SaabSalomon Turbo-X Trails, Poppyhill

Good prep for Beachy Head I'd have said though of course you don't get the mud there - just those bl***y Seven Sisters.  Was really enjoying it (in my slow way of course) last year until left the Country Park and started the Sisters - rutted, stoney and either vertically up or down with no respite in between!!

Don't know how much mud at Poppyhill as not done it before.  Did  Martinique and have done several Hellrunners.  Martinique you had to go through some deepish water but wasn't that much mud which is not something you can say for HR with its bog and lake!  

Hi all,

I've just seen this event and am really up for it, however, I have no trail running experience, any idea for shoes (currently in asics GT 21-30s, mildly overpronate and they're 2 months old).  I'm going to get some prep in doing some trails at Chobham common, got a month to go and 10 miles on road is easy in 1 hr 13mins, what sort of times would you expect for me for this race?  I run roads through windsor great park so not unexperienced in hills. 

 Any help here would be much appreciated!

Hi Joe,

I do trail running in Brooks Glycerin 6, they are stability shoes & good for my gait.  I also wear adidas swoop for grip when doing outdoor circuit training.  I was at Windsor Great Park yesterday, ok I was in the Fox and Hounds with my husband but hey, it was the bank holiday.  I glanced at the trails on Chobham Common & they looked good for running but I would get lost.  I wil run 7 miles cross country tonight as part of my training schedule near home.  I did the Great South Run last year - 10 miles round Portsmouth and it took me 1hr 58.   Estimate over an hour for The turbo X.  I don't know if they are going to talk it up with regard to the terrain but it's in Berkshire not the Himalayas ! 

Hi Joseph, 

If the Martinque X-Trail is anything to go by you will trash your shoes, so you may want to use an older pair... I wore newish trail shoes which were OK, though their waterproofing works against you when the shoe is full of water/mud.  Easy to clean afterwards though.  I run about 1:40 for a half - Martinique took me nearly 1:30. That was partly because I took it steady not knowing what to expect.  There are no mile markers, so it's difficult to judge your time, and the atmosphere seems to be less about pace, more about enjoying the event.  I wasn't disappointed with my time - it's nothing like road-running.  Good luck!.           

Thanks Debbie and Footslog,

 I think i'll buy some trail shoes, my road shoes aren't old enough to trash yet so it'll be a trip to sweatshop, Teddington on saturday I think. 

Thanks again for the advice and good luck to you both in your training and the event itself!

Hi Debbie F,

I am also doing the Windsor half the week before.  I have never done a race like this trail running so I hope it will be interesting!  I don't have any trail shoes either. May invest in some beforehand or use some old trainers??

Hi Leisha H,

Thinking about it I will probably run it in my normal running shoes - Brooks Glycerin 6, for Windsor Half and for the Turbo X.  My trail shoes - Adidas Swoop, are not stability shoes and won't give me what I need over a half marathon and ten mile cross country route.  I train cross country so I don't think my shoes will get that trashed.  I dropped my Garmin 201 this morning and it broke boo hoo ! 

Debbie,

I can recommend the Garmin 405 for your next watch.  I have had it since it came out and I LOVE it!!  Do you live local to Windsor?

As I'm already signed up for the November one (and doing Beachy) I'm quite tempted to go for this one too.

Is there anyone else coming down by train to share a cab with? 

Shoewise I'm going with what I know which is my cheapy trail shoes I bought for Hellrunner, presuming they would get trashed. They're still going strong, I use them any time  I think I'll be doing downhills.

Just to let you all know that we posted out the race instructions and numbers today. The route has been blessed by this horrible rain and there are more waist deep bogs than we were expecting for this time of year - and the hills haven't got any smaller.

Please note that we can't start at Poppyhill this year because the area is triple-s i and it is the change over week from restricted to less restricted - so they don't want the vehicles parked there although you runners are OK to run over it.

The start is now in the centre of Bracknell Forest and the access is along a roughish track off the A322 Bagshot/Bracknell Road - it is Ok for most standard vehicles but those with sports cars will need to drive very carefully.

Still OK to enter I Can't Keep Up!

mdunn,

It means site of special scientific interest - the Dartford Wabbler nests there until end of Sept and there is concern about a floating spider (our event last year at Poppyhill was second w/end of Oct and we didn't have any problems).

The crazy thing is that the army can go anywhere yet we can't drive a few cars on main tracks.