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

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

Iain Don Wauchope – South Africa – 3:58:41
Mike Murphy – Canada – 4:37:07
Jeffrey Portuguez – Costa Rica – 4:48:30

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 2015 Day 3 Race Images

Posted on February 5, 2015 by talkultra

See the race day review HERE

The Coastal Challenge 2015 #TCC2015 Day 3 Dominical Beach – Ventanas Beach

Posted on February 4, 2015 by talkultra

Dominical Beach – Ventanas Beach

48km

2450+ ascent

Day three of the TCC is always a significant stage! Combining extremely mixed terrain it suits no one style of particular runner, however, if you are a balanced runner, the stage can play to your hands.

Iain Don Wauchope was stinging a little after loosing the lead after a stunning stage 2 run by Mike Murphey. Kicking off the day, Iain made it very clear that he wanted to make this a race and if Mike wanted to keep overall victory, he was going to have to keep pushing.

The race started with a long section of ‘running’ in a riverbed. It was a run that was part swimming and part bouldering. For those in the know, Iain is a repeat winner of The Otter in South Africa, a race that incorporates all these elements. In his element, Iain slowly opened a lead and at Nauyaca Waterfalls he was clearly showing Mike his intentions.

As the day progressed, the gap between the two front men continued to open as Iain gained time on Mike. A long, tough and technical descent from cp2 was followed by kilometre after kilometre of hot and stunning beach. The sting in the tail; a small dense forest section and then 4km’s of hot tarmac road. With temperatures well over 30-degrees and humidity through the roof Iain showed stunning form by not only winning the stage with a new course record but he had gained enough time over Mike to take the race lead by 1minute and 51seconds.

Mike Murphey had had some nutritional problems during the stage but ultimately, I think he paid the price for pushing so hard on day two with a course record run. Mike’s legs looked like he had been in a war with thorn bushes… they were scarred, cut and grazed from the dense forests. At the end of the beach he was a spent force and he seized the opportunity to submerge himself in a rock pool before pushing on for the line.

Joe Grant unfortunately had a very restricted run due to spraining his ankle the previous day. Joe ran and finished the stage, but any chance of a podium place is now gone. Joe’s misfortune opened up a door way for the local Costa Rican talent, and they currently hold third (Ashur Youssefi), fourth (Roiny Villegas) with Speedgoat Karl in 5^th overall.

In the ladies race, Anna Frost ran a smart day matching Veronica Bravo step-by-step. From the moment they started, till the moment they crossed the finish line, the duo never left each other’s side. In many respects, Frosty can run this way all the way to the end now and play safe. The question mark will come if Veronica feels strong one day and takes a risk to pull back the time between the two of them? This is always a risky tactic, push too hard and you may blow up opening a doorway for third place to gain time.

Nikki Kimball once again placed third on the stage running as solidly as ever. The heat had taken its toll. But then again, every runner showed very clearly the drain from the course and the weather on their faces. Tough terrain, relentless heat and high humidity make for a brutal combination and this is what sets The Coastal Challenge apart from other multi-day races. It really is tough!

*Images to follow when we can find some wii

Iain Don Wauchope – South Africa – 4:43:12
Mike Murphey – Canada- 4:59:17
Ashur Yussefi – Costa Rica – 5:30:55

Anna Frost – Australia – 6:25:02
Veronica Bravo – Chile – 6:25:02
Nikki Kimball -USA – 6:52:58

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 Day 2 Savegre Valley to Dominical Beach

Posted on February 2, 2015 by talkultra

TCC 2015 Day s Savegre Valley – Dominical Beach

39km

2250+ ascent

Days don’t come much more exciting than day two of The Coastal Challenge… could Frosty pull back the time lost to Veronica Bravo? Could Mike Murphey refocus after going off course on day 1, loosing a chunk of time to Iain Don Wauchope and then going into the red trying to pull back time?

Well the simple answer is yes!

Both Frosty and Mike Murphey showed incredible powers of recovery and lead the race from the front.

Frosty took an early lead from Veronica Bravo and slowly but surely extended her lead as day-2 threw everything at her; tough climbs, sections of fire trail, gnarly descents, km’s of fire trail, water crossings and then a long hot stretch of relentless beach.

“Today was true Costa Rican; jungle, trail, beaches and wonderful people… oh, and darn hot! I felt good for 20km but I didn’t like the fast section of road but I was able to push to the end. A good day” – Anna Frost.

As the finish came, Frosty had clawed back all lost time on day-1 and took the overall lead of the ladies classification. Veronica Bravo didn’t have a bad day… Frosty was just having a great day. Veronica looked strong and relaxed mile-after-mile and always gave a smile.

