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Getting to and from Olympic Venues in London

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Our London office does an excellent job of sending over the latest details from the ground in London and sharing them with us in the States to then share them with all of our clients! Here is a link and blurb they sent recently that we have found informative for many of our clients. For those of you planning to be in London for the Olympics or Paralympics this summer, you might want to continue reading!

Here is a link regarding the transportation pass Olympic ticket holders will get with your ticket to the events:

http://www.london2012.com/visiting/getting-to-the-games/plan-your-travel/travel-tickets.php

Here one important extract but please read more on the link above:

Tickets for travelling in London

Spectators with a ticket for a Games event in London will receive a one-day Games Travelcard for the day of that event. Games events include all ticketed sporting events and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The Games Travelcard will entitle you to travel within zones 1–9 on the London public transport network throughout the day of your event.

This includes London Underground (Tube), London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), buses, trams and National Rail services – but not the Heathrow, Stansted or Gatwick Express trains, or taxis and private hire vehicles.

Spectators will also be able to use their Games Travelcard on the Javelin® service between St. Pancras and Stratford International stations and to and from Watford Junction. Spectators will also be entitled to a one-third discount on the price of river service tickets on 2012 Games river bus express and 2012 Games river tour services.

Tickets for travel to venues outside London

Spectators with tickets for Games events at Eton Dorney, the Lee Valley White Water Centre, Hadleigh Farm and Brands Hatch will receive a Games Travelcard for use on public transport in London on the day of their event.

Spectators will also be able to use their Games Travelcard to travel by National Rail between London and Slough and Windsor & Eton Riverside (for Eton Dorney); Cheshunt (for Lee Valley White Water Centre); Leigh on Sea (for Hadleigh Farm); and, Swanley (for Brands Hatch). No additional fare will be payable.

Make sure you have your London 2012 event ticket with you when travelling on the 2012 Games rail services – including your return journey!

More Helpful London Venue Transportation Links courtesy of London2012:

- http://www.london2012.com/visiting/getting-to-the-games/locations-of-venues/travel-to-hyde-park.php

- http://www.london2012.com/visiting/getting-to-the-games/locations-of-venues/travel-to-the-mall.php

- http://www.london2012.com/visiting/getting-to-the-games/locations-of-venues/travel-to-olympic-park.php

Tags: Olympic Transportation
Posted in London 2012, Olympic Tickets, Uncategorized | No Comments »

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix – 2012 Season Debuts, ARs, Photo Finishes

Monday, February 6th, 2012

For those of you lucky enough to attend and those of you who watched the broadcast over the weekend, this is not news to you but the 2012 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix served as a great season opener for many elite track and field athletes. Track fans witnessed an exciting show from an American Record in the women’s Pole Vault to a photo finish in the the women’s 800M to a dramatic crash in the men’s Mile.

Gosh Indoor season is getting us more and more excited for what’s to come during the Olympic Trials and London Summer Games season! Packages are still available through Ludus Tours for both, be sure to write or call in soon!

Flotrack for Full Results

Quotes and a full recap from USATF:

ATHLETE QUOTES
David Oliver (winner men’s 60m hurdles)
“It was not a very good run. I can’t give up segments like that. My first hurdle is completely messed up. But that’s what indoors is for – to train and get a good accounting of myself. I don’t think I did that today. I didn’t execute my start; it’s always a work in progress for me. I understand what the problem is; we’ll get it eventually. That’s what’s cool about running indoors in the U.S. I run a race and get instant feedback from coach. My coach can make adjustments. It’s good for me to run week after week.
“It’s good to win against such a quality field. I’m going to get it done. It’s good to be healthy, running and competing again. I’m glad they have our race in all the U.S. events. I love being on TV so my friends and family can see me and not have to hunt for some live stream from Europe.”

Adam Nelson (winner men’s shot put)
“It feels good. This is still early for me. For me it’s all about building confidence right now. What you try to do is build your confidence early. Sometime this is like getting out of bed in the morning. I have the experience to be able to roll with the punches. The greatest thing about experience is there are few things you haven’t seen before. And the worst part about experiences is there are few things you haven’t seen before. I have been injury free for a year and a half now and my training has been more consistent.”

