EVENT REVIEW: Survival of the Fittest Manchester

Wow. Challenge #20 has now been completed. Who would have thought I’d have got that far. And this week’s challenge turned out to be my 10^th OCR – almost exactly a year to the day since I did my first. It is a fantastic hobby and I have failed to meet anyone who has done one and not caught the bug. Go do one people!

So anyway, it is now time for Part 6 of Team MUBU’s "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

MEN’S HEALTH SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

10km Urban Obstacle/Mud Run

8^th November 2014

Manchester

A bunch of us did this in 2013 and decided immediately to sign up for this year at the bargain price of about £25. There have been various ailments and illnesses along the way but we got pretty much everyone to the start line. I ended up running with my sister and a few friends who had a combined 2 obstacle races and 1 marathon (I think) between them. And it was SO much fun – thanks Team “Kinda Competitive”!

General Event Organisation

It is a Rat Race event so you know exactly what you are getting. The online sign up was dead easy, my brother-in-law was able to add everyone’s details in no problem and we had everything we needed sent to us via email the week before. We become so used to how good it is that we forget sometimes that not all races are this well run.

8 – Very Good

Event Facilities

Your typical merchandise stall with the usual T-shirts, hoodies and other assorted branded goodies. There wasn’t quite the big selection of food and drink establishments as I’d like at these events but there was a bar, somewhere to have a wee and get changed. The only concern was the bag drop, which was unmanned and uncovered. You could put your valuables in a valuables tent (which had great security) but I like to have a towel in my bag for after and it would have got soaked if I’d left it there this time.

6 – Above Average

Registration

Quick and easy. Bring your ID, get your race pack and t-shirt and you are good to go. We were early but it looked like they had plenty of people on hand so I don’t think the queues ever got too long or too chaotic. I’d prefer them to open up the Friday evening registration like they did last year but in truth it didn’t really matter too much.

7 – Good

Location

Based at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester (Manchester City FC’s ground for those who don’t know) you would struggle to find an easier location to find. Plenty of parking a short walk from registration and easy to get away from afterwards.

9 – Excellent

On Course Facilities

Only one water station at about 5km. There were plenty of marshals who braved the terrible weather and they were all very friendly and encouraging. Distance markers kept you on track and the route was well marked out.

7 – Good

Warm-Up

Slightly disappointing in all truthfulness. Didn’t last very long and it was a good two or three minutes after we were “warm” before the gun went off. So I was cold again!

6 – Above Average

Variety of obstacles

Easy to get carried away by the 100m or so “river drift” obstacle which was definitely a first for me. The rest of them were pretty standard fare with a reasonable mix of arm/leg/over/under/through.

7 - Good

Obstacle/Run mix

Plenty of running early doors to try and stretch the field out. The first 4km of the race are essentially a road run with the odd obstacle chucked in to break things up. It gets a bit more obstacle heavy in the later stages and once you get off the roads and into the park.

7 – Good 

Terrain

Being an urban race you would expect the terrain to play a key part. It is used pretty well here although sometimes it feels as if a few tricks have been missed. But overall there is enough up and down to keep me happy (though readers of these reviews will know that I’m not a hill man so that means it’s pretty flat).

7 – Good

Post-Race

Rat Race can always be relied upon for a half decent medal and a good quality technical t-shirt in the goodie bag. Black was the colour this year which felt a bit lazy it is all personal preference I guess. The medal is a bottle-opener aswell and the “adult” surprise provided by Durex was a bit unexpected!

7 – Good

Difficulty

Not the toughest course out there, though measurably harder than last year. If you have the will, you will finish this and you will get through most if not all of the obstacles. It is still a challenge though and the typically friendly Manchester weather always adds an extra element that has to be considered

Course: 6 out of 10

Obstacles: 6 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

This was all about the team though. Great banter, some priceless moments and a massive sense of achievement felt by all at the finish line. For me, that is what these events are about. I’m never going to tear the place up, but I’m going to have a lot of fun doing it.

Overall Score

7.0 – A good event, an excellent price (<£30) and a well-run event all adds up to another 7 out of 10 on the Team Mubu scorecard.

