Skibbereen Charity Adventure Race 2016

It was a cool and stunningly bright morning in Castletownshend after a rain-sodden arrival in Ireland the day before.  Everything was glinting in the morning light when I arrived at the Town Quay and found my rental bike.  There was just time to adjust the seat and attach a second water bottle before the pre-race briefing and then progress to the Two Trees for the start.

There were Mum and Dad, all smiles, plus eighty or so other entrants for SCAR, the Skibbereen Charity Adventure Race.  I had entered the 'Expert' version... 54km of cycling, 21k of running and 1k of kayaking.  Running should be OK, I reasoned; cycling, well I cycling to work, and sea kayaking.... hmm, a bit of a mystery there.

Off we went, down the hill and then on a highly multi-terrain run around Castlehaven harbour with plenty of slopes and some cracking views.  Just over an hour in and I was on the shoreline and being zipped up in a life jacket and pushed off in a sea kayak.  I wasn't pushed quite hard enough... I was jammed on a rock, with me thinking crikey, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

The kayaking was simple enough on almost flat water, but the way you're seated on these things requires a lot of effort through your torso and my stomach muscles were in bits by the time I climbed out, to discover that I could barely move my legs. I hobbled up the path and past the CT castle where the Lovely Mrs S was doing the dibbing (technical adventure race term, don't you know) and then onto the bike.

The first task was to make it up the CT hill without going through the awful ignominy of having to push... phew, it was fine.  A few minutes later I was overtaken, and then again.  There were loads of steep hills, there was a long way to go, and it dawned on me that I know nothing about racing on a bike and I'm not very good at it. My overtakers were whizzing past with no apparent effort, and one of them was a lady.  (I felt better about this afterwards when I learned that the lady, Fiona Meade, is Ireland's top female road cyclist).  Some of the descents were on terrible road surfaces and were frankly terrifying.

But it was all thrillingly, exhilaratingly good fun.  The landscape was utterly tremendous.  After about 45 minutes on the bike I'd figured out how to eat gels while pedalling and was feeling good about getting into the second half.  Some of the roads were Irish dual carriageways (single-track roads with grass down the middle) and Coom Hill (AKA The Wall) was a strenuous push with dozens of others (having joined up with those on the Sport course), alongside an ill-advised car inching uphill with an appalling smell of burning clutch.  Then a short but sharp rain shower which left me temporarily shivering and down to Loch Hyne where I ditched the bike for the second run leg.

The dual carriageway leading to Coom Hill

The next run started on a forest path winding uphill, very steeply in sections.  I wished that I had studied the map a bit more beforehand to anticipate what was coming.  Oh my lord, it was exciting.  The 6km leg was 5k uphill, first path and then full-on muddy scramble, unendingly ascending; then a dizzying moment at the heathery summit - an amazing 360 panorama - and then the final k down a vertiginous staircase.  It was fabulous!

Back on the road to collect the bike - there were Mum and Dad - and then onwards.  Another colossal hill (Calvary, a name with rather portentous biblical overtones) which you absolutely had to walk up (but not Fiona, who gracefully passed all the gasping, crawling chaps).  Before very long we were on the main road to Skibbereen, which was relatively flat and well surfaced... and rather dull after all the excitement.

And then past Skib and hi-vis jackets ahead were pointing us into Liss Ard estate.  I knew the last km wouldn't be easy... and it was a proper tough finish, all uphill with none of my limbs working properly.  I heaved forward, hoping to pick off a few of the mean cyclists (I caught two of them) and then suddenly around a corner and over the finish line.  There, of course, was the Lovely Mrs S and then Dad turned up as well.  I was thrilled with the whole experience.

I had completely blown my breezy time estimate of 4 hours - (I did 4:37) and this was starting to cause some alarm, but I came home in 15th position, later revised to 14th, which was quite respectable.  Here are are the results... you can see that my running effort was a lot better than my cycling.

The timing printout sheet provided at the finish line

Lots of kudos on everyone involved in organising this, especially Mark Salter-Townshend who worked tirelessly on it, sorted out a bike for me and made Mrs S and I very welcome.

I'm really hoping to come back next year to have a crack at the M50 prize.

Clarendon marathon 2016

It was a wonderful feeling to be getting back to this race after a 3-year absence.  After a wet Saturday, race day dawned bright and sunny, and the lovely Mrs S and I set off to Salisbury for the start.  There we met Becky from RRR, who was doing her first Clarendon after a touch-and-go ankle adventure.

Romsey Road Runners ready for racing

The air horn sounded and off we went, all trying to find a comfortable pace.  I tried very hard to be sensible and did the first K in 4:03, which was sort-of OK. It was really hard to tell how well I was doing, as there were relay and marathon runners together, and after a while I started catching up slower marathoners who had started early.

Probably the fastest bit of the course is the gently downhill section of road as you emerge from the downs into Broughton village.  The LMS was waiting for me and we ran down the road together, Mrs S a bit astonished by the cracking pace, me sniggering slightly at the rather flattering impression of high-octane running that was being inferred.

The second half got hillier and muddier.  My legs were starting to feel heavy, but I was feeling good and staying steady. Up in to Farley Mount and into West Wood... and then the first of the half marathon runners came through, briefly causing me panic.  With 2 miles to go I overtook someone who looked like he was having a tough time.  It had been a very quiet race in terms of competition, so it was nice to have competitors around, but I whizzed past him.

Mrs S accompanied me again for the last 400m of road, egging me to go faster.  I really thought I was about to be overtaken and pushed hard.  And then over the finish line and suddenly I was being told I'd come in second place.  The Winchester Mayor was handing out prizes and shaking hands.  I think she may have regretted our encounter as my hand was horribly sweaty and had the remnants of a gel pack that I'd opened badly.  I imagine her staring aghast at her once-white gloves afterwards.
 

Sullying the mayor's prstine gloves

The wonderful, lovely Mrs S

So, home in second place in 3:12:39... par for the course in terms of time, but my best placing yet. Here are my stats. A fabulous day on a favourite race.