EcoTrail 80km - Paris

1244 people finished the 3rd edition of the 80km EcoTrail de Paris. Now firmly established in the French running calendar this race is very much a jewel in the ultra running crown. Starting on the outskirts of Paris in the Bois d'Arcy runners run 80km (50 miles) through the woods, trails and forests to enter the heart of Paris via the Parc de St Cloud and then run the final 10km along the banks of the Seine to finish by running UP the Eiffel Tower to the finish line on the first floor.

This is a tough course; no doubt. However it is a beautiful course and one that leaves a lasting impression on the mind. I ran the second edition last year with my partner, Niandi. I fell in love with the race and being the 'only' British entrant I wanted to broaden the appeal. I therefore contacted the race organization and became the sole UK agent for the race.

2010 saw a great increase in British entrants. I took along 8 clients but it was apparent at the race start that UK entries had increased. One entrant in particular was 'Ian Sharman'. A very highly respected ultra runner from the UK. He didn't disappoint turning in a superb performance for 4th place overall.

So, the race!

I pre-registered all my entrants making our journey to the race start easy and trouble free. We departed our hotel at 0900 and transferred via RER and then Bus to Trappes. As is always the case with large races, you have an element of waiting. I don't particularly mind this. It is an opportunity to meet people, take in some last minute calories and prepare mentally for the challenge ahead. In regard to friends, the race start was a 'who's who' of French Ultra Running. Our group of friends included three times MDS winner Simone Kaiser, Michel Bach who has run MDS 18 times and is a multiple Spartathlon finisher, Katel Korme (UTMB, Spartathlon, MDS) Didier Benguigui, 6 times 100km French Champion Huguette Jouault and Christine Dadoun. As I said, a who’s who! What is amazing is all these runners race week in and week out. Funnily enough on speaking to all of them on the start line, when I asked 'what's next?'. They all said MDS in 2 weeks..... sometimes you can feel quite inadequate in this company!

Running in our group we had Niandi Carmont, Cat Archer, Mark Hughes, Chris McCarthy, Nick Weston and Ron Shannon and I. Jon Glyde should have been racing but unfortunately had sustained a calf injury in the final prep for the event.

A short race briefing at 1215 and at 1230 we were underway. Some 1500 runners heading along narrow trails. Early on the trail is quite congested. This very much works into you favor as your pace is held back… no need to go flying off when you have some 50 miles ahead.

Of course the front runners go off at a ridiculous pace, the winner crossed the line in 6hrs 8 min! With the first lady in 6hrs 32min (she was actually 5^th overall). The first 13 miles are relatively flat, a few hills a thrown and of course one has to contend with mud and other runners.

Nick Weston pushed ahead early on and I stayed with Niandi, Cat & Mark. It is always difficult to run at other peoples pace but it was important to help set a pace that was hopefully sustainable over this distance. I had complete confidence in Niandi controlling things. She has been running ultras for 15 years an she really does know how to set a metronomic pace.

At the first feed it was imperative to refill bladders, take on calories and make sure you had enough to sustain you to the second feed. From here the terrain became increasingly tough.

All trail and relentless hills. Like a rollercoaster at the fair you hid one hill, roll over the top, run, hit another hill and then keep going.

The ‘downs’ never quite seemed in the same quantity as the ‘ups’. In all cases you walked the hills. They are steep, slippery and energy sapping. At 18 miles I ran ahead of Niandi, Cat and Mark and started to settle into ‘my’ pace. Behind Ron and Chris managed their own efforts individually. I had the carrot of Nick running up ahead, however on this type of race you just suddenly can’t start running a minute a mile quicker so I was resided to the fact that I would see him at the Eiffel Tower unless he blew up in the latter stages. From here on in I found space and started to catch all the early ‘rabbits’. In actual fact, from mile 20 to the finish I think I only had 4 people come past me, whereas I lost count of the runners I passed.

The second feed was ages away. The torrential rain that had fallen during the previous night making the trail ‘sticky’ had gone, the sun was out and the temperatures were pretty warm. I was sweating heavily. At mile 28 I had gone through 4 liters of water and 8 ‘Nuun’ tablets. Energy wise I had taken a gel every 3 miles. I wasn’t lacking energy but I was thirsty…. Being a heavy sweater I need my electrolytes. At this point I was a little worried. I knew the feed was at mile 33, therefore I still had 5 miles to go which equated to roughly 50 mins. I made the feed but I had definitely dipped into my reserves. I refilled my bladder, took on some extra calories in the form of cake. Had a coffee and then pushed on.