Kirani James (winner men’s 400m)
“It was a great race. I opened up my season here to see where I’m at. I had a very short fall training. I had great time in the weight room and incorporated my weight training well. I am happy with my opening race. I think the race was exceptional. I just competed to see where I’m at and will make any adjustments. I’m happy with my conditioning and I’m happy with my opening time. My main motive is to go out and compete and represent my country well.”

Maggie Vessey (winner women’s 800m)
“I felt good. I felt we ran an even pace. I thought there was enough room for me to get by. It was hard making moves. Outdoors I have a tendency to move out wide. I was a little surprised I was able to get through. That move definitely wasn’t planned. There was a little bit of space and I just tried to shoot through. I had those first race jitters a bit.

Erica Moore (runner-up women’s 800m)
“I thought I had it. I should have expected (Vessey) to come up like that. My eyes got a little big when I thought I had it won.”

Deedee Trotter (winner women’s 300m)
“This competition was to see where I was. It was a little bumpy. I felt like I was building momentum and then I’d go down. But I was able to pull it out and get there at the last minute. I love it here in Boston; this is my favorite stadium to run in and my favorite crowd.”

Ciaran O’Lionaird (winner men’s mile)
“It is all a learning experience for me. In this you have to be ready for everything. (Mo Farah) showed a lot of character and courage to be able to get up and finish like that. I’m thankful we can go through this uninjured. Anything can happen. I’m the same guy I was a few years ago running 4:15; now I just have better people around me.”

Tirunesh Dibaba (winner women’s 2 mile)
“I feel very happy. I believe I have come through with very little training and I think I have done very well. I’ve been training for two months and just three times on the track. Boston is my second home. ‘Bostonians’ support me. To run here is good for me and I am very much pleased with my performance.”

Meseret Defar (winner women’s 3,000m)
“I’m very pleased with my race. This is my first race indoors. The race was uneven but I have raced well. I was planning to go under 8:30 but it didn’t happen. But I’m very pleased.”

Murielle Ahoure (winner women’s 60m)
“It felt great. I was extremely nervous before the competition. I went out and executed exactly how I’ve been training. I’m extremely happy.”

Posted in Athlete Interview, London 2012, Olympic Trials, Track & Field | No Comments »

200 days to go!!

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Today is exactly 200 days until July 27th, when London opens its doors to the world for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Games! Are you ready??

While Track and Field will not kick off until August 3, the magic of the Olympics will be in high gear once the Opening Ceremonies commence.

From the parade of athletes, to the speeches made by heads, to elaborate dance and musical routines, to the torch and lighting the Cauldron, all eyes will be on this welcoming ceremony and the display of what London has to offer in the XXXth Olympiad.

Since 2008, London has some big shoes to fill as far as ceremonies go…Beijing’s extravagant Opening Ceremony performance only four years prior is one still ingrained in most olympic fans’ memories. The Chinese had a colorful, highly rehearsed ceremony in the Bird’s Nest, where every detail in planning aided in the display of understanding Chinese culture. Some of my favorite memories were the synchronized drummers, fireworks, traditional-dressed children, silk, opera singers, etc.

So what will London include in their Opening Ceremony in 200 days? Double-decker buses? Buckingham Palace Guards? Red Telephone Boxes? Black Taxis? The Royal Family? Princess Di memorial? Pubs? The Beatles? The planning and themes are rightfully being kept under wraps but we are so excited to see what is produced and hope you can be there in person with Ludus Tours too!

For more information on the Ceremonies taking place in London, please see here: http://www.london2012.com/games/ceremonies/the-ceremonies/

Posted in London 2012, London Accommodation, Olympic Hospitality, Track & Field | No Comments »

The Perfect Winter Gift: a trip to the London 2012 Summer Games AND a free pair of running shoes??

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

We are proud to announce our holiday promotion just launched at Track and Field Tours! If you book your trip to the London 2012 Summer Games between now and December 31st, 2011, we will send you a free pair of Asics running shoes to stick under the tree for each package purchased!

What an awesome gift to give your track fanatic loved ones–a trip to the London Olympics and a free pair of shoes!

For more info on the winter promo and to get a step closer to your free pair of kicks, fill out the form here: http://www.trackandfieldtours.com/holiday.html

See you in London!

