Richard Palmer - King of the Mountain 2012, 2013, 2015
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We asked Richard some questions about his King of the Mountain experiences...
What can runners expect on the course? - surface, terrain, level of complexity... Runners can expect a hilly course run on fire trails with little technical complexity. Good open 4 wheel drive tracks but plenty of up and down hill running in sections. Can be muddy if we get rain and has sections of sand and rocks but mostly good compact dirt roads. How tough is KOM compared to other runs such as Six Foot Track and UTA? It’s tough but not quite the same as Six Foot or UTA due to the shorter distance. Plus it depends on which way its run as it’s a very different if you start at the bottom “Wakefield”, as your quads get smashed on the return downhill. The start at the top is mentally tough as the halfway mark is the lowest point and you know that the return trip has a lot of uphill running. What did you enjoy most about the event? and why? I enjoy the challenge of the event and the hills. Pacing is critical as you need to not go out to hard as the return trip is tough. I love running uphill so that is what attracts me to this run. Do you have any tips for anyone considering their first KOM? Start out easy and pace the first half conservatively as the return trip is a lot harder. Walk the steepest parts of the hills! Enjoy the downhills and take a gel or two with you. Are you running KOM this year? Yes!! |