Ridgeway Runner

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NORTHERN TRAVERSE 2024

300Km across Fell, Dale and Moor

There’s a lot to be said about the physical benefits of running. I have certainly developed physically in the 7 years I have been running and am fitter for it, but the big thing I have really learnt is how much it helps your mental capability. No race has taught me this more than the Northern Traverse.

Oh, and best grab a coffee. This might take some time. Maybe put your feet up too. A long race requires a long write up!!

Let’s start with some numbers:

The Northern Traverse is:

around 300Km long

around 30,000 ft of elevation gain

has 7 pit stops.

has a total cut-off of 111.5 hours.

We will cut to the chase straight away – I completed the course in 2024 taking 76 hours 59 minutes in the process.

Summary Data:

Based on my Garmin and my memory this is the summary details of the race for me:

Distance Travelled: 190.57 miles.
Calories Burnt:22,536
Elevation Gain:32,352 ft
Pairs of Shoes: 2
Time Slept:3 hours 10 minutes (plus two micro naps!)

So, to the race. There is no denying that the race route is iconic, initiated as a route from Coast to Coast by Alfred Wainwright in 1973 this route takes you through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors. Some of the most amazing scenery in the country, And some of the hilliest too in the Lakes! Whilst the Northern Traverse follows it closely there are a few little variations to the classic Coast to Coast route, but it’s pretty much as Wainwright mapped it out.

The first 100Km was the Lakes. Here I had a fair few challenges. This is the hilliest section so it’s important to not totally blow your legs up early and fail to get past Shap at the 100Km mark. Secondly, I had the joy of the local named storm (Kathleen). She rolled in on Saturday shortly after the race started and hung around until Sunday afternoon battering the route with 70+mph gusts on high ground and rain that defied gravity. It was tough. People were being blown around; some were pinned against rocks the wind was so fierce.

For safety the organisers re-routed the path over lower ground rather than taking on Kidsty Pike. A good safety decision, but a tough diversion with more mud and wet conditions than you can imagine!!

At Patterdale (Major stop 1 at 70Km) I passed up on the option to sleep as I thought it too early – and cracked on via the diversion to Shap. Here whilst sitting down eating chilli and chips was my first mental hurdle. Shap was the finish for the 100Km Lakes Traverse competitors. Sitting their refuelling whilst runners turned up celebrating finishing was tough. I had 200Km to go and these lot were done. Sometimes I question my choices.

Shap offered no sleeping options (nor drop bag) so no point in hanging around. Heading out with a few others we headed to Kirkby Stephen and took on the rest of the first full night. In this part of the country the darkness is truly dark you are often so remote from civilisation that the only lights are the ones on your head. The only sound that of your feet on the path, or in this case the rain on your head and the sloshing of your feet through the near permanent flooded paths.

Kirkby Stephen was my first point of getting some sleep. It was about 125 Km in and about 24 hours into the race. I grabbed my drop bag, changed, cleaned and dried feet etc and ate some food – no memory as to what it was but pretty sure it included more chips!

Tents had been setup in the sports hall of the school, and I managed to find a quiet corner for a good sleep. 2.5 hours later I headed back to the aid station hall to get a bit more food, prep the feet and head out. I wanted to go over Nine Standards in the daylight – not because I knew it was a good idea, but others having experienced it before suggested this was a good plan. It’s a boggy section of the route and easier to traverse if you have a better view of the way ahead.

I left Kirkby Stephen having arrived with a fellow runner Chris (Parr), who I thought was taking a longer sleep, turned out he had carried on and we met up again a little way down the route near Reeth.

Leaving on my own I quickly caught another couple of runners (Marcus and Jimmy) Jimmy was adept at getting through bogs without finding himself knee deep and that made the crossing of Nine Standards so much quicker and easier. I really appreciated his confidence in navigation and following in his footprints certainly helped me. Approaching Reeth we found Chris again, totally out on his feet. Thankfully he was able to carry on a little more and rest at Reeth and eventually Richmond. Chris made it to the finish line too, having injured himself last year. Really pleased that his second try was successful.

