Ever wondered, what is too much in an ultra?

Posted on February 12, 2015 by talkultra

Ever wondered, what is too much in an ultra?

Canadian, Mike Murphy last week ran The Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica. He was having a battle royal with South African, Iain Don Wauchope. Showing real grit, on day two Mike pulled back a huge time deficit (due to going off course on day one) and took over the race lead.

Mike then lost the lead again on day three. The stage was set for a head-to-head battle but Mike started to suffer… on the evening of day five (with just one day left) Mike was pulled out of the race by the medics and eventually ended up in hospital.

All is okay and Mike is now back in Canada. But he just sent me this message:

“I’m ALIVE! Got home from the hospital (Vancouver) last night, and my issues/injuries seem to stable and/or improving. The list is:
Broken Radius, Arm/elbow infection, Heat stroke, Hyponatremia, Blood loss (causing anemia).”

Believe me, Mike is one of the most committed runners I have ever witnessed in a race. Costa Rica and The Coastal Challenge offered each and every competitor a unique set of challenges. Lets face it, that is the attraction isn’t it? Relentless heat, high humidity, long stretches of open beach, dense forest, fire roads, water crossings, technical river beds and a plethora of other challenges.

But can you be too committed in a race?

Welcome your thoughts and have you ever pushed yourself too far?

William Sichel planning on getting HIGH!

Posted on February 11, 2015 by talkultra

Orkney-based ultra marathon runner, William Sichel (61) has announced his race programme for 2015 which includes races as short as 40 miles and as long as 6 days in duration, but nothing as long as the 3100 mile race he finished in August last year. Read my interview HERE

One of the most eye-catching of his races will be his attempt to complete the World’s Highest Ultramarathon – ‘The High’ – in the Himalayas in August. With an average altitude of 14,500 feet/4400 metres and with two mountain passes to tackle at 18,000 feet/5500 metres, that’s almost 3½ miles high, it will require very special preparation if William is to have any chance of success.

“This event will take my right out of my comfort zone as I have never trained or competed at any kind of altitude before. There will be a lot to consider with regards to health and performance at heights like that. I will need to prepare very carefully and seek advice from those with previous experience. I’ll need to be on top of my game to complete that one.”

William will open his season by returning to the Barry 40 Mile track race in South Wales on March 8^th, a race he last attempted 12 years ago. Then follows a two week warm weather training spell in Lanzarote followed by the World 6 Day Trophy in Balaton, Hungary from May 6^th to the 12th – an event William won in 2011.

August will see William head east to the Himalayas for ‘The High’ – 222kms/134 miles over the mountains of Ladakh in India.

“My main event after the high altitude race in India will be the new indoor 48 hour race in Oslo in November which will provide some new record opportunities for me. This year is a very challenging schedule of races following an epic 2014 when I managed to complete the World’s Longest Footrace – 3100 miles in New York.”

You can follow and find out more about William HERE

MSIG Sai Kung 50 Skyrunning Asian Championships race report

Posted on February 7, 2015 by talkultra

Hong Kong is certainly full of surprises and the MSIG Sai Kung Skyrunning race was no exception, with results going against the odds and also against form.

Certainly the most significant surprise for a visitor to Hong Kong is the presence of hills and forests. Actually the towering, high-rise, tightly packed urbanised area, full of flashing neon and determined taxi drivers, that is synonymous with Hong Kong represents a tiny fraction of the area that Hong Kong covers. Forty five minutes drive out of the city is the Sai Kung Country Park, the venue for today’s race: a seemingly vast area thickly covered with vegetation made up of extremely steep hills tumbling down to beaches and the sea. It was on these hills that 2000m of vertical ascent was packed into 28km on extremely steep and in some places technical trails.

The race was scheduled to start at 7am and the sun rose on a grey overcast and thankfully cool morning for the four races taking place over 13km, 24km, 28km and 50km.

The first to set off were the 28km and 50km races.

