IAU World 100km Championships 2015

What a difference a year makes!  This time last year I was unable to do any exercise whatsoever, let alone run, due to hamstring tendinopathy and a stress reaction in my pelvis.  Now, I’ve not only finished 10^th in the IAU World 100km Championships, but also smashed my personal best by well over 8 minutes.  My time of 7hrs 39mins 50secs elevates me to 5^th on the UK All-time 100km rankings and also broke my own British Masters W40 age record.  And I won the silver medal in the World Masters W40 Championship to boot.  Wow!  I really can’t believe I’ve managed to come so far since I tentatively resumed light jogging last November.  It really does go to show that perseverance, determination and hard work do pay off.  I have to say that I totally exceeded all my expectations.  Even though I always dream of winning a medal (after all, my motto is “train to race and race to win”) realistically I thought a top-10 finish would be amazing.  I was ranked about 12^th on paper going into the race and I wasn’t sure how much my lack of background due to injury over the last couple of years would affect me.  In terms of time, I thought if I could shave even a minute or two off my PB I would be doing extremely well, so to take over 8 minutes off and break that 7:40 barrier was incredible.  Given the past couple of years I'd have been happy just to be there and able to take part, so to come away with such a substantial PB was incredible.

 

For me the story really started back in November last year.  Originally there wasn’t going to be a World 100k Champs. this year as the IAU had decided to make it Biennial.  However, in the very same week that my coach, Les, was given his initial diagnosis of incurable bile duct cancer, the IAU announced there would be a World 100k Championship in The Netherlands on 12^th September.  I was just resuming light training after my injury and I remember visiting Les in hospital and telling him it was a good omen – a positive goal for us both to work towards.  And so it proved to be, as his diagnosis was changed to Lymphoma which has currently been put into remission, and I managed to build my training up to a level where I could put my name forward to be considered for selection.  I was really excited when I received my selection letter from British Athletics in June.  I always feel extremely proud and honoured to be selected to represent my country and I was also really grateful to the selection committee for showing faith in me, despite me not having run a 100k since 2013.  So three months of hard work followed in order to get me to the start line in shape to do myself, and my country, justice.



The GB team travelled out to The Netherlands on the Thursday before the race, flying from various UK airports and all meeting up at Amsterdam station.  The team consisted of three men, three women and three team managers and it was great to meet up with them all and catch up with friends I hadn’t seen for ages. 





GB team: women - Sue Harrison, Holly Rush, Jo Zakrzewski; men - Steve Way, Craig Holgate, Marcus Scotney

Team GB girls' bungalow!

 

Several hours, and trains, later we arrived in Winschoten in northern Holland, and were taken by mini-bus to the athletes’ village which was about 25km from the town itself.  We were all staying in a ‘holiday camp’, with individual bungalows comprising a couple of bedrooms, bathroom, kitchenette and sitting area.

 



 

 

Meal time!

  

 

A big sports hall was set up as a dining area for our meals.  This gave us the opportunity to catch up with friends from other countries and to check out the opposition, as well as decide which other countries’ kit we preferred to ours!  France got a thumbs up but Japan’s luminous orange was a definite no-no (we did think they looked rather like workers about to carry out some road repairs!). 



 

 

  

My day's food and drink supply!

I seemed to spend most of Friday, the day before the race, preparing my drink bottles!  I’d asked friends and family for motivational messages which I stuck on my bottles, and again this worked really well during the race – it definitely gave me a lift when I read them, so thank you to everyone who sent me a message.  As usual I’d also decorated my bottles with big silver stars to make them easier for me to spot, and then it was case of measuring out my various drinks and attaching gels and food - pieces of flapjack, energy bars, Hula Hoops etc.  Les and I often joke that running 100k is really just a 'picnic on the run'!  Luckily I’d prepared a nutrition plan beforehand so I knew exactly what I needed for each of my 19 bottles!



 

 

And thanks to the brilliant GB team management each bottle was handed to me in the right order and without mishap during the race.



Drinking on the run

 

On the Friday evening everyone was bussed into the town for the opening ceremony.  This started with various dance displays by local children and then a flag parade through the town by all the teams.

Mingling with the other teams before the flag parade



 

Team Groot Brittannie parading through the streets of Winschoten!

A local band led the parade, which also passed IAU delegates and local dignitaries outside the Town Hall



38 countries sent teams to the Championships

The parade ended up at a big sports centre where, after the obligatory speeches and official 'opening of the Championships', we could carbo-load on pasta  ready for the following day.

