Leaving my laugh about this given that trail shoes are pretty uncomfortable and that this race is mixture of Trail bog Mountain forests or basically everything I decided to experiment with the road shoes. And that was definitely my detriment not a good idea. So if I had brought my trail shoes gonna drop back there were been great, but it didn'tHello and welcome to no Finish Line podcast featuring athlete interviews and discussion on running training traveling and adventure and I'm your host John Oregon. This episode is sponsored by greater. Thor's Orleans Premier Outdoor Retailer, you'll find them online at www.craigswapp.com. Certainly, you will also find all the previous episodes of the podcast on their website or you can listen back on any of the usual platforms. This podcast will be in three parts. The first one is going to feature not lie to had a dnf that's it did not finished.Second one is going to feature not lie that finish the race we're going to talk. They'll two different approaches that for these athletes had and see if we can figure out why won't finished and while the other didn't then we will also be talking to the winner of the race and to talk about the strategies that he applied to give him the successful finish. I'm going to start with Andy Reynolds as a team to can be more to learn from someone who failed in their attempt as they may have learned the reasons why they went wrong. This was something I did when preparing for me Force big Ultra the mara they SOB I spoke. Two previous competitors some finishers, but I also spoke to those that weren't as successful and they found that it was more to be learned from those that didn't finish them the ones that did finish you won't always know when Royce would you will definitely know what went wrong. And the I've known you for quite a few years. I think it could be 20. We first ran together in the market. They sell back in 2003 since a you have completed the race in the Namib Desert. You don't you contact a cultra you don't numerous local ultramarathons. How many times have you taken part in the carry? We will turn this was number five. And you haven't finished the race yet. No, and you can you talk about the build-up to erase what way was your training in the months before and to be honest John who is normally as if I was training just for a very long road race because I live in town. I don't get to go up the mountains that often. So most of my Hill runs will go down hills around Waterford beyond that pretty much just as if we were there just like I say, it was like a training for a normal Mountain just slightly further on the long runs, and I did a few double runs. I'm on, you know, Saturdays and Sundays kind of 20-plus maybe. In the following day are the other way around what did you do today before the race and drop down to carry early register between five and seven in the in the store in carry and Emma back to the hotel got a few bits and pieces of food up and local shop and off to bed already prepared the package just to double check. Everything was correct and went to bed early and that was it. Yeah, what was your pre-race meal the night before and what time did you go to that has went to bed around 10:00 pre-race meal. It wasn't great because the hotel didn't have a restaurant so really it was pretty much pop mules and pop pasta. Almost home. Did you get off at the next morning when the race starts at 6:00 or so Persia? 4:45 a.m. Yeah. Do you reckon you better start loading rested? Rested enough. Yeah, I wasn't yeah pretty message. Yeah, can you talk me through your race from win the race there? Did you get caught up in the adrenaline when the government of or did you settle into your own pace? Yeah. Well Rita is everybody's kind of tends to take off like a hair to beginning and they obviously don't realize what's common further down the road but having said that the first few months were flattop of fires torc waterfall at the far end of the national park. So really at the very beginning everybody does take off fairly quickly, and yes, I did get caught up. Oh that because I didn't want to be left behind it is yeah. I just I just didn't want to get left behind by everybody. So I kept up with them. Yeah, open the middle of the pack and we'll stay in the race. Where you out on your own or were you ever on your own? Yeah, you're on your own law flowers. I mean you may only have a milder a few hundred meters between capacitors. But then again, you won't always say them because of the undulations of the Abdi actual course, give Natalie's very hilly and Foresters and also mountainous as well. So yeah a lot of time you are in your own particular. As the further you into the race, obviously, everybody has their own pace. So everybody separates true throughout the field. So yeah, and what about navigation? Is it a race with which you need navigation or the way Mark? So it's fairly obvious the for me the navigation is okay because obviously I know the root of this there's pretty much back to back and bought know generally speaking the navigation is about as good as you get in Wicklow with the little yellow men. Now the do insist you have a GPS tracker on you. So if you go off course they are in you. They also insist you have Maps but I probably wouldn't be the best map reader in the world having said that but you don't really need to be because a lot of the parts of the course are pretty obvious talk nutria gear. Can you explain what was in your bag? What's his