IAN CORLESS

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The Coastal Challenge #TCC2020 – Stage 1 33km

Posted on February 10, 2020 by talkultra

Runners departed San Jose at 4am for a 4 hour transfer to the coast for the start of the 2020 The Coastal Challenge, Costa Rica’s number one multi-day race.

It’s always a tough day as the runners depart the stage start after 0900 and the heat of the day is already intense.

It’s a day for caution!

From the off, the elite men pushed hard setting a relentless pace to checkpoint 1 with the UK’s Andy Symonds leading the way with Mauricio Mendez. Cody Lind and local, Erick Agüero followed. For the women, pre-race favourite Kaytlyn Gerbin lead from the front pulling away from Brazils, Manuela Vilaseca.

After checkpoint one, the heat was starting to influence the race with Symonds and Vilaseca both going through bad patches, this allowed Mendez and Gerbin to extend their leads.

Mendez took hold of the front of the race and the 2016 Xterra World Champion pushed home for the win looking very strong and relaxed in 2:44:35. The USA’s Lind moved in to second place with 2:49:08 and Symonds rallied in the closing stages to hold on the a podium place in 2:51:37 ahead of the local hero, Scott Maguire from Canada in 2:53:06. Local hero Agüero was 5^th in 2:54:12.

“It was so hot today. Although a three hour race for me I treated it like an ultra and held things back. I never ran past water, I immersed myself all the time when I could. As the day progressed and I moved up through the field and finished 2^nd, a good day!” – Cody Lind

Gerbin pushed for line with a convincing lead in 3:18:47 and behind her, Costa Rican runners, Natalia López Arrieta and Ashton Keck Keck placed 2^nd and 3^rd ahead of Norway’s, Abelone Lyng in 3:31:37, 3:48:09 and 3:56:49 respectively.

“I wanted a strong first day but I needed to respect the heat. A great deal if fire road today and that was tough…” Gerbin said after the finish. “But I have a lead now and I will run my own race each day. It was hot today, it needs so much respect.”

Ranking:

Men:

Mauricio Mendez 2:44:35

Cody Lind 2:49:08

Andy Symonds 2:51:37

Women:

Kaytlyn Gerbin 3:18:47

Natalia López Arrieta 3:31:37

Ashton Keck Keck 3:48:09

Stage 2 of #TCC2020 with depart with sunrise, ahead 40.2km to Dominical beach. The ‘Adventure’ category will run 17.4km starting from aid station 2.

#TCC2020

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The Coastal Challenge #TCC2020 – One day to go!

Posted on February 8, 2020 by talkultra

Welcome to Costa Rica. Welcome to the 16th edition of The Coastal Challenge #TCC2020

Runners from 16 countries are arriving in sunny Costa Rica, land of mountains and coasts, to run 230 kilometres and over 8700 meters of vertical gain in six stages. The Coastal Challenge is without a doubt much more than a challenge!

The 2020 edition holds a premium list of elite runners: Veronica Bravo, Manuela Vilaseca, Katlyn Gerbin, Cody Lind, Andy Symonds, Erick Aguero and Mauricio Mendez are amidst the elite field running the race.

Costa Rica is much more than rugged terrain and challenging trails, it’s a country which holds beautiful customs and warm people, tasty food and lots of smiles, it’s a country which will win the racer’s heart, they will go back home with dreams and memories of this great adventure.

#TCC2020

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The Coastal Challenge 2020 #TCC2020

Posted on February 2, 2020 by talkultra

The 2020 ‘The Coastal Challenge’ is upon us! Six days, 230.5km of racing and 9543m of vertical gain, 9413m of vertical descent – TCC is more than a challenge!

Hugging the coastline of the tropical Pacific, TCC is the ultimate multi-day experience that weaves in and out of the Talamancas; a coastal mountain range in the Southwest corner of this Central American country.

The terrain is ever-changing from wide, dusty and runnable fire trails to dense and muddy mountain trails. Runners will cross rivers, boulders, swim through rivers, pass under waterfalls, survive long and relentless beaches and finally finish in the incredible Corcovado National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site with a stunning final loop around Drake Bay before departing for their journeys home via speedboat.

