Enduroman Blog

British Military Fitness Race Report - Enduroman Arch to Arc Relay World Record!

Steve Haywood — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:07:00 +0100

The British Military Fitness team started their attempt at the Enduroman Arch to Arc at 12:40pm on Wednesday 30^th June 2010. The Weather was hot and the forecast was looking fantastic for the channel swim planned for just 12 hours away. The team were confident that the run of 87 miles from London to Dover and the loading of the Channel support boat can be accomplished in the 12 hours. The 6-person British Military Fitness (BMF) team comprised of Carlos Glencairn-Campbell, Nigel Ilsley, Paul Kenny, Andy Bosman, Jeremy Nelson and Chris Preston.

Carlos (Team Captain) had first leg and was threading his way nicely out of the city of London. Change over one to Chris went smoothly as expected. It was obvious to me (Enduroman No 1 Ette Ette) from the outset that these guys knew their stuff which would mean a very enjoyable experience for us all. Kev the team’s driver had massive experience. An ex Marine with a calming, jovial way. I was at ease and keen to see them achieve.

The run progressed very well with all team members running between 7 and 9 miles an hour. The banter soon started, these guys were enjoying themselves. Every member of the team supported each other on every change over and each doing their bit kept the change overs quick and smooth. The weather remained good (very hot) until late afternoon then as the air cooled the runners pace got even quicker as we approached Dover. The run stage took 10 hours 07minutes in total. It was a little before 11pm and we had arrived at Dover Sea front. Team BMF were about an hour quicker than anticipated and being unable to start the swim earlier because of the tide, they used the time to shower and prepare the swim/boat kit prior to loading/embarking the Channel swim support boat (Pace Arrow).

At approx 01.00 on 1/7/10 team and kit on board, Pace Arrow left Dover Marina to motor to the swim start. The swim started below Abbots Cliff next to Sanfire Hoe (a nature reserve made from the spoil of Channel tunnel diggings). Nigel was the first swimmer which meant he would have to jump off the back of the boat (in darkness) swim approximately 100mts from the boat to the shore before turning around to enter the English Channel for the start the official swim.

The swim started at 01.36 on 1^st July 2010. Nigel swam into the English Channel in complete darkness. No Moon visible, only the small lights on the boat to guide the way. The team were as ever supportive but I could feel some nerves. These men have army history and on land I believe unstoppable but the water and tide in the English Channel is a great leveler and to add to that the first 3 one hour swims were in the dark. Some of the team had to overcome seasickness which came on almost immediately after their first swim. Being sick on a wet deck with not much space, the others had to watch them suffer. Some of the team suffered more than others but team spirit and support for each other held fast. No one complained, even though I could see the thought of going back into the sea was not great. After the first few hours it looked as if the swim could take as long as 18 to 20 hours, they were not liking the swim section, but as expected the team and individual strength of character that each member showed as every single team member improved and did a better during the second swim than first. The team achieved the very respectable time of 15 hours 04 minutes seeing Andy landing on the sand and pebbles at Sangatte. He even bought a present back to the boat as keep sake for each team member “six pebbles”. As soon as Andy was on the boat, we motored directly to Calais Port to meet the support vehicles and start the bike leg. 40 minutes later the team were disembarking and giving thanks for being on dry land and saying goodbye to Paul the skipper. Once on dry land the team went into action and produced a 13 minute transition (incredible). The kit was in vans, bikes in order of change over and we were on the road to Paris after a few hours. All in the van knew the record belonged to BMF. Was that enough for Carlos? No! Carlos (team Captain) had just finished talking with me and he made it clear he would like to see the team at the Arc de Triomphe in less than 40 hours. That meant maintaining an average pace of around 17mph until arrival and bearing in mind the pace into Paris can be painfully slow this was quite a big ask. The BMF team had not slept more than the odd power nap in the last 24hrs and had pushed the previous two disciplines as hard as they could but when asked about the 40hr goal we were well up for keeping momentum and were happy to oblige.

The traffic and the wind were kind to the team and after some fantastic cycle stages the team arrived at Arc de Triomphe at 04.25 BST to become the Enduroman World Arch to Arc World Record holders.

The World record time of 39hours 52 minutes (not yet official) is now the time to beat. I know the men from British Military Fitness are very happy with the record but I also know from the short time spent with the team that is not the thing that pleases them the most. They are delighted with the response from all and every one that has supported them and are very proud to announce that £24,000 has been pledged and will be donated in the near future to HELP for HEROES.

For me personally it was a great pleasure and Enduroman are delighted to have been able to help.

To show your support visitwww.justgiving.com/bmfenduromanteamor alternatively follow theirtraining through their Facebook page –www.facebook.com/bmfenduroman2010

Deca Enduroman Challenge 2010 by Steve Haywood - 'Testing the course for 2011'

Steve Haywood — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:06:00 +0100

On 28th June 2010, Steve Haywood (Enduroman No 4), set off to test the 2011 Enduroman Triathlon Championships course by completing the Deca (10 Ironman distance triathlons in 10 days). The following is copied from the live updates from the Enduroman Events facebook group as Steve used his Blackberry to keep Enduroman fans updated. For the majority of the challenge, Steve was unsupported.

Live Feed:

07/07/10 - Day 10: What a great finish to this event. After the usual getting wet (59mins), getting a pain in the ass (6:11), then getting sun burnt (4:18 - a total time of 11:29), I drove over to Weymouth and took Jay Goss out on the Enduroboat for his 8-hour swim and swam him into the night. This is why I do these things. To complete events such as the A2A and the Deca and then help other people to do the same gives me great satisafaction. So.. that's it. I will complete a race report or should I say "tips report" that will help everybody that is attempting the event in 2011. No 4 finally signing out for good!!

06/07/10 - Day 9: Assos cream is definitely for winners.   Although I learnt a lot of lessons from Cornwall last year in terms of unwanted hair, changing cycle shorts throughout the day and making wet-ones my new best friend, the bike stage has still been a right pain in the ass! 6:07 on the bike and a 4:12 marathon. Total time 11:21. Last day tomorrow.... and I haven't started to get dizzy yet! No 4 out.

06/07/10 - Day 9: 62min swim and well into the bike. Chose an old pair of bike shoes today. The loss of a little power more than makes up for the blister pain my carbon set gave me. The New Forest ponies seem to be demonstrating today and have decided to walk down the centre of the roads in several locations around the route. Food consumed so far: 2 x porridge and raisins, 2 packets of salted crisps with extra salt, 2 x sausage rolls rapped in bacon, vit c, zinc and multi vit tablets, sausage and cheese toastie, 3 x bananas. Such great weather we are having. Totally different to the hurricanes I had to cycle through in Cornwall last year.

05/07/10 - Day 8: Absolutely nailed it today. Not sure why, just woke up feeling really good and it stayed that way until the end. 55mins swim, 5.47 bike and a 4:08 run. Total time 10:50. Food consumption: porridge x 2, toast x 4, mahusive fry up, chicken salad, 3 x banana, 2 pairs, 1 orange, sausage and cheese toastie, 2 packets of jelly babies, granny's stew with dumplins with 2 slices of white bread that I made a stew sandwich out of , more toast, 2 x yogurts, zinc / Vit C / Multi Vit and Iron tablets (as I have done for all days so far), 500ml sports drink or water per half hour (again - every day so far). This has been the most enjoyable day so far. Thank you to Neil, who joined me for the second half of the marathon. Good luck for your ultra marathon in a few weeks time. No 4 signing out.

04/07/10 - Day 7: Beasted in the heat today. Probably the first day I haven't kept a close eye on my nutrition and paid the price big time. Luckily, the problems came towards the end of the run, but I still had to play catch up in the evening. Swim 57mins, bike 6:49, run 5:45, Total: 13:33

04/07/10 - Day 7: Extremely windy today, my blisters hurt more in my bike shoes than when I'm running. Zinc tape saves the day as normal. Top trick I picked up from my army days... Pop it, dry it, tape it, then leave it, til it falls off in a few weeks!

03/07/10 - Day 6: Body really starting to adapt to what is being asked of it now. Normal nutrition throughout the day with the inclusion of a juicy cheese burger, milk chocolate magnum and melted cheese topped rolls. Slower swim on 62mins (due to tummy... issues ;-) 6:18 bike and a 4:31 run. Total time 11:52.

02/07/10 - Day 5: long day at the office... 8:01 on the bike followed by a 4:05 run. Total time 13:03. Hamstrings problems seem to have gone away, achilles a little sore but nothing to worry about at the stage.

02/07/10 - Day 5: 55min swim this morning then it was great to get out on the bike in the rain after all the heat we have beenn having. Steak n Chips ordered at the Burley in for dinner this evening!!