baggy has and anything else? I had a medium-sized bag with I tend to carry the water bottle in my hands. No bladder pack the gear those in the bag. Will there's a pretty long list of compulsory gear from obviously need a torch very powerful torch actually some bits of food. Arrange I could obviously rain pants especially ox and obviously fully charged mobile phone whistle safety blanket plasters compete the usual kind of stuff you need one of those races now having said that you also have dropped back Stewart to carry way. So anything actually wants you can pick up and here was the weather during the race. Did you actually need your rain jacket? Yes, it poured out of the heavens for the better for six hours after lutely bloody Lash. Downright so I have to add a hat after that the skies cleared and yeah, it was probably one of the better and better ones this year because this relatively cool and it stay dry throughout the night, which is probably the first time I can remember that happening in a good while and he'll confident. Were you this year in comparison to other years? I was very confident this year, but obviously probably overly confident because I didn't finish hard to know where I went wrong really old and just general fatigue. I not great on sleep deprivation and by two o'clock in the And I was probably good few miles outside of Waterville and suddenly a wave of sleep came over me and I had to lie down the road and just look up at the sky and just kind of dolls for a few minutes after that. It was OK got as far as Kara Daniel, they're incurring Daniel four other guys dropped out. I went back out to continue on as far as sneem. But once I felt the cold all of a sudden again at four o'clock in the morning or whatever time I was five o'clock, I just went a doc that's not but I've had a that's enough when you got a feeling of Your race is over. Did you stop immediately or did you join fight that the I did try and Fighters? Yeah, I did. Try and fight this year. Yeah for how long for how long I'd say about five minutes. It's not a nice feeling. Like I said when I got the car Daniel, they had a Parish Hall which is lovely and warm and dry and all the rest of us and I sat down there for a few minutes and I really I got up again, but I couldn't just sit. There was a big mountain in front of me. I couldn't face it. The next stop was sneem which is probably over. Miles away and I knew if I got that far and I was out anyway, because yeah, I was just just exhausted just when you mentioned sleep deprivation. How was your sleep patterns on a day-to-day basis? Do you get a good night's sleep? Pretty much got a good night's sleep. Yeah, I got about seven seven or eight hours in general. Yeah, so you wouldn't have been sleep-deprived Road near the state line. Well, I would've been a little bit Sleepers for I personally am not not not a huge amount know I was that pretty good the night before the night before I do my Group North Park Roanoke now that might have been a bad idea. Yeah t think that would make a difference. I think from what I've been told the pore pressure on and erased at length makes a huge difference in your difference here. Is there anything that you didn't have the you she did the only thing I really kind of did an experiment this year and people might laugh about this port given that trail shoes or pretty uncomfortable and that this race is mixture of Trail bark Mountain forests or basically And I decided to experiment with the road shoes and that was definitely to my detriment not a good idea. So if I had brought my Trails use balloon drop back there have been great, but I didn't okay, let's go take away for anybody listening in and planning on doing the Race next year Road shoes. Definite know maybe Trail shoe should be down this pair of the month the city kit for these races. We just think yeah, I think In fairness he organizes that expect most people wolves have the sense to have trail shoes and I generally speaking do Oh, I just thought I'd try something different because don't forget a lot of the race is on ropes. So trade shoes are uncomfortable on road. So yeah, but that's where it support crew comes in. People will have a mixture of both they can alternate. Okay. So you're at a disadvantage you were playing the character you had you weren't able to call and anything else. I just remembered something very funny that happened here a few years ago same race-related. We had stopped at a checkpoint in the mountains snowing your feet were saturated and you have to draw your feet off. Choose your soul can because you have been marching in this heavy snow. You left me soda for you went into a cabin triangle, but he when you come back if somebody had taken your shoes and left their shoes that were so is smaller. Yeah, that's right. I was one of the German guys in the Yukon article Troy. Yeah. So we've been on our feet for 36 hours when I went to bed and you guys are left me and when I woke up in his confused state had taken my right shoe and left me a size 8 I5 i7 which I had to finish it because it was no Other shoes, so I put it on and it lasts 30 minutes with the pack on my back and my name is just so that'll tell you how tough carriers I said it would have been interesting there with the Texas Rangers will open the course looking at those tracks and they would you think that this year was your most successful attempt at the race? No, I wouldn't because I had the first year I attempted. I actually got am way