Nikki Kimball rounded out the top-3 for the ladies and as we expected, Nikki is just pacing herself. Post race Nikki said, “I am just off ski’s and the heat and humidity is relentless. It’s so different to Marathon des Sables where the heat is dry. But then again, I am not in the shape I was in for the 2014 MDS?”

Mike Murphey pushed and pushed, slowly pulling away and extended a lead over Joe Grant who he had run with over the first climb and descent. Running so hard in this heat, humidity and with such mixed terrain was a consummate performance. Mike certainly showed his speed, endurance and commitment, so much so it gave Mike a course record for the Savegre Valley – Dominical Beach stage. Mike had said the previous day,

“I love some motivation and to chase, so I plan to go for it. I need to pull back the time I lost from going off course and then gain some time for the lead. I love that.”

Joe Grant had felt really good and matched Mike step-by-step in the early stages while Iain Don Wauchope (day-1 stage winner) chased some 90-seconds to 2-minutes back. But Joe rolled his ankle and then had to run cautiously.

Eventually, Joe and Iain joined forces and ran the final stages together but Mike was long gone… they crossed the line almost 30-minutes back confirming Mike as the new race leader with Iain in 2^nd and Joe in 3^rd.

1-Mike Murphey – Canada- 4:03:57
2- Joe Grant – UK – 4:32:22
3- Iain Don Wauchope – South Africa – 4:32:22

1st – Anna Frost – 4:57:20
2nd – Veronica Bravo – 5:21:05
3rd – Nikki Kimball – 5:35:10

Overall classification to follow (times)

Mike Murphey and Anna Frost are current leaders.

The Coastal Challenge #TCC2015 Day 1 Playa de Ray – Savegre Valley

Posted on February 2, 2015 by talkultra

TCC 2015 Day 1 Playa de Ray – Savegre Valley

36.4km

850m+ ascent

Day one of The Coastal Challenge is always a tough day. For many, the heat and the humidity are just too great and along with excitement and adrenaline, the early run pace is too fast and the inevitable happens. In past years runners have dropped the ball on the first day and dug so deep in to reserves that they have not been able to recover. It looks like everyone managed to hold back just a little, however, the story in camp post race was one of fatigue, dehydration and intense heat.

After a 0300 start and a three-hour bus drive to the coast, runners departed Playa del Rey at 0800 and within a couple of kilometres the intense heat and high humidity could visible seen as sweat soaked bodies pushed along the strong. Canadian, Mike Murphy was clearly intending to race hard and it was long before he started to open a gap followed by Iain Don Wauchope from South Africa, a couple of local Costa Ricans, Speedgoat Karl Meltzer and Joe Grant.

Anna Frost and Veronica Bravo raced neck-and-neck and it was very clear that an interesting battle would develop between the two. Nikki Kimball ran in third, Costa Rican, Maria Guevara and then Samantha Gash.

At Cp1 a pattern was forming as Mike Murphy and Anna Frost opened up gaps in their respective fields, Frosty just had a couple of minutes over Veronica Bravo but Murphy was extending a lead into double -figures.

In the dense forest section that followed, approximately five kilometres later Iain Don Wauchope had taken the lead in the men’s race followed by Costa Rican Roiny Villegas and Karl Meltzer. Anna Frost held a two-minute lead over Veronica Bravo and the stage looked set for a great battle. As runners passed, no sign of Mike Murphy and I was beginning to wonder what had happened?

Murphy later appeared on the trail out of the top ten; it turned out he missed a key right turn that took the runners from a fire road and into the dense jungle. Mike complained the signs had not been in place but that was not correct. The turn had been clearly marked well in advance of any runners!

Eyes focused, Mike pushed hard on the trail looking to pull back time and although running with great speed and style he paid a price in the intense heat and eventually slowed. However, he did pull back great junks of time and he is certainly not out of the fight.

Iain Don Wauchope held on for victory but said, “A great deal tougher than I expected, I really suffered in the heat and slowed a great deal. Everyone did! The heat was just so intense.”

Roiny Villegas placed second, Karl Meltzer placed third, Joe Grant fourth and Mike Murphy closed well to place fifth.

At Cp3 Anna Frost still had a strong lead but at Cp4, Veronica Bravo had closed and passed Frosty. Frosty suffered in the intense heat and had no option but to submerge her self in the river to reduce her core.

