CRC Marathon - Ruthin 100km

thereddevils

I'm not sure if theres a thread for this already if so can you sned me a link.

Basically I was just wondering what people are thinking of taking on the ride itself.

I'm planning it so that I don't have to take a bag however this leads to one major problem with water. I was thinking of drinking as much as possible before the start and carry just one bottle in the cage of around 700ml. Is this enough? Then reaching the feed stops, down as much as possible again and fill up the bottle for the next stretch and so on til the finish. Will this be ok or will I need to drink more. I'm thinking drink like at least a litre at each stop so will be fine for the fist 5-10k of the next quarter of the race.

Taking energy gels aswell, how many do you reckon and how often to eat them? Also got carb drink for the bottle.

Tubes, how many again? Thinking 2 and then repair kit as well (only tyre lever, patches and glue)

Mini Pump, Sunglasses, Phone, Helmet, Allen Key set (for brakes)

Any other tools recommended?

Cheers for any help

And maybe a sausage roll...

Ross_Davidson

A big bag is very useful on the Ruthin Marathon. I did the 100km last year and took my camelbak which was needed!! As for the tools , a chain device is useful and some spare split links aswell as i split my chain last year.

thereddevils

I dont know how to fix a chain so Im not taking that! lol but it has never happened to me before due to my perfect gearing...

Yeah Im gonna take my 2l platypus and no water bottle on the cage. May just take the cage off to save weight lol

2 spare tubes and allen keys and energy gels and i think im done

evo3ben

Personally i would just keep hydrated and carry the water with you. 37km's till the first feed station is a fair distance which takes in the biggest climbs of marathon. If you are already hydrated (not by downing 2 ltrs before you go out) but a steady amount over say two days before the race then i would see no reason why 2 ltrs with some kind of isotonic tablet in with the water wouldnt see you through to the first station.
Evan though a light back pack will be easier for you, essential tools and clothes are also needed. This is my kit list:

2 ltrs water with isotonic additive
2x tubes
puncture kit (self adhiesive patches and 2 tyre levers)
spare chain links and power links
4x Co2 16g cannisters and inflator
Small first aid kit
water and wind proof jacket (if not wearing it already
Multi tool (inc allen keys)
2x energy bars
2x energy gels
bananna
large gingster ploughmans roll 8)
Small amount of toilet paper
mobile phone

Sounds alot i know but if anything happens, hopefully i wont be stuck.
Professional racers have team staff at set points to help fix stuff if needed. We dont have that luxury so need to be prepared

thereddevils

Thanks a lot for the info.

Yeah I've decided to take a pack for sure now!

Gonna take my 2l platypus and fill it with some carb drink powder at the start.

Getting some energy gels as well so be munching on that!

May take some filling foods like a sandwich just so the tummy doesnt go crazy with just artificial gels and stuff. Mmmmm bacon sarnie!!

Toilet papers a great idea as well, good for wiping up bloody messes and shades.

May take a watch instead of phone as I dont want to get that ruined. Been through a fair few this year already! Anyway just use it for checking time its not like I will need to call anyone mid race...

evo3ben

When im out on my bike i always take my mobile. Even though O2 has a shite signal in remote places like welsh moutains, i can still call 999 if i need help for myself or anyone else. No brainer in my personal opinion. I just make sure its in a nice padded waterproof cover to save chances of damage.

Good luck with the marathon

keybaud

This may be too late, but I've only just found the site.

I don't know how much long distance mountain biking before you've done, so excuse this if it is teaching you to suck eggs (I also don't know which distance you're going to do or whether you're riding on your own or with friends).

I'd seriously recommend that you take some sort of pack, as you need to be prepared for when things go wrong.

Clothes:
A waterproof/windproof top is a must at this time of year, even if it is sunny. If you come off the bike badly and need to wait to get picked up you will cool down very quickly without one. An emergency blanket is also extremely useful and it may not be needed for you. We used 2 on someone who crashed badly on the Brecon Beast last weekend, whilst we waited 45 minutes for mountain rescue to come and get him. A first aid kit is also useful, but it doesn't need to be huge. Wipes, plasters, a bandage and some safety pins should be enough.

Food & Liquid:
You will burn approx 4,000 calories on a long event and your body will need to replenish this or you won't get to the finish. You will need some solids and a suitable energy drink. If you suffer from cramp on long rides, use an electrolyte based one. The 90 Km at Bulith Wells took me just over 6 hours and I drank approx 5 litres of energy drink during the event, but it was a very hot day. I drank about 4 litres on the 102 Km Brecon Beast last weekend. I take a 1.5 litre bladder and fill it up at each rest stop, as I'm not trying to race round, so a few minutes rest doesn't hurt.

There should be bananas and nibbles at the stop, so you don't need a lot of solids, but don't eat only pure sugar items. Simple sugars will give you a rush about 20 minutes later, but it won't last for long and then you'll be knackered again. I have a 'grab bag' on the top tube, which I fill with nuts, chocolate brownie chunks, dried fruit and jelly babies. You can just chuck some in your mouth as you're riding, but I always need to drink at the same time, as my mouth is usually too dry to chew.

I take 3 gels with me and pop 1 an hour or if my body gets too knackered near the end, but unless you like burning money you shouldn't rely on them. The recommended use is one every 20 minutes, so on a 6 hour ride thats 18 gels at £1.00 each!!

The other recommendation is to eat porridge for breakfast, as oats will give you slow releasing energy throughout the ride (can't stand them myself...)

Spares:
Spare tube or two, suitable tools, patches and a pump is all I bring.

