Small Margins, The Lowe Alpine Mourne Mountain Marathon

This one definitely wasn’t my idea!  When I decided last year to focus my efforts on mountain running for 2013 I had a few targets but they were all focused on joining the exclusive group of runners capable of winning the short course races.  A strong Winter's training developed my capability to run full speed up tortuous gradients before releasing the brakes and letting my legs pick a terrifying line down through uneven mountain terrain but never for much over an hour.  It’s safe to say that I over achieved in this respect, bar an untimely DQ that cost me one series, everything else I managed this year has pretty much astounded me.  The ability to drop weight at will, bury myself physically and learn from mistakes has led to a pretty satisfying season!

This progress clearly didn’t go unnoticed and so it was that I got an offer I couldn’t refuse, as much as I’d have loved to!  Earlier in the season I was very nearly tempted into taking part in a major running and sailing event around the Scottish Islands by Deon McNeilly, a legendary figure in Irish mountain running.  Very fortunately for me work commitments staved off that event but it meant that refusing the next offer was to prove too hard.  With his regular partner taking a year off, Deon was seeking a team mate for the Mourne 2 Day Mountain Marathon and it was me he again asked.  My initial reaction was suitably non-committal, it was less than tempting for a few reasons.

1)      It’s long (55km) and involves carrying all your kit and camping out before doing it all again the next day.

2)      It takes place in September, way beyond my planned season end (even if I went to the World Champs in August) which meant having to stay fit and lightweight for much longer than anticipated.

3)      I’ve never really done any distance running, except for my two Mourne Wall runs (see previous blogs).

4)      I hate being hungry and I knew that we’d be carrying minimal food!

5)      It’s another event I used to read about with bemused interest (much like all fell running really) but under the impression that I could never actually compete in it.

The only thing that really tempted me was the fact that Deon has won it before and obviously wouldn’t ask unless he thought I had a chance of helping him win it again.  Despite all the arguments against, simple flattery overcame them all.  Ego can get you into some strange situations.  So it was that I entered the world of balloon beds, scooping water from rivers as you run through, weighing food, reading maps whilst running up hill, titanium stove pots and many other new concepts, the world of Mountain Marathons.

30 seconds to start and feeling relaxed!

The Lowe Alpine Mourne 2 Day has been running for decades, always along a similar format.  Pick what class you want to enter (these days from Elite down to ‘D’) and move as fast as you can through the allocated checkpoints whilst navigating yourselves in pairs.  The winners are simply the teams that complete the distance over the two days the fastest.  As long as you ‘dib’ all the checkpoints, route choice is entirely up to you meaning there is plenty of scope for being creative, and in many cases simply being lost!  We were entered in the main event, the 55km Elite race.  I was dubious as to how close a race could be over such a long and varied course but a pre-race tactical chat with Deon and a peek at previous results clarified that even over 10 hours of running, fine margins really can count.

After a week spent teaching navigation in freezing 40mph winds coming into the weekend’s race it was safe to say that I was very apprehensive and more than a bit unenthusiastic.  The reality of what I’d signed up for dawned on me and I had a few sleepless nights.   Extremely fortunately, the stunning Summer weather kicked in again just in time and we were faced with a forecast of mild, still days and even better a dry overnight camp.  Buoyed by this I packed an extremely light bag (12lbs) containing simply the obligatory kit list items and only one luxury (a hat to go with my Buff).  On arrival at Tollymore it was clear to see that not all teams had been so precise!   There was a very clear distinction between the Elite and ‘B’ class runners adorned in lycra, fell shoes and carrying as little as possible and the ‘C’ and ‘D’ classes, many of whom were wearing proper waterproofs, hiking boots and carrying a hell of a lot.  Us competitive types were obviously smug about carrying less weight but it was clear who’d have the last laugh at the campsite when comfort became an issue.

Following kit checks and final goodbyes and good lucks we were bussed to a ‘mystery’ location and as our allotted time arrived we grabbed our grid references for the day, got them plotted and started running.  I’ll not bore you with the details but basically we cocked up the first point and lost 10 minutes but then had a very solid day, moving well over some of the worst ground imaginable before reaching the campsite after around 5.5 hours.  I was pleasantly surprised by how easy I found it, having to move fast over that ground (and I really can’t reiterate enough how poor underfoot it mostly was) for several hours meant that we were never at our limits.  In fact, myself and Deon were able to chat away through much of it, sometimes about the navigation, sometimes about the race and sometimes about navigation in the race!  Not all teams were so careful to conserve energy though and it was a great surprise to us when a rival elite team overtook us despite starting 15 minutes behind.  It was less of a surprise though when they subsequently ‘blew up’ and ended up losing over 40 minutes.  It was very useful having the experience of Deon and my own experience of years of endurance biking to keep our pace suitably steady.

