Ryan took part in the Namibia Ultra marathon this May - a 126km race to be completed in just 24 hours – our most extreme event!
The race is across the vast expanse of desert, through the endless space of gravel plains framed by distant ridges and mountains, past dramatic upheavals of granite inselbergs and all under the clearest of blue skies during the day and a full moon during the night. Not only that you will be completely self reliant from the start of the marathon til the end, and will need to carry all your food and equipment on their backs. Water stations and medical tents will be provided at 21km intervals along the route. And to top it all off temperatures are in the region of min 5ºc / max 36 ºc but could be more extreme!
Our friends at Running Monkey have kindly added a superb write up from novice ultra runner who took part in his first ultra marathon with Across the Divide. Simon Bright had never run an ultra before he set himself the challenge of taking part in the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon - read how Simon got on here.
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 ofadventure races. Including the Namibia 24 hour Ultra Marathon,the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra and theGrand 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.
ATD Director Mark Hannaford has just returned back from the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon a beautiful course stretching from Landmannalaugar in the highlands to Thorsmörk, a natural conservation area.
The adventure race blazes a trail through moss fields, meadows of wool grass, steam springs, and bizarre lava formations where various blossoms defy the raw climate.
Do not be fooled by the iconic beauty of this mountain marathon course. This is a tough mountain adventure challenge and having a good race plan is essential. It’s a 55km race that is multi terrain (sand, gravel, grass, snow, ice, rivers and streams). It’s a beautiful run and to top it all off – after the race you get to spend the morning at the http://www.bluelagoon.com – just what’s needed for those tired muscles.
Our team are in the process of returning home from the Iceland Ultra Marathonbut we have the results and the whole team finished
Alan Wood – 83rd – 6:33 ( 3rd in the 18-29 age group)
Tom Black – 133rd – 7:00 (6th in the 18-29 age group)
Alex Beard – 151st – 7:11
Ed Hubbard – 162nd – 7:20 (10th in the 18-29 age group)
Neil Turner – 171st – 7:23
Sara Zoeftig – 220nd – 7:56
Richard Steel – 221st – 7:56
Joanne Venus – 246th – 8:24
Simon Bright – 267th – 9:19
Why not join us in 2011? It’s 55km and is multi terrain (sand, gravel, grass, snow, ice, rivers and streams) . It’s a beautiful run and to top it all off – after the race you get to spend the morning at the Blue Lagoon Spa - just what’s needed for those tired muscles.
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.
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
Kobus Alberts works for our partner company in Namibia, Wild at Heart Safaris, andin 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…
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.
