Tamadaba Trail Tour (T3)

I have been putting off writing this post for a while now...but here goes...

The first edition of the Tamadaba Trail Tour holds mixed emotions for me! The race covered a 20km course around my favourite part of Gran Canaria, Tamadaba. It is always a pleasure to run in such spectacular scenery, however unfortunately this race did not end well for me!

The week before the race was my 30th birthday which I have to admit I may have over indulged a little in my alcohol intake, leaving me very run down for a couple of days and making me miss 4 days of training. I was in two minds about whether I would run the race or not! the evening before the race I managed to run for 15minutes and felt 'OK'. So I decided that I would be on the starting line!

I started the race at my usual fast pace wanting to make my competitors work from the gun. Two runners came with me, Jose Salom and Matias Ojeda. I kept pushing but felt in my body that things weren't going exactly how they should be. Jose and I started to pull away from Matias, I didn't know much about Jose's ability apart from that he was a road specialist and a former Ironman. His road speed became apparent during a road section of about 2km, he quickly pulled away from me, however I didn't worry too much as I knew I would be a lot stronger on the descent.

Hitting the top of Tamadaba (1400m) I was told that Jose had a lead of about 2mins which I thought I would catch easily. Coming off the top off the mountain I quickly increased my speed on the easy descent as I wanted to catch Jose before the technical descent section. Things seemed to be going well and I was feeling confident. However things suddenly took a turn for the worse!! I lost my footing and fell forward landing heavily on my right shoulder and left hand. Straight away I knew something was wrong....but something inside me told me to get up and run!! my shoulder and hand were in agony  but I kept running. At the next drinks station I told the organisers that something was wrong, but I decided to keep going. I managed to keep my speed up quite well  and I was able to minimise the pain by clasping onto my t-shirt keeping my arm across my body.

At the begining of the technical descent, which was about 5km from the finish I stopped with some of the organisers who tied a few t-shirts and jackets around me to stabilise my shoulder. I decided that I would not be able to run any more as the adrenaline had worn off and the pain had become too much. Two spectators very kindly escorted me down the mountain giving me water and painkillers...

It was not a very enjoyable descent firstly watching Matias go by and then the other runners. Everyone offered me words of encouragement as they passed by. For some reason I decided I wanted to finish the race running and as you can see from my face this was very painful.

I was whisked straight off to the local clinic where they re-located my dislocated shoulder and bandaged up my hand. I went back to the competition centre to thank the organisers and the other runners for looking after me so well.

Later that day I got x-rayed and found out that I had broken my collar bone and my thumb... and that I might be out off training for up to 8 weeks...

More to follow...

Ruta de Doramas 2010

Ruta de Doramas 2010

2010 has been probably my least successful year in running that I can remember, plagued with illness and injury I have only won one race, Maraton del Norte (a 60km trail race) in June. At times during this year my motivation has dropped and I have gone long periods with very little structured training. However in September I decided to do something about how bad 2010 has been and I left my job to concentrate on my running. For the past 10 weeks I have trained more (and better) than I have ever trained, with my main goal this autumn being Gran Canaria Challenger, an 85km Trail race. The week before the race I felt like I was in the shape of my life, however this would be first experience of Ultra distance running so there were lots of unknowns! during the first quarter if the race I felt brilliant, I had built up a significant lead and was running a pace which I felt I could keep going all day. This feeling didn't last long after about 20km the plastic tapes which were marking the course suddenly stopped! I didn't have a clue where to go, and I was all by myself! I decided the logical way was up and over the hill in front of me..so I started climb the rocky hill, on the other side I found a small path which seemed to go in the correct direction! after about 5minutes of running a long this path it stopped and I was lost again, with another 10minutes of running around like a headless chicken I suddenly saw the red and white tapes of the route ahead! this sight filled my with anger more than joy as I knew I had lost a large proportion of my lead and the more experienced runners behind will have made significant gains. To cut a long story short, this anger and frustration with the race organisers lasted the race of the race. I was caught by the chasing group soon after 35km and they did not have much difficulty going straight past me! It is impossible to guess how I would have done in this race if the organisers had managed to tape the route fully, I may have still finished in the position I did! however at least I would have enjoy the race instead of been infuriated the whole time.

