Trans Belgium (almost!)

A varied, mostly enjoyable day of running from De Panne (near the French border) to Bruges (near the Dutch border).  With various detours we managed 40 miles with Jenni and Anneke - along the coast and through the cities of Nieuwpoort and Ostend (where lunch was shrimp croquettes and salad washed down with two cokes). The last 15 miles were fairly gritty along the busy N9, but entering the old historic city of Bruges was a splendid moment.  Our hotel was harder to find than it should've been, but an eventual soak in a tub after a beer made all right with the world.  Dinner was delicious - the Belgians do great food. Full marks for their shrimp pasta and profiteroles.

Trans Belgium

Today's Dover-Dunkirk ferry journey deposited us in possibly Europe's least attractive industrial park, but as soon as we crossed the border out of France, things magically improved - green fields, cows, that kinda thing.


We checked into a sparkling new Ibis hotel in De Panne just over the border (so astonishingly pristine - two women were actually sweeping the underground parking garage floor), and soon met up with our dear Dutch running companions, Jenni and Anneke.

De Panne is a tidy, well-heeled seaside resort with nice beer and restaurants. Tomorrow we will run about 60km (37 miles) to Bruges via Nieuwpoort and Ostend. On Saturday, our route is not yet determined, but we will aim to finish in Knokke-Heist where we will hope to board Belgium's superb Coast Tram back to De Panne.

Good times!

Selfie? Or footie, maybe?

Thanks to the good folks at Hi-Tec and XNRG for a fine new pair of V-Lite Infinity trail shoes:



I sadly had had to dispose of my Pony Express race shoes in a Burger King waste paper bin two weeks ago, after yomping through many miles of New Forest mud. But it turned out that I had been the speediest in the pre-OAP age category. And so now their pristine, Vibram soled, clementine coloured replacements have arrived, as if by karmic magic.

Pony Express Ultra stage races

Ultra stage races don't get any better than this:
A) when they're ony two days long;
B) when you don't have to run more than 30 miles a day;
C) when the weather is cool, the skies are blue and sunny, and there's no wind;
D) when your 80 or so fellow runners are a wonderful bunch of people;
E) when the race organisation (Neil Thubron / XNRG) does a superb job;
F) when dinner, breakfast and tea & cake are all delicious;
G) when you get to run through some amazing British scenery filled with wild ponies;
H) when you get to share the experience with your brilliant running wife, who only got lost once;
I) when you glow with pride when your wonderful friends Tina and Sandra complete their first 30-mile journey, and are still smiling at the finish;
J) when you don't get lost;
K) when you have the pleasure of beer and chilliburgers in a pub afterwards.



Only three things in the negative column would be the day 1 mud (had to throw away my shoes last night as they were finally beyond hope), gym snoring (well, that did used to be me, so I suppose I can't complain) and falling hard after 1/2 mile on day 1 resulting in bloody scrapes and a sore hip (eejit!).

Location:New Forest, UK

Pony Express starts in three days

Looking forward to heading down to the New Forest this weekend. Two 30-mile stages hosted by the fine folks from XNRG. Claire and I will be sharing the trail with our excellent boating neighbour Tina and her sister Sandra, plus a hundred or so others. Both Tina and Claire have had some Achilles/calf niggles in recent weeks, but I seem to be blissfully uninjured. Ah, the beauty of undertraining. This will be Tina and Sandra's longest ever runs, and (as this was originally my idea!) I'm desperately hoping that it proves to be a wonderful experience for them both.

Providing I don't overextend myself on Day 1, I hope to inspire a few of our fellow runners at my speaking gig on Saturday evening. The theme will be "the good, the bad and the ugly" of stage races. I have no shortage of examples of each to draw on.



Now, where are those saddles?

Orléans - Océan final day

The epilogue stage today of 24km/15miles was run in groups - mine went a little too fast for my comfort - but we all made it to the finish line in St Brévin. Weather conditions were super.

Claire was feeling much better today, and ran the whole stage comfortably with her new French best friends! We were able to cross the finish line and ring the bell together. Since then, it's been non-stop French food and hospitality.



Off for a week's family camping in Brittany tomorrow. We're ready for some much-deserved rest ... oh wait, three small grandkids...!

Orléans - Océan day 6

With the exception of a final 24km/15mile "epilogue" stage tomorrow, hostilities have now ended and everyone is in a wonderful mood.

Today's stage of 62km/38miles started at the painfully earlier time of 6:30am, in an attempt to avoid the hottest day predicted. But after we passed through Nantes, a front blew in and we are now enjoying clouds, wind and very pleasant temperatures. (This stage last year was brutally hot - I was dreading it.)

