o.t.s.o…..3 castles report

If you are harbouring any thoughts of having a go at an Ultra distance run, the 3 castles race would be a very good way to start. At 50 km it is at the shortest end of the ultra distance spectrum and is just a modest step up from the marathon – but that’s not to belittle the amount of effort, determination and training that’s needed to run 31+ miles in one go. However, this event is really well organised, well supported, is a predominantly rural and attractive route, and is dead flat, so a perfect introduction to ultra running, or a good one to try for a fast time. The staff manning the checkpoints did a fantastic job, ensuring everyone got any food/drink/assistance they needed. Check it out via this link: https://embraceultra.eventrac.co.uk/e/three-castles-50km-9596 Here’s a brief report of how my run went last Saturday:

Jack very kindly met me in Tonbridge at 7.15 am and drove me to the registration / start point at Rochester castle. After collecting my race number, tracking device and dropping off my kitbag, it was soon time to congregate at the start line by the river.

A total of nearly 500 entrants were set off in two waves – 30 minutes apart. I was in the first wave, setting off at 9.10am. Although the temperature got pretty hot later in the day, the weather conditions were perfect early on with a light breeze and hazy sunshine, and I soon settled into a steady pace that felt sustainable. After leaving the immediate residential area, the first few miles are in open marshy countryside, before reaching an area that I remember from my 1996 run of the Medway valley path (see post number 80 – entitled “3 castles ultra”. Find it via this link: Posts – in chronological order) , as being industrialised, but which has since been reclaimed as a housing development including a new community called Peters village. The first checkpoint is reached at 8 miles, just before Aylesford. After the briefest of stops there, it was onward along a short but unpleasant stretch of the noisy and busy Forstal road, before dropping back down to the altogether more tranquil banks of the river Medway.

Having passed through the attractive and bustling Allington lock, busy with people enjoying a drink in the sunshine, the section through and beyond Maidstone felt like a long slow haul, but in this type of run it’s pretty inevitable that you’ll have the odd rough patch, so it’s head down and get on with it !

Jack had collected Mrs Kim, Maud & Olive, who were to be my support team for the latter stages of the run. A timing error meant that they missed me as I went through Teston country park, but I was very pleased to have them cheering me on as I crossed the bridge at Yalding – with Olive’s home made “Come on Grandad” placard giving me a boost !!!

From there on, I found that breaking the remaining 12 miles down into 5 small chunks helped the miles go by: Branbridges (22 miles) – where unexpectedly Andrew was waiting to cheer, get some video footage, and assure me that I only had 30 miles to go, Checkpoint 3 (23 miles) at the Hop Farm campsite, and then the support crew cheering again at both Hartlake bridge (25 miles) and Tonbridge swimming pool (28 miles), before the final 5k loop to the Leigh powdermills before a 300 metre sprint finish on Tonbridge AC’s track.

Although just completing the distance was the main aim, I had decided that I would like to get in under 6 hours. I ran an extra 1/2 mile due to a couple of minor navigation errors, but although my finish time of 5 hours 54 minutes is pretty unspectacular I was still very satisfied, given my lack of preparation for such a run. Of the other 9 members of Paddock Wood AC that completed it, I’d like to give a special mention to David Sampson, a fellow “oldy”, who won the over 60 age category with a very impressive 4hrs 45 minutes – congratulations. These two pictures show that even after 31.2 miles, David still had his racing head on, and gained another place in the final 50 yards !!!

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