Archive for the ‘Marathon’ Category

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Two ATD head office staff take on the OMM

Emma Ryan – UK Events Coordinator and Mark Howlett – Flights Manager  – took on the mighty OMM last month.   They have written up about their experiences and the lessons they learnt!

EMMA – Eyeing up the Shetland ponies quietly munching away at the start line I quickly assessed which one would carry me the fastest to the first check point and beyond.  Alas, it was not meant to be and at 9.04 on the dot we were called to the line, thrust a map and set off (clueless, naive and on two feet) into the sparklingly sunny yet still very wet and boggy Dartmoor.  We quickly came across our first surprise when, after about 5 minutes, Mark found that he didn’t have any drinking water left in his platypus.  Evidently he hadn’t noticed that he had drunk the 2l rations, packed with electrolyte energy mix, between 5.30am and 9.00 am!   (Emma – I have to get this bit in now as I don’t know what Mark has written about me!)

MARK – How could something that started off so easily, go so wrong? Emma and I had entered the fun run class of the OMM ( 45km over 2 days on Dartmoor ) without me fully thinking through what we were taking on. Fortunately I was protected by my patented ‘ Cloak of Naivety ‘  which stopped me from worrying about navigating such a distance over Dartmoor at the end of October. How hard could it be?

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Ultra marathon advice and training by Steve Clark

ATD Director Steve Clark is an ultra runner junkie!  He likes nothing better than to take off with his dog for lengthy runs in and around Somerset.  Having completed the London and Edinburgh marathons he took on the MDS.  After these challenges he wanted something different so he set up our portfolio of adventure races.  Including the Namibia 24 hour Ultra Marathon, the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra and the Grand Canyon 24 hour Ultra.

It is hoped that this article will give the first time ultra marathon runner some pointers about how to approach a training programme for their first race.  Because the prospect of completing an ultra is so daunting, many runners set an unrealistic training programme that involves too much training too soon.  This will more often than not lead to an early injury that prevents the runner from training. 

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Why we run Ultra Marathons by Steve Clark

The first thing that people ask me with when I talk about running ultra marathons is why I do it?  Most just cannot comprehend why anyone would enjoy such a sport.  This is not an easy question to answer because let’s face it, running further than a marathon is a very painful experience and hardly what most people would class as a fun day out.

On a very basic level marathons just don’t do it for me.  I have only ever run two, the London and Edinburgh marathons, and whilst both are great events, I had no desire to run another.  All I was ever going to do was try and beat my own time by training harder and quite frankly I think that there is a whole lot more to life than running.

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Top 10 essential items of kit by ATD HQ

Here at ATD we aim to offer you the best experience but also the best advice and tips.  We had a little think about what items of kit were essential if you were planning an overseas trip…. this is what we came up with

TOP 10 (well actually it’s 11)

  1. ipod
  2. wet wipes
  3. flip hd camcorder
  4. LCD headtorch
  5. toothbrush
  6. gaffa tap
  7. pen knife
  8. ear plugs and sleeping mask
  9. a good book
  10. mints
  11. sense of humour!

Let us know if you agree or not….

Kobus Alberts writes about his Namibia Ultra experience

Namibia ultra marathon

Kobus Alberts works for our partner company in Namibia, Wild at Heart Safaris, and in May 2010 he took part in the Namibia Ultra Marathon.  126km in 24 hours – that’s 3 marathons!  Kobus writes about his experience, through the race, the highs and lows it’s a great read…

Read article here.

Namibia Race report by Steve Clark

Namibia Marathon and Ultra Marathon 27th May 2010.

This year saw our third edition of the Namibia marathon and Namibia 24hour Ultra marathon. A total of 30 runners lined up on the starting line, with the magnificent Brandberg mountain range as a backdrop and the desert plains stretching out before them towards the Messum crater.  Runners came from the UK, Canada, the US, Namibia and South Africa to take part in another epic race across the stunning and inhospitable Namibian desert landscape.  This year the Ultra Marathon record was smashed by Tom Adams in a time of 14hours and 1 minute, and the Marathon record was beaten by Angela Landers in a time of 5 hours and 36 minutes. All six marathon runners completed the course, and 19 of the 24 ultra runners finished the course.  This was better than 2009 and was mainly due to cooler conditions during the heat of the day.

The race still proved to be one of the toughest ultra marathons out there, and it was inspirational to watch the runners crossing the finish line after a huge test of mental and physical strength.  The Across the Divide staff team worked well to ensure the best experience for the runners.  Another great race ended with huge enjoyment from all involved.  Now the planning starts all over again to make an even better race for 2011, as we strive to make this one of the iconic adventures on the ultra marathon circuit.