The Race:

Stage 1 34.6km 1018m of vert and 886m of descent

Stage 2 39.1km 1898m of vert and 1984m of descent

Stage 3 47.4km 1781m of vert and 1736m of descent

Stage 4 37.1km 2466m of vert and 2424m of descent

Stage 5 49.8km 1767m of vert and 1770m of descent

Stage 6 22.5km 613m of vert and 613m of descent

Total 230.5km – Vertical 9543m/ Descent 9413m

Stage 1

It’s a tough day! Runners depart San Jose early morning (around 0530) for a 3-hour drive to Playa Del Rey, Quepos. It’s the only day that the race starts late and ‘in the sun!’. It’s the toughest day of the race, not because the the terrain or distance, but because of the time of day! The runners are fresh and feel great. That is until about 10km and then they realise the heat and humidity is relentless. It’s a day for caution – mark my words! The 34.6km is very runnable with little vertical and technicality, it welcomes the runners to Costa Rica.

Stage 2

From here on in, it is an early breakfast, around 0400, the race starts with the arrival of the sun! The only way is up from the start with a tough and challenging climb. It’s a tough day with an abundance of climbing and descending and a final tough flat stretch on the beach, just as the heat takes hold.

Stage 3

It is basically 25km of climbing topping out at 800m followed by a drop to sea and a final kick in the tail before the arrival at camp. For many, this is a key day and maybe one of the most spectacular.

Stage 4

It’s another tough start to the day with a relentless climb, but once at 900m the route is a roller coaster of relentless small climbs and descents, often littered with technical sections, rain forest, river crossings and boulders. At 30km, it’s a short drop to the line and the finish at 37.1km.

Stage 5

The long day but what a beauty! This route was tweaked a couple of years ago and now has become iconic with tough trails, plenty of climbing, sandy beaches and yes, even a boat trip. The finish at Drake Bay is iconic.

Stage 6

The victory lap! For many, this stage is the most beautiful and memorable. In just over 20km, the route manages to include a little of all that has gone before. It’s a stage of fun and challenges and one that concludes on the beach as a 2018 medal is placed over your head – job done!

THE 2020 ELITE LINE UP

Katlyn Gerbin

Kaytlyn joins the line-up of the 2020 TCC with an extremely solid and consistent resume, known in Canada and the USA for a string of top performances, it was a podium place (2^nd) at Transgrancanaria that introduced her to worldwide attention. Winner of the Pine to Palm 100 in 2016, Kaytlyn has mixed races distances for the last 3-years, excelling at 50km and 100km with victories at Gorge Waterfalls and Sun Mountain amongst others. In 2017 she won Cascade Crest 100 but her calling cards are 4^th place and 2^nd place at the 2017 and 2018 Western States.

Manuela Vilaseca

Is a last-minute entry to the race but that is no problem for the experienced ultra-trail and mountain runner. In November, she once again made the podium at the Everest Trail Race. She has two top-10 finishes at UTMB and a high-ranking in the UTWT. Born in Brazil, Manuela will embrace the Pura Vida approach of The Coastal Challenge.

Abelone Lyng

Hailing from Scandinavia, Abe has gained a reputation in just 4-years for tenacity in ultra-trail races. She recently won the 230km Ice Ultra in the Arctic wilderness and placed 4^th overall. TCC no doubt will give this cold weather expert some new challenges but Abe embraces a challenge!

Rebecca Ferry

Becks, as she is known to her friends, has gained a reputation in recent years for achieving great results, be that Everest Trail Race or on the UK trails setting course records. She comes to the TCC with excellent experience of multi-day racing and is a prime contender for the podium.

Brittany Peterson and Kelly Wolfe were due to race and both have sustained injuries preventing participation in the 2020 race. Brittany however will still join us in Costa Rica.

MEN

Cody Lind

Cody has been racing for some years, but may well have only come on your radar after 2017 with a very committed foray in the Skyrunning circuit – He placed 8^th at Tromso in 2017 and then followed the SWS circuit racing on iconic courses throughout the world. Recently he raced them Rut in the USA and came away with victory. Cody manages to mix speed and technical ability, it’s a perfect mix for the trails in Costa Rica.

Andy Symonds

Andy is one of the UK’s greatest mountain runners. He has traditions in fell running and has mixed Skyrunning and ultra-running throughout a long and successful career. He recently placed 5^th at UTMB after 3 attempts. He has raced Marathon des Sables and placed in the top-10 but Andy will always be considered a mountain specialist. He has won Lavaredo, placed 3^rd at Marathon Mont Blanc, 5^th at Transgrancanaria and has represented his country at many World Championships. The technical and demanding trails of Costa Rica with plenty of climbing and descending provide Andy a perfect playground.