In the shorter distance, the men’s favourite was considered to be Marco de Gasperi, but with athletes such as Tom Owens, and Martin Gaffuri lining up with him, it was never likely to be a cake-walk. In the 50km the same was true: whilst Yan Long Fei was considered to be the favourite by many, Samir Tamang, David Byrne, Luke Nelson and Blake Hose plus others were never going to give in easily.

For the women, Elisa Desco and Stephanie Jiminez were considered the pre-race favourites for the 28km race, whilst in the 50km Kasie Enman, Wyan Chow Pui Yan, Dong Li and Mira Rai were the ones to watch.

The race

The start of the 28km and 50km races happened at the same time and involved a very fast downhill road section, before the first climb started towards the trails that would make up the majority of the races.

Samir Tamang from Nepal in the 50km race

Perched just above the third check point before the two races split at around 22km, we were getting snatches of news. Especially about the race leaders who we were hearing were having some problems staying on the course. Before we caught sight of the runners we knew that 28km pre-race favourite de Gasperi has taken a wrong turn and lost time on two Japanese runners who had taken the lead.

By the time the runners reached us, we could see that de Gasperi’s mistake had indeed cost him and the Japanese pair of Dai Matsumoto and Kondo Yoshihito were in control with only around 6km left to go.

Dai Matsumoto in the 28km race

Indeed from that point to the end, the positions remained the same, with Dai winning in 2:49:23, Kendo second in 2:51:41seconds and a disappointed de Gasperi in third in 2:54:32, who rued taking a wrong turn. He said after the race “I made a mistake by missing the course and I realized it until I saw Dai, the Japanese runner coming in front of me running down the hill. I probably wasted 4 minutes until I found the right way. If time can turn back, I would do everything to avoid the mistake.”

In the men’s 50km race Nepalese runner Samir Tamang won 4:58:40. After the race he said ‘Such an honor to become the champion, but I didn’t finish the course within my estimated time. I have been to Hong Kong once before for a 100k race and this is my first 50k in HK. It marked a good start of the year in 2015!’ Tamang was followed in by Yan Long Fei from China in 5:11:50 ‘I chose to follow some of the strong runners as usual and I guess I followed the wrong person this time. I realized there were two people ahead of me at the very last bit of the race and that was too late for me to overpass them both. I enjoyed the race overall especially the view at the hilltop.’ The final spot on the podium was taken by Spanish runner Cristofer Clemente in 5:15:07.

Elisa Desco on her way to victory in the women’s 28km race

Stephanie Jiminez in the 28km Skyrun

For the women, the 28km race went with the predictions, with Elisa Desco narrowly beating Stephanie Jiminez in 3:41:02. Desco said afterwards ‘The course is very challenging for me because there were lots of up hills and down hills. Unlike those in Italy, we usually climb up one main mountain. I’m not used to the hilly terrain and it makes the course very technical to me.’ Finishing the trio was Japanese runner Kanako Hasegawa in 3:56:25.

In the women’s 50km race, it was Mira Rai from Nepal who backed up a win in the HK50 with a completely dominant performance, elegantly skipping up the brutal climbs and down the technical descents to win in 5:39:31 over an hour ahead of China’s Dong Li in second and Kasie Enman in third.

Mira Rai winning the women’s 50km race

For complete results click here.

The responses

Whilst there were a few runners who went off course which caused frustration, the general feeling was that the race was a great way for many to start the year. The route was technical and exciting with many of the more experienced runners saying that it was a ‘true’ Skyrunning race.

As a part of the new way that the Skyrunning series will be decided, there were valuable points scored for some today and for others it was a chance to bounce back from lacklustre ends to 2014 or injury.

Whatever the racer’s take on the Sai Kung 50, it was a great way to see a different side to Hong Kong and a superb way to ensure that Asia has an even stronger place on the world trail running map.

Race director Michael Maddess and Marco de Gasperi discuss the race after the action has finished

Luke Nelson

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 Day 6 Drake Bay

Posted on February 6, 2015 by talkultra

TCC 2015 Day 6 Drake Bay

23.7km

450m +

Six days, five stage wins and four course records, what more can we say about the stunning running of South African, Iain Don Wauchope! Iain had no need to race the last day… he says he didn’t! He ran easy, GoPro in hand and had a blast… and still broke a course record.

