Sports events isn’t a great industry to be in at the moment. A lot of the organisers do it as a side gig so it’s not the end of the world for them, however they’re having to deal with demands for refunds, rescheduling, trying to guess when they’ll be able to go ahead etc. But then there are those who do it full time who are taking an absolute battering currently. Seemed like a great idea for me going self employed providing timing and support services last year, had no work for the last 3 months, waiting to find out if any of the jobs I’ve got lined up for August can go ahead. Also can’t really commit to doing anything else as I need to ensure I’m ready to go once we get the go ahead from the government/NGBs for the various sports.

Heard similar about the MdS from mates who’ve done it. A great experience that they cherish, but not what they’d call hard.

I’ve done the timing on a few events that are hard for the sake of being hard, such as The Tunnel Ultra (200 miles running back and forth in Combe Down Tunnel) and The Hill Ultra (160 miles up and down the same hill in the middle of winter) for Cockbain Events. Those attract a certain kind of lunatic.

In the highly unlikely event any of you need chip timing services (if we’re ever able to race again), that’s what I went self-employed in last year thinking it’d be a great idea. My stupidity and lack of foresight knows no bounds…

Cover anything and everything from small fun runs, up to 12-day long endurance triathlons. The last job I covered before all this was Hit The North, pretty sure Jason would vouch for me (and Chipps didn’t complain that his lap count/time was wrong…)

So if weirdly that’s something you need, drop me an email at matt@timingmonkey.co.uk and mention Singletrack.

I’ve got a TP Link TR-MR6400 that I use for timing jobs when I’ve got access to mains. It coped well running for 14 days constantly at Deca UK last year, keeping a couple of computers and a timing box online 24/7.

I can confirm there was a bit of sunshine…

Some of you definitely needed to work on your timings for finishing that “final” lap. Extra fun though innit. I’m off to clean the timing chips and have a bit of a cry

Went self employed doing chip timing for races at the back end of last year. Currently kicking myself repeatedly for doing so. So far this weekend heard from 3 events that I was due to time in May telling me that they’re no longer going ahead, and suspect tomorrow I’ll be hearing from a lot more.

For anyone going, link to the live results is:
https://my.raceresult.com/151338/

Popped into PMT Manchester yesterday having decided to treat myself to a couple of pedals, only to discover they didn’t have either of them in stock. Had a bit of a look around, including seeing the new PRS SE sandblasted models in the flesh, and still can’t decide if I like ’em or not. Came home and a quick look on Reverb led to me finding one of the pedals I wanted at a good price locally, so today I collected a mint used EHX Op Amp Big Muff re-issue. Also put an order in yesterday for a TC Dark Matter distortion, which arrived today. Already had the Mojo Mojo Overdrive, and for 40 quid couldn’t resist adding the Dark Matter to the collection. Had a fun couple of hours twiddling knobs this afternoon and making a load of noise…

And another reason, Adam Savage made one of the props

In case you haven’t heard of it, deca iron man is ten iron mans all in one go. That’s 24 mile swim (in a **** pool!), 1120 mile bike ride and 262 mile run.

There are 2 variations for the Deca, the Continuous, which is as you describe, and the 1=a=Day, which is a standard Iron-distance tri per day for 10 days. Both have their own difficulties. For the continuous, it’s that solid, large block of swimming (usually in a pool, as for safety reasons it’s a nightmare to do it in open water), followed by a large block of cycling and then a large block of running with no respite from that activity until it’s finished. You do however get to dictate your own rest schedule. With the 1-a-day, the issue is recovery time, or lack thereof. As you get slower over the course of the event, you get less time to recover before the next day kicks off.

As for the courses, Decas (and beyond, there are Double and Triple Decas) are almost always on short loops. This is for a number of reasons, primarily safety as it allows the event team to keep a continual eye on competitors and monitor what sort of state they’re in. From a competitor point of view, whilst you may initially suffer with boredom, as the event progresses you need the course to be as simple and straightforward as possible. The previous DecaUK in 2018 was held at Dorney and the bike course was around 3.3 miles as a simple out-and-back.

Matt (part of the DecaUK crew)

Another one I enjoyed that’s not strictly just about running is How Bad Do You Want It? by Matt Fitzgerald, about the mental side of sport

Without going to the Plus, the Fenix 5X has proper mapping which has proven useful to me on the few occasions where I’ve used it. Really doesn’t fit the bill for “affordable” though. Has been great for finding routes when I’m away from home, or just run randomly for a bit and then get it to guide me back.