01/07/10 - Day 4: timings for yesterday: Swim 56mins, bike 7:55 (including 90mins at hospital for scan), run 3:48, total time 12:42. Food consumed: porridge x 2, toast x 4, ham and bacon rolls, fish and chips, mixed grill, sausage and cheese toastie, 2... x rivita with cheese, jelly babies, 3 x oranges, 3 x banana, zinc, vit C and multi vit tablets, 500ml of sports drink or water every 30mins.

01/07/10 - Day 4: Mixed grill in the bag...... and 2 x banana Frij shakes in my bottle cages!

01/07/10 - Day 4: Really enjoyed the swim this morning. 56mins then onto Litespeed. Only did a few laps as Kathy had to go for a 12 week scan. I'm going to be a Dad again!! Yey!! Only one this time!! I had a good 90min break to go to the hospital..., which caused my legs a bit of grief but they are starting work their way free again. Porridge for breakfast, 3 x bananas, usual sports drink and water, cheese rolls, and then fish and chips from the chippy!! Stopped at the Burley Inn for another toasty and its head back down again in a minute. Although the ass is painful, the legs are bearing up pretty well and I am looking forward to another marathon this evening. I am really impressed with the run course. Yes it is short (1 mile - same as Lichfield), but it is so much easier to run on than tarmac and lots of stunning scenery to pass the time.

30/06/10 - Day 3: Much better day today. Swim 56mins, bike 6:11. Remembered at the end of the bike why I had promised myself a granny saddle after Cornwall last year. I forgot! Starting to pick up one or two blisters at the base of my foot. Don't usually suffer from blisters but I think the canver (?) on the trails are to blame. Took the run a bit slower today due to the heat. Finished in 4:47. Total time 11:56. Consumed 4 x toast, 2 x snickers, fish pie, egg and pork pie salad, 3 x bananas, lots of jelly babies, cheese and sausage toastie, salted nuts, more jelly babies, 3 x apples, lots of raisins, 2 x pints of coke, more jelly babies.

30/06/10 - Day 3: Not alot of sleep last night due to a late finish, but after a beautiful swim and a few laps of the bike course the legs are starting to feel quite fresh again. The hamstrings are still a little tight (from a previous injury), but to be honest they actually feel better than when I started. Looking forward to a sausage and cheese toastie again for lunch at the Burley Inn ;-)

29/06/10 - Day 2: Total food consumed: porridge x 2, 4 x toast, 2 x yogurts, 2 x oranges, 2 x crumpets, cheese and onion pasty, lots of thortons chocolate, cheese and ham salad, pork pie, 3 x banana, cheese and sausage toastie, 500ml of sports drink/water per half hour. No 4 signing out.

29/06/10 - Day 2: I definitely feel a lot older than when I used to do this stuff. Really enjoyed the swim as it eased the pain in my hamstrings. Time: 59mins. The bike felt a lot harder than yesterday, but that is natural as I have to give the body enough time to adjust. Time: 6:06. The run was fantastic. The wooded trails are a lot less stressful on the legs than tarmac. Time: 4:20. Total Time: 11:26:58

28/06/10 - Day 1: Finished off the bike in 5:46. The heat really played its part today, and those little hills at the start of the bike, weren't so little at the end. Run completed in 4:31, Total time 11:12:02. Fuel consumed: 500ml sports drink / water per half hour, salad with salmon chunks, jacket potato with tuna, sweetcorn and mayo, pasta pesto, bacon and egg sandwich with HP sauce, porridge, 3 bananas, 2 oranges, 1 chocolate bar, cheese and onion pasty.

28/06/10 - Day 1: Beautiful sunshine in the New Forest. Swim done in 55mins, still out on the bike. I have been burnt to a crisp already! Averaging just under 20mph. Looking forward to some pasta pesto

Enduroman Ultra Triathlon Championships 2011

Steve Haywood — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:13:00 +0100

It has been a long 4 years. 4 years of endless phone calls, emails, visits, risk assessments, council meetings and sleepless nights. But it is finally here! The plans to hold a Deca Ironman in the UK have stretched all over this land. Enduroman have attempted to organize the Deca at the following locations but with so many boxes to tick, they have all come up short:

(Impressive views of Avon Tyrell Estate House)

John O'Groats to Lands End, Snowdonia, Lichfield, Telford, Nottingham, Birmingham, Sutton Park, Hyde Park, Battersea Park, Cornwall, Crystal Palace, Kings Park, Bournemouth, Boscombe..... The list is twice this size at least.

There are so many factors that Enduroman would not compromise on, that potential sites could not fulfill. Enduroman really wanted the Double and Triple Iron races to fall within the same competition. This would make a fantastic event for all involved, especially as all the events would finish on the same day. We really wanted an open water swim. We have been too kind to our athletes over the last 3 years allowing them to enjoy the luxury of an indoor swimming pool. No more bluffing the swim training and concentrating only on biking and running!

(Avon Tyrrell campsite and the lodges available for accommodation upgrades for athletes)

Once we decided that the swim would be open water, it became obvious that the option of holding the original format Deca was not possible. Holding a 24 mile swim on Day 1 would mean that some swimmers would be in the water for more than 20 hours. Open water swimming, during the night, in Great Britain presents some risky cold injury and safety issues. So a 10 x 10 Ironmen in day days was decided to be the format. The race would start each day at the same time. On Day 8, the Triple Enduroman race would start. On Day 9 the Double Enduroman race would start. And on Day 10 the Enduroman UK (1 x Iron) event would start. All 4 events would finish on Day 10.

Sounds easy doesn't it? Nope. I now had to find an open water location. The sea was a no-starter really. One bad day with the wind and the whole event would be a disaster. So we had to find a lake, that would give us 3 hours of lake time each day, and the whole of the lake for the last 3 days. Let me know if you find any!!! With so many swimming, triathlon, water sports clubs using the lake on the same day/evening each week it was impossible to find a location. We didn't want to chose a lake, that athletes had to travel to, to start the race. We wanted it to be next to the campsite, bike and run courses. The list of suitable locations was already very small.

(Race HQ and the location's lake)

Wherever this lake would be, the bike course would have to have left turns only (for the Deca's safety), and the course would have to run past the campsite. On this campsite would be the race centre, catering and the options for the athletes to upgrade accommodation. The run course would be completely closed to traffic, without crossing any public roads, that of course, runs past the race centre.

After 4 years, the list of suitable locations was now zero. To be honest, I was about the give up on the idea. Then one day, a friend mentioned they had done a novice triathlon at Avon Tyrell, Hampshire. After a bit of Googling, I decided to drive across to the location just out of curiosity. I introduced myself to the site manager and the response I got when I went through the basic requirements of the event were very positive. Usually, we have to try and sell our events to these people, and try and work our way through all their red tape. The manger's attitude this time was, "What can we do for you to ensure the event comes here?" Now that's the sort of team that Enduroman wants to work with. To add to this, the manager is an ex-triathlete and Army officer so we had lots in common.

(Avon Tyrrell race lake)

Several recce's of the location then began, and we have found what we believe to be the perfect race site. It is true that things you want mostly come when you are not looking for them. Avon Tyrrell is an outdoor activity centre. A private estate set within 65 acres of the stunning New Forest. It has its own lake which is quite small (around 300m laps). However we would plan on the laps being this small anyway to keep an eye on the athletes and giving the swimmers a chance to feed and see their support crew on a regular basis. The bike route is planned to take place around the villages of Bransgore and Burley, using left turns only, with stunning backdrops throughout the course. And the undulating run route is entirely within the private grounds.

Avon Tyrell has its own campsite, private lodges, catering and event licence. It is almost purpose built for Enduroman. Entries have already gone live. Get a place while you still can!

(The run route through Avon Tyrrell Blair Witch 2 woods)

Mark Sweny & Aidan O'Donnell complete Enduroman Jurassic Swim enroute to the English Channel

Steve Haywood — Mon, 24 May 2010 06:43:00 +0100
On the hottest days of the year so far, London-based friends Mark Sweny & Aidan O'Donnell completed the Enduroman Jurassic Swim (10 Miles) this weekend. Both swimmers are booked to attempt to cross the English Channel during September this year. They are both swimming off the same tide, however they have different pillots. The Enduroman team sensed an air of competitive spirit between the two friends over their Channel swim, and this weekend was no different either.

Mark (Picured above and right), planned to attempt the Enduroman Jurassic Swim on Saturday 22nd May, with Aidan swimming on the Sunday. They would also be each other's support crew. We set off from Weymouth marina at around 9am on the Saturday. Our plan, was to swim Mark along the stunning route from Weymouth Pier to Lulworth Cove; a distance of 9.5 miles as the crow flies. However, to pick uo the tide flow, we kept close to the cliffs to give Mak a little push towards Lulworth and to provide the extra milage for his 10-miles swim.

