Post Race Blog: for the Round Rotherham 50mile Ultra Marathon.
Time: 9hrs 10mins
Position: 14th
I had a really positive run experience over the 50mile race. The course was perfect for consistent pacing for the duration of the route with no major climbs and some fast paced easily runnable sections along canal and on Tarmac. Temperatures were higher than expected and this caused many of the fast starters to “crash” midway through the race.
From the start I relaxed into my race schedule of sub 10hrs or 5mph. It helped running within a group of 4 initially as the EARLLY miles passed by quite quickly and we were able to compare route knowledge to ensure a speedy route between checkpoints with no wrong turns and minimal confusion .
At around 20miles our group of 4 became 2 (myself and a fantastic guy called Neil Jones stayed together), as we let the other 2 create a gap on us as the progressed up the trail. We figured they’d either “blow up” and come back to us with 30miles of racing left or they’d time it perfectly.
At 31miles we pulled into the checkpoint which marked the “official baggage drop” where we had the opportunity to have access to our additional items like spare socks, food etc. We spent 5 mins at this checkpoint to sort out our admin. I resupplied on dextrose and added additional electrolytes to my Camelbak as was conscious of the high temperatures and loss of salts in my sweat.
Immediately we were able to get the pacing going again which is always the risk after spending a period of time immobile in a checkpoint.
Gradually we started to chase down some of the earllier runners who had set off to fast and we’re now paying the price and this continued upto 46 miles before hitting the last checkpoint and finally winding up the pace to the finish.
Final thoughts: No major issues, no blisters, injuries or sickness. Achieved my qualification distance to run the LDWA 100 next year before #268 as part of my final phase of training.
Maintained a faster than required pace for #268 which will be valuable in beating the record and secondly allowing me to “cat nap” on the event to recharge my brain.
Just have to continue progressing the racing miles at pace and mentally conditioning myself for the challenge ahead.