To be honest this feed station is a great mental boost. You are over halfway with 17 miles to go. Yes it’s still a long way but you can adapt and take many positives. The trail continued to challenge. I actually looked forward to the hills. My calf was playing up and the walking up allowed me to put it into s a stretch and relieve the pressure on it. As soon as I crested the tops and I would settle back into my pace keeping my steps short and my cadence high.

We entered the Observatoire de Meudon and this provided some absolutely stunning views over Paris. The Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur glowed in the distance. We entered a checkpoint. Here we had a kit check and we had to apply our reflective arm bands to our arms.

Night came and with it our head torches. I was now pretty much running alone. I love this part of the race. Dark, dense, forests and just a beam of light illuminating the way. The course is marked with small yellow or white reflective strips. You move your head, catch a reflection and follow…. The third feed station was at 39 miles and in the middle of race course. We had to follow the barriers and then suddenly had a water trough to climb over. I lifted my leg and ‘bang’! – Cramp. My right leg outstretched like it had two wooden splints at the side of it. I gave it a minute or two, stretched, somehow managed to get over the water trough and within a mile I was in the feed station. More water to my bladder, more cake and this time a few cups of coke. I walked out of the feed eating. It seemed logical to walk while eating instead of standing. I had 10 miles to go and the finish was pulling me in.

I was now in the Parc de St Cloud. I had one other runner for company and we took it in turn leading the way. I finally came to the final feed at the ‘Belvedere’ in the Parc de St Cloud. I was alone. The feed was empty and suddenly I thought to myself that I must be a fair way up the field. Last year when I entered this station with Niandi we had at least 50 people with us. I took an espresso, a cup of water, a piece of cake and off I went. I love this bit. When I am in Paris this is my daily run… a quick decent to the Seine and then approximately 6 miles along its banks to the Eiffel Tower.

The Tower was glowing and pulsing in the distance. Legs were killing now. My left calf was in and out of cramp and my quads were shattered. Agony! But I wasn’t going to walk. I could taste the finish and I wanted sub 9 hours. The heavens opened. Torrential rain hit us and continued to fall. I didn’t waste energy running around puddles I just ploughed through them. At the ‘Pont de Sevres’ we crossed the Seine, ran under a bridge and then ran through the Parc Ile St Germain. We exited the Parc at the Pont de Issy, crossed the road and then we were back on the banks of the Seine. A marshal was suddenly shouting 1 km to go. I upped my pace and then suddenly I was being redirected. Oh no, the course had been changed from last year and instead of just running to the tower I was now crossing another bridge to run down an Island in the middle of the Seine…. 1km my arse I thought. This is going to be 3 km’s. It was!!! Finally the steps that took me from the Seine, up to the main road, across the crossings, through the marquee and then I entered the doorway to the Eiffel Tower. Head down I started to run, step after step. I don’t know how many steps to the finish. Needless to say it was enough. I crossed the line in 8hrs 52min in 124^th place.

It is such a special race. The opportunity to run trail in Paris, run along the Seine and finish at what has to be the best finish line in the world is a truly memorable experience. It was my 2^nd time and the experience was not diminished. Actually, I enjoyed it more.

I entered the marquee. Nick was waiting. He had a superb run crossing the line in 8hrs 13min for 71^st place. We could hardly move. Our legs were locked with fatigue. Cat Archer was the next in in 9hrs 23min for 244^th place. Niandi and Mark had run together and finished in 9hrs 34min for 292 place and 294 place respectively. Ron finished in 9hrs 54m for 362 place and Chris crossed the line with ‘yeeha’ in 10hrs 09 min for 449 place.

Stunning race

Stunning course

Great friends

Great results

An experience to be cherished.

Will I be back…? Well, of course! 2011 entries will be available through ‘runwild runfree’. We are the sole UK agent, so, if you fancy a challenge and an experience of a lifetime in 2011, the EcoTrail de Paris is for you. If you feel 80km may be too far, don’t worry, you can always enter the 50k!