past name of as far as Temple nor nearly to Temple on the dropped out there. That's only maybe 25 30 miles from the end. That stage, I mean to sleep deprivation was absolutely crazy and I just had to go and there was a car waiting to bring me back to Clowney so it took us so that Milton that you mentioned outside of Cairo Daniel. You had climbed that mountain before yeah, I heard ya so you knew what to expect so it wasn't as if you're going into the unknown do you not think if you took a chance on at that moment of broken the back view? Yeah, I think it is. I mean one thing on the hard thing about what I find anyway, staying motivated ones are exhausted. So if you can find a way to stay motivated, yeah, I probably just no doubt about it is here. I could have gone further but the motivation left me in car Daniel because of the comfort and that was a I wasn't physically destroyed. It's just motivation just went are you going to do next year? That's a good question. I meant able to finish it next year. That's also a good question. I am. Yeah, I'll have another go at a chair Yeah. Well, yeah, what would you do differently more mountain training this year more moment training a yeah. I think you really have to get event-specific told you when you're doing these races. Yeah, you do. I mean most of my events happen to me. Okay. I've done a few others over the years and all the rest and different terrains. But like I think you need to be doing these very regularly in order to finish this one now. We'll just go Oh to bring you back now to some of the stuff we don't before because I'm just wondering because you are so experienced. Do you think that might have made you a little bit complacent going into this one of the races? I didn't make you her dorm was the jungle Marathon, which is really really tough and you finish that because you would have gone into that race like overly prepared. So do you think that in your head you think what I've done all that? This is only carry. Yeah. I think that's definitely a part of everyone thinks. This is only carry. This is only Ireland and Ireland is a great country has more People will know for catching arrows in the wrong whether so yeah. I was them I wouldn't say I was overly confident but I really did think that I had a thought it was going to do it this year. Definitely. The familiarity breeds contempt familiarity breeds contempt. Also, I knew the course on you where the big hills were and you were where the stops were and I knew how not to get lost and my also knew it wasn't going to rain to Route the route this time, but know what I couldn't account for is the usual fatigue that just builds up in that race because of the elevation In and the continuous up and down and basically it just feels kind of endless you mention trail shoes and also training in the mountains of I'm thinking about this race for next year. What a voice would you give me? What should I be doing? I would say yeah good up to mountains get onto the trails as much as you can and I would also recommend you would bring a pack which you run with the pack get used to your gears or just becomes completely second nature and get a very powerful torch because sometimes they had torches. Okay, there's a minimum of two. Under lumens, but I also had a handheld torch which was absolutely brilliant for Illuminating the mountains this year in heat actually mentioned the same thing. He overdosed with Lloyd. Yeah because they can make a difference who do selection the special night. I'm a shadow can actually block off the right direction so you can be going straight to the turn left and it's just not there because of his shadow. Yeah. Yeah. Okay and you will thanks very much your time. And I think this would be very very useful for somebody prepping them sell for next year and your big takeaway from this trail shoes. As and get yourself into the mountains and do a lot of men who work hopefully next year we get bit more of a success story of you. Yep. That's Grand. Nice job there. We have James Morris you wanted to raise finishers. Games you had quite an enjoyable event. From what I can gather. I was tracking you online. You seem to run a very steady Pace race. That was me dot watching on the screen hell didn't actually go. Yeah really good year this year and started off in my own comfort zone up until our Brandon's clay then felt pretty good kick down from there and really had no issues and really enjoy the race opened Waterville, and then water will met up with my crew linked up with realize. And we kind of cracked on to Kara Dunya Chi her Daniel on I struggled. I really struggled a little bit just kind of went met that mental block that comes in these big races and then from sneem on just really enjoyed. It really enjoyed the characters around me kind of felt like the time was on my side and enjoy the race and his beautiful beautiful letter to really well done and ask no, let's take it back to a week before the race. Hell did your final preparation go final preparation is kind of of just doing a small bit of jogging not into hectic that is spinning on the bike and just looking after my nutrition making sure that some point and doing a bit of stretch and nothing too strenuous just light and shaking out the legs continues to the race there to the early on was it Friday morning? Yeah. It starts at 6 o'clock on Friday morning. When did you arrive in Kearney? And how do you fire to travel? I took the tours day off work and drove down towards