When looking at the forecast before we left the marina, the predicted Force 2-3 North Easterly winds would make it very difficult to get all the way the Lulworth. We timed the start of the swim so that the tide would be behind us when we needed it, but a NE wind would mean that Mark would get slapped in the face by the waves on every stroke. Fortunately, the wind behaved itself and we made it up to Lulwoth Cove and cleared the water in a time of 5 hours, 35mins 19sec.

Well done Mark (above and left showing off the infamous Enduroman medal), and the very best of luck for this Sepember. The following day, we left the marina around the same time as the day before. Aidan looked a little more nervous than Mark, but he had no need to be as we saw a very strong swim from him. The forecast looked slightly worse than the day before with a predicted 3-4 NE wind.

We decided to give Aidan a different swim heading East across Weymouth Bay, up the Jurasic Coast, west directly back across the bay towards Portland, then finish at Newtons Cove. As we headed across the bay, we couldn't help to think that we were being followed as a group of Triathlon swimmers (Pictured below) had joined us and wanted to follow our swimmer for as long as they could. Forest Gump came to mind!!

It wasn't long until the Triathlon club headed back to the beach and we continued with our planned route. This was again a good strong swim by Aidan. The sea fluffed up into a Force 4-5 as we headed towards Portland, so Aidan got to experience some proper English Channel conditions. Aidan arrived at Lulworth Cove and cleared the water in a time of 5 hours 59 mins 21secs. Again we wish you the best of luck for September.

Both swimmers plan to join us (non-wetsuit next time lads!!!) throughout the summer to train for their attempt at the marathon of marathon swims... The English Channel.

4-hour Swim - 10 Degrees - Jay Goss - 10th May 2010

Steve Haywood — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:07:00 +0100
Even though the sun was shining it was still a chilly morning when I met Jay on Monday. Great Britain usually has South West prevailing winds, and the winds from this direction aid bringing the warmer water up from the Atlantic. Unfortunately for Jay, the winds are still coming from the NE, so degrees was the best that we could hope for.

The wind was also at strength 4-5, which from the NE, meant that the waters was quite rough, so we spend the first 2 hours inside the protective waters of Portland Harbour. Jay has been dealing with cold water very well and implemented several sprints during the 3rd hour to keep him motivated, left his core temperature and give him the much needed strength to break through the French tides after several hours of swimming.

It was another great swim by Jay who hopefully will getting in a 5-hour swim in Corfu next week before meeting back up with me in early June for his 6-hour qualification swim.

A2A 2010 challenger Jay Goss swims for 3 hours in 9 Degree water!!

Steve Haywood — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:25:00 +0100

On April 20th, Tom and I took Jay out for his third sea swim of the year. It was still 9 degrees out in the bay but we wanted to Jay to start pushing on early on in the year.

After a 90min swim 10 days ago, our aim was 2.5 hours and see how he felt. Just like his previous swims, Jay became stronger after an hour or so.

It was quite lumpy out their due to the SE wind so we swam him into Portland Harbour for a bit of shelter. After 3hrs, Jay climbed back into the Enduroboat with a big smile on his face.

"This shit is awesome" were the first words out of his mouth. What more can we ask of a swimmer?

It was Tom's first outing of the year. In 81 years, Tom has coached over 80 athletes to swim the English Channel and has coached the youngest ever person to complete this feat (12 years old).
Tom is great asset for Enduroman, and his extensive experience mixed in with the Enduroman's successful Arch to Arc CV is a great recipe for the A2A wannabe.
Personally, I have been recce'ing numerous Deca courses around the country. It will happen, and in the end, I know that our patience will pay dividend. I also ventured back onto the athletics track on April 11th at the Bournemouth track and field open meeting.

I entered the 400m and the high jump (mainly because my 15 year old nephew (Alex) entered the same events)). Also, I really felt the extra 2 stones, it was great to be back on the red springy stuff again, and I cursed my Achilles once again for taking this great sport away from me prematurely 18 years ago.

With that said, it was good for smugability to stand toe-to-toe with athletes more than half my age and still come in 3rd in both events. (Although I couldn't walk for a week later).

Paul Casey - unlucky mate... the US Marine attempted the Enduroman 5-Iron a couple of weeks ago. After a 15ish hour swim and a 22 hour first day on the bike he pulled out on Day 3 when he realized that he was not going to make the cut-off time.

90min swim for Jay and a host of new sponsors for Enduroman

Steve Haywood — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:16:00 +0100
At 8am on April 20th, I met Jay Goss at the Enduroboat for his second sea swim. The water temperature had raised slightly, but it was still a chilly 9 degrees. The wind gods were again on our side, as the force 0-1 South Easterly wind hardly made a ripple along the Jurassic Coast. The swims at this time of yearn for Jay are all about getting cold.. very cold. Jay managed 30mins in colder water a couple of weeks ago, so the plan was to stay in for an hour and see how it goes.

We sailed out into the bay and dropped Jay off next to an anchored shipping vessel. We first swam Jay around the vessel, to give him valuable experience of swimming next to ships this size.

We need to cover every eventuality, so getting over this hurdle was very important. Once we had done this, we headed on a SW bearing heading straight back towards the harbour.

The last 40min of Jay's 90min swim was his best. We are looking at one or two different technique issues per swim and Jay cadence has gone up from 48 to 60.

As ever, Jay dragged himself back into the boat with a big smile on his face. We plan to go out for 2hrs plus this on Tuesday April 20th.

It was good to meet Jay's partner Faye, who came along for the ride and will be part of Jay's support crew in August.

Great new for Enduroman athletes at the Double Triple Iron this year.

We have secured sponsorship with Sundog sunglasses, Greeper Laces and Buff; so their race goodie bags will hopefully be bulging!!

Jay Goss - A2A attempt 28/08/10

Steve Haywood — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:53:00 +0000
At 6.30am on Friday 19th March 2010, I took 'Wind Song' AKA the Enduroboat, out with the first channel training swim of the year.

Former Royal Marine Officer Jay Goss joined me for his first sea swim of the year, in preparation for his attempt at the Enduroman Arch ton Arc due to start on August 28th 2010. Although the weather was being kind to us (Wind Force 2), the water was a chilling 7 degrees, far cooler than usual for March. It was great cold water acclimitization for Jay, who swam for 30mins around Weymouth Bay. Jay's next swim will be in a couple of weeks when we will try and push for 60mins.

Enduroman Double Iron Lanzarote - 4th Febuary 2011

Steve Haywood — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:32:00 +0000
Now check out the sound of this.... The Enduroman Double Iron... what for it...... Lanzarote!!   Eddie has been working closely with the Spanish Government and after weeks of attending meetings and making representations for Enduroman, he has has secured the race date of Friday 4th February 2011!!

We hope that the winter timing of the event, will attract athletes worlwide during the 'normal off-season' to the home of Triathlon and the original location of Ironman Lanzarote, Playa Blanca. I wil be going over to Lanza very soon to check out the final courses and have a look around the area. Eddie has done a fantastic job in a very short period of time to get this awesome event off the ground.

On the Deca front, we just can't seem to have a break-through with the ideal location. We have recce'd coastal roads, country parks including Battersea and King's Park in Bournemouth. We have visited numerous airfields around the country and race circuits.

We have found the perfect location, set in the beautiful surroundings of Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield. Set within the park, is a 5km tarmac road, that is closed to traffic and has a swimming pool immediately next to it. It is used fo many events includiing the national road relay championships. Endurman have spoke with the park's events management and submitted an application form.

Due to the popularity of the park, our downfall may be the fact that our event lasts 2 weeks or more importantly for the Park... 2 weekends. Also, the USA and UK Olympic teams will be using the park to train in during 2011 so it may be a case of just bad timing. It is absolutley perfect. Let's wait to hear back from the management team.

On Tuesday, I made a trip to the Isle of Dogs to meet up with my old coach Frank Horwill. It was great to see him again after 18 years. He has been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer at 81 years old. He has beat cancer several times now, such is the strength of the man. He has no-nonsense attitude to life and his commitment to athletics has been a motivator for me since my early twenties. Check out this video and you will see what I mean!  We love you Frank!

Great time in Lanza and the plans for the Deca and Double get moving

Steve Haywood — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:27:00 +0000
A couple of weeks ago, I made the trip over the Lanzarote to see Eddie and Lynn. It was the first time I have visited the island for a long while without competing in a long distance triathlon and to just have a holiday. The weather was superb for once (I usually take the British weather with me - sorry Lynn' with temperatures in the high 20's throughout the 10 days I spent over there. I only went for one run and chose instead to swim most days around Playa Blanca bay.