Challenger was supposed to be my last race of the season! I had billed it in my head as "the last race of my 20s" (as I turn 30 at the end of November). Following the disappointment of the race I immediately started to look for another race to run before I turned 30, with only 5 weeks I was unsure if my body would have recovered from the experience of Challenger in time to full fill this goal!

I decided upon Ruta Doramas, a 27km trail race around the mountains of northern part of Gran Canaria. Last year I was a spectator at this year and was impressed with the level of organisation. So I filled out my entry form and sent it away and started to pray my legs would feel better soon.

The 3 weeks between the 2 races was very busy, with my parents coming to visit and various other commitments. I managed to do about 10 days decent training, including only one long run (Tamadaba Trail Tour). The Tuesday before the race I decided to run a reduced interval session at the athletics track to see how much speed I had in my legs, during my 3 interval my right leg seemed to disappear from under me, it had no power what so ever! I could see all the disappointments of 2010 flash in front of me! Should I write-off this year completely and focus on 2011?? I hobbled home after been forced to cut short this training session and started to re-evaluate my plans to run Ruta Doramas. I gave myself until Thursday night to decide what to do. On Thursday night my hamstring was still extremely tight I spent most of that day stretching, icing and heating the affected area. Going to bed that night I was still unsure whether I would be at the start line. On Friday morning I got up and felt like a new man, the pain and tightness and lessened significantly, and I decided that I would run!

There was a very strong field expected in the race, ironically my main rival would be one of my oldest friends, Ewan McCarthy who is in Gran Canaria for a training camp. The race started with the usual fast pace with everyone fighting to be first to the start of the first decent along a very narrow trail that is nearly impossible to pass people on. I was 3rd starting down the valley's very steep side and put my knowledge of this path to good use. I have trained many times in Firgas and knew every twist and turn of the path ahead. I reached the bottom in 3rd position and quickly took over the 2 runners in front as I didn't want to be behind any one when we reached the technical rocky sections. It wasn't long before I realised that my friend Ewan was with me closely followed by last year's winner Matías Ojeda Montesdeoca. Together the 3 of us pulled away from the rest of the field easily. Going into the first big climb Ewan took on the lead and I was able to draft of him and recover from my early pace. At the top of the climb we had started to pull away from Matias, however of the flatter section at the top he quickly reeled us back in and all three of us went through the first drinks station together.

I build up a small lead on the steep downhill section, quickly to loss it again on the steep up-hill section! Ewan and I kept together the whole way to about 20km constantly changing the lead and working together to try to distance ourselves from Mattias. When we hit the road section of the race I put my road running experience into action and stepped it up a gear trying to get away from Ewan as I knew he would be very strong on the final ascent into Firgas. Going into the last big climb (750m in about 2km) there was a small crowd at the bottom cheering me on, after about 15seconds I heard another cheer telling me that Ewan was close behind. Usual on this type of ascent I climb with my hands on my knees crunched over, however I knew I would need as much oxygen in my lungs as possible if I was going to beat Ewan, who is known to be a very stronger climb. So up-right I made my way out off the valley floor, with my legs burning and my lungs crying out for air. I hit the top with nothing left, knowing that I had about 200m along a flat road to go. I was hoping Ewan was in a similar state to me when he hit the top! with the finish line in sight I realised I had won! normally I am quite 'cool and collected' when I win a race, however this feeling of victory felt a lot sweeter as I have had such a bad year! I crossed the finish line with my arms raised in delight! I am won my last race in my 20s!

www.alisonhillphotography.com

Ewan finished 1min 30 after and it was great to share the feeling with my great friend! who's 2nd place was even more impressive considering that he has spent much of the last year living on an oil rig in the middle of the north sea. Matias, who has not ran very much in the mountains this year arrived home 7 minutes after me.

www.alisonhillphotography.com

I would like to thank Club de Montaña de Firgas for a fabulous race and a great party afterwards! I definately plan to return to Firgas next year.

Allan's top 5 Running Books

I have decided to do a feature where I 'review' (well review is maybe a bit of an over statement) my favourite running books, all of which can easily be bought on Amazon Books:

1. In Quest of Gold: The Jim Ryun Story

This book about running legend Jim Ryun is the most inspirational running book you will ever read. Ryun's story is maybe not as well known as Prefontaine's (for example) however in my eyes it is equally, if not more impressive. Along with his coach, Bob Timmons, Ryun re-wrote what could be expected of a teenager in terms of training, endurance and in competition. 

2. Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher and the University of Colorado Men's Cross-country Team

In this documentary style book Chris Lear follows the cross-country season of the University of Colorado’s cross-country team. You get to experience their epic training regimes and the trials and tribulations of their races.  The twists and turns you come across in this book sometimes make you doubt that it is fact not fiction. A must read for any runner!

3. The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story

Jim Denison’s book The Greatest is the story of undoubtedly one of the greatest human beings ever to have lived, Haile Gebrselassie. The book charts Haile life from his routes in rural Africa to his repeated World domination over every distance from 5,000m to the Marathon. Call yourself a runner? Then read this book!

4. Pre: Story of America's Greatest Running Legend Steve Prefontaine

Known as the ‘running Beatle’ Steve Prefontaine was the first (and maybe the only) long distance runner to cross the line from well know runner into international celebrity. Allow not the greatest runner of all time, Pre was certainly one of the most interesting athletes ever to have lived, and if his life had not been cut short so tragically who knows what he may have achieved. 

5. The Perfect Distance: Ovett and Coe: The Record Breaking Rivalry

Athletics has never seen (and is unlikely to see again) a rivilary to match that of Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Together Coe and Ovett re-wrote the middle distance record books in the 1980s. Their different family backgrounds and clashing personalities makes for one of athletics story greatest ever stories ever told.

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If you live in the Canary Islands and are tired of paying a lot more for you sports than you would at home, then check out Wiggle Online Cycle Shop. Wiggle is an online shop which specialises in selling top quality sports equipment from running shoes to GPS navigation systems.

However the best news is that they post to the Canary Islands! I have recently bought a new pair of Brooks Cascadias for close to half the price they can be bought for in Las Palmas, and they were delivered straight to my door within 5 days.

Challenge Gran Canaria 2010

This is a difficult blog to write without sounding like I am making a lot of excuses for my performance, so I will start of by saying that I am pleased with 4th place and that there is a good chance I would have been 4th place anyway (without the problems I encountered during the way).

For those of you that don't know, Challenge Gran Canaria is an 82km race that starts in Puerto Mogan at 6am and follows mountains trails across the highest peaks in Gran Canaria, eventually finishing in the capital city Las Palmas.

The race started on time and over 150 runners headed out into the moon light. The first part of the course was relatively problem free, with only one strange course marking that caused all of the front runners to come to a stand still to work out what was going on. Once back on course together with a small group of runners I broke away from the rest of the field as we began to climb Montaña Tauro. As we reached the summit I was in the lead and some how without changing pace I started to pull away from the rest of the runners and I felt really good. Descending Tauro I knew that I had gained a significant lead and was feeling really positive about the race ahead. However this positivity did not last long!

At the bottom of Tauro there was a small group of spectators that directed me down a track towards a small dam, as I reached the track junction at the bottom the plastic tapes which marked the course suddenly disappeared! So I took a random guess and followed the track to the left which very soon came to a 'dead-end'. I turned and shouted back to the spectators, who shouted back 'CLIMB!' so I started to climb the steep mountain side in front of me hoping to eventually hit a path, after a while I hit a small path and I had the dilemma of deciding which direction to take. I started to run expecting to see some plastic tapes, but there weren't any and this was a difficult part of the course with many paths and animal tracks etc. I decided to slow down to see if the following group would catch up and have a better idea of where to go. Eventually I was a sign post (not the organisation's) point towards Presa de las Ninas which I followed and after several hundred metres I was some the race marking again. You can see my alternative route below.

Crossing the dam at Presa de las Ninas I knew I had lost a significant amount of time, and from that point on I had an extremely bad attitude toward the race! I was so angry that the organisation could make a mistake like this. When you are running for 82km you should have nothing else to concentrate on except running. However that said I reacted extremely badly, I lets it affect me and it stopped me from enjoying the rest of the race which is a great shame as I have trained so hard over the last few months.

I managed to hold me deminished lead until after Roque Nublo 35km into the race, when the eventual winner Alejandro and the 3rd placed runner Jose caught me up. It was actually a bit of the relief to have people to run with again.