them or and I think you need that time. So I spent most of the day kind of chilling out. Kearney and just hydrating and kind of walk and in just not seasoned up and then there's the registration which is in the afternoon proceeded to that the Night Before the Race. What did you have as your last pre-race male my go-to, but I'd often have a pizza before it's a met up with a few friends and we went to a restaurant and it was kind of nice to just chill them. These guys have done it before as well. So we kind of all had our own expectations and just had a nice I think was an artichoke Pizza. It's beautiful. Sounds delicious. What time did you go to bed at? What time did you wake up with and what did you have for breakfast? So yeah, I would have went to bed around half knowing or so and I'm lucky enough. I have a camper van. So I kind of can't close to the starting line didn't have the greatest night sleep just cuz excitement nerves, but I don't mind that I kind of listened to a few podcasts and kind of just stayed relaxed. I don't get to agitator from not getting a good night's sleep and then got up the next morning and had some oats with some. Peanut butter and banana and washed it down with coconut water. I drink a lot of coconut water leading up to a another event. Do you mentioned having a campervan? You must find that a big Advantage with these type of races that you post you don't have to travel to The Statler in the morning you more or less stay close to it. It's a godsend really it's kind of the way we've set up our lives me seven roses so we can kind of be flexible and where we go and where we can pop for the nation. It really comes into its own after an event to be honest. So I kind of I feel like it improves my recovery. Cause I can just instantly get into the van and have a bit of a cape and it helps with my recovery big-time the win the race third. Did you get caught up with the rush at the beginning or did you instantly set into your own pace and stick with your own plan or instantly it to my own plan. There was a couple of guys that I really have loved to run alongside and chatter but knowing you kind of have to set up your stall for what is a massive event. So there is a couple of guys that are as I say, they just went on Ask me but I'm kind of confident in my own ability and I kind of just lacked back and I ease myself into it like the first two Lord Brandon's very much kind of a warm up for me. I don't want to do anything too strenuous that early in the race. And at what point in the race, do you stare to discover that you're on your own Comin Down out of the breed of Valley. I was by myself going into Glen car, which is quite early in the race is the second checkpoint and I was pretty much by myself then the whole way on. Until Waterville, which is the is kind of it's a good chunk of the race, but I had no issues that I was I wasn't enjoying it every now and again I catch up with someone or someone to catch up with me and we have a few words, but you know what? I mean everyone needs to go at their own pace and what's comfortable for them because as I say, you don't want to expend too much energy at any point. Did you get lost at any stage? Would you say navigation is an important skill in this race navigation is definitely important but can get away without navigation. Looky I've done lots of wreck. He's on the roof. I don't the route last year as I say, I think it last this year. Thankfully it makes a big difference to your race. But I feel like if your strategic and you are not comfortable with the race like fun more is a place where you kind of need booty off and get yourself through the nice if you're at that stage, but this year I was quite comfortable and you need to be comfortable. I was in those conditions by yourself. I noticed that when I was following it online that on occasion you get somebody going off course, and then they'd be back. I'm called fairly quickly. We using some kind of a tracking device and heard you got communication back with the race headquarters. Yes oiling daily is the race director and she does a fantastic job keeping an eye on us all and it gives me great peace of mind when you're going out there like she's running the race, which I'm keeping an eye on your daughter and making sure you're not going off track. So last year, unfortunately, I did go off course and we didn't wait 15 minutes. She got in touch with me and said James you need to go back and take the next release. And next thing was back on Route again, and it's great peace of mind to have when you take on a big event like the Caraway and that sort of thing to note for anybody who's thinking of trying it next year. That would be a bit fearful of getting lost in the mountains or definitely definitely. Yeah. Was there a stage in the race where you felt like giving up? Or definitely yeah join the night section between Cara Daniel and sneem it took me ages to stop and start and I was enjoying the beauty of the nice the stars and everything, but mentally I was just like James you have enough done this year. Take a break. No one's going to say happened here, but my crew were fantastic Neil and Rosa just kind of get to the next checkpoint in will have something ready for you there. Are we what will you want the hiking poles? They just kept asking me. Questions that were all kind of related to the race and I was answering them and next thing I was kind of mentally set myself up to get to the next checkpoint. So they were