Introduction
In aid of The Children's Trust
Tonsley chap, Rob Bruce, and fellow Tonsley supporters, Ben Cuttle and Jim Price, will be competing in the Marathon des Sables in April 2011. Billed as the 'toughest race on earth', the event is a six day, 152 mile race through the extreme desert conditions of the Sahara in Morocco.
They've teamed up to raise money for The Children's Trust (www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk), a local charity to them in Surrey. The charity does fantastic work providing care, education and therapy to children with multiple health disabilities and complex health needs.
"Sounds like a lovely trip to Morocco. The heat of the sun on your back and the holiday feeling of sand between your toes…" we hear you say. Well maybe that's partly true, but let us set the record straight. They will be covering marathon distances everyday with a 50 mile stage in the middle. They will endure the desert heat (usually somewhere around 40degC / 100degF), mountainous dunes, have to carry all their gear and food for the week whilst suffering dehydration, loss of appetite and blisters the size of golf balls. This is no stroll along the beach.
Tonsley Events always strives to get you closer to the action, to give you more insight, the behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty and of course the event as it unfolds. And this endeavour will not disappoint, there will be blood, sweat and tears in spades. We will follow the three lads through their final training months before leaving for the desert at the end of March. Once there, we will track them through the race as they progress through checkpoints and send daily updates.
Join us on their journey and help them raise the valuable funds to help The Children's Trust continue their outstanding work.
The Children's Trust
The Children's Trust is a national charity working with children who have multiple disabilities and complex health needs. Based in Tadworth, Surrey the charity offers services to children from across the UK.
The combination of services offered by The Children's Trust is unique. Every year they help hundreds of children and young people and their families through...
Rehabilitation and therapy services for children and young people with acquired brain injury:
- Intensive residential rehabilitation programmes
- Support at home for children and families via our Brain Injury Community Team
Expert nursing and medical care for children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs:
- Services for technology-dependent children
- Services for technology-dependent babies
- Short breaks (either at the site in Tadworth or in the family home)
- Transitional care from hospital to home for technology-dependent children
- Continuing residential care
- Residential or home-based palliative care, including emergency palliative care
- Holiday camps for children with disabilities and complex health needs
Special education for children and young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and complex health needs:
- Residential and day education for learners aged 0-19 at The School for Profound Education (formerly St Margaret's School)
- Residential education for students aged 19-25 at The College for Profound Education
- Publication of The Profound Education Curriculum, a developmental curriculum for learners with PMLD
- Training and support for special education professionals
- An outreach teaching service for young adults with PMLD in residential care
Information, research and policy development:
- Support, training and education for families and professionals
- Research into better treatments and outcomes for children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs
- Giving disabled children and their families a greater public voice
They have an unparalleled reputation in their field thanks to their commitment to meeting the diverse needs of these children and their families, coupled with their ability to deliver the best possible combination of nursing, therapy, medical care and education.
The specialist services they provide come at a cost which is not fully met by statutory sources, so they rely heavily on voluntary donations from our supporters. Your support will help the Children's Trust continue their outstanding work.
To find out more about The Children's Trust, please visit their website.
The Challenge
What is it?
The Marathon des Sables is a six day, 151 mile (243km) endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco, taking place at the beginning of April.
The race is run over seven days and the total distance is equivalent to just under six regular marathons. The actual course and distances are still to be announced, but are roughly:
| Day | From |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | 12-15 miles |
| Day 2 | 22- 26 miles |
| Day 3 | 22 - 26 miles |
| Day 4 | Long stage - 45-50 miles |
| Day 5 | Rest day (although in reality many competitors need to use this day to finish the long stage) |
| Day 6 | Marathon day - 26 miles |
| Day 7 | Final day - 12-14 miles |
Rob, Ben and Jim will have to carry everything they will need for the duration of the race on their backs in a rucksack, including their food for the week. The race organisers provide a canopy between two sticks for competitors to sleep under (which is very open to the elements and the cold nights in the desert).
Mid-day temperatures can reach 50°C/120°F, and the terrain will involve stony ground, salt flats, mountain trails and the infamous dunes. Not to mention the violent sand storms which can reduce visibility to zero and cover everything in sight.
What kit will they need?
There is an obvious requirement for kit in a race such as this, but of course every item taken has to be carried. Extra weight will slow your speed and keep you in the heat for longer, so there is a fine balance between light and speedy and slow and comfortable. The team has mixed views on this, Rob and Ben favour light and speedy, whilst Jim favours weight and comfort - perhaps Ben and Rob should take heed of his prior desert experience!
Essential equipment includes:
- Survival gear (distress flare, salt tablets, luminous signal stick, aluminium survival sheet)
- Backpack
- Sleeping bag
- Torch with spare batteries
- Compass
- Lighter
- Whistle
- Knife with metal blade
- Tropical Disinfectant
- Anti-Venom pump (insect poison remover)
- Signalling mirror
They will then compliment this with luxuries like shades / goggles, sun hats, spare clothing, medical supplies. They may even consider an MP3 player - Bon Jovi in the dunes!
