Ruthin.How Tough?

Treadstone Assassin

I have entered the CRC (formerly Merida) 100km Marathon at Ruthin in September.This is my first marathon.Regardless of distance I was just wondering how tough the terrain is? How would it compare to the likes of Kirroughtree,which is parts I find pretty tough going.Would the terrain be substantially harder/easier.Just wondering if Im mad even considering it.I can get round Kirroughtree in about 4 hrs,leaving out the McMoab rocky section.Any help appreciated.

gaz047

no your not mad, cant compare to Kirroughtree cause not been, but you've got plenty of time for training, lots of hills and long, steady miles and if you don't already a good energy drink ie go or high 5 to keep you going. also experiment with different foods cause if you don't eat you'll bonk and if you haven't bonked before (no, not that kind ) its not cool.
other than that make sure your bikes in good order and your equipped for trail side repairs and you have decent clothing if the heavens open
terrain will depend on the weather running upto the event
their well organised and good fun, so above all enjoy
gaz

ps sorry for any randomness, in a rush gotta go
gaz

clanton

Don't forget that on the day you can bail out onto the 50 or 75k options if things aren't going well.

Dirtydog11

Treadstone Assassin wrote:

I have entered the CRC (formerly Merida) 100km Marathon at Ruthin in September.This is my first marathon.Regardless of distance I was just wondering how tough the terrain is? How would it compare to the likes of Kirroughtree,which is parts I find pretty tough going.Would the terrain be substantially harder/easier.Just wondering if Im mad even considering it.I can get round Kirroughtree in about 4 hrs,leaving out the McMoab rocky section.Any help appreciated.

Hi mate. I Did 50km at Ruthin last year, it was my first one and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

To give you an idea, the altittude gain on the 50km was around 2000m, 2500m for the 75km and 3000m for the 100km.

Its not the distance that's the issue its the amount of climbing involved.

The climbs and terrain are not technical, just very long. If in doubt save the legs and get off and push.

The only time I could foresee a problem was if it was to rain, I imagine it would be hell.

As has already been mentioned you can always drop the 100km if you find the going to tough. IIRC you have to be at the checkpoints (cut off points) within a certain time in order to carry on along the 75km and 100km routes.

I have just entered the 2010 Isle of Man end 2 end so will be doing either the 50k or 75km Ruthin as part of my training for that.

Sorry can't give a direct comparison to Kirroughtree as I've not been.


Edit: Just had a look at the Kirroughtree route map and profile. I would suggest that the 100km Ruthin would be the equivalent of riding a least 3 laps of Kirroughtree.

The biggest climb on Kirroughtree comes at around 16km and rises from 100m above seas level to the highest point on the trail at 250 metres (only a 150m climb) whereas the very first climb on the Ruthin Marathon goes from around 50m above sea level to 450m (400m climb) and is then followed by several 100 to 200 meter climbs.

Looking at the route profile Kirroughtreee looks comparatively flat.


Ruthin profile here

http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/20 ... ruthin.pdf

Kirroughtree profile here

http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/pdf/kirrought ... ofiles.pdf

Hope this helps.

boneyjoe

Sorry Dirtydog, but I think you'll find the IOM is the week before Ruthin.

boneyjoe

Just a thought - would it be feasable to do the IOM and Ruthin full course a week later? Did IOM last year, and despite some cramp towards the end, have to say I actually felt pretty good afterwards! The total distance would be about 100 miles, same as Kielder, so should be a doddle with a week's rest thrown in! And if people can do multi-day events like the trans-Wales, it shouldn't be a problem, no?

boneyjoe

Treadstone, looking at those profiles from Dirtydog, are you telling us it takes you 4 hours to do all the trails at Kirroughtree (looks like about 50km) or just the long one (30km)? If the latter, then you'll have to up the pace a bit!