they were amazing and they never kind of cuddled me in any way and kind of gave me the attention. They just kind of ask me questions the kind of progressed my wrist personally. I think having a support crew was a big Advantage even known that there's going to be a friendly face at the next checkpoint those help and nobody's going to look after your lucky wrong to Pork will so yeah. I'd have to agree with that. That is it. A big Advantage. So would you recommend that if anybody is thinking of taking part in this race that is support crew was something that they would try and get together or definitely. Yeah, if you're a first timer it really enhances your chances of getting through. I only meant my support crew in Waterville, and that's the way we worked it last year. So and I was lucky enough to have the same two rows and Neil support me again this year and did George so well drilled and they knew what to expect they were great support. Was it necessary for them to keep cold sneer or when you got out of that dip did you manage to actually just going to keep going by yourself to get to sneem? I needed her help but after seeing it was great to be able to enjoy it with them past year was kind of such a grueling event in terms of the weather my lack of experience and you know what, I mean this year. We were really able to enjoy it as a team and we were having some laughs think I heard Angela to checkpoint. One of the supporting crew came up after the event and says you were like three friends in a coffee shop or in a public. You were just doing so much laughs and yeah, it was really special to look back on the event and say that had the right people with me and we had a bit of fun. So it's kind of cool. He'll tell me a little bit about the kit you were using and he'll comfortable you wear during the race. Yes. So I typically wear a Salomon choose find that they're a good fit for me knowing particular brand or make of them, but I just find Salman a good fit for me have the Salomon backpack as well. And this year joined the night section just from past experience last year. I found I needed a kind of a heavier jacket to keep warm and I actually used a sailing Smock. It's kind of a little bit thicker and kind of its breathable. I've used it for rowing in the past and I found it a good at a just for that section from Kara Daniel to sneem and I didn't know zipped folder up and give it to my crew and just got me through the colder part of the night. Did you have walking poles? Yeah, it's something I had it in foil more because that's kind of a technical section from file more to war with lot of hills and Bob and I think a lot of people put poles for that checkpoint and then I might use them sporadically throughout then but yeah, definitely for that section. I'd recommend having them poles into becoming a lot more popular and I'd be interested in having a look at how many finishes use poles and how many that didn't finish weren't using polls just to see how that bounces out. Is there anything which a kid that you wouldn't be without or anything that you wish you had? No, I think they're once you're at the starting line. You've set out your lat. I put a lot of time into my drop bags in terms of what nutrition night have at each stage numerous pairs of socks. Nice to change them. Next keep the feet dry. And yeah, I think once you're at the starting line, you've kind of committed to it whatever you have you have and and it's time to just crack on at that point. The polls are important though. I think can you tell me a little bit about your training in the build-up to this race so training it required. A lot of time on my Feast getting used to be on my feet for long hours spent a dozen small bit of interval training would have spent a lot. I'm that rules in the mountains as well around Wicklow and I spend a lot of time then running up and down along the canal here in silence where we're living at the moment. If I was planning on doing the Race next year. What advice would you give me? Is there any races in particular? You would say I should Troy as a practice event carry way is kind of cleaning. You need to be used to running in adverse conditions. I ran the Kelty 7/7 this year very tough Race Across kind of uneven terrain, and I found that very good indeed. Build up to it the SLI down in Mill Street in February. You kind of have to get used to running in tired and cold during those kind of wintry conditions coming into September. So if you do the likes of the Wicklow way, it's more of a summer race and it goes alarm a lot of Fire Road. I find and you're not going to get those conditions necessarily down in carried in September. So you kind of need to go out and find those those tougher races. So I don't the Ballyhoo midnight marathon and it's kind of only a friendly event, but I found that Disturbed to me as well. Okay, that's interesting the best way to train from the vent is poses to get specific. So some of the races that you've mentioned the might get the links to them off your and important open the show notes. Yeah, the majority of them are actually true the emerald website as well as and they're fantastic events. The you mentioned your racial nutrition I didn't torture now. Can you tell me a little bit about what you had during the race while you were carrying with you and what you had at the checkpoints? Yeah. So this year didn't have quite as much nutrition as last year in terms of lot more specific a lot more Whole Foods. And