Well, you were either there or you weren't. And if you weren't, bad luck. Thunder Run 2011 was a sunny BBQ fest. Sign yourselves up for next year.
I'm taking the lazy way out for this blog post and handing the writing (Ed - and video, courtesy of johnnyg, below) duties over to the other Thunderous Bugs............
By ‘AngelaA’
Arrival on Friday in daylight was a bonus given the Friday traffic. I was worried about pitching my new, unused tent, but lots of help from the other Bugs meant the assembly was relatively quick, painless and not the comedy blonde-assembling-tent moment I had feared!
A reasonably good night’s sleep was hoped for on Friday but by 2am the outside temperature had dropped considerably. Nearly everyone confessed the next morning to having had to get up and put on an extra layer of clothing!
On Saturday morning, the priority was finding the shower blocks. Westie was a little self-conscious about visiting the shower block whilst still wearing her very subtle PJ top. She shouldn’t have been. I later spied a lady wearing a fantastic flowery pair of PJ bottoms that positively screamed out ‘I’m wearing my PJs in public!’
The race briefing was called at 11.30am and we were all suddenly reminded that we were there to run, not just enjoy a camping weekend with 1900 fellow runners! We listened to the race brief and prepared to wait for our turn at running the 10km loop.
We had planned that all team members would get the chance to run in daylight, so that we’d all be familiar with the course before nightfall. Our first runner, Nollie, was also our fastest, so initially it looked like the changeovers were going to be fairly rapid. Steve was next, bounding round in a similarly quick time, then Batrunt, followed by Westie, who set off on a loop that would mean a brisk walking pace as she was carrying an injury – she paced herself extremely well and soon Andrew was out on his lap.
KandiKane, who had been looking as cool as a cucumber all morning under her parasol/umbrella, went next, followed by AngelaA, then team captain Nan. The running order would then be repeated but with Nollie doing 2 x 2 laps on each of his runs.
The course is quite uneven and climbs sharply not long after the start. There always seemed to be more uphill than down. Everyone’s favourite section was at around the 6km point when the route wound its way, through white tape, between the trees – although at night the dust played havoc with visibility and the roots and sudden dips would have proved tricky to negotiate. The best part was arriving on top of the ridge and seeing the view stretching out below us, with the finish just over 2kms away.
Following my first lap at around 8pm, I arrived back in camp and was a little surprised to see RTS sitting there, on his beer chair, looking extremely relaxed and enjoying a chat. My puzzled expression was due to hearing that the 24 hr solo runners weren’t meant to leave the course. Had RTS pulled out?! I didn’t quite know how to ask! So, I sat down and listened in to find out what was happening. I felt huge relief when he packed up the beer chair and announced that he’d better get back out there! He’d just extended his pit stop to incorporate a social call at the Bugs campsite.
I queued up at the shower blocks, which would remain busy for the next 24 hrs. Fortunately, with a field full of runners, you always have something to talk to the next person in the queue about, so time passed reasonably quickly. Unfortunately, the shower that became free didn’t have a working light, so showering was going to be interesting! Obviously, it took longer than normal as I had to carefully place everything where I’d be able to find it again! I’d negotiated the shower in the dark and hopefully used the right combination of shampoo and conditioner when I heard banging next door! The lady in the next cubicle was somehow locked in! I wasn’t dressed at that stage and felt the panic set in as I hoped whoever came to the rescue battered down the right door!
By the early hours, the changeover times had slipped by an hour or so for the BRAS (Bat Runt Appreciation Society) team, as several team members were struggling with injuries. Unfortunately for anyone awaiting their changeover time, this meant a sleepless night. I was awake from about 3am with visions of Nan waiting in the changeover area wondering where I was, or knocking on my tent, resulting in my scrabbling to get up and dressed ready to run, only to leave my chip or number behind! The paranoia and need for the loo eventually meant I gave up trying to sleep at about 3.30am.
I found Westie still up and chatting, huddled in her sleeping bag, having been out at 1am and fallen in the dark! She was still remarkably chirpy and offered a cup of tea if I could find a cup. A while later Nan joined us and was surprised to see me already up. I explained my earlier moment of complete paranoia at leaving her stranded with no-one to handover to! Candy arrived for the changeover with Nan. Westie decided to call it a night and crawled into her tent to sleep. I chatted quietly with some of the other Bugs as the sun came up. I wasn’t going to need to use my head torch after all.
Just before 6am, I headed out on my second loop. It was chilly at first but the forecast was for a warm, sunny day. I came across runner no 99 wearing full combat kit and carrying a 40lb pack! Amazing! There were many familiar faces along the route, from the 24 hr solo runners.
Running through the section with the tree roots and white tape, I marvelled at how the runners with head torches would have negotiated this section of the course overnight. Just before 7am I handed the baton over to Nollie, who would be heading out for 2 loops.