Lynn told me about a local swim club staging their first organised event in the bay the day before I went back to the UK. This was a 1200m swim from the marina, around the bay and finishing at Playa Blanca main beech. On the day I was surprised to see about 50-60 swimmers turn up to race. Half with wetsuits, and half without. Eddie, Lynn and I couldn't see the point in wearing a wetsuit in waters of about 21 degrees. It was just a fun race, so I wasn't bothered where I finished.... as long as I beat Eddie!! I was pleased to finish 8th overall and a good 3mins in front of Grandad Eddie .

Also during my time out there, we recce'd the courses and location of the Enduroman Double Iron Lanzarote that we are planning to hold in February 2009. Wow!!! What a location and backdrop! Eddie is still in talks with the government and is waiting for the go-ahead from them before we go live on the website...   watch this space.

After setting up an on line discussion forum on the Enduroman website in relation to a UK based Deca Iron in 2011, it looks like we have settled for the original format (24/1120/262). Our next step is to find the perfect location. Last week I had a meeting with the events manager at Bovington Army Camp with a view to use their training area. We have a meeting set up in the new year to see if they have what we need. I am also looking at a few disused airfields and other locations.

(24 hour spinning session in Lanzarote - same day as swim race)

My last update for you is that Roland Patzina who completed the Lanzarote Ultra earlier on in the year, has entered the Enduroman Lanzarote Deca Iron, the dates of which will be confirmed soon. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

First winter swim with Jem

Steve Haywood — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:40:00 +0000
On Friday, I met up with Jem Bersin at the Bistro in Southbourne for his first winter sea swim. Jem (an Army Captain), is training for the Lanzarote Ultra in May 2010 and has asked me to coach him for his challenge. After a few days of strong gales on the south coast, it dropped down to a Force 4 and we enjoyed a 25min swim.

The water was 12 degrees, so it was still quite warm and Jem had no problems at all. I wanted him to start his cold water acclimatisation before the water became cold so that he would find it easier to swim through the winter. As I am training for the same event, it was good training for me too.

The season is over.. as a new one begins

Steve Haywood — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:25:00 +0100
Well there we have it. 2009 was a great year for many reasons. I completed the Enduroman 5-Iron, a new event for 2010 (not that anybody is brave enough to do it!), out of the 4 attempts at the Arch to Arc, only Dave Farrell successfully completed the challenge becoming Enduroman No 6. The Jurassic Swim got underway and the Enduroman Double Iron UK in August proved another massive success. In 2010, Enduroman will be holding the UK's first ever Triple Iron along with the third running of the Double. This event has sold out already.

Personally I am more that happy with my lot. Coaching wise, I am proud of the fact that out of the 6 successful Enduroman Arch to Arc athletes, I have coached 3 of them. I have some great athletes under my belt with 3 new athletes turning Pro this year and hopefully Rich Pryer will do the same in 2010. I moved down to Dorset in June and it has been fantastic to be only a couple of miles from both the sea and the New Forest.

In terms of the future, Enduroman are now fully booked for the Arch to Arc for both 2010 and 2011. I have had a couple of months off 'Double Planning', but next week I will start the event planning for the Enduroman Triple and Double Irons on 7-9 August 2010.

Hywel Davies - Jurassic Swim

Steve Haywood — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:53:00 +0100

At 10am yesterday, Hywel jumped into Weymouth Bay and began the Jurassic Coast swim. The furthest Hywel had swam before was 3 miles and he told me before the start that his aim was to swim 5 miles. Strong Westerly winds prevented us from following the coast up to Lulworth Cove, so we kept to the calmer waters of the bay and Portland Harbour. After 3hrs 27mins of swimming, Hywel completed 5 miles. Well done to Hywel.

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Dave Farrell's Arch to Arc

Steve Haywood — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:22:00 +0100

Dave was due to start swimming as the number 1 swimmer on the neap tide starting 13th August 2009. So if the weather behaved itself, he would swim on the 14th. Although the water temperature in August is ideal for channel swimming, the wind conditions are always unsettled and the chances of a swim being postponed by a few days are very high. 2 days before Dave was due to start running it was apparent that the unseasonal good weather over the channel would not last and it was unlikely that Dave would get to swim during his neap tide. We decided to bring his challenge forward by 2 days. After a mad flap by Dave re-arranging his support crew, we met at Marble Arch in the early hours of Monday 10th August in the McDonalds opposite Marble Arch. Even at this time of night, it was very humid and the city was still bustling with tourists and clubbers.

We started the challenge at exactly 2am. We had 3 support vehicles in tow. I always run the first 6 or 7 miles with the athlete as there are many underground subways and roundabouts to navigate in the city centre. Dave knew what pace to run at, as he had practiced this during many training sessions in the months prior to this challenge. With that said, it is still very easy to carried away during those first 10 miles and I had to slow Dave down a few times during this period (not because I couldn't keep up.... honest!)

Dave had carried a few injuries into this challenge, and I must admit that I was a little worried when I overheard one of his support crew say that he had been limping all morning before the start due to pain in his foot. Dave was is great spirits, and it wasn't long until he settled down into the 'ultra shuffle' and the miles began to fly by.

Dave's support crew were amazing. His wife Tracey, his children Madlin and George and his friend and Osteopath Dave all worked flat out, to help Dave along the 87 mile run route to Dover. Although starting at 2am had its advantages of less traffic, it did mean that all of us had gone without a full nights sleep before the race began. As we started to go into the second night without sleep, things started to get a little messy. There was a moment when Dave asked me why somebody had placed garden gnomes along the pavement. 'Gnomes?? They are weeds Dave coming out of the pavement'. Dave disagreed with me and then proceeded to bend down and pick a gnome up to show me. But the weeds were firmly rooted to the ground!! The Red Bull kept me going, but that didn't stop me seeing a Bride and Groom stood in the hedge bank. The bride's dress flowed about 15m behind her into the dirt gutter. I was just about to tell her to pick it up when I realized that the bride and groom was just a rubbish skip! I'm blaming that on old age!

With about 30 miles to go, Dave's quads began to break down and we knew at this stage that it was going to be a TAB all the way to Dover from here. Dave was in great spirits. We laughed and joked most of the way down. About 14 miles from home, Dave hit a real low patch. His core temperate dropped and he became disorientated. I have seen this many times before and I knew that he had to replaced the sodium he had lost. The Nuun tablets worked like magic tablets and within 30mins or so Dave was back on his feet making good progress.

After 27 hours, 51 minutes and 15 seconds, Dave completed his 87 mile run. Dave expressed how much he had enjoyed the run down to Dover, although the severe pain in his knee made things very difficult for him.

All we had to do now was wait for the boat pilot's nod that would allow us to swim at 2.40am on the Wednesday morning some 20 hours later. Chris (boat pilot) had to take another swimmer out before Dave. This Australian swimmer was due to swim on Tuesday morning, so we did not start running from London until we heard from Chris that he was definitely going to swim.  I heard the bad news as we got close to Dover that the bad weather had come in early. This meant that the Australian would swim on the Wednesday and Dave would now swim on the Thursday. Although this gave Dave an extra 24 hours recovery between the run and the swim, it also meant that the chances of Dave breaking the world record had now gone. Another day passed by in the hotel and then we heard more bad news that the weather was still too windy to take the Aussie out on the Wednesday. Dave swim was now due Friday morning. Tension was high in the hotel as there is a 7-day cut-off for the event (to prevent the athlete from having too long a recovery between the run and swim, thus keeping the integrity of the event). Dave's last chance for a swim would be Saturday. So we could only afford from this point for the challenge to be delayed by one more day.

Good news finally came when we heard from another boat pilot that Chris had finally taken the Aussie out early on Thursday morning (although he only lasted a few hours in the huge swells that were created by the previous day's strong winds). Even better news came when we heard that the weather was now good until at least midnight on Saturday, giving us 40-hour weather window. I then confirmed times the boat pilot and arranged for Dave and his support crew to meet at the boat at 1am early on Friday morning (14th August).

The wait in Dover was eventful to say the least. I had brought my nephew Alex King with me to act as additional Enduroman support. Alex aged 14 is wanting to swim the channel when he is 16, so I was hoping that experiencing an attempt at the channel would give him a great deal of valuable knowledge to take away with him. Dave also had his teenage kids with him so as well as keeping an eye on the weather, we also had to keep them out of mischief!

