Marathon vs. Cross Country

Cross country racing involves completing a number of laps on a short technical circuit ranging from 6 to 8km in length. Marathon racing involves covering vast landscapes normally over distances in excess of 100km far away from civilization.

Given my background of endurance sports, triathlons and road cycling I was more likely to take up the marathon aspect of mountain biking. Only recently have I come to experience the two very different aspects of mountain biking. Each race took place just one week apart so that experiences from both would be fresh in my mind. Both races were national events on the 2010 MTN marathon and cross country series therefore attracting the top riders in the country. Each race was also extremes in there own categories as the cross country race took place in Maritzburg on a very similar course that the world cup cross country race followed last year, thus it is a world class circuit. The marathon race the following weekend took place in Clarens and turned out to be the hardest race I've ever done!

From my experience cross country racing is shorter and a lot more intense than marathon racing. Marathon races usually start with a neutral zone. This see the riders out of town and usually organizes the bunch of riders before the real racing begins. It is also a nice feature that I find eases you into the race. On the other hand in cross country racing, the second the start gun sounds the frantic rush to the first section of single track begins. With this comes the immediate spike in heart rate and lactic acid build up in the legs as one gasps for oxygen! I could easily get used to this as it is very similar to the start of a triathlon race where it is like a washing machine of everyone swimming on top of each other and being kicked in the face in order to get to the first buoy in a good position.

Once the neutral zone is over in marathon racing and the real racing begins you quickly settle into a rhythm (hopefully with a group of riders) that allows you to pace yourself. There is no such thing as pacing yourself in cross country racing, you just have to go flat out for the entire duration of the race. After surviving the mad rush to the first bit of single track it is then time to focus a large amount of energy towards concentration as one split second error or misjudgment will have catastrophic consequences!

These are the two most important differentiating aspects that need to be applied to these two types of mountain bike racing to ensure a decent finish. For marathons it is pacing yourself in a way that you are going hard without over exerting yourself to early resulting in blowing later on in the race as well as eating correctly at the right times in order to keep your energy levels up such that you don’t bonk later in the race. For cross country racing it is purely the concentration and skill that is key in getting you to the finish line.

Personally I found that I didn’t get as tied in the cross country race like I did in the marathon race. The duration of marathon racing is very tough on your whole body and also involves a large amount of mental strength to get you through certain stages of the race. Cross country racing involves a large amount of skill in order to push your physical limits over the shorter duration of the race. Both races are extremely challenging and exciting in there own separate ways and I would like to master each of them as they both help in preparing yourself for one another.

Hardest race ever!

The last few races I've taken part in have turned out to be mechanically challenged races. This occasion turned out to be a physically challenged race in a big way!

The mountainous country side of Clarens was the setting for the forth leg of the 2010 MTN national marathon mountain biking series. Heavy rain throughout the day and night before made for a very muddy race. As usual the top contenders from the MTN and Garmin teams were on the start line. This is one of my main reasons for traveling to compete in these races. I know I'm not up there contending for the top positions (yet...), however, I strongly believe that the only way to improve and get there is to race against the best and gain valuable experience along the way. Like any business or career, you have to invest something for it to grow.

The race started out mainly on gravel farm roads for the first 10 to 15km. At this point that was pretty much the end of the gravel roads for the rest of the 100km as we headed towards the rough mountainous areas and the Golden Gate Nature Reserve.

The terrain was so rough almost to the point of unridable on a hardtail mountain bike! After riding on this terrain up a very steep hill and then along the top for a while I really needed a short break in the terrain to give my back and most of all my hands a rest. However, this much needed little break in the rough terrain never came and we then started going downhill. At one point while going down my incredibly sore hands and the rough bumpiness got too much to handle and I lost control and came off. Fortunately, myself and my bike (except for a bent break leaver and straightening the fork and steam) were ok and I was able to get back on my way without much delay.

When I got to the tech and feeding zone I was delightfully assisted by my number one girl and supporter who had everything from chain lube, coke and anything else right at my finger tips! This allowed for a quick efficient stop and I was away on my bike in no time!

After about 80km and 4-hours I hit the wall. My entire body was aching and every bump felt like I was being dropped from a building. Every pedal stroke felt like I was trying to tow a two tonne kart behind my bike. With this came the last monster climb! Hence it was a very long struggle between myself and my bike. Impressive as it is, although encouraging to know that the winner of the race Kevin Evans, said that he only just managed to ride up this final climb. I eventually made it to the top and just had to get down the otherside into Clarens, which involved a 300m portage section down some very large sort of stairs.

I eventually made it to the finish in a not so happy, broken and muddy state! I was out there for a very long time of 5hrs41min and finished in a position I’m not at all happy with of 24th. Without much sense of humor, my number one girl and supporter did an amazing job of encouraging and uplifting me. This was well needed as it has been a very hard three months without much race satisfaction due mostly to mechanical failures and this time to physical inability.

It is now time to put these last few months behind me and focus on some solid training for the next few weeks before the next race being the 100 Miler!

I must admit that this race as well as doing the ultra marathon in Harrismith last year, has provoked some self questioning about my equipment. I am definitely considering a duel suspension bike and possibly a 29’er before I compete in another ultra marathon in the Free State again. This would however, have to be on hold until sometime next year. Time to start saving and researching…

First mtb x-country race ever

I often get thrown in the deep end and this time round was no exception that's for sure!

I decided to take part in the second MTN cross-country national mtb event of 2010 in Maritzburg. Cross-country mountain biking is obviously very new to me seeing that this was going to be my first cross-country race I've ever done! As this type of racing is not my main focus I wouldn't have normally traveled to take part, however, I happened to have a wedding in that region that same day. I'm always game for riding my bike, a race or a challenge, I thought I'd take my bike along and participate.

As normal I did a loosen up ride that afternoon before. This time it involved riding the course. This turned out to be a bad idea as now I knew what I was in for and made me doubt whether I should go through with this race! Being one to never pullout or back down from a challenge this was obviously not going to happen!

Being a cross-country race I knew that it would be technical. My general feeling is that my level of technical skills are fine, the single tracks of Tokai are my back garden. But here almost the whole course consisted of technical single track with a few sections of unridable-only-launchable drop-offs and we would have to do this course seven times!

One thing that really struck me was the difference between simply riding single tracks during training (like I only really do as most of the races I take part in don't involve much technical single track) and racing on them! The other thing that struck me was the sudden intense pace from the gun! As I'm more of an endurance person that normally takes a little while to warm up, the first lap consisted purely of adrenaline, burning lungs and muscles. The first few laps also saw some sketchy moments with the near tree collisions, drop-offs and terrain, however, after the third lap I had a decent rhythm and was taking everything the trails threw at me with ease. I felt a lot more comfortable and was really enjoying it! The only problem was that by this time I was quite far behind.

It was an interesting experience and one that I will definitely take into account for my training. I will return to improve on my performance and better my position in some more cross-country races, however, with a bit more practice under the belt.

The funny twist in the tail was that I crossed the finish line at 14h00 exactly and the wedding was scheduled for 14h45!!! With great team work and detailed prior planning, myself and Roan Exelby (who is a cousin of Jayde that we were staying with and also competed in the race and was attending the wedding) arrived exactly on time to the wedding at 14h45!