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N R U F Y N D D A U T M E R H T A L L P S E BEHIND A
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ISSUE 1/APRIL 2013
2013 Y U G TOUGH LBON A N A NATH O J N EVIEW FILE O R O R E P O ER G SH N I N RUNN I A 013 TR 2 / G R N A I RAC LEND A C E AC FULL R
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GORUCK RACE REVIEW ROCK SOLID RACE REVIEW TRAINING TIP
WATER ACCLIMATISATION
BORN SURVIVOR RACE REVIEW GEAR REVIEW GARMIN FENIX COVER FEATURE
MR & MRS SPARTAN RACE UK
RUNNER PROFILE JONATHAN ALBON INTERVIEW CREWROOM
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RACEEVIEW R UTO NTRIB
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Location: Central London Length: 20 miles Obstacles: N/A
“It’s gonna be a suck fest no matter what; we’ve just got to take it one step at a time.” This was 8 hours into a gruelling endurance event where the team had been told to carry the bigger part of a tree 3 miles to the next destination. The GORUCK Challenge is not your everyday obstacle race, but an event that can only be completed together as a team. Lasting 8-10 hours and covering up to 20 miles, the GORUCK Challenge will push you physically and mentally beyond your capabilities. Good livin’ at its best. It was just before 0700 when individuals began showing up at the base of the London Eye, easily distinguishable by the military daysacks upon their back. There was a slight hint of nervousness and excitement in the air as the number of people increased, shaking hands and laughing together as the Cadre watched them from afar. These were men and women from all sorts of backgrounds, ranging from data analysts, engineers and those with military experience. Though they came as individuals, they would leave as a team. The cadre introduced himself to class 486 as Cadre Silver before taking a roll call and performing a kit inspection. If you weighed
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over 150lbs you were expected to carry six bricks and four if you were under. On top of food, water and extra clothes, the rucks would be weighing in at between 35-40 pounds. Once the kit was checked, it was time for the ‘Welcome Party’ – Two and a half hours of Physical training involving press-ups, Bear walks, crab walks, leg raises, buddy drags, squats and bastards. These had
the team to complete. The challenge is mission based, with a team leader and assistant leader selected to lead the class on a designated task with a specific time frame. From then on it’s up to the team leader to get the team from A to B. The team’s first task was to get to Battersea Park, 2.5 miles away, while each carrying a breezeblock. The timeframe was an hour and a half, with extra penalties if a block broke. The team leader took this to mean that the blocks couldn’t touch the ground. Cadre Silver just smiled as the leader briefed the team, “I love it when they make things harder for themselves.” The blocks hit the girls the hardest, and their blocks were occasionally passed round the team to help distribute the weight. Passing weight around the team is critical for success as every individual is different. Some people have less weight, some have more, some are doing better, some worse, but the important thing was to work together. Though they made it to Battersea Park, they didn’t make the time-frame and were punished with a long set of lunges before undergoing some more PT from the Cadre. In the next scenario, the whole team had to cleanse themselves from radiation before performing a casualty evacuation to the next destination point. That meant taking a dip in Battersea Lake and buddy-carrying four people for three miles. The frigid water certainly shook up everyone’s spirit and kept the team shivering throughout the rest of the task. The casualties’ rucks were passed amongst the team, switching up the weight frequently to keep as even a spread as possible. This hit the casualties the hardest, with no way of getting warm other than huddling together during the changeover of weight. They arrived at the next check point only to have their strap privileges .uk removed before heading off to St Pauls Cathedral. zine.co
to be done as a team, performing the tasks in time with each other. The purpose of the welcome party was to bring you together as a team and wear you down before the real tasks began. From the look of things; it was working.
