On Saturday 5th April 2014 6 brt members ran the South Downs Way 50 mile Ultra.
Susie Casebourne, Tim Cox, Dave Palmer, Colin Hanks, Danny Garbett & Alan Bennett.
Some were attempting to better their results from last time, others using the experience as a training run for bigger goals later in the year, or for some it was about the journey & to just finish their 1st Ultra event.
It cannot be stressed enough how tough both mentally & physically this type of event is. To be on the start line having completed all the training without incurring injuries is an achievement in itself.
Pleased to report all 6 finished in great times & the weather was a vast improvement on the wet & freezing conditions of last year.
The runners would like to thank all their families, friends & supporters.
Times were:
Tim Cox 8:48:08
Susie Casebourne 8:48:25
Dave Palmer 9:0301
Colin Hanks & Danny Garbett 9:45:40
Alan Bennett 11:31:10
Some quotes below:
'The day after the day after and i can honestly say I feel so so proud of my achievement.....what a great event....Centurian were brilliant...the marshals were awesome and this rates as one of the best things i have ever done. Thank you.' (Danny)
And so, with the dust from the SDW50 barely settled, we move on to planning for the SDW100 on June 14th/15th.
Much work to do, but if it were easy then I wouldn't see the point.
This is going to be a tough journey ...' (Alan)
'Very pleased with 8:48 in yesterdays SDW50. Another great learning experience in my long distance journey. Today I realised that I could have done several things differently with greater benefit '
'Write down your thoughts over the next couple of days before they get muddled. Think about what worked, what didn't, what was uncomfortable, what you didn't need, what you wanted, where it hurt, when it hurt, were you too warm, too cold, were your shoes good, etc Then think how you might change each one of those things and how that would impact how you felt and the result. Its obvious that I should not have drunk a bottle of red wine the night before but there are other things too. Some less obvious than others. I tried several things differently on Saturday to my 3 previous long events. For example no calf guards, no compression shorts under normal shorts, holding off gel for as long as possible. The main thing was deciding to try harder than usual from earlier on and see how my body / mind reacted. I made good decisions to control the situations I found myself in but a better game plan would have given me better control of what those situations were. ' (Wise words from Tim) Followed by:
'On the other hand I might just carry on being relaxed about these things, have a beer or 2 the night before and accept what happens on the day!'
'Almost forgot one important note of thanks! Top marks to the guy at Eastbourne who was making the chilli. That was a superb bit of post-race eating to come back to. Made me very glad that I had the foresight to put a beer in my recovery bag!' (Alan)
'Still grinning after completing my first ultra, I had heard about how good the aid stations were but found that they were not..... good does not even start to cover them exceptional amazing are better words to use, my thanks goes to volunteers always smiling and friendly, thank you to centurian for organising a top event, I can not wait for the hundred in June and my mammoth south downs picnic. Thank you all .(Dave)
'So, thats the SDW50 done with a substantial PB. How do I feel today? Lumpy legs, sore ankle, but otherwise pretty damn fine!'
'What an amazing day.
Massive thank you to EVERYONES amazing support. Did the winner get a cheer as big as us?
Thank you so much to my amazing running partner & great friend Danny Garbett. What a team. I know you shouldn't blow your own trumpet, but......................we were amazing. Another plus is that you only told me to "shut up" 4 times.' (Colin)
' Goooooooooooood Morning Ultra World! South Downs Way 50 of your finest English trail running miles with plenty of tough hills.' (Alan)
'After studying these prediction times for the SDW50. I reckon i might win it!!!!! I think i could easily do a sub 6 hour 50kms.'(Colin!)
& finally - Inspired, then get in touch with any of these & realise your dreams!
'I can't wait for race day - haven't felt this excited about an event in a long time. This is one of those races that I would really encourage anyone to try if they have successfully completed a marathon or two already. It is one of the most beautiful courses you'll find in this part of the world. If you are considering it for next year then bite the bullet and get your entry in. We have a good number of ultra runners who will be happy to share their advice and experiences with you.' (Alan)
.