Race director, Rodrigo Carazo said post race:

“I never thought anyone could run this fast on this course. Iain has dominated and made a really tough course seem easy.”

“This is no easy course. It’s a really tough event and I didn’t feel great on day one and two put I have got better as the days progresses. I have loved every moment. It’s a stunning race and the last day around Drake Bay is just so special.”

– Iain Don Wauchope

Breaking news over the night was that second place on GC, Canadian Mike Murphey was taken to hospital with severe dehydration. It’s a great shame. Mike battled to the end to take overall victory and unfortunately he has paid a price. Just goes to show how tough this race is!

Mike’s departure from the race moved the Costa Rican duo of Ashruf Youseffi and Roiny Villegas into second and third but the battle wasn’t over… Roiny saw this as an opportunity and pushed hard throughout the final stage. Opening up a gap, Ashruf was clearly having a bad day. At the line, Roiny had clawed back a chunk of time but not enough to take the second podium place.

The ladies race turned into a procession and a celebration. The top five ladies ran side-by-side throughout the race and embraced the scenery and the friendship that The Coastal Challenge has provided. Veronica Bravo’s victory is more than welcomed by the local Costa Rican community and the TCC team; a world-class athlete and adventure racer “Vero’ will run UTMB in 2015 and Costa Rica and Chile anticipate great things!

Another Costal Challenge draws to a close. What a race… It’s a tough, challenging multi-day race that constantly provides mixed terrain, relentless heat and high humidity to make it one of the toughest races out there. Joe Grant, Karl Meltzer, Nikki Kimball, Anna Frost, Mike Murphey and Iain Don Wauchope all toed the line of the 2015 TCC and they unanimously agree;

“that is one seriously tough race!”

Overall Classification *times to follow

Veronica Bravo – Chile – 29:35:20
Nikki Kimball – USA – 32:31:50
Maria Rivera – Costa Rica – 34:07:13

Iain Don Wauchope – South Africa – 22:29:08
Ashur Youssefi – Costa Rica – 26:09:54
Roiny Villegas – Costa Rica – 26:23:53

: RD – Rodrigo

MSIG Sai Kung 50 & Skyrunning Asian Championships: pre-race interviews

Posted on February 6, 2015 by talkultra

Hong Kong is certainly a place of contrasts. A pre-breakfast run along the waterfront this morning saw the whole city shrouded in a thick, yellow smog which softened the outlines of the masses of skyscrapers and high-rise apartment blocks. People bustle along the pavements whilst taxis and buses fill every meter of the chaotic roads. Even the water between the mainland and the island is crammed with boats of all sizes ferrying people or freight around seemingly 24 hours a day. Not really a promising place for a Skyrunning race then…

But an hour out of the city and Sai Kung is a leafy, charming place with a vibrant sea port and – more importantly perhaps – towering forest covered hills rising from the sea shore to the sky. Suddenly the potential for a challenging Skyrunning race and the Asian Championships is revealed.

Just after lunch Simon had a chance to catch up with a few of the elite athletes looking to make an impact on this race early in the season:

Tom Owens

After a ruptured ankle tendon in 2013, Tom was actually happy with how he raced in 2013 and enjoyed including some long races that the surgically repaired ankle dealt with without a problem. When I asked Tom why he chose to race the Sai Kung race, he said that he had already planned on taking some time off in February to go on a warm weather training camp, to get away from the freezing temperatures that he has been enduring in Scotland all winter. As soon as the opportunity to race in Hong Kong came up, Tom changed his plans to be here.

Tom also said that after a winter of cyclo-cross and cross country racing, he thought that tactically, getting a Skyrunning race under his belt early in the season would give him an advantage later in the year.

Simon asked Tom about how cyclo-cross has played a part in his training and Tom admitted that although he really enjoys it, he is technically not as strong as he’d like to be having only taken up the sport in the last couple of years. But Tom thinks that it has given him a physical and psychological edge that he needed after his surgery.