Posted in Holiday Promotion, London 2012, Tour Packages, Track & Field | No Comments »

Berlin Marathon and Radcliffe’s World Record Status

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

This Sunday, Berlin will host the 38^th annual BMW Berlin Marathon, one of the largest and most competitive marathons in the world. The course is known for its flat, even terrain and mild autumn weather, which has led to more marathon world records being set here than on any other course!

The reining world record holder, Paula Radcliffe, recently announced she will be competing in the Berlin Marathon this weekend, leading to a bit of a media frenzy. They’re getting excited for good reason, too! Paula has the fastest marathon time by a woman ever, and has a chance to secure a spot on Britain’s team for the London 2012 Summer Games team. If this comeback is successful, it will mark her 5^th trip to the Olympic Games.

This will be her first marathon since the IAAF has changed the ruling on what constitutes a “world record” for females in road races. Last month the IAAF determined that women’s road race world record times only count in female-gendered races. Thus, times for women competing in a race with men at the same time do not count toward world records but instead are now called a “world best.”

For Paula Radcliffe, this means her 2003 London Marathon World Record performance (2:15:25) would be stripped from her. Fortunately for Radcliffe, her 2005 London marathon time of 2:17:42 will still makes her the fastest female marathoner in history and stand as her new World Record.

The new ruling just recently hit the media desks and has many running fanatics and participants up in arms. The New York Times opened an article this week with, “Now added to the list of banned performance-enhancing substances for female distance runners: men.”

Radcliffe is understandably angry about the ruling and told Runner’s World, “I also think it is a little unfair to set it like that retroactively.” I’d have to agree!

How much do you think women benefit from running with men? Is it enough to be considered an unfair advantage?

You can listen to her interview with BCC News on the topic uploaded today here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/15026330.stm

Check out http://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/ for coverage and results at the Berlin Marathon this weekend!

Posted in London 2012, Track & Field, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Congrats Ludus Tours on #2 Inc. 500 Ranking – Travel Company

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

We are proud to announce some great news about Ludus! We have just made the Inc. 500 list as the 2nd fastest growing travel company in the nation! Our dream of providing unforgettable experiences at our fans’ events is gaining momentum…

Thanks for everyone’s support, we look forward to working with you as we build into the future of more and more happy guests. Our tour in Daegu is currently underway for the 2011 IAAF World Championships, and we are having a blast so far with our group! Be sure to inquire about our other track tours coming up to Guadalajara for the Pan American Games, to Eugene for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field and to London for the 2012 Summer Games! Lot’s of opportunities for track fans to travel with Ludus to experience the best events in person…More information can be found at www.trackandfieldtours.com or by emailing info@trackandfieldtours.com

Here’s a link to our company profile on the 2011 INC 500 Travel list: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/ludus-sports

Posted in IAAF World Championships, London 2012, Tour Packages, Track & Field | No Comments »

Twice as Forceful and 33% Quicker than You or Me…Plus Some Other Factors

Friday, August 5th, 2011

A fellow distance runner just forwarded me an informative article on the science behind what makes Olympic sprinters (Case Study: Usain Bolt) ”speedier” than you and me.

When Bolt, or any other sprinter races, he is moving his legs at virtually the same pace as his competitors. So what makes one sprinter cross the line before another? Theory points to the force applied with each step and how long the foot contacts the ground—it has nothing to do with the dust storm kicked up by Speedy Gonzales’ rapid leg turnover.

In his article, Jay Hart points out that, “In a full sprint, the average person applies about 500 to 600 pounds of force. An Olympic sprinter can apply more than 1,000 pounds…the average person’s foot is on the ground for about .12 seconds, while an Olympic sprinter’s foot is on the ground for just .08 seconds — a 33-percent difference.”

Twice the amount of force, applied in 2/3 of the time it takes the average Joe. Think about that…1,000lbs of force. In college one of my sprinter teammates broke her femur (largest bone in the body) during a sprint workout soon after coming out of the blocks. She ran with so much power that she compound fractured her leg—bone exposed and all—simply put, by running herself into the ground! Granted, her foot contacted the ground incorrectly on that one step, but it is baffling to think that she contained enough pure force to ‘self induce’ such extreme injury.

