Tag Archives: Turkey

Cappadocia Ultra Trail 2023 Summary

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Kim Schreiber victory and 3rd overall in the CMT

Quite simply, Cappadocia is unique. If you haven’t experienced the place, you need to add a trip very close to the top of your ‘to-go’ list now.

IMAGE GALLERY HERE

Iconic balloons, landscape and early morning light.

You’ll have seen the images, two in particular appear everywhere when you do a search on the internet, one will be the unique fairy towers and the other, hot air balloons gliding over the aforementioned landscape with the glow of early morning light.

Running and racing is a wonderful double edged sword, we look for new destinations to practice our sport and then when in these locations, we get to explore them in the best way possible, by foot!

Hoodoo – an epic backdrop

Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail, now in it’s 10th edition provides the opportunity to mix the best of both worlds.

The races start and conclude in Ürgüp (closest airport Kayseri) in Nevşehir province. It’s the perfect hub for exploration. Located at 1044m, access to key tourist attractions and hot air balloon flights, are just a phone call away, particularly if you communicate with Argeus Travel, who also happen to be the team behind Cappadocia Ultra Trail.

Other than say Montserrat, Colorado and north America, the landscape of Cappadocia is unique. The ‘Hoodoo’ (fairy chimney) actually translates to tent rock or earth pyramid is in abundance and a key feature of the landscape here. Created by earth erosion, they typically consist of soft rock topped by harder rock. These Hoodoos became home to Troglodytes (cave dweller) who carved into the formations to create a place to live. Varying in size, Hoodoo can be up to 10 storeys high and they are unique with a conical shape. Today, there are no permanent settlements but Persians, Ottomans, Romans, Byzantines and others, over time, have used these Hoodoo as shelter. Notably, Christians fleeing persecution made their homes in Cappadocia and they built churches. This was a key phase in the development of the Hoodoo, they ‘added’ to the natural structure and also built a network of underground cities and caves.

And so, Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail offers a unique opportunity to run through history.

With three key races, CUT at 119k,, CMT at 63km and CST at 38km, there is a race distance for all. While CUT provides the full and immersive 360 experience, the CMT arguably provides the most spectacular and concise journey. The CUT and CMT cover the same trails starting in Ürgüp and passing on a circular route through key locations such as Ortahisar, Ibrahimpasa, Göreme and the Rose and Red valley, where surreal rock formations, pinkish-red colours, and ancient cave churches make this a highlight. Ürgüp follows and the CMT concludes, for the CUT they continue on for a tough and arduous loop passing through Mustafapasa, Damsa Dam, Cemil, Taskinpasa, Karlik, Egrim Tepesi and finally Ürgüp for the finish.

The CST passes through Ibrahimpasa, Göreme and concludes in Ürgüp and while the route has its moments, it’s less spectacular than the CMT.

With over 2400 runners from over 70 nations, Cappadocia Ultra Trail has become Turkey’s key trail running event. It sets the bar for how an event should be. Talking with the team at Argeus, they have a simple philosophy, they wanted to create an event for Turkish people that was of the highest standard and importantly, affordable. The growth of the event and the landscape on offer has made this one of the key events in the world to travel to and it’s easy to see why. Ürgüp in itself has grown through the tourism generated and as such, accommodation is in abundance and much of it with a boutique style, I for example stayed inside a cave at Deer Suites.

Racing was fast and furious and the presence of the Adidas Terrex Team certainly provided a new impetus to the racing with Dmitry Mityaev and Ekaterina Mityaeva winning the CUT, Ekaterina also 3rd overall. Kim Schreiber winning the CMT and placing 3rd overall! Martin Dematteis and Dion Gorla both placing 2nd in the CST. Full results HERE.

Dmitry Mityaev

CUT – Dmitry Mityaev completed the 360 degree journey of Cappadocia in a course record time of 10:59:32 with Farkhad Isakov and Mohammadreza Jelodar placing 2nd and 3rd, 12:14:25 and 13:12:15 respectively. Ekaterina Mityaeva also set a course record 13:00:23 and placed 3rd overall, a stunning run. Ksenila Avdeeva was 2nd in 14:23:45 and Sergio Baysal 3rd in 15:24:41.

Ekaterina Mityaeva

CMT – Kim Schreiber was the star completing the 63km in 05:38:39 and placing 3rd overall. Behind, the Terrex athlete was followed by Varvara Shikanova and Aysel Yalac Dolay. 06:02:58 and 06:24:50 respectively. Mestan Turban set a blistering pace for the men and set a convincing victory in 05:03:49 followed by Irem Can Ayaz in 05:17:40 and Ryan Farrugia in 05:42:15.

Mestan Turban passing through Ibrahimpasa

CST – Alejandro Forcades and Martin Dematteis had a hard fought battle for victory, Alejandro finally crossing first in 02:39:40 to Martin’s 02:41:34. Yury Shtankov rounded the podium in 02:48:29. The women’s race also had a tight battle for victory with Simone Brick edging out Dioni Gorla, 03:25:53 to 03:26:35. Tugce Karakaya placed 3rd in 03:31:24.

