Sounds like a quality race Lee. Threshold seem to organise really great events I guess that's why they are so popular. Thanks for sharing you thoughts and tips for us all mate. Great vid dude! 😎🤘
Hi Lee, just wanted to thank you for this and your other RTTS content. Found it extremely helpful. I was supposed to run in '22 but had to defer due to a broken leg 😅 Yeah, talk about not doing things by halves. Anyway, this year was my chance and it went really well. At 16 hours, I'm a lot slower than you (I prefer to call it' steady'!) and yes I can confirm the route still avoids the Stones (ie out and back around the 'historic' cone!). At least you got a view 😅 Not much to see in the pitch dark... That aside, it was awesome and I agree with a lot of the points in your video. Threshold charge a premium price for their events, but I feel you do get a top level experience for your money. Thanks again 👍
Massive congratulations for finishing RTTS! It sounds like it was a tough year - I’m not sure what I’d prefer, the rain or 30C+, but can imagine staying upright would get tricky in the last 10K. Hopefully, they can reroute the course to get nearer a stone in the future, I know you run into the circle, and that’s the point but going round the stones has got to be better! The food options looked even better this year at the aid stations ☺️ Well done again and hope the recovery is going well! 👍
I ran this a two day option in 2019, i agree with you regarding the atmosphere at the start, i also found it strangely subdued, different from other trail marathons and ultras. It came alive atmosphere wise when we came to the fields of gold which were truly stunning as we emerged from the woodlands, having said that , i think the early miles through the woods were like a form of meditation, a chance to be really peaceful and at one with the environment,.... the base camp was a great experience, lots going on but not ott, I am planning to run straight through next year, i hope the stones will be included, i cant understand why the route was changed last minute. When i reached the stones you had the opportunity for a photo shoot !!! pleased i found your channel, 😊
I think you’re right about the start - I think everyone was meditating/contemplating the effort ahead, and it was quite lovely through the forest with just the noise of nature and gentle footsteps. Good luck with the straight-through next year! I loved it! 🤞I hope the stones are included too, the NT were the ones behind the change of course - god knows why since there were tons of tourists/competitors around the stone circle the next day. 🤷♂️
really comprehensive run down of the full 100km. I did the day 2 50km last year and totally agree on the aid station at 60km (my 10km) down that rutted track being utterly rubbish! I wish I hadn't needed it really, totally out of the way! I did love the race so much though that i've signed up for day 1 50km this year to see what that's like :) only 7 weeks to go...
Hope you had a good race! I saw some pretty wet pics from this years event. Be interesting to know which year you thought was harder, based on the conditions.
@@TheVeganRunner yeah it was pretty wet! I don't particularly like the heat (I admit I did struggle last year) but with that said, the conditions this year were much tougher, harder to run (imo) so all in all I preferred last year. I think I preferred the terrain last year too but not sure if that's a positive memory of it being my first ultra? I also much preferred the staggered start last year rather than the grouped mass starts at certain times this year, again I think it made it harder on the narrower sections where i'm not a fast paced runner/walker, I kept feeling like I needed to move aside for people.
I'm vegetarian and have been so most of the years since the year 2000 (save a few years after developing food allergies, as I ate had to figure out how to eat around foods that had been central to my diet) but yeah, last minute changes to vegetarian only don't look great and make vegans look like extremists and radicals. It's better to phase this type of change in and let runners know the changes are occurring for the following year. Also having Impossible and Beyond options, which most meat eaters I've cooked them for have admitted they're as tasty as dead cows, is perhaps the best idea if the goal is to help people move to more caring and sustainable food options at races.
Absolutely, I’d much rather they switched out the meat-options entirely to plant-based meats but suspect that would still raise a few grumpy eyebrows. In this case, it was all about timing really and I suspect cost to the organiser was the main consideration rather than the environment.
A Vegan diet is objectively better for the environment. According to the Oxford study, even the least sustainable vegan diet is more environmentally friendly than the most sustainable meat-eating diet. As for the log burner, it's our only source of heat and hot water in a 200-year-old cottage, in the middle of rural Devon. It's not perfect, but I never claimed it was. I split and season the wood myself from a sustainable source.
That’s fair. I wonder if the route will take in the stones this year. I reckon most people went back to have a look at the stones anyway, so not sure what the NT achieved here really.
It’s not because my training is going shit honestly 🤣 but you can’t call it RTTS and then charging extra for meat is a no no, so I will not be entering next year 😜
Ah, not good news from the hospital then? I’m with you on the injury bench at the moment - my back is giving me jip 🙄 Good thing it was after the ultra!
I enjoyed watching your Race to the stones series. I’m doing the race next year so it’s been really helpful for me to know what to expect.
That’s great news Claire - best of luck with the training and reach out if you think of any questions! ☺️
How did you get on?
Sounds like a quality race Lee. Threshold seem to organise really great events I guess that's why they are so popular. Thanks for sharing you thoughts and tips for us all mate. Great vid dude! 😎🤘
Cheers Ben! Putting on an event is an epic undertaking at any distance, it blows my mind that they can do it so we’ll over such vast courses!