Susie Casebourne, Tim Cox, Dave Palmer, Colin Hanks, Danny Garbett & Alan Bennett.
Some were attempting to better their results from last time, others using the experience as a training run for bigger goals later in the year, or for some it was about the journey & to just finish their 1st Ultra event.
It cannot be stressed enough how tough both mentally & physically this type of event is. To be on the start line having completed all the training without incurring injuries is an achievement in itself.
Pleased to report all 6 finished in great times & the weather was a vast improvement on the wet & freezing conditions of last year.
The runners would like to thank all their families, friends & supporters.
Times were:
Tim Cox 8:48:08
Susie Casebourne 8:48:25
Dave Palmer 9:0301
Colin Hanks & Danny Garbett 9:45:40
Alan Bennett 11:31:10
Some quotes below:
'The day after the day after and i can honestly say I feel so so proud of my achievement.....what a great event....Centurian were brilliant...the marshals were awesome and this rates as one of the best things i have ever done. Thank you.' (Danny)
And so, with the dust from the SDW50 barely settled, we move on to planning for the SDW100 on June 14th/15th.
Much work to do, but if it were easy then I wouldn't see the point.
This is going to be a tough journey ...' (Alan)
'Very pleased with 8:48 in yesterdays SDW50. Another great learning experience in my long distance journey. Today I realised that I could have done several things differently with greater benefit '
'Write down your thoughts over the next couple of days before they get muddled. Think about what worked, what didn't, what was uncomfortable, what you didn't need, what you wanted, where it hurt, when it hurt, were you too warm, too cold, were your shoes good, etc Then think how you might change each one of those things and how that would impact how you felt and the result. Its obvious that I should not have drunk a bottle of red wine the night before but there are other things too. Some less obvious than others. I tried several things differently on Saturday to my 3 previous long events. For example no calf guards, no compression shorts under normal shorts, holding off gel for as long as possible. The main thing was deciding to try harder than usual from earlier on and see how my body / mind reacted. I made good decisions to control the situations I found myself in but a better game plan would have given me better control of what those situations were. ' (Wise words from Tim) Followed by:
'On the other hand I might just carry on being relaxed about these things, have a beer or 2 the night before and accept what happens on the day!'
'Almost forgot one important note of thanks! Top marks to the guy at Eastbourne who was making the chilli. That was a superb bit of post-race eating to come back to. Made me very glad that I had the foresight to put a beer in my recovery bag!' (Alan)
'Still grinning after completing my first ultra, I had heard about how good the aid stations were but found that they were not..... good does not even start to cover them exceptional amazing are better words to use, my thanks goes to volunteers always smiling and friendly, thank you to centurian for organising a top event, I can not wait for the hundred in June and my mammoth south downs picnic. Thank you all .(Dave)
'So, thats the SDW50 done with a substantial PB. How do I feel today? Lumpy legs, sore ankle, but otherwise pretty damn fine!'
'What an amazing day.
Massive thank you to EVERYONES amazing support. Did the winner get a cheer as big as us?
Thank you so much to my amazing running partner & great friend Danny Garbett. What a team. I know you shouldn't blow your own trumpet, but......................we were amazing. Another plus is that you only told me to "shut up" 4 times.' (Colin)
' Goooooooooooood Morning Ultra World! South Downs Way 50 of your finest English trail running miles with plenty of tough hills.' (Alan)
'After studying these prediction times for the SDW50. I reckon i might win it!!!!! I think i could easily do a sub 6 hour 50kms.'(Colin!)
& finally - Inspired, then get in touch with any of these & realise your dreams!
'I can't wait for race day - haven't felt this excited about an event in a long time. This is one of those races that I would really encourage anyone to try if they have successfully completed a marathon or two already. It is one of the most beautiful courses you'll find in this part of the world. If you are considering it for next year then bite the bullet and get your entry in. We have a good number of ultra runners who will be happy to share their advice and experiences with you.' (Alan)
.