Toonie Express

Adventure Racing Club

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Future Race Ideas  

Express Mountain Marathon Project.
We are aiming to equip 2 teams (of 2) to take part in multi day mountain marathons, the events listed below are our targets for 2011. If you can help equip our teams please contact Chris
 

If you would like to support Toonie Express you can here,

we are looking to build partnerships with suitable companies.

 Thank you for your support  

 
 

Changes for 2010   Extra class 
Sustainability is all about being welcome back to any area we visit and therefore containing environmental impact is always a key concern. To achieve this we have introduced an additional class between the B &C classes.  However the total number of entrants is unchanged. 
 The original C class will now be called D, same distance and climb as the old C Class
The new C Class is intended to be a transition  between the traditional linear course and the score courses.  At certain stages on the course competitors  will need to select which controls they want to visit.  The result will still be based on time.
 
LAMM
 
So what does a “South” LAMM mean to you? Perhaps running over less interesting hills and maybe you’d expect lots of peat bog and heather; perhaps spending the day fighting though thick forest ……….Well, don’t believe any of that as the area has some well known “classic” hills; enough Munros to keep any bagger happy (and possibly even route choices that will allow you to bag some summits); a mixture of steep rocky slopes and faster gentler, grassy hillsides; there are steep sided glens, that might remind you of the north-west, but you’ll also be crossing wider, more open glens. And as for forests, there are some on the map, but you’ll hardly touch them. You might think you’ll miss looking down to of the sea lochs of the north-west highlands as in previous years but, with the good weather we’ve planned for June, the views from the high points of this area will be just as outstanding.

The mid-camp is very “interesting”. You will definitely not be spoiled by manicured grass like at Loch Arkaig (2008) or Glen Lyon (2007). This one is back to basics being in a much higher, remote and rougher area - a real mountain campsite (but we do hope to airlift in some portaloos!). Of course, starting from nearly 400m on day 2 you should have the advantage that day 2 will be all downhill – though, if you believe that, you’ll believe anything!

So the only way to know what to believe is to give it a go. You won’t be disappointed.

See you Friday...

 
 
The Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon (SLMM) is a two-day mountain navigation event open to teams of two. Teams navigate between checkpoints, visiting them in the order given (with the exception of solo Klets competitors). The first day finishes at a mid-way campsite. Competitors must carry the lightweight camping and safety equipment listed in the rules. Competitors need to be competent in the use of map and compass in the mountains. Many checkpoints require accurate navigation, especially in misty conditions.

The 33rd Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon will be held in July 2011. More details will be available from this web site in the Autumn.

 

 

Club Sponsors

 


  

The Lincolnshire Runner

 


 

   Ionically Charged Hydration

 


 

Ancaster Kart Racing are supporting our Trail Race Series

 


 

 

 


 

 


 

 


 

If you would like to support Toonie Express you can here

 Thank you for your support  

 

 3 Peaks Yacht Race

 

For sailors and athletes looking for adventure the Barmouth to Fort William Three Peaks Yacht Race is an irresistible challenge, and this year’s event is once again full, and has attracted two international entries, from Israel and Australia.

Now in its 33rd year this classic sporting event will challenge 23 intrepid teams to sail from Barmouth on June 19th at 16.00, heading for Fort William and carrying runners who will scale the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland on the way.

Those who successfully reach the finish will have sailed 389 nautical miles, risking sandbanks, rocks and fierce tides. The 3 sailors aboard will get little rest as the race is continuous, and the 2 athletes in the team must complete 72 miles of running with 14,000 feet of climbing to reach the summits of Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. They also have a 13 mile cycle ride at both the start and finish of the route to Scafell Pike, which is longest land leg in the race. That is no easy task when you may have to run at night, unsteady on your feet due to sea sickness and having had little sleep.

Many of those on the start line will know just how tough the race is as they have entered before, but they are drawn back by the challenge and the knowledge that every year’s race is a different experience.

For the two international teams the race will be a new experience and they come from very different backgrounds. Team Whistler from Australia recently won the Tasmanian Three Peaks Yacht Race, one of several races around the world inspired by this original event, and they have chartered the Reflex 38 ‘Lightning Reflex’, which has won the race several times. All are experienced competitors and they are clearly out to complete a unique double win.

