TransEspana Day 2: Jaca to Ayerbe (60km)
Sunday night we stayed in a hostel, five to a room. The meal wasn’t anything to write home about, but I did eat two full serves (risotto, chicken drumsticks & salad). As the Europeans seem to do, it was a late meal (starting at 7.30), and once everyone had eaten it was pretty much straight to sleep. Because I was the last one there, I ended up on a top bunk, and found it nearly impossible to sleep: a combination of worrying about tossing & turning (thus disturbing the guy under me), the snoring (it was next level … not from me), and the guy under me getting up 5 or 6 times during the night for a toilet break (which was actually handy, as it gave me an opportunity to slip out of the bunk knowing that I wasn’t disturbing him). My earplugs are great, but, uncomfortable when lying on my side. And I can only sleep on my side … so yeh, I’d say maybe 3h sleep in total. Never mind – it seems to just be a thing for me, running when tired! We woke at 5.30, breakfast at 6.15, and then prepared for the 7.30am start. Clear skies and warm weather were forecast (8 degrees at the start, 21 for the end), so I left only wearing a shirt and carrying a rain jacket “just in case”. We started with a very brief downhill before a ~6km climb. The climb wasn’t as challenging as yesterday though, and I was able to maintain a reasonably good run/walk rhythm. We had some great views of the mountain behind Jaca, and then the view back to Jaca. From the summit, it was ~8km to the first aid station, all downhill, and other than stopping for photos it was all running (oh, and my first race-poo). The same fair at the aid station – fruit (bananas, watermelon), bread (with cheese spread, cheese spread & brie, cheese spread & sardines, cheese spread & tuna), mini-muffins, sandwiches and chips. I’m trying to consume as much fluid between aid stations as is practical, so fill up my two 600ml bottles and popping an electrolyte into one (or both), so it takes me a few minutes at each. We’d been in cool temps to this point, but I decided to throw on my arm sleeves and neck protector at this point, as yesterday I’d really suffered in the afternoon from sun exposure. Through to aid 2 at 30km it was all downhill, and I ran the whole way — not quick, but just kept turning the legs over. Through to aid 3, the views weren’t much to write home about, it was just left foot/right food shuffling along, a lot of twisty road, generally downhill but I’d settled into a good run/walk rythym at this point. And it was warming up. We were running alonside a river that had the most beautiful clear (blue/green) water, and it was continually filling, presumably because of the mountain streams on the other side. But other than that I was beginning to think “meh” regarding the scenery until we were about 2km from the aid station when the landscape really opened up. At this point I saw a bridge across the river, and a tunnel, disappearing into the mountains. I was really hoping that’s where we were headed … and yep! Just after the aid station, it was across the bridge, through the small tunnel, and onto a busier, narrower, twisty road that was rather undulating. Christian caught me up here and mentioned that there were some spectacular views to come, and my goodness was he right. There was this amazing mountain and rock face to our right (Punto Común), and then another 2km along Riglos came into view on our left. Absolutely mindblowingly spectacular. It loomed larger and larger as we continued on, and looks to be a very popular destination (rock climbing perhaps?) We were still following a river and had been thinking “that looks like it’d be awesome to raft along”, and sure enough just before aid 4 I spotted a bunch of rafts setting up to head downstream (the direction we were running). Over the next couple of kms, a few vehicles with rafts passed us, stacked high and weaving through the air — I worried at one point , when a vehicle swayed around the runner in front and then moved back into his lane, that the rafts might fall off and take me out. I’m still here, so I guess they didn’t (I might think back to this in a few days and wish they had!) Through aid 4, and it was just 10km left to end the day. At this point I saw our first olive trees (actually, might have been a little earlier), with the landscape changing, but still a number of fields filled with wheat (oats? barley? and canola crops that were just starting to flower. The green-ness was amazing. Christian was around 500m ahead of me, and I spent that 10km gradually chipping away at his lead until I caught