Veronica pulled away and gained more and more time and eventually gained over seven minutes lead. Post race Veronica said, “I almost didn’t want to pass Anna, but she waved ne through. I couldn’t believe it. I respect her so much. I just held my form, listened to my body and maintained my rhythm.” The coming days are going to be very exciting as Bravo and Frost battle for the lead.

Maria Guevara placed third ahead of Nikki Kimball and Samantha Gash placed fifth.

Day two is going to be a tough day. How will everyone feel, will they have recovered?

Nikki Kimball to race the 150km Richtersveld Wildrun™

Posted on January 29, 2015 by talkultra

Nikki Kimball, current female champion of the 254km Marathon des Sables and three-time Western States 100 miler winner will be taking part in the four day, 150km Richtersveld Wildrun™ held during the first week of June 2015 in the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

Website HERE

Kimball, a resident of Boseman, Montana in the USA, is one of the most respected female ultra-runners in the world and her presence at the Richtersveld Wildrun™ is a fantastic opportunity for top South African runners to measure themselves against one of the best in the world.

A few of Kimball’s achievements include:

1st female at Western States 100 miler in 2004, 2005 and 2007 (the only woman to win this race three times)
1st female at the 166km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in 2007
1st female at her first ever attempt at the 7 day, 251km Marathon des Sables 2014.
The women’s supported speed record for completing the iconic Long Trail, a 438km hiking trail in Vermont, Canada. It took her 5 days, 7 hours and 42 minutes – one of the fastest five runners to accomplish this feat.

Closer to home, Nikki finished the Comrades Marathon in 2010 in an impressive 7:26:37. She is over the moon to return to South Africa before she heads to another Western States 100 later this year:

“South Africa has had a special place in my heart since 2010 when I visited the country with teammates Kami Semick and Michael Wardian to race Comrades Marathon and raise money for Vukukhanye, an AIDS orphan charity in Chesterville near Durban,”

While the distance of the Richtersveld Wildrun™ is what Kimball is used to racing non-stop, she is excited by the opportunity to explore the truly unique landscape of the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park – one of only 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world.

“During my one and only visit to South Africa in 2010, we never reached the lands near the border of Namibia. Each of us wanted to explore the stark beauty of this area, and my one regret from our trip was the fact that we did not tour this area. Thus when given the chance to run Richtersveld Wildrun™, I had to change my race schedule to include this amazing event. I cannot wait to play in the arid beauty of this rocky, hilly, truly wild piece of Africa!”

View image galleries of

Richtersveld Wildrun™ HERE

About the Richtersveld Wildrun™

The 150km Richtersveld Wildrun™ takes place in the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park over four days from 2 to 5 June. Starting and finishing at Sendelingsdrif, runners will get to experience a world of geological splendour. From the heights of Hellkloof pass, to the granite slabs of Tatasberg, the green swathe of the Orange River, the gargoyles of Halfmens Ridge and the crystal fields of the Sendelingsdrif plateau – every kilometre is unforgettable and participants are sure to leave the Richtersveld changed people. The Richtersveld experience is unlike any other in the world. Botanically, this area holds 40% of the world’s succulent species, many with incredible adaptations to the harsh mountain desert environment.

Wildrun™ stage races have become known as some of Southern Africa’s premier multi-day trail running events, and Owen Middleton, founder and managing director of the organising company, Wildrunner, is proud to see the interest in Wildrun™ events shaping up internationally, particularly with top-class runners such as Kimball.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Nikki on the start line this year! I have no doubt she will be enthralled and inspired by the magnificence of the Richtersveld mountains, the people and the event,” says Owen. “The Wildrun™ events offer a unique opportunity to run in truly wild places together with a limited field of 80 other adventurous and likeminded people.”

Since its inception in 2014, the Richtersveld Wildrun™ has had amazing support from Boundless Southern Africa and marketing manager, Roland Vorwerk was equally excited about Kimball’s decision to join this adventure.

“We are looking forward to Nikki joining the field of runners experiencing the unique natural and cultural landscape of the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and meeting the communities associated with this innovative event. The Richtersveld Wildrun™ route includes many of the Park’s most spectacular features, and includes trails that very few people get to traverse.”

Peter McKuchane, general manager of Business Tourism in the Northern Cape said:

“We are excited to once again host the Richtersveld Wildrun™ and to welcome exceptional world-class athletes of the calibre of Nikki Kimball to our province. Athletes will have an opportunity to experience the incredible beauty and warm hospitality of the people of the Northern Cape. The vast openness and rugged landscapes of this remote corner of the Northern Cape will create unforgettable memories for the participating athletes and visitors. We wish all the participants the best of luck in this destination of Extreme Adventure, Nature and Culture.”