This may sound like a lot, but I can fit it all into a Camelbak Rogue, which isn't a very big bag. You may not need it all, but if you do you'll be bloody glad you've got it. if you can, try and team up with someone riding at your pace, as this will not only be safer, it will also make it more fun.

Simon

weeksy59

very long and very good post

thereddevils

cheers for that!! I think im sorted for the event now though. But seriously thinking about bringing a sausage roll or something on teh ride just so that my tummys full and not just running off artificial foods.

Can't wait now anyone else excited!!

sparrowlegs78

I'm excited, I'm only doing the 30km one and on my own, it's a big step for me really..I know I'll be pushing like I did on the Grassington one, but i'm just going for the ride, and a little bit to see if I beat my time from Grassington (25km in just under 3hrs :oops: )
Caz xxx

ma9mwah

As I'll be marshelling tomorrow I decided to have a quick look at what this years course was like today. Most of it will be pretty familar to people if they've done it before though the last third of the longest route has changed quite a bit because of forestry work so that should make it a bit more interesting. Condition wise the course is in pretty good nick though there are a couple of very muddy sections that will keep peoples attention. Good luck to people taking part tomorrow and I'll see you at one of the gates.

sparrowlegs78

Gutted! didn't make it due to major car fail on the M6...blown it's headgasket or holed a piston, it'll cost more to fix than the car is worth.....bloomin gutted I missed the marathon though, but an hour say on the hard shoulder of the motorway for over an hour in horizontal rain kinda dulled the enthusiasm
Caz xxx

Thewaylander

I'm sitting on my couch with a bad back and cold , while meant to be marathoning today. Guy i have trained with all summer is there doing the 100k swine

weeksy59

I'm happy to have got my minor man-flu out of the way yesterday my event isn't till next weekend.

thereddevils

wow it was muddy. ended up doing 75k instead of full one because got cut off. i reckon i still had the energy in my legs to have done 92k but the weather ruined that chance big time. enjoyed it tho but i know many people were really pissed off with the weather!

spanky855

What a day!

I am not an experienced marathon rider, did Grassington which was tough , full course took me 7hours 30mins but this was something else, bottled out and did the 50k at the turn point , the mud was just crazy, i remember laughing out loud because of how bad it is and the effort people make to make their bikes that little light, I must have had 10lb of mud on my tyres alone.
The first downhill on the grass / mud was sooo tricky, how so many people stayed on i never know although heather is very grippy !
I was gutted that I did not have the bottle to complete the full but 50k took me 5 hours lol, I would still be riding now, well and truly beat by the mud, of and I did the JOGLE last week so the legs were a little sore too.
Well done to anyone who stuck to their chosen distance, I take my hat of to you and my good mate Darren who did the full course in under 8 hours and had to repair a broken chain !

Lee

nettlerash

This was my first marathon and how much fun was it,, had a bit of a sense of humour failure after the first climb and did consider bottling it and going down the 25k trail but pressed on and realy glad i did.
The grassy down hills were really entertaining had a couple of comedy offs into the heather, highly recomended for landing on.
The last 10k seemed like the longest in the world but great sense of achievement crossing the line, now looking forward to the next one and hats off to all of those that completed the 90k event.

thereddevils

in my whole time there i met 1 person who did the full 90. Even a lot of the 75 riders chose to do the 50 in the end. Conditions were hard...

Thewaylander

Well spoke to my mate who did the 100Km and considering the amazig trails in the area I have been advised it was a dull trudge and pedal. Shame as the one i did last year was like that, And there is no need the events are superbly organised.

ma9mwah

a few pictures i took while marshalling

trip

I entered the 90 but ended up missing the cut off time and had to do the 70 instead - good job really as it still took me 7.5 hours!

The most sickening thing i saw was coming up the hill to the first feed stop, someone had already done the extra loop and come into the feed for the second time!

thereddevils

but since this was my first marathon event i decided to start around halfway which was a mistake cos i ended up being stuck behind alot of people on the first climb and through some techy sections... probably cost me about 30 mins and enough to make the cut off!!

Thewaylander

Had that when i first did it.

Annoying though the courses don't seem to be improving, just finding what ever to make up the distance rather than something really good to ride too.

saracen fan

was my first marathon too!
entered the 50k but had to quit at the feeding station (37k i think)
Loved it but was so muddy and got sick of pushing the bike lol
Had a big off on the grassy downhill that killed my front brake.....
I was the fat bastard on a cheap red saracen riding with another fat bastard on a carrera vulcan! :oops:

curlie467

Lots of first timers, including me and my brother.
Signed up for the 25k but upgraded to the 50k on the day, glad we did to be honest.
Very hard going but we managed to complete it albeit with a fair amount of walking! My brother fell off a couple of times but i managed to stay on, including bombing down all the descents at what felt like crazy speeds.
Excellent day and worth every penny, will be signing up for them all next year.
Had to strip the rockhopper down to its bare bones and give it a spruce up as it was feeling a bit poorly afterwards though.

evo3ben

Was my first one too lol. I originally signed up to the 73k marathon but missed the cut off by 5 minutes! apparently this happened to alot of people due to the conditions. In all honesty doing the 50k felt like doing the 73k purely because of how hard going the trails were. Some of them down hills were just so funny lol. So slippery i just couldnt slow myself down until eventually i would have to dab the front brake causing me to fall off and roll down the rest of the hill lol.
My bike is now in the garage on the work stand all stripped down and cleaned ready for its next outing in a few days

Well done to everyone that took part, definately not an easy introduction into marathons lol