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Hi Kris! Was my first night start for a race, so my strategy was to wake up very early on the day, then take a long nap mid day to early evening. Of course I didn't end up sleeping that well as I was nervous, but I felt quite ok energy wise throughout the race and afterwards. I took in alot of caffeine thoughout which helped I think. I think the good point of the night start was it helps set the energy tone for the race. As it was dark, it helped keep me from going out too fast as I had to watch where I was going once we got into the trails. Then once the sun started coming up like 6-7 hours into the race, it gave such a good mental boost and helped propel me into the next phase of the race.

@@arthurgigon5556 Thanks so much, that's very interesting and quite reassuring. Looking forward to following your racing vids in future.

Mainly I'd say just try to get a lot of downhill training into your legs. Otherwise I hear weather can vary considerably from year to year, so keep an eye on that! The aid stations were all very well stocked. Good luck!

Mark G in da house! 😎🤘

Good luck!!! Keep an eye on the forecast

Downhill hill killed my legs. Felt like a stick going down each step, I was so stiff 😅

Forecast did call for terrible weather but it ended up not being bad, which was lucky for us this year.

Yes I'd say road shoes would be fine. Most of the trail was gravel or hard dirt, and some bits on road.

Firstly, just make sure to find the right balance in your training, the obvious running enough and doing some long training runs, but also I'd stress the importance of recovery and stretching / mobility work etc. I do alot of yoga and I think that really helps. For this race specifically, a couple things. 1) Really keep an eye on the forecast. For me, it was supposed to rain, but in the end it did not rain one drop and was very very hot and sunny. Most of the course is fully exposed, which meant hydration is really key. I really had to pace my drinking to not finish all my liquids too soon between each aid station / water points, and was going to each totally empty. Id actually highly recommend to take more capacity than you think: i only had two 500ml soft flasks, but in hindsight i should have taken an additional water bladder. I felt like i was drinking alot, but at one of the aid stations i learned how dehydrated i really was, which was worrying but I was able to fix that. 2) Make sure you plan in advance your finish situation. What I mean is, wherever you need to go after you finish (Swindon / home etc) make sure you have a plan on how to actually get there (whether its by car, etc). I had booked a shuttle through the organisers to Swindon (where i had booked a hotel). The last shuttle however left at like 9pm (which I didn't know) and I arrived at the finish at like 9H20 pm, meaning I missed it. Given the finish is in like the middle of nowhere, there was no reception to call a taxi, and it was too late for any local bus service. I ended up having to hitch hike to Swindon, which I was lucky enough to manage. But after 100k, worrying about hitch hiking is the last thing you want to do. Not sure if the organisers assume everyone would drive away or have someone picking them up, but this was very disappointing to have to figure all this out. 3) Most importantly, just enjoy and have fun as much as you can. Keep telling yourself pain is temporary, pride is forever. No matter how tough it may get, quitting is not an option! Good luck!!

@@arthurgigon5556 Thanks so much! And I'm so sorry about point 2. I have it covered but you were really let down badly and that's a miserable situation to find yourself in. Great advice, thanks again. Good luck for your next challenge!