2013 South Downs Way 50 - Race report
After a week of tapering, kit checking and weather-site refreshing it was finally time for the 2013 South Downs Way 50, which was to be my first 'proper' ultra-distance race. I'd previously paced Sarah around a local 30 miler and we had done a 45 mile personal challenge together but I was looking forward to getting a chance to compete with some other people and to check out the aid-stations/run-through buffets that ultras are famous for! The course ran from Worthing to Eastbourne and took in a good part of the trails that I regularly run on so I was very much looking forward to it.
This winter was the first one that I've consistently trained through, and I'd managed to amass a good solid base of training over the last five or so months. A fair bit of that was in pretty nasty weather too, which definitely toughens you up - and looking at the forecast for the race it looked like confidence running through those sort of conditions might come in handy. 20mph+ headwinds and lots of rain appeared to be the order of the day... lovely!
After registration, kit check and a race briefing (full of prescient precautionary words of warning about the weather that were going to encounter later on) we ambled over to the start line to wait for the off. The start of the race went up a track that I knew from the end of the Three Forts Mud-bath Marathon last year, and as I was feeling pretty confident and didn't want to get stuck behind lots of people along a narrow muddy path I set off with the first pack of about five or six runners. As we got moving I was feeling nice and fresh and after about 5km I found myself running at the front with a Swiss chap who introduced himself as Michael, a sponsored runner with a penchant for stage races who had popped over to stay with friends and run the race. We ran and chatted together as we climbed up to Chactonbury Ring with another couple of runners following behind us about a minute or so back.
My pre-race plan was to run at about a 5 min/km pace on the flats for as long as I could, and then just see what happened as I got more tired later on. Michael however was definitely pushing the pace and after a few sub-4:30 minute kilometers I decided that I'd better back off the gas and let him head off as I really didn't want to burn myself out too soon. Pretty quickly he powered off into the distance and I didn't really think I'd see much of him after that.
I passed through the Botolphs and Saddlescombe Farm aid stations without stopping, and I was feeling pretty comfortable on the familiar ground that I do a lot of my training on. The weather was still pretty reasonable as I climbed up close to the Jack and Jill windmills and continued across the top of the Downs past Ditchling Beacon. It was a bit blustery but I was almost starting to think that maybe the forecast was going to turn out to have been overly pessimistic... how wrong I turned out to be!
My stomach has always been a real weak point for me, both in normal life and certainly when out running, even on shorter distance stuff. As I passed the Beacon I was getting some worrying twinges and had the odd wave of feeling slightly nauseous. I'd had a few gels by then and was definitely a little worried that it was going to cause me some serious issues later on. As I couldn't see anyone behind me I opted to take a quick 'comfort break' in the bushes - although I knew I'd be losing yet more time on Michael I gambled that it would see me better in the long run. There were still a good few miles to go! Anyway, thankfully my stomach settled down a bit after that and I cruised down into the Housedean aid station feeling pretty positive.
On arriving at Housedean I was informed by the guys there that Michael was about three minutes in front of me, and had unfortunately been bitten by a dog as he ran through the last section. They also told me that he wasn't looking all that fresh which although I took as more encouragement than truth it still gave me a boost to head out of there at a fair pace to see if I could at least get him in my sights. I didn't really expect to catch up with him to be honest - he'd looked so strong powering it away from me at Chactonbury Ring - but after crossing the A27 and starting the next climb up I suddenly saw him and realised that he actually wasn't all that far ahead of me. I could also see that he was walking towards the top of the hill and so I forced my somewhat heavy legs to plod their way up there as quick as I could.
At the top of the hill I got a first glimpse of some of the nasty conditions that were rolling in. The visibility decreased rapidly and the rain and wind really started to pick up, but I managed to keep Michael more or less in my sights and pulled up level with him about 5km out from Southease. He was definitely having a bit of a low point and there was (understandably!) lots of swearing about '%$&*ing dogs', with a painful looking bite on his hand. We ran for a few minutes together until I decided that I was going to try and capitalise on his dip in confidence and put a few minutes on him as the trail dropped down towards the road. I hate to take advantage of someone else's misfortune but sometimes you just have to make the most of what you get given...
Within a few minutes of arriving at Southease and just as I was getting a water bladder top-up the whole aid station canopy got picked up by a gust of wind and blew into the road! I was also pretty damp by that point and so elected to put on my waterproof jacket as I'd previously recce'd the next section and knew it to be pretty exposed. I warned Michael of this as he ran into the aid station a couple of minutes behind me but he didn't seem too bothered - he lives in the mountains in Switzerland where I'm sure the conditions can get pretty nasty so I guess he would have been used to it.