2 second pause for a pic and then up Slieve Muck

As the day one results came in we’d been informed that the front end of the elite race was close.  As it happens, it was extremely close.  After 330 minutes of racing only 6 minutes separated the top 3 pairs with us enjoying a slender 4min 40 lead.  I tried to put this out of my mind and focus on shoving as many calories as I had into me to attempt to recover for the next day.  The overnight camp was actually a total pleasure, some great banter, lovely sunshine and soft grass to pitch the tent on.  I strolled between the various pitches marvelling at some of the items carried by other teams, full size stoves, 4 man tents, cans of food and even some booze!  How the other half live.

Day 1 over, still smiling and a near 5 minute lead

Day 2 dawned bright with heavy cloud just touching the summits.  Remarkably my legs felt strong and relaxed and I felt really confident about the day ahead.  The format was slightly different with no staggered start and ‘clusters’ of checkpoints meaning that teams could choose the order they wanted to visit them.  This allows totally different route choices and adds a whole new element as you therefore have no idea how your closest rivals are fairing.  Myself and Deon were hoping for some better ground and more climbing to drive home the advantage we felt we had in terms of running ability and we weren’t to be disappointed.  Summit checkpoints on Slieves Binnian and Bearnagh meant some hard climbing but also some more established tracks and we flew round the course aided by some very precise navigation.  We occasionally crossed paths with the English pair who were looking like our closest rivals but it was obvious that they were taking a completely different route.  It wasn’t until the cluster was completed that we were headed to the same checkpoint again and as we approached it contouring round Luke’s Mountain we caught sight of them sprinting down the opposite side of the valley, it was going to be close!  As it was we led them by a couple of minutes and stretched out that advantage in the final run in through Tollymore Forest aided by the local knowledge of running on our familiar training routes to the finish back at the National Outdoor Centre.  In the end our advantage was 9 minutes but in the context of a 9 ¼ hour run it certainly isn’t much.  Another error like ours on the very first point of the weekend and we’d have probably lost it.

As I stood agonisingly in the shower watching blood flowing from my toes and a huge blister on the sole of my left foot I contemplated all the small decisions that had resulted in our victory.  There are so many ways in which you can lose ten minutes in an event like that with so many variables.  It truly is a combination of fitness, mountain craft, preparation, experience, pain denial and luck.  It just so happens that I got a very capable partner and the fortune required to pull off a first time victory.

Elite winners 2013!

I can’t express what a superb event the Lowe Alpine Mourne Mountain Marathon is.  Perfectly organised, a really friendly atmosphere, suitably challenging but also fun.  This year it was dedicated to Denis Rankin who was central to the event’s organisation for decades and who sadly died during a fell race earlier this year.  At the prizegiving his wife gave a great speech which coincided with a huge sunbeam breaking through the clouds and bathing a stunning Mournes vista in light, I couldn’t have imagined anything more poignant.

Huge thanks to the organisers but most of all to Deon for persuading me to take part.  I’m happy to retire from competitive running now but Deon is still searching for the ‘perfect 2 day’ as he has been for years so I’m sure he’ll be back again next year!   If only we’d pinpointed that first point maybe Deon could be feeling as satisfied as I am right now… 

Sorry for the lack of pictures by me, we could’ve had hundreds of stunners but my phone weighs 82 grams which any serious Mountain Marathoner will tell you is far too much to ever consider.  Given the choice between nice pictures or extra breakfast there really is no choice, you can’t eat a phone and as the title says, it’s all about the small margins!

Both sides of the coin...

Cycling has undeniably witnessed a massive growth in this part of the world in recent years with the obvious successes of Team Sky, the London Olympic squad and for Ireland the continuing performances of the likes of Nicholas Roche and Dan Martin etc.  Sportives are appearing, clubs are flourishing and mass participation is becoming increasingly noticeable with all sizes and shapes squeezing into lycra and hitting the roads.  Never has this been more noticeable to me than during the recent dry spell when the Mournes were crawling with cyclists enjoying some dry roads and pretending Spelga was the Alpe D'Huez.

