Another day lining up at the Arc of Attrition in Cornwall, UK. This is a difficult race due to the conditions; long night, mud, rocks, and of course weather. My race didn’t go 100% to plan but I accomplished my main goals and raised quite a bit of money for an epilepsy charity that has helped us with our daughter.
About a week out from the race my wife Lauren volunteered me to run the Arc for charity. Yes, it’s a good thing, but adds undue pressure to the race, particularly finishing. I already had a few goals: 1. Go out fast 2. Eat a ton of calories 3. Finish under 24 hours. I had finished this race before and knew what was coming, a long difficult night, but was mainly back I think because I had such a good time seeing friends. I don’t have many friends over here and having Greg and James excited to crew again was awesome! Even though I probably only saw them for a total of 2 hours over the weekend it was still super fun!
The entire family came down this time and my wife had secured a holiday rental near the race HQ and finish. I wasn’t expecting them to chase me around all night on narrow Cornish lanes so they just enjoyed a weekend away somewhere new. Our rental was a cottage with a hot tub about 10 minutes from the beach and a very short drive off the main road. It’s was a part of an old farm in a rural location, that being said it seems all of Kernow, the Cornish pronunciation of Cornwall, is rural!
Thursday night I drove to the race HQ for kit check and to get registered. The area was too small to accommodate all the cars, traffic was horrible, and the fields we were parked in were a sloppy muddy mess. Fortunately I got in and out quickly. I didn’t care for the “professionalism” that UTMB had brought to the race, I preferred the home grown feel of it all. UTMB was bought out by Ironman and has been acquiring tons of races world wide. The ultrarunning community coming from a very grassroots feel has been very against this move but not much they can do about it with new people entering these races not knowing the former. The Arc was one of those races. Everything was very formal, it wasn’t bad, but just preferred the latter I guess. My previous run of the Arc had been with Mud Crew Events, the creators, who sold the event last year to UTMB. They are still involved for a few years but everything outside the course is different. Everything went smoothly, I guess I can’t complain.
Lines of cars crowded the narrow one way roads to HQ
Thursday night was ravaged by 90 mph winds shaking the cottage and limiting sleep, the forecast was good despite the miserable weather we drove down in. Winds like that on the exposed South West Coast Path surely would’ve canceled the race for safety reasons. Morning it was cloudy with mild winds, temps were ok, a bit cool. Not bad.
Friday morning my wife and kids dropped me off at race HQ to catch the shuttle to the start. Being a point to point race, and the start being in the tiny fishing village of Coverack, no spectators or parking is allowed hence the hour long shuttle. I wandered the race village trying to keep warm until we all loaded onto the shuttles.
My daughter Annabelle and I
I chatted with the guy next to me, a Londoner who was running the Arc for his first time. He’d ran a decent amount of UK races, spent time in Europe and Canada skiing. Good conversation as always. After maybe a hour we arrived in Coverack and unloaded.
Immediately to the toilets I went and then continued to try to stay warm until the start. Some waiting with an annoying announcer trying to hype everyone up and highlight the “elites.” Meh. Not interested, say start, let’s get going. The annoying thing about UTMB races is that they grade the runners on previous races using a points system. It’s unique only to their races or races that agree with their system, so if you’ve never ran their races you’re not very high on their points list. Kind of dumb but if you’re trying as a business to monopolize a discipline it’s a good way to do it. Look at Ironman Triathlon, it’s the one and only, they charge a shit ton of money, great business idea, but hippy ultra folks won’t all play your game. Do they provide a great experience, probably, but is this the experience the ultra folks want? Anyway…..
I bumped into Tom, a guy I ran with at the North Downs Way 100 which was fun, brief conversation and we went our separate ways. After a stupid countdown, a lame “thunderclap” they have everyone join in on and we are finally off! I was positioned towards the front knowing a huge bottle neck happens within the first quarter mile at some stairs as we hop on the coast path. It’s a broken, uneven, three or four, one person stair case onto singletrack which is no good for 600 runners. I hit them with only a brief pause which was great. I had forgotten about them but a guy from Bristol quickly reminded me!
The start, me in the purple hat
No runners yet along the start in Coverack
View of Coverack, the start is the bit of road you see, then we went left up the hill zigzagging to the tan stripe.
The first 25 miles are fun running. A lot of undulating singletrack with wet ankle deep bogs and some sandy beach. There are a lot of hilly sections too but they are short. There was an aid station I believe 10 miles in with no crew access at Lizard Pount, but at 25 I’d see Greg and James. Fun running altogether, the boggy sections are never fun as you worry about wet feet, blisters and macerated skin. I had brand new shoes on, normally a huge no no, but I was comfortable with it. I could tell I probably should’ve broke them in a bit. I’ve got fairly wide feet and I think bit of give may have been nice, too late now!
I had gone out fast and ran everything, no walking really. My training had changed drastically and I’d been doing more fast running. I wanted to run within my aerobic limits but at a quicker pace. The key is fueling more to replace the calories. I was eating around 350-400 calories per hour. In the past I’d go out conservatively and eat about 250 calories. These were my main goals, I wanted to see how I’d feel later on.
