for multi-day, fast packing and running in general.

With

2024 LINE UP

ANNA COMET PASCUA, PIERRE MESLET,

LAUREN GREGORY and INGE NIJKAMP.

GUESTS – KEVIN WEBBER and STEVE DIEDERICH.

Anna Comet Pascua won the 2022 Marathon des Sables in a dominant performance. An experienced sky, mountain and ultra-runner, Anna is also a multi-day specialist with victories at The Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica and the Everest Trail Race in Nepal. A runner for the Scarpa Team, it’s a pleasure to have Anna join us in Lanzarote.

Lauren Gregory ran the 2021 (toughest) Marathon des Sables and was first British woman and 8th in the women category. A personal trainer, Lauren will guide a run group, host yoga sessions will provide a talk.

Pierre Meslet joined the Lanzarote Multi-Day Training Camp in 2022 after placing 9th at the 2020 Marathon des Sables. His attendance was a success, not only from the perspective of leading a run group but also his profession as a physio – He was able to provide ‘on-site’ treatment for our training camp. Pierre is back in 2023!

Inge Nijkamp has been top-10 at Marathon des Sables and The Coastal Challenge. A qualified nutritionist, she will guide a group, provide a nutrition talk specific to multi-day running and be on-hand for one-to-one nutritional consultations.

Kevin Webber after a successful 2023 camp has requested that he come back in 2024 for more… In his words, “I just loved this, great location, great people, great running, what’s not to like?” He will once again guide a group, provide an inspiration and moving talk about running with a terminal cancer diagnosis. He has many stories to tell.

Steve Diederich is the UK agent for Marathon des Sables, The Coastal Challenge and Everest Trail Race, he will be on-hand to provide advice about all three races and answer any questions. Currently studying Sports Psychology and come Lanza 24 he will be qualified and on-hand to discuss the mental side of sport and running.

“I wanted to say a big thank you for this week – I’ve left so energised and inspired after the week… I thought the camaraderie from other runners was incredible. If felt as if everyone had left their ego at home which really made for such open and honest sessions. I hope you have the opportunity to reflect on how impactful and enjoyable the camp was. The fact that the organisation was seamless doesn’t just happen and I know the layers of detail and spreadsheets that go into an event like this. I’ll be back I’m sure and when I do get to the start line of MDS I will be much more likely to succeed based on all the advice.” – EB

BOOKING FORM HERE

The purpose of any training camp is to provide you with specific information and training designed specifically to help you with your future objectives. Although you may run (train) more in this condensed week, it’s not designed to break you! Therefore, all training sessions are flexible and you can dip-in and dip-out as required. Most importantly, just as in any race, we will have a very mixed ability base. You will therefore train at your appropriate pace with like minded people.

Each day will be broken down into one or two specific training sessions, one workshop and leisure time.

Lanzarote offers a variety of terrain that can be found in many desert races and therefore it’s the ideal training ground to prepare and acclimatise for an up and coming challenge. Club La Santa as a resort offers a great base and all facilities are included. This is great for relaxation, an opportunity to cross train or more importantly it’s perfect for friends and family to join you as a plethora of opportunities are available.

READ MORE HERE

PRICE PER PERSON (exc flight)

£1095 pp* shared occupancy / Solo Occupancy apartment £1695*

A £300 deposit secures a place for shared occupancy, £600 for solo-occupancy. Deposits are non-refundable in any circumstance and cannot be carried forward to a following year.

This includes a self-catering apartment on a share basis. Inclusion in the above schedule and access to all facilities within the Club La Santa complex.

A non-training partner is welcome to join a training partner for a cost of £975 pp* and they are able to use all the facilities at Club La Santa.

BOOK HERE

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Oman Desert Marathon 2023 Stage 4

Posted on January 24, 2023 by talkultra

The 2023 Oman Desert Marathon today concluded with a 22km test concluding at the Jawaharat Bidiah Resort.

Mohamed on his way to victory ©iancorless

A flat day that had varied terrain, hard plateau, dunes, rocks and a backdrop of dunes, mountains and trees. It was a beautiful route.

The men’s race was really over before the day begun with Mohamed El Morabity holding a large lead over his brother Rachid.

In the early km’s Rachid was so relaxed he was almost at the back of the race, he did eventually start to chase but it was a casual affair.

From experience, I would say he was using the day as a test, allow his brother to take a lead and then in the latter km’s speed up and see how much he could close the gap.

