The Tribesports London Ultra is A 50km, or if you like imperial, 31.1mile run, following the Capital Ring circuit around London. The race had a new start this year at The City of London Sport’s Ground in Grove Park and ended at Perivale Track in Greenford.
It’s a marked route through traffic and the perfect step up for someone like me, looking to complete their first ultra marathon. So I joined another 200 smiling runners on the start line.
The course
The event was to kick off at 9am with everyone registering before the race starts. You can either, register at the start or park your car at the end, register there and jump on the coach that takes you to the start.
Once our numbers were pinned on and we’d had a short pep talk from organiser Rory Coleman we were ready to be unleashed into the streets of a chilly London.
We’d all been given maps but many people didn’t take them or dropped them to the bottom of their rucksacks – I was one of these people, something I’d go on to regret a bit later!
The idea is to follow the green signs that point out the Capital Ring route, alongside these are a few event stickers and in particularly awkward bits there were red arrows spray painted on the ground. Sounds easy enough to follow right?
Maybe if you’ve got your eyes peeled all the time…and you’re not busy having a chinwag with another runner!
There was a slight delay to the start but come 9.18am, there was a big cheer and off we set. The first 10K was mainly winding through the streets of south London with a few small parks thrown in.
15 minutes in
The pack had split into the faster runners, the middling and then the slower runners at this point – I was somewhere in the middle. The space between runners began to get bigger and it was about here that I missed my first turn. I was busy talking to a seasoned ultra marathon runner who was giving me tips on gels and energy bars.
We ran down a hill for a while and soon realised there was no-one in front of us or indeed behind us! So it was back up the hill for us to join the rest of the runners. That was probably the first of about five times I would get lost over the day!
Reaching 10k
Back with the other runners, we soon reached the first checkpoint that signalled that 10K had been covered. The checkpoint provided water, energy bars, chocolate bars, sausage rolls and cans of coke to name a few of the refreshments, in fact all the checkpoints were very well stocked and the marshals were friendly and encouraging.
From checkpoint one in Beckenham we headed through Crystal Palace and on to checkpoint two at Streatham Common. By now the sun was out and everyone was warming up – the distance between runners was growing.
At this point I was running with Alan, who’d run countless marathons and ultras, I would run with him all the way to checkpoint four. So we covered pretty Wimbledon including the common and then the most gorgeous part of the run through Richmond Park.
It was during this part we started overtaking the runners that might have gone off a bit too fast.
Checkpoint four and 24 miles
After leaving this checkpoint at 24 miles, the route mostly followed the canal. My legs were starting to feel a bit stiff, maybe I stood still for too long at the checkpoint? After a few minutes of walking, an energy bar and an ibuprofen, I started running again and my legs started to feel better.
Of course, there was one more chance for me to get lost before the finish line was in sight! I finished feeling strong and fit which had been my aim for the day.
Would I do it again?
Yes definitely, there was a really friendly atmosphere and it was a very pretty run through the various parks. There were a few hills but in general it was a fairy flat route. There was big cheer at the finish from runners who had already completed the event.
Everyone was up for a chat and there was a lot of sharing of tips and advice.
Good points
- It was really well organised – good pre-race communication too.
- Clean toilets, showers and changing facilities at the start and end of the race.
- The goody bag with the giant Tribesports mug at the end.
- The cheerful and positive attitude of the other runners and marshals
- Great snacks at the checkpoints
- No cut off times, so great for all abilities
Bad points?
- Getting lost, the route is fairly well marked but it is easy to miss turnings, I guess the key is to keep an eye on the map!
Want to give it a go?
The London Ultra takes place once a year but the Ultra Race organisers run various other Ultra events throughout the year.
More info: www.ultrarace.co.uk
Devinder Bains, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
Photo credit: ULTRArace Images