In my somewhat limited marathon experience, the courses are a bit less technical than your typical trail centre, and the real challenge comes through in the distance and, as Dirtydog says, amount of climbing involved. However if it rains, then an otherwise straightforward course can become an absolute endurance nightmare, though as mentioned, there is the option to drop down to 75 or 50km in this event. This happens automatically if you don't reach the checkpoints in time - marshalls then direct you to the shorter route - so no need to change your entry or anything like that beforehand. On a tough wet day, I promise you won't be the only one doing this!

I'd definitely go for it, but make sure you include a good deal of distance and climbing work as part of your training (ensuring you get the hydration/nutrition right too), especially in the 2-3 months leading up to the event. Best of luck!

Dirtydog11

boneyjoe wrote:

Sorry Dirtydog, but I think you'll find the IOM is the week before Ruthin.

Damm, so it is.

boneyjoe wrote:

Just a thought - would it be feasable to do the IOM and Ruthin full course a week later? Did IOM last year, and despite some cramp towards the end, have to say I actually felt pretty good afterwards! The total distance would be about 100 miles, same as Kielder, so should be a doddle with a week's rest thrown in! And if people can do multi-day events like the trans-Wales, it shouldn't be a problem, no?

From the sounds of it I'm pretty much in the same boat as you I have limited experience and I've never done two back to back marathons (albeit a week apart). I think you should be fine, I reckon a week should be plenty of time to recover.

I did my first Merida last year (50km) and was surprised at how quickly I recovered. I was not expecting to be able to walk for a couple of days but I was fine the next day plus you've got 8 months or so to get into shape for it.

Treadstone Assassin

Boneyjoe,yip,Im afraid its 4 hrs for the 31km!! (that is with zero (actually,minus training!)Given the terrain,is that really bad,how long does it take anyone else to get round? Ive nothing/noone to compare it with.I appreciate that we're looking at 3 times that in terms of distance (hopefully not time!,as presumably everyone would have gone home by the time i got round),but I was working on the basis that with 8/9months to prepare I would at least get round.Maybe its just plain mental to even think about it,and im underestimating what it would take to do 100k?

and dirty dog,just out of interest what sort of time did it take you to get round the 50km?

cheers

Dirtydog11

Treadstone Assassin wrote:

Boneyjoe,yip,Im afraid its 4 hrs for the 31km!! (that is with zero (actually,minus training!)Given the terrain,is that really bad,how long does it take anyone else to get round? Ive nothing/noone to compare it with.I appreciate that we're looking at 3 times that in terms of distance (hopefully not time!,as presumably everyone would have gone home by the time i got round),but I was working on the basis that with 8/9months to prepare I would at least get round.Maybe its just plain mental to even think about it,and im underestimating what it would take to do 100k?

and dirty dog,just out of interest what sort of time did it take you to get round the 50km?

cheers

I finished 72nd out of 105 in my age group. Overall I finished 279th out of the 372 riders in a time of 5hr 42mins.


I didn't approach it as a race my goal was to finish. I could have entered the 100k but would have failed miserably (I still cant get my head around the fact that people race over this distance). By only doing the 50k and achieving my goal it has given the confidence and experience to push things a little further. Now that I know I can do 50km, the 75km and 100km distances don't seem as unattainable as I once thought they where.

Its really difficult to know how to pace yourself when your not used to the distance, I played it cautiously and could probably have gone a bit quicker but until you've done one you won't really know how fast /slow to go.

If I was you I would go for it, there's no shame if you don't complete the full 100km after all how many people do you know that can ride 100km off road? Not many I bet.

Treadstone Assassin

Cheers.what age category are you in.I'm 41 so I don't know what I should be aiming for although I just want to do it,time is not important.50km is probably the sensible option but I'll be travelling from Ireland so just think I might as well go fir the big one

Dirtydog11

Treadstone Assassin wrote:

Cheers.what age category are you in.I'm 41 so I don't know what I should be aiming for although I just want to do it,time is not important.50km is probably the sensible option but I'll be travelling from Ireland so just think I might as well go fir the big one

I'm 43 which would put me in the same class as you I think, a veteran. I can't remember the cut offs for the different age classes but I'm pretty sure you would be veteran.