Martin Gaffuri

Martin is a French resident although he is soon moving to Switzerland for work, so coming to Hong Kong for a race is a great opportunity to escape the snow and run in relatively warm conditions.

The Sai Kung race also represents a chance for Martin to return to the sport he loves after a hiatus in 2014. He feels that his best result last year was in Tarawera, but around racing the 80km World Champs in Chamonix, where he came 17th, Martin lost motivation for his running and took time off, only really returning to the sport towards the end of the season with a tilt at the Rut where he took a tumble off the trail.

With his new full-time job about to start, Martin is looking forward to having some structure, aiming for more quality over quantity. This makes the 28km race in Sai Kung a perfect chance to test his legs on a relatively shorter course.

Elisa Desco

Elisa told Simon that this is her first season Skyrunning. In fact until last year she had not raced more than 20km. She said that Zegama was a fantastic new experience for her and that, along with her brilliant run at the World Championships in Chamonix, have surprised her and given her added motivation to train and race.

Looking ahead Elisa is racing the shorter Skyrunning series in 2015 and then thinks that she might start to consider tackling some longer races. But for now she thinks that her speed on relative short distances – her road marathon debut was a very impressive 2:36 – will mean that she can compete with the best of them on the trails in the hills.

Marco De Gasperi

On reflection Marco believes that he may have been over-trained in 2014. He told Simon that for a few crucial months in the middle of the year he felt very tired and weak. Thankfully now he has fully recovered and has trained consistently – ensuring that he isn’t over-training – so that he is ready for the Sai Kung event, which Marco sees as a significant race and a great way to start the Skyrunning season.

Sat in Sai Kung town in a cafe today, Marco looked remarkably relaxed and told Simon that whilst he is wary of the other elite athletes on the start line tomorrow, he is also not stressed and is looking forward to the trails.

Marco has an eye on races beyond the Sai Kung event. He wants to be in best possible share to race Zegama later in the year and he knows that he needs to measure out his efforts so that he can get the best from himself at the right moments.

The action starts at 7am in Hong Kong and Simon will be on the course following events. You can keep up-to-speed on twitter and check back for a race report soon.

Episode 80 – Coleman, Arnstein, Koop, Hines

Posted on February 6, 2015 by talkultra

Episode 80 of Talk Ultra has in interview with the UK’s Mr MDS, Rory Coleman. We speak with Hurt 100 winner and Fruitarian, Mike Arnstein. Jason Koop provides us with a fascinating Talk Training and Adventurer Mark Hines talks nutrition in relation to long distance races.

NEWS

News out that Born to Run may be made into a film with Mathew McConaughey in the starring role of Caballo Blanco – news from EW.com

Nickademus Hollon has laid out his calendar for 2015 and amongst this list of 13 projects, no 7 took my eye:

RACE #7 U.K. Fell Running Rounds FKT Attempt (June/ July)

The project is in development still. But the idea is basically this: the UK has three INSANE “rounds” they call them. Bob Graham round (~60 miles and 40,000+ft of gain), Charlie Ramsay Round (~60 miles and 40,000ft+ gain) and the Lake District Round (~60 miles and 40,000ft+ gain). These rounds are like peak bagging if peak bagging took two snorts of coke and drank five cans of Red-Bull. I heard about the rounds for the first time when I was at Ronda del Cims this last summer. I asked my friend who was talking about them, “Has anyone ever done them consecutively? Each under 24hrs?” He fell silent to my question. 180 miles and 120,000ft of gain? Why the hell not. That’s more vert. than Kilian runs in month!

It’s all kicking off on the Ultrarunning Community on Facebook…. oh yes, we always think that ultra runners are friendly, awesome, welcoming and encouraging to all. And I mean ALL! But this last couple of weeks has seem some real venom… we all have different journeys, different roads and different paths. Lets embrace everyone! Ultimately, if you don’t like a post on social media, ignore it.