The climb up out of Southease was definitely hard work, and the reward for making it up there was a stonking headwind, mud, rain and terrible visibility! Proper nasty English running conditions, and whilst certainly not nice to run in it was not entirely unfamiliar to me after the winter that we have had. I trudged onwards, stopping occasionally as my legs were cramping up quite badly at points (which I have never had before whilst running - most unpleasant) and just tried to keep my head down and get on with it. The weather had come in properly by now and for me this was by far the hardest and most miserable section of the course. I took one wrong turn when I followed the fence-line round a corner instead of heading straight on (because the fingerpost up ahead was pretty much invisible in the mist and rain) but luckily noticed and corrected myself pretty quickly and with only a minor amount of swearing.
I was seriously glad when the path started dropping down into Alfriston and I could get out of the weather at last. All those who spent more time up there and managed to pull through it I have nothing but the utmost respect - I think the weather deteriorated even further after I got through it and it was miserable enough when I was up there! Really nasty conditions.
I took at few minutes at the Alfriston aid-station to grab some crisps and a glass of coke and mentally re-charge before the next climb up and over to Jevington. I had no idea how far Michael was behind me but I thought that I had probably managed to put a good few minutes on him in the previous section as I hadn't caught a glimpse of him in a while. My legs were definitely pretty battered by this point and after crossing the river the next climb up was seriously painful, and I resorted to a run-walk strategy, alternating about a minute of each to try and keep myself moving without slowing down to a crawl. Towards the top the track takes a big loop around the hilltop and glancing back down I suddenly saw the orange blur of Michael's calf compression sleeves flashing up the trail behind me! That gave me a hell of a shock as I thought he was definitely further behind than that, and to make it worse he seemed to be moving strongly up the hill whereas I felt that I was barely managing more than a fast walk.
I've never been in the lead of a race before, and for a little while there I had made the fatal error of starting to believe that I might actually win it. I think I had started getting a little complacent and had stopped pushing myself that extra little bit. But on seeing Michael behind me I suddenly felt like a hunted animal, and paranoid that he had gathered himself and was now feeling fresher than me (which wouldn't have been that difficult at this point!). So I forced myself on, trying to squeeze a few quicker kilometers out of my legs on the way down to Jevington. I dashed in and out of the checkpoint there without stopping, really worried that at any point I was going to find myself getting overtaken just a few miles from the finish.
My uphill muscles seemed to have nothing left for the last climb out of Jevington, and I the best I could manage was a medium fast trudge up the muddy hill. But I knew that once I got to the top it was all downhill to the road section, and if I got there without seeing Michael too close behind me I was pretty confident that I would have the leg speed to carry me in without getting overtaken. However the 'chute' round the back of the golf course and down to the road was way too slippery for my Salomon Sense Mantra's to handle, and I took a face first spill half way down, accompanied by a few choice words that I won't repeat here! But i dusted myself off, hit the road section and just ran as fast as my legs could take me down the main road and round into the sports center grounds, checking behind me every two seconds to make sure I wasn't being chased down.
I hit the track and with the encouragement from the loudspeakers I forced myself around that oh-so cruel last 400m before running though the big bouncy-castle of a finish line in 6:55:37. Exceptionally happy to have won but also incredibly pleased to have squeaked in under 7 hours in what was really quite brutal conditions. I certainly didn't think that was on the cards before I set off!
Michael came in about 13 minutes after me in the end, so I could have probably saved myself some last minute pain and paranoia, but at the end of the day that fear of getting overtaken so close to the finish was probably the only reason I made it in sub-7 hours. Had it not been for him getting bitten I have no idea whether I'd have been able to overtake him for the win, but that is racing I guess - sometimes you get lucky! I was also fortunate that a few of the other speedsters that often grace these ultras were not running this one, but regardless I was super pleased to take the win on what I'd consider my home turf.
By all accounts it got even tougher out there later on, and with a search and rescue being carried out later on in the night I was really glad to hear that everyone was finally safely accounted for. All those who were out in those conditions when it was getting dark and for ten plus hours deserve a huge amount of respect, as do the whole Centurion Running team whose professionalism and organisation was really top notch.
So a huge thanks to James and the rest of the Centurion crew, plus of course to all the fantastic volunteers who spent a long day out in the terrible weather giving people help and encouragement all the way. This was my first proper brush with the ultra community and I was very impressed with how friendly and supportive everyone was - and I'm now really looking forward to volunteering at the SDW100 to hopefully give a little something back myself.
GPS route and splits on Strava