This relief did not last long. I went through the half way point at Pico de las Nieves spending very little time replenishing our supplies, soon things started to go strange! Several weeks previously I went to the organised training that covered this section of the course, and I returned a few times afterwards to re-run it again, so I knew exactly where to go. However Alejandro made an unexpected turn, where he should have continued to run straight on. I had no choice but to follow. There were no markings or arrows to show the way, the only way I could tell we were on course was by the footprints of the runners competing in the shorter Challenge Marathon. If I had been alone at this stage I would have had ZERO idea of where to go! and I don't understand how some of the other runners behind knew where to go. I found out after the race that the organisation had to change the route, but for some reason I can't find anywhere where this information has been written.

(more to come)

Challenge Gran Canaria... final count down

This time tomorrow I will have been running for 7hr30 and hopefully will be reaching the final stages of Challenge Gran Canaria. Challenge Gran Canaria is an 82km ultra-distance reach which starts in the seaside village of Puerto Mogan in the south-west corner of Gran Canaria and follows mountain trails diagonally across the island eventually arriving at Santa Catalina in Las Palmas.

My kit

Since leaving my job 2 months ago I have dedicated my time to preparing for this race. I have ran 100s of kilometres over the toughest terrain Gran Canaria can throw at me, and I feel like I am in good shape. My body has adapted well to the training and I am stronger than ever before.

However it doesn't matter how much training you have done...you never know exactly how you are going to physically and mentally react under race conditions. This race is 22km further than I have ever ran at one go before, it starts very early in the morning and I will be competing against people that have a lot more experience than me.

If any of my dedicated fans (Barry and Gordon) would like to watch the race, I am aiming for roughly 10km per hour. This should get me into Santa Catalina at about 14.30 tomorrow afternoon.

START (P.Mogan)- 06.00
Presa de las Ninas- 08.00
Roque Nublo- 09.30
Pico de las Nieves- 10.00
Santa Brigida- 12.00
Jardin Canario- 13.00
Teatro Perez Galdos- 14.00
Santa Catalina- 14.30

(could be any time between 13.45 and 15.00, but if you ask at the finish someone should be able to give you an idea where I am).

Good luck card from Alison, who is in Malaga this weekend :(  

OK, time to carbo-load....

Final race of the summer: Donard & Commedagh

My promotional tour of 'Europe' ended on a high, running up Northern Ireland's highest peak Slieve Donard, in the annual Mourne Runners Donard & Commedagh race. The race was won by Northern Ireland's inform fell runner Stephen Cummingham, topping an impressive season. I finished several minutes behind in 4th position.

Check out pictures from the race on Alison Hill Photography 

Lurig Challenge Cushendall 2010

Today as part of my Active Canaria promotion tour I ran the Lurig Challenge hill race in Cushendall. The 6km race was won by one of Ireland's biggest talents Joe McAllister of St Malachy's in 28.50 and I finished just over a minute behind in 3rd place. I was pleased with my performance as I have only been able to train a few times since the Mount Enta race earlier this month. Even though it was a short race it was one of the steepest ascents and descents I have ever raced on. Runners had to run to the top of Lurig Mountain (1100 feet) and then hurtle back down again into Cushendall.

More to come later...
If you want to see a photo of yourself from today check-out Alison Hill Photography, where you can purchase the digital file of your photo from as little as 99p (perfect for Facebook profiles). Online from tomorrow.

Grant and Stone High Wycombe Half Marathon 2010

With the choice of the Milton Keynes Half Marathon, the Swanage Half Marathon (which I was 3rd in last year) and the Grant and Stone High Wycombe Half Marathon I was spoilt for choice. Whilst I am in the UK I am based in Welywn Garden City, so I decided to run the High Wycombe Half Marathon and  am really glad that I did. Handy Cross Runners did an amazing job and it was truely one of the best organised road races I have ever run.

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

As for my performance, well things started off OK. I was a little stiff and sore after Tuesday's orienteering in Stanborough and the Bamford Village Fell race on Wednesday certainly took its toll on my gluts. I was hitting my target splits for the first several kilometres, but after about 7miles I started to really suffer in my hips, especially in the down hill sections... I am putting this down the 5mile (1000 feet) fell race on Wednesday night.