INTERVIEW

Rory Coleman became a changed man in 1994 after ditching booze and cigarettes. He has gone on to run over 800 marathons and 200 marathons and in the UK he is known as Mr MDS as he has completed the race 11 times and 2015 will be his 12th. – HERE

INTERVIEW

Michael Arnstein won Hurt 100 in 21:29 and is just as famous for his diet; fruit. I caught up with Mike post his Hurt 100 win and discuss his running and diet.

BLOG

Steve Birkinshaw on Marmot Dark Mountains –HERE

TALK TRAINING

Jason Koop – Jason is director of coaching at CTS (Carmichael Training Systems). En experienced runner himself, he currently coaches some of the top names in ultra running. – HERE

Clients:

Jen Benn

Dylan Bowman

Larisa Dannis

Mike Foote

Ryan Ghelfi

Dakota Jones

Kaci Lickteig

Timothy Olson

Alex Varner

Devon Yanko

INTERVIEW

Mark Hines Mark Hines is an exercise physiologist and biomechanist who competes in the toughest ultra-endurance races in the world. He has raced in rainforests, across deserts, over mountains, and in the sub-Arctic and Arctic. – HERE

UP & COMING RACES

Antartica

White Continent 50K | 50 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Argentina

La Misión | 160 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

La Misión – 80 km | 80 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Australia

Tasmania

The Cradle Mountain Run | 82 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Belgium

Wallonia

Trail des bosses – 65 km | 65 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Canada

Yukon

Yukon Arctic 100M | 100 miles | February 08, 2015 | website

Yukon Arctic 300M | 300 miles | February 08, 2015 | website

Yukon Arctic 430M | 430 miles | February 08, 2015 | website

Chad

TREG | 170 kilometers | February 06, 2015 | website

Costa Rica

Ultra-Maraton Arenal | 115 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Finland

Lapland

Rovaniemi 150 | 150 kilometers | February 20, 2015 | website

France

Aude

Gruissan Phoebus Trail | 50 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Aveyron

Trail des Ruthènes | 64 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Côtes-d’Armor

Défi Glazig (45 + 18) | 63 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Germany

Lower Saxony

Brocken-Challenge | 86 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Hong-Kong

Green Power Hike 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

MSIG Sai Kung 50 | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Tsuen Wan, Ta Shek Wu, Fo Tan | 108 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Ultra Trail Tai Mo Shan | 162 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Yuen Long, Ta Shek Wu, Fo Tan | 52 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

India

Run the Rann 101 km | 101 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

Run the Rann 161 km | 161 kilometers | February 09, 2015 | website

Thar Desert Run – 100 miles | 100 miles | February 06, 2015 | website

Thar Desert Run – 50 miles | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

The Great White Rann – Run of Kutch – 135 Miles | 135 miles | February 06, 2015 | website

The Great White Rann – Run of Kutch – 160 km | 160 kilometers | February 06, 2015 | website

The Great White Rann – Run of Kutch – 50 km | 50 kilometers | February 06, 2015 | website

The Great White Rann – Run of Kutch – 80 km | 80 kilometers | February 06, 2015 | website

Ireland

Leinster

Donadea 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Italy

Marche

Maratona sulla sabbia – Ultra maratona | 50 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

New Zealand

Kaweka Klassic 50 km | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Tarawera 100K Ultramarathon | 100 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Tarawera 60K Ultramarathon | 60 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Tarawera 85K Ultramarathon | 85 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Nicaragua

Fuego y Agua 100k | 100 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Fuego y Agua 50k | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Oman

Wadi Bih Run | 72 kilometers | February 06, 2015 | website

Spain

Canary Islands

Marathón ‘Isla del Meridiano’ – 86 km | 86 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Sweden

Ice Ultra | 230 kilometers | February 13, 2015 | website

Thailand

Thai Ultra Race | 140 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

United Kingdom

Cornwall

Arc of Attrition | 100 miles | February 06, 2015 | website

Devon

Coastal Trail Series – South Devon – Ultra | 34 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Oxfordshire

Thames Trot 50 | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

USA

Alaska

Little Su 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Susitna 100 | 100 miles | February 14, 2015 | website

