Training Log Archive: nmulder

Non-Stop Wartrail - 60km Mountain Run, 150km MTB, 60km River Paddle.

Raced with Mac as Team Cyanosis. Mac was defending last year's title with Nathan.

We got to choose our own start times, depending on when we though we'd get to the Orange River paddle section, with the darkzone lifting at 6.30am. We opted for 07:15, as we were aiming for a 10-hour run and a 12-hour cycle, expecting muddy and wet conditions for the cycle. That would give us 1h15 for two transitions and portaging the boat to the river.

There was a massive hail storm the day before our race, which caught most of the field of the 3-day stage race. Our weather was overcast and cool, but no rain, so ideal running conditions.

Mac set the pace for most of the run. I made sure we had a steady start before upping the pace after the Microwave tower. There is a decent path starting to emerge on this section to Olympus with so many runners on it every year, which helps the speed to some degree. For the first time ever, I also got to see the first leg to the Tower in daylight.

We were running very well, just a few mins slower than my PB pace (Skyrun 2012). All went well till after Snowdon. Thereafter we started climbing for Avoca too early (don't always believe the official GPS track). This cost us 5-8 mins, but I did find a nice cattle track into Avoca from around the back.

We caught the other Non-Stoppers just after the Dragon's Back section in one big group. They'd left at 4am, the first possible start time. I was feeling a bit poor on this section, having dehydrated too much after Snowdon. Didn't recover properly until well into the MTB. This slowed our time on the final section from Skiddaw to Balloch.

Very happy with the run time, which was also faster than the winner of the Stage race the day before (Nico).

CP	War 2015	Sky 2012	War 2012	War 2011	War 2007	War 2006	War 2005	Best Split
Microwave Tower	1h14	1h10	1h15	1h14	1h22	1h16	1h17	1h10 - Sky'12
Olympus Hut	2h56	2h51	3h11	3h01	3h37	3h14	3h16	1h41 - Sky'12
Mt Snowdon	4h26	4h23	4h54	4h31	5h43	4h51	4h55	1h29 - War'11
Avoca Peak	6h14	6h03	6h46	6h15	7h33	6h45	7h00	1h40 - Sky'12
Skiddaw	7h27	7h26	8h16	7h31	8h55	?	?	1h13 - War'15
Balloch	8h51	8h47	9h49	8h55	10h21	9h42	9h57	1h21 - Sky'12
Edgehill		11h06						2h19 - Sky '12
Bridle Pass		13h24						2h18 - Sky '12
The Turn		14h58						1h34 - Sky '12
Mt Halseton		17h25						2h27 - Sky'12
Wartrail		18h59						1h34 - Sky'12

C • Nice going Nic and Mac 4

We wanted to get out of transition and use the remaining light for the day, hoping to at least get to the first off-track section.

Left Balloch on the bikes at about 16h41, so had about 1.5 hours of daylight.

We got over the first pass and onto the first off-track section into CP7 (first farm) just as it got dark (nicely mowed track by the organisers). Spent a few mins at the assitance point and then pushed on for an easier section to CP8 (Railway gate). There was a short grassy section after this before crossing the main Aliwal tar-road onto the first gorge. Very nice and technical on the way down (mowed again where needed) before a hike-a-bike for a few hundred metres out of the gorge. A bit of a climb then to the Delta Farm support point.

Next section on an old track, very enjoyable. Took us into the 2nd section of hike-a-bike before descending into the CP9 Farm. From here a short climb and descent (overshot turn-off on tar road) to the Karingmelkspruit road. Climbed all the way up it and looped around to the Eistedd Farm at Lammergeier.

Another off-track section here through the Woodlands Farm, first up some zig-zags and then across some moved fields to the Joubert Pass dirt road. Popped out a few kms below the pass. From there a quick descent into town to the last check-point at the country club, then out the back way through the fields to the Herschel tar-road and the dirt road to Ndolokvana.

Got stronger through the ride as I was able to take in water and nutrition. Bit hard to push flat out at night due to visibility on the tracks and grass sections, so we were a bit off the pace compared to the Stage 2 participants earlier in the day.

The lack of rain and mud as well as the faster run time meant we got into transition at Ndlokovana about 1h15 earlier than expected. However, they had moved the start to 6am and we also had time to be served breakfast. Still not enough time for a quick sleep though.

Left Balloch : 9h24
Rosslyn Farm: ?
Railway Gate: 11h53 (2h28)
Delta Farm: ?
CP9 Farm: 14h57
Lammergeier: 16h44 (1h47)
Woodlands exit: 18h16 (1h32)
Lady Grey: 19h16 (1h00)
Arrive Ndlokovana: 21h16 (2h00) at 4.31am


Riding Time approx. 10h45 (so 1h05 of support stops, bike carry, etc.)
Av 14.6
Mx 55.3

GPS tracking turned itself off at Balloch and seems to turn back on at CP9.

Ready to walk down to the river at 5h30, but had to wait for the official start, which only got going at 6h17.

Dead arms after the 12h bike for the 60km paddle down the Orange River.

Water was at the most forgiving level ever, about 140 cumecs, but that still didn't stop us from taking a swim on the first ripple in the water at 1km. Cost us about 4-5 mins. Much more relaxed paddling after the swim and we re-caught everyone bar 1 guy upfront, who pulled out a 4 min lead or so (and won the stage race). Still managed to hit 2 or 3 sandbanks towards the end which the K1s just glided over.

Total race time of 27h47.

CP name - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2011 - 2012 - 2015
Cumecs - 149c - 400c - 25c - 700+c - 100c - 140c
Hot Springs ??? - ??? - 3h04 - 1h44 - 2h31 - 2h05
Aliwal North 4h56 - 4h05 - DNC - 3h47 - 5h44 - 4h47

Skyrun track for this weekend....