Just when we had made all the plans and timings of the swim, we heard at 12.15pm on the Thursday from Chris that the Aussie had only lasted 3 hours in the water and that if we wanted to swim at 3.00pm the same afternoon, we would have better weather than our previous planned swim time. After Dave picked his jaw up from the ground in shock, the next 2 hours were spent packing bags, buying food and drink, loading up the support vehicles and making our way down to Dover marina for 2pm.

Wavey and George joined Alex and I on the boat whilst the remainder of the crew made their away across to Calais to meet us at Fort Risban.

After 57hrs 8mins 55secs of waiting in Dover, Dave finally started his swim from Shakespear Beach at 3pm. Conditions were near perfect. There was very little wind, however there was still a swell that was caused by the previous week's strong winds. Head down and with a turnover of 64rpm Dave headed towards the French coast. After Dave's first feed at 60mins, it was apparent that the flood tide coming in from the Atlantic Ocean was pushing Dave too far east. Although he had covered some good distance, most of it was not towards France, but east along the channel. After 2hrs, the boat pilot told me that he wasn't making enough ground and that there was no way Dave was going to be successful. From day 1 after I watched Dave swim, I told him that he was going to swim the English Channel, as long as he did exactly what I asked him to do in training. I knew his capabilities and we had run through every eventuality in training. After some polite and direct advice from myself, the boat pilot kept to pilotting and left me to look after Dave. After 3 hours of feeding every hour, we changed to feed him every 45mins. We had done this many times in training, and we knew exactly what solids Dave could stomach without chucking up. After 8 hours, we were about 1 mile from the half way mark. Conditions were still favourable, but now were were in darkness and Dave now had to swim through the night.

The last training training swim we did, was a 4 hour night swim, swimming head on into a Force 5 wind. I am a big fan of training harder and tougher than race conditions. As expected, Dave just got his head down and powered through the seas. Problems came when we reached the 10 hour point. We had passed half way using the slack water as an aid but when the flood tide came in we just head east at right angles to the Fench coast. I figured out that Dave needed to put some hard work in and cut into the tide instead of being carried by it in the wrong direction. I brought Dave in and said, 'I need you to sprint for 3 hours. If you do, we may be in position to make it though the tides some time later'.

After shoving half a packet of Jaffa cakes down his grid, Dave got his head down once again, picked his cadence up to 72rpm and started to cut through the tide. Dave managed to make up some lost ground, but not as much as I would have liked. After 3 hours I brought Dave back into the boat. 'Dave, you can steady the pace down now but listen carefully to what I'm about to say... if you continue to work hard now for 6 to 8 hours we will make it to France... if you don't you will not make it'. I saw the look on Dave's face drop. He had been swimming already for 14 hours. His longest training swim had been only 10 hours, and I was telling him to swim hard for another 8 hours. After some colourful language, Dave downed 4 jaffa cakes, 6 jelly babies, 500ml of sports drink and a cup of tea, and looked at the French coast, muffled something else under his breathe, and swam... and swam.... and swam.

For me, the last 6 hours of the swim were Dave's best. After 87 miles of running, 14 hours of swimming, there is only one type of athlete that will be able swim for another 6 hours, through some of the strongest tides in the world... an Enduroman! When we were around 400m from Calais beach, I joined Dave in the water and swam with him to the coast. I did this with Tom Beaver, and I can honestly say that these were my 2 favourite sporting moments of my life, including my own A2A. After Dave cleared the water, he collapsed. This is the mian reason someone needs to swim in with him as he was unable to stand on his own. After about 20mins of walking down the beach, and threatening to get customs to arrest Dave if he didn't swim back out to the boat, I finally pusuaded Dave to get back in the dirty blue stuff. Dave's swim time was 20hrs 2mins 29secs.

Dave's support crew were cheering Dave as he boarded the boat. I have watched the video footage of Dave climbing back into the boat. The first words that anybody said were from Wavey.... 'Well done Chunky Monkey'. Something you can show your Grandkids Dave! Wavey... you are a true mate . The 30mins boat jouney to the port was full of celebrations. An epic swim, completed by an outstanding athlete. The boat pilot showed me a map with Dave's route plotted on it. 'You don't see many like this Steve.... not succesful swims anyway'. No I thought, but it can be done. And it was done. With the right size gonads, anything can be done.

After a few hours sleep, Dave was on his bike enroute to Paris. The weather was really kind to us for most of the journey. At first, Dave had his mind set on braking Andy's bike split record. But as the fatigue from the past few days started to set it, Dave decided to enjoy the rest of the challange. As usual his support crew were dealing with Dave's needs. After a long stop at a McDonalds on the outskirts of Paris, Dave got back on his Bike 2 stone heavier, and began the 'glory phase' into the city centre. With one mile to go, his support dropped Dave and I off at the bottom of the Champs-Elysees so that they could all be at the finish before Dave. We sat down for 10mins and talked through what had been achieved. I then ran the last mle with Dave on his Bike until he reached the Arc de Triomphe.

And there we have it..... I bring you..... Enduroman no 6... Dave Farrell!!

What it takes to be an Enduroman - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Steve Haywood — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:20:00 +0100
Some of this will sound a little harsh, but it is to the point, without beating round the bush. For me, it is the only way to be. Some people won't like it, but these are facts, and people can take this information and hopefully deal with it intelligently. Would you be able to explain the difference between information and intelligence? 'Information' is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Once you know this, 'Intelligence' is then NOT putting a tomato into a fruit salad. Without mastering the art of dealing with information intelligently, you will not finish the Arch to Arc. Learn about yourself, your strengths and more importantly your weaknesses and make an intelligent plan to achieve success.

The Enduroman Arch to Arc is without doubt, the toughest triathlon in the world to complete. I say this quite confidently. Notice I didn't say, 'The toughest Endurance event in the world". This statement is becoming a bit of a house joke at the moment. It seems every documentary on TV where somebody has to walk more than a marathon or have less than 8 hours sleep is carrying this title. More people have walked on the moon, climbed Mount Everest and of course swam the English Channel than the A2A. When an athlete keeps 'upping' the severity of his chosen sport, the A2A sits right at the top or ours.

There are 3 types of athletes. These are the good, the bad and the ugly. There are thousands of 'good' athletes around the world, but the event demands a lot more than just talent. These athletes may have sponsors, a £5000 bike, 5% body fat and a sub 9hr Ironman time but if they start squealing like a pig when you dunk them in 10 degree water for more than an hour, or they can't puke up continuously for 10mins without breaking stroke, then they should stick to events that can be completed in less than half a day. They are usually the ones that think they know better, regardless of experience. Note the word 'usually' though. The ones that don't have a head start.

Then there's the 'bad'. Not in terms of ability, but motivation. I can usually work out if an athlete will be successful by asking, 'So why do you want to do this thing?" I have spoke to over 200 people in the last year that have expressed an interest in attempting the A2A and pretty soon you can realize who the t-shirt grabbers are. 9 times out of 10, I never hear from them again. The 'bad' are the athletes who's sole motivation is to be able to wear the t-shirt, only on club nights and race days so everybody can see what a great athlete they are. For example, I received an email from an athlete a while ago, asking if I could change the design of an event's finishing t-shirt so that the distances completed were displayed on the front of the t-shirt so that the person speaking to them would know what they have done. If this is what motivates you, I suggest there may be other issues going on that need to be put to bed before you jump in the English Channel after running from London. One athlete is attempting the A2A because there are scared shi**less of deep water and they can't think of anything scarier to do that swim the channel to conquer their life-fear. Another successful A2A athlete's sole motivation was to raise money for his best friend that died in suspicious circumstances whilst abroad with friends. Another stated that they had been training for the A2A for the last 15 years. These are all athletes that DO NOT fall into the 'bad' category and probably have the correct motivation to succeed (2 of them already have). With that said, all athletes at the top of their sport display a degree of arrogance.    And the desire to want others to know how good you are is a motivator.

Then there is the ugly. As the name suggests, they are not a pretty sight. These athletes usually go with gut feelings rather than common sense, as long as the job gets done. Their brains have been slightly 'numbed' over the years due to several factors that have given them a rock-hard shell. They may not be sub 9-hour Ironman, or sub 15-hours, or have even completed one at all, but they would die trying to finish. We have all seen athletes crawl across the finish line, refusing to board the ambulance until they finish, athletes carrying their bikes 30 or more miles due to mechanical failure just so they can start the run and finish the event and I have seen athletes who have been swimming for 12 hours and be told 'go hard for 4 hours and you may get to France', only to be told after 4 hours that the tides have changed and they have at least another 5 hours of swimming left.   Tom Beaver's reply was, 'OK, as long as I'm moving forward". The ugly athlete doesn't ask 'why?' at the time. He just gets on with it and finds out the answer when he's finished, if they are indeed bothered at all. There is an old expression when somebody follows instructions and gets into trouble that goes something like this, "If he told you to jump off a bridge would you still do it?". These are 'ugly' athletes. There are able to listen, learn and do things that they may not agree with, but trusts in other's knowledge and experience... just to get the job done. Ugly athletes will go above and beyond their call off duty. Can you imagine attempting this event for the first time 15 years ago, when nobody knew about the event, nobody had attempted it, there was no website, no live-feed, no finishing t--shirt ? (well that cancels out any successful attempt by a 'bad' athlete'). Where does the motivation come from?

