I have not been up to great deal lately except the normal swim training (in the pool and cold open water training at Swan pool.) I have also been trying hard to get over cold viruses for the last week which has not been much fun. With the Accelerace Wales Ultra just one week away – I need to be feeling good as this race will be extremely demanding set is some of the most beautiful country in the
PLEASE READ ABOUT MY GOOD FRIEND JAY GOSS. HE HAS JUST COMPLETED ONE OF THE WORLDS TOUGHEST RACES. WELL DONE MATE GREAT EFFORT ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE.
I’ve just finished the Rock and Ice Ultra Diamond 225, a 6 day, 6 marathon ski race in North Canada, it has been utterly fantastic, there have been many highlights, and few if any lowlights.
The race began in temperatures approaching -30˚c (not including wind-chill which pushed it well below -30˚c), what was made worse was that the race organisers had to do a roll call of the 120 or so competitors at the start which took about 30 minutes. Standing around in race kit for this amount of time is not ideal to say the least!!
The first day was 28.5 miles and it turned in to a bit of an epic 9 hour day for most people including myself, as the snow was soft, the temperatures were low due to the high wind and I was, for the first time getting used to my kit. Pulling tyres during my training proved to be of massive benefit however as it simulated very closely the resistance provided by my sled which was weighing in the region of 5 stone, what i hadn’t trained for was to pull it for 9 hours!! The end of the day came and a number of competitors had succumbed to some of the worst frostbite that i’ve seen, including some very very black toes which they may well lose unfortunately. The frostbite was mainly caused by people either having the wrong kit or tying their shoes too tight which prevented decent blood circulation.
As soon as I arrived into camp it was a case of getting as many calories into my body in the first 15-20 minutes. I was starving by the end of each day even though i had been religiously eating on the hour every hour while I was on the move but i was able to cram in around 2000 calories each night. My biggest treat of the day was my 1 packet of pork scratchings that i would have at 3 p.m. each day!! In total I looked to take in around 5500 calories a day.
At night the temperatures dropped significantly but thankfully with a decent sleeping bag i slept soundly most nights, apart from a quick pit stop in the early hours… which was never a chore as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) were incredible, lighting up the whole sky in an array of different coloured lights which were constantly moving along with the stars which were so so clear.
By the middle of the second day i was starting to get into my stride and started to move up the leader board, i was finding that it took me around an hour and a half to really get going as i was always very cold at the start and it took a while to get my extremities warmed up. By the third day the temperatures rose to around -10 and there was minimal wind and thus i could really start to enjoy the scenery and the race. The landscape is awesome, i was travelling mainly over frozen lakes and numerous islands and i would often go hours without seeing anyone or anything. All the wildlife has either migrated or is in hibernation and thus the silence was phenomenal.
By the end of the third day i was in second place in my category and 5th overall where i was to remain for the rest of the race. There has been a massive variation in talent taking part from a number of professional adventure racers who do these events week in week out, to the guy that won my event who pushes out 2.26 hours for a marathon and has been a Canadian ski and marathon champion to 3 British guys who did the race in a ’gentlemanly’ style where they plodded each day, completing most days in 14 hours!! Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming and without doubt it has had the best atmosphere and camaraderie of any event that i have taken part in. The race finished with a fantastic after race party in a huge ice castle that had been made on a frozen lake.
My total race time was around 38 hours for the event, i’ve lost a couple of pounds, no where near the amount that i thought i would lose. Physically the race was tougher than any of the other races that i’ve done including the Marathon Des Sables. I wouldn’t have changed any of my preparation or kit that i took out on the race, i think the main thing that helped me psychologically was that I was looking to compete rather than just take part, and as a consequence my mindset was totally different, where I was not just trying to complete each stage, but was trying to either catch the guy infront or prevent the guys behind beating me and thus my focus was totally different from previous races.
I’ve got a few blisters on my hands from the ski poles and got sun burnt a couple of times, i’m a little stiff but I know i could be a lot worse!!! Two of the Danish competitors were struck down with snow blindness on the last day which looked excruciatingly painful, they had forgotten to wear sunglasses on a couple of the days even though there was no sun, but the UV was still firing through the clouds.
I took part in this race as it was a great way to raise money for the Orchid Cancer Charity, a male cancer charity which conducts research into prostate, penile and testicular cancer as my father had prostate cancer and through the hard work of charity’s like Orchid he’s had it suppressed.
If you would like to donate money please either go to my web page on www.bmycharity.com/jgossdiamond225 or send a cheque made payable to ‘Orchid’ to me at RMR Scotland, 37-51 Birkmyre Road, Govan, Glasgow G513JH. I am well on my way to reaching my target of £5,000, any donation, however small, is much appreciated for what i hope you’ll agree is a great cause. If you are interested in seeing some pictures of the race there are a number on either www.sleepmonsters.com or www.rockandiceultra.com.
I would more than recommend this race to anyone, as it is very achievable with a bit of preparation and it is with out doubt the best run, most personable race that I’ve competed in.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on jonathan_r_goss@hotmail.com.
On Sunday, I took part with more than 30,000 people of all ages and backgrounds running in the London Marathon in front of an enthusiastic crowd. I was running in a Beaver suit with Steve and a good friend James Fox. The weather made the run interesting with a mixture of sunshine to hale stones. Spectators struggled to understand that I was a BEAVER, I got lots of support with people shouting go bear, go chipmunk, go squirrel and even a go dog!! All in all a very memorable day, and a fantastic marathon.
On Saturday night Steve (my coach) and I stood in the torrential rain at the start line of ‘The Oner’ with 30 other keen ultra runners. We had run for only 6 miles of the 78.6 mile race when the organisers took the decision to cancel due to the horrendous weather conditions.
Worse news was to come; the decision was made to resume at 5:30am the following morning and to reduce the distance to only 54 miles. Steve and I were keen to complete the full 78.6 miles as I needed to experience a race close to the distance of the Enduroman Arch to Arc.
The decision was made, as others headed for a good nights sleep, Steve and I pulled from the race and at our own risk carried on regardless. Amasingly 4 hours later the rain had cleared up and we were feeling good.
The scenery was breathtaking but there was no time for sigh seeing, we were on a mission. After 23 hour we made ….. a really successful weekend A massive thank you to Steve’s wife Lucy and Greg for their amasing support following us throughout in the ENDUROVAN!
Just to let you know my Beaver shop is now up and running. If you click on the Beaver shop tap you will see that I am selling Exposure lights. I have said it before and I’ll say it again these really are quality lights. Any profits that I make from selling these lights will go towards my pilot boat which will support me on my channel swim.
This weekend I went walking with Steve (who is coaching me for the Enduroman Arch to Arc), his wife Lucy, friend Greg and of course the dogs. After a night of persistent rain, Hamish (my trusty dog) and I drove through some massive floods to meet the others at 10 am in the car par of the Story Arms – Brecon Beacons. We walked a modified version of the famous Fan Dance over Pen-Y-Fan. We walked for about four and half hours, it was a misty day with the rain threatening, but thankfully it stayed away. This walk was all in preparation for Steve and I running The Oner in two weeks time..