How fast do you think that 1,000 pounds of force and distance covered in the air can complete 100M? Will Bolt break his goal of sub 9.5 in London at the 2012 Summer Games? Jump on the Tour to London next year and see for yourself!

Posted in London 2012, Summer Games, Summer Games Tours, Track & Field | No Comments »

United Kingdom Royal Monarchy

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

The Royal Family has been in the international tabloids very much so recently but in the UK is pretty common to get at least one news per day about them: together with the weather forecast the Royal events, gossips, birthdays, dresses & hats, or appearances are interesting discussion topics in the British realm.

The British Monarchy has got even a great website http://www.royal.gov.uk/ and a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy. Its story is too long to summarize here just figure that goes back to 400 AD. The United Kingdom became one country ruled by one king just recently, in 1707 and since then started loosing gradually executive power becoming subject to Parliament, which is the today’s Constitutional Monarchy.

Since 1952 Elizabeth II is theQueen and head of state of UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms… guess which ones! And London despite being modern and one of world financial centers still has this Royal aura and atmosphere. Wanna experience it?

Raffa

Posted in London 2012, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

2012 London Olympic Torch

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Last week the prototype of the Olympic Torch for the 2012 Olympic Games has been unveiled. The torch is one of the strongest symbol of the Games and for the London ones will summarize the dream of 8,000 torch bearers!

Its triangular design represents three Olympic Values – respect, excellence, friendship; the fact that UK has hosted the Olympics three times – 1908, 1948, 2012 - and the vision of the London Olympic Committee – sport, education, culture. It’s gold colored, the lightest in weight ever made before and have a high grade of transparency which will allow to see the inner hearth of it.

The big campaign in London now is about nominating 8,000 truly inspirational people from the UK to be the Olympic Torchbearers next year: “We’re looking for truly incredible individuals whose personal stories will inspire millions of people watching the Olympic Torch Relay – in their community, across the UK and around the world.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. From any walk of life, anywhere in the UK” is the Organizing Committee claim. Suggestions?

The flame will start its trip next 19 May 2012 from Land’s End in Cornwall, the extreme south-westerly point of Britain, and will tour for 70 days before arriving to the Olympic Green and giving the official start to the 2012 Summer Games on July 27th. This is always a touchy moment for the lucky ones at the stadium as well as for those, like me, just watching on TV. Tears might drop down.

Posted in London 2012, Summer Games, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

“What happened in Bath stays in Bath”

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Bath is just an hour and a half by train from London and has been an amazing surprise to my eyes! Inscribed as World Heritage Site in 1987 it’s a stone honey colored city, with a small surface and great green hills surrounding it.

Bath is taking the name from the Roman baths founded in AD 43 by the Roman conquerors who discovered the hot water springs in the area. It became a popular and fancy place in the 18th century as rich Londoners and not only, were sent by their doctors to bath in the hot springs in order to cure rheumatism and other sort of diseases.

Smart business men and great architects took advantage of its increasing popularity and started to build Palladian style houses & villas, create new commercial activities and promote cultural events to attract more wealthy families and give them good reasons to stay for longer periods. It became a fashionable city pretty famous for having great tailors, fun gambling venues, good theater ledgers and music rooms, gorgeous houses, assembly & ball rooms for social and networking happenings. “What happened in Bath stays in Bath” was already in use at that time, just to give you an idea of the type of life you could lead in the city…

It’s a day trip from London but if you want to submerge yourself a bit deeper into its history, organize a romantic break or just take some energy back from the hectic London life style that’s the ideal place!

My menu is:

- Free Walking Tour, in two hours you explore the city and get a perfect knowledge of its past and present!
- Roman Baths, a must seen as that’s the starting point of Bath fame. Buy a ticket at the Information Center for both the Roman Bath & the Fashion Museum and you’ll be able to skip the long queue!
- Pamper yourself with a typical afternoon tea in Bath at the Pump Room at the Roman Baths or browse the Visit Bath website and pick your place.
- Music & Art Festivals.
- Assembly Room & the Fashion Museum.
- Jane Austin Walking Tour. The British novelist was one of the most popular guests in Bath!
- Shopping is just great as you can find stores less crowded and stressful than London
- Go eating & drinking, try it all!
- Cotswold Way. Perfect hike to explore the English countryside, the Cotswold way is leading to Bath.