Again I started slowly...and contenders Christian Brière, Thierry Viaud and Yvonnick Simon were all long gone by the first aid station. But slowly I reeled them in, and met up with Christian (our race leader) at the final aid station. A true gentleman, he insisted on running the final 10km with me, and we finished together with a stage victory. It was a little speedier than I was really capable of, but it was worth the effort.

Tired now, but looking forward to trotting to the finish line in St Brévin tomorrow as a group. Wonderful people, wonderful country, wonderful race direction, and wonderful food & drink.

Location:Chemin des Carris,Frossay,France

Orléans - Océan day 5

A long (70km = 43.5 miles) and hot (30C = 85F) day. It's not the prettiest stage, but nevertheless some nice bridges and villages to look at nestled along the Loire. We're now at Oudon, which is my favorite campsite. Just two more stages of 62km and 24km, and we're done. I will be a happy camper on Friday.

There were no changes in the rankings after today's stage. I was lagging badly before the halfway mark, but managed to get my strength back and edged into second place by the finish. Each day now, I consistently run the first marathon in 4hr30mn, and then hope to hold on during the second half of the stage. It seems to be working OK - but I am super-tired!

Location:Neuvy-en-Mauges,France

Orléans - Océan day 4

Another longish (64km = 40 miles) day done for both of us. Claire resumed and completed another ultra, but this time had to deal with back problems which reduced her to walking to the finish line. I hope - no, I insist - that she sits out tomorrow's longer stage. What is it that Hindus say about pain moving around the body?

My run was unspectacular but good enough to keep me in second place. I'm feeling tired tonight - not surprising after running 150 miles in four days though. Christian continues to look strong in first place; unless he develops an injury, I won't catch him. Thierry is still in third, and had a much better day; he would've finished ahead of me today if he hadn't taken a wrong turning at 35km. Yvonnick is in fourth, but probably can't make up the time he lost on stage 1. All super-nice gentlemen to be competing with.

Just 2.5 days to go, when we will see the Atlantic Ocean. Rest after that will be very much appreciated.

Location:Chemin de Halage,Ste.-Gemmes-sur-Loire,France

Orléans - Océan day 3

The very good news is that Claire is feeling much better, and is even threatening to run again tomorrow. Selfishly, I'm hoping she doesn't, as it's very nice having the services of her as a full-time soigneuse! But on balance, it's great that she is healthy again.

Today's stage was long - 73km (45 miles). Despite a couple of brief, heavy downpours, the weather cooperated. Headwinds helped to keep temperatures a little below 80F. My legs felt a bit heavy after running nearly 120 miles in 3 days, but hopefully an hour or two of "tent time" now will help them recover by morning.

Thierry (yesterday's race leader) struggled today, but Christian (who had been in third place) was flying. Yvonnick is not far off the podium, so we'll all need to keep pushing for the next 4 days to maintain our places in the CG.

Orléans - Océan day 2

Let's start with today's high points. No storms overnight; slightly cooler temperatures; another lovely scenic day of chateaux, sunflowers and vines; I managed to stay on the podium (barely!) with a slower but more sensible 4hr30mn first marathon; and we're staying at a very nice campsite with plentiful showers and toilets.

The low point: Claire was forced to abandon at the 30km mark today - urinary tract problems that started yesterday and became very painful for her today. Poor thing. Clara our cook checked that she has no fever, and has prescribed cranberry juice; Claire's hoping to rejoin the race in a couple of days, but we'll see.

Location:Route Historique des Dames de Touraine,Montlouis-sur-Loire,France

Orléans - Océan day 1

Today's low point: Strong winds, lightning, thunder and pouring rain at 4 a.m. Lying in our puny tents under big trees felt like we were auditioning for The Wizard of Oz. Scary stuff...but thankfully the weather calmed down in time for our 7 a.m. start.

Today's high point for me was at about 45km, when my brain suddenly registered that today's stage was "only" 59km (36 miles), not 69km (43 miles). That was good news indeed. I had run the first marathon a bit too fast in a shade under 4 hours, and was not looking forward to another 17 miles on tired legs.

Claire did well, but found the high temperatures and humidity a challenge. She finished the stage with new friends Annick and Bernard, and was happy to be done. I ran alone comme d'habitude - I don't like my pace and effort level decided by others.

Apart from the heat, it was a very nice stage. The Loire is as lovely as I remembered it from last year, but the paths are busier with cyclists as the race is taking place a week later than the 2012 edition.

Resting now in my sauna-like tent before another sumptuous dinner provided by our wonderful, resourceful chef Clara. Tonight she's feeding 50 people a 3-course meal using only a small portable cooker, a single gas ring and a microwave. How is that possible?!