The shower queue, which was now usually one of the first the topics of conversation, had lengthened! A generator had broken at some point in the night, which had created a backlog! I would be running again in a couple of hours, so probably wouldn’t have time to shower anyway!
Just after 10am, AndrewB handed the baton over to me, and RTS appeared! After a 5 hr sleep, RTS had started the day feeling reasonably fresh and keeping up a good steady pace. He was just starting his 13th lap, awesome!
After my previous run, I had been trying to sort out my Garmin. Somehow, I’d hit ‘Back to Start’, thinking it would take me back to the main menu. Unfortunately, this was a navigation feature that would come back to haunt me for my last lap. Almost as soon as I headed out on the loop, the Garmin kept beeping to tell me there was a turn ahead, when there wasn’t! I slowed down at one stage to try and sort it, worried it would deplete the battery but realised it was probably futile. I was suddenly greeted with a cheery ‘hello!’ as RTS caught up with me! This was just what I needed, a bit of company for the last lap to distract me from thinking about tired muscles and the heat of the sunshine.
As we arrived at the changeover point, I shouted for Nan, but there was no sign! I looked around and realised maybe she was waiting in the tent area where we’d been changing over in the early hours to make it easier to find our fellow team mates in the dark, so I carried on and sure enough there she was! Phew, I hadn’t missed her! Nan would do her final loop with RTS, who was now onto his 14th lap.
Just before midday, we all headed up to the finish area to see the last of the runners coming in. Nan and RTS were still out on the course and as the clock counted down to midday, we realised the race was almost over. The last 24 hrs had been amazing. Not only had we all had the chance to meet each other in person, we had worked as a team and shared the highs and lows of enduring in this incredible race. At around 25mins past midday, Nan and RTS arrived at the finish, to cheers and applause from their fellow Running Bugs. I felt a wave of emotion wash over me as I realised it was all over.
It’s been a few days now since the race finished. I have been following the updates on the Running Bug forum and viewing the comments and photos. I can’t help feeling that whilst the website is buzzing with all our updates, TR 2012 is a long way away and we need something to bring us all together again sooner!
By ‘Mutley’
Night running for me was an amazing experience... I'm not allowed to drive because I had measles as a baby and my eyes were damaged to the point the opticians can’t correct my vision with lenses, laser treatment etc. So I put up with poor vision. So getting back to the point I was a 'little' concerned about my night running. Well I shouldn't have worried. The trail was well marked out and the officials put glow sticks on the ground in the woods and near to trip hazards /obstacles. The incredible feeling of being able to run in the dark was three fold:
Ultimately the night run was my best lap. Lastly I’d like to say how people encouraged you when you are obviously a newbie runner, with comments like 'looking good' 'keep going you are doing really well', and a pat on the back from a speedy Running Bug passing me saying my name. It made me laugh and cry sometimes because of their kindness. On the night run I was taking off my long sleeve top (getting hot) and someone asked if I was ok - so nice (and very handsome) pity he ran off ( I tried to keep up). It was a fab experience all round. The running bug team were great and didn't mind me taking an hour and a half to do a lap. My daughter’s boyfriend, Lee Wright, took the place of either Stuart or Helen in the Thunder Bugs who couldn't make it in the end.
I ran/walked 3 laps of the Thunder Run (30k in total) and the furthest I'd ever run before was 5k. But now I can say the furthest is 10k! I can’t actually walk down the stairs this morning without putting both feet on one step, but hey I am enjoying the aches because of what I have achieved. Two years ago I was 4 stones heavier and couldn't walk far, but now I can. And next year will be even better.
By ‘KandiKane’
Who knew spending a weekend with a bunch of strangers would be so much fun! It was great to put faces to names and talk running to our hearts contents! From checking out different running shoes to bras to anti-blister tape, was fab! We were lucky enough to have a section right by the course, cornered off for us so we could keep an eye on the action, and do swap-overs.
The teams were great, everyone with a positive attitude and smile. Everyone had the same goal in mind, to have fun and meet new people. The food was nice, the showers impressive, with even more impressive queues; eek! But it seems they plan on having more showering facilities next year. You know you are in for a long wait when you see a row of chairs to sit on to help pass the time! But on a serious note, the showers were hot and strong so perfect! The weather was glorious, not ideal running weather but made the socialising aspect enjoyable. Lots of pictures, and laughs!
By ‘Rachelmbx’
1. The weather.
Rather unexpectedly for the end of July in England, it was actually warm and sunny! Who could've imagined? In camping terms, it was perfect weather really - I'm only too aware of how miserable camping in cold, wet weather can be. The exception was Friday night, which was distinctly chilly - Two sleeping bags and wearing most of my clothes still wasn't enough to keep me warm. I felt like a bit of a wimp until I compared notes with everyone else in the morning and found that we'd all been suffering from the cold. In running terms, cool and overcast would definitely have been better - my first lap had to wait till 6.30pm, as it was just too hot before and I'm supposed to avoid overheating at the moment. In contrast, conditions at 11.30pm were just about perfect - I am a night running convert.