The overall scoring has had a slight overhaul though only in the way it has been represented. I think the scores are still the same in most if not all cases. It is still a combination of the 10 criteria scores plus a little bit of “fine-tuning” based on gut feel and general enjoyment.

It is now in increments of 0.5 as below:

10.0 Nothing will ever get 10.0, you should always strive for better

9.5 Sell organs AND children. And everything you own. About as good as it gets

9.0 Sell organs and/or children to do this event every single time

8.5 Highly recommended indeed, this gets booked as soon as it is released

8.0 A very good event, only money or illness would stop this being a yearly thing

7.5 Definitely one to recommend. Not much would keep me away

7.0 On the list for another go, though not necessarily an automatic selection

6.5 Would do this one again if the stars aligned, but wouldn’t break the bank for it

6.0 Was fun but only a very cheap deal and a free weekend would tempt me again

below 6.0 Not found one of these yet. Hope I don’t

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

7.5 Reaper Day Race

7.0 Tough Mudder North West

7.0 Survival of the Fittest Manchester

7.0 Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

7.0 Total Warrior Lake District

6.5 Stockton River Rat Race

Next OCR is the Ram Run on 10^th January next year. It’s not all sherry and mince pies till then though, there are still a couple of non-OCR challenges on 30^th November and 14^th December to fit in.

I am however going to do post-race reviews for the other 3 OCRs that I’ve completed prior to introducing this rating system (Pandemonium, Mighty Deerstalker and Yorkshire Warrior). So the next three or four posts will be “mud-heavy” to say the least!!

Till next time,

DT 

Ljubljana - Living up to Expectations

I'm rubbish at this whole blogging thing recently. 
I'll get better, probably. 

Anyway, for now here is the second part of my Mid-European Capital Trip (only about 1 month after I actually went!). Full review will follow on my TravelPod blog when I get my backside into gear and do it.

Capital #18 - LJUBLJANA

Fresh from my trip to Zagreb I bordered a very quiet looking and clean train to head over into one of the other capitals re-established following the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s – Ljubljana.

The train journey itself is very picturesque, following the River Sava all the way from leaving Zagreb to pulling into the Slovenian capital. It was very peaceful and relaxing, and not a bad way at all to enter one of the cities that I have been really looking forward to seeing.

And it didn’t disappoint one bit. I thought Zagreb was nice but I’m glad I didn’t give it 5 stars as Ljubljana blew it out of the water. From the cobbled streets of the Old Town, the imposing figure of the Castle perched on the hillside and the numerous cafés, bars and restaurants which blanket the riverside – this was stunning.

You can cover most of the “things to do” in Ljubljana in a day with relative ease. Ljubljana Castle is well worth a look (though more for the views than anything else) and there are a few very good museums such as the City Museum which will hold your attention for a good few hours if you are that way inclined. But this is no Lisbon, Budapest or Copenhagen in terms of things to do, it is more the setting and the ambience of the place which is the charm.

I’ve never been to Paris but elements of this sound positively Parisian. I think I could spend a month here and never run out of places to eat, drink, enjoy a book or just watch the world go by. The river meanders its way through the centre of the city and the gentle flowing of the water brings a sense of serenity and peace which is rare in cities these days, never mind capitals.

Most of the cities I love have many things to bring me back; the baths of Budapest, the museums of London, the cafes of Lisbon etc.. Ljubljana is different but still magical. I can see myself returning time and time again – simply to do nothing and watch the world go by.

Verdict: 5 stars out of 5

Next on the Capital Tour is the (apparently delightful) Riga in a few weeks. This will be a slightly different trip as I’m joined by my brother-in-law (who I ticked Dublin off with many, many years ago) and our friend (who was my Oslo companion). Expect plenty of drinks, some good food and a wee bit of banter.

Till next time,

DT 

REVIEW: Full Circle by Michael Palin (Book)

I always like a good travel book when I am travelling myself. There is something soothing and relaxing about reading about other people's exploits when I'm away.

Back in the day I remember watching Michael Palin's BBC TV programmes, “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Pole to Pole”, with fascination. Being born abroad and travelling so extensively when I was younger has fuelled my enjoyment of travel and I love reading about and hearing about other people's adventures.

