Hever Castle

Elty · Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Posts: 273 Location: Surrey

Anyone getting involved this year?

I'm there for the Olympic on sunday this year.
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El Rey is anatomically my natural enemy/best friend.

tin pot · Joined: 08 Jul 2013 Posts: 2563 Location: Bromley

Yes, I'm in. It's my first Olympic distance, second ever race of any sort. I did the evening sprint in July.

Slow swimmer · Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:49 pm Post subject:

I'm in. Coming down from Yorkshire for weekend and thought would give it a go.

No idea what it is like as have not started searching for Garmin profiles yet of course.

Any tips appreciated. The lumpier the course the better for me. Also, is it a good place for wife and kids to come.
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Main Events for 2017:
RUN: Spine Challenger (108 miles), Bob Graham Round, 20th London Marathon, Endure 24, Lakeland 100
Tri: Triathlon X, Buttermere, Ilkley

It's all about getting the black T-shirt !

Elty · Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Posts: 273 Location: Surrey

the lake is shallow and rather silty so expect the swim to be a bit stodgy. only really two inclines to speak of, one not far into the ride and one just after the drink station. the run is very scenic. again a little incline to start the run if memory serves me right.

a fair bit for family to do. its a nice location. had a hot air balloon ride there last year, live band, food etc.
_________________
KEEP LEFT!

El Rey is anatomically my natural enemy/best friend.

tin pot · Joined: 08 Jul 2013 Posts: 2563 Location: Bromley

My only experience is of Hever, but I would say; be very careful getting into the lake, the ride is very hilly and rarely flat, and the cross country run meanders but has no significant inclines until the end - a punishing steep gravel path just before the finishing straight.

It is very scenic, and there were plenty of families there as were mine.

Slow swimmer · Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:10 pm Post subject:

Thanks - I look forward to it. Nice to try a different event and just a bit of end of season fun for me after a hard summer of longer events.
_________________
Main Events for 2017:
RUN: Spine Challenger (108 miles), Bob Graham Round, 20th London Marathon, Endure 24, Lakeland 100
Tri: Triathlon X, Buttermere, Ilkley

It's all about getting the black T-shirt !

kcd335 · Joined: 07 Jul 2013 Posts: 9

I'm going to do it. I was planning to map it but took a long route there and had done 40 miles by the time I got there so had to abandon that idea. It would have been a long way home if I had. So I'm now planning on mapping it next weekend after I do the LW this weekend. I'm going to use 910XT and G510 so we'll see which one gets the grades right. I might use Mapmyride or Strava at the same time to see how they compare.

poofinger · Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 3215 Location: nowhere

the bike course is definitely "rolling", so if you're fast uphill it'll suit you!

stevegg · Joined: 17 May 2011 Posts: 39

I'm doing Hever again this year but this time I'm doing the Gauntlet.

As others have said be careful entering the lake - this is done via some steps which are extremely slippery. The easiest way is to slide in on your bottom ! I actually don't think that the lake is too bad, especially once you get into the deeper water. For the Gauntlet the return is via the river which will be a first this year.

For the bike be careful on mounting/dismounting as there is some gravel at this point. The course for the standard is in my view rolling although possibly hillier than other courses described in this way. The standard has around 450m (on my Polar) of ascent over the 40km (although this excludes the in/out of the estate which doesn't add much). For those doing the Gauntlet I have this at around 1,360m (again excluding the in/out of the estate) so this will be more of a challenge. For the Gauntlet the main climbs are from Hartfield to the top of the Ashdown forest (Jib Jack Hill & Chuck Hatch Hill) and Groombridge Hill.

For the run there is a gradual climb shortly after transition and then as said previously a short sharp climb close to the end of each lap. These will also be done by the Gauntlet but I'm not sure what the rest of the Gauntlet course is like.

The event is well run and is suitable for families although the entrance fee that they introduced last year may put a few people off. I just hope that the weather is ok. It was a little cold last year.

Elty · Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Posts: 273 Location: Surrey

dhcm · Joined: 26 Jun 2010 Posts: 656 Location: London

TT or road bike?

I am doing sprint distance (couple of the kids are doing the kids races, which are on the saturday hence sprint only option)

dhcm · Joined: 26 Jun 2010 Posts: 656 Location: London

Here's a profile of the sprint bike lap: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1767801

poofinger · Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 3215 Location: nowhere

dhcm · Joined: 26 Jun 2010 Posts: 656 Location: London

Thanks. Is it a very tough course overall? The times from previous years seem very slow for a 400m/20K/4K length event (fastest times over an hour!)

poofinger · Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 3215 Location: nowhere

it's a quickish swim, then a run up a hill to transition, and then a decent distance out of transition. The bike course isn't a flat out course, there's some twisty rolling bits, and some quite punchy short ups. The run starts off with a long drag uphill and is mostly off-road. Nice course, it's just not Dorney lake for sure!