up with him maybe 500m from the finish line. We ran to the end, and crossed the line, together. Overall, a great day. The body is still feeling good (though, it “feels” like I’ve just run a couple of ultras). In town, I tried to track down some sunscreen but the pharmacy and supermarket were shut because the whole town is without power, doh! I’ll see if one of the run-supporters, with a camper, can source me some tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll run in calf compression socks tomorrow to provide a little more protection for my legs. (update: have been able to “borrow” some sunscreen from one runner which will hopefully be enough until we hit the next decently-sized town) I had a planned target time of 8:30, and finished the day in 7:54 ; there was a lot more downhill (running) than I’d anticipated, and I made good use of the opportunity to just keep moving. Yet, I’m still near-enough to back of the pack, which is fine. Not here to win or set any records, I just want to ensure I can get up tomorrow and the day after and get those runs done. We had our first DNF today (“young” Tristan), and there’s a lot of people in the sports hall tonight moving around awkwardly. I just gotta stay nimble enough to keep on moving! Photo Gallery
TransEspana Day 1: Urdos to Jaca (46km)
Wow, what a day. Everything I hope for, and more. My expectation was that this would be the day of snow-capped mountain vistas. I was not disappointed. After a 7am breakfast, everyone was fidgeting around getting ready for the 9am start (the only day to start so late, from here it’ll be 7.30 or 8.30 for the faster folks). The weather was as expected — cold and wet, so everyone was rugged up in their thermals and wearing rain jackets. It’s good to know that I wasn’t the only one slightly freaking out regarding the weather on day 1, but it turned out to be a non-event. We gathered in the town square for a very quick pre-race briefing, and the count-down to 9am went by quickly. And we were off. Starting with a quick lap around town (possibly the most exciting thing to happen in Urdos each year), we then hit the road for the long (1000m, 15km) climb to Col de Somport and the French/Spain border. It was a fairly steady climb, so it was just run-a-bit, walk-a-bit, and do whatever was necessary to maintain a good body temperature (run too much, it got hot, walk to much it got cold). It wasn’t so much rain as light drizzle — just enough to get the phone wet, but really not enough to otherwise worry us. There wasn’t much in the way of traffic to worry about, which was great, and I snapped dozens of photos every time the view changed. Then, about 200m before the first aid station (at Col de Somport) I looked up to see my first snow-capped mountain. MIND BLOWN. I’d been smiling a lot before this, but this really stretch my smile from ear to ear. There was a fair amount of low-level fog around the place so the views at this point weren’t perfect, but I wasn’t complaining. The first aid station (14.8km) was a welcome sight. Different to anything I’ve experienced before: yes, the usual oranges & bananas, but this one also had lindt ball chocolated, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, chunks of brie on big chunks of bread, cheese sandwiches, and cheese/fish sandwiches. There was some salt next to the orange, and I was thinking “oh, they’re into the salted oranges thing”. But no, there were looks of surprise when I sprinkled on the salt! Pretty damn good tho. I left that aid station with Thomas & Nina, but they soon disappeared ’cause I kept stopping to take more photos. I didn’t spend a lot of time running with anyone, Thomas and I went back and forth throughout the rest of the day, and I saw one or two other runners, but I think I was so far towards back of pack all the action was unfolding out ahead. It was a very cruisy run down to Canfranc Estation (once the largest train station in Europe, it’s now a 5* hotel). I met Stephane who was taking some photos, and did a quick strip-down removing my heavy thermal. Just out of there, we left the road and joined the Canfranc trail … that was slightly harder going with a lot of rocks and quite a a bit of mud (which my road shoes weren’t particularly good for). A couple of kms further along was the second aid station (26.8km). I again stuffed my face with brie and eggs and potatoes, and dropped my jacket and thermal to lighten the load a little. From there it was trails, trails, trails. The downhill was replaced with steady ups and downs, easy enough going, and there was a nice wind to my back. We meandered