Carrying weight in the heat, over large distances and in sandy terrain can severely traumatise feet. The boys will wear specialist desert gaitors which should keep some of the sand out, but they will have to carefully manage their feet to ensure they have a chance of finishing.
What will they eat and drink?
Water is given out at each checkpoint and at the start and end of each race stage- this is bottled mineral water and competitors will need to use their water ration for cooking and washing as well as drinking. Electrolyte powders will be added to the water to help replace lost salts and carbohydrates.
The chaps will also carry all their food for the week and have to prepare their own food throughout the race. In the mornings and evenings they will eat freeze dried food that is rehydrated using boiling water cooked over a small stove. Not dissimilar to dog food in both looks and taste!
They will need to demonstrate that they have at least 2000 calories worth of food per day. Considering the average person uses around 2000 calories per day, and running a mile burns off around 100 calories, then this would be woefully inadequate. So the boys will eat An additional mixture of energy bars, biltong, dried fruit, nuts and high energy snacks.
Some random MdS trivia:
- During the 1994 race, Italian police officer Mauro Prosperi lost his way during a sand storm and wandered lost for more than 9 days, losing over 13 kg (30 lb) of body weight.
- Two competitors have died during the race.
- Lahcen Ahansal from Morocco has won 10 titles, and his brother Mohammed Ahansal has won 4 titles.
The Team
The Golden Joggers: 'You've probably heard of us!'
Tonsley Racing are proud to introduce, support and be racing with the Golden Joggers. Formed in a Teddington pub in 2009, by Tonsley supporters Al Muir and Ben Cuttle, the vision was to create a new virtual sports club and take the world by storm. The club name was derived by the area of South West London, where, over the years, many a beer had been sunk; the self proclaimed Golden Triangle (Teddington, Twickenham & Kingston). Aptly named the 'Joggers' reflecting the fun nature of the clubs endeavours, whilst also lulling competitors into thinking that they're racing an established setup and by virtue a good one. With their 'we'll accept anybody' registration policy, the Golden Joggers ensures that the 'crème-de-la-crème' of people who allegedly 'used to be very good at sport' are not lost to the sofa.
The clubs first entry onto the world stage was the Green Belt Relay, a 2 day 220 mile relay race around the outskirts of London. The 11 man team put in a solid performance finishing 29th out of the 30 teams entered. In the 2010 event 2 teams were entered, with the road to global domination then very much on the way. The club strapline of 'You've probably heard of us!' will certainly be engrained on the minds of those who witnessed the arrival of the teams. The new team kit clearly the envy of more established running clubs.
Despite representation at a number of other running races, the club's entry of a team into the Marathon de Sables is clearly a huge step forward. With the 'toughest foot race in the world' being covered by global media across print, TV and the internet, soon enough everyone will have 'probably have heard of us'!
So how did entering this event come about? Well, back in 2008 we were inspired by an Ironman at the time, a real-life weight-watchers success story who had started his ironman journey as an 18-stone beer-swilling sofa-based sports pundit. He talked at length about his story, his days of being grossly overweight some of which he never left the sofa. How his wife had tolerated his impromptu binge drinking sessions and how he once ate all 18 main courses on the Hampton Wick Tandoori menu in 24hrs. He spoke of his epiphany, how one day he saw the light and changed his ways, how he was laughed at buying trainers in the running shop and how walking home was his first hard training session. It was truly inspirational and he persuaded us to join the MdS as a 4-man team. To our great surprise, a year later he withdrew citing his demanding commitments as a brand ambassador to Ginsters. No-one has heard of him since.
So then there were three…
Rob Bruce
Looks can be deceiving. His grey hair and bandy legs suggest he should be lining up in the veterans category. Historically Rob has approached endurance challenges with a laissez-faire approach often starting with little or no training 'to see if he could do it' and relying on state-of-the-art gear to get him through. At no time was this clearer than in 2004 when he competed in the 100 mile Himalayan Stage Race when his only training was the Henley Half Marathon.
Rob soon realised that trading on his Himalayan stories was becoming dated and he needed some new content to try to impress people. The Marathon des Sables was the perfect opportunity, although this time unusually it seems that he has pulled out all the preparation stops. He has sought counsel from sports science experts at Kingston University, has sourced kit as far afield as Wisconsin USA and is unusually putting in the miles training.
Ben refers to him as 'Dad' in a reflection of his wisdom (not his apparent age), Jim as 'Seb Coe' with just a hint of sarcasm. Expect Rob to look the part on the start line and go out hard only to dramatically blow up on day two or three.
Ben Cuttle
Many ultra-runners who are reading this will know Ben very well. Many will recognise him from races around the country and his extraordinary capacity for food, but his real reputation and profile has been built online, where he is a well respected ultra-marathon blogger that goes by the name of 'big foot' (he thinks this has parallel meaning).