Hidden caves

In addition to the stand-alone races, the CUT, CMT and CST were also done in relay format. Results CUT, CMT and CST.

Ürgüp was a stunning location and hub for the 2023 Cappadocia Ultra Trail, in conjunction with excellent organisation from Argeus, many are now already looking ahead to 2024. See you there I hope!

Magical and unique landscape.

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Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail 2023 Preview

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Over 1500 runners are celebrating 10-years of the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail in 2023, the stage is set for it to be the best one yet. Offering three distances, 119km, 63km and 38km, what better way is there to experience the hills and valleys of this UNESCO world heritage site? A place of exceptional natural wonders and a peerless historical heritage!

Cappadocia is a semi-arid region in central Turkey, is known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys,” tall, cone-shaped rock formations clustered in Monks Valley, Göreme and elsewhere. Other notables sites include Bronze Age homes carved into valley walls by troglodytes (cave dwellers) and later used as refuges by early Christians. The 100m-deep Ihlara Canyon houses numerous rock-face churches. This unique cultural and morphological heritage site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 and today is one of the most visited regions of Turkey.

Three events and one unique experience.

CUT 119km 3730m+ (200 participants)

with Aleksi Tolstenko, Dmitry Mityaev, Ekaterina Mityaeva, Alper Dalkilic, and Elena Polyakova.

CMT 63km 20230m+ (552 participants)

with Tofol Castanyer, Erik La Puma, Dioni Gorla, Janosh Kowalczyk and Kim Schreiber.

CST 38km 1120m+ (833 participants)

with Martin Dematteis, Martin Anthamatten, Jeshrun Small, and Sven Koch.

Routes available on FATMAP:COM

Programme Outline:

12th October 

  • Expo and Registration

13th October

  • Expo and Registration
  • Meet elite athletes
  • Technical briefing
  • Opening buffet

14th October 

  • 0700 race starts for CUT, TCUT, CMT and TCMT.
  • 1000 CST and TCST Start Urgup city centre
  • 1215 CST first finisher
  • 1315 CMT finisher
  • 1800 CUT finisher

15th October

  • 0700 Cut-off for CUT 
  • 1100 Awards

Race Registrations HERE

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Sky Erciyes – Sky Ultra Trail 2018 – Images and Summary

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The Erciyes Ultra Skytrail was a seriously tough and challenging 64km race with 3000m of vertical gain held under an incredible hot and sunny Turkish day. A high altitude race, it starts and concludes at 2200m. Over the 64km it reaches 2600m on two occasions but it rolls along repeatedly dropping and rising. With over 40km covered, the route drops to just over 1600m and then once again climbs back to 2600m over 10km – it is tough! HERE

The men’s race had a triple whammy of Kemal Kukul, Cevdet Alyilmaz and Mehmet Zahir Kul who ran within minutes of each other all day, they crossed the line in 8:38:12. In the ladies’ race it was Aylin Savaci Armador who took top honours in 11:50:52 ahead of Sevil Toker and Deniz Berke, their times 12:02 and 14:40.

60km results HERE

The 25km goes around high plateau, often higher than 2000mt. Occasionally, the trail runs over eroded lava rock surfaces, the event is a point-to-point and concludes at the ski centre. HERE

The event was a result repeat from the previous day’s VK (here) with Ahmet Arslan taking victory over Pau Capell. The duo ran close together in the early stages but Capell was feeling some soreness in his thigh and took and extended break to ease it off. Arslan pulled away and at the line the gap was 4-minutes, 2:13:37 and 2:17:06 – the duo obliterating the old course record. Serdar Unalan placed 3rd in 2:52:31 after Ahmet Bayram holding that position for most of the day.

As in the VK, Elena Polyakova once again took victory, her time 3:12:53 which was good enough for 7th overall. Bike Geckinli and Esther Koopmanschap were 2nd and 3rd.

25km results HERE

The 10km is trail run that takes places along the eastern hills of the Erciyes Volcano in Kayseri. The distance is about 12 km with an elavation loss of 830 m+. HERE

 

10km results HERE

Mount Erciyes is the highest mountain in Central Anatolia, the mountain has a radius of 18 km and covers and area of 1100 km2. The race hub for the weekend was the Ericyes Ski Resort, near the city of Kayseri. For many centuries Kayseri has been an important hub on the silk road. In ancient times the city was famous for the fast horses bred in her stables. throughout history it took different names under different kingdoms, consecutively, Mazaka in Tabal kingdom period, Eusebia during Capadyoccian Kingdom, Caeseria in Roman period and Kayseri in under Turkih reigns of Karamanoglu, Selçuk and Ottoman Kingdoms.

All images will be posted HERE should you wish to purchase

Sky Erciyes VK 2018 Summary and Images

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Turkey today hosted the Sky Erciyes VK – Europes highest VK reaching 3350m to the Ottoman cable car just below the incredible backdrop of Mt Erciyes.

The Vertical Kilometer covers 4.5km and climbs 1007m, starting at 2336m and reaching a highest point of 3350m. The terrain is mostly rocky. Gradients vary but in the steepest sections, a gradient of 64% can be found – average over the entire course is 23%.