At about 9 miles I heard a pitter patter of footsteps behind me... I thought 'that doesn't sound like a man' and I turned around to see Sarah Gee, one of Britain's best female marathon runners! My male ego jumped in and I sped up to try to stay in front of her, but this did not last for long! I was extremely impressed with her pace and even more so now after 'googling' her and looking at how she has improved from a PB of 89mins in 2004 to a PB of 75mins in 2010, and she is in her 40s!!

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

I managed to finish quite strongly and finished in 6th place (5th male).

The race was won by Eddie O'Gorman in a time of 1:13:16 which was a very respectable time considering how undulating the course was. In second spot was John Herbert in 1:13:58 again a very good time (Herbert only took up running 18months ago).

Check out Active Canaria for great deals on winter training.

Bamford Village Fell Race

On Wednesday night I ran in the Bamford Village Fell race near Sheffield. Even though this is a small race it attracts some of the best fell runners in the country.

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

The race is an 8km 'up and down' with 300m climb. I found the race difficult from the start, partly due to my training being a little sporadic since being back in the UK. However I enjoyed the race and finished in a respectable 7th place (31.00mins).

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

Check out Active Canaria for great deals on winter training.

Gran Canaria's first Sprint Orienteering Race on Europe's most Southern Map

On Saturday 19th June new orienteering club O-riéntate and Active Canaria held Gran Canaria's first ever Sprint Race on Allan Bogle's new map (Gran Canaria's first ISSOM map and also Europe's most Southern orienteering map.

Although there were not as many competitors as was hoped (clashed with several other events) the day was
a great success for orienteering in Gran Canaria, bringing the level of organisation to 'a new level'.
Aside from the Principal race which consisted of a Prologue and Final, the organisers also held an event for beginners (Ven y Prueba- Come and try) and also a race for children.

The Prologue started at 10am from Faro 2 shopping centre in Maspalomas, with two runners starting at the same time and running different loops before punching a central control and then running their second loop. The fastest time in the Prologue was Fran Herandez in a time of 18.58, closely follow by Gran Canaria's resident Finn Mikka in a time of 20.55.
In the come-and-try event there were some very impressive times from new orienteers Alison Hill and Mike Kneeshaw (who would have placed very highly if they had ran the Principal race).

The final used a chasing start format with Fran starting first followed by Mikka. Fran had a very impressive final extending his lead to just under 5 minutes. Although making a few mistakes in the final Mikka was able to hold of Pedro who had an amazing final.

Circular de Tejeda

It has been a very long time since I have up-dated this Blog (I am sure not too many people have noticed), partly due to being very busy with work etc. and partly due being disappointed with my last race, Circular de Tejeda.

About one month ago I ran a race called Circular de Tejeda in Gran Canaria, which was a 38km trail race with alot of climb. From the beginning I was not on form and found the early (set by Ismael Molero Bethencourt) pace hard! Which was surprising as it was the perfect sort of race for me, steep climbs and rocky.

It was not long before Ismael opened at gap and I really had to struggle to keep him in eyes’ distance. However suddenly (around 15km) without realising it I was back together with him, we ran together for a few kilometres, however I found it difficult to hold my pace and started to drop back again. I found the next few kilometres very hard and started to cramp. To add to the misery I also took a wrong turning and ran about 500m in the wrong direction before realising that I made a mistake. When I got back on track I had been caught by the 3rd placed runner…and mentally I was defeated! I hobbled the next 5km, feeling really dehydrated and cramping badly. And if things weren’t bad enough I took another wrong turn (not my fault…the taping during this race was the worst I have ever seen)…and to cut ‘a long story short’…after several phone calls to the race organisers I could not understand where I was supposed to run and decided to drop out of the race and hitched a ride back with the red-cross. Not a good day…but a lovely course…

First ever ULTRA

On Saturday I ran my first ever Ultra Marathon*. For a long time I have wanted to test myself over this type of race, physically I knew I could complete the distance, however I was unsure if mentally I could (especially after the disappointment of the K42 last month).

