A clubmate ran this and preferred it to the UTMB, lower key event, and rougher trails.
Thinking about it for next year...
http://www.grandraidpyrenees.com/index.php
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A clubmate ran this and preferred it to the UTMB, lower key event, and rougher trails.
Thinking about it for next year...
http://www.grandraidpyrenees.com/index.php
This looks good
Does the site have english translation? I couldn't see it any where. Or maybe I should brush up on the ole' Francias...
I get an automatic translation via the google tool bar I think.
Noted.
Nicky Spinks blows away the female competition ( and a load of blokes!!!) in being 1st female in this 160K Ultra (with 10,000m + ascent)in 30hrs 14mins and 30 seconds!!!! An amazing run in an a V. BIG race!!! Well done :wink:.....what did you do this bank holiday weekend??
Great one. Quite set on doing this next year. Not really seen the pyrenes so this seems a nice way to go out for a week trekking and then do the race.
Wow! Brilliant!! Nicky rocks. She blew most of us away on the Long Tour of Bradwell, and was first female of course. :cool:
Nicky is going really well at the moment. Just hope she hasn't peaked too soon with Shelf moor coming up. ;)
Another top effort from a top girl who goes from strength to strength.:w00t:
Well done Nicky
Yes, well done Nicky, bloody marvellous acheivement:thumbup:
Bloomin' amazing! Is there no stopping her???? :D
Nicky's Report from the race.
Great stuff,
PS Any local runners fancy joining our Winter Mondays race training sessions would be welcome.
Hi all
My 1st post here. Hi! :-)
My primary goal for this year was to qualify for UTMB in 2011. Given what happened this year and that I'm sure all those who turned up but missed out are hoping for 1st option on places (understandably), I'm starting to look for alternatives. Just in case. Is there anyone around who's done GRP and can provide some inspiration? I love the idea of a slightly more low key event. And the Pyrenees too! Any other suggestions will be most welcomed.
Thanks so much!
isn't this the race that Nicky Spinks won the ladies part of this year and a few other brits ran too?
Another thread somewhere
Here.Quote:
Originally Posted by karen nash
Hi Karen Nash and others
Yes Nicky came first woman and 19th?, I think that's right, over all - an unbelievable performance. I happened to be in the Long Tour of Bradwell in early August and then behind her again (a long way behind!) in the GRP (Le Grand Raid Pyrenees).
I can thoroughly recommend this race. I haven't done the UTMB (but have a deferred place from 2010 for next year, assuming the rules are still the same with this year's cancellation).
It's an awesone event: low-key, starting from a quintessential Pyrenean village, with loads of crowd support (the French are wonderful at this). It's always very hard to compare toughness of events, since the pain lessens mentally the minute the race finishes, but I do remember saying to myself during the race on a number of occasions "Don't forget when it's over that this is the hardest bloody thing you've done!"
I hold to that: harder than my BG (though weather was good for me then), West Highland Way Race, MDS (though format so different comparison might be futile). Lack of sleep I found much harder than physical pain, so to speak. Thirty-six hours of running and some minutes. Due to being around 650 runners, night stage was lonely and rather spread out. Tracks were narrow and rocky, for the most part, too, so hard to maintain a regular pace.
A couple of runners who had done UTMB said this was harder, mainly because of the trail quality.
I flew out to Toulouse and took a bus - train - bus direct to Vielle-Aure, from where it started.
I hope I might have tempted someone!
Henry
Thanks so much Henry. Sounds great.
I am certainly tempted. The website is not the easiest to navigate and my French is even worse. Does anybody who has done this have a contact email address or know when entries go live? I can't see any links to 2011 registration information.
I used to have the UTMB as my ultimate goal race for "a few years time" I'm thinking more and more to working my way up to this one now, perhaps after 2 years of consistent shorter ultras. I like the idea of a more low key event such as this and after spending a couple of months in the Pyrenees this year we hope to make it home very soon...