I try and have a lot of fruits for the night section. I just read somewhere long time ago that vitamin C is better at keeping you awake. And then I kind of save off on the caffeine and the sugars for the latter half of the race or the last quarter and then I really start drinking Coke and sugary stuff and I kind of save off on gels in the early part of a kind of hold off on them until the morning because I feel like you're so determined to get through the noise. You're mentally aware and then come morning. You kind of hear your senses did this more than It's nice to bring them back up again with a bit of a kick. They're just out of curiosity. You filmed The Courier boy Ultra lloyd-pack in 2017. You don't carry you away Ultra 2018 and 2019. Do you think he'll be back here again next year? Yeah. It's already in the schedule for next year the way my year Panda 2018 was a really tough year in terms of the conditions 2019 was just about getting there and enjoying it and kind of making up for 2018 and and just really having a smile on my face at the finish line and 2020. I'm sure. I'll come up with another goal. There's always something different. You can achieve every year you go back and even completing it in itself. That's a massive massive achievement in interesting fact about this race is a lot of the runners seem to be there for the second or 2. Mm. Anyone who spoke to who is doing the race has ordered only previously or is going to do it again that seems to be a very unique feature with says a lot for the race unlike any other wrist. There's a brunch the next morning and we just love going to that you get to hear about everyone's stories. How they got on where they might have went lost where went wrong, even for them. Unlike the so many cool people there that don't other races and it's great to kind of meet up with those people and you know, maybe shared love for the race pretty much does some great information before we finish up. Is there anything you think that you can kind of add to the conversation that might help somebody and that's thinking about race next year. Yeah Eileen daily tourist director. She organizes recces earlier in the year, and they're well worth doing and she often gets along Plexi Johnny Lee or experienced Runners have done it and you get to tap into their knowledge, and they really helped me interrupt me into the sport and well worth doing. Okay James. Thanks again, and we might get you back to talk about some of your order adventures in another podcast. Thanks for having me John. And last but not least we have growing broccoli. This year's race winner. You can listen to Brian's experience in more detail in one of the previous episodes of the podcast. Brian we spoke to you previously in an episode about the Caribou Altra and it just want to do something short about the athlete experience. Can you tell me a little bit about your prep for the race for you didn't the week leading up to it? So I know week leading up. It was mainly just making sure I was well rested for the morning the rest. I probably maybe ran two or three you can for five million kind of shark easy runs that week and then it was just the case of eating nice healthy foods for the we cry lots of good vegetables and fruit. And plenty of Pastor plenty of carbs and in just getting a couple of decent night's sleep. You know that week with your Peak Week. Welcome to distant world you have been doing I wouldn't be doing a whole lot of mileage I think in generally I can do 40 to 70 ishmael's so usually Cappy quick for me would be around the 70 mile marker, but with that then I'd like to kind of do kind of three days maybe consecutively where I'm getting kind of tree decent long runs in a row. So I think this year I think was back. In maybe June I did it in a week where I did 20 mile trail run then the following day. I did a 27 miles I think around the carry way and then the following day after that and I think I did training run into reeks where I did current tool twice. So I think when it came to about 62 63 miles over three days, okay, so you got to event specific so you're actually training on the tray and you're going to be racing on that's right, just so I'd like to you know, get the body used to cut the rest that I'm aiming for. So I find in order to get to get down and get a regular coffee. personally, he prepares in physically and mentally for the rest, you know, that makes perfect sense that mentally you would have a little bit more confidence having been on the terrain and getting used to seeing where some of the markers are and you don't have to think about where you're going that's is I mean on every course there probably is a coupler point where you know markers might be small, but he didn't you know, it may be to turn isn't as obvious as you think so, it's good can it get the money and working in oil and just watch out for these but when rest are comes in and what was Your tape or weekly do week before resist. So yes the week leading into the race just to treat you kind of short ones, maybe 440 miles probably up until Wednesday and then do anything to liberate the morning your last meal before the raised that being what you had the day before. The day before I would have had can a two meals saw before I went to Clarity or just had a big plate of pasta with eggs spinach beet roof tomorrow. Avocado. Can t water that day and then I just had another kind of small but then that night so I'll just I think it was a bit of a beetroot