The day was dominated by Ahmet Arslan who set a new course record betting the previous time by over 10-minutes (official times to follow).

Spain’s Pau Capell was 2nd running his first ever VK. On the finish line he said, ‘That was tough… painful, they just hurt,   maybe I should have run for a hour first to warm up!”

First Lady was the ever-present Elena Polyakova who races regularly in Turkey – this was another victory to who her already swelling list.

More results and information on the race website HERE

Tomorrow, Saturday 7th, the weekend concludes with a 10km, 25km and the main event, the Erciyes Ultra Trail which covers 64km and 3000m of vertical gain.

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Sky Erciyes Preview 2018

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A stunning weekend of running awaits for those looking for a challenge in a unique environment, yes, Turkey hosts the Sky Erciyes all within the stunning backdrop of Mt Erciyes.

 

Four races, 10km, 25km and the two main events of the weekend, the VK which is Europes highest VK reaching 3350m and the tough and challenging Erciyes Ultra Trail which covers 64km and 3000m of vertical gain.

The Vertical Kilometer covers 4.5km and climbs 1007m, starting at 2336m and reaching a highest point of 3350m. The terrain is mostly rocky. Gradients vary but in the steepest sections, a gradient of 64% can be found – average over the entire course is 23%.

The Erciyes Ultra Skytrail is a tough and challenging 64km race with 3000m of vertical gain. It’s a high altitude race as it starts and concludes at 2200m. Over the 64km it reaches 2600m on two occasions but it rolls along repeatedly dropping and rising. With over 40km covered, the route drops to just over 1600m and then once again climbs back to 2600m over 10km – it is tough!

Heading the line up of the race is Pau Capell sponsored by The North Face, of course, he will need to fend of the local competition who will be looking to push the Spanish runner all the way to the line!

In addition to the above, there is a 25km Trail Run and a 10km.

Mount Erciyes is the highest mountain in Central Anatolia, the mountain has a radius of 18 km and covers and area of 1100 km2. The race hub for the weekend will be the Ericyes Ski Resort, near the city of Kayseri. For many centuries Kayseri has been an important hub on the silk road. In ancient times the city was famous for the fast horses bred in her stables. throughout history it took different names under different kingdoms, consecutively, Mazaka in Tabal kingdom period, Eusebia during Capadyoccian Kingdom, Caeseria in Roman period and Kayseri in under Turkih reigns of Karamanoglu, Selçuk and Ottoman Kingdoms.

RACE WEBSITE – HERE

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Iznik Ultra 2017 Race Summary and Images

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The 2017 edition of the Iznik Ultra in Turkey took place just this last weekend. It was an unusually cold year with a constant chill in the air, especially for those runners starting at midnight undertaking the tough and challenging 140km distance. With five events on offer – 140km, 90km, 50km, 15km and a 5km run designed to engage the local community – Iznik Ultra weekend is very much a family experience.

Surrounded by eight countries, the Republic of Turkey is ideally located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and this therefore makes it a country of significant geographical importance. On arrival in Istanbul one is immediately aware of the countries Muslim population, literally a mosque is every two to three hundred meters apart. But despite recent news warning of danger on visiting Turkey – I see nothing of the threat. Relaxing in Istanbul, talking with the locals – everything to me appears normal and this is my fifth visit to this beautiful place.

It is what I love about the Iznik race, the ability to stopover in Istanbul and explore. The blue Mosque named because of its blue Ottoman tile interior dates back to 1609, the Fire Tower stands 85m tall on the skyline near the Grand Bazaar and was built in 1828 by Mahmud 11, the Hippodrome known better as Sultanahmet Square was built by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in 203AD and served as a meeting place for politicians, for chariot races, wrestling, boxing and other athletic activities and this arena could hold some 100,000 spectators. It’s possible to have a history lesson on foot.

Iznik situated on the Lake Iznik in the province of Bursa is a short ferry boat and 1-hour drive from the bustling noise and colour of Istanbul.

Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman influence has left several monuments for the tourist. The City Walls at 14,520 ft in circumference are used in the 2017 edition as a key feature of the 140km race. Coming after just 700m, under the illumination of artificial light, it provides an impressive spectacle.

An ancient theater, the Yenisehir Gate, St Sophia Cathedral (Orhan Ghazi Mosque) and the Green Mosque (Yesil Camil) named after the green tiles that adorn it.

Using the Lake as a backdrop, the 140km, 90km and 50km Iznik Ultra races basically cover part or the whole of the Lake as the race route weaving in and out of the mountains that surround the lake travelling in an anti-clockwise direction.  It is in the last 60km’s of the 140km and 90km races and all of the 50km that includes tough climbs and quad breaking descents.

Turkey is not known for ultra running. Despite it’s geographical location, it’s history and the multi-cultural influences placed upon it, ultra is a sport for the few. But over the years the Iznik races have grown and that is reflected in the number of races on offer and the increased participation. This is all down to race director Caner Odabasoglu and his MCR Racesetter team.