Photos available at : http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/EcoTrail2010

Weekly News 21st Feb

Ha, so you thought the snow had gone... nope! I woke up this morning (Sunday) to an absolute covering of snow that was a good 6 inches in depth in places. Of course the snow would arrive for my long run day. As a true trooper I headed out the door and covered a marathon over local trails. It was a tough day out... a combination of the snow, rutted and muddy trails, hills, blizzards and the occasional period of reduced visibility when I reached the top of a couple of local climbs. Loved it though. It brought a few memories back from the two days on the Thames Path. This terrain was considerably more challenging. It's rest time now and a very easy week of recovery and adaptation before next Saturdays Coastal Marathon in South Devon.

So has the week gone? Pretty good actually. I came out of last Saturdays 50k at London Ultra feeling very fresh with no leg soreness or obvious fatigue. I did however have that niggling chest and cough that carried through till Wednesday. Training for me this week was very simple. No speed, just easy running.

• Monday - 8 miles
• Tuesday - 13.5 miles
• Wednesday - 13.5 miles
• Thursday - rest
• Friday - am: 12 miles / pm: 5 miles
• Saturday - am: 8 miles tempo on the road / pm: 7.5 miles trail
• Sunday - Trail marathon

Weekly total mileage was 82.5 miles. That has kept my average since Christmas very high. It's all good and apart from a few hiccups, exactly where I wanted to be coming to the end of Feb.

Clients News:

Firstly, BIG BIG 'PB' for Eric Butcher who knocked 6 minutes off his half marathon time by crossing the line in 1:35. Massive improvement for Eric and a really great result. When I started working with Eric it was in principal to get him in better shape for Ironman. However, we realized that we needed to work on his weakness; running. We therefore targeted Florence Marathon for late 2009. He took part in the Thames Path 2 day and now we have 6 mins of his Half Time - Brill!

Rosemarie Maguire was also racing today over the half distance. No PB but that wasn't the target. Rosemarie needed a real confidence boost in the build up to Paris Marathon. Job done!! I think it is fair to say that Rosemarie had lost sight of why she ran... when we discussed that actually it was meant to be fun, her whole mindset changed. Her result today was a great achievement and I know she enjoyed it.

The 'EcoTrail' crew (Cat, Mark, Nick, Ron, Chris) all had big weekends of running as we are now 4 weeks away from the Ecotrail de Paris 80km Trail race. Some sterling efforts with Nick and Ron knocking out 30 miles on Saturday. Cat after her fantastic run at London Ultra did a 4 hour session and she too races South Devon this coming weekend along with Chris and myself. On the subject of Cat. Photo below showing a rather 'diddy' cup for her first place at LU50k.

Everyone else has been clocking up the miles and starting to make those sessions count in prep for Spring races. This coming week sees more of the same and then the following week, myself and 30 others head out to Lanzarote for the 'runwild runfree' training camp. I always love this camp. It is a great mix of quality training, R&R and hopefully an escape to some sun from this continually chilly UK weather. If you are interested, we are taking 'reserve' places for 2011. We normally have 12 apartments so places go quick.

Other News:

I was reading the other day about some guy who is doing the Triathlon of all Triathlons. His name is Dan Martin http://www.danmartinextreme.com/home.php

Dan is planning a Global Triathlon.... just when you think you do extreme sport by running long distances, some guy turns up and plans to:

• Swim 5700km accross the Atlantic
• Cycle accross Europe & Asia
• Run across America

Good luck is all I can say... wow! The cycle & run giving the time and finance I would love a go at BUT swim the Atlantic; no no no!!

Another guy to check out is French Ultra Legend; Serge Girard (Niandis fave) http://www.sergegirard.com/

Serge has done many great things with his feet, Check out his website BUT he is currently attempting to break the world record of 22,581km run in 365 days averaging 61.9km's a day - now that is ULTRA running!!

Catch up next week! Don't forget, let us have your posts ;-)

Ian

Weekly News 14th Feb

What a week !!! Really difficult to know where to start, but a start needs to be made so I will start with the London Ultra 50k. This was the first edition of this race, organised by Rory Coleman and his new venture Ultra Race. What I thought was going to be a road heavy route actually turned out to be a real nice mixed terrain course. We followed the route of the Capital Ring and started in South London and then made our way north to finish at the Wembley Plaza Hotel. Obviously the course was 50k (32 miles).