along the river at times, and the big mountains were slowly replaced by meadows and lower hills. Lots of running on, or nearby, the Camino de Santiago (the Camino Aragones route). Just after aid 3 (35.6km) I came across a hiker (Xavier, from Spain) and had a good chat about his adventure. He had been following the Pyrenees route, but there was a bit too much soft snow and cold weather, so he’d decided to abort that and head for the lowlands. He had a good 800+km left to walk yet, but seemed to be loving it. Gotta say that doing a multi-day run on the Camino de Santiago sounds like a fun future destination! The last 10km from aid 3 followed some back roads, not a lot of great scenery to talk about here. It was just a matter of getting the day done, but doing it easy and not pushing myself too hard. I did feel a little short on energy through here — note to self: eat more at the aid stations. Into the town of Jaca for the finish line. We had to run through the whole town pretty much, and then finished at the bottom of a hill. Greeted by many smiling faces, and it was straight into a beer and some finish line food (which I thought was a meat dish, but no, it was fish… whoops). Had a chat with a few of the other runners, and then made my way to the hostel. It’s five to a room tonight, and ’cause I was last in I get a top bunk (apologies to the guy under me … I’ll be up and down all night!) I finished today in 6:26, my plan was for 6:30, so really happy with how that went. Tomorrow we have just under 60km planned, so a longer day for sure. Looking forward to a feed and (hopefully) a better night’s sleep tonight. Photo Gallery
TransEspana
Tomorrow at 9am local (GMT+2), I set off with 23 other runners on a 1080km, 18 day journey, across Spain. Each day we’ll be covering between 45-76km, predominantly on the road, and lodging overnight in hostels and sports halls. There’s 10 more runners joining us for the first seven days, and a small army of volunteers and organisers taking care of us. I’ve been following this event since 2022, and in December ’23 expressed an interest to participate in the 2024 event only to learn that it wasn’t being held that year. As soon as entries opened for 2025 though, my application was in. Anxious. Scared. Terrified. Imposter. These are some of the many feelings I’ve had over the last days, weeks and months. I’m going into an event that has some of Europe’s best multi-day runners, and my experience is limited to a couple of back to back ultras. I know everyone has to start somewhere, but choosing an 18 day event, as the only native-English speaker, in a totally unfamiliar situation and knowing nobody, has seen me filled with doubt and worry. But, yeh, it’s just a run. Another ultra. I’ve trained for this, and all I have to do is get to the start line each morning, and to the next aid station, and then the next, all under cutoff (which is all based on a most generous 5.6kph minimum pace). I’ll try to do a daily post after each leg. With lots of photos (otherwise I’ll forget all of the details). There’ll also be updates on the event’s website & facebook page. Here goes nothing! Photo Gallery
24h IGA Ultra
To prepare for our upcoming 24Hours for ME run, Glen came up with a slightly unhinged training idea: a route connecting 10 x 24-hour IGAs, with one strict rule. All of our run nutrition had to be bought en route, and we were required to consume something at every stop. Setting off at 7:00 PM on Saturday, we spent the night looping around the Swan River, living on a steady rotation of late-night snacks. By midnight, it became clear this was going to be a much bigger challenge for our stomachs than our legs. Still, fueling a night run on convenience store finds was the perfect mix of fun, suffering, and solid training. Was it the smartest strategy? Probably not. But it was an absolute blast and a great way to log some serious time on our feet.Stop Distance Location Glen AlexisSTARTManners Hill Park, Peppermint Grove1 12.5 The Good Grocer, Myaree Custard & Apple cup Chicken/Avacodo sushi roll2 +8 The Good Grocer, Canning Bridge Ham & cheese croissant Ham & cheese croissant3 +3 Preston Street iGA Ravioli & Chocolate Santa Japanese Iced double expresso4 +3 The Good Grocer, South Perth Blueberries & iced coffee Croissant & Red Bull5 +11 The Good Grocer, Mt Lawley(3rd best store) Mars bar & ginger beer Mars bar & Red Bull6 +4 The Good Grocer, Leederville Jelly cup w/ Fruit & Bundy ginger beer Jelly cup w/ Fruit & Bundy ginger beer7 +8 The Good Grocer, Boulevard Bounty & coconut water Pine/lime splice ice cream8 +6 The Good Grocer, Wembley(2nd best store) Overnight oats w/ Apple Fruit salad9 +5 The Good Grocer, Shenton Park Bacon scroll Croissant10 +4 Taylor Rd IGA(Best store) A huge rasberry/choc muffin & coffee Jam dony & coffeeFINISH +4 Manners Hill Park, Peppermint Grove Coffee & Cinnamon scoll Coffee & Cinnamon scollPhoto Gallery