Accommodating, friendly and warm, the Turkish people embrace a sport that they know little about and welcome the runners with open arms. The locals, who’s priority is working the land, finding food to put on the table in many ways look on, not quite understanding why people would run, for fun!

Predominately trail, less than 20% of the course is road and these sections are purely used as a transition from one section of trail to the next. A course with demanding terrain, stunning views and quiet, small and un-spoilt villages. Terrain underfoot at times is rocky, rutted, muddy and often slippery. The climbs are tough and demand pacing, particularly if running the longer event is a real skill. Especially with some new sections added in 2016 that predicated a lengthy 10km road section.

In the 140km event, Elenena Polyakova, an ever-present in Iznik and racing in Turkey won the ladies race with a strong performance in what turned out to be very tough conditions after 17 hours – her time 20:22. Kemal Kukul dominated the men’s race with a course record 16:08. Full 140km results here.

Hasan Ozturk had a convincing 20+ minute lead in the 90km to take victory in 9:06. Aysen Sola won the ladies race in 10:22 and placed 5th overall. Full 90km results here.

In the 50km, Mehmet Aydingor took top honours in 4:57 with Asli Stercelik winning the ladies race in 6:20. Full 50km results here.

Race Website HERE

Turkey enlightens a natural curiosity in any adventurer with the wonderful Istanbul and Iznik by contrast, relaxes the mind and body with a kicked back and simplistic view on modern day life.

For this looking to combine the two, Turkey and the Iznik Ultra provide a great opportunity.

RESULTS for the 2017 edition of races available HERE

 

Iznik Ultra 2017 Preview

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Using the Iznik Lake as a backdrop, the IZNIK RACES utilise the local terrain to not only provide a beautiful course but also a challenging course. Elevation and more challenging terrain comes in the latter stages of all the races as they circumnavigate the lake in a counter-clockwise direction. The 90 km, 50km and 15km events are very much about going up and down on trails that vary from single-track to wide rutted farm roads. The 140km race has a relatively flat and rolling beginning but with the arrival of dawn (the race starts at midnight) the demands from the terrain increase.

The Iznik series of races in Turkey are assembling a strong contingent of runners to race over many distances, from 15km to 140km. The long race starts on the stroke of midnight on Friday April 21st, the 90km at 0900 and then each race follows at regular gaps – all races finish in the town of Iznik.

Caner Odabasoglu and the MCR Racesetter Team are passionate ultra runners and have devoted an incredible amount of time, energy and money in creating a stunning weekend of racing on the shores of Iznik Lake.

Dedicated to the cause, the 2017 edition looks set to one again showcase Turkey and in particular Iznik, as a great location for a running race. Iznik has a wonderful history. The Aphasia Mosque amongst others for example intrigues everyone and it’s a pleasure to see the architecture of the Hoffman period.

Famous for its ‘Iznik Tiles’ – the race rewards each runner with a very special custom made tile medal. A truly unique reward and fitting for the area whose tile industry is famous throughout the world.

Racing here is so much more than just running – it’s all about combining travel, culture, history and running together in one very neat package. The proximity to Istanbul makes any visit a dual purpose trip. Despite what is portrayed in the world news, I walked around Istanbul as a tourist and witnessed nothing of the friction portrayed via the world media – it’s no different to being in Paris, London or Belgium.

Racing starts Friday 21st at midnight.

Race website: HERE

Image gallery from the 2015 edition.

Iznik Ultra 2016 – Race Report and Summary

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The sands of the Sahara lured me away from the Iznik Ultra this year. A real shame as this race has been a fixture on my calendar all the way back to the 2012 edition when I won the 60km race. Iznik and Turkey are special places and the Iznik Ultra provides a wonderful opportunity to combine running and sightseeing.

 

The people are magical, the calm tranquility of the lake Iznik is sublime, the surrounding mountains are impressive and the combination of great food, hospitality and a committed and dedicated race team headed by race director Caner, make this experience a ‘must’ for the enthusiastic runner.

 

Not wanting to miss out on the action, I asked good friend and fellow photographer Jordi Saragossa and adventure journalist/ athlete Tobias Mews to work on behalf of iancorless.com at the 2016 edition of the race. 

 

Enjoy the journey!

 

Words by Tobias Mews/ Images by ©jordisaragossa

‘You’re first time in Turkey?’ the old man remarked in surprisingly good English, as I watched the sun behind Lake Iznik, the third largest lake in Turkey.  The water was incredibly calm with not a ripple in sight, despite being 32kms long and 10kms wide. It was also mind blowingly beautiful, offering an unparalleled level of peace. I couldn’t help but wish I had a stone to skim along it’s smooth surface.

‘It is,’ I reply, although I was already silently vowing to return.  As through thrilled with this fact and despite my protests, he offers me a cup of tea – not a cup of Earl Grey, but one of the Turkish variety. They drink the stuff by the gallon.  Sipping away, I mused on the notion that I no idea how stunning this country was or how kind everyone is. Turkey, I would soon discover, is a truly magical place.

