GUCR 2005, B
3.Find a committed and tolerant support crew. Most runners have the additional support of a dedicated crew of loyal family or friends. Pick them carefully. The race is tough and the schedule of meeting points and lack of sleep can test the most enduring friendship or relationship. It is extremely difficult for one individual to adequately support a runner over the entire route. To navigate the minor criss-crossing roads along the canal and locate a series of almost identical canal bridges is tough. To locate the necessary feed and drink requests of an increasingly irritable runner from the back of chaotic boot in fading light can be stressful for those untrained in conflict resolution.
4.Race tactics. Run conservatively and do not go off too fast. I started at 12 minutes/mile pace, slowed during the night stage, but speeded up on the second day, moving from virtually last place to 11th overall (I suspect I would have been awarded 10th if one runner had confessed to taking a car journey for a significant part of the course). I used a night companion for the most difficult stage through Milton-Keynes. Milton-Keynes is pretty depressing in daylight, but verging suicidal at night after 80 previous hard miles. Take plenty of warm clothes for this section. A previous error was to underestimate the drop in nighttime temperatures during the early hours. There are a few uphill sections of canal and the occasional steep bridge. Walk up these sections. One runner completed the last 12 miles walking backwards to ease the cramp and pain in various leg muscles.
5.Race aids. I used a Walkman for some of the course. A Ruth Rendall mystery “Adam & Eve and Pinch Me” comes highly recommended. Some carried i-pods, although the majority preferred solitude or the passing race banter of fellow runners. There were approximately 80 entrants this year with about 25 completing the event. Vaseline is essential for feet, armpits, groin and buttocks. Apply liberally to all these areas. Sun cream on hot sunny days and a cap to provide shade to the face and eyes. Take plenty of changes of socks and spare pairs of shoes. Rain or wet grass lead to wet & uncomfortable socks and shoes and inevitably blisters. I took 8 pairs of socks and used all of them. The GEO Grand Union Canal Maps 1 and 3 are useful, but not essential for runners. They are however vital for support crews. The other essentials are mobile phones.
6.Final notes. I stayed in the Travel lodge in Birmingham. This is competitively priced (£45) and only 200m from the start. The train journey from Euston to Birmingham New St was £12 single and took 1hr 30 (the return journey took 36 hr 25 minutes) and the Travel lodge is a short walk from the station. Arrive early on Friday; get an early night as the race begins at 6 am Saturday. The race is very enjoyable. The support from fellow runners, race crews and people enjoying the canal and footpaths is fantastic. The locks, bridges, Inns, Aqueducts and historical landmarks passed on the journey are wonderful and so too are the myriad of canal boats moored along the banks.
