Wildman 2012
A crocodile. The first race of 2012 is about trying to catch up with a crocodile.
Last year I started running cross country, and signed up for the Asics Off Road series. Most of the races are in Surrey, so since at the time I was living in Reading it was not too far and far enough to be interesting.
So for this year's Wildman in Hankley Common it's 15 km of sandy terrain uphill and downhill and uphill and downhill, and in order to keep it fun and competitive, the organizers dressed a guy in a crocodile costume, gave him a 2 minutes head start, and special prizes went to anyone who managed to beat the croc. Racing that is.
This being January, the damages of too many a hearty holiday meal, too little training, and all those pints mean that this is not going to be an easy race for me. Well, if stamina is not going to be on my side, strategy might help. One lesson that I learned the hard way is: "know your race". That is, specially in crosscountry, have an idea of how many and how steep the hills are, know where the half point is, and most importantly, know where the last mile starts in order to put that last effort and steal a few positions.
Now before the race they publish the topographical map of the race, so if you can make sense of the contours, you can make a decent altimetry sketch and get that strategic edge. What is it going to be like this time? Two very steep up-and-downs in the last 500m. Darn.
So the race starts and the crocodile is 2 minutes ahead. The previous night it rained a bit, so the sandy terrain is not too bad, but that doesn't mean it's great either. Anyway they don't call it crosscountry for nothing!
It was a though course and I never saw the crocodile, but past the 10km mark I encounter "the pond". At the race briefing they told us there would be a pond to cross, but nevermind, it's only ankle deep. And there is a path next to it, and you get a diploma if you take the path, to certify that you're a WHIMP. So here I am, pretty tired after 12+ kms of up and downs, and I see the pond. The woman in front of me carefully gets in the water. I say "sodit" and jump in. Now, I don't know who's ankles they measured the thing against, but for me it was knee deep when I got in, and nearly waist level when I got to the other side! Too late to remember that I had the car keys in my back pocket...
The race continues and I'm cold and wet, but Hey! That was fun!
10 minutes later in one bend one marshal tells us "the finish line is just around the corner". Good news!, Except it's not. Remember those steep ups and downs from the map? So there they are. No way of running up. Careful on the way down! No way of running up the last uphill. Less careful on the last way down, but not fast enough to catch the runner in front of me...
So I got to the finish line, still dripping from the pond, there's sand in my shoes (and many other places) and a big grin in my face.
It is true what they say about these races: It's the most fun you will have in a Saturday morning!
Mauricio.
Last year I started running cross country, and signed up for the Asics Off Road series. Most of the races are in Surrey, so since at the time I was living in Reading it was not too far and far enough to be interesting.
So for this year's Wildman in Hankley Common it's 15 km of sandy terrain uphill and downhill and uphill and downhill, and in order to keep it fun and competitive, the organizers dressed a guy in a crocodile costume, gave him a 2 minutes head start, and special prizes went to anyone who managed to beat the croc. Racing that is.
This being January, the damages of too many a hearty holiday meal, too little training, and all those pints mean that this is not going to be an easy race for me. Well, if stamina is not going to be on my side, strategy might help. One lesson that I learned the hard way is: "know your race". That is, specially in crosscountry, have an idea of how many and how steep the hills are, know where the half point is, and most importantly, know where the last mile starts in order to put that last effort and steal a few positions.
Now before the race they publish the topographical map of the race, so if you can make sense of the contours, you can make a decent altimetry sketch and get that strategic edge. What is it going to be like this time? Two very steep up-and-downs in the last 500m. Darn.
So the race starts and the crocodile is 2 minutes ahead. The previous night it rained a bit, so the sandy terrain is not too bad, but that doesn't mean it's great either. Anyway they don't call it crosscountry for nothing!
It was a though course and I never saw the crocodile, but past the 10km mark I encounter "the pond". At the race briefing they told us there would be a pond to cross, but nevermind, it's only ankle deep. And there is a path next to it, and you get a diploma if you take the path, to certify that you're a WHIMP. So here I am, pretty tired after 12+ kms of up and downs, and I see the pond. The woman in front of me carefully gets in the water. I say "sodit" and jump in. Now, I don't know who's ankles they measured the thing against, but for me it was knee deep when I got in, and nearly waist level when I got to the other side! Too late to remember that I had the car keys in my back pocket...
The race continues and I'm cold and wet, but Hey! That was fun!
10 minutes later in one bend one marshal tells us "the finish line is just around the corner". Good news!, Except it's not. Remember those steep ups and downs from the map? So there they are. No way of running up. Careful on the way down! No way of running up the last uphill. Less careful on the last way down, but not fast enough to catch the runner in front of me...
So I got to the finish line, still dripping from the pond, there's sand in my shoes (and many other places) and a big grin in my face.
It is true what they say about these races: It's the most fun you will have in a Saturday morning!
Mauricio.
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