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Cadre Silver had spent 8 years in the US Special Forces, a background shared with all the GORUCK Cadre. He would lead the challenge, instructing and assigning different tasks for
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Obstacle Racing Magazine UK/April 2013
COURSE CALENDAR 2013 UK Events Apr-Jul 20th April 20th April 20th April 20th April 27th April 28th April
XtremeSTORM The Major Series - Midlands Yorkshire Warrior Farmageddon Run Warrior Adrenaline Race Warrior Run
Merseyside Shropshire North Yorkshire Leicestershire Bedfordshire West Sussex
www.xtremestorm.com www.majorseries.com www.yorkshirewarrior.com www.farmageddonrun.co.uk www.warrioradrenalinerace.co.uk www.warrior-run.co.uk
4th May 5th May 5th May 5th May 11th May 11th May 11th May 11th May 11th May 12th May 12th May 12th May 12th May 19th May 19th May 19th May 19th May 25th May 25th May 26th May 26th May 26th May
Tough Mudder Northamptonshire Tough Mudder Northamptonshire Whole Hog Challenge - Balfron Stirling Mad Monk Derbyshire Whole Hog Challenge Brecon Beacons Rat Race Dirty Weekend Lincolnshire Race Againgst The Zombies! Surrey Zombie Run! Lincolnshire Chiltern Warrior Buckinghamshire The General 10km Battle Zone Hampshire The General 10km Battle Zone Hampshire - Rifle Lactic Rush Essex Whole Hog Challenge - Hindleap East Sussex Commando Course of Action Leicestershire Hell On The Harbour Side Cumbria Kamikaze Adventure Run East Sussex - The Final Sortie! Whole Hog Challenge Aberdeen - Crates Castle Xmud - Mud, Sweat & Tears Staffordshire Adventure Running Cornwall - World Championships Whole Hog Challenge Aberdeen - Banchory Adventure Running Cornwall - World Championships Xmud - Mud, Sweat & Tears Staffordshire
www.toughmudder.co.uk www.toughmudder.co.uk www.mariecurie.org.uk www.xrunner.co.uk www.mariecurie.org.uk www.ratracedirtyweekend.com www.raceagainstthezombies.co.uk www.otblincs.wix.com www.chilternwarriorextremerun.co.uk www.thegeneralrace.co.uk www.thegeneralrace.co.uk
1st June 2nd June 15th June 15th June 22nd June 22nd June 23rd June 23rd June 29th June 29th June 29th June 30th June
Weybridge Running Festival - The Alms Race! Xtreme Running Obstacle Race The Zest Challenge Commando Challenge The Suffering 10km The Zest Challenge Back 2 The Trenches Pain & Suffering 10mile The JCB Mud Run Water Wipeout Mud Runner : Oblivion Mud Runner : Oblivion
Surrey
www.allabouttriathlons.co.uk
Essex Oxfordshire Devon Leicestershire Derbyshire Surrey Leicestershire Staffordshire Nottinghamshire Herefordshire Herefordshire
www.xtremerunning.co.uk www.zest.co.uk www.commandochallenge.co.uk www.thesufferingrace.co.uk www.zest.co.uk www.back2thetrenches.co.uk www.thesufferingrace.co.uk www.thejcbmudrun.co.uk www.xrunner.co.uk www.mudrunner.co.uk www.mudrunner.co.uk
www.adventureraceessex.co.uk www.mariecurie.org.uk www.commandocourseofaction.co.uk www.west-lakes-adventure.co.uk www.votwo.co.uk www.mariecurie.org.uk www.xmud.co.uk www.runningchamps.com www.mariecurie.org.uk www.runningchamps.com www.xmud.co.uk
For an online calendar visit www.nomeanfeat.net
N O I T A S TI A M I L C C A R E WAT TO
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Firstly and foremost never do this on your own and never do it without guidance of a coach. The risks of injury or drowning are high. On event day you will be in and out of the water at different stages of the event. Each time you will have to recover, warm up and move onto the next stage. This is an important aspect to acclimatisation. You have to stay focused on what is going on around you and under you. The moment you take your focus away you risk a mishap. Once you are out of the water it is important to stay warm. No standing around. Try jogging on the spot, pulsing the fingers, until you are ready to move on to the next stage of training.
Changing your body’s thermostat Everyone’s perception of the external temperature differs. But it can be trained.
Step 1 About a month before your event start to reduce the amount of clothing that you need to wear. If you would normally wear trousers, start to wear shorts. Likewise change long sleeve tops to short sleeve ones. Try to reduce your heating in your home or office if that is an option.