Perth Postcode Challenge
The challenge In teams of two, visit as many Perth postcodes as you can (in either 6h or 12h) Sounds easy right? Well, we can't have that .... You'll gain or lose points according to the following rules +5 visit a new postcode-8 points for crossing between adjacent PC (i.e. 6031 to 6030)-8 points for visiting the same PC more than once+2 points for every donut shop (on approved list) visited.+1 point for every 2km travelled If you do this solo, points will be reduced by 33% You must record and upload your run to Strava by end of the day, and make your Strava activity accessible You may start from ANYWHERE within the Perth metro area. You may not use any mode of travel other than your feet - i.e. walking/running only. Train, bus, ferry, scooter, Uber is all strictly prohibited. No bikes. No skateboards. No rollerskates. No stilts. Unless we find a better map, then this one showing WA postcodes will be the default used for reviewing your activity - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit... The run Glen had planned our route, apparently optimising it for maximum results, there was no possible way we could lose, or so I was told. We set out from South Fremantle, then straight into Fremantle for a stop for a famous Levis Donut at the Fremo Markets. Through White Guym Valley, Palmyra, Oconner, Willagee, Kardinya, Winthrop, Myaree, Booragoon, Alfred Cove, Ardross, Mount Pleasant, Brentwood, Rossmoyne, Bull Creek, Willletton, Riverton, Wilson, Waterford, Bentley, East Vic Park, Kensington, Vic Park, East Perth, Highgate, North Perth, Perth, West Leederville, West Perth, Subiaco and wrapping it up at Shenton Park. Many donuts were consumed! And while I can't speak for the other teams, I'm pretty sure they all had a great time too. The results The disorganisers wish to acknowledge the following winners of the 2024 Perth Postcode Challenge: In first place (men's 6h) was Mark & David ; they ate more donuts than anyone else, and their focussed approach to this event suggests they are a future-force to be reckoned with. So many donuts, so many km's. It's almost as-if they were taking the event seriously?! In first place (mixed team 6h) was Kirsten & Bryan ; so much focus on the true meaning of the event (posing in front of adult stores). In the post-race debrief, I heard that they were taking things quite seriously, to the point that Bryan was told to leave his shirt on for the whole day. What's with that: there were at least 40 points on the table for the first topless* photo during the run. Oh well. In first place (women's 6h team) was Sarah-Jane & Kelli ; a happier pair of runners you will never find. They were the only team to even attempt to bribe the organisers, and although the squished half of a rainbow donut left a lot to be desired, they showed a lot of potential (hint for future events: turkish delights are an automatic 10 point bonus ...) In first place (solo women, north of the river) is Harmony ; 10 bonus poins for trying, -10 points though for no actual donut photos. In first place (solo women, south of the river) is Fee. I don't think anyone has ever come first in a category with negative points before, but that "donut" picture you shared will forever be the pinnacle of how not to impress the RDs First place (solo men) is Chemie. Not really sure how far he went or how many donuts were eaten, but heck, he posted photos and played along, which we respect. First place (mens 12h) goes to the race organisers. Even if someone had actually, genuinely, beaten them, they wouldn't be recognised: there's an unwritten rule that the RDs cannot lose. Or maybe "you only get acknowledged if you bribe the RDs with Turkish Delights" or something like that. I dunno. Basically Glen was not happy to hear that Hoffy and co had scored so highly, I believe the rules will be updated in the future to be clearer about this. And finally, the real winners: everyone who played along during the day . We didn't get the kind of participation numbers that we'd hope for, but it was genuinely a fun way to spend the day. The weather was absolutely perfect, the donuts were delicious, and I think we all saw parts of Perth metro we'd not been before. Will we be back? Who knows ... Thanks all for being part of the group. Photo Gallery