As much as I love running I cant listen to any of the strained, contrived and inane podcasts about the subject but that is different thread.

Usually the same, but recently started listening to the British Ultra Running Podcast by James Elson and Dan Lawson, both quite handy runners (and James is the RD for the Centurion events). Recent episode about the Arc of Attrition was interesting (was down there volunteering on that, great event despite getting stuck in the snow trying to get there), and another interesting episode is the one where they interviewed Jon Steele, RD of the Hardmoors series. They spent quite a bit of time talking about the Hardmoors 55 last year that got a lot of bad press after the papers (and later Radio 2, gotta love Jeremy Vine) misreported that runners were rescued by Mountain Rescue, despite Mountain Rescue themselves praising both the organisers and the runners for being well equipped, well prepared and experienced for the conditions, and MR had simply offered to assist with transporting runners back to race HQ.

Eat & Run, and more recently North, both by Scott Jurek. As well as Don’t Stop Me Now by Vassos there’s also now Running Up That Hill. Finding Ultra is another one that was recommended to me but haven’t read it yet, it’s sat on the pile waiting to be read.

Have you used the Hubba Tour in rain at all? I was interested and looking into them a while ago, but there seemed to be a lot of reports of the outer being utterly useless at keeping water on the outside

Box Hill fell race (don’t laugh, it’s surprisingly brutal for the flat South!)

I was at a social charity trail run down there last week where most of the runners were doing a headtorch marathon. Me and a couple of the guys just did 9 miles or so and still climbed 1100ft. The marathon lot finished by heading up Box Hill. It was constantly either up or down.

2018 didn’t really go to plan but there were a few positives. Managed my first 25:00 5k at a very hungover parkrun, dragged myself round the Lakesman Triathlon carrying an injury (and had to tackle the marathon having convinced myself I’d missed the bike cut-off so was sure I wasn’t going to be running) and managed to line up full time work in events between a couple of different companies. As a result next year is going to be a fairly busy one for working at, rather than running, events (at least one of which I’ve seen mentioned in this thread), but still got a few main goals. Mostly drag myself around Ironman Lanzarote in May, and then rack up 70 miles at Equinox 24 to use as my qualifier for the SDW 100 in 2020.

Initially trained with BSAC, then ended up doing Advanced OW with PADI and have had good and bad experiences of both. The first BSAC club I was in was hopeless, the instructors were pretty much in it exclusively for the kudos of being an instructor and could hardly ever be bothered to do any actual instructing as it got in the way of their pleasure diving. The second club I was in was much better and the instructors were all keen to help divers push on with their training. With PADI there’s the reputation for just wanting to churn out trained divers in order to get the money, but again depends on the school/instructors. I’ve seen bad ones, but all the diving I’ve done has been with good ones.

Can definitely recommend going down the referral course route, as it’ll let you get the theory and pool work out of the way before you go abroad. And British diving can be great, a lot of people write it off without trying it as cold, gloomy and miserable, but it’s not (always).

+1 for Pacific Rim. In the words of Honest Movie Trailers “either the most awesome dumb movie ever made, or the dumbest awesome movie ever made!”.

Kilian Jornet has knocked a fair chunk off the BG record today, unofficial time of 12:52, knocking 1:01 off the previous (long standing) record

Not done any running so far this weekend (and unlikely to fit any in, officiating at Rossendale Triathlon tomorrow and then planning on drinking beer…) but went down to Birmingham yesterday afternoon to spend the evening with some of the runners and support crews taking on the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race, and then saw them head off from the start this morning. My better half is crewing for a guy with terminal liver cancer who’s done it before as a “fun run” as he was having chemo when the actual race was on, stopping in hotels each night and doing it over 3 days, but he’s attempting it properly within the 45 hour cut-off this weekend. Inspiring bunch of folk, and a good old laugh to be around as well.

Got a Road ID after a club mate made us aware of a friend of his who had a heart attack out on a ride. Due to breaking his phone in the resulting crash and having no other form of ID on him, it took the police hours to identify him and work out who to contact.

I’ve got the 5X, and got it for the mapping. Used it a few times and it has been genuinely useful. I also wear the watch daily and it doesn’t feel huge. My only complaint is the strap is crap and the buckle rubs.

Thanks. Really is a superb event, the setup with the turning circle is absolutely brilliant for the end of each lap, even during the small hours there was always a handful of people about to cheer you on.

Got back from Enduroman last night and already waiting for entries to open for next year. Had a great time, wonderful event full of amazing people in a perfect location.