Step 2 Reduce the temperature of the water in your baths and showers. It needs to be done in stages of 1 or 2 º at a time. Once again don’t rush it. Steps 1 & 2 will start the process of your body learning to adapt the temperature of the external environment. Just remember if it doesn’t feel right then stop and take advice. Similarly, tell your housemates or colleagues what you are doing, so they do not think you’re even madder than you are normally.
In the next edition of Obstacle Racing Magazine I will take acclimatisation training onto a new level for you die-hard OCR’s.
DISCLAIMER The training tips provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only, and is not to be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific exercise or training program. Participation is at your own risk, as this or any other exercise program may result in injury or even death. To reduce the risk of injury, before beginning this or any training program please consult your doctor and a qualified coach. Wild Forest Gym is not responsible for any injuries that may result from the exercises or training program described min this article.
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E R U T A E FE L C I T AR
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Nestled amid ancient rugged parkland on the north-eastern edge of the Lake District National Park, tranquil Lowther Castle near Penrith will be shaken to its foundations later this year when it provides the scenic backdrop to an exciting new fixture in the UK’s obstacle racing calendar – welcome to the world of Born Survivor! The brainchild of an ex-Royal Marine Commando and Falklands veteran, Born Survivor aims to break new ground as the toughest and most innovative event in the country with militaryinspired obstacles designed to test fitness, determination and team work to the limit. And if you think you’re up to the challenge, you’ll soon discover that the location delivers a lot more than a historic Lakeland setting. With 38 hardcore obstacles built over 10k of rugged Cumbrian terrain and incorporating a breathtaking 1000ft of dramatic ascents, it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.
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Let battle commence!
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RL Y CA
TEN B
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RE PICTU
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
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WIBB
8
INOV
Trailroc 235
Weight: 235grams Drop: Zero drop Grip: Designed for mixed off road terrain Water holding: Drained water with ease Distance: Any you can throw at them Ideal use: Training Rating: 10/10
When these Inov-8s arrived the first thing I though upon taking them out of the box was wow there bright. But once I got used to the vivid colour it was time to take them out for a bit of testing. I really think that I have dropped lucky over the last few weeks while testing these and the X-Talons as we had a mix of everything from crazy amounts of snow all the way up to scorching sunshine. So I really did get to test the Trailrocs to the max in every condition imaginable.
than adequate protection even in the absence of a rock plate. It works well on varied surfaces from roads to rugged trails, and provides a roomy fit. They have really performed phenomenally well on all the surfaces I could throw at them. I’d go as far as to say that they’re one of the best for grip minimalist shoes I have ever worn.
When you first decide that the Trailrocs are the training shoe for you its time to them make a choice because you have three types of Trailrocs designed to suit your requirements for protection and heel-forefoot drop. The Trailroc 255 is a 6mm, 9.9oz shoe drop shoe; the Trailroc 245 is a 9.2 oz, 3mm drop shoe, and the Trailroc 235 is an 8.3 oz, zero drop shoe.
The traction was fantastic even on the ice, snow, mud, sand and wet rocks. The sole had no problems at all in soaking up all of the smaller stones on the trails you know the ones just waiting to stab you in the sole of your foot when you least expect it. After a good rinse under the tap they are ready to go again in no time at all due to them drying out in no time. As with the X-Talons when I slipped the Trailrocs on they just felt right straight away and suited my feet down to the ground.
All three share a very similar lug layout on the outsole, but the Trailroc 245 and 255 have an additional rock plate for added protection. I was testing the Trailroc 235s which boast the awesome grip of the groundbreaking Tri-C outsole, this is an ultra flexible and stripped back shoe with a zero drop. It provides more
Another thing that hits you is just how light they feel. Running in these shoes is like getting back to the running in plimsoles feeling of being a kid. My advice would be to keep these to shorter distances at first and slowly increase the mileage to let your feet build up a bit of strength because they do really flex to the terrain under foot and it does take it out of your feet at first. That being said I feel this is a very good thing as after just a short time of training in these my running feels so much stronger. Once again Inov-8 have delivered the goods.
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Obstacle Racing Magazine UK/April 2013