I've read a lot of Bill Bryson's travel-based books but will confess to not having read any of Michael Palin's previous offerings. Until now!

Full Circle

The Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean on the planet. It covers some 30% of the surface area of the globe and approximately 40 countries (across 4 continents) have some kind of Pacific Coastline. Everything from fully developed countries such as the USA through islands nations, deserts, developing economies and even uninhabited jungle is represented as you circumnavigate its borders. Which is precisely what Palin did over the course of 250-odd days back in the late 1990s, primarily for the TV series which this book is the accompaniment to.

Starting in the Bering Strait between Russia and the USA, Palin and his intrepid team navigated across to Russia, down through China and Vietnam, across to the Philippines and Borneo. They then took in Australia and New Zealand before starting the long drag up the East Coast of South America before cutting over to Mexico and the USA and returning to the start of it all.

It is the sheer diversity of these places that makes the journey fascinating. They all share a common body of water but that is where the similarity ends in most cases. For some the Ocean is the lifeblood, whereas for others it is a leisure activity or even a nuisance.

Palin conveys this fantastically throughout. His style and approach to travel is one that manages to get into the heart of everywhere he passes through, and it draws you into a place in a way which is beyond the simple physical geography or location. The interactions and encounters with the locals and the culture of each and every stop paint a vivid picture, which is in essence the real trick to travel writing. It all feels very natural too; there are times when the whole expedition seems moments from disaster or when a cultural taboo is magnificently broken – exactly like your average person may do.

I think it is very easy to simply list places/activities and string something together into a kind of “travel itinerary/diary” but it takes a level of skill to get into the heart of a place and really begin to understand the people and the lifestyle.

Lonely Planet and Rough Guide do a fantastic line in Travel Guides; Full Circle gets more into the intangibles of travel – the feel, the atmosphere and the more obscure nuances. And it does this really well; short, snappy sections manage to provide enough insight without becoming tedious or too “dry”.

Palin’s writing style (based on diary entries and recollections) works too. You are invited to follow in his footsteps and almost follow the journey yourself, using your imagination to fill in the gaps. Most of the wonder of travel for me is the discovery element of things; and the way the book is written allows you to experience those moments in a very similar way to the way Palin himself would have.

Overall I thought this was a very enjoyable read, and one which certainly conveys the wonders and the excitement of travelling around this fantastic planet of ours. It has also provided me with food for thought in the way I have been recording my travels, so hopefully I’ll be able to take some of the elements from Full Circle and incorporate them into my travel blogs.

The way I feel when I read this book is how I want people to feel when I tell them about my adventures; excited, intrigued and inspired to do something similar. I have plenty to work on obviously!

Verdict: 4.5 stars out of 5

Till next time,

DT

EVENT REVIEW: The Reaper Day Race

So here we are again, another one in the books. Challenge #19 has been conquered, and a lot of fun it was too. The Reaper was the event, a 10km obstacle race mainly through woods and a lake. There was a day version and a night version. I signed up to do both but unfortunately Rick couldn’t make it in the end so I ended up just doing the day one as I didn’t want my “fans” waiting around too long!

I now therefore present Part 5 of Team MUBU’s "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

THE REAPER

10km Obstacle/Mud Run

18^th October 2014

Nr Corley, Warwickshire

Just me this time, my first ever solo obstacle race - if you don’t count Men’s Health or Deerstalker which weren’t supposed to be solo but ended up that way due to my various ailments. I did have a fan club with me though which helped me battle on through.

General Event Organisation

Dead easy to sign up for, plus I actually got both races for the single price so if I had actually done the night one too it would have been excellent value for money. No pre-race pack but plenty of emails with details came through and everything you needed was provided.

8 – Very Good

Event Facilities

No merchandise stall until registration was complete and nowhere to buy any OCR gear. This was a small event though so that was no surprise. OCR Magazine had a stall where you could sign up for their packages and there seemed to be plenty of toilets, free parking and a burger stall for after.

6 – Above Average

Registration

Probably the only poor thing about the event. There simply wasn’t enough room in the tent nor enough people to run the desks. Plus there was a strange “double queue” system where you registered and got your number at one desk and then had to queue at another desk to get your wave start time. The problem was that no-one seemed to know who was in which queue and it was all a bit cramped. Add a few more people onto the registration desks and re-jig the layout and most of the problems go away.

