The Coastal Challenge – Stage 3 – Dominical Beach to Ballena Beach

Posted on February 6, 2014 by talkultra

Mike Wardian exiting the riverbed section TCC2012 ©iancorless.com

What a day… it was always going to be spectacular. A long-stretch of running through a riverbed that involved multiple water crossings, rock hopping and climbing. A steady climb to the impressive waterfalls followed by more technical twisting climbing. A fast descent, climbing and the a long stretch of stunning beach that would be undertaken just as the heat of the day took hold.

The star of the day; was a dog! Yes folks, a dog. As the race departed Dominical Beach a little dog joined Philipp Reiter, Nick Clark, Mike Wardian and the rest of the elite male field and he ran all the way to the line some 50kms away; incredible.

Running through the river bed overall GC leaders Jo Meek and Mike Wardian struggled with the technicality of the terrain. At the end of the riverbed section, Gaffuri, Clark, Reiter, Beneito and Sa and had gained 10-mins effectively placing Beneito as race leader whilst on the course.

TCC2014 Stage 3 ©iancorless.com

Experienced adventure racer, Veronica Bravo excelled in the tough and harsh conditions and reveled at the opportunity to show her skill. Equally, Julia Bottger started to put time into female race leader Meek. At the waterfall section, Bravo had a convincing lead but any chance of her ability to pull back 90-mins looked limited. Bottger had started to gain a few minutes on Meek and it was quite apparent from Meek’s face as she arrived at the waterfalls that the early part of the course had tested her.

Veronica Bravo TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

From the waterfalls the guys held it together. They were putting time into Wardian but as Clark went on to say post race. “I think we were taking it just a little too relaxed. We were comfortable and not pushing.” When Wardian arrived he was 14-min in down and looking a little worried. The race was on!

Julia Bottger crossing the rocks at the waterfall section TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Bottger was having a good day and was well aware that she needed to gain time before the long beach section that would allow Meek to open up her stride and find her natural flat running pace. However, after catching Bravo, Bottger made a navigational error that paved the way for Meek to regain the lead and push on to the finish for another stage win and a substantial gain of time over Bottger and Bravo. In camp, Meek was looking weary, “I had to dig deep today. I found the riverbed so difficult. It’s just not my natural talent. I pushed hard out of the waterfall section to ensure that I gained time back. By the time I hit the beach I knew I just needed to run as hard as possible. However, 12km’s of beach in mid 30’s temperatures are not something you take lightly.”

Jo Meek exits the waterfalls TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Bottger had a sense of frustration, “I was feeling good today. I made a wrong turn and lost a junk of time working my way back on to the course. I have no doubt that Meek would have caught me on the beach section though… that’s trail running!”

Philipp Reiter in the riverbed TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

In the men’s race, Wardian somehow closed a 14-min gap on a small group of leaders made up of Reiter, Beneito and Clark. “I looked around and Mike was there. I couldn’t believe it. I really thought we had him on the ropes” said Clark.

Costa Rican Beaches – stunning but hot! TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

The four entered the beach section and were running neck and neck for a couple of km. “Reiter and myself started to push each other and Beneito and Clark started to fade” said Wardian, “It was a matter of gritting your teeth and hurting.”

“I could hold on no longer” said Clark, “Reiter and Wardian started to pull away and Beneito and myself dropped off. The heat got to me further and I faded again allowing Beneito to pull away from me. It was a darn tough day out there.”

Reiter and Wardian pushed each other to the line, neither able to pull away. Both should be applauded for incredible racing and powers of recovery… Wardian for pulling back an incredible 14-min deficit on the stage and Reiter for recovering from a poor day-1 to potentially move himself back in contention on GC.

Racing days don’t get much better than this!

RESULTS Stage-3

Mike Wardian 5:16:52
Philipp Reiter 5:16:52
Vicente Juan Garcia Beneito 5:19:27
Nick Clark 5:27:16
Marti Gaffuri 6:01:27

Jo Meek 6:39:59
Julia Bottger 6:47:26
Veronica Bravo 6:59:43
Gemma Slaughter 7:40:57
Hailey Van Dyk 8:12:58

PS – apologies for the late upload, internet connection is sparse and very slow.