At six foot five, Ben is not the build of a standard ultra-runner.
Those who have endured long runs with him will be familiar with his constant wingeing of how he is disadvantaged, "my legs are too long", "I'm not built for this", "I have to carry too much food to fuel my massive body", the list is endless.
Whilst he feels he is a victim of his own size, the rest of us realise that that this man has huge physiological advantages over the rest of the field. His legs are so long that we have calculated he takes approximately 6 paces to Rob and Jim's 10. Meaning on any given run, Rob and Jim are working approximately 40% harder than him. In medical pre-screening tests for the race, the doctor classified him as a respiratory freak of nature, given the size of his nose and likening his lung capacity with that of an elephant.
Ben's preparation for the race has so far been exemplary. He has completed a number of ultra-marathons over the last six months and leads Rob and Jim in the amount of training miles completed so far. But he's a changed man. Before he met Rob, Ben used to wear Hi-Tec shoes and carry his kit in an Aldi bag. Now he wears Brooks ASR 7's and wouldn't been seen dead without a Raidlight. He is a weathered ultra-marathon man and a bastian of strength, expect this man to deliver a stong finish unless the race organisers penalise him for complaining too much.
Jim Price
Jim moved to Dubai with the sole aim of finding a suitable training camp for the MdS. Two years he trained hard in the desert acclimatising to the relentless heat and arduous terrain. But his quest to challenge the supremacy of Lahcen Ahansal (the famous Morrocan who has won the MdS an amazing 10 times) suffered a 'blip' when his young son Thomas was born. Little did Jim know, Thomas was intentionally preparing his Dad for the vigours of the race by depriving him of sleep.
His desert training has now continued, having completed the Dubai marathon carrying 11kgs in an impressive 4hrs27mins and is tipped to be the first British finisher in the 45-mile Wadi Bih Ultra in Oman in early February.
Few people know this man has real history with the desert. Comrades of his have questioned his ancestory, believing him to be part Bedouin, such is his connection with the desert. They cannot be blamed for he has shown clear signs of an affiliation with the Bedouin people, conforming to honor codes, justice dispensation systems and persuading his mother and father to adopt the Camel at Chessington Zoo.
Jim has unwavering views on kit. He has openly and vocally decided to shun the ultra-marathon community by going to the sahara with a view to being comfortable. He will be the only man in the race to have ever taken a duvet, hardback novel and reading light. Jim has even consulted Heston Blumenthal and is bringing Haute Cuisine to the desert. Not wishing to be inconvenienced with 'camping stoves' Heston and Jim have developed food that cooks through chemical reaction. Has any one told Jim about the 500 diners at The Fat Duck who got food poisoining?
Write this guy off at your peril. Despite playing everything down, his preparation has surpassed that of normal competitors (fancy moving your wife and subsequent child to a country across the world in preparation for a weeks race) - do not be fooled, he is no stranger to arduous tasks and his Bedouin heritage will ensure he's 'comfortably' quick.
Media Updates
The Golden Joggers seem to have captured the attention of various pockets of the press:
Surrey Advertiser - 25 February 2011
The boys were featured in the Surrey Advertiser paper. Click the image to download a PDF.
Eagle Radio - 2 March 2011
Ben and Rob made their radio debuts this evening with a pre-recorded interview at Eagle Radio – the local Guildford radio station. Elisabeth the kind DJ / interviewer went easy on the questioning and the boys enjoyed a brief 5 minutes behind the mic. The interview is due to hit the airwaves over the weekends of 19/20 and 26/27 March and will be repeated during the week the boys are racing in the desert from the 1st April. Once available we will have a copy of the interview here online.
BBC Radio Surrey - 10 March 2011
Ben and Rob made their radio debuts this evening with a pre-recorded interview at Eagle Radio – the local Guildford radio station. Elisabeth the kind DJ / interviewer went easy on the questioning and the boys enjoyed a brief 5 minutes behind the mic. The interview is due to hit the airwaves over the weekends of 19/20 and 26/27 March and will be repeated during the week the boys are racing in the desert from the 1st April. Once available we will have a copy of the interview here online.
Now building quite a local media profile, Ben and Rob were invited to be interviewed on BBC Surrey Radio with Nick XX. As we entered the studio we were instructed to don the headphones and sit in front of the mics. Quite simple instructions really, but only if indeed there were the required number of headphones and mics. Ben’s chair didn’t seem to have any headphones and he looked very left out, like a child at a party who missed out on the cake.
Headphone-less Ben answered the questions well none the less. Having heard of Rob and Ben’s growing media profile, Jim eagerly listened into the interview from Dubai and could only comment: “Rob, did you take a posh pill before going?”.
Training Updates
The boys have been preparing since September for this race (Jim will assure you he started in January!). Training has been a mixture of running (tempo, hills, sprints and a specific focus on long runs of 15+ miles at the weekend) mixed with gym strength work and other forms of cardio like rowing and biking.