Hi Lee, just wanted to thank you for this and your other RTTS content. Found it extremely helpful. I was supposed to run in '22 but had to defer due to a broken leg 😅 Yeah, talk about not doing things by halves. Anyway, this year was my chance and it went really well. At 16 hours, I'm a lot slower than you (I prefer to call it' steady'!) and yes I can confirm the route still avoids the Stones (ie out and back around the 'historic' cone!). At least you got a view 😅 Not much to see in the pitch dark... That aside, it was awesome and I agree with a lot of the points in your video. Threshold charge a premium price for their events, but I feel you do get a top level experience for your money. Thanks again 👍
Massive congratulations for finishing RTTS! It sounds like it was a tough year - I’m not sure what I’d prefer, the rain or 30C+, but can imagine staying upright would get tricky in the last 10K. Hopefully, they can reroute the course to get nearer a stone in the future, I know you run into the circle, and that’s the point but going round the stones has got to be better! The food options looked even better this year at the aid stations ☺️ Well done again and hope the recovery is going well! 👍
I ran this a two day option in 2019, i agree with you regarding the atmosphere at the start, i also found it strangely subdued, different from other trail marathons and ultras. It came alive atmosphere wise when we came to the fields of gold which were truly stunning as we emerged from the woodlands, having said that , i think the early miles through the woods were like a form of meditation, a chance to be really peaceful and at one with the environment,.... the base camp was a great experience, lots going on but not ott, I am planning to run straight through next year, i hope the stones will be included, i cant understand why the route was changed last minute. When i reached the stones you had the opportunity for a photo shoot !!! pleased i found your channel, 😊
I think you’re right about the start - I think everyone was meditating/contemplating the effort ahead, and it was quite lovely through the forest with just the noise of nature and gentle footsteps. Good luck with the straight-through next year! I loved it! 🤞I hope the stones are included too, the NT were the ones behind the change of course - god knows why since there were tons of tourists/competitors around the stone circle the next day. 🤷♂️
I am doing this race next year. Thanks for the information bro
No worries - best of luck! Hope you’re training goes well 👍
really comprehensive run down of the full 100km. I did the day 2 50km last year and totally agree on the aid station at 60km (my 10km) down that rutted track being utterly rubbish! I wish I hadn't needed it really, totally out of the way! I did love the race so much though that i've signed up for day 1 50km this year to see what that's like :) only 7 weeks to go...
Hope you had a good race! I saw some pretty wet pics from this years event. Be interesting to know which year you thought was harder, based on the conditions.
@@TheVeganRunner yeah it was pretty wet! I don't particularly like the heat (I admit I did struggle last year) but with that said, the conditions this year were much tougher, harder to run (imo) so all in all I preferred last year. I think I preferred the terrain last year too but not sure if that's a positive memory of it being my first ultra? I also much preferred the staggered start last year rather than the grouped mass starts at certain times this year, again I think it made it harder on the narrower sections where i'm not a fast paced runner/walker, I kept feeling like I needed to move aside for people.
Thinking of having a crack at this next year. Thanks for the video
Good luck! Hope the training goes well 👍
I'm vegetarian and have been so most of the years since the year 2000 (save a few years after developing food allergies, as I ate had to figure out how to eat around foods that had been central to my diet) but yeah, last minute changes to vegetarian only don't look great and make vegans look like extremists and radicals. It's better to phase this type of change in and let runners know the changes are occurring for the following year. Also having Impossible and Beyond options, which most meat eaters I've cooked them for have admitted they're as tasty as dead cows, is perhaps the best idea if the goal is to help people move to more caring and sustainable food options at races.
Absolutely, I’d much rather they switched out the meat-options entirely to plant-based meats but suspect that would still raise a few grumpy eyebrows. In this case, it was all about timing really and I suspect cost to the organiser was the main consideration rather than the environment.
When I did Race to the King in 2021, the King had gone home for the day once I made it to the finish line! 🤣
🤣 Even Kings need a lie down!
Had Elvis left the building 🤭😬
👍
I found the vegan better for the environment thing funny, especially with log burner in the background. 😂
A Vegan diet is objectively better for the environment. According to the Oxford study, even the least sustainable vegan diet is more environmentally friendly than the most sustainable meat-eating diet. As for the log burner, it's our only source of heat and hot water in a 200-year-old cottage, in the middle of rural Devon. It's not perfect, but I never claimed it was. I split and season the wood myself from a sustainable source.
The national trust are notoriuos for this I will never use them again after what they did to us
That’s fair. I wonder if the route will take in the stones this year. I reckon most people went back to have a look at the stones anyway, so not sure what the NT achieved here really.
It’s not because my training is going shit honestly 🤣 but you can’t call it RTTS and then charging extra for meat is a no no, so I will not be entering next year 😜
Ah, not good news from the hospital then? I’m with you on the injury bench at the moment - my back is giving me jip 🙄 Good thing it was after the ultra!
No broken bones 👍 but still hurts, hope you sort your back out soon, I thought something was up 🤔 I ran today but foot was not brilliant BTBY