18/07/2012 - Trailwalker 2012 (Part 2)

The night passed fitfully. Mark couldn't get to sleep and as it turned out neither could the team-mates settle. The brain just wouldn't shut down at a point when we really needed a decent rest before facing this Epic trek we actually couldn't. It was almost a relief when the alarm went off at 5am to start getting ready. The usual preparations, a couple of bananas, a pint of water, a nurofen, shower then taping up the feet with zinc oxide tape.

We were meeting in the car park at 6am, the plan being to get to QECP at about 6:30am to allow us to miss the road closures for the 6am and 7am starters and get some breakfast down us. As we walked out into the car park, it seemed we weren't the only Trailwalkers with the same plan or inability to sleep as several other teams started loading their kit into their cars.

The team arrive and park at QECP

On arrival at QECP, the car park was extremely full and following the directions of the Gurkhas we seemed to park a good way away from the tents. We decided we'd suit and boot and carry our gear over rather than come back later. 

The car barely made it onto the muddy field and we watched as a four wheel drive struggled to get out. The shape of things to come perhaps?

The queue for breakfast

As we walked towards the tents we could hear the bagpipes starting up - the 7am starters. The BunLovingCrimnals were in that group we thought and it would be us next. We stood in the queue for breakfast dished out by the Gurkha chefs. 

An array of bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, boiled egg, cereals, tea and coffee on offer. The team tucked in though Mark was a little less enthusiastic and decided he couldn't really face much to eat at all at this point.

The team looking pensive at the Start

After breakfast we slowly worked our way round via the toilets for a final pre-Start pit-stop and once again bumped into Jon Paul Tom and Olly who were limbering up and getting their gear together. 

As the teams chatted and stretched, the minutes ticked by and it was time to head up to be 'coraled' into the Start Area. Dibbing our Dibbers as we entered to ensure our 8am start would be registered, we waited. 

Gubbs becomes the 5th Red Harrow!

We were soon approached by Gubbs from the HardcoreFour and introduced to Jo, Julie and Josh though there wasn't much time to talk as we listened to the Gurkha officer and then the klaxon sounded followed by the sound of the Gurkha bagpipes and suddenly this throng of 400 or so people was off into the park.

And we're off! (Infiltrated by the HardcoreFour)

We weren't sure how things would go for this first stage as we thought perhaps things might get congested, but the track was good and wide so everything moved at a reasonable pace, enough to get warmed up properly. As we passed the Visitor Centre we were in complete unknown territory but with this many people all going the same way, provided those at the front knew where they were going - we would be fine. 

As we rounded the corner, the track began to deteriorate to a more of a hardcore track, still wide but we soon had our first encounters with the mountain bikers as progressively the word "Bike" was shouted encouraging people to move left out of their way. It wasn't clear how far these bikers had come or how long they'd been out but they were pretty much covered head to toe in mud. if that was an indication of the trail up ahead then things were going to get much worse from here.

The Red Harrows Mobile Command Centre at CP1

At least the rain was holding off us so far and things were actually quite pleasant though the evidence of heavy rainfall  abounded on the trail as standing water. As we approached Checkpoint 1 the walkie-talkies burst into life and we gave our ETA. The Support Team were ready even though we were ahead of schedule and we were greeted by Ted on the trail in advance - something he would do a lot of on the Checkpoints to come. As we dibbed in at Checkpoint 1 our time registered 1:44, a good 22minutes ahead of our schedule. 



The Support Crew escorted us over to the waiting gazebo which they had erected despite there being no need at this point but it was good practice for them. Coincidentally we were alongside the HardcoreFour and after a 16minute break, refuel, re-water we were off again cheered off by our Support Crew and the Hardcore Four! 