My pleasure. I don't know much about the entries, but last year I signed up in May, I think. Being only three years old it is still gaining its reputation, but I'd still be surprized if it fills up next year. Good luck if you do it - it's a bugger with a sweet smile.
Thanks again. I'll keep looking at their site. I seem to think entries open up in in Jan.
Another quick question for you (hope you don't mind).....
As far as navigation is concerned, is this a marked course or is a high level of navigational skill required? Is there a need to recce the course and look in great depth at maps beforehand etc.
Thanks
Yes, entries open.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Beers
It is a completely marked course. Absolutely no nav. needed. A fluorescent marker every 100 metres or so and a race book with maps you'll rarely look at.
Hi
I've missed out on a place in this year's UTMB, but having done the last few years, it's quite nice to look forward to something different; so thought I'd try this one.
I appear to have got a place on the 2011 GRP
Anyone else doing this one?
cheers
Matt
Hi Matt
I am looking to enter soon. I guess I had better not leave it too long. Or are they full already? I'd better check it out. Thanks for the reminder!
The winner of the ladies race has already entered has have the RaceKit team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt N
Just entered this. Any advice regarding accommodation etc will be very welcome.
yes if you win you get free accomadation for the following year...Quote:
Originally Posted by blackrod lad
Doesn't help this year but may be next........! :))
Thanks Ian very helpful.
This started at 5am this morning. It is possible to follow the runners progress on the website -
British racers as far as I know are
Nicky Spinks is 170. Nicky is defending Womens Champion
Olly Stephenson 521
Tim Laney 127,
Simon Rippon(Blue Bike) 1484,
Mandy Calvert 221
http://www.grandraidpyrenees.com/index.php
Good luck for this monster race, basically a BG+ some more climbing + a marathon......
is this run in conjunction with the 'Raid in France' AR expedition race (which is starting soon...) or an entirely different beast?
I know Shelf (Stu Walker) from DP/Pudsey Pacers is doing the AR raid.
Quick flick through and found these
Tim Laney in 63rd
Nicky in 187( she'll start slow and catch them all at the end, she doesn't warm up until after the first 50 miles....!)
Olly 189
Mark Rawlinson 474 (Just seen the name)
Sandy Mackenzie 525 "
Jeff Campbell 646
David Whitehead 647
Not sure, I know the accelerate team are also out at the RiF so maybe.. I'll try and find out.Quote:
Originally Posted by ba-ba
aye, Stu is in the Accelerate team.
Matt Neale 663 and Andy Elwood 511 in as well.
Will Harris and Noel Hogan, both from Shropshire, passed through CP3 close together as well at 15:04.
pedictably Nicky won the ladies race :))
The last time I looked the website was down but from other sources I've been told she was 36th overall in 29.45
well done Nicky yet again....:thumbup:
Pinched this off Racekits FB page but it deserves a wider audience
Nickys Report......
ANYONE who's followed Nicky Spinks' ultra-running antics over the past couple of... years will know that she's not one to exaggerate. Usually the most we can coax out of her after yet another Lakeland classics win, or record-breaking Peaks round, is "yeah, my legs are a bit tired, but not too bad..."
So when she told us last weekend's win in the 160km Grand Raid Pyrenees was "really tough - the hardest race I've ever won", we knew she'd probably been through a few "character-building" moments.
Not only was the weather particularly grim (the race start was postponed by several hours), but freezing conditions meant that - like in the UTMB - many runners dropped out. Here's Nicky's report;
As you might have gathered from my comment at the end of the race ("the hardest race I've ever won") I found this year's Grand Raid Pyrenees very tough indeed. I was determined to defend my title from last year, and planning and training had gone well. But right from the start, going up the first climb, it was hot and I was already finding it hard - although admittedly this isn't unusual for me so I just 'dug in' and kept going. I knew my brother Charlie (Nicky's race support) would have my Raidlight poles at the Artigues checkpooint, but I wish I'd had them from the start. After the first climb I was 2nd-placed woman, but then easily caught the leader. However I then realised my legs just felt empty, so ended up giving myself a 'good talking to' in a bid to keep things moving.