“Thank you for an amazing week.  The organisation was great and I fear no other race in my future will live up to this one in Namibia”  Angela Landers 2010 Marathon Winner.

Race results for the Namib Ultra ’10

Below are the results from this years Namib Ultra Marathon with a swath of records being broken.

Amazing achievement by all concerned!

ULTRA RUNNERS        
 NO SURNAME FIRST FINISH OVERALL TIME                     PLACE    
1 Adams Thomas 2301 14H 01 MIN 1ST
13 Ikonikov Alexander 0047 15H 47 MIN 2ND
18 O’Donovan Alexandra 0311 18H 11 MIN 3RD
11 Hallett Caroline 0340 18H 40 MIN 4TH
9 Farrow Myles 0349 18H 49 MIN 5TH
6 Bowyer Gavin 0432 19 H 32 MIN 6TH
14 Jonsson Joakim 0531 20H 31MIN 7TH
23 Woods Stephen 0531 20H 31 MIN 7TH
7 Bowyer Justin 0532 20H 32 MIN 9TH
30 Irvine Tanya 0542 20H 42 MIN 10TH
12 Hough Hendrik 0556 20H 56 MIN 11TH
17 Nel Karen 0556 20H 56 MIN 11TH
20 Ricketts Jack 0630 21H 30 MIN 13TH
3 Andreasen Niels 0632 21H 32 MIN 14TH
2 Alberts Jacobus 0659 21H 59 MIN 15TH
15 Knight Trudi 0743 22H 43 MIN 16TH
5 Booth Sarah 0753 22 H 53 MIN 17TH
19 Reuben Jason 0756 22H 53 MIN 18TH
22 Siddiqui Jamile 0850 23H 50 MIN 19TH
4 Barber Kenwynne DNF DNF DNF
8 Conway Stewart DNF DNF DNF
10 Fuller Suzanne DNF DNF DNF
16 Murdoch David DNF DNF DNF
21 Sadler Neil DNF DNF DNF
           
MARATHON RUNNERS      
NO SURNAME FIRST TOTAL TIME POSITION  
27 Landers Angela 5H 36MIN 1ST  
24 Buck Ryan 6H 34MIN 2ND  
25 Goodall Helen 7H 11MIN 3RD  
28 Leslie Judith 7H 11MIN 3RD  
26 Hinton Tamara 7H 30MIN 5TH  
29 Peck John 7H 30MIN 5TH  

VIEW FULL ULTRA RESULTS

VIEW FULL  MARATHON RESULTS

This is the best run event of its kind I have ever experienced.  A very tight team of highly organised, highly motivated and thoroughly professional leaders who made the event so enjoyable and safe.  Well done to all your team for a truly great experience.  John Peck, from Essex, 2010 competitor.

Thank you for an amazing week.  The organisation was great and I fear no other race in my future will love up to this one in Namibia.  Best wishes. Angela Landers, from Washington USA, 2010 competitor

Absolutely amazing experience thanks to the support from a great team.  I could not have picked a better company or destination for my first ultra marathon..  It was the hardest but most wonderful challenge I have done and I can’t believe I am already planning my next  – I only wonder why it took me so long before I did my first.  Thank you all very much Tanya Irvine, from London, 2010 competitor.

Book now for 2011

Tom Adams wins Namibia Ultra Marathon in record time

We are just getting news in from the Namibia Ultra Marathon...

Tom Adams wins the Ultra Marathon in a record time of 14 hours and 1 minute

Alex Ikonikov comes second

Ali O’Donovan is third (female)

Angela Landers wins the Marathon in a record time of just over 5 hours

All the competitors are safe and sound and are now on their way back to Swakopmund… as soon as we have the full race update later this afternoon, on who finished where and positions we’ll let you know.

Well done to all those taking part.

Why not join us in 2011?

New Namibia 24 hour Ultra Marathon Video

Darren Roberts, winner of the 2009 Namibia 24 hour Ultra Marathon has made this great video of the race. Check it out.

126km – 3 marathons – in 24 hours. This is the 3rd successful year of the Namibia 24 hour Ultra Marathon, which is rapidly becoming known as the ultimate endurance test for distance runners.

Still time to enter….

Laugavegur Ultra Marathon – Iceland race report 2009

Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon

July 2009 saw our second Across the Divide group line up on the start line at 0900 wondering exactly what they had let themselves in for. The small group of 7 runners had a mixture of experienced Ultra runners and those completely new to the sport, and represented the UK, Canada and the States. The previous day we held an event briefing covering a detailed course description, and a thorough medical brief which helped prepare our runners to run a good race. Thankfully the weather was kind to us compared to last year and it was a nice temperature at the start with no uncontrollable shivering before the race organisers sent us off running up the first steep section. The field was twice the size as last year with many more local runners taking part creating a great atmosphere at the start line.

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