The best bit about running 100k is the amount of food I get to eat!
 

Final preparations before the start

And so, finally, after all the months of hard training, race day was upon us!  I felt a mixture of nerves and anticipation as I carried out my final preparations - applying Vaseline to my feet, making sure my numbers were pinned on and, of course, numerous visits to the toilet!!  On the one hand I couldn't wait to get out there running, on the other I was asking myself "why am I doing this?"!!  The answer was, of course, to burn off all the calories I'd eaten the previous day!  Oh, and also because I can, because I want to, because it's what I'm good at and because my country has selected me to represent them.  What more motivation could you need than the desire to perform well for the team?

 

 

Street party!

The weather seemed almost perfect at the start – cloudy, not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy.  This changed throughout the day – at times the sun broke through the cloud making it quite warm and the wind also picked up, making some sections of the course quite hard going.  The race comprised ten laps of 10km around the town and, as you would expect in Holland, was predominantly flat.  There were just one or two minor alterations of the course from when I last ran this race four years ago, but basically it followed the same route.  And, just like four years ago, the locals all did an amazing job of cheering on the runners.  As is their tradition they decorated the streets with bunting and balloons, played music, had barbeques in their gardens, kids were giving out sponges and there was generally a fantastic atmosphere around the course.







The early stages

I had a slight glitch right at the start when my GPS signal temporarily cut out, which threw my early pacing slightly.  I found myself running with my team-mate Jo, but soon realised I was going quicker than I’d intended so dropped back and ran in a group of girls from the USA, Croatia, Russia and my other team-mate Holly.  At this stage I was about 15^th in the women’s race. 

 

After a while this group started to pull away from me and I let them go, knowing I was already running slightly quicker than I’d intended and didn’t want to get dragged into running too fast too early.  I was feeling really good, smiling, acknowledging the crowd support and generally trying to enjoy it while I could! 
 

Enjoying the atmosphere

 

Deep in concentration!

It was great to see the friendly faces of our team managers and helpers at the drinks stations at the 6km and 10km points on each lap.  Les was also at the 2km and 7km points on each lap, giving me much-appreciated encouragement and information about where others were in relation to me.  At around the 50km mark I pulled back Meghan Arbogast from the USA and was steadily working my way through the field.  At this stage I was feeling pretty good, but was also very conscious of not getting carried away and picking up my pace too soon.  After all, I was only half-way through the race!  I just tried to stick to my plan and enjoy the atmosphere, and hope that some of those in front would come back to me in the latter stages! 

Still smiling at this point!

By 60km I’d moved up into 8^th place in the women’s race and was still feeling good.  However, by 80km it was suddenly all starting to feel a whole lot harder and I was passed by the Australian, Kirstin Bull, who eventually went on to finish just 22 seconds in front of me in a new Australian record.  At this point I was still leading the World Masters W40 age group, but unfortunately for me Stina Svensson from Sweden then passed me at 92km.  I tried desperately to hang on to her when I realised she was in the same age category as me and I managed to stick with her until 95km, but I just didn’t have enough in my legs and she started to pull away.  For the last 10km or so I was just hanging on as best as I could.  My smile had given way to a grimace of pain as my quads were screaming, but I carried on running right to the line.  As I ran down the finishing straight I could see the clock in front of me and was willing my legs to keep going as I was desperate to break 7:40.  I eventually crossed the line in 7hrs 39mins 50secs – well over 8 minutes quicker than my previous best time.

 

The end at last!

Post-race exhaustion!

The minute I stopped running my legs turned to jelly and I had to be helped to a chair!  It’s a strange feeling immediately post-race, with a whole mix of emotions – relief at finishing, happiness with my time, but also sheer physical exhaustion and not quite knowing what to do with myself to ease the pain.  As it all started to sink in I was delighted about what I’d achieved, but at the same time had a slight feeling of disappointment that I hadn’t pushed myself hard enough to hold onto 1^st place in my age group, even though I know damn well that I was giving 100% at the time!  That’s the thing with me, I’m never totally satisfied, but that’s what makes me a competitive athlete and always striving to do better.