I was doing the “Run To Max 24hr” (which is run as many or as few laps of the 1.1 mile course in a 24 hour period), and up until the week before I had no goal for mileage. I was down there to crew for a friend of mine as she attempted the Continuous Triple Iron triathlon, and intended to use the Run To Max to do some training runs in between feeding her and to keep myself active. A “mate” of mine however decided that I ought to try to make up for my DNF at Country To Capital last year, so I was given a target of 42 miles, with no training for it (longest run in recent months has been 10 miles). This was going to be fun.

Initially my plan was to wait until Claire had finished on the bike, probably late Saturday night, before I started running, but she hit some real problems in the swim and decided that triathlon is a stupid idea, so she swapped to the Run To Max 48hr. This meant I wasn’t really needed for crewing duties other than the occasional brew so I started my run Saturday afternoon. My plan was to more or less keep going until I hit the 42 miles, then stop for some kip before deciding if I wanted to do any more.

The first few laps were really quite enjoyable. The loop is a mix of different types of trail, some gravelly, some softer ground in the woods, some sections covered in roots, a short bit of tarmac, and what seem like some quite gentle ups and downs at first. No point trying to be a hero so got into a set pattern of run-walk from lap 2 onwards, reinforced by advice from the much more experienced guys on the course. The first half marathon seemed to tick by quite quickly, and after a stop in the main house for the evening meal the marathon distance didn’t seem to take too long to reach either, and from then on every step forward was a new distance PB. As the light started to fade I got the head torch on and set off to run a few more laps before it got dark, as I’d made the decision that once nightfall came it would be mostly walking in order to avoid the risk of falls (plus I really wasn’t trained for running for this length of time, and I’ve got Lakesman triathlon next month…). On one lap, approaching the highest point of the course, there was the most amazing sunset resulting in a stunning view out over the New Forest, so a couple of us had to stop briefly to admire it. From then on was where it started to feel tough. 30 miles onwards it was just a slog. When I got to 32 miles, I initially thought “10 miles, on a slow training run that’s a couple of hours, so not long”, but then I had to remind myself I was far slower at this point, and that it was going to be more like 4 hours. My feet were killing me, the rest of my legs weren’t far behind, the initially “quite pleasant” course was now an absolute nightmare, the slight inclines were mountains, and the small roots were huge obstacles. Reaching 10k to go it was even worse. Someone helpfully said it’s just 2 parkruns, but my last 2 parkruns were both hungover nightmares full of pain and misery! But after 13 hours and 46 minutes I finished my 39th lap, 42.9 miles done. Very slow, but got it done. I headed off to bed pretty sure that would be it for me, and sure enough when I woke up after a grand total of 3 hours sleep (the joys of camping) I knew I was handing my timing chip in and taking it easy for the rest of the weekend.

All the other competitors were absolutely brilliant and incredibly supportive, including some seriously strong and inspiring endurance athletes. Everyone’s support crew helped to keep everyone else going, and the organisers made such an effort to make everyone feel like a vital part of the event. On the topic of support crew, I had the invaluable assistance of my new other half who has done quite a bit of crewing on ultras and without her it would have taken me much longer. She took everything out of my hands other than focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. She decided when I could stop, how long for, had hot drinks ready and food ready for me and told me to get on with it. One lap when I was struggling she cheerfully said “I’ve got some pills here that might help you” which made my face light up, until she added “They’re called MTFU pills, take 2 and get on with it”.

Plan for next year is to go back and do the Continuous Double Iron triathlon. Another 10 miles on the run course after a 4.8 mile swim and 224 miles on the bike, what could possibly go wrong?

He’s also got a new one out, Running Up That Hill

I know quite a few of the people who’ll be down there through other events, and quite a few mates are taking part so it should be a good laugh. My first time down there, primarily going to support someone in the Triple but figured it’d be daft not to do something to take part as well. Original plan was the 3-2-1 Swim but breaking my collarbone last year has set me right back with my swimming. Will update on how it went at some point next week!

It’s at Avon Tyrell, which is run by UK Youth. Could well be the same place, as it does indeed have a small lake and woods

This weekend I’ll be down at Enduroman in the New Forest, primarily crewing someone who’s doing the continuous triple iron distance triathlon but I’ve entered the Run 2 Max 24 hour run so I’m taking part as well. 24 hours to run as many or as few laps of the 1.1 mile mixed terrain run course as I can be bothered with. Didn’t have a target for it but one of my mates has helpfully told me that as I DNF’d at Country To Capital last year I should aim to cover 43 miles so I can put that distance to bed. Any less will result in merciless mockery. Should be fun after something like 30 hours of crewing duties.