salad with sweet potato on later turkey or chicken. I can't recall but you know something along those lines the race has an early start. So what time did you go to better? So I went to bed at around half 10 and the plan was to go up a half. For I didn't really get a great night's sleep. It said, you know just a mixture of kind of excitement and nerves or whatever was waiting to go up a half forward and and has breakfast. I would have consisted of people apart Ridge with Chia seed banana with a strawberry honey may be smart with dark chocolate and as well and place the night before you're going to be anxious about not sleeping it in. That's it. So I would always find out the night before a big race. I never guess get a good night's sleep. So I think it's key to try and get to work. You need to before that and I'll get some good hours indoors nights when the race started. Did you have your own start or did you get caught up with the rush and just take off? No, I was trying to stir to do my own thing. So we're just going to head back and you know, I took it nice and easy the plan from the outset was to go off really really slowly and just kind of let the leaders do what they want to do and just see all the rest Pendleton and here was your navigation during the race and the issues and not no issues. It's pretty well marked out, so I don't know. Arrest last year so I can renew the route. Anyway, I need wreckage the nighttime section last year as well. So I like there was no issues with navigation really. Is there any item that you were carrying that you were really glad you had something that you would see as being a lifesaver in the race Leader's ice was just no decent jacket, you know good waterproof jackets know we didn't really need it this year because the weather was pretty good. It rained the start but was unable to drizzle and after that and the weather was good and I suppose good parrot. And she was you know, I spoke when you doing the rest of this Lent. You can really need to look after your feet sore. The Footwear is probably probably the number one thing. You know, what foot where were you using I use the Columbia trans out FK T to or use them last year for the carry wear and I use them for can any long long race this year and I think the district in a perfect for races this land in order, they're very comfortable, but they offer good gripping on support. So it's kind of hard to find a shoe that was bought and of Has good grip and is very comfortable for long races. So I think they stack up pretty well. Is there anything you wish that you had who not really? I think I think that everything started with well plan. Those may be better than a more natural food earlier on in the rest. I was kind of working on energy choose and cereal bars at the start the rest but the second half on it. I was just eating a chicken and avocado wrap. So it was a lot easier on the stomach. You know, what about walking poles for the Like this would you recommend them pause there for you till you know, I am I think I got the pause those around the black Valley. So I was probably about 23 K into the rest. I had a Solomon quivered so you can holder for the polls and once they took him out of that I never use it again later on, you know, I might as well had a chicken baguette or something in the in the quiver because I didn't need it. I just had the paws of the whole time after that. So I was using them on the apis and then if I was running on the flat on the down-low, just just tell him in my hands so I did. A great advantage to have especially not going uphill. I find it for using the pause. It saves your back. You're not crouched over. So you're keeping your back operate and you're more comfortable. So you're less likely to stiffen up in your back and your neck and what kind of a backpack we using. So I think I had a Solomon are leader. Just got the two pockets in the front with the soft flasks and it's got a couple extra Pockets. Then you're off for just you know, anything else you need like the Bears or gels or Wonderful and anything sort of everything is going to be fairly accessible. And is that the same vibe that you use and 28 in north of created this year? So I think I was using null model last year. So I think I picked up this one a newer version this year during the race. Was there any time during it that you felt like giving in not really I kind of had a bit of a bad patch maybe just before Garth more and I think I was just down to the food. I think my stomach was was connect coming at me a smile. All this just from using the tailwind and Energy Chews and and I think I just needed to connect natural natural food in on something a bit more Savory than what I was using up to that point. But you mentioned a little bit about your nutrition there. So I'm going to ask you about your hydration the Imagine Tailwind. So you're obviously drinking some your calories where you take a water or any other fluids on board. So I think from for the first half of the rest, it was practically all Tailwind. So it was just two bottles between each checkpoint with the Tailwind mixed in and then from the from the second half of the rest, then it was water and Pepsi after that. There seems to be a popular choice during races of this because the caffeine combined with the sugar the sugar gives you energy and the caffeine helps to keep you mentally stimulated. So it helps with your concentration. Do you find that you get a bit of a kick from when you start