Written by Scott Harris - http://runninganimo.com
I have to admit I was a little nervous about this race. Only natural I guess due to it being my first stage race running 230k in 5 days. But I think the biggest concern was the heat, it was likely to be between 35 and 45C! After spending a few months in warmer climates this year I knew, or rather I hoped this would be a better time to take part as I was more accustomed to the heat than ever before. I took my taper seriously and only ran 5 times in the 2 weeks leading up to the race, there was enough to do organising my kit so I didn’t really notice the lack of running.
On the flight from Southampton I found myself randomly next to and behind fellow competitors. The running talk started a few hours earlier than I expected as Tony (Hewett), Penni and I discussed kit, previous races, training etc. We soon arrived at the hotel and met more runners and the running talk continued, some returning runners were starting to worry first timers with stories from previous years. I quickly learnt to ignore pretty much everything they said as it became apparent they were winding us up. It was quite amusing actually and good fun as others started to realise what they were doing.
I got a terrible sleep that night. Shortly after going to bed a very loud party started at midnight. It finished at 7am. Great!! Tony and I decided to do a short recce of the opening climb to calm the nerves. I’d spent most of the afternoon the day before staring at the mountain in the boiling hot starting to get a little concerned with the opening 10k. It seemed okay and we both felt more confident, upon our return we quickly learned that we had turned back just before it started to get really steep. Oh well. It was a long day as everyone was eager to get going. Once everyone had sat down for dinner though the nerves calmed a little as there was no longer time to kill. Once you had finished dinner it was up to your room to sort out your kit and then bed. I don’t remember having a great sleep and have forgotten what kept me up, probably pre-race nerves.
Stage 1: Loja to Alhama de Granada, 39km
Total Ascent : 1330 m / Total Descent : 976 m
After a group photo 50 runners lined up to start the first stage. It was great to be in control of what would happen rather than thinking about all the ifs and buts for the past two days in Loja. We were off and for some reason I found myself leading everyone out of Loja. Not quite sure what was going on here, why was I in front? Have to admit it felt good to be in 1st place, something I’ve never experienced before and something I knew wouldn’t last for long. It didn’t take long to be over taken and to be honest I was grateful though I did retake the lead for a tiny bit longer. Now I could just focus on my race as a few others started to overtake. I had no intention of using up too much energy up the first climb which was roughly 1000m. It started to get really hot as we climbed and I was already sweating bucket loads. Because of this I was drinking a lot and had already got through a couple gels. An extremely welcome wind was waiting as everyone climbed higher and the temperature dropped. I got over the climb and to the first aid station at 10k feeling quite good, now it was time for a descent. I started to pick speed up and noticed my stomach not feeling so great. I started to feel bloated and immediately regretted taking on too much water and the gels. I continued on dropping a couple more places. My stomach felt a bit rough for a while and then I had a stitch coming and going. I found it hard to run downhill at any pace due to my stomach. I kept going at an okay pace in the heat enjoying the views. There was a stretch of new tarmac where it got really hot. My stomach still wasn’t right and later I felt further discomfort as I started to feel a bit sick. It wasn’t very pleasant and I was really grateful when I could see Alhama de Granada in sight as the heat was starting to get to me in the later stages of the race. I finished in 4 hours 32 taking 16th place. I stuffed my face with watermelon and soaked my legs in cold water at the finish line.
Stage 2 : Alhama de Granada to Játar, 48km
Total Ascent : 1640 m / Total Descent : 1500 m
I didn’t sleep particularly well but was looking forward to the longer day. After stomach issues on the first stage I decided I would only take gels if I got desperate and drink when I felt thirsty rather than pre-emptively like the day before. It was hard enough running when it got really hot and I really didn’t fancy any stomach issues as well. The start of the run took us through a gorge which was stunning and had a lot of shade. It was a nice cool start to the stage and we also started 45 minutes earlier than the day before at 9am. Everything was going well and I was enjoying the run and was on course to get in around the 6 hour mark. But as the day got hotter I started to really feel the heat and started to slow down. It was really frustrating as I walked about 1km to the last aid station. I sat in the shade, cooled off and got a couple cups of coke in me. I enjoyed resting for a few minutes then got up and walked out the aid station. I slowly picked up the pace and finished in 16th place again in 6 hours 22 minutes.
Stage 3 : Játar to Jayena, 39km
Total Ascent : 980 m / Total Descent : 1035 m
After taking a beating from the heat for the past two days I’d decided I’d try to finish in around 4 hours. I wasn’t sure if it was better to run that bit faster and avoid the heat or a little slower but be in the sun longer. Which was more energy sapping? I could really notice when it got to 2pm in the afternoon and after not enjoying the heat it was time to try running faster. I was on a mission and held a good steady pace only slowing down for a couple of the long ascents. At one point you had to run parallel to an airstrip and could see the track in the distance with hardly any shade. I just put my head down and kept moving, focused on finishing at 1pm. The heat wasn’t getting me today! I kept a good rhythm the entire race and hit my target finishing in 4 hours 2 minutes. It was easily my best day so far and I managed 8th place.
With the longest day coming up in stage 4 I decided it was time to look at the overall standings. I was 10th with four people within 4 minutes of me. I wanted to finish in the top 10 at the end of the week so the plan for stage 4 was to try to finish ahead or very soon after the 4 people breathing down my neck.