Researching and evaluating kit is also a very important part of the preparation process! Understanding what you need and how much it weighs is critical. It's not easy. Go light and make life easier, but risk getting cold and hungry. Or take the comfort option knowing the heavier load will keep you out in the 40 degree desert heat for longer. Never underestimate the importance of kit.
This page is designed to give you the latest updates from the boys:
Rob's Updates
3 Sep 2010 - Desert Camp
Ben and I spent the weekend on the coast just west of Cardiff. MdS veterans Rory and Jen of UltraRace put on a weekend to inform and advise the runners of the 2011 race. Ben and I eagerly sucked it all up and then spent Sunday morning completing 20 laps of a 1k circuit up and down Europe's largest sand dune finishing equal second. Neither of us have really started training in earnest, but this has been a good wakeup call. Lots to do, training plans, kit research and testing, food and calorie plans, fundraising … the list goes on.
29 Nov 2010 - Kingston University Sports Science Department
Had a great session at Kingston University with Dr Chris Easton who tortured me on a treadmill to calculate my maximum HR and VO2 Max.
Some interesting results and definitely good data to assist with training.
5 Dec 2010 - Injury scare
Weekends usually consist of long run training and I complete short runs and strength work during the week. This weekend was no exception with 12 miles on Saturday and 17 on Sunday. In general things have been going quite well, or at least should I say I am training more than I have ever done before for this kind of challenge.
However, Sunday was not so good. My left knee has started to become quite painful after getting to about the 13 mile mark - time to seek help.
22 Dec 2010 - Specialist Appointment
Saw the physician today at Wimbledon Clinics, a specialist centre for sports injuries. He seems to think I have generated a condition called Illiotibial Band Friction Syndrome (ITBFS). The ITB is the muscle that runs from your butt to your knee. He thinks the distances I have covered in training, coupled with my running gait (bow legs!), causes the muscle to rub on the lateral femoral epicondyle which is the boney protrusion on the outside of your knee.
He's booked me an MRI scan to rule out anything more sinister and an appointment with a Sports Podiatrist to check out my gait.
31 Dec 2010 - MRI Scan
Back to Wimbledon clinics for an MRI. Sat on a chair with my leg stuck in a long hole within a strange electronic machine called an extremity scanner. The strange noises of the machine were tempered by classical music being pumped into the room. First peace and quiet I've had in ages and I proceeded to fall asleep for 30mins! The photo is misleading, the nurse was nowhere to be seen.
He's booked me an MRI scan to rule out anything more sinister and an appointment with a Sports Podiatrist to check out my gait.
1 Jan 2011 - Boxhill Knacker Cracker
Whilst most of the country were suffering hangovers, Ben and I met up on Boxhill in Surrey to compete in the UK's hardest 10k. It's a favourite of mine, having done it for the last four years. And it's a race with a twist - fancy dress is 'de rigour'. Ben and I planned to don what has become the Golden Joggers team kit - the morph suit, but a last minute hitch meant I had to don a token Fr Christmas hat - not so impressive. It takes the runners up Boxhill four times from different directions, so is good training for dunes within the MdS.
As I stretched my quads on the start line, Ben suggested that I was taking the race too seriously - which is obviously frowned upon. But as the gun went off for the start of the race, he galloped off down the hill like a racehorse in the lead pack. All in all a tough race. I came in 15th position in 00:52:40 cutting four minutes off my course PB - did someone say I was taking this too seriously?!
4 Jan 2011 - Sports Podiatrist
"A man with bow legs like yours who runs these kind of distances are prone to shin splints and ITB issues". Wasn't expecting him to be quite so frank! Anyway, the pain seems to have subsided, so we agreed probably don't need to do anything at the moment.
5 Jan 2011 - Follow-up appointment
MRI shows a healthy knee in terms of cartilage and the rest of the main infrastructure (my own medical term). The physician confirms I have ITBFS suggesting I vary the terrain I run on, continue stretching religiously, and come back if it flares up again. Good that it we have identified the problem and it seems to have gone away, bad that its there and could return.
11 Jan 2011 - Run to work
Haven't managed to run much in the last week. Felt guilty last night, so ran the 22 miles into work today. Cobham - Esher - Kingston - Wandsworth - Fulham - Chelsea - Millbank - Strand, not particularly picturesque and looked a right plonker with my front loading drinking bottles, but managed the distance carrying 9kg in 02:58:00 so pretty happy with that.
15 Jan 2011 - New Toy!
My new Garmin GPS arrived in the week. Took it for a spin around Boxhill. It tells me everything, heart rate, distance speed etc. Geeky stuff gives me stats that I have no idea what to do with. A massive case of 'all the gear'.
Completed 2 knacker cracker courses, which is just under a half marathon with a massive 1km of ascent and descent with 7kgs of kit in 2hrs - bring it on!