4 – Below Average

Location

Right off the M6 at the Heart of England Conference Centre. Couldn’t get much more central and it was very accessible. No signposts to the event but because it was a recognisable venue (rather than a field) I don’t really think it needed them.

8 – Very Good

On Course Facilities

Only one water station at about 5km. There were plenty of marshals where needed and the course was marked out very well. No distance markers but every obstacle had a number on it so you could gauge where approximately where you were on the course.

6 – Above Average

Warm-Up

One of the features of the race. A continuous “rolling” warm-up where you could join in whenever you wanted and do as much or as little as you like. Very thorough and well organised with a couple of people from a local bootcamp running it. This sets the standard for warm-ups.

9 – Excellent

Variety of obstacles

Plenty of obstacles but not the greatest variety. Lots of climbing over things and crawling through things. It did however have a water slide into the lake and it never felt repetitive or unimaginative.

7 - Good

Obstacle/Run mix

My kind of race, no hills. Loads of obstacles (25) in the first 5km with no real long running sections. The running sections that were there came in the middle of the race and you felt like it was nice to get your legs stretched for a bit. A couple of the later obstacles had 15-20 minute queues which might have been fixed with a slight re-route but sometimes these things can’t be helped

8 – Very Good 

Terrain

Really good use of the woods and the lake. Plus the big “feature” obstacle (the water slide) was two minutes wander from the main event village. The terrain was well used to create natural obstacles and this was supplemented well with man-made ones where needed. Also, NO HILLS!!

8 – Very Good

Post-Race

Another very nice medal and a very distinctive technical T-Shirt (which you actually got at registration). There was a decent goody bag with recovery drinks and sweets and a good photo opportunity with the Reaper himself.

7 – Good

Difficulty

Probably one of the easiest races for me, mainly due to the lack of hills and the minimal long running sections. Took me about 1h45m to do the race but a good 30m of that was additional waiting on top of what you would normally factor in. None of these races are easy but I didn’t really struggle at any point on this one so it won’t tax the hardcore racers. Though the night version might!

Course: 5 out of 10

Obstacles: 6 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

Really enjoyed this race, the only thing missing was a buddy to race round with. But my fan club cheered me on and the banter with folks on the way around was enjoyable and friendly. I would definitely like to attack the night version of this one sometime and I’d happily do it again with a group. This is a pretty good “first” mud race for someone as it is a decent length, has plenty of obstacles and you get a nice post-race pack when you finish.

Overall Score

75% - Tough to put my finger on why this one is rating the best so far but I just got a really good vibe from it. The early bird prices for next year come in at around £30

A reminder that the scoring goes like this:

90+%                Sell organs and/or children to do this event every single time

80+%                A very good event indeed, try to do this every year

70+%                Will definitely do this again if the timing/cost is right

60+%                Very enjoyable but would probably won’t do again unless cost/time work out and there is nothing else on the calendar

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

75%                  Reaper Day Race

70%                  Tough Mudder North West

70%                  Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

65%                  Total Warrior Lake District

60%                  Stockton River Rat Race

Next one up is Manchester Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest on 8^th November. I did this one last year (in fact it was my first ever OCR) and managed to injure myself after 2 of the 10km! Really looking forward to attacking this again, will be running with my sister and her friend too which will be fun – a couple of new Mubus for the team!

Till next time,

DT 

Zagreb - An unexpected gem

I've decided to do my travel reviews slightly differently from now on. I'll do a very quick summary review on here, with a more in-depth one hosted at my TravelPod blog when I get around to doing it sometime next week. Probably. Depends on how busy I am.

ZAGREB

Wow, what a fantastic place. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from Zagreb if I'm honest, but it has definitely impressed. I was slightly nervous before coming here, although I can't really put my finger on why.

Was is someone to do with the situation that is the first of the old Yugoslav capitals I've been to? Or the fact that it lags behind Dubrovnik, the islands and Lake Plitivice on the "list" of good Croatian places to go? Maybe it was simply an unfair stereotype on my behalf; sub-consciously unsure of this part of the world because of it's recent history? Who knows? All I can say is that I'm glad I did put that nervousness aside, because Zagreb has been a real unexpected bonus.

