Loved this route but it beat me up in ways I hadn't expected. Felt confident on pacing going in, but found countless ways to slow every mile - gates, stairs, navigation, road crossing, hills, deer, swans, crowded footpaths - you name it!
Having recced all the legs I also wasn't prepared for the cumulative impact of the hills, which slowly seem to get bigger and bigger as you near the finish.
There's something deeply satisfying though about a circular route (especially when you can start close to home) and this one delivers some real gems.
Thanks to Russ, Jonathan, Darren and David and others for writing andsand sharing such great notes.
I ran solo and unsupported, carried nutrition and linked 4 public taps I'd found along the way for water. That worked today with cooler and overcast weather.
I used:
- Salomon vest with 2x500ml and 2litre bladder
- Vivobarefoot Primus FG shoes
- Tailwind sticks
- High5 gels (bought bars but weren't sitting right today)
- Suunto 9 (which chose today to generate completely random HR numbers)
- Komoot app for nav
Comments
Amazing time Dominic, no idea how you kept up that pace! Incredible achievement. I see the FKTs on this route are now going through the Dinosaur park in Crystal Palace. Wish i'd known this was the main route - would have saved a big hill!