Stage 4: Jayena to Alhama de Granada, 67km
Total Ascent : 2031 m / Total Descent : 2083 m
After running 3 stages I had slowly learnt the best way to keep myself as cool as possible. I had started the week wearing a cap with a flap to keep the sun off but I’d learnt that it was better to combine wearing a buff and the cap. At aid stations get the buff soaking wet and my white cap should ensure the buff retained the water and keep myself a little cooler. I was also putting ice cubes between the buff and cap when I felt the need. Putting ice cubes directly on my head underneath the cap was a little uncomfortable as it was too cold; something I really didn’t expect! I was also learning to pour water on myself on a regular basis which made a huge difference.
I had two packs of shot blocks with me which I’d forgotten about but was very grateful when I remembered as there was no way I was getting through the day without having something to eat. In retrospect I think the stomach issues on the first day were due to the speed at which I filled my stomach rather than it being the gels but in this heat I wasn’t eager to eat gels so it was good to have an alternative.
I would be starting with the leaders group at 8.30am with two other waves leaving at 7.30 and 8. I cheered the first two groups on between sorting out my kit and was grateful of the coolness of the morning. Should be fun to run in the cold…though off course it wouldn’t last!
The night before at the race briefing we were told about a river crossing so I had a spare pair of socks which I would immediately change into. We set off and it was good running in the coolness of the morning and we soon came across a stream. I hopped over that and wondered why I had brought my socks. I soon realised why as we approached the crossing that was referred to in the briefing. There were some sandbags you could walk over but looked a bit dodgy and one person who set off earlier was unlucky enough to fall in near the other side! I only found about this in the evening but I didn’t trust those sandbags and I had a spare pairs of socks so I sprinted through. Shortly afterwards I sat down and changed my socks. I was now at the very back and enjoyed the calmness that I felt being there, everyone was ahead. If I had a good day it would be all overtaking from here.
It was really good running around the lake at the beginning and everything was going well enough. As I approached the fourth aid station of the day there was a downhill section. I sped up but quickly realised that I was unable to slow down as for some reason I’d lost control of my legs. Gravity pulled me harder and I was getting concerned at the lack of brakes but thankfully it levelled out and I was soon sat down at the aid station. The heat had been getting to me again somewhere between the third and fourth aid station so it was really nice to have a cold coke and Fanta from the bar the aid station was in front of. A couple of guys who I was trying to stay ahead of had caught me up so it was time to get going and hopefully speed up a bit. Some flat road was quickly followed by a hill which wasn’t easy. I went for the shot blocks. Amazing! They gave me exactly what I needed and I had to make sure I didn’t eat them too fast and overload my stomach. At the top of the climb was the fifth aid station of the day and a welcome rest from the sun. A towel over my shoulders as I topped up my water and it was time to go again.
The shot blocks were giving me an amazing amount of energy and I was starting to get a second wind. I started to speed up. The heat no longer had an effect on me. At this point I knew there was still one person who I had to finish ahead to hold my top 10 position. At the last aid station of the day I asked where he was, the response of a couple minutes ahead was a huge motivation. I was still feeling fantastic and decided to go hunting. It took a while but I did catch up, rather than overtake straight away I waited, stalking him and let some energy gather. I hadn’t seen him for about 40k and as a descent approached I speed up and flew past him. It felt brilliant and I soon caught up with someone else. I overtook and continued to maintain a good pace all the way to the finish line. I finished 5th for the day in 8 hours 4 minutes.
Stage 5: Alhama de Granada to Loja, 37km
Total Ascent : 1120 m / Total Descent : 1500 m
After two good days I was now 8th overall and I was determined to stay there. It was the last day, an amazing experience was coming to an end but there was still enough running and a lot of effort required. I’m not sure why I wasn’t feeling the heat the afternoon before but it felt so hot and was really hard work on day 5. I held a steady pace and made sure I stayed ahead of 9th and 10th position. The bottles on my pack had been bouncing around a lot the day before and my ribs felt a little sore on contact when running with two bottles filled with ice and water. I had to claw out some ice cubes and ditch a bit of fluids from both bottles later in the day to avoid any pain. The run was going okay but the approach to Loja was very long mentally. You kept on thinking you were far closer than you realised and with about 5k left my watch battery run out. Just to make it a bit longer! I had no idea how far to go and kept moving. I was down to my last bit of water and was deciding if I should drink it or throw it over my head as I didn’t have enough for both. Before I decided what to do I found a tap by the side of the road. I drank the rest of my water and got my buff and cap soaking wet and ran into Loja. I crossed the finish line extremely happy that this was the last day. I finished 9th for the day in 3 hours 56 minutes.
I quickly found some watermelon and the thought of a comfortable bed and a proper shower was too strong and I was soon in my hotel room. I showered, popped over to the supermarket opposite the hotel and went back to my room to sleep. I’d managed to maintain my 8th place overall finishing in a time of 26 hours 58 minutes and 21 seconds. Phew! What an amazing week that was. I highly recommend it.
After the award ceremony and dinner and lots of good byes I went back to my hotel room. Very loud music started at midnight but I slept very well. It was an early start to catch my flight and when I woke the music was still playing at 6am as people continued to party! Nutters….
Overall results can be found here
A huge thank you to everyone involved. The organisers, the volunteers, the medical staff, the runners who found themselves on the aid stations, James for the great photos, the runners and everyone else who made it an epic week. Please check out the race website here. It really was an amazing week and great to get to know so many cool people.