Team Krishna from Israel are all 40 this year, so they are a real mid-life crisis team! The are racing in memory of their friend Yoav Nir who died of cancer at the age of 27. All were sea scouts in Haifa together and as Yoav was both a sailor and a climber they looked for an extreme race to honour his memory and will be on the start line of this year’s 3 Peaks Yacht Race.

There are many other reasons teams come together. Many sailing, mountaineering and running clubs are represented, while the Stormforce team are all veterinarians and Silver Surfers drew their sailors from the company SolutionsPT.

There are also several family teams, including Topsham Sea Fever, who have 2 couples on their team, and the Ricketts family on Kithross II. The race is an annual outing for this family and Skipper Bill Ricketts (at 69 the oldest competitor), will be racing with his sons Neil and Colin, who will both be taking part in their 9th race.

Some teams come back to try and finish the race, like Fantom, who will be on their 3rd attempt to reach Fort William, and for others the race is a long held ambition. Andy Syme, an NHS programme manager with Team On & Up, has wanted to compete for 20 years. Another returning entry hoping to finish is the 1930 Camper and Nicholson 40 footer Driac. This classic yacht will celebrate it’s 80th birthday during the race and the crew describe the cabin as “like a down-at-heel gentleman’s club, redolent of pipe smoke and whisky …”

Charity fund raising is an important part of the race and last year Team Torbellino from Stratford on Avon raised over £8000 for the James Myatt Trust, who provide disadvantaged young people with sailing experience. They are back again this year to raise more money and in this time in a J109 which they say should be slightly more competitive.

There is competition throughout the race, for sailing legs, running legs, handicap scores, the King of the Mountains title and even for being last to finish and slowest on the hills. This race has almost twice the number of trophies as it does competitors!

Among those returning with ambitions of winning some of the trophies for the fastest performances are last year’s winners EADS Innovation Works skippered by multiple winner and race tactics guru Geoff West. However, this year the Relfex 38 he normally sails in the race is on charter to Team Whistler and he is racing his X99 (which won the race in 1999). Two of last years winning crew are back; Co-skipper Gary Clayton and runner Martin Beale, a former King of the Mountains winner, but John Donnelly, who was with them last year, is back competing on his own HOD35, White Clouds. He says he raced with EADS last year to “learn tips on winning the race” .

The EADS team will surely do all they can to ensure he does not take their title, but their motivation for returning every year is not just a competitive one, they understand the unique character and challenge of this race.

“The race is a fantastic event that means the whole crew must work together in often difficult and fatigued circumstances. This race really does require the whole to be more than the sum of the parts to finish, let alone race - where else can you get such a challenge?”

 

 

Antartic Marathon & 100k

 

Jill's idea of fun, that's why she's one of us!

 

  

On December 12th, 2010, the sixth Antarctic Ice Marathon will take place at 80 Degrees South, just a few hundred miles from the South Pole at the foot of the Ellsworth Mountains. This race presents a truly formidable and genuine Antarctic challenge with underfoot conditions comprising snow and ice throughout, an average windchill temperature of –20C, and the possibility of strong Katabatic winds to contend with. Furthermore, the event takes place at an altitude of 3,000 feet.

Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Red Bull Dolomitenmann

 

 

Steep mountains, gushing white waters, unpredictable winds and soul shattering downhill tracks: The Red Bull Dolomitenmann will be starting on September 12th in Lienz, Osttirol for its 22nd time. The world's hardest relay for 110 teams, each consisting of a paraglider, a canoeist, a mountainbiker and a mountainrunner is reserved for hardcore sportsmen only: Pain with tradition.

 

 

Iron Monster - September

 

 

 

120k Solo Duathlon - 40k Trail Race followed by 80k MTB and Road Bike sections around the shores of Loch Ness

 

 

New Zealand Coast To Coast

 

Looks a great race and the people are worth the trip.

 

 

Trans Rockies Run

 

 

 

 

Trans Alpine Run

 

 

 

 

Trans Rockies MTB Race - August

 

 

 

 

Comrades Marathon

 

55 Mile Ultra Marathon in South Africa