Beacon Hill in all its glory

Still in unfamiliar territory we set off towards Checkpoint 2 at a decent pace. The trail had narrowed and the crowd had dissipated thanks to people stopping at Checkpoint 1 and others carrying on up the trail. The weather was still holding up but we knew on this stage we would encounter Beacon Hill. This hill had grown in notoriety as the subject of many a teams blogs in training. It was for this reason we had climbed Shutlingsloe in the Peak District and the Tramway at Burwardsley. Soon enough it was there looming in front. Not the biggest hill we've seen but steep, steep enough to have steps carved into it and a good early test. Halfway up it and we were glad we'd trained on steep hills as maintaining the pace became difficult, but as quickly as it began it was conquered and we were off.

The rest of the stage passed fairly uneventfully apart from the frustrating need to don waterproof coats during heavy showers which would last 15minutes or so, then stop, let you realise you were too hot, take them off and then find another shower coming in. This pattern would continue for a number of hours.

Checkpoint 2 - mind the mud.

Approaching Checkpoint 2 we got on the radio again and during the descent there was the smiling face of Ted to greet us again and guide us up to the support vehicle. On entering the Checkpoint, we began to comprehend what our Support Crew were having to contend with. The place was a mess. Large brown ruts ran down the middle of the field where cars, vans and four wheel drives had slid sideways. As we walked to our car, we watched as car after car had to be pushed and guided, Gurkhas throwing down sawdust to tray and soak up the moisture all to no avail. Four wheel drive didn't seem to make any difference whatsoever. 

Banquet at Checkpoint 2

We reached the car to find the team had put the gazebo up and the sides, which was just as well as we arrived to the sound of thunder and then the real rain started. We'd managed to complete this stage in 1hour 55minutes, a good 16minutes ahead of our target time.

Taking the opportunity to change socks, load up on the spread on offer and stock up for what would be a longer walk to Checkpoint 4 before we see our Support Crew again we managed to complete this stop in 25minutes, a little longer than our 15minute allowance but we could afford it and we were still 27minutes ahead overall.

We bid the Support Crew goodbye wondering how they would ever get out and set off up the hill. We'd only been gone about 10minutes when Simon hailed us on the walkie-talkie - "Guys - bad news - we've just been told Checkpoint 4 is now closed to Support Crews - we won't now see you until Checkpoint 5 - Good Luck!"

To be continued....

17/07/2012 - Trailwalker 2012 (Part 1)

Of all the blogs we've written throughout training, this is probably going to be the most difficult. Difficult because it will be hard to put across what we've all gone through over the last few days, not just us - the Walkers but our Support Team too. To make it more manageable, I've split it into parts.

Thursday 12th July 

Oxfam provide us an update on the course. The news isn't good. The recent bad weather has taken its toll. Checkpoint 3 has been closed to Support Crews and Checkpoint 4 car parking has changed making it smaller and further away. Surprisingly, the low lying Checkpoint 6 near the river isn't on the list. At least we can make a plan to carry enough food and water from CP2 to CP4, about 3.5 hours so not a big deal given we've done longer than that unsupported in training. The weather forecast for the weekend isn't looking any better than previous weeks. Still very unsettled, looking like we might get a dry start on Saturday before light then heavy showers persist into the evening before clearing overnight into Sunday. Possibly a small bonus not walking in the dark with rain then?

Friday 13th July

10:00am Mark heads over to his Physio for a little light tissue work and to be strapped up with tape to assist the injury picked up doing the Sandstone Trail training walk. To add to his woes, he's also started with a head cold so isn't feeling particularly great. Mark leaves the Physio with a blue Union-Jack-shaped taping arrangement down his left leg.

12:00pm The support vehicle (Mark's car) is packed with all the goodies, chairs, table, gazebo, cool box etc. and ready for the off. Simon, Martin and Ted are already on their way down. No message from Lee and Polly so it's presumed they have woken and are heading down.

12:30pm Mark and Kate grab a quick protein lunch at McDonalds - Big Mac, Fries and Chocolate Milkshake making Mark feel more like fourteen than forty, just as well as he was a lot fitter then!

