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Thread: Escape From Meriden Ultra

  1. #11
    Master mapper's Avatar
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    The A14 towards Ipswich is pretty direct, and it's roughly 188km as the crow flies. Should be reasonably flat too. Most of it is a dual carriageway though, so might be a bit too busy / dangerous for a lone runner.
    Good luck anyway. I look forward to reading which way you went.
    See the light in the night

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by mapper View Post
    The A14 towards Ipswich is pretty direct, and it's roughly 188km as the crow flies. Should be reasonably flat too. Most of it is a dual carriageway though, so might be a bit too busy / dangerous for a lone runner.
    The A14!? I don't think Travs is a complete masochist, Mapper. Actually I thought his plan of going NW through Birmingham and the Black Country didn't seem all that great, but if he is going along the canals it could actually be rather pleasant. Of course, if he changes his mind and heads NE into Leics he could stop off at my place for refreshments after negotiating the undulations of Charnwood Forest; except that my wife probably wouldn't allow a sweaty bloke with 40 miles of running behind him into the house.

  3. #13
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    Yes the plan is to pick up the canals a few miles from the start. Problem with most canals is they are not direct, however this route is fairly straight, and a reasonable trade off against running down busy roads like the A5, A429, or indeed the A14...

    Will take a few shortcuts through Birmingham, although this section will be at night, so scenic splendour won't be high on the list of priorities, and I hope to be clear of the West Midlands conurbation by daylight...
    Last edited by Travs; 01-12-2016 at 07:34 AM.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    ..........Will take a few shortcuts through Birmingham, although this section will be at night, so scenic splendour won't be high on the list of priorities................
    That's brave of you Travs. Surely the dodgy nightsscene in Brummy is more dangerous than the A14......... ;-)
    See the light in the night

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    That's the plan... Canal into Brimingham and through the Black County, and Shropshire Union in the direction of Market Drayton-Nantwich-Chester...
    I have just looked at a map, and the Shropshire Union does appear to be much straighter than most of our canals. Just remember to bear left when you get to Chester: you don't want to be the bloke who runs out of land on the Wirral. If you are really going well, you could have a glorious midnight finish along the promenade at Llandudno!

  6. #16
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    I don't think running out of land will be an issue for me! Chances of making it as far as Chester without needing public transport are probably quite slim.

    Not too fussed about deepest darkest Birmingham at night. The chances of anybody accosting a 6ft2" guy dressed in dark clothing, with a strong light emitting atop his head, running maniacally along a canal at 3am in the morning, is pretty slim in my view. Of more concern is falling in the canal in my knackered state!

    Still got almost a year to prepare, train and refine my route, so won't lose too much sleep just yet.... Got more than a few tough races to get through before this one.

    P.s. Last I saw were 95% of entries gone for the November race, and 80% gone for the June edition. Although that was a few days ago. Certainly seems to have caught the imagination of a few people.

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