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2014 – Stage 5 Preview

Posted on February 5, 2014 by talkultra

Day 5 – Sierpe to Bahia Drake

Another long day at 47.5km but what a day and what a course awaits; the route provides a pure rainforest experience. Much of today’s route is in accessible by vehicles. In truth, they only true way to navigate this course is by foot or by boat. The trails are dense, technical and muddy but they interspersed with dramatic water crossings, plantations, small villages and as the stage comes to a close the sea awaits and the stunning Drakes Bay. It’s a paradise. The day starts with a short transfer and water crossing by boat. This is necessary to get all the runners on the correct side of the water. Leaving Sierpe a 5km climb awaits, from the summit, the route very much drops down to the finish with short sharp climbs at 22km, 39km and 43km. Three checkpoints at Sabalo (16.1km), Florida (26.2km) and Guerra (36.1km) are followed with a final water station at 41km. Today is arguably the toughest day for the TCC staff and team as gaining access to the course and route is extremely difficult.

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The Coastal Challenge #TCC2014 – Stage 4 Preview

Posted on February 4, 2014 by talkultra

Day 4 – Ventanas Beach to Sierpe

2950m of climbing in 37.5km make day-4 a particularly testing day. The route is almost split into two halves. From the start runners immediately climb for the first 10km to the highpoint of the course. From here, the race is run over highland plains, weaving in and out, up and down before the final very tough and technical descent to Palmur Sur. In 2013 the heat beat down making this stage particularly difficult. Three checkpoints at; Cruce Trillo (6.4km), Cementery (12.9km), Donkey’s Hill (19.8km) and a final water station is almost 14-km’s to the finish; this can’t be underestimated in the 40-degree temperatures. From the finish line a short transfer awaits each and every runner to camp 4.

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The Coastal Challenge – Stage 2 – Rafiki Lodge to Dominical Beach

Posted on February 4, 2014 by talkultra

Philipp Reiter TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Sleep is a precious commodity in any multi-stage race. The ability to recover from one day’s effort and then go again requires discipline not only in training but also the ability to get to sleep early and ensure a full battery charge for the next day!

At The Costal Challenge, this ‘strength of will’ is tested to the max… each day starts at 0330 to ensure an adequate breakfast and a race start that coincides with the sun. It’s important; the heat beats down here in Costa Rica with a strength and power that can wilt the most ardent sun worshiper.

Today’s route involved two tough climbs in succession and then a long drop down to the coast before a final 8-km along the beach that involved two water crossings.

The last water crossing less than 1-km form the finish #TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

The 10^th edition of the TCC was always going to be a stunning race; the quality of the elite line up was second to none. Stage 2 did not disappoint…

From the off, Wardian, Gaffuri, Clark, Reiter, Beneito and Sa marked each other’s move on the tough first climb. It was all-together at the summit with just seconds spreading the whole group. Gaffuri, loving to run downhill fast moved to the front and pushed hard but even Sa who must have been feeling his ‘extra’ miles from the previous day matched his effort.

Martin Gaffuri TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Meek opened up a gap in the ladies race right from the start but today’s stage was for more to the liking of Bottger and although initially Meek gained some time, the gap was matched and held.

Jo Meek on the second climb TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

At the checkpoint before the second climb, the banter in the men’s race was superb. So much so, Reiter, Wardian and Gaffuri thought an impromptu sprint trying to be first for the water was a good idea…

Sprint for the aid station. TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Reiter was first to leave the aid station and he committed himself. He started to open up a gap and push. A remarkable run considering on day-1 he suffered in the heat; not helped by long travel and little sleep.

Clark and Wardian pursuing Reiter at the bottom of the second climb TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Continuing to open up a gap, one would have assumed that Reiter would have succumbed to Wardian’s natural speed when on the flat. However, in the final 8-km’s of beach, Reiter pushed on and held for a great stage win. Wardian placed second and Beneito and Clark finished together taking 3^rd and 4^th. The men’s race without doubt is poised for some heated competition over the coming days; Wardian leads Beneito and Clark by 3:42, Reiter is just over 22-mins back after his unfortunate day-1. I wonder, can Reiter pull back that time? It would take something remarkable from Reiter in this quality of field. Nick Clark post race said, “Wardian didn’t close on Reiter as we expected in those e final stages, he may have gained a little more time on me but a time gap of 4-mins is easily pulled back. It’s all to up for grabs.”