 

It took me a little while before my legs recovered enough to be helped into the sports hall for a very welcome shower, after which we all managed to hobble a short distance down the road to a restaurant that had laid on a post-race meal for all the athletes.  After consuming nothing but sugary sports drinks, gels and flapjack for the past seven and a half hours a plate of lasagne was perfect recovery fuel.  Then it was a hobble back to the sports hall for the medal ceremonies.  If you didn’t know the Swedish National Anthem before the medal ceremonies you certainly did after it as they took six of the eight overall titles on offer (men’s World & European individual & team; women’s European individual & team).  Of the six GB athletes that started, four finished (two men, two women) and all four set massive personal bests which was brilliant.  Three of us also picked up World Masters medals in our respective age groups, and Jo won bronze in the European Championship which was fantastic.  It’s always great to be able to cheer team-mates on the podium and it was a wonderful feeling to be standing there myself to receive my World Masters W40 silver medal.  For me, it was made even more special by the fact Les was there to share it with me.



On the podium receiving my World Masters W40 silver medal

 

GB medallists



A happy coach and athlete



So, having now had chance to reflect on my performance, my overriding feeling is that of immense satisfaction at what I managed to achieve.  Just getting myself fit enough to complete the distance was a huge achievement after my injury nightmare.  After all, running 100km is no mean feat - for those who haven't worked it out, it's 62 miles, or the equivalent of running from Warwick to Nottingham, or Warwick to Reading, without stopping!  To do it wearing a Great Britain vest, in a lifetime best time and winning a silver medal in my age group - well that's something really special.

 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the huge amount of support I’ve received from many people and I want to say a MASSIVE ‘thank you’ to them all.  In no particular order they are:

• Mizuno – for supplying me with kit and the best running shoes ever.  Their Wave Creation give me superb cushioning and support for my longest training runs; Wave Ultima are perfect for my intermediate runs; Wave Sayonara have just the right balance between being cushioned but lightweight enough for road interval sessions; and finally my trusty Wave Riders – my shoe of choice for tempo runs and, of course, the race itself.
• X-Bionic – for supplying me with their first class compression clothing and socks.  I quite simply can’t imagine running that far without my Effektor compression socks to support my calves and reduce the risk of blisters.
• The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club – for complementary membership which allows me to use the gym for my strength and conditioning sessions.  This is invaluable not only for my general strength and core stability, but also specific re-hab. from my hamstring injury which enabled to get back to running at international level again.
• Pioneer Trading – for supplying me with Blue Active Gel – a brilliant muscle rub which definitely helps my recovery between training sessions, as well as after the race.
• Mark Buckingham – my fantastic physio, without whom I wouldn’t even have made it to the start line.  The monthly trip to Northampton, and paying for 40 minutes of torture, are definitely worthwhile!
• Martin Bower – for his slightly less painful, but still very effective, sports massages.
• Family and friends – for all their support, encouragement and understanding when my training and racing needs have to come before social engagements.
• Colleagues, Managers and Councillors at Warwickshire County Council – for their support, interest and recognition of my achievements, and allowing me time off work to compete for my country.
• And last, but most definitely not least, my wonderful coach Les – for being there throughout my training despite undergoing six months of chemotherapy at the same time.  How can I ever repay that sort of commitment?  Les, you truly are my inspiration and I couldn’t have done this without you.

And just to finish - a few statistics that Les has come up with:

• This was the 28^th women’s World 100km Champs. and was the best field ever assembled with 16 athletes breaking 8 hours, more than ever before in any championship.
• My time of 7:39:50 would have won 9 of the previous championships and would have put me on the podium in 16 of the 28 championships.
• The quality of this year’s race can be seen as follows:
• 1^st Camille Herron (USA) – ran the 4^th fastest of all time
• 2^nd Kasja Berg (SWE) – set a new Swedish record
• 3^rd Marija Vrajic (CRO) – set a new Croatian record
• 4^th Sarah Bard (USA) – set a new lifetime best
• 5^th Jo Zakrzewski (GBR) – set a new lifetime best and is 4^th on the UK all-time rankings
• 6^th Marina Zgalybina (RUS) – was world champion on this course in 2011
• 7^th Stina Svensson (SWE) – set a new lifetime best and Swedish W40 record
• 8^th Kirstin Bull (AUS) – set a new Australian record
• 9^th Irina Antropova (RUS) – has been World / European medallist at 100k on 3 previous occasions
• 10^th Sue Harrison (GBR) – set a new lifetime best and British W40 record
• 16^th Mieke Dupont (BEL) – set a new Belgian record
• I would have had to have broken the British record to have finished in the top three in this year's race.