(PHOTO: Alberto Cardona)

There was no particular reason why I choose Maraton del Norte (Marathon of the North) to be my first ultra, in fact I only completed my entry 3 days before the race. However it came at a time of the year when I did not have any other target races, and it also would give me the option of running next year’s Trans Gran Canaria (all entrants must have completed a race of 50km+ in the preceding 18months).
The race followed a 60km course through the mountains surrounding Arucas, Terror, Firgas and Valleseco and was a mixture of small trails, paths and roads. At the same time there was a mountain bike race taking place that started 15mins before the foot race and also a 30km race (bike and foot). As there was such a small entry in the 60km running race my goal for the race was not position orientated, I set myself the challenge of running 6hr30 (and I also, a bit arrogantly, decided that I wanted to beat some of the cyclists).
After missing the start of the race by one minute I had a faster than planned opening, but soon was in front of all the 60km and 30km runners. To help make me remember to hydrate properly I set my watch to beep every 15mins (something I will use again), and I also made sure I regular took onboard energy gels and bars.
After about 10km I started to see mountain bikes in the distance in front of me, I didn’t change my speed but I soon started to pick off the trailing cyclists (much to their disappointment). On some of the steep rocky trails mountain bikes find it difficult to find traction and it was easy to run faster than they could cycle.
The first half of the course was lovely, with breathe taking views over Valleseco, and the time flew by. After 1hr15 of running I asked one of the cyclist that I spotted had a Garmin (GPS) how far we had gone and he told me 16km, so I knew I was running faster than planned. However I was feeling good and decided to remain at the same pace. It was amusing when I passed spectators that thought they were watching a only a bike race, I told one old man that I had lost my bike!
The first 50km went by very quickly, and I reached 50km in about 4hours, however this is when my problems started. I came to a road junction and could not see any arrows or tapes marking the route, I started to run down a road that looked liked the obvious route, however after 2 or 3 minutes I realised I must have chosen the wrong road and had to retrace my steps. After remaining so composed up until this point, this mistake, lead to the first cracks. My 15minute reminder beeped from my watched and I ignored it, and carried on without drinking, this turned out to be a big mistake! At about 55km I could feel the signs of cramp in my legs, and still I didn’t drink! When I remembered to drink I didn’t think of adding some of my hydration salts, my cramp got worse and worse! With 2kms to go I started to walk, and the cramp eased off, I lent on a wall and stretched out the backs of my legs, this seems to make the cramps disappear and allowed me to continue for another few minutes before it returned. I was forced to continue this process for the rest of the race (walking, stretching, jogging, CRAMP, walking, stretching, jogging, CRAMP, walking, ...). My sprint finish must have looked very ungainly with my grimace and straight legs, however I did finish! 5hours 22 minutes, over 30 minutes in front of 2nd position. The last 10km had taken me 1hour 20 and were definitely the most painful kilometres I have ever run.
Once I crossed the finish line I hobbled to the physio and collapsed on the floor in severe pain, my muscles were visibly contorting below my skin! And all I could think of was when I could run my next Ultra Marathon.
*Ultra Marathon- any race over 42km, usually 50km and above.

1st Maraton del Norte (Gran Canaria)

I have decided (rather last minute) to run the Marathon del Norte on Saturday.

This is a new race for Gran Canaria were competitors have the option of either cycling or running. The route follows a 60km 'figure of 8' starting and finishing in Arucas.

There are a few reasons behind my decision to run this race:

1. I would like to run Trans Gran Canaria next year, and to be allowed to enter you have to have run a race of 50km or more during the preceding 18 months.

2. I want to test myself to see if I can run this distance, I am sure physically I am capable, however it will be the mental challenge that with be toughest.

3. This year I turn 30 :( and I have for a long time I have wanted to run an Ultra Marathon before I turn 30.

This seems like the ideal Ultra Marathon to choose to be my first, as it is relatively 'low profile' so I will have no pressure on me, it is pretty short (for an Ultra) and the course is not 'too' demanding physically.

It is also a long time before any target races I have coming up.

OK..time to CARBO-LOAD

Lizzy Hawker Trains in Gran Canaria

Former World 100km Champion and UTMB (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc) winner Lizzy Hawker has just spent the last 2 weeks training in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Lizzy first came to Gran Canaria at the begining of March to run Trans Gran Canaria, a 123km trail race that she easily won. So impressed with what the island to offer Lizzy returned to prepare for next month's London Marathon, and the Comrades Marathon in South Africa.

