"The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further then the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been" - Albert Einstein
Hill Running / Cycling in God's own country, Oct 22-25
Location - We ll be running / mountain biking in the Western Ghats (Kerala) along scenic small ghat roads passing through small towns, lush greenery, remote estates, beautiful lakes and awesome viewpoints. The elevation varies between 800 to 1200 meters.
Criteria - This invite is open to (1) runners who can comfortable finish a half marathon (21K in 2 hours 30min) or (2) cyclists who have comfortably finished at least 100K in the plains (4-5 hours). Only after satisfying these entry criteria it makes sense to attempt hill running / biking for multiple days.
Travel - We start Wed Oct 21st, 4pm from Chennai/Bangalore through car pooling or van to reach the base of the ghats by night in order to have a proper night rest before the first day run/ride. We ll be camping overnight on Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat night in tents. We return from the location on Sunday afternoon and reach back home early morning Monday Oct 26th
Run - We cover 30 to 50K on each day depending on the terrain. We run during the morning hours and afternoon when the climate is pleasant. During mid-day we take lunch / power nap under a shady tree, a refreshing dip in a nearby well or stream. It's NOT a race - we run together at a comfortable group pace through the entire day taking in our scenic surroundings. We'll halt on the way for breakfast, afternoon snacks/tea, some scenic viewpoints, etc.
Mountain Biking - alongside the hill runners cyclists will be joining. Giving the gradients and rough trails both cyclists and runners will proceed at the same pace. Only MTB cycles and hybrids with suspensions should consider joining.
Climate - The good thing with running/cycling at higher altitude is that the climate will be excellent throughout the day, even when it's sunny. As the terrain is a mix of greenery and open/paddy-fields request you to carry sun protection gear - e.g. cap/towel for the head and arm protectors.
Food - We take breakfast/dinner in local hotels near our campsite. As we will be running through remote locations/small tribal settlements the entire day we will need to carry packed lunch in a small backpack (fruits, sandwich with fresh veggies, nuts) on both days. To bring yourself for both days.
Water - We pass small villages every 10K where the runners can ask water near any hut/house with an open door. Local villagers are always most happy to provide water. The chill mountain climate will cause less dehydration and makes it easier to cover longer distance in between refreshments.
Camping - We will be camping in tents (we all share tents together). Take along a sleeping mat, thick blanket (nights are cold in hills), and torch. We can freshen up at the nearby pumpset or well or stream.
Terrain - the route will be a combination of tar road (80%) and off road hard trail (20%). Elevation gain over 4 days would be around 2000 meters as we'll be running on top of rolling hills.
Self-supported - Note that this is a self-supported run. Runners/cyclists typically proceed in small groups of equal pace. Carry a small backpack with essentials (cash, contact numbers, village names, phone, packed lunch, torch, sun cover).
Expense - free. Just share fuel cost of car pooling and food cost in local hotels
It is essential that participants are in excellent fitness level not to drag down the rest of the group
Photos - photos of earlier Runs in Western Ghats
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Terrain - the route will be a combination of tar road (80%) and off road hard trail (20%). Elevation gain over 4 days would be around 2000 meters as we'll be running on top of rolling hills.
Self-supported - Note that this is a self-supported run. Runners/cyclists typically proceed in small groups of equal pace. Carry a small backpack with essentials (cash, contact numbers, village names, phone, packed lunch, torch, sun cover).
Expense - free. Just share fuel cost of car pooling and food cost in local hotels
It is essential that participants are in excellent fitness level not to drag down the rest of the group
Photos - photos of earlier Runs in Western Ghats
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