Sitting between Valencia and Krakow on the "population list" of European Cities, Zagreb is by no means a big place. You can walk around what I will call the "culturally" interesting bits of it comfortably in a day - and I have had no need to utilise the seemingly excellent public transport system. But there is still plenty here to keep you entertained.

The older districts of Gradec and Kaptol make up the fascinating Upper Town; an amalgamation of the old (ruins, churches, medieval fortifications), the traditional (the daily fruit and veg market at Dolac Square) and the new (the pedestrianised Tkalčićeva Street with its thriving daytime coffee shops and bustling, relaxed nightlife). A wander through here at any time of day will yield something of note, whilst in the evenings it really feels like the place to be.

Moving down in the Lower Town brings abundant grandiose buildings (such as the Art Pavilion and Croatian National Theatre) as well as beautiful open spaces and more meeting places and coffee shops than you can shake a stick at. You can spend the day shopping, eating, drinking and exploring - and it is all within a tight radius that somehow still manages to feel big enough.

For the more culturally minded there is plenty to entertain you with an excellent selection of museums (City Museum, Archaeology Museum and others) as well as many other reminders of the long and colourful past the city has been through.

Gastronomically Zagreb is one of the best places I have been too; offering fantastic local food, drink and snacks at what will seem ridiculous prices. A full 3-course meal included 3 glasses of matched wine, homemade breads, a coffee and an aperitif in the 4th ranked restaurant in town still struggled to remove me of £30! As always, do what the locals do and you can't go far wrong.

Tomorrow is Independence Day here in Croatia and it is a reminder that Croatia in it's current guise is less than 25 years old. At this rate Zagreb will very quickly grow and be noticed more and more by the usual Western European cliches of stag-do groups and budget airline companies. So get here fast while it is still a relatively undiscovered treasure.

I make my departure for Ljubljana, another "new" capital relatively speaking. If it is anywhere near as good as Zagreb I am in for a real treat.

Verdict: 4.5 stars out of 5

I've added ratings to all of the capitals I've been to so far on the sidebar to the left of this post. I may yet uprate Zagreb to a 5, but I'm not sure there is enough to keep me coming back time and time again. Only 3 capitals have got a 5 so far (though there a few that have recently been downgraded and may find their way back up again).

Do sljedećeg puta,
DT

EVENT REVIEW: Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

They are coming thick and fast now (unlike my blog posts which appear to have died a death at the moment). I promise, again, that I’ll get back to posting more regularly but, in the meantime, here is the review for Challenge #18.

Spartan Sprint Yorkshire was the event, a short one by recent standards but no less difficult for it. So here is Part 4 of Team MUBU’s "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. 

The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

SPARTAN SPRINT YORKSHIRE

5km Obstacle/Mud Run

28^th September 2014

Ripon

Another “Team MUBU” effort with myself (Falloff Boy), Rick (Birchy Balls) and Nat (Lara Croft) partaking in this one. Rick had a time to beat so he left us behind after a few km but Nat and I stayed together and finished with a decent time. This was Nat’s first “proper muddy” race and she loved it.

General Event Organisation

Relatively easy to sign up but the way the website works isn’t as intuitive as some of the other races. Checking in and printing off your event pass worked well though and generally everything was smooth and simple. The races actually ran 30mins behind schedule which suited us as we were late – but I imagine it was annoying for some.

6 – Above Average

Event Facilities

A couple of small stores selling trainers and merchandise but nothing compared to Rat Race events or the like. Food and drink was available and plenty of toilets for use. I have it on good authority that the spectator route wasn’t buggy-friendly so if that is important to you then beware. The “event village” itself was small but you had a great view of the finish line and the atmosphere was great. Plenty of parking available near to the start line.

7 – Good

Registration

Well organised and marshalled. Seemed to run very smoothly and everything you needed for the race was provided and explained. There were a couple of sizeable queues for those who hadn’t pre-filled in the waiver but they seemed to move quickly.