Julia Bottger on the second climb TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Bottger caught Meek on the second climb and lead much of the way on the descent; however, with approximately 20-km’s of relatively flat road and beach to the finish we all expected Meek to open up a gap and start to pull away. She certainly opened a gap and enough of a gap to secure a comfortable stage-2 victory, however, it wasn’t a performance of complete dominance as expressed on day-1. Post race I asked her how she felt, “That was a tough day. You can’t run those climbs; it’s all about economy of effort and hiking. I am less used to technical descents so I played safe, however, over the last km’s I could get in my run stride and take the lead again.”

Jo Meek just before the finish TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Meek has a 46:02 lead going into stage-3 and barring a disaster; I can’t see her loosing such a margin. She no longer needs to be aggressive and certainly, Meek can ease off a gear and see if Bottger wants to take up the challenge to pull back time.

Veronica Bravo TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Third place lady, Veronica Bravo is now 1:32 in arrears and has a comfortable margin of almost 50-minutes over 2013 The Coastal Challenge winner, Gemma Slaughter for 3^rd place.

RESULTS Stage-2

Philipp Reiter
Mike Wardian
Vicente Juan Garcia Beneito

Jo Meek
Julia Bottger
Veronica Bravo

General Classification after Stage 2

Mike Wardian 7:14:05
Vicente Juan Garcia Beneito 7:17:47
Nick Clark 7:17:48
Philipp Reiter 7:36:27
Martin Gaffuri 7:45:37

Jo Meek 8:40:45
Julia Bottger 9:26:47
Veronica Bravo 10:12:57
Gemma Slaughter 11:02:34
Wendy Tseng 11:35:13

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2014 – Stage 3 Preview

Posted on February 3, 2014 by talkultra

Day 3 – Dominical to Ventanas Beach

Waterfalls, long hot beautiful beaches, water crossings and an idyllic campsite at Ventanas Beach make the longest stage (48-km) of the TCC one to remember. It embodies the Costa Rican coastline and as tired bodies fight fatigue a couple of stings in the tail await, particularly in the final few kilometers when a dense forest section leads to a final stretch of road. Four checkpoints await; Lulo Bridge (10.1km), La Florida (24.8km), Hermosa Beach (36.8km) and finally Coastal Hwy (43km). It’s a day that all the runners will remember… on fresh legs they will see the incredible waterfalls as the sun rises and if they are lucky, in the evening whilst recovering on the beach, the sight of Whales breaching the water may well provide a stunning end to the day as the sun disappears on the horizon.

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The Coastal Challenge – Stage 1 – Quepos to Rafiki Lodge

Posted on February 3, 2014 by talkultra

HOT! Hot racing and hot temperatures. The 10^th edition of The Coastal Challenge was always going to be a competitive race and stage-1 did not disappoint.

Departing from the beaches just outside the center of Quepos at 0930, the heat of the day was already beating down. Broad smiles, arm waves and cheers were immediately followed a rush for the head of the race.

Martin Gaffuri and Nick Clark TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

As expected, the elite runners dictate the early pace with Mike Wardian immediately taking the front of the race closely followed by Martin Gaffuri and Nick Clark.

Jo Meek TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Jo Meek started conservatively finding her legs after the long journey from San Jose. However, once she had found them, she pressed on the gas pedal and didn’t let up. Entering the dense forest canopy at just over halfway into the days stage she had that ‘glare’ I had witnessed at the 2013 Marathon des Sables. Completely focused on the task at hand, Jo was calm and relaxed and looked surprisingly in control despite of the oppressive heat. “It pays to get adjusted to the heat before you come out here” said Jo, “I have been doing heat chamber session in the UK to prepare myself; it works!”

At the same point in the course for the men’s race, Mike Wardian had a 45-second lead over a pursuing Martin Gaffuri and Nick Clark…. Less than a minute in arrears, Carlos Sa and Vicente Juan Garcia Beneito chased.

Carlos Sa TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Dense jungle, the noise of the wildlife and the oppressive heat tested each and every participant. “I wasn’t prepared for that,” said Martin Gaffuri, “I was running well and then suddenly just felt a switch turn off. I knew it wasn’t liquid or food as I had kept on top of both; it was the heat… I was overheating and I just needed to cool down”

Crossing the river to CP3, Mike Wardian had taken the lead once again after a little toing and froing with Nick and Vicente. Carlos Sa was running in fourth and Martin Gaffuri was fighting the pressure of the heat. At the line, Mike had pulled out 3-minutes over Nick and Vicente. However, the big looser of the day was Carlos Sa. With just a few 100-meters to go he made a disastrous navigation error and somehow managed to do an extra 20-30km…. missing from the finish he arrived several hours later.