(Allan Bogle and Lizzy Hawker)

Active Canaria would like to wish Lizzy Hawker all the best in her up coming races.

K42 2010

OK, I have had a few days now to lick my wounds, mend my ego and to assess what went wrong during the K42.


Last weekend Gran Canaria held the first race in the K42 Mountain Marathon World Series. After winning this race in 2009 I was the pre-race favourite to win again this year and to go on to represent Gran Canaria in the final in Argentina. However things did not quite go to plan.

After having a bad race I am often the first one to start making excuses for myself! And this is something I could easily do now.

Photo: Alberto Cardona

However I am not going to do this, instead I am going to list the things which went well and the things which went wrong. Hopefully this will let me see what changes I need to make in my race preparation and execution.

Things which went well

My build up to the race I felt had gone well, and I was definitely in a lot better shape for this year’s race. I had gained a lot of valuable experience in marathon running this past year and I was feeling confident to repeat my victory again in 2010. However I did spot some weaknesses during the race that would suggest that I need to readdress several aspects of my training.

I also felt like I got off to a good start in the race, I often start off quickly in races such as this, putting the pressure on my competitors early on. I have considered since Saturday that this may have let me down during the race, however I on reflection I think other factors had a far greater influence on the outcome of the race.

Things which did not go well

My footwear. I suffered blisters very early on in the race.

Water intake, even though it was not a very hot day I did not drink any way near enough water during the race. I think I could have taken at least twice as much fluid onboard during the race.

My up-hill running. I often pride myself on my ability to run up hills very fast, however this was missing during Saturday’s race and I in fact often found myself walking up the steepest hills.

My down-hill running. After last year’s race I realised that my downhill running needed to improve and I have spent a lot of training sessions practising this, however it did not pay off on Saturday, and I lost lots of time on the downhill sections.

Things to change

I am adamant that I want to compete in the final of the K42 in Argentina again this year. My only opportunity to qualify now is in the Sahara in September. Before this year I have many important factors that I need improve. Apart from the things I mentioned above that I need to change I think I need to go back to basics. Since last year’s K42 I have focused mostly on mountain running training, and I have abandoned my track/ road running background, I feel this has had a negative effect on my speed. I need to go back to basics! I need to strip my training down and follow a more traditional ‘athletics’ training schedule with some specific mountain running training incorporated into it. I will keep certain things like my weekend long mountain runs however I will reintroduce my weekly track training and I will also start going to the gym to try to improve my downhill running and to help with injury prevention.

2 days to go...

The 2010 K42 is less than 48hours away now, and I am deep into my carbo loading regime! (getting a bit sick of pasta).
This week I have been tapering my training and just done a few light jogs and lots of stretching! Today I went to a spa to give my legs a treat and to help me relax.

(Training on the K42 course with Lizzy Hawker and Fernado Gonzalez)

Last night I picked up my race number and timing chip, to find out that I have been given No.1, so the pressure is well and truely on to reapeat last year's performance.

K42 training

Today was my last 'long' training before next month's K42. Last year I won the K42 on my first attempt at a marathon, and my prize was a trip to Argentina to compete in the K42 final.

Today I ran for 4hr45 mins (my longest ever training run). I ran the last section of the Gran Canaria Chellenger route along the barranco to Santa Brigida. I chose this route because it follows a dry river bed for most of the way, which is very similar the final 15km of the K42 route, and it was this section that I suffered the most last year.

I felt good for most of the run, until the final 30mins. However I had my girlfriend Alison to keep my company during this section. She is training for a 5km Race for Life this summer and ran to meet me.

Lizzy Hawker wins Transgrancanaria 2010

British ultra running super star, Lizzy Hawker, has won the 2010 edition of Trangrancanria.

(PHOTO: Alberto Cardona)

The Swiss based North Face runner lead from the start, giving most of the top men a run for their money in the 123km ultra marathon across the beautiful island of Gran Canaria. At the 83km aid station in El Garañon Lizzy was in 6th position over-all, and was feeling very strong. With no pressure from the other girls in the race, she was able to cruise the last 40km finishing in 11th position over-all, beating many top male athletes.