7 - Good

Location

We had a bit of trouble finding it but that could be down to the fact I didn’t check where It was before leaving. Once we knew where it was it was dead easy. Not far from the A1 and with decent access in and out this was pretty well placed.

7 - Good

On Course Facilities

Only one water station but at only 5km this race didn’t really need more. There were plenty of marshals where needed and the course was marked out very well. No distance markers but, again, didn’t really matter with the short distance of the event.

6 – Above Average

Warm-Up

Not so much a warm up but a rallying call! Could have done with a bit more stretching and stuff but, to be fair, you shouldn’t be relying on someone else to do that for you. Great build up though and we were pumped by the time we crossed the line.

7 - Good

Variety of obstacles

Best variety of obstacles I’ve seen so far. There were at least four things that haven’t been encountered before and a really good mix of upper and lower body challenges. Managed to pack a lot into 5km.

8 - Very Good

Obstacle/Run mix

Plenty of obstacles so no really long running sections. The hills early doors killed me but they weren’t too long in all reality. Being a short race there was always likely to be no really long sections but they managed to get a few places where the quicker amongst you could stretch your legs.

7 - Good 

Terrain

Pretty good use of the available resources. The forest sections were tight and a good challenge while they managed to put the “big” obstacles in places where plenty of folks could watch if they wanted to. Enough open space to make sure the field didn’t get too bunched most of the time.

7 –Good

Post-Race

A cracking medal and a very nice (non-Tech)  finisher’s T-Shirt. Throw in a free beer, free ice-cream, water, energy bar and some energy sweets and you have a very decent post-race pack indeed. There was a post-race “hosing down” available if you fancied it and a good photo opportunity in front of the Spartan board.

8 – Very Good

Difficulty

Short and sharp this one. I struggled with the hills (as always) and they really sapped my strength for the later obstacles. Some of the obstacles are really tough and the punishment of 30 burpees for failing is brutal. Except it wasn’t policed that well and I’ll be honest and admit I skipped out on my penalty a few times!! If you complete all the obstacles though, you have done very, very well indeed.

Course: 6 out of 10

Obstacles 8 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

This was a lot of fun and we made a decent day of it with a now-traditional trip for a burger on the way home. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the race (mainly down to the company!) and the post-race banter and chat really is what makes these for me. If you’ve got a good bunch of racers and spectators, these things are the MOST fun you can have.

Overall Score

70% - Some might argue Spartan Sprint is pricey considering the distance but you get a well put together event with a few things you don’t get elsewhere. However you can pick up a good early bird if you plan well enough and it then becomes very good value. Already got our eyes on another Spartan Sprint next year and we hope to graduate up to the Spartan Super and Spartan Beast at some point!

A reminder that the scoring goes like this:

90+%           Sell organs and/or children to do this event every single time

80+%           A very good event indeed, try to do this every year

70+%           Will definitely do this again if the timing/cost is right

60+%           Very enjoyable but would probably won’t do again unless cost/time work out and there is nothing else on the calendar

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

70%             Tough Mudder North West

70%             Spartan Sprint Yorkshire

65%             Total Warrior Lake District

60%             Stockton River Rat Race

Next one up is Reaper on 18^th October. This is a 10km event that we have stupidly signed up for twice, once in the afternoon and once in the evening with head torches on. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking?!

Till next time,

DT  

EVENT REVIEW: Tough Mudder North West

Saturday saw yet another Challenge conquered. The Cholmondley Estate was the site for Tough Mudder Northwest. We managed to rustle up a team of 8 of us to take this one on, representing Friends of Serenity and organised through my work at Simon Carves Engineering.

So here it is, part 3 of Tom and Rick's "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

TOUGH MUDDER NORTHWEST

11-12 mile Obstacle/Mud Run

13^th September 2014

Cholmondley, Cheshire

A slightly chilly early morning (partially due to the 5:30am alarm call) gave way to a lovely mid-morning and early afternoon as we trudged around the 11-12 miles of the Tough Mudder course. Cracking team of 8 of us attacked this and it was generally agreed it was tough but a lot of fun and definitely something that will be done again - by some!