I’ve often said that if you’re going to put yourself through any degree of suffering during an ultra, and let’s face it, who doesn’t have a moment where they question their sanity, then you might as well do it somewhere beautiful. It’s a mantra that I’ve held to my core and to date, have not been left disappointed through my travels and races as an adventure journalist.

Rather embarrassingly, and perhaps to my shame, I’d not considered Turkey a running destination, which is perhaps why I’d never visited this ancient cradle of civilization.  Too many lasminute.com cheap package holidays, slightly less than positive press, terrorist attacks and an unsettled political climate have not helped Turkey solidify its position in the ‘must visit’ destinations lists. But thanks to the likes of Caner Odabasoglu, the Race Director and founder of the Iznik Ultra, things are changing and running events are becoming more common place.

Indeed, when the Iznik Ultra launched in 2012, it was the second ultra to be established in the country.  Now, there are three road three road marathons and seven ultras. It is, as he puts it, ‘booming at the moment’.

Since I first began running competitively, just under a decade ago, I’ve suffered a serious case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Perhaps due to the fact that I’m stubborn and a sucker for punishment, when faced with a choice of distances, I’ve always picked the furthest/hardest race on offer, especially if the race is named after this distance, such as Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc or Transvulcania. I want to get the full race experience, not just an excerpt. So, it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I chose to take part in the 80k option as opposed to the main event.

Besides the main event, there are in fact four other races on offer – 5k, 15k, 50k, 80k –  all of which follow parts of the full 130km course around the lake. Considering the course was actually 86kms with 2600m of ascent/descent, it is by no means a distance to be sniffed at and after all, still an ultra!

Keen to show buy support I made my way to the midnight start of the 130k event. After more than 200 races including dozens of ultras, I’m more than familiar with the shit that goes through your head as you toe the start line of a big race, especially one that begins in the middle of the night. But curiously enough on this occasion, I didn’t see the usual thousand-yard stare that you might expect to see from a runner as he or she prepares to run 136kms non-stop (it’s slightly further than the advertised 130k). Instead I saw smiles, laughter, lots of slapping on the back, hugs and the sort of banter you might expect to see at a running club Monday night fixture. The only thing that was missing was a lack of women (only five amongst the relatively small field of 63).

The race favourite, Aykut Çelikbas looked as cool as the proverbial cucumber as he chatted with his fellow Team Salomon Turkey runners, Faruk Kar and Elena Polyakov. Hardly surprising considering Aykut had competed in the previous four editions of the race, coming third last year. He’s also a two-time finisher of Spartathlon, so knows a thing or two about pushing the pain barrier.

And then, as just after the stroke of midnight, they were off, a luminous streak of smiles as a small army of intrepid ultra runners disappeared into the night. Feeling a mixture of sadness and guilt that I wasn’t amongst them, I trotted back to my hotel and went to bed, in preparation for my race, 9 hours later.

After a 45-minute bus ride to Orhangazi, a medium sized town situated in the Bursa province about half way around the lake, and a countdown from 10 in Turkish, we set off in pursuit of our 130k brethren. With a police escort to accompany us, a couple of Turkish competitors went off a little too fast before looking around and realising they were in the lead, sheepishly slowed down. Which left yours truly at the front.

Before the race, people had asked me what my expectations were. But with my wife recently having a child and moving house to the French Pyrenees, my training had temporarily taken a bit of a nose dive for worse. In fact, I’d even told my wife that I was doing the 50k, so she wouldn’t give me grief for doing one of the main events on next to no training.

Seeing that no one was willing to take the lead, I strode out at a 4.30 min/km pace, making the most of the 19kms of flat terrain. It follows a stretch of road out of Orhangazi before meeting the edge of the Lake Iznik and a sandy beach that brought back to me a a few memories of the Marathon des Sables. From the perspective of race tactics, it’s an opportunity to put some distance between you and your opponents. But go out too fast and you’ll later hit an 800-meter-high wall of pain and that later on in the race will come to bite you not just in the arse, but in your quads and calves.

Somewhat conscious that I might be going too fast, for the next 4 hours I steadily overtook around 30 odd runners from the 130km race, exchanging broken pleasantries in Turkish as I went.  I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, watching a number of them hobble along in that all too familiar death march.  I had come with no expectations of winning the race, but for a while I genuinely thought I had a chance.

However, any thoughts of podiums were far from my mind. I was simply reveling in the scenery as I ran through olive groves, along beaches, charming little villages before going high into the hills surrounding the lake, which offered panoramic views to die for.

But then, for the first time, I heard the the pitter patter of feet of Hasan Öztürk, who unbeknownst to me had been doggedly following me. With my two words of Turkish vocabulary and his non-existent English, conversation was brief as we trotted alongside each other, silently pushing one another slightly harder than we’d have liked.

That’s of course the problem with being out front, and what I imagined Aykut and Faruk were going through. They had decided to run together and hold on to the lead. But lovely though it is to be out front, you simply don’t know how fast your pursuers are going – so you push on harder than might be wise.