Orléans - race -2 days

Cars, trains, metros, buses, taxis...a very long airplane-free travel day got us eventually to Orléans. Paris was wretchedly hot, as we struggled with many suitcases to reach the Gare d'Austerlitz. Unfortunately the metro was closed after the Bastille stop, so we had to take a shuttle bus, and missed our tight connection as a result. But at Austerlitz, after not too long a wait, we managed to find another (hot, crowded) train which brought us to Orléans.

Along the way we passed through the somber spectacle of Bretigny station, scene of a very recent fatal train crash. Crews were still working hard to repair the damage, and the destroyed train was still sitting off to one side of the tracks. A poignant reminder of the randomness of fate.

Now in Orléans - where our race starts on Saturday - I have so far managed to acquaint Claire with (a) the seedier side of town near the railway station, (b) sangria in a Tex-Mex restaurant, (c) the river itself and a part of the course through town and (d) a tasty pizza washed down with a pitcher of rosé. Life is good.

Here am I standing in my bright yellow running shoes on top of a LAV (Loire à vélo) sign. These signs will guide us along the way to the Atlantic coast over the next week.

Location:Venelle de la Paix,Orléans,France

Back to the Loire...

 ...in 10 days, for a second helping of beautiful scenery, a wonderful race organization, and a week of hundreds of running miles with old and new friends.  The race is called Orléans-Océan, a shorter 7-day version of its 17-day sister race La Loire Intégrale.  This is the first stage race I've ever run more than once - testament to its sublime quality and coolness.

Next Thursday we will take a London train from our boat moored in the Essex countryside, thence via the Channel Tunnel to Paris, and then finally on to Orléans for the start of the race which kicks off next Saturday.  I'm happy to be avoiding airports for this journey; air travel has become unspeakably nasty and fraught.  Let's hope the trains manage to stay on the tracks south of Paris.

The weather has been unusually hot here for the past week, and with luck it'll stay fair for the entire duration, as we'll be camping every night and camping is definitely "fair weather sport".  Claire and I are both going into this race somewhat undertrained but thankfully healthy and uninjured.  My recently diagnosed anaemia has responded well to iron pills and Guinness.  New shoes have been purchased, packing has begun, and I'm getting very excited.  I can't remember the last race I was looking forward to as much.

Pi UTSJ final day

Despite a night of torrential rain, things markedly improved in time for this morning's leisurely start. Here's the pre-race briefing, with maps being diligently consulted:

Location:Rivière La Joyeuse,St.-Palais,France

Pi UTSJ final day

The picture says it all - made it to St Jean despite blisters, hills, wild dogs and electric fences. Very proud of Claire's ultra tenacity.

Pi UTSJ day 4

The first two hours were spent by the runners in pouring rain and fog, but things slowly improved. We find ourselves in the charming town of Navarrenx, being entertained by small school kids. Claire is tired but still running well.


This shot is from the aid station table - note wine and sausage:


Tomorrow is the final 60km stage - the victory lap if you will. Tonight will be spent drinking with the mayor, eating another delicious meal, and treating Claire's fresh crop of blisters.

Location:Avenue d'Orthez,Navarrenx,France

Pi UTSJ day 3

A third day of great weather, a relatively flat course, and "only" 60km made for a good day. The Pyrenees were not sighted due to plenty of cloud, but the ancient churches and chapels along the route are sublime and made up for it:


The day started with the awkward addition of an English Setter to the group. The homeless hound rushed frantically around for the first two hours, before he could be foisted off on an unsuspecting group of pilgrims. Until he was dispatched, passing motorists swerved and tutted their disapproval.

Claire is over three-fifths done, and running very strongly. 120km to go.

Location:Rue des Ecoles,Arzacq-Arraziguet,France

Pi UTSJ day 2

I am waiting at Nogaro's bullring (yes, there are bullrings still in Gascony) for Claire to complete another 10-hour running day. She's doing brilliantly so far - good pace, happy disposition, calm under pressure when thing go inevitably wrong.



The trail is easy to follow 99% of the time, but the other 1% can completely throw you psychologically when you're tired and hungry. So far, she's only been lost a couple of times, and not for too long, thankfully.

Race director and friend Patrick Bonnot puts on a great race with an outstanding team of volunteers. As always, they are much appreciated.



Off soon for an evening of Floc and good French food (which certainly beats running) before retiring to a hard gym floor (which is marginally less comfortable than running).

Location:Nogaro, France

Pi UTSJ day 1

Now there's a satisfied finish line smile!


A combination of flat canals, steep hills, beautiful villages and mud made for a challenging first day, completed without problems in 10 hours.

Tomorrow Claire runs 64km to the bullring in Nogaro, Gascony; my objective is to retest the local fortified wine Floc.