Rachid with the after-burners turned on ©iancorless

And boy did Rachid speed up… With 10km’s to go, he turned the after-burners on and started to pick of runner’s ahead. He got 5th, 4th, 3rd and then the 2nd, Saleh Alsaidi.

With Saleh by his side, Rachid eased up allowing Saleh to finish 2nd and himself 3rd. Mohamed took a well-earned stage and overall victory.

For the women, the question was, good Corina take back 10-minutes from Aziza in 22km’s? Surely not?

The duo started together, both no doubt marking each other, however, this strategy would only play in to Aziza’s hands. With almost 5km covered, they were still together. A truce had been called?

No, before CP1, Corina went and started to sped up. Watching on, I was convinced that she had moved too late, it would require over 1-minute faster than Aziza over the final 10km!

Corina ran to the line, arms aloft, victory for the stage and then the stopwatches were started. With 5-minutes to go, Aziza was not in sight and the possibility of closing the final km in less time was not possible, however, we had to wait to be sure.

Aziza crossed almost 15-minutes later, Corina was the 2023 champion, what a run! No doubt Aziza has a story to tell and maybe she payed the price for two stunning fast days on stages 1 and 2.

Aziz Raji rounded out the podium with an excellent 3rd place.

Of course, every runner has a story. It has been a tough 4-days and 165km here in Oman, tears have been shed. But a medal and fellow travellers to enjoy the journey make it all worthwhile.

Now time for rest and recovery. A gala dinner at the Jawaharat Bidiah Resort and tomorrow, onward travel to Muscat and home destinations.

Oman has offered a great experience and excellent hospitality. What better way to explore and see a place than by running? It’s a full and immersive experience and now, race director Said and his team, will look ahead to planning 2024.

Mohamed El Morabity 1:44:15
Saleh Alsaidi 1:46:52
Rachid El Morabity 1:47:01

Corina Summer (SUI) 2:14:11
Aziza El Amrany 2:30:58
Aziza Raji 2:34:20

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

Mohamed El Morabity 14:13:15
Rachid El Morabity 14:41:23
Saleh Alsaidi 15:31:30

Corina Summer 19:39:28
Aziza El Amrany 19:46:10
Aziza Raji 20:28:07

#omandesertmarathon

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Oman Desert Marathon 2023 Stage 3

Posted on January 24, 2023 by talkultra

Stage 3 of the Oman Desert Marathon followed a long stage 2 of 55-km. For perspective, Mohamed won the stage in 5-hours 11-minutes, while the last runner came in close to the midnight cut-off. When you consider the 06:30am start, that is a long day on the feet.

Corina Sommer recovering before stage 3©iancorless

Morning of stage 3 was rest in camp and the scheduled 3 start times would commence at midday, followed by 2pm and the final wave of top-12 runner’s departing at 4pm. Ahead 42km with all runner’s spending time in some darkness before arriving at the finish.

With a flat section to start the day, a small and beautiful dune section, and then a relatively flat run in to the line, on paper, stage 3 was by ODM standards an easy one.

If Rachid had agreed with his brother that victory was Mohamed’s to take, Rachid did not run the last stage without a fight. Actually, the contrary, he seemed to be pushing hard and looking for the advantage.

Mohamed followed at all times looked relax.

The duo exchanged the lead at multiple times and it was during darkness that Mohamed took the lead and finished strongly ahead of his brother 3:23 to 3:40 elapsed respectively, the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon is now almost certainly his!

Behind Saleh Alsaidi once again ran a very strong stage, he never came close to the Moroccan’s but his podium place is secure.

Corina and Aziza head-to-head ©iancorless

If Aziza El Amrany thought stage 3 would be an easy one, she would need to think again… Corina Sommer had the bit between her teeth and the duo pushed a hard pace. Just before CP1 Aziza got a gap, was the writing on the wall?

No! Corina fought back, caught and passed her and then opened up her own lead. As darkness came, the lead extended and it was a nail-biter to the line, Corina crossing in 4:21:09.

The clock ticked, Aziza was losing her huge lead, eventually she came and crossed in 4:36:06. Now Corina is just 10-minutes behind with one stage to go… Is it possible to get back that time in ‘just’ 22km?

Aziza Raji was off-the-pace today and finished 3rd.