4:30pm A smooth journey down and Mark and Kate arrive at the Premier Inn near Havant and the whole team are there and checked in - including Lee and Polly albeit a little worse for wear after a heavy night before at Lee's neighbours during which a large quantity of wine had been consumed (so much for the alcohol ban then!)

5:00pm Lee and Kate set off for Brighton in separate cars to leave Lee's car with all the Sunday gear in, the rest of the team head over to the pub next door for some 'hydration'

7:00pm The team head for Queen Elizabeth Country Park to meet up with Kate and Lee, register and attend the safety briefing. Arriving at QECP, we were greeted with chaotic scenes. Gurkhas directing traffic trying to get in and out who then advised us to park down by the Visitor Centre and walk up. Suddenly things became very real as we drove under the overhead 'Start' banner. 

Tent 1 - Registration Forms

Walking in to the park we found Tent 1 where the registration packs could be found and then meandered down past the array of tents arranged in start time order noting 6am, 7am and 8am we're looking pretty full but 9am and 10am were looking a bit sparse.

Looking at the conditions of the ground and the forecast, we were glad we opted for a hotel and not a tent. 

Its not looking good out there...

Finding Tent 2, Polly set about filling the forms in while we waited for Lee and Kate to join us. As we waited for the Safety briefing to start we noted the white board next to the tent which now confirmed our suspicions - Checkpoint 6 was now closed to Support Crews as well. It shouldn't have come as a surprise given that yet more rain had fallen in the previous 24 hours. Listening to the safety briefing we also found out that for the first section of the trail there would be a cycle race coming towards us but as long as we kept to the left - we should be fine! 

The Gurkhas doing the Kukri dance

With the briefing over, it was time for the Gurkha cultural show. Out came the marching band and the Gurkhas doing the Kukri dance - quite something to watch. It was at this point we got to meet Jon Paul Tom and Olly who were watching the show a few yards away. It was strange that though we've never met before, we already knew so much about each other thanks to the power of Twitter and Blogging over the last 6 months and it was great to meet them all after all this time. 

No backing out now!

Once the show was over, it was time to get registered and tagged. Thanks to meeting our fundraising target, it meant we could be fast-tracked into Tent 3 where the waiting Gurkhas tagged our wrists with our 'Dibbers'. These little devices would be needed at every Checkpoint to swiped in to ensure everyone knew our whereabouts on the course and they would register our final time. We also had our Team Number  - 145. 

So job done and off to queue and load upon pasta cooked by the Gurkha chefs after which we bumped into the BunLovinCriminals who we hadn't seen since the Gurkha Training Day and had a quick catch up. 

With the procedural stuff done and the festivities over, we decided to head back to the digs, grab a nightcap and get an early-ish night. On the way out of the park, we once again passed under the Start banner, The next time we would do that would be 8am Saturday morning and it would be for real  - with 100km still to go. 

See you in 11 hours...

 To be continued.....

05/05/2012 - Trailwalker Prep Session and Training on The South Downs - Pt1

This Saturday was the Oxfam Trailwalker Preparation Session at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. We had decided to book the 9.30am session to allow us time to get training for the first time on the South Downs Way afterward.

Martin had already decided it was too far to drive down and decided he'd rather stay and watch the footie. Lee knowing his issues with timekeeping had driven down the night before with Polly and Simon had stayed overnight in Banbury. Mark decided to drive the 200miles on the morning and arrived bright and early at the Visitor Centre at 8.30am and was shortly joined by Simon. No sign of Red Leader and Polly but theres was still plenty of time for him to make an entrance, though we weren't expecting it to be at 10:15am due to breakfast being served late and a 'navigational time issue'. Lets hope things are smoother the next time we come here!

The running order was Tom from Oxfam, followed by Gurkha Gopal and then Tony, Mark and Jo from the Brixham Badgers.