Until now, the terrain had been very runnable. But new to 2016, Caner had inserted in a rather technical and simultaneously hilly section smack in the middle of the 80k and about 87k into the main event. Very steep descents which often involved hanging onto tree routes and branches slowed us all down, less for the odd mountain goat. Some might say it was too difficult (it added a minimum of two hours on to most people’s time), but I think it was bloody marvelous, even though I was cursing at the time.

The checkpoints are spaced between 10 and 15k apart – about right for a course of this nature. As to be expected, they were a welcome reprieve and a chance to fill our water bottles, as the warm sun was thirsty work. It was during one of these moments that I noticed third place man, Mehmet Yildirim catching me up.

Cutting short my replen, I hobbled off and spent the next 20kms looking over my shoulder like a man being chased. Just shy of 10kms from the finish, my legs began to object and I regrettably waved Mehmet on with a ‘bravo’. Unbeknown to me, a similar situation had happened several hours early in the main event, where Aykut and Faruk separated. Aykut maintained the lead, finishing in 17hrs 10mins, leaving Mehmet Arslan to claim second place in 17hrs 30 and Faruk third, 18 minutes later.

As I arrived into Iznik I felt like a warrior returning from war. Covered in dust but grinning from ear to ear, I must have looked a strange sight to the Iznik locals who had come to watch the runners roll in.  Knowing that I didn’t have long left, I picked up the pace, even though I was way over what the time I estimated it would take me to run 86kms to cross the finish line 3 seconds shy of ten and a half hours and a full 55 minutes behind Hasan who’d I’d not seen again.

After collecting one of the most fabulous medals I’ve ever seen, a locally made ceramic tile, I made my way back to the edge of the lake I had been standing at almost 24hours previously. Digging into my pocket, I picked out a smooth pedal I’d found in a river bed, and with my last remaining energy, skimmed it along the still smooth waters, trying to count how the bounces. The old man, who I’d seen yesterday, was still here and shuffled over to me.

‘What do you think? You like?’ he asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

‘I loved it’ I replied.  And that’s the truth!

130k results

33 finishers from 58 starters (57% finishers rate)

Men

1st Aykut Çelikbas 17.10:12

2nd Mehmet Arslan 17.30:43

3rd Faruk Kar 17.48:46

Women

Elena Polyakova 22.49:45

Bakiye Duran 24.43:19

80k

65 finishers from 84 starters (77% finishers rate)

Men

1st Hasan Öztürk – 9.35:55

2nd Mehmet Yildirim 10.19:28

3rd Tobias Mews 10.29:57

Women

1st Alessia De Matteis 11.10:28

2nd Martine Nolan 12.02:31

3rd Asli Sertcelik 12.08:23

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IZNIK ULTRA WEBSITE HERE

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Images from the 2015 edition by ©iancorless.com below

Western States Endurance Run #WSER 2015 – Race Preview

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WSER logo ©westernstatesendurancerun

WSER logo ©westernstatesendurancerun

The stories been told many times, 1974, lame horse, decided to do it on foot and Gordy Ainsleigh pretty much invented modern day 100-mile trail running. I have never seen or witnessed the Western States course and that does frustrate me. However, we have many stories, videos and race reports to fill the gap. It’s not the toughest course out there but it has the history and it’s fair to say that if you are going to Western States to do well, you need to be a runner!

Looking at the top contenders, the female race all looks relatively simple. We have a host of past stars turning up and therefore it’s relatively easy to look on predict where the action will come from.

Stephanie Howe as the past champion is a hot favourite. Steph doesn’t race a great deal but when she does she makes it count: 3rd at TNF50, 2nd at Way To Cool 50k and most recently victory at Lake Sonoma – all looks good!

Larisa Dannis was 2nd last year and has had a 2nd at Overlook 50k, and 2 victories at Berkley Trail 50k and Door Country Fall 50 but what about results in 2015? I can’t find any which leaves me with a question mark.

However, expect curve balls from Magdalena Boulet and Michele Yates. Stephanie Howe may well be the defending champion and Larisa Dannis may well have placed 2nd in 2014 but I see the Boulet/ Yates duo rocking the front of the field and potentially winning and taking 2 of the top 3 podium places. In particular I see Yates as a hot favourite for the win!

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Emma Roca from Spain is an interesting inclusion to the race with an entry via the UTWT. Emma is an all round tough lady from an adventure racing background who has excelled at mountain races, I wonder if WSER will be too much of a running race?

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One lady who has to be watched even though she openly admitted to me that her form is not 100% is Nikki Kimball. Nikki has won the race 3 times, placed top 5 another 6 times and this year returns for her 10th race. Irrespective of the finish time or position, it’s going to be a special year for Nikki.

Aliza Lapierre was 3rd in 2012, 6th in 2013 and in 2014 won Bandera 100k. A fast lady, if she is on form. I certainly expect her to make her presence known amongst the top 5 but no results for 2015?

2009 winner, Anita Ortiz is returning after extensive injury and although 5 years have passed since the golden feeling of a WSER victory, one has to assume that if Anita is toeing the line, then she feels ready to race.