And now for a bunch of photos as most of the race is at night!
South West Coast Path
Boggy under foot
Ugh. Boggy.
The weather was being kind and temps were good, we trucked along. I briefly chatted with a handful of people as I passed them. A local helicopter mechanic for the military, a guy from Northern Cumbria with a thick northern accent to name a couple. As we dropped from the headlands to the seaside a few coves were filled with knee deep sea foam we had to run through. The ocean was angry from the previous night’s wind but beautiful to see. One long stretch of single track up high I spotted a huge dorsal fin in the water with a dark shape below the surface! This happened twice in different locations! Initially I assumed they were huge basking sharks but after excitingly telling James he said more likely whales as the basking sharks migrate this time of the year. So cool!
Loe Bar
I ran into Porthleven excited to see my crew. Greg and James were there and they filled my bottles, I grabbed my nutrition, chatted a bit, and wandered into the aid station. Kind of a waste of time, I wanted to see if I needed or wanted anymore food but nothing was appetizing. Note for next time, just get going. I had planned my nutrition assuming I don’t want any from the aid so theoretically should have enough gels. This worked well but at this stop I didn’t grab enough for some reason. I’d feel the pain from this mistake through Lamorna.
Porthleven Aid Station, mile 25 or so
Lauren wanted to confirm I was good so the guys sent her a photo
Feeling great and having fun on I went. Everything was good, my nutrition plan was perfect. My right hip flexor was giving me a bit of grief but hopefully it will pass. My clothing options were working very well, everything was fairly accessible. I do think I need a size up in my race vest though. My soft flasks were a bit tough to get in when the pack was loaded. A minor inconvenience.
Sunset, one of a few photos I actually took
One fun observation was I had not looked at my watch once. I had a general idea how far in I was because I knew Porthleven was at about 25 miles, but was just running and eating. Just enjoying the experience, I actually considered not bringing a watch at all in future races, but it is a safety net if you get lost! The course was marked so I didn’t have to stress about the navigation which was fantastic. A plus to having UTMB take over. Many UK races are navigation only, no course marking. This is obviously much easier for race directors but possibly a throwback from fell racing which has always been navigation required.
As the sun set I pulled out my headlamp. I had forgotten how technical the next section was. Everyone always talks about the steps at the Minack Theatre but they are easy, and close to Land’s End. The section through Lamorna in the dark was a bitch! Far more technical than I remember, rocky, steep steps up and down, and muddy. Slow going. My hip flexor was definitely feeling it.
I keep on praising having a marked course however the arrow markers they had were kind of shit. Everything was marked with red reflective flagging which was great, but at turns they had small orange reflective arrows that didn’t quite reflect nearly as good as the red. I caught myself going wrong a couple times, but one missed turn added on two miles which pissed me off! I had been trucking along alone, no one in sight, and began going up a paved road. I hadn’t seen any flagging for reassurance but was running well. I stopped, pulled up my nav function on my watch, and I was off course! I had ran uphill a mile in the wrong direction! I turned around and cranked out 6:30 minute miles until I found the turn. Yep, a tiny orange arrow my light didn’t connect to as it was placed a bit high. Add to that there were two course marshals sitting in a car to keep warm! I get it, it’s cold out, and I run in this limbo between the leaders and the rest of the runners, so not many people coming through, but arrrgh! Whatever, I wasn’t angry, just waved and kept going. Grudges are a waste of energy.
I ran into Marazion, I believe, and we now transitioned from trail to road leading up to Penzance. I had been running for a while with a German guy named Hendrick. Good conversation as always, really nice guy, but as we hit the tarmac he told me to go on as I was running well. I picked up the pace on the flat road section. The wind had picked up and you could taste the sea spray once again as it kicked up. It began to drizzle a bit so I pulled out my rain jacket. Within a half mile of the aid station the rain increased. James and Greg were there to cheer me on and as soon as I clocked them a squall blew in and we all got drenched! They weren’t allowed in the aid station here, no crew access, but I greatly appreciated seeing them!
After a short stop I continued on, the rain subsided. Through town I ran, a couple missed turns in Mousehole, and back on the coast path I was. Fairly easy running if I recall. I ran back and forth with the lead woman from the Netherlands and a local guy who had moved here a year ago.
Soon I realized I hadn’t grabbed enough nutrition from Greg and James! My energy was waning a bit and I was digging all around for a gel. Nothing. I drained what I could from the empty packets and kicked myself for not grabbing everything as planned. I had a mix of SIS Betafuel gels, Precision Hydration gels, and Tailwind drink mix. The gels had all been excellent but the tailwind being powder was a pain to add to my bottles. I had Greg and James fill my bottles with it but in between crew stops I was planning to do it myself, this didn’t work as I just wanted to get going. I had been taking in a shit ton of calories and should make it to the next stop no problem.
I was doing ok and as I started to climb the stairs at the Minack Theatre, the start of the 50 mile race, I knew I was close to Land’s End and my crew.
Race photo, I’ve never actually seen this area in the light!