23 Jan 2011 - 45 mile ultra
Met Ben on Saturday evening after he had completed 45miles from Northampton to Tring along the Grand Union Canal - he'd cruised it and held back knowing he was going back to do the same in the other direction on the Sunday - 90 miles across 2 days - nutter. I on the other hand had opted for the one day and I have to admit feeling a fraud as I realised that a large number of the runners on the start line on Sunday had completed the previous day.
None the started under the pretence that I just wanted to finish the distance to give me the confidence I can finish the longest day in the desert. That was until I hit checkpoint 2 at 17 miles and the marshall told me, to my utter astonishment that I was in 3rd place and only 10 minutes behind the leader. No longer was the mission to complete - this was now a race. Soon after the second checkpoint I realised that my knee was starting to hurt again. It became incredibly painful whenever I tried to start running again after stopping at the remaining checkpoints or stopping to check the map. The ITBFS was back. None-the-less I continued to pursue the leaders for the remaining 30miles, but was unable to close them down, finishing in 3rd place in 7hrs11minutes, 11 minutes behind 2nd place and 25 behind the winner. Getting a trophy was great, but the return of the injury is concerning.
Massive shout to Ben who completed the Sunday in another solid performance to complete 90miles in 2 days - no mean feat. Since then I have been consistently reminded that "real men run both days"! Thanks to Jen and Rory at UltraRace who organised the run and have proven fantastic MdS advisors to both Ben and I.
24 Jan 2011 - Stairs; the ultrarunners nemesis
Tired and stiff. Never has anyone looked quite so stupid descending 22 steps. Lets hope the lifts work at work!
10 March 2011 - WileyX brand ambassador!
Proudly announcing my first endorsement deal! I will be wearing WileyX advanced eyewear during the race to help protect my eyes from the intense sunlight and keep out the sand should a storm kick up. Check them out.
11 March 2011 - Mileage takes a hit
The knee injury has put a major halt to all my mileage training. I have therefore had to concentrate on low-impact training that will not stress the knee. Unfortunately this has meant my cardio fitness has taken a dive and I hope that the knee will hold out past the first couple of days.
Ben's Updates
22 Jan 2011 - UltraRace – 90 mile race
It is fair to say that I've been putting it in over the last few months, and that training has been quite intense - numerous long runs, early morning gym sessions and some tasty hill reps. However, due to the laissez faire approach of Price, and with the annoyingly more natural fitness of Old Man Bruce, I have felt it necessary to put the hours in so that I am not left behind in the desert.
In an endeavour to tick a huge 'physical and mental' box, I recently completed the Ultra 45/90. A 2 day event, 45 miles each way, running from Northampton to Tring along the Grand Union Canal, and then back again. If you're a canal boat enthusiast then this is the event for you. Completing day one was a good result in itself, though knowing that you had to do it all again was a lot to get the head around. During Day One, I sporadically received motivating calls from Bruce offering words of encouragement… why was he not running you ask?… because he was at the Fireman Sam show.
The start of Day Two was epic: legs felt rubbish, the delights of Northampton awaiting 45 miles away and the sprightly bow-legged Bruce ready and raring. He literally dropped me like a hot potato after half a mile, and didn't look back, not even a goodbye… what a team player. I then spent the rest of the day literally wondering how/when I was going to finish, and just what is the attraction with canal boat holidays. A huge low point was fishing in my bag to pull out my ipod… surely some Bon Jovi could help me home… only to find that the banana I'd been carrying had burst open and typically wedged itself in the headphone socket and all over the screen.
Anyway, 90 odd miles completed in a cumulative time of about 17.5 hours. A lot also learnt about eating and hydration, and that the reality of running 50 miles in the desert with sun and sand will probably be a lot harder.
22 Feb 2011 - The Golden Joggers First Win!
In this running world it is unlikely that I am ever going to win anything. My preference for the odd Guinness and lack of Kenyan ancestry have put paid to that. That aside, and to my utter surprise, you can appreciate my amazement on recently discovering that having entered a competition whilst purchasing some new trainers that I had indeed won! It is fair to say that Jen was more delighted with the prize than I was. Having toiled, sweated and run countless miles over the last few months, the prospect of putting my feet up after MdS is a great prospect.
My prize though is a trip for 2 to run the Amsterdam marathon in October! Great. Another bloody marathon, and a trip to the diamond capital (amongst other things!) of Europe! Jen is amazingly supportive and tolerant of this whole debacle, though factoring in a 2 carat diamond on top of everything else wasn't something I'd thought of. This is costing me a fortune! Whose stupid idea was it!?!
22 Feb 2011 - London Ultra
Since the epic canal run, training has had its ups and downs. A slight knee twinge resulted in some lower than intended mileage runs so not to aggravate whatever the cause was.
This aside I was pleased to polish off the 50k (31 miles) London Ultra in 4hr 53. My legs have never ached so much after, though now I can be more considerate and know how Rob feels with his bow legs.
With a few weeks to go, I've started panic buying kit too. Thankfully with the Golden Joggers kit geek (Rob) having done PhD level research, decision making is quite straight forward.