Mohamed El Morabity 3:23:30
Rachid El Morabity 3:40:03
Saleh Alsaidi 3:41:21

And into the darkness they went… ©iancorless

Corina Sommer (SUI) 4:21:09
Aziza El Amrany 4:36:06
Aziza Raji 4:53:15

#omandesertmarathon

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Oman Desert Marathon 2023 Stage 2

Posted on January 22, 2023 by talkultra

Stage 2 of the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon was a 55-km soft-sand and dune festival in intense heat.

With an 06:30 start, the early hours had a chill as the participants ran a relatively flat first 25km to the second aid station.

From here, the big dunes waited and what a magnificent sight they are. Stretching far and wide, they are a relentless rollercoaster of torture for the participants.

Crossing the first set of dunes could take less than 15-minutes for the top-runners, but for many, it was over an hour of exhaustion.

On the other side, a relatively flat and straight run, before another climb, a short section of dunes at CP3 at 35km.

Now the march to the line through relentless soft-sand and only CP4 at 45km offering some rest before the line.

Rachid and Mohamed, not surprisingly, dictated the pace from the start, often running side-by-side and chatting. They are true masters of this terrain and they make it look ridiculously easy.

Aziza El Amrany once again set the pace for the women and like the El Morabity brothers, she looks at ease and at home on this terrain.

As almost a repeat from stage 1, the Omani men chased hard and eventually the Alsaidi brothers would head the chase to the Moroccan duo.

For the women, Corina and Aziza spent much of the day together chasing Amrany.

In many resects, the writing was on the wall and it was once again Mohamed who beat Rachid to the line, this time, just by seconds. For the Alsadai brothers, Saleh finished 3rd and secured his 3rd overall on GC.

Aziza was too strong for the chasing duo and took another victory. This time, Corina broke away from Raji and managed to claw back over 4-minutes for the GC.

Mohamed El Morabity 5:11:57
Rachid El Morabity 5:12:26
Saleh Alsaidi 5:43:42

Aziza El Amrany 7:07:35
Corina Summer (SUI) 7:18:10
Aziza Raji 7:22:38

#omandesertmarathon

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Oman Desert Marathon 2023 Stage 1

Posted on January 21, 2023 by talkultra

The 4-stage, 165-km, 2023 Oman Desert Marathon started today with a challenging 47-km stage.

After a 3-year hiatus due to the Covid Pandemic, it was once again a pleasure to see runner’s travelling through the Oman Desert in self-sufficiency. The only items provided to participants is water and a place to sleep at the end of each day.

The atmosphere at the start was one of celebration with local vip’s present and many locals who would participate in the ‘free’ 10km, 5km and a 2km kids race.

The ODM Classic had the same start but quickly branched left and headed in the direction of the Oasis of Alwasil.

As expected, Rachid El Morabity dictated the pace for the men and Aziza El Amrany for the women.

The first day in a stage race is always a cautious one, nobody wants to go too hard and the race was close for much of the day.

Rachid was followed by his brother Mohamed and a strong contingent of Omani runner’s, in particular Saleh Alsaidi and his brother, Sami.

Aziza was followed by Corina and surprisingly, Aziza Raji, the pre-race favourite was further back.

Rachid and Mohamed played cat an mouse but in the last significant dune section, with just over 10-km’s to go, Mohamed opened a gap which he held to the line crossing in 3:53:31. Rachid surprisingly came in over 7-minutes later. The earlier hard pace set by Sami Alsaidi took it’s toll and it was Saleh who finished 3rd.

Aziza El Amrany looked very strong for the first two-thirds of the day but later looked to be suffering in the heat. She never lost her lead though and finished in 5:31:29. Despite Corina looking strong all day, Aziza Raji played the waiting game and pounced in the latter third of the day taking 2nd place in 5:37:53 to 5:45:57 for the Swiss.

Mohamed El Morabity 3:53:31
Rachid El Morabity 4:01:51
Saleh Alsaidi 4:19:34

Aziza El Amrany 5:31:29
Aziza Raji 5:37:53
Corina Summer (SUI) 5:45:57

#omandesertmarathon

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Lanzarote Multi-Day Training Camp 2023 – Day 4

Posted on January 17, 2023 by talkultra

Caldera Trasera is a wonderful loop from our base location, Club La Santa. It provides a short and hilly technical route that more ‘more’ exposure than many are used to. The Lanzarote Multi-Day Training Camp is all about pushing boundaries and learning.

Hands-on action provided some mega smiles, especially when the summit was reached. The level of comradeship was superb, everyone supporting each other to achieve their goal.