Arriving at Land’s End in the dark I met up with Greg and James. Only one of them was allowed in the aid station with me, another lame UTMB rule. Greg filled my bottles as I took my shoes off to assess my feet. They were fairly macerated from all the wet but not causing pain. I did find two blisters which I popped. Normally I’d switch shoes but have gone off that now. Instead I’ve been cleaning my feet, changing socks, and swapping the footbed in my shoes. The shoes don’t hold much water anyway but swapping the footbeds gives you dry underfoot at least.
Lands End Aid Station, assessing my feet
Leaving Land’s End all smiles
As I left all three of us enjoyed a glimpse of the stars and noticed the alignment of the planets which was really rad! An odd unnatural line of bright stars splitting Orion’s belt. The weather was partly cloudy, a bit of wind, but no rain. And off into the darkness to take on the most challenging section of the race.
The next section starts off as usual but at one point gets extremely technical, especially at night. There is a 13 or so mile section leading up to St. Ives that the fastest runners go through at 10-12 minute per mile! It’s super rocky, muddy, and full of steep, uneven, quasi stair like steps with mud interspersed between them. Add to that the exposure to steep, sometimes vertical, drops to the sea. It’s pretty much a no fall zone since you could end up tumbling to the ocean or breaking a wrist or ankle. I know a handful of wrist breaks did happen, no one went for a swim though! This year it was clear enough to see the drop off which was eye opening, last time the visibility was horrid.
Thankfully as the sun rose I was done with the worst of it. I could see St. Ives, the next aid station, and was running in although my hip flexor had become worse. I could run and only had 20 plus miles to go. Those 20 are very runnable so a great place to make up time. My mental focus was great, I felt good and positive, so the increased calories has worked great! So psyched to run the last bit in!
I got to the aid station and as soon as I stopped I couldn’t walk anymore! My hip has seized up! I took a break hoping it will subside as these things normally do, ate a bunch of beef stew, and attempted to mobilize it. It wasn’t giving up. I felt fucking fine! I gave it a go and headed out, I made it a 1/4 mile and was walking. Some random guy offered to massage it which was hilarious! A cigarette hanging from his mouth he worked my hip. Best part was I messaged my crew this. As you’ll see in the message my gloved fingers typed “Randi” for some reason. In the UK “randy” means “horny” which makes this message hilarious to the British! I clocked it and considered changing it but just for laughs left it!
The massage didn’t help, so I hobbled back to the aid station. I chatted with a guy from Malvern I know through work who was volunteering, he understood. Why now! Most people give up due to not eating enough, being tired, or because “it hurts.” The aid station folks know this so I was getting the usual encouragement which kind of angered me. My demeanor was fine, they knew that. I got a hot water bottle from the paramedics and tried that, they procured a rolling pin that I massaged the crap out of it, I was pulling out all the shit I know from work doing all sorts of Anatomy in Motion/ Gary Ward mobilization movements. People where like “holy shit!” It wouldn’t give in. I sent work a message and hilariously my boss’s wife, my physical therapist, was working and called back! I was on the phone with a physio! Mindy suggested a handful of options to try that seemed to work, she knows my knowledge in this stuff too. Anyway it got marginally better, so back I went. No luck.
St. Ives holding my hip flexor
By now Greg and James were outside. I talked to them briefly. I wasn’t even upset about the belt buckle for finishing, or a sub 24 hour time. I was more frustrated because I was doing this for charity. The one reason I don’t like to do things for charity is the expectation to finish is there. I even vented this to Greg on film which he sent to Lauren. He at first though he’d get me in trouble for this which was funny, but really no big deal.
I decided if I can walk I can finish, I had plenty of time, it would be LONG but I could do it. So off I went. The sun was out a bit, mentally I was fine. It was frustrating walking on pavement. People gave me encouragement as they passed me. One woman gave me some candy. I should be fucking running this! The 25 mile race had begun and the leaders cranked by super fast all saying words of encouragement. Pretty cool, but…..
I made it a couple miles and gave up. It wasn’t getting better and the main issue was I didn’t want to cause permanent issues. I threw the towel in at a road crossing. A course marshal had me in his van and snipped off my tracker. Greg ran a mile or so to meet up and check on me and James followed shortly in the car. I was officially out.
We drove to Lauren and the kids nearby and all had a Cornish pasty before parting ways.
Swollen feet
And like that the Arc was over. I didn’t even go to the finish area, straight to our holiday let. I showered, ate, then napped for awhile. My leg was painful to walk on for a couple days but I was on the bike after four days off, running a week later.
The positive is I wasn’t upset. I did what I wanted to do, go out fast and not be conservative, eat an obscene amount of carbs. This gave me the confidence to do it again in the future. The increase in food intake made me feel great throughout and other than my hip my legs felt good late in the race which confirmed I CAN go out faster. One thing is though I need to consider my finishing goal, do I want to finish or do I want to race. Racing obviously causes more abuse to the body and can comprise finishing.
Hip thoughts? More strength possibly. I’ve already spotted a couple technical things in my movement that could make it worse. Also more specific training pertaining to the course, the big steps up and down were likely a cause, I need to plan ahead for that so I can handle it.