6 Mar 2011 - Grantham Ultra
Thankfully my last big training run is complete. Another back to back run, and another bloody canal - 29.3 miles from Cotgrave (somewhere near Nottingham), to Grantham, and then back again the following day. This was my first real workout carrying kit, so got a good feel of what to expect… yep, I run a lot slower carrying 7.5kg on my bag, and I ache in more places.
Pretty pleased, and completed the cumulative 58 mile distance in 10 hours. Aside from food and hydration, I also worked on my ipod strategy. Unlike Rob, Kenny G doesn't really do it for me…..with 6 miles to go tapping into a bit of Linkin Park, Faithless and Fatboy Slim it was amazing how (or so it seemed), quickly I reached the finish.
Event over, I worked out that I have run over 150 miles of canal in the last 7 weeks. How dull does that sound?
Jim's Updates
21 Jan 2011 - Dubai Marathon
As the official "Weakest Link" in the Tonsley Golden Joggers I have left it late to start proper training, a shortcoming I blame entirely on the birth of my son Thomas.
First decent training run at the Dubai Marathon on 21 Jan. 4hrs 27 with the 11kg I am planning to start the MDS with - not spectacular but hopefully a pace that could be kept up on the flatter stretches in the desert. I am also a long way behind Bruce and Cuttle in the buying stash stakes.
The only advice I have to offer the other two thus far is on the one element I have purchased - some sunglasses… they're very good and keep the sun out of my eyes! Good enough for your NASA standard test comparisons Brucey?!
15 February 2011 - Top Tips from Pricey’s Maldives Training Camp
Back from my desert training camp - I can pass on the following Hot Top Tips:
- Rum Punches are best served as a lunchtime beverage when their refreshing qualities can be best appreciated in the heat of the day without requiring an immediate afternoon snooze on completion. They are a wasted cocktail as a sundowner when a cold beer is by far the better option.
- Snorkeling is a very tiring activity. On one occasion I had to actually swim AGAINST a current which quite frankly was more exercise than I was expecting. Snorkeling should only be undertaken either with the current or after a period of build up training.
- The Maldives is a very hot at this time of year, resulting in high sand temperatures. Should any walking be required then flip flops will prevent bad sand burn injuries, however my best advice (which I followed religiously) for enjoying a desert training camp on these beautiful islands is to lie motionless in the sun for as long as possible and to avoid moving anywhere.
My thorough preparation continues!
4 Mar 2011 - The M&Ms Tests
Rob heard M&Ms might be a good source of fuel for the race and asked me to test them out in the heat to see if they would withstand the rigours of the desert.
2 Mar 2011 - Visualisation Training
Under pressure from Rob and Ben to put more work in I went for a run today in order to find some sand to train on. I found some immediately on the side of the road - it kept getting in my shoes though which was incredibly annoying, so I came home.
I continued my preparation however by carrying out some visualisation training whilst relaxing on my favourite chair, which I thought would be just as useful as I'm told mental preparation is half the battle in the MDS. I'm mentally telling myself that there won't be much sand in the Sahara. Let's hope it works.
4 Mar 2011 - Jebel Hafeet Time Trial
First time trial on the raidlight stash, up and down Jebel Hafeet.
Happy with back and front pack in the heat. Front bottles with tubes did my head in though. Bog standard bottles for me I think.
Follow Us
We will be tracking the progress of the lads as they proceed through each checkpoint within the race.
TV
Eurosport 2 will be including Marathon des Sables updates within their evening news from Sunday 3rd to Saturday 9th April. Watch out for us!
The MdS webcam can be seen here.
Daily Race Results
See how the boys have got on each day. Race organisers will be posting daily results on www.darbaroud.com – you will need to enter either individual names, race numbers (see below) or possibly the team name Golden Joggers.
Race numbers:
Rob – 885
Ben – 886
Jim – 887
Support the lads
Write a message of support... the race organisers kindly receive emails on behalf of the competitors, print them out and deliver them to the competitors in the evenings when they arrive at that night’s bivouvac. The boys will welcome messages of support as they endeavour to peel off their footwear and drain the puss from their manky blisters! Click here to leave a message. You will need to include our full names and race numbers for it to get through.
Race Reports
Ben, Rob and Jim will try to write an email update every day, this will be posted here…
Ben
2 Apr 2011 - Admin Day
MdS has now probably heard about us! Small possibility that we'll get some global coverage. Film crew caught us and an official photographer, so check the MdS website.
Going dark now as about to hand in blackberry. It's hot and sandy here. The mood is good, and feeling strong. (Except Pricey's backside. He farted this morning and followed through, though that's one less pair of pants to carry!)
Jim
3 Apr 2011 - Day 1
Wow, what an intro. When people who have done 7of these say its the hardest Day1 ever you have to take notice. 10 miles of the 20 total were through and over the second highest dunes in africa - they were epic! Had a 10 min admin stop at start to sort socks and feet but happy to come in at 5hrs30 and in the mid 200s overall - higher than my 400-500 expectation. Feet not bad; body not bad considering so a few hours before we get up to do it ll again. 24 miles tomorrow….can't wait!