Tom is doing Trailwaker with a team himself and has been training on the course. He ran through training schedules, team roles and the support team role and then it was over to Gurkha Gopal .

There he was stood in combat gear, a little guy with a great smile and sense of humour but obviously as hard as nails. He explained that he'd done Trailwalker four times, three times in the UK and once in Australia. His fastest time was just over 11 hours and his slowest around 14hours though this year he doesn't have a team - yet.

He went on to explain how the Gurkha's approach this 'run' (a term he continued to use much to our amusement). He explained that they spend no more than 2 minutes at a checkpoint enough to charge themselves with fuel and change socks though he confessed he wears the same pair throughout often wearing a hole through them! This F1 style of pitstop was made more interesting when he added that their Support Team have to point their vehicle in the direction of the exit to ensure they make it to the next checkpoint before them! By all accounts they don't drink a great deal as he indicated the team go through about 30litres of water between them. For salt replacement, they use sliced apple sprinkled with salt.

He ran through the timings of the starts and the need to register on the Friday evening and that the Gurkha Cultural Event is a must attend to get into the spirit of Trailwalker. He did also say that while camping is available at the start this may not result in a decent nights sleep which is why the Gurkhas stay away. Interesting to note was that camping is available at Brighton Race Course from Saturday evening so the Support Team can set themselves a base.
 
Water is available at checkpoints to top up bottles and camelbaks though this may mean queueing so perhaps sticking with Plan A and carrying our own water is best advised. Sometimes food or chocolate bar treats are available at intermediate checkpoints along with hot/cold drinks and at checkpoint 7 there is a hot meal though he cautioned that a lot of people drop out here. This he put down to a combination of it being night, tiredness and then taking on board a meal so perhaps caution advised not to eat too much or linger too long. The Gurkhas will be there to applaud us in at each checkpoint and motivate us with the sound of the pipes at the finish line.

Next up were Tony, Mark and Jo of the Brixham Badgers. Like us they had lost a teammate in training and had to replace him and they stressed the importance of training on hills to prepare for Trailwalker. Their training adopted the '10% Rule' gradually increasing the distance each week in the run up to the event. Their plan was to build in time in the second half of the walk and gain encouragement from beating their plan which included blitzing the hill in the final stages.

The support team were very well organised. Each walker had their own box of clothing and gear. At each checkpoint, the walkers were greeted by the support team and lead to the vehicle where 4 chairs were arranged around a square blanket with their stuff infront. Pit stops were kept to a minimum 20-25mins with the exception of one afforded half way of nearly an hour because the team were well ahead of schedule. The Support Team used a flag mounted above the vehicle so it could easily be found at each checkpoint and this was handed to the team at the last checkpoint so the support team could see them coming and cheer them in at Brighton.

It was also interesting to note that Support Team members can walk down the trail to meet the walkers, take instructions and run back to the Support Team. They can also walk with the team up the trail from the checkpoint as a boost before turning round and coming back.

Last year they explained it rained for the first 10 hours and suggested that 'waterproof' is a relative term. Beyond the halfway stage two of their teammates started to suffer with knee and foot problems including monumental blisters and continued the rest of Trailwalker in pain which apparently was only eased with the use of walking poles. On the same subject, they recommended anticipating pain management and alternate between nurofen and paracetamol over the duration of the walk. Despite the adversity of injuries and bad weather, they managed to complete the walk in 27hours 53minutes raising £2,770.50 for Oxfam and The Gurkha Welfare Trust. To read their blog in full you can find it here.

The Prep Session ended and we agreed it had been a useful experience especially to listen to those who had been there and done it. One thing that doesn't really come out in blogs is the mental and emotional side of doing this as everyone expects physical pain. The Brixham Badgers managed to reduce a few members of the audience to tears as they described their highs and lows - we need to prepare for that. Thanks to Mark, Tony and Jo for putting it together and getting up at 5am to be there.

We headed for the cars for the next phase of the day - training on the Trailwalker Route at last.