Running El Camino

[litsl]

Hi All,

I quite like long distance running and am thinking about running El Camino in April. I'm sure this has been done before but cannot find anything written about such on the web.

Does anyone have any leads on this?

Cheers

Carl

[Leslie]

I have heard of someone doing this before, but I can't find where it was.

It seems a lot to run, it can be hard on the body walking that amount day after day - but running for 15 to 25 days seems like hard going.

If you do it keep us updated.

[litsl]

Hi Leslie

Thanks for the reply.

I'm surprised there is not more about running el camino on the web. I'm sure it's a popular run.

I'm not sure running day after day is such a big deal if I can keep my pack weight low. I've done 8 days consecutive running around Lake Tahoe in the USA (165 miles) between 7000 and 10000ft. I'm not really an exceptional runner, I just figure that humans are designed to run we just don't do much of it these days!

In 2007 I hiked 1,565 miles of the PCT carrying tent and food. I'm hoping that this experience plus a light pack might give me a chance at running El Camino.

What guide books would you recommend for El Camino?

Cheers

Carl

[Covey]

In 2007 I met a guy who was running the Camino, but kept seeing him at the same albergues as I was staying in every evening. Turns out he was running the 25/30km's a day whilst we walked the same distance.

The only problem he seemed to have was he spent a lot of time just hanging around. Most official albergues do not open until mid afternoon so having arrived at his destination, he had to hang around for 4 hours waiting for a shower, whilst the rest of us walked at a reasonable pace, stopped for frequent refreshments and finished just as the albergue opened.

The runner was carrying a very small pack with a towel, spare lycra running suit, spare pair of running shoes and a water bladder. No camera, food, odd little luxury, in fact so minumalist it shamed the rest of us who felt pleased we were only carrying half a tube of toothpaste to save weight!!.

There are parts of the Camino Francais which are difficult underfoot for those wearing boots with ankle protection, let alone trying to run in light weight running shoes. Best avoided!

[litsl]

Hi Covey,

Thanks for that. I think you are probably spot on about distances being the same. In fact, last night I invited a couple of hiking friends to come along with me. If I run and they hike we'd get the same distances done. I just like to run!

Good to know the Albergues dont open until mid afternoon - thanks for that.

Most hikers on the PCT are super minimalist. 2,650 miles is quite a long hike through the mountains (Yosemite etc) and you can only really make it with a light pack. Light shoes are part of the game so most, if not all, wear running shoes. Montrails are awesome and have hard plastic underneath which is very good for running or walking on rocks. I get at least 1,000 miles out of a pair - especially if I put superfeet insoles in there.

Some photos of my PCT hike are here if you'd like to get an idea of clothing and gear carried (though remember we are all carrying tents and food - sometimes enough for 10 days and sometimes it's in a bear cannister)...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlmyh...7600994202757/

I'm still trying to figure out what might be the best guide book. Any recommendations?

Cheers

Carl

[Covey]

I regret to say that I never carry a guide book or map!! There are some who like to brag about how many books and maps they carry, but it is only weight which has to be carried.

There is never a shortage of guide books being carried by pilgrims in all languages, so the best bet is to borrow one, read the pages for the next day, and then hand it back with a smile knowing that you do not have to carry it the following day.

The Camino Frances is very well marked with official signposts and painted arrows on the road or sides of buildings, usually in bright yellow!! Those who get lost on the trail are usually those who feel the need to start walking at 0530, having first woken everyone up whilst they crash around getting dressed and packed in the dark. Serves them right!!!

Sensible pilgrims start walking at first light when you can see properly and don't miss the arrows!.

[Covey]

Carl,

Like the photo's. Looks very much like parts of the Camino Frances, especially between Burgos and Leon.

Covey

[martinstuart]

Good luck with your trip. Just to let you know what I heard when walking the Camino Frances a couple of years ago...

(a) One man ran it that summer in eleven days. Yes, eleven! How? By having arranged in advance with various hostels that his place was guaranteed for him. He would run an average of, what is it, 70km a day and they'd keep him a bed. Don't know why they'd do that, maybe because of the novelty of it, maybe it was for some sort of record, maybe because he was doing it for charity. Now, I had my doubts about this story, but then I met two walkers in different hostels who didn't know each other and who, independently, had met this man and vouched for the truth of it.
(b) Two summers ago I met a man who told me he met a man who was walking 40km a day (a fair few people try for that, usually superfit men, some of whom you meet a few days later as their bodies have forced them to slow down or even stop for a few days) and who said that he ran it the previous summer doing 60+km/day. He said that walking it was much harder for him than running it.
(c) And now for something I doubt but I did hear from a French pal in his late 40s who was in the French army and was told this by a hostel owner... just passing it on... that the French Foreign Legion sometimes train/test their new members by having them walk the whole Camino from St Jean 50km/day with a... wait for it... 50kg backpack. They apparently sleep outdoors. (Now, I DID meet a great guy from Canada who was walking [slowly] about 25km/day with two backpacks, one on his front, one on his back, with a total weight over 40kilo. He carried heavy stuff on purpose. He was doing it to lose a lot of weight before his wedding later in the year; he was indeed hugely overweight. I think I remember hearing later from friends that he made it about half-way but had to give up. As for the Foreign Legion task, surely impossible.)

[Covey]

I met a girl from Hungary last year who was walking 40kms a day, because that was what she had to make to fit the Camino in to her holidays. She was fairly fit and I met her about half way along the trail, and at that point she was on schedule.

The only problem is that the more you push your body over an extended period, the greater the risk of stress injuries to ankles and knees, and when you start getting these type of injuries, they tend to get worse the more you walk, not better!

I aim to do 30kms a day at most, depending on the weather and where the next albergues are. Some days I will only do 15/20 and stop early to do my laundry and have a gin and tonic!

I start walking just after dawn when it is light enough to see properly, and aim to finish around 3pm. I take plenty of refreshment stops and walk at a steady pace.

A couple of years ago I met a guy who was walking in bare feet, with his dog. He had started out in boots, but said he had met a priest who had chastised him for walking in boots and socks whilst his dog was walking in bare feet, at which point he said he threw his boots away and walked on. His feet were not a pretty sight!!!

I have come across people carrying all their kit in a shopping bag with wheels like old ladies use in supermarkets, or all their kit in a home made three wheel cart which looked like a supermarket trolley (with brakes) and saw a Korean girl last year who carried all her kit in two supermarket plastic bags (very minimalist!!).

In fact you see the most extraordinary sights and meet the most extraordinary people fron all corners of the world on the Camino. That is really what it is all about for me.