We had a relatively early start taking a bus from Wembley to South London in time for the 9am start. A modest field of 250 had pre entered and I think appx 200 started. Temperatures were chilly but we soon warmed. I personally was planning to run the race with Niandi my partner. A training run. Also with us was two coaching clients, Ron Shannon and Cat Archer. All of us are toeing the line at the EcoTrail de Paris in March. Ron is very familiar with ultra racing, however Cat was a novice.

Underway the early pace as per usual was two quick. Many were running sub 3:15 marathon pace over the early stages, of course this soon changed as we settled into the run. Navigation was pretty simple throughout the route and we had all been provided with very good route maps. The only problem was road crossings. We had many to cross and of course you were very dependent on the luck of the drawer on what traffic flow was like.

At about 14 miles Niandi and myself got separated from Ron & Cat at one of these intersections. When back on route I tried to push the pace a little to get back accross but Niandi was having one of 'those days'. We all know what this like but Saturday was just not a good day.... before the start I was a little worried as I had suffered all week with a chesty cough and cold. In likely hood, I had probably passed my germs on and Niandi was getting the early symptoms. In true grit style, Niandi pushed on to the end but needless to say it was the last we saw of Ron & Cat.

From this point on we need Ron & Cat to fill the story in, this I know they will do. BUT they arrived at the finish in a great 4:28 and Cat got first lady... YEAH!!!! Top top result. I know that Ron helped paced Cat and they crossed the line pretty much together.

Niandi and myself arrived some 30 min later. Ironically with about a mile to go I sprinted off to cross the line in 4:59 (just didn't want a plus 5 finish) I got my medal, turned around and then ran back to Niandi. Niandi crossed a couple of minutes later... I checked the results today only to find my time is down as 5:01. Obviously some discepancy with my watch and the 'official' watch - c'est la vie!! It was a great race though. Ron & Cat did great. I was happy to get 5 hours on my legs and Niandi? Well, she has been there and done it for 14 years... she has a list of Ultra races that is a who is who of Ultra's... it's one day, she will be back!

As I posted last week, coaching client Julie Deadman was flying over to Cannes to take part the 'half marathon'. We had decided the Julie was going to give it a go!!! Not that Julie doesn't... in the year I have coached her, Julie always gives it a go. But we have always worked to a strategy. This type we had a strategy but the ending was 'open'. We decided to set an early fast pace, hold to 10k and then push.... our intention was simple; PB or blow up. Julie had a previous PB of 1:55:17, this morning at around 10:30am I got a text to say;

"Best race ever - 1:47:10!! Tough from 19k onwards but the wheels just stayed on !! ;-)"

Stunning PB. Julie has PB'd and PB'd over the last 12 months. It hasn't always been plain sailing but to PB over 8 mins over half distance is quite superb..... roll on Paris in April.

Max Bonzo from Italy contacted me in December asking me to coach him to his first marathon. No problem I said.... he then told me it was in about 7 weeks!!! Normally I would have said no to such a short deadline, but I knew that if I didn't help he would still run the marathon and potentially be in a mess. We discussed options and I told him that we would need to be 'creative' with the planning. Max's only priority was a finish, however I did have a personal bet with a friend to beat sub 4:15.

Max dedicated himself to the training and after a long run of 3:15 some three weeks ago he realized the task that lay ahead. I wanted him to use a run/walk strategy. Mach pride initially came in and the 'need to run'. But after explaining things and explaining the thought process, Max decided that this strategy may work. Race day paln was to run to the feeds (5k) walk for 2 min and then run to the next feed... At 13:00 this afternoon I get a text. I see Max's name and I hold my breath... it was always going to be a tough day out. Max wrote:

"Hi Ian, marathon completed, just on target 3:59:34. The walking strategy worked well..."

Needless to say I am over the moon. Absolutely brilliant work by Max. Just think what he will do next time...

I have had a tough week. Training has not gone well due to illness, work has been hectic and I was working all hours to get my new 'Newsletter' out. All of it completely and utterly worth it when I have a weekend like this. BIG BIG congratulations to all. We are 6 weeks into the year and already the results are superb!

