Kathmandu Coast to Coast - A Simple Guide

It’s just up the Deception River, over Goats Pass and then out the Minga River to Klondyke.  It’s only 30km of running….. it’s not even a Marathon said the IRONMAN athlete to the multisporter ……. Yeah Right! 

I do wonder if Braden Currie is the only athlete ever to post a run time for Goats pass that’s within 10 minutes of his Marathon time off the bike.

The run is technical…

It requires high levels of proprioception, strength, power and endurance.  If you’re truly racing you also need to have an in-depth understanding of the course to get the best line and be able to confidently self-navigate rivers.  To put it further into context, trail running alone will not prepare you for this.  Find yourself a river bed and run up it… hope the boulders get bigger so you have to scramble over them with wet feet… find a really rooty trail to run home on to make sure you learn to pick your feet up… then finish off running back up that river bed to see how your glutes and ankles cope.

If I haven’t painted a clear enough picture then try this… go and do some serious squats in the gym, then when you have the worst DOMS go for a run on a riverbed.  This is how my glutes felt as I ran out the Minga down to Klondyke for the first time.  I’d like to think this is not just an indication of my weak glutes at the time, as I know that had I done a simple trail run or road run of that distance, my glutes wouldn’t have been that sore.

The above is why the Coast to Coast run for most of us is such a different challenge to a trail or road running race.  It requires a lot more specific attention to develop a skill set where you will thrive in the run and arrive ready for a bike and long kayak in the best possible shape.  Remember, endurance racing requires the ability to consistently deliver across multiple disciplines.  As good a kayaker as you may be, if you don’t get through the run efficiently it will impact your day.

The run and kayak training are focus points for me when building a programme towards Coast to Coast.  They are the longest segments of the race and technically the hardest two of the three disciplines.  I also find that the aerobic run training crosses over very well to delivering on the bike. With the final bike leg being a 70km TT for the longest day, your overall aerobic endurance will be a significant contributor to performing there.  Yes, specific bike fitness will help, but when you’re balancing a training programme and limited on time then I often find that what you can achieve with running, has a brilliant crossover for the cycle legs.

At this time of year, I would be looking to include these elements of training to further my run performance:

  • Consistent long trail running at zone 1-2 on undulating terrain (length depending on your progression/training age)

  • Strength work with stability elements especially around the hips.

  • Plyometrics: depending on your skill set but ideally working on single leg landing and hopping in multiple directions

  • 3 other runs a week

    • Zone 2 Aerobic run

    • Zone 1 Aerobic run with strides

    • Short Hill Reps

My next block before I started to go super specific would be to build in

  • Longer hill reps

  • A tempo run

  • Advancing my plyometric movements

The most important factor however is finding consistency.  If between now and Coast you can consistently achieve 3 solid aerobic runs, this will be better than 1 run week plus some 5 run weeks, or crash coursing, both often leading to injury, 

To clarify, my non-negotiables are consistent aerobic running, working your stability/strength, plyometric movements and hill reps.  The aspect I would always drop first would be a tempo run.  Why?  Because it’s the riskiest session to creating a consistent run week and often the hardest session to achieve under fatigue. 

If you want an example of my running within a 12-hour training week, see below.  As a reference, in 2020 this had me on track for a sub 4hour. 

  • Monday:  60min run with drills and hill reps:  12 x 30s on 5% gradients

  • Wednesday:  Zone 1 -2 / 90min

  • Friday: 45min steady aerobic over Mt Iron

  • Saturday:  30 – 60min easy jog maybe finishing with some strides. 

  • 2 x gym sessions / week focusing on glute and core strength/stability.

Happy running! And remember consistency is KING or QUEEN 😊

 

Tim Brazier

July 2022

Chris Collyer