taking it? I definitely like, you know, you you definitely need a kind of sugar Russian and and the caffeine definitely helps especially in a race rest of this lens and I were sleep deprivation money to my comment at the latter part of the rest. Your two-tone finish this race and this year you would raise Witter in contrast. There are many other competitors who have returned to the treasury few years and haven't finished it. Why do you think that is I think I think this year we are economic down. You know last year we went down with the objective was just to finish the rest and because I never condone any residues this before so I'm going down this year later. I knew I knew I had the endurance to finish the race. I knew I was going to mentally mentally tough to finish. Stress and we just couldn't we sat down and we made a plan and and basically can execute the plan as best. We could you know, the plan base it was taking to run the first half the rest, you know what my head, you know, just run up my own pace don't get sucked into, you know, running too fast, and it definitely paid dividends in the second half then what advice would you give to others thinking of taking part in this race or something similar with regards or than you? Efficient training or kids like try and break. The rest on probably into segments is you know is definitely something that people should be looking at, you know, if you look at the rest in its entirety or can be fairly daunting, you know tuner starting off just break it down checkpoint to checkpoint and focus from getting from one to the other from a training point of view. I suppose I find doing long runs going to back to back is there is definitely beneficial. I don't think so. Outrunning a 50 mile or 60 mil training run, you know, you're better off splitting into two or three days and running on her legs. Yeah, I would agree with that. If you do a training rule, it's too long. It's going to take you too long to recover to get loose in the training adoption. Where boy if you do a race of what I become medium distance something that will be 30 40 kilometers or even kilometers that your body will feel the effort from it. You will have stress the body put the adaption happens quicker and although you'll be Don't worry legs. You will still be tapping record and it allows continuous training. Yeah. I know. I remember having a chat with Barry heart and it actually before last year's race and I think he was telling me that he rarely go over to kind of for our Mark for his for any of his training runs. Like I think once you get over that that Merica nuuuu, you're nearly into damaging, you know the body and and it's going to take a lot longer to recover. Yeah degree without you. Can you should only do what you can recover from so you have to have the real every time other words or eating the training can be wasted you did this legal talk most Curry and that seems to be a popular race or other competitors. Would you recommend that as a training run or maybe Ray simulation? Yeah. It's definitely a rest for it. You know anybody who's got aspirations to run to carry weight in the future, you know, it's very similar in terrain. It's similar in orders. There's checkpoints along the way I can a similar distance not every kind of 2025 care and it's It's for like for like, you know, it's where my trail it's got its got are looking at the Hallmarks of the carry away. You know, it's terrain while he's you know, it's got got kind of the bugginess it of the carrier. So yeah, it's definitely definitely want to try out for anyone who's looking looking to do it. Will you plan on doing the race again next year? Yeah. It's probably probably the next race for me and I'd say will be repeatedly go out of time. So I'm looking at that one again for 2020 and what about the carry by Ultra? I think it'll probably By long to the lottery for the UTMB. So I'll draw the name in the hash for that. And if I don't get in then I would be looking at going back down to the carry wagon. Well, that's a reason rather than an excuse and until okay, probably. Thanks very much for all that useful information, and I'll talk to you again soon. No problem. Thanks, son.
In this episode I speak to 3 competitors in the 2019 Kerry Way Ultra. The Winner, a Finisher and a Did Not Finish (DNF). This will give you an idea of what it takes to complete this epic event. We chat about their individual experiences and how their races unfolded from the night before to the day after. The Kerry Way traverses one of Ireland's most spectacular mountain ranges with magnificent coastal views, lakes, moorlands and lonely glens with a mixture of tarred roads, lanes, bogs and mountain passes underfoot. It is approximately 200km of roads, lanes, trails, paths and hills, running parallel to The famous Ring of Kerry road on the Iveragh Peninsula and is a route through the Old Red Sandstone mountains of Kerry. The Way touches Irish history (old butter roads, famine graves, abandoned villages), archaeology (hilltop burial chambers, standing stones, ogham writing) and folklore (tales of the Fianna warriors and their escapades). Starting and ending in Killarney town, with a maximum race time of 40 hours, this event is open to runners who have completed at least two marathons since in the previous year, one 50 mile event or one 100k event. It is a single stage, self-sufficient ultramarathon, with limited access for race support crews. The entry criteria is subject to change. 