[music] Sam Pictor: You may see in the background
a fast approaching Mark Threlfall after my segment.
[music] Mark Threlfall: This is like a really sad
endurance sports version of the game Loser or Skate. Yes, skaters and mountain bikers
get to do these really cool tricks and compete against each other. We think it's really cool
to take each other on on segments. Anyway, we're having fun and hopefully you guys are
too. Let's get going. Three, two, one, let's go.
[music] Sam: Have you been sat at home minding your
own business when all of a sudden your phone pings and it's an email from Strava telling
you that someone has stolen one of your course records? To make things worse, it's a segment
right outside your house, on your own turf. Mark: Yes. That has happened to both of us
from both of us. Sam: What do you mean?
Mark: What I mean is there is no better present for one of your good friends than a friendly
notification from Strava that you have just stolen their course record.
Sam: That's right. Growing up we, me and Mark, were living in neighboring towns and so we
had our fair share of subtle Strava battles. You know the ones I mean. You go out for an
all-out effort running as hard as you can and then name it something like "gentle recovery
run." Mark: Yes, Sam, I do know the ones. In fact,
I would actually go as far as to say you went a little Strava mad at one point.
Sam: [laughs] What? Mark: All I'm saying is I just think you had
a slightly unhealthy addiction with Strava. Sam: Okay. I think it would be good to get
that just out in the open. We've come back to our stomping grounds, where we have owned
many of the segments around here. Right here, right now in front of you, I'm going to steal
one of your segments. Mark: I'm very pleased you've taken the decency
to do this in front of me, but I'm going to steal one of yours, too. Thank you.
Sam: Not if I do it first. Mark: All right, mate. I'm just scrolling
through Strava here and you have got a lot of segments.
Sam: Well, you know. Mark: Did you go on some spree at some point?
Sam: I'm just a good runner, Mark. It just comes naturally, you know. I've got three
here which have got your name alongside them. I might get my teeth stuck into those.
Mark: Yes, I've got to be honest, I thought I had a lot more. Maybe I just haven't been
home for some time. Have you been popping back home and getting segments when I haven't
been? Sam: Look, Mark, it comes naturally. You pop
out for a run and you come back with some course records.
Mark: Right. I've picked out a handful and interested to know which are your most precious?
Sam: I think the Castle Road Climb up to the White Horse is probably up there.
Mark: I thought you might say that because that was probably looking like the most challenging,
as well. Sam: [laughs] Bring it on. Now, I'm lining
up Salisbury Hollow Climb and downhill all the way to Stradbroke. How do you feel about
those? Mark: Good luck on the downhill, that's all
I'm going to say. I do actually remember doing that and thinking that was quite a good pace.
I can't remember the other one, though. See, on a couple of yours, you're around the 3:00-3:15
minutes per kilometer, which is cheeky and they're two kilometers long, but it's doable.
Sam: It's a tempo run. It's probably part of-
Mark: Oh, here's the excuse that's going now. Sam: It was probably part of quite a long
run and you're just going to come along and do it as a standalone effort, but that's fine,
that's fine. This downhill one's going to be all the sweeter.
Mark: Any tactics for getting these segments? Sam: I think probably just roll into them
and then pick up the pace. Then you've just got to go all out really, don't you?
Mark: Yes. Sam: Know what's ahead of you, as well. I'm
going to do some serious research before we attack them.
Mark: I think that's key. Right, let's get on with this, then, Sam.
Sam: Bring it on. [music]
Mark: All right, then. Here we go. Battle time.
Sam: Bring it on, Threlfall. Mark: Let's do this. Let's get warmed up.
Sam: Oh, it's chilly. [music]
Sam: Right. Trotting down the hill. What goes down must go up. Something like that. It's
always the other way round. Anyway, my segment is basically an uphill segment. I say my segment,
it's currently Mark's. It's my first target and the beauty of this one is if I get the
pacing right I can actually knock off two of Mark's-
Mark: Which I didn't realize I had. Just saying. Sam: -in one. Average pace is about 3:33 which
is good going but not impossible. It's just how that factors into the gradient side of
things. I guess we'll find out. We'll get Mark to go on ahead so he can get some footage
on the way up. Mark: Right, here we go. First segment. Sam's
underway. I've got to say it's been a long time since I've run up here. I used to run
round here a lot. It's a surprisingly steep gradient. It may not look like it. I've actually
got a bit of a headwind today. You can see Sam coming in the distance here. Oh, he's
working hard. I can't actually remember doing this segment, but I can't imagine that I would
have gone that easy so he's got his work cut out. Come on, Sam. Come on, mate.
Sam: First segment down. Mark: Do you think you got it?
Sam: I think I can do better. Either way, it's going to be a couple of seconds in it.
Mark: Nice. Sam: My average pace because this first bit
is slightly down, my average pace was just getting higher and higher and higher. We can
only find out when we upload it at the end. [music]
Mark: All right. This is quite a long segment. I think I need to run around 3:40/K and there's
a bit of an incline in this one. I don't know if I've mentioned, we've also got a bit of
a headwind here. It should be doable. I'm just going to have to give this one a crack.
Right, here we go. Three, two, one, let's go.
[music] Sam: You may see in the background a fast
approaching Mark Threlfall after my segment. Well done, Mark. Keep pushing. Keep pushing.
[music] Sam: How was that, mate?