Just got back from a few days down in Dorset, partly to check out a few bits of the bike and run courses for the Jurassicman triathlon. The bike was a bit grim due to the weather, but Wednesday was an absolutely lovely day for a bit of a slow plod along the SW coast path. Started from Swanage, “ran” 4 miles then turned round to head back. The full run is from Swanage to Lulworth cove, which is going to be interesting after a sea swim and ~112 miles on the bike. All went well until I took a dive infront of a group of pensioners…

Thanks for that, very good listen. A few years back someone jumped out infront of me on my way home from work one winter evening in a bid to end it all, and even though I managed to avoid him it shook me up for quite some time after. No idea how I would have coped with it if I had hit him.

+1 for Thunder. Danny Bowes, great voice, one of the nicest blokes about and about as far from the stereotypical rock and roll frontman as you could get. Part way through a Christmas gig a few years back, after completing the acoustic first half of the set he announced “I’m just going to go for a little wee wee and then we’ll be back to play some more”.

Yeah no worries didn’t take it that way. It depends on the distance people are doing and what their personal goals are obviously, but on the Double and Triple even the “fast” guys will walk a lot of the uphill on Snowdon. Those doing the Half and Full that just want to complete will often be the same as well, they won’t go much faster for “running” it they’ll be a lot more knackered. Brisk walk up, walk the steeper/rougher sections down, run the rest. It’s not a course for going for a fast time, it’s one to take on for the challenge. Just walk when you feel like walking, no-one there would judge you for it. The bike loop is nice too, couple of climbs one of which is fairly steep but short, then Pen-y-Pass which is just a long spin up, and with plenty of downs and flatter sections between.

Quite a low key event, don’t expect Ironman level bells and whistles, but it’s got a really friendly feel. I went along to crew in 2016 and I’ve ended up working every Brutal event since as it’s a great thing to be part of.

The Llanberis path is the only option that fits with the event, and it’s also the safest and easiest option to manage, but we still need at least 3 medics with Mountain Leader quals up there at all times. Sending competitors up anything steeper is only ever going to result in Llanberis MRT hating us. Having said that, no-one who’s done it has complained of the Snowdon section being a “grim slog”. Apart from the front of pack guys on the half and full, most people will be walking the mountain section anyway, then running back down. For the guys doing the Double (and next year, the Triple) it’s a grim slog, but that would be the case regardless of the route. Still more fun than the Deca courses, which are endless laps at Dorney…

The lake laps are nice, first couple of miles is flat and easily easily run-able. Bit of a long slog up a tarmac road and then there’s some nice trail for the second half.

I’ll be up there as I’m part of the event crew, I’ll be in charge of the chip timing this year amongst whatever other jobs need doing. Also doing the Double in a relay with 2 mates from my tri club, I’ve got the fun of doing the run…

Parkrun volunteering for me this week as well, run director at Oldham. Run with the tri club tonight, been buying new running shoes today so need to try them out.

Was down in Dorset to visit the gf this weekend, so set off at 4am Saturday to get down there in time to fit some parkrun tourism in. Big thumbs up from me for Moors Valley parkrun. A bit congested at the start, but a nice amount of trail through the woods before hitting the tarmac nearer the finish. Absolutely glorious morning for it, with some frost on the ground and beams of sunlight through the trees catching the mist. Fastest 5k I’ve managed in a while as well, 27:21 official time, not great but an improvement for me. Looking forward to being down that way again to give it another go.

Tomorrow I’m showing a friend the routes for the Brutal Triathlon, so after a lap of the bike route we’ll be doing a run/walk up Snowdon until we reach snow, then back down to run a lap of the lake, so probably 11-12 miles total.

Slow, steady parkrun for me today pacing someone from my tri club round for 33 minutes. Feeling the training kicking in and finding running to be getting comfortable and enjoyable again. Also put my name down to help out at the Oldham Way Ultra next month, securing myself a free place for next year’s race, so that’s my first one booked in for 2019…

Just got back from a trip over to Llanberis to run a couple of laps of the run course for the Brutal Triathlon (not including Snowdon, I’ll work up to that…). 10 slow miles done enjoying some surprisingly mild weather. Shoes are in a bit of a state but as far as cleaning them goes, I’ll let them dry out and then the mud will fall off next time I wear them…

I was Run Director for Oldham parkrun this morning. Which consisted of getting out of bed early, and heading to the park to confirm that it was, infact, far too icy to be able to go ahead. My running plan for the weekend is head out for a slow 10 mile or so plod tomorrow along the canal.