This was Eddie Ette's story back in the early 1990's. He failed the swim, so he returned a few years later and made another attempt. Where did his motivation come from? He failed the swim again, so 2 weeks later he returned to London and ran the 84 miles again and made another attempt at swimming across the channel. Motivation? He failed again so he returned a couple of years later and tried again. This time he was successful and set the world record that still stands today. Even I have problems comprehending how Eddie did that. What drove him? Where did he get his strength from? One thing is for sure, and I don't mean this in an appearance way (or do I), Eddie is one of the ugliest athlete's I have ever met.

When Julian Crabtree successfully swam the Channel as part of the A2A in 2007, as he swam back from the French coast towards the boat after swimming for over 14 hours, when the pilot realized that some rope had become tangled in the boat's prop. This meant that unless it was cut free, the boat would have to be towed into Calais by the French authorities and would cost over £2000 in recovery fees. Suffering from extreme exhaustion and hypothermia, before even touching the boat after his mammoth swim, Julian took a knife, dived underneath the boat in the darkness and cut the boat free. There aren't many people in the world that I could say would definitely do that, probably around 5 people. Julian trained for 2 years to attempt the A2A is 2005, then only a few weeks before the event suffered a nasty injury which prevented him from starting. He trained for another year, and then only a few weeks before his 2006 attempt caught a nasty illness which prevented him from starting. He then trained for another year and after only a few miles of running from London, picked up another injury which led him to walk most of the run. After limping into Dover some 29 hours later, he went to bed for a few hours, started his swim on the less favourable spring tide and powered his way to a successful channel crossing and then became only the 3rd person in history at that time to complete the A2A. I have the most amount of respect for Julian, a truly amazing athlete. And while I think of it, only 3 months before his successful challenge, he joined Eddie and I as a team competing together on an ultra distance triathlon Wales. After receiving a cortisone injection in his back he retired during the bike stage. How can a person suffer 2 years of A2A disappointment, then pull out of a race due to injury only 3 months before his next A2A and then romp to victory in Paris. Enduroman No 3 did just that.

The successful A2A athlete needs to be good, bad and ugly. They need to have the potential to be good. Not at the Ironman (this is common mistake, Ironman fitness has completely no relation to the A2A), but at the A2A. They need to bad and have the arrogance to know that they are going to be successful and they don't mind letting others know about it. And most of all, they need to be ugly.

The biggest mistake we have noticed is that people think that it is all about swimming the channel. Of course this is the crooks of the matter. But the Enduroman Arch to Arc is all about running 87 miles, and then be in a condition strong enough to then swim the English Channel only a few hours later. These are facts. Let's face it... if you train intelligently for the run and the swim but you haven't been on your bike since you were 10 years old then pending completion of the channel you are still going to finish the event. A £5K bike isn't going to help you one little bit, unless of course, you are still chasing the record when you arrive in Calais.

Faining goats

Steve Haywood — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:46:00 +0100

Test live GPS tracking device for solo events - Click on refresh for latest location

Steve Haywood — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:59:00 +0100
Click on refresh to see latest location. This is a test for a new live GPS tracking device to be used for Enduroman Solo events

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Enduroman Half-Deca established and a long rest planned...

Steve Haywood — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:27:00 +0100
As soon as I get time, I will sit down and write a race report. Those that read this blog will have also followed the live feed and will know the events that place a couple of weeks ago. The long and the short of it, was that the course and the weather conditions in the region were too brutal to complete the full Deca distance. I am so glad that I decided to test the course. It would have been disaster if nobody completed the course in 2010.

What we did establish was a Half-Deca event over a stunning and challenging course that will test the most seasoned of ultra triathletes. Those that supported me will know the pain and conditions I had to race through just to complete this distance.

For the time being, it's time to rest up... with training anyway. I start my new job in Dorset in 2 weeks, there's the organising of the 2nd Double Iron UK and I am taking Dave Farrell's Arch to Arc a few weeks after that.

I have really missed sea swimming since training for the Deca in the pool so I will try and get some swims in along the South Coast before the summer is over. I may do the Jurassic Swim in September and if I feel lucky (and I can afford it / have enough annual leave left), I fancy doing the 'Travesía La Bocaina' in October. This is an 8 mile sea swim in the Atlantic from Lanzarote to Fuerteventura. Eddie Ette was the first man in history to swim between these two islands.

Enduroman Deca Iron May 15th 2009 - Photo's

Steve Haywood — Sat, 16 May 2009 06:07:00 +0100

Off-the-shoulder-number. Happy Enduroman at the finish of the Enduroman Deca Iron UK swim. 24 miles in 12 hours, 12mins, 02 mins.

The board that generated so much interest..

Packed lunch...

I am an Enduroman.... the rest is just details

Steve Haywood — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:02:00 +0100

With 7 days to go before the Deca, this will be the last blog entry I write. From now until the end of the event, all the updates will be posted on the Deca Live Feed. Good luck to Dave Farrell, who I have been coaching for his Arch to Arc this August. Dave is doing his first 6-hour swim from the Enduroboat whilst I am away.

The Enduroboat - "Windsong"

Man Flu

Steve Haywood — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:43:00 +0100

Any time in the pool usually gives me 'chlorine head', but after nearly 10 hours of swimming last Saturday, 2 days of living with rolled up tissue stuck up my nose, and then a stupid idea to bike to work at 5am on the Tuesday, Man Flu struck!

Jokes aside (of which there were plenty at work and at home), it wrote off training for the entire week. Even now after not training for 10 days, I am still coughing up golf balls.

The good news, is that all the long stuff is now done. With only 9 days to go before the Deca, and the knowledge that any training session's effect takes at least 8 days to show improvement, any training done now would just be to sharpen up.

A few days of cycling, running and swimming before the weekend, then it will be a week completely off apart from a few lengths up and down. Roland Patzina has just started the run at 6pm tonight at the Enduroman Lanzarote Ultra. I wish him the very best of luck. He has already booked a 2 week training camp at the Enduroman Villa next year in preparation for the 2010 Deca Iron UK

18 Mile swim and a 52 mile run

Steve Haywood — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:22:00 +0100
On 15th May 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Fowey to Lands End in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to be the first person in history complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!

Last week was run week. I wanted to get at least one 52 mile run in before the Deca. 52 mile seems a long way. But when you put it into perspective, it's not that far considering I have to do this on 5 consecutive days. When Bobby Brown ran across Australia, he ran 52 miles a day for 65 days, so I am pretty sure I can do 5 days after a wee swim and a bit of biking.
The only time I had to do this was on a working day in the week, so I got up at 5am, worked from 7am til 3pm, started running just after 3pm and finished about 12.30am (then got up again 5am for work). The run took just over 9hrs so I was pretty pleased with the pace averaging just over 4:30 per marathon. The course was quite flat so it was the time on the feet running that was the training benefit and not the terrain. I managed to get a couple of fast 5K interval swim sessions in and then on Saturday, was the day of gloom!

I hate pool swimming. I mean REALLY hate it. After all the sea swimming i have done, swimming up and down without getting anywhere doesn't make much sense. I was going to do the Deca non wetsuit but as well as being time challenged by the 15 hours that my pool is opening for on May 15th, I had a good think about why I was actually doing this event. I am doing it so that I can have credibility to provide my athletes with as much knowledge and experice as possible and as I have already told people, I wouldn't organise an event that I have not done myself first. After seeing quite a few swimmers wearing wetsuits at the 2008 Enduroman Double Iron UK dropping like flies due to dehydration I thought that by me wearing rubber, at least I would know what the athletes had to go through.