Arizona

Black Canyon Trail 100K Run | 100 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Pemberton Trail 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Race Across Arizona – Beeline and Beyond (4 Marathons) | 106 miles | February 06, 2015 | website

Ragnar Relay Del Sol | 200 miles | February 20, 2015 | website

Arkansas

LOVit 100k | 100 kilometers | February 20, 2015 | website

LOVit 100 Mile | 100 miles | February 20, 2015 | website

White Rock Classic 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

California

American Canyon 50K Ultramarathon | 50 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

Bandit Ultra Trail Run 50K | 50 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Jed Smith Ultra Classic – 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Jed Smith Ultra Classic – 50 Miler | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Rancho San Juan Trail 50 km | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Sean O’Brian 100K Trail Run | 100 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Sean O’Brian 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Sean O’Brian 50-Mile Trail Run | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Sean O’Brien 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Sean O’Brien 50M | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Florida

Destin 50K Beach Ultra | 50 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Destin 50M Beach Ultra | 50 miles | February 15, 2015 | website

Iron Horse 100 km | 100 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Iron Horse 100 Mile | 100 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Iron Horse 50 Mile | 50 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Lost 118 | 118 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Ragnar Relay Florida Keys | 199 miles | February 06, 2015 | website

Kansas

Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Oregon

Bristow 50K Trail Run | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Hagg Lake 50k Trail run | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

South Carolina

Mill Stone 50K | 50 kilometers | February 09, 2015 | website

Rut Rogue 40s – 40 Mile 3-5 Person Relay | 40 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Rut Rogue 40s – 40 Mile Run | 40 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Two Hearts Two Day Challenge | 84 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Texas

Piney Woods TrailFest 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Utah

Moab’s Red Hot 55K | 55 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Virginia

Holiday Lake 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

The Wild Oak Trail 100 | 100 miles | February 13, 2015 | website

Virginia Beach Distance Races 100k | 100 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

Virginia Beach Distance Races 50k | 50 kilometers | February 08, 2015 | website

Washington

Fishline 50K | 50 kilometers | February 15, 2015 | website

Orcas Island 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

Two Million Inch Run | 31 miles | February 07, 2015 | website

Woolley Trail 50K | 50 kilometers | February 14, 2015 | website

Wisconsin

Dead Zone Ommegang 75 | 75 miles | February 14, 2015 | website

John Dick Memorial 50K | 50 kilometers | February 07, 2015 | website

CLOSE

LINKS:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/Episode_80_Coleman_Arnstein_Koop_Hines.mp3

ITunes http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/talk-ultra/id497318073

Libsyn – feed://talkultra.libsyn.com/rss

Website – talkultra.com

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 Day 5 Race Images

Posted on February 6, 2015 by talkultra

Race summary HERE

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 Day 5 Sierpe – Drake Bay

Posted on February 6, 2015 by talkultra

TCC 2015 Day 5 Sierpe – Drake Bay

47.5km

1450m +

He did it again… Iain Don Wauchope blitzed the fifth stage with another course record! He said yesterday that he was getting better with each day and boy did he fly along the muddy trails the beautiful and iconic Drake Bay.

Early morning rain turned torrential by the time the race got underway and in true rainforest fashion, it continued to pour for hours making the trails a mud bath. Despite the deep and slippery mud, Iain still blazed a trail and somehow managed to break the 2014 CR for the stage set by Michael Wardian.

“I didn’t need to run fast today, I ran on feel and to be honest I felt relaxed and I am really surprised I broke the record.”

Mike Murphey who has battled with Iain all week still remains in second overall on GC but had a horrendous day 5. He had complained repeatedly of not feeling great and mid course he was stopped by the medical team and provided with a drip to help retain his equilibrium. When Mike had recovered he was allowed to continue. Normally a drip in any race scenario would incur a DQ or a time penalty, however, at TCC one drip is allowed.

The male Costa Rican battle came to a conclusion when Ashur Youseffi pushed hard and gained an incredible time gap over Roiny and in doing so has taken the third podium spot.

In the ladies race, Anna Frost’s injury woes came to a head when she sprained an ankle causing a muscle sprain in her soleus muscle. Frosty tried to push on but it was no good. The plantar issues, ankle and muscle sprain brought an end to the 2015 TCC at Cp3.