Mauricio Mendez

Mauricio is a rising star from Mexico who is currently an Xterra World Champion. He joins TCC as somewhat as a dark horse but no doubt he will be the hope of the locals. He started running because of his Father and in his own words, is a dreamer!

Julien Chorier unfortunately, took a fall in training and sustained a fracture and therefore is unable top race in the 2020 edition of the race. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can join TCC2021. Jordi Gamito should have toed the line at the 2019 TCC but injury prevented his participation and once again, while training in Africa over Christmas, he has sustained a knee injury which unfortunately will keep him away from the race.

The 2020 TCC starts in February as runners from all over the world will assemble in San Jose before transferring to the coast for stage 1 of the race starting on Saturday 8^th. Year-on-year, the TCC has grown to be one of ‘the’ most iconic multi-day races.

#TCC2020

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Lanzarote 2021 – The Ultimate Multi-Day Training Camp

Posted on January 15, 2020 by talkultra

Lanzarote 2021

January 7th to 14th 2020

We are well aware that we get many repeat customers for our Lanzarote Training Camp and in 2020 we spiced things up and it was a huge success. We actually think it may well have been our best ever camp….!

We are not going to lose sight of what makes the camp a success, so rest assured we will be providing the same experience as in previous years and developing what we have learned in 2020.

The core coaching team will be Ian Corless, Elisabet Barnes and Sondre Amdahl.

Our camp will start with a nice easy run of 1-hour and then followed with a specific group welcome in the Timanfaya meeting room at Club La Santa, here we will introduce you to the coaches and outline the week ahead. This will help ease those nerves.

Our welcome dinner will be in the El Lago restaurant which provides a great experience both in terms of ambiance and food.

In 2020 we started the camp on the 7th January, we were well aware that many of our clients are now expanding their multi-day running to other races, in particular The Coastal Challenge and Everest Trail Race. We therefore wanted to reflect that in the training camp. The earlier start of 7th January allows for more time between our camp ending and the start of TCC which is early February. As in all previous editions, the training is geared very much towards the Marathon des Sables.

TCC is a technical race at times with water crossings and coasteering – In 2020 we incorporated more technical running and the ability to be guided on technical coastal paths. This is of course optional – we fully appreciate that for some clients this may not appeal or be required.

ETR requires great strength, a real requirement to use poles correctly and an ability to climb with confidence and descend with confidence. We will work on specific sessions to get you ready for a race like this.

Night running is a skill and we will therefore add a specific night run in groups so that you all feel comfortable with the dark and running in a beam of light.

Lanzarote has some amazing trails and because we run, it is often difficult to explore more of the island. In 2020 we arranged a ‘point-to-point’ run. This required us to leave Club La Santa early morning, be driven to the Uga and we then ran/ jog/ walked back to CLS exploring new trails and gaining new experiences. This was a real highlight and it will be repeated in 2021.

Our bivouac still proves popular and for 2021 we will still have this on the camp – we are looking for ways to add a little spice and make it appealing for those who have camped before.

Talks are a key element of the camp and we are going to tweak them all for 2021 with the addition of some new talks.

Finally, Shane Benzie of Running Reborn will return in 2021 (tbc). He will provide a group talk and presentation followed by two break out groups on the track for analysis. He will then be available for private bookings either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups, for example 2-4 people.

2021 is going to be an exciting year for the Lanzarote Training Camp, we are looking forward to welcoming back past participants and new participants for the ultimate multi-day training camp.

More information HERE and booking.

All enquirers to:

iancorless@mac.com

Website: https://iancorless.org/training-camp

Lanzarote Training Camp 2020 – Day 7

Posted on January 12, 2020 by talkultra

It was a cloudy day but the anticipated rain never came, thank goodness! In some respect, today was an easier day with just two run sessions and no talks.

But… the day did include the in-famous Volcano Hill Reps.

This kicks off with an easy 5km along the coast and then ideally, 6 repetitions of a loop up and down a volcano. It’s a perfect session that requires strength, running skill, an ability to handle technical terrain, good lungs and at time, nerves of steel.

The climb is approximately 100m up a narrow path of stoney sand. It requires commitment and depending on ability, some strong will and nerve.