2. The showers packing up.
Having finished my first lap, I went and joined the enormous queue for the showers. After having already waited for about 15 minutes, an ominous quiet suddenly descended as the generator powering the showers packed up. After some investigation by about 6 of the organising staff, it was discovered that it had run out of diesel. After some more diesel had been found and numerous attempts to get it going again, the generator re-started to loud applause from those of us still in the queue (some people had given up). The plus side was that everyone was very quick about taking a shower, just in case the generator stopped again! One poor soul who was caught the first time emerged from his cubicle covered from head to toe in soap to find out what was going on - his friends were less than sympathetic (they even took pictures). Having finally got into a shower myself, I then topped things off by managing to drop my clean, dry socks into the dirty water on the floor. Grrrr!
3. Batty and Westie.
They were like a comedy double act for most of the weekend. Probably the funniest moment was the (slighty obscene) discussion about pink glow sticks and Batty's total refusal to wear them for his night lap (he'd happily use all the other colours).
4. The food
Adam vs Stu-pid's flapjacks - Adam's won for me, mostly because I'm not keen on raisins. Nollie and his gingerbread numbers, that had to be eaten in numerical order. Nollie and food generally - I don't think he stopped eating unless he was asleep or running. The wide, weird and wonderful range of BBQs and gas appliances that people had brought with them - I was particularly impressed when Maryke and Nick grilled what appeared to be most of a lamb. The food from the food tent wasn't bad either.
5. The running.
There was a lot of impressive running going on, particularly those solo nutters, and in the massively depleted Thunder Bugs team. Having started with 7 people (and one of those was me, quite definitely the weakest link), by Friday night we'd lost 2 team members, taking us down to a scary 5. Adam, Nick, John and Timea all managed loads of laps, I added my 2 and then we borrowed Jane's daughter's boyfriend, who claimed he wasn't really a runner, but managed two 46 minute laps! Jane also managed a very impressive 3 laps for her team, especially considering she's never even run as far as 10K before. And Westie did her 2 laps even with a calf muscle tear. In fact the BRAS team seemed to be mostly made up of the injured. For myself, I wish I could've put more training in over the past couple of months, but based on how sick I've been, I'm pretty glad I managed to turn up and take part at all.
6. The chat/the craic
I don't think I've laughed so much or so hard in ages. Everyone was lovely and friendly; there was plenty of banter, swapping of running stories and just general camaraderie. I finally got to put a face (and a real name) to the people I've been chatting to online and I even got to see the Beer Chair (although I wouldn't dare to sit in it - I'd never get up again!). Although a lot of the conversations were running-related, there was plenty of other chat going on as well. It's the first time I've been to a running event where I've known other people taking part and it makes a big difference. Also, the non-Bugs that I met were also very friendly - the shower queue was one of the best places to start chatting to people.
Would I do TR24 again? Well, I'd love to, especially if a group of Bugs were going again. It was well organised, fun, and potentially very challenging depending on how many laps you did. It also appears to have cured my morning sickness (well, ok, that might have happened by itself anyway) and it's also inspired me to get out for a couple of runs this week already. I have to say I think it's probably the best running event I've taken part in so far.
By ‘Runaway Nan’
When I signed up for this I was running without problems, my knee injury had seemed to have passed, and I was excited at the idea of meeting so many other Bugs and pushing myself to run well.
How quickly something can change!
On the Friday before the event and I hadn’t run a step for two weeks due to an Achilles injury, and prior to that I was still trying to manage three miles without stopping after another injury had prevented running since March. Not a promising start but at least the physiotherapist had said “OK” – with lots of conditions attached….. Hmmmmm.
The Friday evening BBQ get together was great fun with lots of chatting and some drinking. If anyone had walked through our camp area they would never have guessed that most of us had only met for the first time that evening – it was a lively and friendly group.
I woke on Saturday morning after a rather broken and cold night’s sleep (sleeping bag directly on the groundsheet is not advisable), and found my way to the food tent for porridge and a cup of tea followed by a chunky bacon and sausage sandwich. The camp woke and BBQ’s were lit and kettles boiled. The morning generally felt much like a holiday camp especially as it was getting pretty hot – hard to believe we would begin running at midday. The three teams planned their running strategies. Team BRAS plan was simply to take it in turns and drop out as necessary.
At 11:30am, all competitors were called to the start area for a race briefing – wow; there were certainly an awful lot of people.