More news to follow on Jen Unwin having a 'dirty' weekend in Parbold (that's got you all thinking eh). I will also be posting some photos and other news.

Would love your feedback, so please comment. I also really need your thoughts on the Newsletter? If you didn't get a Newsletter, let me know and I will forward one to you. Have a great week. Ian

Weekend Update

Busy weekend!

Friday I headed to London to work alongside Martin & Liz Yelling coaching over 44 runners for London Marathon. This was a coaching day arranged by the NSPCC and benefited those running for the charity and raising money. As per usual it was a great day. One of the joys of doing this type of work is seeing peop

le improve and become more confident.

Sunday I ran a marathon in training. Nice easy pace. It was about time on my feet using my 'ultra' kit. I clicked out the marathon in 3:47 and that was using a strategy of running 4 miles and walking for 2 mins. I keep telling you that this is the way forward for distance running and it just goes to show that you can still achieve a sensible time without running yourself into the ground.... the plus sides of a strategy like this are massive. Good recovery, no leg pain and the ability to train hard or long the next day!

Ron Shannon, Cat Archer and Mark Hughes headed to Portland to take part in the Endurancelife Coastal Marathon. I should have been there but work took priority! Portland is a tough course but one of the easier Coastal Marathons. The early sections are rocky and technical. You turn at Portland Bill Lighthouse and then have some pretty easy/flat running before the decent to Chesil Beach. The Beach is a brute... A couple of miles of shingle that just shocks the legs, hips and mind. At the end of the beach you turn and re trace to the start to run another lap. Pleased to say that Ron, Cat and Mark all finished within 10 min of each other. Ron 4:39:57. Cat 4:48:21. Mark 4:38:30. The winning time was 3:27:49 by Pete Roper. Last year I ran 3:54:17 over the same course for 8th place, so, it puts the course and the difficulty into perspective.

On a training front I need to mention Sandie. Sandie has struggled with a few niggles over the last couple of months, then the snow. Just as she was getting back into some solid training for Paris Marathon she has 'twisted' an ankle again. Keep your chin up Sandie!!! Everyone who reads this can understand and relate. You will soon be back on the road and now that we have a contingency plan, you can focus the mind on new targets!

Claire Wright who is training for MDS went out and put an 11.5hr training session in over the weekend and covered nearly 45 miles. Sterling effort and a great boost for April.

Max Bonzo did his longest run at the weekend in prep for Seville Marathon in a few weeks. Keep focused Max. It will come good.

Please share your thoughts with everyone. This blog is for ALL and the comments box allows us all to interact. Let's here what you are up to!?

News News News

Firstly, runwildrunfree has purchased its first 'shelterbox' and with luck it will make its way to Haiti and help those in need. You have all been really great in the positive comments and support you have provided for this. It is fair to say, you only need to watch the news and see a small child pulled from the rubble after 7 days to realize what help these people need. I am still taking donations via my Paypal account and I hope that we will be able to purchase one, if not two more boxes. It is a great cause where we can see how our money is put into action.

This weekend sees Cat Archer, Ron Shannon and Mark Hughes tackle Portland Coastal Marathon. This is race number 3 in the 7 marathon series organised by Endurancelife. I have already run this edition twice, last year getting 7th place. It is a tough course but quite runnable. Marathon runners need to tackle Chesil Beach twice - it is tough.

I personally am working with Martin and Liz Yelling on a coaching day for the NSPCC. We are looking after over 40 charity runners who will be tackling the 26.2 miles in April. I always enjoy these days. It is great to see everyone learn, progress and get confident.

My running is going really well. Last week I racked up a whopping 127 miles. Exactly where I wanted to be post the three weeks of snow and ice. This week I ran an easy 5 miles on Monday evening, Tuesday was two split sessions; 8 miles am and 8 miles pm. Wednesday morning I ran 14 miles at MP+1 and followed this on Thursday with a recovery day, 5 miles am and 3 miles pm. Today, Friday I ran another 14 miles but this time at 'tempo'. All is feeling good. I guess I will run tomorrow as part of the training but Sunday will see me out early for a 3:30 training marathon.

Let me have your news, thoughts and or experiences. This blog is as much for you as me!! We really want to hear from you.

Ian