Jo Meek dominated the ladies race on the first day putting 30-minutes in to Julia Bottger and Veronica Bravo.

Veronica Bravo TCC2014 ©iancorless.com

Day-1 at The Coastal Challenge is always a tough day. It may only be just over 30-km’s but the travel, early starts and oppressive heat really do take the toll. In camp post run, runners unpacked tents, ate food and raised their legs just with one thing in mind; recovery.

Stage-2 at just under 50-kilometers with two tough climbs will be a challenge. However, a 0530 start will allow everyone an opportunity to ease into the day. The sting comes towards the end of the day as participants enter a long stretch of beach that takes them to the finish. For many, this will be just when the sun is at its highest and most harmful.

RESULTS Stage-1

1. Mike Wardian (USA): 3:03:30
2. Vicente Juan García (España): 3:06:23
3. Nick Clark (UK): – 3:06:23

1. Jo Meek (UK): 3:31:45
2. Julia Bottger (Germany): 4:13:20
3. Verónica Bravo (Chile): 4:29:48

Anna Frost followed the race route offering support and encouragement. Obviously frustrated and not being able to run but embracing Costa Rica….

PURA VIDA

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2014 – Stage 2 Preview

Posted on February 2, 2014 by talkultra

Day 2 – Rafki Lodge to Dominical

Today is a tough day… two climbs with a total elevation gain of 2250m and some muddy, dense forest to negotiate. One would think that the final 9-km along a flat beach would be easy; think again! You arrive at the ocean, the views are spectacular and you look into the distance and you see nothing. No sign of the finish, it’s too far away. Footstep after footstep you make new marks in virgin sand as the heat of the day beats down on your head and reflects back up from the sand. Water crossings are in abundance today and the route encompasses the TCC perfectly. A total distance of 39-kms; once again 3-checkpoints are available; Brujo (11km), Dos Bocas (22km) and then Hatillo (31km) before the long flat push to the line at Dominical Beach. This is a tough day and will test each and every runner, particularly those who pushed too hard on day-1 or didn’t recover adequately.

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The Coastal Challenge #TCC2014 – Pre race audio and images

Posted on February 1, 2014 by talkultra

The stage is set for the 2014, 10th edition Coastal Challenge. Without doubt a quality field will toe the line in Quepos tomorrow for stage one of the race (route preview here).

We held an impromptu press conference and had an opportunity to chat to each of the lite runners on how they have prepared and how they thing this 10th edition will unfold. As you well be able to tell from the audio… spirits are high and we are going to see a very exciting race.

AUDIO HERE

http://traffic.libsyn.com/talkultra/TCC2014_pre_race.mp3

Unfortunately, Anna Frost has to make the difficult decision to remove herself from the race on doctors advice. However, she will follow, help out and participate in her own unique way. You see her interview HERE

Anna Frost – The Coastal Challenge pre race interview #TCC2014

Posted on February 1, 2014 by talkultra

The Coastal Challenge welcomes Anna Frost for the 10th edition of the race. Frosty always smiling, always happy unfortunately though has some unfortunate news to share with us all before this years race.

We wish you all the very vest of luck Frosty!

The Coastal Challence #TCC2014 – Stage 1 Preview

Posted on February 1, 2014 by talkultra

Day 1 – Quepos to Rafki Lodge

RACE START SUNDAY FEB 2nd 0930 +/- Costa Rica Time

Total distance for day-1 of the 2014 and 10^th edition of the TCC is 33.5km. Although the depart will still be from Quepos, the start point has been changed to avoid approximately 10km’s of road that in the past was used to ‘ease’ the runners into the race. However, through general consensus, this road start was not only a little uninspiring, but also it also caused runners to go off far too fast. Today, the runners will head straight into the forest and head for the final destination of Rafki Lodge in the Saverge Valley. A total elevation gain of 850m will see runners pass through 3-checkpoints; Palmas (10km), the small village of Cruce al Saverge (21km) and then at the end of a long pontoon bridge at Andarivel (29.6km) before the final push to the beautiful grounds and hotel of Rafki Lodge. In terms of terrain, it’s a relatively easy day with some wide double track. The biggest issue will be the heat… get your pace and hydration wrong on day-1 and you may just not recover as many found out in the 2013 edition of the race.