The descent is very stoney with lots of loose rock, sand and gravel. As Elisabet Barnes said post the session:

“🌋 Volcano hill reps in a moody landscape was on the menu today. I’ve been nursing a cold so if I’m honest this shot was more a case of posing for the camera 😂🙈, but the others did work hard! 💪💪 I love this session. Some people just fearlessly bang out the reps and thrive on the technical terrain, but for others it’s a huge challenge and they may need to overcome fear of heights, fear of slipping or falling on the technical trail, step outside their comfort zone, and hopefully they leave a little more confident as a result.”

Elisabet nailed it in her words. It was great to see confidence increase along with speed on loops, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Several even did a 7th and even an 8th loop.

Back at Club La Santa, Shane Benzie was doing some one-to-one coaching sessions using his skills to improve running technique.

An extended break for lunch was followed with an ‘easy’ run for all groups to shake out the legs after what has been an intensive block of running.

2021 Training Camp dates and information will be available HERE soon.

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Lanzarote Training Camp 2020 – Day 5 and 6

Posted on January 11, 2020 by talkultra

The sun quite literally has been shining on the camp providing us with perfect training days to replicate scenarios that one would find in the Sahara at MDS or technical situations that one would find in races like The Coastal Challenge or Everest Trail Race.

We did a long Coastal Run of 24km on Thursday morning in a self-sufficient manner, the camp attendees broken down in to 4-groups, Gemma Game, Sondre Amdahl, Elisabet Barnes and Ian Corless each leading 4-8 participants at a pace relevant to the group ability.

The coastline here is stunning offering a wonderful views with the smell of the sea in the nose and a wind blowing in from Africa.

There was plenty of climbing too and tough, technical and hard terrain. Of course what goes up, must come down.

In the afternoon, after a relaxing lunch, Jodie Moss who placed 8th at the 2019 MDS did a talk on heat acclimation and how one should prepare for specifically MDS and the differences one needs to consider if going to a humid race like TCC.

The day concluded with a night-skills session with Sondre and Elisabet leading. All about the skills needed and required to run at night and they then did a short 5km run.

Friday was all about the ‘Long Day!’ For the first time on our camp, we did a point-to-point route of almost marathon distance that crossed the island from Uga and back to Club La Santa.

Ironically, the day started with a little light rain as we were transferred to Uga. It soon left us though leaving us with a perfect, if not windy day.

The terrain is constantly mixed in Lanzarote and the volcanic landscape at all times exciting. We managed 1800m vertical in constantly challenging terrain that replicated a day at MDS perfectly.

Many got an opportunity to use poles and test them, vital if they plan to use them in a race. There is a real technique and once mastered, a real benefit can be gained especially if walking will make a up a bulk of your multi-day pace.

We had just one aid station at 22km (Thanks John and Carmen), so, for much of the day, everyone was carrying a pack of 4-5kg, ideal preparation for self-sufficient multi-day.

The ‘Long Day’ proved to be stunning with the fastest group completing in around 4h 15m and the walkers in 6h 40m. They all now have a real confidence boost knowing that a day at MDS, TCC or ETR is completely doable.

The day concluded with Elisabet Barnes leading a talk and practical session on foot care.

It has been a great couple of days!

Info the 2021 Training Camp will be updated soon HERE

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Lanzarote Training Camp 2020 – Day 4

Posted on January 9, 2020 by talkultra

It was a double run day today in Lanzarote starting at 0800 with a really great 9-miles with sunrise with trails along the coast leading to the volcanoes around the village of Soo and then a re-route back down to Club La Santa.

We then had a very quick turnaround to a 2-hour presentation by Running Reborn coach, Shanne Benzie. Shane is a the forefront of discussing and analysing run technique to increase performance and reduce injury, as usual it was fascinating.

A break for lunch and then the afternoon was split in to two 2-hour sessions.

Groups 1 and 2 remained on the run track and had analysis with Shane Benzie while groups 2 and 4 ran along the coast to play on one of the volcanoes climbing to the summit and descending.

You can move around the video image by using the toggle button that appears on the left of the video screen.

And then coasteering one of the technical paths returning back to Club La Santa.

Back at Club La Santa, the groups swapped with 3/4 remaining on the track with Shane and 1/2 heading out on the trails.

The day concluded at 7pm with everyone exhausted and exhilarated after a very full day.

Dates for our 2021 Camp will be announced soon HERE

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