Brilliant I say!  What could be better than a fitter, happier, healthier, more focused and motivated society?  Cycling is truly an incredible sport allowing the rider to become connected to the countryside whilst exploring areas they may have never before appreciated from behind their dashboard.  More cyclists can only be a good thing with demonstrable social and economic benefits from improved mental and physical health.  So why do some people hate cyclists so much?

I'm a sucker for the comments sections on websites and amongst the obvious trolls there is always the opportunity to laugh at the way that people seem to fight over anything, often subjects which have nothing to do with the original article.  I've definitely noticed that whenever there is a cycling article on the BBC website there is genuine vitriol amongst the comments which usually boils down to the 'shouldn't be on the road' argument.  I've generally dismissed these comments with the withering disdain they deserve, after all, yes I do pay road tax on my car, I just prefer to use my bike!  However, recently I've had a couple of experiences which have forced me to think about why there is so much animosity between the two user groups on the asphalt.

The first was as I was riding to work one morning down a classic single lane country road with big hedges on either side and little in the way of passing space.  I was occupying my usual position, just off the roadside enough to be noticeable but not so much to be obstructive.  Generally people slow behind me, I pull in another foot and they go past.  This time though a car flew past, close enough for me to feel the heat from their vehicle but luckily not close enough to clip my bars.  As I unleashed a torrent of abuse towards the idiot driver they then noticed the sheep enjoying a munch of the hedge whilst stood on the other side of the road.  Instantly they hit the anchors and with a big wobble just managed to avoid the animal before speeding off again.  My first thought was what a complete dickhead!  My second was why did they deem it necessary to brake for a sheep but not a human?  The answer is fairly obvious, they couldn't be sure that the sheep wouldn't step out and damage their car.  They clearly didn't consider my life to be important enough to slow down by just a few mph rather than speeding past.  It's safe to conclude that this person was an idiot, they hit the next blind corner at the same speed which would have almost certainly resulted in a fatal crash if there was anyone coming the other way.  At this point it was easy for me to see why cyclists may hate some motorists, they present a genuine danger to our health.

Surely it's as unacceptable to overtake a cyclist here at 60mph

As it is to hold up the traffic here doing 12mph...

The second was as I was driving up the Castlewellan road from Newcastle, a busy road where overtaking is normally easy unless there is traffic coming the other way.  On this occasion my lane of traffic was slowed to about 12mph by a couple of cyclists riding casually side by side and having a conversation.  There was no opportunity to get past as the opposite lane was packed with traffic.  The upshot of this was that we all had to drive at 12mph for several minutes.  What the cyclists were doing wasn't illegal, they can ride two abreast on main roads for as long as they want but I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the only one in that queue cursing their ignorance.  Personally I prefer the common sense approach of two abreast until the traffic behind slows and then go single file, it keeps the cyclist safer but doesn't slow the drivers too much.  Anything else seems to just further annoy the motor vehicle drivers and result in the cyclists getting passed in more marginal places, actually increasing the danger rather than limiting it.  At this point I was myself a driver more than a bit annoyed by the arrogant actions of cyclists.

I've spent a fair bit of time riding bikes on the continent and two things there definitely hold true.

1) Cyclists are given space and respect by drivers.
 2) That doesn't mean that drivers are going slower (if anything they're faster and more dangerous).

The difference I've witnessed though is that the drivers put their own necks on the line always giving me a full lane, moving themselves completely on to the wrong side of the road rather than cutting close to me.  This is a matter of attitude.  At present many drivers here seem to still see cyclists as second class road users and they see nothing wrong with passing within a metre of the rider's handlebars.  Unfortunately cross winds, pot holes, poor road surfaces etc make this a potentially lethal act.  On the flip side, I've come across many cyclists here who display open animosity to drivers and as a result almost take pride in being as obstructive as possible.  I've no doubt that as cycling becomes more and more mainstream these attitudes will gradually change and the roads will become safer, however, in the meantime surely us cyclists have a duty to ride responsibly with a thought to not irritating other road users too.  Mutual respect is the only way to guarantee genuine safety on the roads.

As a postscript to this blog, yesterday I completed the Giants Causeway Coast Sportive, 120 miles of twisting and sometimes narrow roads in horrendous conditions and at times limited visibility.  There were over 800 cyclists on the road, a sizeable hindrance to any car drivers journey and yet I didn't see any marginal overtaking, horn beeping or animosity at all.  This is credit to both the drivers and cyclists.  Co-existence on the roads can work, even in the most dangerous of road conditions.