I swam at Esporta Dorset for 18 miles in a time of 9hrs 45mins. The overwhelming difference is that it was a piece of cake compared to the 12 mile swim I did a couple of weeks ago when I didn't wear rubber. This was however, invaluable training and added to my 'System 4' method of training by adding stress to the body above and beyond what the actual race demands. I stuck to my rigid routine of 9 x 2 mile reps, all swam in around 60mins with between 2 and 8 mins rest between reps. My nutrition routine was this:

1. At the 1 mile point of every 2 mile rep I stopped for a few seconds for salt replacement (NUUN)
2. Every 2 miles I had a banana (potassium), 500ml of sports drink (carbs), then ate whatever I else I fancied (jelly babies, jafa cakes, mars bars, yogurt biscuits, Jammy Dodger Bars).
3. Last year a nutrition expert from Red Bull informed me of the process and advantages of caffeine during competition. He explained that caffeine had a 4-hour cycle. That is to say that to get the most of a 'caffeine hit', it should be administered once every 4hrs. So 10mins before the swim and at the 4 and 8 hour points I downed a can of red bull.
4. I believe that as well as fueling for competition during the Deca, it is very important to have at least 4 square meals a day, so I got out after 4hrs, and had a hot bowl of chicken and veg soup with 4 slices of bread. It worked a treat!
Although I suffered from extreme 'goggle eyes' and caffeine head until the next day, my arms and shoulders are pain/fatigue free and I am confident that I will make the swim at the Deca in around 13 hours.

I am going to have a shorter bike week next week (40 miles per day), a couple of runs and couple of swims then apart from the odd length I will have a 2 week rest period before the Deca.

Deca Run Course Recce and a big swim

Steve Haywood — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:40:00 +0100

(The campsite)

The day after the bike recce, I headed off around the run course. The run starts from the campsite which has stunning views of the Atlantic. The field pictured above will be the actual site for the event. The site has facilities for tents, motorhomes, caravans, electic hook-ups, toilets, showers, washing machines, dryers, secure premises for bikes, fresh water and even the owner will cook to order for our athletes. Have a look at www.penhale-fowey.co.uk. From the campsite, the route follows a private footpath down to join the South West Coast Path at Polkerris Beach. Here at Polkerris Beach Company (www.polkerrisbeach.com), the athlete's support crews will meet as this will act as the end of lap location and athlete village for the run stage. From here athletes will start a 5 out-and-back lap course west along the coastal path to a location just before Charlestown, before returning back to the campsite to finish the day's 52 miles of running. On the last day, the finish will be on Polkerris Beach.
(The race village for the run stage - Polkerris Beach)

Having ran this route several times (my sister owns some holiday accommodation near Fowey), I came to the conclusion that this is the safest stretch of coastal path that I know. Having raced over the coastal path several times and have experienced races being canceled due to high winds over the cliffs or land slides, it was important that this wasn't going to happen during the Deca.

There are steep hills going out of Polkerris, and again just before Par Beach. Runners will then enjoy a 3 mile flat stretch running across Par Beach, bypassing the harbour, before heading up again over a golf course before turning around on the high ground just above St Austell. Runners will have stunning views of the coast and will not get bored of this challenging course (ok.. so they might after Day 5!).

A few days after this I swam half the Deca distance in the pool (12 miles). I kept the wetsuit off and swam 6 x 2 mile reps averaging just over 60mins per rep. My main worry during the swim is the cut off. Not the race cut off of 21 hours, but the fact that I can only get 15 hours pool time. To make things worse, the pool I am using is Esporta Plymouth which is at least 2 hours drive from the campsite. I am looking forward to that drive after the swim before day 1 of the bike!

I am planning to start each 2 mile rep a maximum of 70mins apart. This would give me a total time of 14 hours. I really do not agree with wetsuit swimming in a pool and I certainly would not wear one if I had the full 21 hours, but I may consider putting it on if time is running out.

I read a recent article (220) from a Mexico deca athlete that you should 'allow 30 hours to complete the swim'. The article was linked to the Enduroman Deca. This is not the case. The cut off WILL be 21 hours. This ensures that the swim is an ultra swim; not 5 x 5(ish) mile reps in 4 hours with a couple of hours off between each rep to grab some sleep.

The Deca Bike Course Recce

Steve Haywood — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:59:00 +0100
I have cycled some of the most challenging road bike courses in the world including Lanzarote, the Welsh Ultra and Tour de France routes, and I can categorically state that the Enduroman Deca Iron bike course is the toughest I have ever rode. I have often used such words as 'relentless', and 'unforgiving' to describe course but the only word I can come up with to describe this bad boy is 'SAVAGE'!!!

During the 160 miles, I can remember cycling along 2 stretches of flat road lasting no more than 3 miles each. Basically, you cycle uphill for 10mins, then come down the other side for 30 seconds, then repeat, for 160 miles! Claire and I set off at first light as per race day, heading from Penhale camp site, down through Par, along the first stretch of flat road to St Austell. Here we turned right onto the A391. This is a 20 minute 1 in 10 hill that passes through Roche and joins the Atlantic Highway at Winnards Perch. The road surfaces were excellent throughout the course which was the only consolation to the degree of the ascents. The Atlantic Highway is the busiest of the roads on the course, but the width of the road and the large cycle lane certainly makes the cyclist feel safe. I found this out on the return journey in the dark!

Right along the A392 towards Newquay (after stopping at Starbucks), through Quintrell Downs, Goonhavern, Blackwater, Redruth before joining the coastal road towards Portreath. If we thought the scenery at the this stage was stunning, we had seen nothing yet. Next came the 2nd flat stretch of road before arriving at Portreath for a quick photo shoot (below). Even if we turned around here, it would still have been the most difficult course I had rode, but what was to come next was just savage.

You know the hills that if you stop half way up you either fall off, or you have to push your bike to the top before you can get back on? Well from here to Lands End consisted of around 20 of these hills. There wasn't much conversation between Claire and I at this point but I did here Claire say as she rode out of Portreath (pic above), '7 days of this is going to break them'.

As we were riding the course self supported the extra 30lbs on our backs were adding to the problem. The course just kept going up and up and up. Relentless is too kind a word for this beast of a course. Fortunately the weather was good and I couldn't help but think what it would be like with added rain and wind in our faces.

The course took us through Hayle and then back out onto the coastal rode again heading through St Ives and St Just. I couldn't work out how the course could start and finish at sea level but kept going up. I was trying my best to take photo's on my Blackberry at the same time as riding but skill of taking one hand off the handle bars had to be limited to less severe climbs, of which there were not that many.

After St Just, we knew that Lands End was just around the corner so it was head down and grind out the last few miles until the turn around point. When we arrived at Lands End we both were complaining of muscle pulls in our forearms. This was caused by 8 hours of continuously pulling up on the handle bars. One of the decisions I have to make is whether the race is going to be 6 days of 187 miles per day or 7 days of 160 miles per day.

We certainly were not racing and I am sure without all the coffee stops and photo shoots and riding at my own Deca pace I would have arrived around 2 hours quicker at Lands End. It was great having Claire with me. Although she isn't as fast on the bike, she is the typical athlete that may enter the Deca in 2010.

If Claire is looking at a 16 hour bike on day 1, without having first done a 24 mile swim, then what would be her predicted time on Day 7 of the bike? This might be a factor on if I chose 6 or 7 days on the bike considering that the cut off for each day is 21 hours. I want this event to be in the typical Enduroman style but I don't want it to be elitist. Mr average can complete the A2A, they just have to train for it. I want the Deca to be the same.

Some people get confused with the Enduroman Deca format. To make things simple, you could go to Mexico and apply this format - Swim on day one only, bike 160 miles on each day, then run 52 miles on each day, getting a good night's sleep after each day and still finish over 24 hours inside their cut off time.

If you have entered this race, or are considering it, you have to put in the bike training. Lose the required weight so that you are at the recommended race weight for your height and do hills - lots of them and when you are finished with those hills - do some more.

When we had realized the toughness of this bike course, we had to jump bike on our bikes and do exactly the same course in reverse (after sausage roll and chips at Lands End of course). When I decided to train for this Deca in only 8 weeks I had no idea of how hardcore this was going to be. My Deca starts 5 weeks this Friday. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Na... I'm an Enduroman

Run week and realization that the Deca swim may be a little more challenging than usual

Steve Haywood — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:05:00 +0100
On 15th May 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Fowey to Lands End in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to be the first person in history complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!

Last week was run week and as usual I started the week off on Monday evening with a long swim. We have searched the south of England high and low and Esporta in Dorset can offer us the most individual swim time - 15 and a half hours. The cut off for the Deca swim is 21hrs, however I wont be getting that luxury. In the Deca 'World' championships in 2008, the finishing times approx (in hours) for the 18 athletes over the swim were: 13.5, 15, 15.5, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17, 17, 19, 19, 21, 21, 21, 22, 23. So it would mean me completing the swim faster than 3rd place in the world champs. Esporta only opens for 15.5hrs so I guess I will only be able to get 15 hours worth of swimming in. I won't have the added advantage of a wetsuit either.