Just for comparisons sake, the winner of the 50km did it in 2hrs 57mins :shock: and he was a veteran.

I go for it, if you don't reach the cut off points within the allocated times you will be directed towards the 75km or 50km. You've got nothing to lose.

boneyjoe

Yep, 41 would be veteran. I'm 40 btw (at least for a few more days!) so also in that class. Totally agree with Dirtydog above. Enter the 100, but don't be too disappointed if you have to drop down. I had to drop to 75 on my first attempt, and that felt like the toughest thing I'd ever done in my life - took about 7.5hrs if I recall, but course was incredibly wet/muddy after heavy rain, and I didn't exactly have the most suitable bike at the time either.

If you can, suggest you try and enter a couple of your local xc races as part of your training - just go for the Fun or Open category to start with. Even though the distances will be much shorter, they'll give you a good feel for riding at pace with other riders over fairly challenging terrain. You'll also then develop a benchmark of what you can do versus the top riders, which should give you a better feel for what is possible for Ruthin.

Incredibly, the top riders average about 25kph for this sort of thing, but for us mere mortals I think anything above 15kph is pretty darn good - and if its wet, you can probably knock anything up to 5pkh off of those figures. Noticed that for 2009, the last rider to completed the 92km long course did so in 7:46, which means you'll have to average about 11.8kph to make the cut-offs - and on those Kirroughtree figures, you're only doing 7.75kph at the moment! So some serious work is needed...

Saw last year's winner finished the long course in 4:09 btw! :shock:

boneyjoe

PS. Kirroughtree's 31km at 11.8kph translates to a time there of about 2:37. So if you can do 3 laps in under 7:50, then you should make the cut-offs for the Ruthin 92km. I'd expect the Kirrough trails are more technical, which will slow you down, but there will be more climbing at Ruthin, which will slow you down there as well, so I think the times are probably comparable? Happy to be shot down on that though by anyone who has actually ridden K or has more knowledge of R!

It seems a bit daunting, though I'm sure you can get there with some concerted training.

turnercraig

Just to give you an idea Kirroughtree is about 95% singletrack (roughly) with some really challenging technical sections.

I haven't done the Ruthin Marathons but I would imagine the terrain will be much less challenging, which will make it easier.

4 hours around Kirroughtree isn't too bad neither, we went round in 4.5 hours in the summer with a large group. And we all found it tough.

tlw1

sounds good this Ruthin ride, another aim for this year!

Treadstone Assassin

All useful information guys thanks.Ruthin is sounding tough but it's a relief to hear someone else finds kirroughtree tough.does anyone know what the cut off times are at Ruthin for the respective distances.ie: when you are directed to the shorter routes.And how does Ruthin compare with the other Merida rounds.thanks

boneyjoe

Hi again! I'd expect it will be difficult to get precise info on the cut-off places and times until close to (or at) the event, and not sure to what extent the organisers then make this public (as they may well need to make changes on the day depending on the conditions). As mentioned above however, if you work on completing in 8hrs then you should be fine.

clwydian_rider92

I did the 100km last year, and I 'trained' all summer. I thought it wasn't too tough if im being honest and i thought i played it too safe but the route is where all my rides are based, so i knew the route pretty well so i knew where to rest and push etc. If youre reasonably fit, i don't think that the fogure of 100km should put tyou off, and like others have said you can always bail out if you want.

saracen fan

Hi all!

Im doing this event but the 50km one instead
What can I expect? have never done a marathon or rode in wales before.....
What would be a good time to complete in and how do I train for this?

sorry to hijack the thread but there very closly related!

boneyjoe

Perhaps move to somewhere that's less topographically challenged?

Just wondering what the highest climb is on your local training rides?