Ben
3 Apr 2011 - Day 1
Absolutely killer day. Just under 21 miles in total and said by some people who have done it before that it is one of the toughest days they've done.
As we left the start, ACDC's Highway to Hell was playing. All that the was missing today was the Grim Reaper! 8 miles of undulation and then 8 miles of dunes, followed by 5 miles into a headwind.
Highs: Finishing
Lows: Starting! One blister.
Learnings: If you're 14.5 stone, carrying over 10 kilos and have size 14 trainers, sand dunes are bloody hardwork!
Jim
4 Apr 2011 - Day 2
This morning made spicy by a sand storm that prevented anyone getting the cookers going - cold freeze dried food is not good! The first 10 miles were spent chewing sand in the storm but it cleared up after that (although the storm is back in the camp so we've got the same probem). The terrain today was more like running on the surface of Mars with periods of dunes thrown in for good measure! Lots of big sharp rocks to do ankles on and 1 guy fell and broke his leg. Overall it was slower than yesterday but Ben and I did the last leg together as he hit a bit of a dehydration wall. The poles are working their way round the team - Rob is next! Unfortunately the gaiters also split so sand got in and didn't do the toes any favours. 5 painful days left to manage that! Thanks to all for messages, real morale boost.
Rob
4 Apr 2011 - Day 2
Day 2 complete! if yesterdaywas brutal today was savage! Last night the wind was ferocious! In a bivouac with no sidesthat means very little sleep and getting sand blasted. Thismorning preparing 4 the race was ridiculous - not possible to cook, so cold chilli con carne at 0700 - mmm! I struggled for the first 10k today,my knee was excrutiating, but managed to get on top of and put the hammer down until about 25kms. Struggled with both my knee and then my feet which are now blistering, just after 30k a bliterburst and i had to stop for 20mins to sort it. i then took it slow in 2 the finish at 38km (23miles). My ranking has dropped substantially, but the game has changed; this is less about racing and more about finishing. The conditions throughout today were pretty awful - very windy and totally sand blasted nearly all the way. That said i am enjoying the massive challenge this has become.
Ben
4 Apr 2011 - Day 2
Had about 4 seconds sleep last night. Our 8 man tents don't have doors and we had 30mph winds for much of the night. Sand absolutely everywhere..everything is impossible to do, and unless you had a flame thrower you couldn't light the fuel blocks. Cold, rehydrated chicken korma for brekkie....nice start to do the day.
24 miles today in about 5hr 45 mins. Basically got sand blasted the whole way. Struggled over the last 8 miles, though bumped into Pricey who pulled me through. Bits are just relentless, and again being the big fella of the team, find things slow over the often soft terrain.
It's great to arrive in camp, however there is essentially a sand storm blowing through.....Carry on Camping this is not!
The Golden Joggers are still fairing ok....feet are sore but we're still smiling!
Rob
5 Apr 2011 - Day 3
Thanks to everyone who sent me emails yesterday, i read them on the start line which gee'ed me up. This is turning into Groundhog day! Another 38kms under the belt. Felt good for the first 15kms as i took my painkillers earlier.
Started feeling rubbish at about 30kms so had a dump in the dunes which helped! but little did i know that picey had pased me in the process! very hot today -realised i haven't paid enough attention 2 the stunning scenery. Dreaming of pizza and roast chicken! think i am positoned about 165 which i am petty happy with, think we will run together tomorrow at least for someof it- THE BIG DAY 80kms / 52miles - is going to be very hard. Do you know how man bogies you get when you'e in the desert? Its extreme!
Ben
5 Apr 2011 - Day 3
In light of tomorrow's Long Day of 51 miles I intended to take today's 24 miles steady. I would have done had it not been for the worst terrain encountered so far - rocky plateau, mountain, sandy plateau, dunes, dunes, dunes and then in the last 7k another mountain followed by more dunes. In the dunes I am like a fish out of water flapping all over the place. After 10 miles of the bloody things today I was hurting. The feet are tender, though taping the blisters helps. I knew things were bad when I got overtaken by a dung beetle.
The other Golden Joggers are flying...though I'm def getting my money’s worth by taking longer (!).
Tomorrow will hurt, and there's no escaping that - 50 miles in one hit is tough enough, let alone when you're already screwed. Can't wait!
Keep the emails coming, they seriously help.
Jim
5 Apr 2011 - Day 3
Hats of to these organisers - this is brutal! Harder again for todays 24 miles and I have never seen so many broken people in one place. Literally hundreds of people with shocking feet and injuries with just the 52 miles tomorrow in 40 degree heat to look forward to! 1 girl from our tent was disqualified yesterday for being over time so I manged to steal her Gaiters - awful for her but a winner for me so I was sandless in shoes today. Felt pretty good in tough heat and terrain and went sub 200 (place 198) and lead Golden Jogger for the first time. Standard blisters but feet still managable. Ben having a tough time so we'll probably stick together for large amounts of tomorrow to assist. This is now a survival exercise! Thanks again to all for messages - was laughing loudly at some of them last night - keep them coming!