General Event Organisation

I didn't actually organise most of this but the bits I dealt with were simple and easy to navigate. Ticket and waiver provided electronically and the set-up on the day was slick and exactly what you'd expect from an established operator like TM.

7 - Good

Event Facilities

A single small shop selling branded gear and a few eateries dotted around the event village. Parking was easy to get in and out at the times we were there and TM provided plenty for spectators to do - including a couple of marked spectator routes as well as a kid's mini-mudder. There was a rinse station for afterwards and a big bar for the after party. It loses a mark for charging £3 for the bag drop but other than that it was up there with the best so far.

7 – Good

Registration

Seemed standard for these events. Slick and efficient provided you remembered your ID and waiver. If you didn't then you could still race, it just took a bit longer to go through the process. Those non-first-timers had a separate registration desk and all seemed to run like clockwork there too.

7 - Good

Location

Pretty easy to find in the Cheshire countryside. The estate was well used with plenty of spectator access for all (including push chairs in some places). That meant you never felt lonely on the run and people could see plenty of action. 

8 - Very Good

On Course Facilities

Lots of water stations and a couple of feed stations giving out protein bars and the like. Plenty of medics and marshalls dotted around the course and the major obstacles were controlled well, There was a bit of queuing as a result but it was better than a free-for-all and thankfully none of the queues were too long. Distance markers every mile helped too.

7 - Good

Warm-Up

A good long warm-up beforehand, the only criticism of which being the slight lack of space to do it in. The briefing and build up was well done and I felt completely energised and ready to go by the time we crossed the line.  

7 - Good

Variety of obstacles

Excellent variety of obstacles on the course. Plenty of mud, water, man-made and natural barriers were provided and the order of them meant you were never bored or stuck with a run of two or three of the same type in a row.

8 - Very Good

Obstacle/Run mix

Generally pretty well spaced with most of the longer running sections early doors to stretch the field and try to minimise the queues. The back end through the forest had a couple of slightly boring longer sections but it wasn't too bad overall.

7 - Good 

Terrain

Good use of the limited elevation changes and the lakes/streams on the estate. The spectator routes were well thought out to allow people to watch large chunks of the course (and popular obstacles) and it was varied enough to not feel too "samey" for the majority of the route. There were a couple of quite narrow paths in the forest section which people kept barging past us on but generally it was OK.

7 –Good

Post-Race

No medal unfortunately but you do get a Tough Mudder headband. It doesn't sound like much but these headbands are a badge of honour as you accumulate different coloured ones as you do more and more events. A pretty decent tech T-shirt was provided too as well as a welcome glass of alcoholic ginger beer and a bar to top the nutrients up.

7 - Good

Difficulty

This was energy sapping in places but nothing like Total Warrior or Mighty Deerstalker. We had a quite a few enforced rests due to the minor queues so it was actually not that difficult a course in my opinion. We didn't do it super-quick though so that may be why it felt easier.

Course: 7 out of 10

Obstacles 7 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

I had a great day. Mainly helped by having a cracking bunch of guys with me and also some spectators to spur me on to the finish (where I had a brilliant homemade banner waiting for me). Tough Mudder was amongst the most fun races I've done and the variety of obstacles kept it fresh throughout.

Overall Score

70% - The only real thing against Tough Mudder is the price. I'd definitely do another one if the timing was right but I wouldn't break the bank nor shift a family holiday for it, if you know what I mean, The experience was fun but for the £90+ entrance fee you can do 2 or 3 smaller ones and so the value for money lets it down ever so slightly, unless you can grab an early bird price.

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

70%                Tough Mudder North West

65%                Total Warrior Lake District

60%                Stockton River Rat Race

Next one up is Spartan Sprint (6km) on 28th September. 30 burpees everytime you can't do an obstacle, this could be absolutely horrendous as I'm not exactly a profilic "burpee-r".

Till next time,

DT 

REVIEW: Magician's Guild (Black Magician #1) by Trudi Canavan

I’ll confess to having a soft spot for stories involving magic and magicians. There is something about it which has always given me that sense of wonder and, for want of a better word, magic. Trudi Canavan’s Black Magic Trilogy has been on my radar for a while now and I finally got around to the first book, Magician’s Guild.