”I could run in pain no longer and sometimes you just have to stop and look at the bigger picture.”

Veronica Bravo reluctantly took the race lead after running with Frosty and she is now the leader on GC and barring an incident, she will be the 2015 TCC ladies champion.

Behind, the race remained unchanged with Nikki Kimball running a consistent day, this time accompanied by Collete Potter and Samantha Gash.

With Frosty dropping from the race, Costa Rican Laticia Maria Riviera will move up to a hard earned third place.

Tomorrow, day six of the TCC will bring the race to an end… expect a victory lap as all the runners enjoy the best of what Costa Rica has to offer.

Veronica Bravo – Chile – 5:32:38
Collete Potter – Australia – 6:28:58
Nikky Kimball – USA – 6:28:59

Iain Don Wauchope – South Africa – 4:11:44
Ashur Youssefi – Costa Rica – 4:50:21
Jeffrey Portuguez – Costa Rica – 5:03:50

The Coastal Challenge #TCC 2015 Day 4 Race Images

Posted on February 5, 2015 by talkultra

Race summary HERE

The Coastal Challenge #TCC 2015 Day 4 Coronado – Palma Sur

Posted on February 5, 2015 by talkultra

TCC 2015 Day 4 Coronado – Palma Sur

37.5km

2950m +

Iain Don Wauchope threw down the gauntlet today! From the gun, he pulled away from every runner in the race and provided a master class of multi day running. From beginning to end, Iain applied the pressure and at no point looked in any difficulty. Climbing the relentless hills and running the descents the clock ticked and by the time the finish tape was broken, Iain had set a new course record for stage four of the TCC… In 2014, Salomon athlete Philipp Reiter had run a fast stage while he battled with Michael Wardian. The time he posted was a new CR; today Iain broke that record by twenty-one minutes. Post race Iain said, “As each day passes, I am getting stronger and stronger. However, nothing is guaranteed.”

Day four was always going to come down to a battle between Iain and Mike Murphey. Mike pushed from the off but had two stumbling blacks: Iain Don Wauchope in the form of his life and unfortunately a bad stomach. The combination of those two elements effectively put an end of Mike’s opportunity to re-grasp a hold of the race. He continued to push, ever the optimist but the writing was on the wall.

The battle for third place was turning into a real nail biter as Youssef (3^rd place) and Roiny (4^th) went head-to-head looking for the final podium place and maybe most importantly, first Costa Rican. Roiny pushed hard and maintained a small lead throughout the race. His work rate looked too high as sweat poured from his body. But he held on and eventually gained a couple of minutes in the closing stages to take a slender lead and third on general classification.

Speedgoat Karl ran great for 30km but the heat and humidity took its toll and he was forced to slow in the latter stages to avoid heat stroke. Joe Grant after a tough third stage had a good fourth day after strapping his badly strained ankle.

Anna Frost and Veronica Bravo looked to be having a repeat performance of day three as they approached Cp1 almost side-by-side. The only exception came from Frosty. Every now and then she would pull away on the climbs so that she could run the descents with less pressure. Frosty was however struggling from plantar fasciitis and in the latter stages of the race, Veronica slowly pulled away on the final descent. At the breaking of the tape, Veronica had gained six minutes leaving her just ten minutes behind on GC. With two stages to go, can Veronica pull back that time?

Nikki Kimball once again ran a solid and consistent stage. Running the flats, marching the climbs and just keeping moving, Nikki almost certainly secured third place overall today.

With just two days to go, runners are now on the home straight but the racing is not over. Iain Don Wauchope now has a convincing lead but as this race has shown, nothing is guaranteed…. Anything can happen! Third place overall is a Costa Rican battle and that position is certainly not decided yet. For the ladies, Frosty has a strong lead but Veronica is a fighter. It’s going to be interesting

Veronica Bravo – Chile – 5:19:45
Anna Frost – New Zealand – 5:25:21
Nikky Kimball – USA – 6:05:56