Rob
6 Apr 2011 - Day 4
It was tough! 82kms. 45deg. ran with theboys or the first 15km which was great, then pushed on ahead.Felt strong and probably got myself back into the top 100 by CP3 @ 38kms but then started battling very bad nausea.
Got to CP4 and had a 30 min rest to recharge. But half an hour later i started throwing up. thinking it was either the powders, salt tablets, p-killers, dehydration or a mixture of them all, i stuck to water only for the remaining 35kms - no carbs and no painkillers meant my pace dropped. it was great to understand where my limits are, and i really enjoyed racing through the night. from the last CP5 with 10kms to go you could see the laser @ the finish - but it never seemed to get closer! finished in 13;57 Big shout to Ben who was on his feet for 17hrs and to Pricey for hauling his ass. nearly there.
The Tonsley Boys
6 Apr 2011 - Day 4
Apart from the messages we have sent to the Golden Joggers, we've also sent one to the front runner, asking him to slow down or watch his back. And another, sent individually to all (about 60) British ladies in the race, with a follow on to our Golden Joggers as follows:
The global appeal of Tonsley Events knows no boundaries. Simultaneously as the Tonsley Business Club meets at the Tattershall Castle on the banks of the Thames, you too, the Golden Joggers, as representatives of Tonsley Racing / Tonsley Events will be hosting a social event for British competitors on your rest day.
Letters have been despatched to the lady runners of the British contingent, inviting them and their British team members to an English Tea Party to be held at tent 109 between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on the rest day (Thursday to the outside world). Guests have been asked to bring their own water supplies, iodine solution and tales of woe. They have also been warned that regrettably, the cucumber has gone off and that sandwiches will not be provided.
I trust you will embrace this and fly the flag for Queen and country.
May all of us at Tonsley Events wish you all the very best on this event and we look forward to hearing all about it! (find a snapper to record it for the web) TE
Jim
6 Apr 2011 - Day 4
Cancel my last - it's not brutal; it's double brutal!! The 'long day' was indeed v long and took a lot of victims. 43degrees at some check points and many people were put on drips round the course. I stuck with Ben while Rob 'Wayne Rooney' Bruce pushed on by himself! To be fair he had the best chance of keeping the GJ average times down. Big Ben did brilliantly-the heat was killing him but he had the poles to help his feet - which are in tatters! Darkness led to a pick up in pace but still - 17 hrs in anyone's book is a long time to be on your feet without a rest! Got in at 0300 this morning so now a bit of rest before the marathon day (exactly 26.2 miles) tomorrow. Body and feet manageable so hopefully I can give it a good shot. Love to all.
Jim
6 Apr 2011 - Day 4
Golden Joggers supporters:
We've just received a batch of email print outs which have brighented up this painful day like I cannot describe. Thank you all. Loud tent laughter; and to Floody and Joe who invited every GBR woman to a 'tea party' in our tent at 1630….utter, utter genius…. and they turned up! Tell everyone you know to keep them coming today. We'll need the morale boost tomorrow to get through the last day! Cheers Pricey
Ben
6 Apr 2011 - Day 4
Epic, brutal, relentless. 51 desert miles in 17 hours. This is turning into a game of survival in an effort to get to the finish. Every check point during the stage was like a field hospital with people being treated for heat exhaustion with IV drips. The last 20 miles were completed in the dark with head torch. At least then we couldn't see the dunes in front of us and just took them as they came. Again Pricey was on hand to haul me through. With a diet of hydrated food and energy bars and gels the Joggers are getting hungry and dreaming of proper food.
My feet are in tatters, I haven't had a grain of sand in my shoes all week, but the heat and soft ground have caused them to explode. They're not pretty. Tomorrow's marathon stage will be tougher.
The GJs are 17th overall, out of 45 teams!
Jim
8 Apr 2011 - Day 6
51 degrees on the dial for marathon day - spicy! A big mountain climb after 8km but a relatively flat sandy course after that so quite an enjoyable day. Happy to come in under 5hr30 and 164overall, my best of the week. I'm feeling fitter every day and feet are still strong. Fair play to Brucey, he went very hard from the start with the intention of 'leaving nothing in the body' by the end! I went the slightly less risky route (I'm obviously getting weak!) but was happy to only be 9mins behind him at the end. Ben still not in as I write. 1 short leg left then of this quite unbelievable event. Last night the whole camp cheered in the last finisher of the 'long day'. A Japanese guy who was on deaths door with badly bleeding feet and staggered across the line at 33hrs, falling into the arms of the organiser. Incredible courage….what a sensational moment.
Support Us
If you would like to receive email updates of the Golden Joggers' progress, please let us know.
Donations to the Children's Trust will also be gratefully received... please click on the button below left [now expired].