*MINOR SPOILER ALERT*

Magician’s Guild tells the story of Sonea, a young girl born in the slums who is found to have latent magical powers. She has been brought up to hate the Magician’s Guild and everything they stand for but she may need their help to avoid destroying herself and the world around her.

Once safely in the confines of the Guild she beings to learn that maybe not everything she has heard about them is true, but who should she trust and what dark secrets are being kept within the Guild?

Canavan’s world is not one we have never seen before. But all the good fantasy books share these common elements, they are essential to the genre and the type of story they try to tell. The really good ones put their own distinctive stamp on it and Canavan succeeds here.

The first half of the book is set in the city whilst Sonea is on the run but once she is caught/rescued (depending on your point of view) the scene switches to the Guild and noticeably changes in pace. The second half is much more about Sonea learning about her powers and the Guild itself.

The world at large is hinted at but it is no more than a brief glimpse. More is to come I’m sure but for now the focus is firmly on Sonea and the difficult decisions she will have to make.

There are elements of the Aes Sedai (from Wheel of Time) about the Guild but there is much more emphasis towards this being more like a University, which is where I expect the second book to go with Sonea and her development.

Canavan’s characters are interesting and have depth; particularly the kind Rothen and his apprentice Dannyl, the scheming, underhand Fergun and the plucky resourceful sidekick Ceyni. Again none of these characters are particularly new or unique but they are well-written and they fit well together in the narrative. You want to follow their story further, even those you don’t like very much.

For a book about Magicians there is not so much magic as one might expect. Canavan does a great job of not overloading the reader with a whole magic system, preferring to bring it in piece by piece as and when required. We learn as Sonea learns and I like this as an approach, rather than a bombardment of information early on which you struggle to follow as you progress through the story.

Overall this book has all the elements which a good fantasy novel needs. It feels epic, but the little touches are nice. The characters are interesting and engaging and the plot doesn’t feel overly recycled though elements of it clearly are.

This is a typical first book in a series for me, the main character suffers an upheaval that they must come to terms with before realising that life has changed irrevocably and a whole new one is stretching out ahead of them.

I’ll definitely be back for more.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

Till next time,
DT

REVIEW: Siege of Night (Gatekeeper #2) by Jeff Gunzel

I'm been very busy the last few weeks with one thing and another so I'm way behind with my posts. Thanks to those still reading, I promise to be a bit more prolific going forward. After all, there is no point calling this thing the Daily Stream if I don't provide something on a daily(ish) basis!

So without further ado I'm back into the book reviews. Book #2 of Jeff Gunzel's Gatekeeper series, Siege of Night.

*SPOILER FREE*

I've been bouncing around quite a few series this year and sometimes it takes a while to remember where you are and who is who in these series. Particularly as fantasy writers seem to have this conspiracy which causes them to use very similar names for their characters! Once you have more than about 2 or 3 epic series on the go (as I like to) you struggle to work out whether you are coming or going.

The Gatekeeper series is quite refreshing on a number of levels. Firstly, the books aren't actually that long and so there isn't really the time or the scope to inject vast swathes of characters into the story. Those characters that are added don't really have the development of, say, a Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire - but I don't think the story suffers from it. Those characters we met in the first story are all present and correct, with a few extra ones thrown in. There is nothing particularly different about them that hasn't been seen before but that isn't really a problem.

In many aspects, these are books are kind of "light" versions of the heavier fantasy tomes. They concentrate on the action pieces and are less interested in the slow-burning build up. Sometimes that is a nice change, not everything can be a 1000 page epic spanning months or years in which very little actually happens. Gunzel keeps the story ticking along nicely and provides just enough diversion to keep the pace varied when it needs it.

The plot itself, again, isn't earth shattering. But it is good enough to hold your attention and keep the pages turning. There is more here too, you can feel it, The series has put down its roots and is starting to stretch the branches a bit, trying a few things that the confidence of a successful book behind you can bring.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. I read it in about 3 hours on the train so it's not exactly War and Peace. It fills a very nice hole in my reading portfolio and I am looking forward to the next couple in the series. At the princely sum of £1ish per book on the Kindle, it really is a no-brainer.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

Till next time.
DT