Mark: Oh. I've got to say that was harder than I expected. I thought that was going
to be a nice tempo pace. Yes, I'm hurting a bit now. I'm actually starting to wonder
if we've bitten off more than we can chew today because we're trying to do numerous
segments in one run. I'm quietly confident that I got that one. It said I had to go around
3:40/K average and I'm pretty sure I went around 3:20-3:25 so I think I got that one
in the bag. We'll just have to see. Sam: Yes, well you're up next.
Mark: Yes, I'm straight in again on another one. At least this one's a descent.
Sam: Let's go this way first before you attack it this way.
Mark: Three, two, one, let's go. [music]
Sam: He's flying. I think he's going to get this one.
Mark: Oh, yes. Sam Pictor, you're going down. Sam: I think you got that one.
Mark: I think I may have got that one. Sam: That surface is a lot better.
Mark: Oh yes, here we go. Sam: No, that was impressive. You were flying.
Mark: To be fair there was a section just after I passed or you stopped, I almost lost
my footing. It got really bad. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Now we've actually
got to climb back up here and on to the next one. I'm just prepping for my next segment.
I've had quite a few in quick succession here and it's passing back over to Sam. I'm realizing
it's quite a hard run. We're about 10K in now and we're doing flat-out effort. I was
thinking this is like a really sad endurance version of the game Loser or Skate. All these
extreme sports dudes who compete over- Sam: Bring it on.
Mark: -cool tricks and stuff. We're going, "Yes, I'll take you on on a segment." We're
enjoying it anyway and hopefully you guys are too. Come on let's do this. Let's go.
[music] Sam: Is it me or does it always feel like
a headwind. This is a long one, it's about a mile, 1.6-1.7K, and Mark has set a blistering
time of 4:52, which I'm not optimistic about, but I can only give it a shot. Wish me luck.
Here we go. [music]
Sam: Just done a long segment. We've got a long, longer segment now. It's a long climb
all the way from the bottom, up to the top of the hill. I can't remember how far it is,
probably a couple of K. Luckily, average pace is only around 5-minute Ks to aim for, however,
it is known to be muddy. We'll see how that does. We've actually got 18K on the clock.
Legs are starting to feel a bit heavier, but we shall see. Segment is starting now. I think,
just got to control the pace on this one. Got work to do.
[music] Sam: Doesn't help an average pace. Very close
one. That was about a mile again. It's all uphill. Really quite slippery in places, but
just the gradient. Just to try and hold that pace. One sty, one kissing gate, quite a few
bits where I just jumped over. Might be waiting for Mark a while, I think he was just jogging
up that one. Almost done 19K, 20K now. Legs getting a bit heavier, but sort of doing a
bit of marathon training anyway. It's sort of a good thing, but, oh man. That one will
be close. I got to the top and I lapped a K and it was about 5:20, 5:15, way down. Then
this was 4:10. It was really hard to-- This wasn't a K, this was like 600-700 meters,
I think. Mark: There you go.
Sam: It's going to be really close. It was just like, I hit the sty and I was just like,
"Oh," all fingers and thumbs trying to get over it and then the gate.
Mark: You said this would be an easy one. Sam: I thought.
[music] Sam: Jogging along, stealing course records
off Threlfall. [music]
Sam: Long run in the end. Mark: Yes. I'm tired. This may be the weirdest
half marathon, long run I've ever done. Sam: Lots of hills, lots of sprints for weird
amounts of time, and a weird competitive edge. [music]
Mark: That was possibly the weirdest run I've ever done. A long run, but with some incredibly
hard intervals just mixed in. Sam: That was a really good way-- We ran for
about an hour and a half, like a half marathon pretty much. Really good way to a long run.
Now, you'll have seen the results ping up as we went along, but we didn't know until
we got back and uploaded it on our phones. I'm gutted, 3-2 to Mark.
Mark: You were so convinced you were going to absolutely nail me today.
Sam: Interestingly, the ones that I got I didn't think I would, and the one that I was
convinced I would get, I think I went too easy at the beginning.
Mark: I'm quite pleased because you were always taking the mick out of me for that one saying
it was far too easy and you're going to crush me on it.
Sam: Next time, I will learn from that. Mark: I got some pretty good ones today. You've
had some good segments out there. I don't mean to rub it in, but I'm quite [inaudible
00:15:23] actually. Sam: Yes, you did, you absolutely smashed
it. Mark: There was one that was close, but I
was good. What a great day. Sam: I mean that first one, one second in
it, that was sweet. Mark: [chuckles] Yes. That's been absolutely
awesome and you know what I do feel better knowing that it was your course records I
took, not just Joe Bloggs' out there. That felt quite harsh targeting them. I would honestly
say we've had great fun today. If you've got a friend out there, certainly during these
times, when there's all this uncertainty of racing and not having these challenges, why
not go out and challenge one another? You don't necessarily even need to be holding
the K away with those records. Just go challenge one another on a certain segment or climb
and post those times to each other. Great way of getting a good workout in and having
fun at the same time. Sam: Get out there and do it. You won't regret
it. Mark: I hope you guys have enjoyed today's
video. Please do give it a like. Don't forget to follow us over on social media. Of course,
if you're not doing this already, do subscribe to us just down below because we've got loads
more challenges and fun videos on our channel to watch.
Sam: Bring it on. [00:16:27] [END OF AUDIO]