Tokyo marathon, Rasselbock back yard and the Mad March Hare in Battersea

It was a fairly quiet week, with quality and distance covered making up for quantity.  We have fantastic performances in the Tokyo marathon, an ultra in Sherwood Pines and a first V50 position for Sarah Swinhoe in Battersea park.

Tokyo marathon, Sunday 5th March

Tanya Potiyenko and Monika Newton had great runs in the Tokyo marathon on Sunday, with both setting PBs.  Tanya commented that it was “a nice flat course, perfect for PBs”, whilst Monika says: “It’s been a while since I got a PB so it’s good to know there is still some life left in me 😂”. It was also her final race in the big 6, so she got her six star finisher medal.

3424  Tanya Potiyenko 3:12:56 PB

3419  Monika Newton  3:12:59 PB

Tanya and Monika at the Tokyo marathon

Rasselbock back yard ultra, 4th March

 Rob Shulman sent in the following report from an ultra with a difference.

Three Heathsiders set off to take part in the 1st Rasselbock Back Yard Ultra event, in Sherwood Pines on March 4th. For those unfamiliar with the format, there is no fixed length in time or distance, you just have to run the same 4.16-mile loop every hour and you run until you can't run anymore. The winner is the last runner standing, having run one more lap than the 'assist'; everyone else is a 'DNF'. The concept is the brainchild of Laz Lake of Barkley marathon fame.

Very few of the 134 participants has run this type of race before. For Alex Sweet and I, it was our goal race and we hoped to go deep into the race. Ed Boden had a more relaxed attitude and I think was along for the experience as much as anything else. A crew is essential to last long in this event and fortunately Helen and Brian heroically stepped forward to provide an individualised food and drink to each of us every hour. Sadly Gabi Johnson had to withdraw from crewing still recovering after a recent Covid infection.

The setting was Sherwood Forest, in a convoluted loop on firm trail which had so many twists and turns to keep the mind alert, thankfully. Personally despite being an experienced ultra runner I was unprepared for the subtle demands of this event. Unlike other races, there is really no benefit  completing the loop quickly as you then get more  time to stiffen up and get cold, until the next lap starts. Thus you need to jog and walk during each loop (or 'yard' as it is known) before returning to the crew point and try to eat, drink and keep warm and go again. This sounds simple enough but as a runner, you enjoy knocking out a fluent lap and walking when you don't need to is anathema. Fuelling is problematic to many. For me my food strategy unravelled within 6 hours. I took carb-based food that I usually like but these quickly made me so nauseous I was quickly falling behind. By lap 17 at 8am I had had minimal food for two hours and was at my lowest point and close to withdrawal. Crew mate Brian unveiled his masterstroke of a veggie sausage roll, along with coffee and flat coke, I immediately recovered feeling so good that I finished the next loop in 1st place - one of my fastest times. But while a fast lap feels good at the time, it really is not beneficial in this slow-burn event.

Alex discovered his super-power in that he was able to continually eat in every pit stop and around the course. His food choices were inspired (not in the culinary sense) but were moist and calorific, in contrast in my dry choices of pasta and pizza. Alex was also able to curtail his natural runner's instinct to include walking breaks to elongate his loops, munching on sweets continually.

Ed on the other hand was running his own race-within-a-race. As the classy runner that he is, this style of jog/walking was not in his playbook. He knocked off a series of 10 laps (41.7 miles), invariably in 1st place. Fuelling became his limiting factor and his food of  choice of nuts and raisins just would not digest and he withdrew exhausted, cold but happy with the experience.

Through the night Alex's only struggle was with an inadequate headtorch. Both of our spirits were lifted when the sun rose after 19 hours; the event having started at noon. The crew were genuinely suffering from cold shock through the night. The competitors were resilient, with a few dropping off as a milestone was reached (marathon, 50k, 100k) the big one being 100 miles at 24 hours, was reached by 26 of the 134 starters. For me, I was out of gas and unable to stomach any more food, I pivoted my goal to at least run the furthest and longest single run, so I DNF'ed  after lap 25 (104.2miles) in joint 13th place. The temperature was dropping but Alex's ambition was undimmed and he continued for a total of 30 laps 125miles to finish in joint 5th place. An extraordinary performance of fortitude, planning, training, resilience, sleep deprivation and positivity.

The drama of the race continued with a new women's UK record for Karen Nichol achieved in 35 hours (146 miles), and the winner Richard Thompson finished in 36 hours (150 miles).

This was an incredible experience, in a stunning woodland forest organised by the wonderful Eric (a cuddly version of Laz Lake). I heartily recommend this type of event as something completely different for the running community. Alex is already scoping out his next backyard ultra. Our most massive thanks to our crew for making it all possible.

                                    Laps completed         Miles run        Time

5          Alex Sweet                 30                    125.01             22:52:39

13        Rob Shulman              25                    104.17             18:02:04

            Ed Boden                    10                    41.67               05:20:54

Full details can be found in the following link:

https://www.timingmonkey.co.uk/results/RasselbockBackyard23/#0_5C4795

Rob, Alex and Ed at the Rasselbock backyard ultra

Alex at the Rasselbock backyard ultra

Battersea Mad March Hare, 10K, Saturday

24    Richard Macaulay    34:15

37    Gareth Creagh     34:49

44    Peter Gould       35:58

78  Chris Hartley     37:26 (8th MV50)

85  Ryan McCarthy  37:37

92   Liam Hazelton 37:56

101 Stephen Topp  38:32

108 Matt Beard   38:55

113  Philip Hogg    39:08

120 Sarah Swinhoe   39:41    (1st WV50)

139  Stephen Monahan   40:49

170  Mark George   44:42

Sutcliffe Indoor 60s, Eltham, 5th March

Distance: 60m

4   Asha Osei    7.51

Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow Winter Indoor Series, 5th March

Distance: 60m

5  Mohamed Kamara  7.70

Parkrun

74 Heathsiders took part in parkruns last Saturday and unusually, for the second week in a row, there were no first place finishes.  Full results can be found here.

 Compiled by Emilia, with thanks to Tanya Potiyenko, Monika Newton. Rob Shulman, Jacob Howe