My swim on Monday was over 6 miles (one quarter of the Deca). Although I tired towards the end I kept up a consistent pace over the 6 x 1 mile reps finishing in a few minutes over 3hrs.

I then ran a marathon a day for 3 days at Deca pace. From work to home is bang on 26 miles so the run home was a good use of time. Although running through some parts of Birmingham wearing spandex and a camel back is not recommended (unless you have a warrant card), I enjoyed the training. The training I have planned over the 8 weeks before the Deca is of course, very different to what it would have been if the Deca had been in September. I know that during the next couple of months, I am going to pick up injuries. I know where the weak points of my body are, so it is important I listen to them and rest when I need to rest. Over the 3 days, the pain in my left achilles, left calf and right knee came and went, and then returned again. The only thing that was consistent after the first marathon were a pair of shot quads and the old skool rave on my Blackberry.

I had planned runs over the weekend, but it was very clear when I assessed the state of my legs Saturday morning that this clearly was not going to happen. I went over to Ringwood instead and swam in a master class as part of Zoom Triathlon Club. It was good just to be told what to do again without planning it myself and they were a good bunch of troops. Then out came the bike, 3 days earlier planned, and I set off from Christchurch in Dorset, without map and without a clue where I was going. I headed off east towards Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey and finally to Winchester before I turned back.

Next week (Bike week) is going to be tough. 8 mile pool swim tomorrow evening then I'm going to cover one third of the Deca's bike distance over 7 days.

Things that have rocked this week:
1: Poached egg sandwiches with bbq sauce.
2: Haribo Jelly Babies

Is this funny or what?!

Bike Week No 1. Deca T-54 Days

Steve Haywood — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:34:00 +0000
On 15th May 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Fowey to Lands End in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to be the first person in history complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!

This has been a great week for training. Over the last 7 days and over the next 6 days, I am covering over one sixth of the Deca's distances using the same format of: 1 day swim, 6 days bike and 6 days run. Last week was my first bike week. It wasn't so much the distance I was training for, but the times of day I have been training. Up at 5am, on top of my bike for 5.15am. A full day's work then bike back home. The distances each day were a quarter of what I will be doing each day come the actual event, and I started the week off with a 6.4K swim (also 1/6th of the Deca).

I managed to get a rest day in on Friday (which involved driving 160 miles to Dorset), then it was out on the bike again Saturday and Sunday. I had a great ride on Saturday morning. Joining a local club is great way of discovering new routes and meeting other triathletes. I haven't got a clue about the local area yet so it was good to sit in a group and watch the world go by. Having to navigate around wild horses and bulls was very different to the streets of Birmingham, although navigating around robbers and drug addicts does increase your speed! I joined 'Zoom Tri', the local Tri club to Christchurch so I may pop down to one of their swim sessions next weekend.

Friday 15th May 2009 - The Enduroman Deca Iron UK

Steve Haywood — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:33:00 +0000
On 15th May 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Fowey to Lands End in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to be the first person in history complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!

"OK, to cut a long story short, I had planned to do the Deca In September. However, I have just found out that I am moving jobs and location down to Dorset this June. This means I will only be given half a year's annual leave. After I take Claire's Arc to Arch in July, I will only have 10 days leave left to take. My only choice, is to attempt the Deca before I move. I have studied my diary long and hard and the only 14 day slot I have is between the 15th and 29th May. Not doing the Deca before the race in 2010 is not an option. I need to be able to give the most credible advice I can to my athletes.

I now have only 9 weeks to train for what is the toughest triathlon ever to be held in the UK, and with the exception of the A2A, possibly the world. Including the Lanza Ultra I did in December 2008, since July 5th 2008, I have done 10 runs, 8 swims and 5 bikes. I really will be doing this from scratch. Ok, I have some natural ultra base fitness but getting all the training in over the next 8 weeks is going to push my body to it's limits. I also need to leave at least a week's rest before the Deca to give any niggles I have a chance to heal.

I am going to stick strictly to my 'System 4' training system and train for the exact requirements for the event. I pretty sure I can jump in the pool now and swim for 24 miles, but I need to do this leaving enough in the bag for the bike and run, so I will only swim twice each week and build up to 6hrs.

As I need to bike for 7 days (160/187 miles each day) then run for 5 days (52 miles each day), I will train the same way by alternating bike weeks with run weeks. I only found out 4 days ago about the new start date so I have done a short run week week doing 3 x 2hr runs in the last 4 days. Next week is bike week. I know I have to build the distances up quickly but I have to remember what standard I am presently at. So I am aiming for 4 days of 40 miles per day and one of 60.

Here I go again......"

The bitch wouldn't shift!

Steve Haywood — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Sometime during September 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Bodmin to Fowey in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!'

Another good week's training behind me and the winter timber is finally starting to fall off. Some friends took me out for my birthday so I guess the 2 days around that didn't consist of the training that I had planned! The milder and lighter evenings have meant that I can move my bike interval sessions back out onto the roads and it was great to hit the country lanes around Staffordshire again.

I travelled down to Cornwall again at the weekend to recce the Deca's run course and to have a look around for potential double and triple courses should I move the races down south.

I had a great 22 mile run along the coastal path (1 lap of the Deca course). Below is the stunning Polkaris Beach which will be point where the athletes will complete their first lap and head back out towards Charlestown.

I averaged around 9min/miles which on that terrain was pretty good going. In tow, was my Sister's German Shepard. She is a big girl, but still young. I was really looking forward to it as I have been running with a husky for years and I grew up with Shepard's, however after a while, she gave up the ghost and lay down or should I say fell down. I was really worried as we weren't going fast. I honestly thought that she had a medical condition. My Sister was watching my nephew race in Taunton so I couldn't get a lift back. My only choice was to carry her 2 miles back to Polkaris, ask a nice couple eating their lunch outside a pub to watch her for me, then run back up to the campsite to collect my car.

Those damn half mile reps!

Steve Haywood — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Sometime during September 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Bodmin to Fowey in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!'
It was good to get back into full time training last week. 3 bikes and 3 swims, and I am now 13 days
into my 100 runs in 100 days target. It was great to finally blow the cobwebs of Fousto (winter bike).
With the weather improving this week, I even managed an evening ride and incorporated a lap of the
Enduroman Double Iron course. I even managed to take a photo on the move!

One of my swim sessions was a specific session chosen to replicate the Deca swim format: Half mile
rep in 14mins, 2mins rest, half mile rep in 14 mins, 2 mins rest... bla bla bla. Very boring, but it is
good mental training for the Deca. I am hoping to complete the swim in under 15 hours which gives
me a few extra hours to eat, drink and of course - slow down!

Commuting to work is a real time saver. It's 20 miles door to door, so I can get 40 miles in minimum
every day and still be home by 4.30.

The Deca Training begins

Steve Haywood — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Sometime during September 2009, Steve Haywood will be competing solo in the
Enduroman Deca Iron UK. A 24 mile swim, followed by 1120 mile bike ride
along the rugged coastal roads from Bodmin to Fowey in Cornwall, then
a 262 mile run along the extremely demanding and undulating South West
Coast path. Follow Steve's training blog along his journey to complete
the 'Toughest Deca on the Planet!'

Well my training is now well and truly underway. I sat down the other
evening and designed a training programme for the Deca using my own
'System 4' neurological training system that I used for both Tom's and my
own successful A2A challenges. System is all about training at 4 pre-
determined training intensities (speed) and conditions (time of day, event
specifics). The Enduroman Deca's format is 1 day swimming (24 mile), 7 days
of cycling 160 miles per day, and 6 days of running 44 miles per day. So
according to System 4, each and every session I complete should relate to
this format and the conditions of the race. My medium term goal after May
1st 2009, will be alternating training weeks of 7 days cycling and 6 days
running, mixed in with swim sessions.

I will need to train at 3 different paces (faster / the same / slower)
than my predicted Deca pace, taking into consideration that I will be
starting all my 'Deca days' at first light each day.

My short term goal is to prepare my body so that I can complete this
training after May this year injury free and to ensure that I train
progressively before this time.

I will shortly be completing lactate sports tests to determine where my
event specific weakness lies, which will dictate the content of my '4th'
training pace. Another short term goal is to complete 100 runs in 100
days. I am 7 days into this routine already. I am firstly concentrating
on my running. This is for medical reasons, because a few
years ago when I used to race track and field, I could never run train
on consecutive days otherwise my Achilles injury would flare up (This
was the underlying factor why I gave up the sport and stared triathlon
in the first place). The Deca asks for 6 days of Ultra running after the
swim and the cycle so it is imperative that I pay close attention to this
area.