Jurassic Coast Challenge March 2013

I'd love to enter as an intermediate run/walker but the price is a lot (i know you get a lot for it but not sure i can spare £150!)
There will be lots of ups and downs, given what the dorset coast path is like. No idea on the social side, depends if you have any energy left to socialise!

You've got to do the three surely!
did you watch the little video on the website, it just makes me want to sign up!

STEVE TAYLOR 27 wrote (see)

Haven't yet but will do in a minute. The missus has banned me from running marathons due to hip and knee issues but she didn't say anything about WALKING one.....

But this isn't a marathon. It's a 'challenge'.  It says so in the race title.

good point Wales, do you think he'll get away with it? mind you it also says in the description '3 marathons in 3 days', but i guess thats not 'a' marathon

I'm giving it serious thought - you don't have to enter until just a week before (although I'll probably have decided a few weeks before that). The weather could still be a bit iffy in March, which'll add to the challenge.

It seems like quite a decent event. A friend did their Pembrokeshire coastal challenge in 2011 and thought it good. It seems to me they've priced it aiming at long-distance triathletes, where, to be honest, £155 + accomodation costs for 3 days racing/training seems like good v. value!

I'm in! How is everybody's training going? Looking forward to it as we (my husband and I) have never done this sort of event before.. What sort of mileage are you putting in for back to back runs?  Im feeling like I haven't put in enough hill work - feeling slightly nervous about that! I see that a section of the path is closed due to a landslide - hope it's sorted without too much detouring!!

Check out the route of this event very carefully.  There are an awful lot of diversions of the official SWCP throughout Dorset because of the recent months' heavy rain causing landslips.  You could be covering quite a few more miles and 00s of feet of ascent than you anticipated!

There's a section on Portland where I don't think they've even worked out where the diversion's going to go yet.

I think the National Trail website has all the info, if not try the SWCP Association website.

I have entered with a friend but we are just doing one of the days (i know, wimp or what. but it is day three, the hardest!)
there are a lot of diversions, but most of them dont seem to be too bad or too far
However, this looks to be the worst one
http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/faq/route-changes/kimmeridge-chapmans-pool/

I had to do that one the other week in training, I was going to run Worth Matravers to Lulworth, but i didnt realise the path was shut until i got to chapmans pool, so took the route inland, however i ended up picking up one of the range walks and finished in Tyneham instead. Its not any more ascent really, but it is a long trek inland, and i did inform Votwo on facebook. Perhaps they are waiting to see if other shorter diversions get put in place before they announce any route changes?

Regarding accommodation - when I did this in 2010 I booked directly with Chesil caravan park - I got a Monday to Monday booking in one of their self-catering chalets, very cheap, and very basic, but did the job. Travelling down from Scotland I did not want to just come to Dorset for the weekend, would have been too tiring, so this gave me a few days to recover from the drive and recce the coast before the race. They also do shorter bookings for those just looking for a couple of days.

Also, lots of folks on the accommodation / meal deal with votwo complained there was not enough food for the evening meal - its a good idea to take some extra supplies with you if you can - the camp site had a fast food type outlet, burgers etc, so lots of people were 'topping up' with this, but it had limited opening hours cos it was out of season. I think the organisers were thrown slightly as it was the first time they had catered for that many entries.

Hope this is helpful - generally votwo were great and you will not meet a nicer more helpful bunch of guys, they really want to have as many folks finish the 3 days as possible .

I just checked out the Trails website (thanks Max's mum)  - that is a fairly hefty diversion around kimmeridge! 

Tigerspaw - we have booked a self catering at Chesil caravan park, I guess this will give us a little more control over food - I plan to cook some "easy heat" options just in case..

Re training - I had a go at a B2B2B over the weekend gone, but am thinking that we need to put in a bit more mileage.. any thoughts about this folks? 20/20/18 or 22/18/15??   Also, we train with the hills available around us but still only ascending about 530meters/approx 1500feet?? We plan to walk the hills and just run the bits inbetween so does this seem enough? More hill sessions? 

I'm planning on walking the hills and running the rest, so i think thats fine. although there are some nasty hills on the day three section! You could keep going up and down the same hill as its the accumulative ascent that will kill you
i'm having trouble putting in distance runs, so hope to rectify that this weekend!

Cate - thats a good idea re.preparing food in advance. One of the difficulties with a multi-day like this, where you will potentially be out for hours and hours (unless you are one of the few speedy racing snakes at the front), is getting enough 'real' food down your neck. I was getting up early, having a cooked breakfast, then 30mins before start having more toast, etc, OH would have dinner cooked already by the time I finished so I would trough that almost immediately I got in, then snack all night.

Day 3 will truly test your desire to finish. I wouldnt worry too much about accumulating big mileages at this point, it is probably more important to be fit and well rested before the event, although if you know you can recover quickly there would be no harm doing say 15, 21, 10. Having the desire to get out of bed and run again the next day is the key. It is useful if you can go out with fully loaded pack and walk, or yomp, up some big hills then practice descending. I walked quite a few of the descents on day 3, mostly large sets of steps with big drops, which my knackered knee found hard to cope with.

Tigerspaw wrote (see)

I walked quite a few of the descents on day 3, mostly large sets of steps with big drops,

Ah, the lovely steps on St Aldhams head!

Just had a catch up with a friend who has also entered but is having achilles issues so is planning on walking now but happy for her that she is still going to have a go..  We were chatting about run vs walk.. and I am curious about how you all cope with switching with walk/run strategy.. I find it really hard to get legs moving after a stretch of walking..  I obviously love/need the walk rest but find it can make getting moving again really Really tough..

MM - good idea re hill repeats.. I think that and a few shoter focussed sprint session are in order..

MM/Tigerspaw: the steps sound awful and lately I have found my right knee very twingy!! Thinking about getting a compression/support band as a just in case.. I did a 20/14/11 last week so having a light week so thinking next week we might do 20/20 or  another b2b2b then another light week.. We are heading to the peaks 2 weeks before for a long weekend so were planning on using it for some serious up and down hill walking! 

I am really dubious/nervous about Day 3, but just plan on taking it as it comes.. I want to do the best effort I can, but I know that it won't be pretty and it is not an event for going too hard/fast.. I really will be happy to finish, without injuries... and not too many tears! (I can get a little over emotional about mud and silly things when I am tired!!)