The mens race was won by Bejarano Miguel Heras (13 hours, 04 minutes 14 seconds), who took the lead near the start and held it to the end. This was his first time running Transgrancanaria which he described as very hard and the biggest win of his short ultradistance running career.

Over an hour later finished Arnau Julia in 2nd place, repeating the same postion as last year. In 3rd was last year's champion Adolfo Aguilar.

(PHOTO: Alberto Cardona)

Training with Lizzy Hawker

Over the past few weeks I have been working for Trans Gran Canaria which is a 123km Ultra Trail race across Gran Canaria that takes place this weekend.

Many great athlete have run this race including ultra running legend Marco Olmo. This year´s star entrant is Britain´s Lizzy Hawker.

Lizzy has won Ultra Trail Mont Blanc twice and is the 100km World Champion.

I had the opportunity to train the other day with Lizzy and to pick her brain to try to find the secret to her success!

More to come soon!!

Müller and Leonhardt win in Tamadaba

Swiss orienteering star Matthias Müller and Austrian orienteer Karin Leonhardt both came out on top in Tamadaba today. Matthias won the 7km H21course in a very impressive time of 38 mintues beating me by over 2 minutes. Karin's win was equally as impressive winning D21 on the same course as the H21 in just under 60 minutes, beating most of the men.

I was quite please with my run today, as I have had quite a tough week's training. I was pretty clean until the 9th control when I lost my line through some green. Matthias caught me and we ran the rest of the course together. I felt good to be running with someone like Matthias after such a long break from top level orienteering, and it made me really want to try to get to some race in main land Spain and the UK.

VIII Media Maratón Campo a Través Ciudad de Arucas (half marathon Arucas)

Today was Carucat's 8th annual mountain half marathon in Arucas. I had planned this to be my last race before K42 Gran Canaria (6th April), however things didn't quite go to plan. After spending a little longer than planned at carnaval (dressed as The Tin Man), I forgot to set alarm clock to off on Sundays. I woke up at 09.10 ate a bannana then started to look for the car keys, to cut a long story short I eventually found the keys at 09.45, and started to attempt to get Arucas for a 10.00 start. As I arrived in the car park I heard the starter gun go while I was frantically looking for a car parking space, I quickly changed my shoes and ran to the start to pick up my number and timing chip. I started 8mins behind the other competitors. It wasn't long before I start to pick off some of the slower runners, passing runners soon became very difficult on the narrow paths. I never quite caught up with the leaders but I managed to finish in 8th position in a time of roughly 1hr27 (I forgot my watch too).
The race was won by host club's Yeray Santana in the very quick time of 1hr24.

What have I learnt today? Carnaval and racing do not mix well!

Results available here. Or on Top Time's webpage.

Corre Ve Y Dile!! What a crazy race!!

At the weekend Zonaboxes and RunGoSay (my mountain running club) held their second edition of Correveydile, and Active Canaria had a team 'running'. Before you read anymore let me explain, this was a novelty race where teams were expected to dress up! So for some reason Active Canaria decided we would go as the Spice Girls.

Active Canaria's team consisted of:

Allan Bogle- Posh
Alison Hill- Ginger
Gordon Sutcliffe- Sporty
Manga Dembele- Scary
Fran Harkins- Baby

Although we did not win, or came anywhere close to winning we had a great time...and we are already thinking about what we will dress as next year! Any ideas Gordon?

Photos: Bichillo Runner

Africans dominate in Gran Canaria Marathon

Kipkosgei Kutto James (Kenya) and Ture Chatumoha (Ethiopia) win the new edition of the Gran Canaria Marathon.

Las Palmas lived up to its high standard in sports event organising yesterday by hosting the new edition of the Gran Canaria Marathon. Over 3000 competitors from 23 countries hit the historic streets of Las Palmas, cheered on by thousands of spectators which lined the entire route.

Kutta could not get close to his PB (two hours and eight minutes), however he ran a very respectable time of 2:17:40. Behind him was the Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Vaquero with an amazing time of 2:18:30 and Swede Kristoffer Österlund, who crossed the line in third place (2:28:53).

The women´s race followed a similar story with the Africa runner, Chatumoha winning in a time of 2:40:31 followed by Aroa Merino in second (2:50:08), and Heike Angel in third (3:19:46).