Pam Smith was 4th last year and won WSER in 2013. It certainly seems that Pam can blow hot or cold. Ask Speedgoat Karl, he dismissed her in ‘13’ and she smoked him on the course. If she is feeling good and not too tired from training, she may well win again. However, she could quite easily just scrape in under 24 hours?

My last shout goes to Kaci Lickteig, who placed 6th last year. She had a win at Javelina Jundred (100 mile) in late 2014 and a 2nd and 5th over the 50-mile distance in 2015. I think this year we will see a different run from Kaci

Ones to watch:

Denise Bourassa 7th last year

Meghan Arbogast 8th in 2014

Nicole Struder Rocky Raccoon win

Joelle Vaught 8th at Tarawera

Claire Price UTWT entrant

 

The men’s race to coin a phrase is stacked! It’s an interesting mix of talent with a couple or maybe even a triple of potential winners but also several runners who have all the potential to shake things up and mess the podium party.

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It may come as no surprise that Rob Krar is the out-and-out favourite. Rob has become one of the most impressive runners to watch and follow in the past couple of years and his rise has been incredible. 100-mile wins in 2014 at WSER, Leadville and Run Rabbit Run absolutely make him the man to beat.

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Francois d’Haene like Krar was unbeatable in 2014. He too had 3 100-mile victories but on completely different courses to Krar: UTMF, UTMB and Raid de la Reunion (Diagonale des Fous). Notice the difference? Mountain races! Francois can run but I just don’t think WSER will be lumpy or hard enough for the Frenchman.

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Ryan Sandes by contrast has placed 2nd at WSER before and although he does well on tough, challenging and mountainous courses, he can also run fast with the best of them. He told me in the latter half of 2014 that WSER would be a priority this year and he has spent a month in the area preparing. We must point out that it has been a rocky road for him recently and dropping at Transvulcania was not ideal preparation. However, we can all have bad days!

Dylan Bowman placed 3rd last year and I have to say has been on fire recently. He is the man in form and may well be the one who pushes Krar and possibly passes him? However, Dylan has already got plenty of racing and victories in his legs whereas Krar is fresh. It may well be the difference between 1st and 2nd.

Seth Swanson placed 2nd last year and won Cascade Crest 100. In 2015, he was 2nd at Sean O’Brien and 6th at Sonoma. I have to be honest, I know little about him and just he surprised others and me in 2014, he may well do the same again!

Ian Sharman is rock solid at WSER. Over the years he improved year-on-year with 2014 being an exception. He has been quiet recently which is a great sign. It almost certainly means that he has been preparing meticulously, I really hope that he makes the podium.

Okay, now it gets tricky.

Brendan Davies had a great run last year, he is a runner and as such, WSER suits him and he should do well.

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Julien Chorier is meticulous, an incredible runner and if this race was full of mountains he’d be my top tip along with Francois. However, the course is not lumpy and as such I don’t think it’s a race for Julien to shine. I still expect a top 10 from him though.

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Gediminas Grinius is a new star with an incredible history. Like Francois and Julien I think he needs mountains to excel. One plus for him is the distance, he certainly likes to run longer and his recent victory at Transgrancanaria is proof that if he is feeling good in the latter stages, you better watch out!

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Sondre Amdahl is another newbie revelation. An incredibly nice guy, he moved out to the US to prepare meticulously for WSER. He did the same for Transgrancanaria and although he had a great result, I do wonder if he wanted the win too much! This may apply at WSER but I have a feeling that we will see Sondre shine. I expect good things from him.

Ones to watch:

Alex Varner 7th in 2014 and recent victory at Lake Sonoma 50

Andrew Tuckey 6th at UTMB and 3rd at TNF 100. I can’t help but think that Andrew may well be a surprise package and a dark horse in this race.

Thomas Lorblanchet Leadville winner 2012

David Laney 19th in 2014 and 2 victories in 2015 at Bandera 100k and Chuckanut 50k

Joe Grant

“Last year was a pretty remarkable day – we had temperatures that weren’t bad (89 degrees was the high), Rob and Stephanie ran remarkably strong races, and we had 296 finishers, including 129 silver buckles (for sub-24-hour finishes),” – race director Craig Thornley said. “This year has the potential to be even better. The men’s race will be exciting with Rob and a host of talented runners running to beat him. And our women’s race may very well go into the books as our deepest and most competitive field ever.” – ©wser website

Race day is Saturday June 27th

Race website HERE

2015 entry list HERE

Latest news HERE

Zoe Salt – Ladies winner race report Iznik Ultra

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Zoe Salt may not be a name that you know… however, a little look back to 2013 and you will see that Zoe placed 3rd (behind Meghan Hicks and Jo Meek) at the Marathon des Sables. It’s a podium place that didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Fast forward to 2015 and Zoe has now won the 130km Iznik Ultra and in the process placed 4th overall. In the coming weeks, Zoe is preparing for Transvulcania La Palma, she knows full well that the racing in La Palma will be very different to the racing in Turkey. Here Zoe writes about her Turkish experience.

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I arrived in Istanbul. It’s not quite the West, it’s not quite the East, and it is different, special and unique. Minarets dominate the skyline as the sun begins to set.

