Grand Raid Pyrenees

[stevefoster]

Yes, well done Nicky, bloody marvellous acheivement:thumbup:

[jodg]

Bloomin' amazing! Is there no stopping her????

[IanDarkpeak]

Nicky's Report from the race.

Great stuff,

PS Any local runners fancy joining our Winter Mondays race training sessions would be welcome.

[2 Beers]

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!

[karen nash]

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

[Feet in the Cowclaps]

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.

[keighley-elstub]

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

[2 Beers]

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.

[Twister]

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...

[keighley-elstub]

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.