SICHEL COMPETES IN WORLD 24 hour CHAMPIONSHIPS IN AUSTRIA
Sanday runner William Sichel, 51, travels to the alpine town of Worschach for this weekend's World 24 Hour Championships being held for the first time in Austria.
Over 30 countries will be represented in the third running of this specialist event which sees super-endurance runners covering as great a distance as possible in the 24 hour period.
The event is part of a huge regional festival centred on the small town of Worschach , population of around 1250, which is situated in the beautiful alpine Valley of the river Enns near the town of Liezen and about 100 miles south east of Saltzburg .
A circuit of just under 1.5 miles around the town will be lapped repeatedly by the 24 hour runners as well as relay runners in a huge team relay competition. Most use a combination of running and walking to maintain as fast a speed as possible throughout the duration. Unusually the circuit isn't completely flat which make things even more difficult.
The World Championships is being hosted by the Worschach 24hr event, which was first staged in 1989. Last year's event attracted 20,000 paying spectators. An enormous entry is expected with over 160 runners in the ‘solo' race and over 200 in the official World Championship race.
“It will be fascinating to experience this event as it sounds quite different from many I take part in. In Europe , it's common that large team relay events are held along side the individual 24 hour race but I have never been in one on this scale before.”
Heat is likely to play a big part in this competition with maximum temperatures of 25 - 30deg C expected, falling to about 12deg C at night.
“I have a well rehearsed ‘heat training' programme that prepares me for these climates. My performance will still be affected by the heat but less than if I wasn't acclimatised. Sensible drinking patterns must be stuck to and good pacing is vital to forestall exhaustion.”
William, who currently lies 5 th on the “All time” list of British road performances with his run of 153.3 miles in 2000, will be competing in the 'Open' or ‘Solo' race as no British men's team will be taking part. During the past two year qualifying period no one has achieved the tough UK Athletics qualifying mark of at least 140miles for a place in a British men's team.
William's recent best of 136.4 miles was achieved when winning, outright, the ”Across the Years” 24hr race in Phoenix, Arizona in January. His first appearance in the USA .
William will be hoping for better luck than in May when he had to withdraw from the Basel 24 hour road race with leg problems after 12 hours.
William was voted Orkney's ‘Veteran Sportsman of the Year' in November and has represented Great Britain 11 times at ultra distance running since 1996. William set new Guinness World Records for both 100 miles and 24hrs on the treadmill in December 2002. With his wife, Elizabeth, he runs the Orkney Angora mail order knitwear and yarn business in Sanday , Orkney.
William is grateful to sponsors The Ayre Hotel, The Orcadian , Crantit Dairy (Orkney Ice Cream), dion_networks and Loganair .
William's result will be posted on his web site as soon as practicable after the race and can be found at www.williamsichel.co.uk
Making contact:
William Sichel, Upper Breckan , Sanday , Orkney KW17 2AZ. Tel/Fax: 01857 600421. Mobile (whilst travelling only) 0794 128 3506. william@williamsichel.co.uk Running web site: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/
Photographs:
Newsline Scotland (Press Agency). Tel 01224 594000. photos@newsline-scotland.co.uk
Ken Amer , Orkney Photographic. Tel 01856 873574, Mobile 07808 961780 info@orkneyphotographic.co.uk
William Sichel, ‘Free to use' photographs can be down loaded from my on-line photo album. Go to: http://www.williamsichel.co.uk/ and click on '‘Photos''.
22/03/05