I am a kid in a sweet shop – literally! Turkish delight and Baklava abound.

Friday – I awake to the exotic sound of the call to prayer. The sun has come out and it is gorgeous! From the breakfast room at the top of our hotel we realise how enormous Istanbul is (14.4million people). It stretches out in every direction towards and beyond the horizon. From the ferry crossing we can still see its sprawl an hour after leaving the port of Yenikapi. But enough sightseeing – I really should try to sleep!

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Arriving in Yalova everything is much calmer. Driving to Iznik reveals some of the terrain we are likely to be encountering in a few hours…. Namely hills. Panic. They look a lot bigger than Muswell Hill… Must try and sleep…

The race village is already buzzing when we arrive. Where is my list?

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  1. Register – check!
  2. Kit – check!
  3. Nerves – check!
  4. Food – check!
  5. Water – check!
  6. Pin number to t-shirt – check!
  7. Change t-shirt – check!
  8. Pin number to new t-shirt – check!
  9. Eat – check!
  10. Take photo of incredible sunset over the lake – check!

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Then to bed to try and sleep…. count sheep…. count breathing…. so that’ll be no sleeping then….

We leave for the midnight start, which is completely new to me – way past my bedtime. It is cold. I already have on a fleece top, gloves and balaclava … should I put my jacket on? That will require a re-pin of the number. But surely even cold-blooded me will be running in a t-shirt when the sun comes out? No. Leave it alone. Number is on t-shirt. 11:50pm I think I’ll put my number on my fluorescent vest. Re pin!

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11:55pm on the start line. Vaguely distracted as a little Labrador puppy comes to see me off! And soon we are on our way into the darkness of Iznik. Within a few metres I am on my own, so I speed up to follow someone as my worst fear is getting lost in the dark. It turns out that this is another of my unnecessary stresses as there are markers every 50’ish’ meters – foolproof even for me! We run through miles and miles of olive groves and trees full of blossom. It is so quiet. Then bam! I am confronted with what in the dark seems to be a near vertical climb. Have I packed climbing shoes or rope? My calves are burning. And this is only a smallish hill, according to the course profile! Just as I’m worrying about the big hills to come, a certain Mr Corless runs past me backwards taking pictures!

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Dawn arrives and with it the wonderful call to prayer. As the sun rises over the hills, bathing the landscape in beautiful colours, I reach the halfway point and am told by the race director that the most picturesque part of the race is still to come.

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I have caught up with Mariya Niklova and Alper Dalkilic. I like having them in sight, especially as we are hounded by packs of dogs, some baring teeth. I run behind them for miles, them pulling away, me catching up, until eventually, around 72km they slow enough and I pass them. I’m on my own and the uphill begins again. Up, up, up… when do we go down again? I see a runner in front and I am spurred on. Up, up, up – how high is this going? I pass the runner. I have no idea how far it is to the next checkpoint as my watch has died. I’m wondering if this is a metaphor. Finally I start descending. It seems like an eternity to the next aid station. The dirt track gives way to a paved road, a few right turns into a village and there is the checkpoint! I ask a man how many girls are ahead of me and he replies ‘Three.’ My heart drops. ‘Three girls?’ I repeat.

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He laughs.

I obviously give him a confused look and he says ‘Three people.’ I’m obviously still giving my best confused face as he repeats in very slow English, as if it is me whose first language is not English, ‘THREE. MEN. IN. FRONT. YOU. ARE. 4th’ Well, this I don’t believe so I laugh along with them, eat a bit of orange while they kindly fill my water bottle and am off again.

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Up, up, up again. I see no other runners but the scenery is as promised. The hills offer views of distant snow-capped mountains. In the foreground a lake, its surrounding fields and minarets marking each village and town. How I manage to resist the urge to stop to take pictures I will never know. Wild tortoises, goats and their shepherds, dogs and toads surround me. I feel like David Attenborough!

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I keep looking behind me. Where is everyone else? I feel like I’m travelling in reverse. Surely others should be overtaking me? I keep going. Plodding. Finally I reach the last checkpoint. I stick my head under the village fountain because I am so hot! The villagers come out and cheer. It is an incredible atmosphere – I will appreciate it more later!

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It’s downhill, at least for a bit then the uphill starts again! Where is Iznik? I could see it before but now I’m back in the trees and the lake has vanished. I come to a puddle I can see no way around. It’s quite big but I know it’s not the lake! I put one foot in and half my leg disappears. At least it’s cold! Back on track and it’s now downhill. Iznik finally comes into sight; I keep looking behind me as I feel like I’m barely moving. Still nobody else in sight! A bicycle that escorts me to the finish meets me. I work out it’s about a mile left to go. I concentrate and dream of my legs carrying me a little more. Eventually I cross the finish line…. 4th overall and the ladies winner.

Presented with a lovely ceramic medal, I try to say, ‘this is nice, I am from the *Potteries’ (the *Potteries – known as Stoke on Trent in the UK) but now it is they who look on, confusingly at me…!

Iznik Ultra – Check!

View the Iznik Ultra race images HERE

Iznik Ultra report on RUNULTRA HERE