Mid-day and the first runners were off – that was the busiest the start line would be for the next 24 hours, although the first changeover of team wristband was pretty hectic. I was second to last runner in our team, which meant the holiday atmosphere continued in to the afternoon. My first stint was due at about 6pm. During late afternoon it was pointed out to me that I was getting sunburnt (I forgot my sun cream) and someone (Candy? Angela?) let me use theirs (thank you).
I set off for my first circuit and was relieved to find that I could still run (how long for was the questionable part) but that the uphill parts (of which there were quite a lot) were tweaking the Achilles so I had to walk these. I managed to make my time up on the downhills. On the final descent to the camp area and finish line it was noticeably cooler.
I finished my first circuit in 1hr 7mins 30secs, which I was really pleased with. Team BRAS were a little behind schedule, but not too far mostly due to Ollie’s 42min 52sec circuit and Steve’s 43min 53sec circuit putting us in front at the start (fantastic efforts guys).
I had been loaned an air mattress by BatRunt (thank you so much) and was therefore nice and warm when I turned in at about 10:30pm to get some rest before my projected 4am lap. I was worried about not waking up so I had set my mobile for 3am, and then dozed until my call came.
As I pulled on my trainers I felt my Achilles complain, and was a bit concerned but I was not going to let the team down. I took the team wristband at 4:46am and was asked for my expected time so that we could make sure the next runner was ready to go. I said to allow 1hr 12mins and turned to run. The brain said “run” and the hips, knees and ankles just didn’t respond! I shouted back, “you may need to make that a bit longer, I can’t run!” as I began a stilted jog. Two runners going past me at that moment laughed and said that was normal.
After a few minutes everything became more coordinated and my circuit was underway. This time round I had a chance to take in the scenery as it was getting lighter by the minute. There were some amazing views. The last 3km of my circuit were painful. The Achilles had got so bad that I was seriously contemplating taking my shoes off and running in my socks. The only thing stopping me was the thought I might give myself a new injury to the other leg. My second lap time was 1hr 13mins 30secs which was not bad, considering.
At the end of everyone’s second circuit we had slipped to 2 hours behind schedule and two people down due to injury. Ollie had managed two laps for his night run in 1hr 33mins 57secs and Steve had again managed a quick circuit of 47min 36secs. Just before 7am Ollie went out for his third run with the aim of running 2 laps, bringing his total to 5 – I wish I had his running ability – which he achieved in 1hr 35mins 35secs.
Originally I had been down to be the last to run the third circuit at the expected time of midday. At first this had looked highly unlikely. However, as the runner before me set off at 10:09 it became clear that I was going to have to run again. I put the temporary heel lifts my physio had given me in to the problem shoe, slathered my heel with biofreeze and put on my ankle support, all with my fingers crossed in the hope that this would be enough to see me round my final time.
Unfortunately, I forgot the agreed meeting point for the handover (I apologise again for that) but the wristband was eventually passed to me and I set off, aware that RTS was going to be catching up with me in a short while. This he did just before the first uphill and he walked it with me. I was honoured to find that RTS was planning to stay with me for the whole of my circuit and I just wish I could have been fitter/healthier and able to do better for us both.
I managed to do a sprint finish (no idea where that came from) with a final circuit time of 1hr 18mins 3secs and RTS was lovely and let me cross the line ahead of him.
I am so honoured to have been given the title of captain of such a marvellous team and thank them all for such a wonderful effort.
I had a 2hr drive home and by the time I got out the car, I could hardly walk and was feeling quite shattered but I have to say it was a wonderful weekend with loads of lovely people.
Will I do it again? I don’t know at the moment. Would I recommend it? DEFINITELY!
Oh what a weekend! Every time I hear about Angela's experience at the showers, and the poor woman locked-in next door, it makes me laugh so hard and loud!
Brilliant time, I'm in for next year!
:-D
Thank you for your write ups. Loved to hear all about what fun I was missing. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Sign me up for next year
The video is now live on my blog thebriars.wordpress.com
Oh wow!!!! Thank you! Tried to work out who was who - think I spotted nan having a butty! xxx
how goood does this look!
Hi Suzie, yes that was me having a sausage and bag sandwich. I had no idea it was being filmed - with my braces and elastic band I usually try to avoid being watched eating :S
It is indeed a wonderful video, johnnyg. Thank you. :)
sausage and bacon (no idea where the spellcheck got bag from)!
Great read folks, thanks for your contributions! Looking forward to getting involved next year.
Fantastic video and reports, well done all.
I would love to take part next year, especially if they serve sausage and bag sandwiches!! Great vid too, well done all.
I ran two laps holding some sandwiches IN a bag (egg mayo and tuna mayo) but didn't eat the bag. It didn't look as tasty as the bags from the food tent.
still laughing at the sausage and bag comments, you lot are a tonic xxxx
I'll be able to run 10k next year....I so want to play!
I can see it now. TR24 2012 - 2,500 entrants: all Bugs. What an event that would be!