I still haven't pinpointed why I felt so weak, but in the two weeks leading up to the race Steve and I had been very busy on the farm, and even on the Monday before flying on the Tuesday I was up until midnight stacking bales of straw. Of couse, I've felt tired like this before, but along with a tight hamstring I seriously considered pulling out. I bargained with myself that I couldn't drop out while I was 1st woman; but if I dropped to 4th and felt as bad then I would have a rethink - that was the deal.
So, my plan was to eat as much as possible and hope it gave me some energy. This worked quite well although I was breathing really hard on the steep ascents which is not like me. I collected my Raidlight poles at Artigues and used them a lot right up to the finish. For 24 hours I just went from checkpoint to checkpoint - thankfully some of them were "Checkpoint Charlie" where seeing my brother gave me a big boost (I was initially worried that he wouldn't be allowed to support me and was therefore ready to be self-sufficient, but there was no problem).
I was holding my own until Esquiere Ser (last year Luz), and although I had had trouble keeping a rice pudding down at Turon de Bene, I was still ok with fruit salads. Unfortunately that didn't last, and soon afterwards everything re-appeared, meaning I didn't eat anything else for that leg. By now it was 5am and I was weaving around on the path looking at patches of ground wanting to sleep, but I knew that I had to get through to Tournaboup checkpoint and get some food or I wouldn't finish. Thankfully Charlie had a mousse ready and (with a couple of re-swallows!) I kept the whole lot down - and after a few minutes even managed a couple of spoons of beans. I took a black coffee with me and set off with Charlie walking alongside giving me words of encouragement. By now I knew the 2nd-placed woman runner was catching me (only 30 minutes back), and I started plotting how to pull this one out of the bag. I knew my strength had to be in the climb and so, with a long, long ascent from the checkpoint, I got stuck in and hacked my way up it - determined to stay in front. I thought about all the people watching and supporting me from home - Steve working on the farm, Amanda and Andy at Racekit, Charlie driving round supporting me (sleeping in his cold car - on his summer holiday!), and Carol - Charlie's 8-months pregnant wife letting her hubby trail round the hills with his sister. I knew I had to do as much as I could for all of them.
Soon I was catching people and I knew that was a good sign. My legs were so painful on the descents - I tried to put my poles away as the French do but kept getting them out again as they helped absorb some impact. By now, I had 4 gels left and used them all. Running back though Merlans (the first checkpoint on the way out) I smiled as I was clocked through, knowing that Charlie would be glued to his computer screen at race HQ, just waiting for that moment.
Now it was just a case of getting down to the finish. It was so painful but somehow I managed to keep going. At least we did the very steep bit first - the 4 guys with me looked so fluid and, bless them, they waited a couple of times but I was so slow. It was agony, but I had no choice but to go on . At long last I hit the town of Vignec and there, looking very worried, was my brother Charlie. The smile that broke out on his face made all the pain worthwhile. He told me the 2nd-placed woman was 30 mins behind me at Merlans, so we pushed on through until reaching the outskirts of town, and then I slowed down to savour the moment. With cowbells ringing and lots of cheering, I ran down to the finish - even though I say so myself, it was a very deserved win, and I can only admire what the human body can cope with.
Like I said at the start, it was the hardest race I've ever won.See More
By: RaceKit.co.uk
Hi folks
Has anyone done this - http://www.grandraidpyrenees.com/ I've been thinking about it for a little while and I'm 99% certain that I'm going to enter the 80km version next year, Anyone else considering it?
Would be great to catch up with some forumites!
Been for the last 3 years and will be off again in 2014. Its a tough one, only finished the 100 1 time in the last 3 attempts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Twister