Richmond was another bag drop point and some scramble eggs on toast and a coffee topped the fuel tank up nicely. On the way into Richmond I had moved ahead of Jimmy and Marcus as I was in my own little zone, a place I often find myself in these long races. A place of safety and a place of comfort, me and my thoughts. I lock in a rhythm and just move.

With Richmond done, shoes swapped, feet treated again I made the move towards Loadstones the penultimate main stop and the last chance to access my drop bag.

I don’t recall much of this. I know I arrived towards the end of the afternoon having ploughed on alone through the full 50Km or so of dales and moors. I was just following a rhythm and pushing through. I was starting to suffer with sore feet at this point. The water had not caused me to get any maceration/trench foot due to the waterproof socks and Trench cream, but a few blisters had started to form and I could tell that even swapping to a larger pair of shoes wasn’t solving this I needed bigger but I would have to manage with what I had!

Lordstones was a great spot, the team here were brilliant. I decided to sleep first and grabbed 45 minutes in a tent to refresh things. 45 minutes done and Lasagne was on the menu – the most amazing lasagne ever, though after 220/230 Km I would have eaten a wellington boot I think!!

Heading out of Lordstones the rest had done me the world of good, and I again just slipped into the rhythm and ploughed across the moors heading for the final stop in Glaisdale. At this point, I won’t lie, I was motoring on pure determination, I kept a good pace but could tell you precious little of the journey to Glaisdale, with one key exception. Around the Lion Inn I was caught in some incredibly thick fog. This, combined with the dark, tiredness and lack of familiarity with the area meant I struggled. The route on the GPX took me along a road and then off over some moorland to then join the road again. The conditions were against me and as I left the road the fog dropped and within minutes, I had a bout 2m visibility. I couldn’t see the path ahead and I couldn’t see the path behind. I felt totally lost. I was surrounded by bushed and streams as well as bogs. Using my poles I found sections of bog that ate 1m or more of my pole length. Treading on these would have been an issue. I got to the point where I actually thought I might have to wait it out until daylight as I was going around in circles. It was 10pm at this point and daylight was a comfortable 7-8 hours away! I kept trying things and eventually got annoyed. I shouted at a bush and hit it with my stick. I would like to apologise to the bush, it wasn’t their fault! Anyway, it got my mind straight, and I found a way to reach the road again. I checked the map and worked out a way to skirt around this section on the road and carry on. I was a little worried that the dense fog (so dense now I couldn’t see my feet) meant that any cars might not see me and the rain on my hood meant I couldn’t hear any either. So, I carried on carefully and made it through and then descended out of the fog, eventually reaching Glaisdale.

All the support teams were great, but Glaisdale had to be my favourite. I was there alone, no other runners, but we had a great chat and they fed and fuelled me well. No drop bag so I couldn’t change much of my kit, so once fuelled I said my thanks and goodbyes and headed out of the final checkpoint for the final 20 miles or so to Robin Hoods Bay.

Then things went a bit tough. The duration of the event and exposure had meant that I wasn’t quite feeling the cold as much as I should. and my watch froze as it had got cold. I didn’t realise the reason straight off and ambled along trying to solve the problem. I ambled some way it seems, and race control called to advise I was off route!! They also suggested warming my watch up. I followed the route back (using my phone) and popped my watch in my pocket for 10 minutes. Thankfully it sprung back to life (without losing any data), and I could carry on.

Then problem 2 hit. Though I had started out full of energy I hit a complete exhaustion wall. I found myself ‘waking up’ whilst walking along a footpath, not knowing where I was. It happened 2 maybe 3 times and I realised that I was going to need another rest to get to the end. Thankfully a park bench was about 25 metres down the path. I stopped, set a 10-minute alarm and laid my head in my hands. I woke after 60 seconds. I tried again, another 60 seconds. This was not working. But I thought I would move on and see how things went. To my surprise those 2 minutes were like the full factory reset I needed. I was able to get back into my rhythm, keep a good pace and push out some steady miles until I hit the coast path.

Never before have I been so excited about seeing the North Sea. It honed into view on my way into Hawsker and the relief was measurable. It was emotional too. This had been such an unachievable target, such a push further than ever before and now I was on the verge of finishing it.

At Hawsker Matt Hampson, a competitor that unfortunately had to pull out, was looking out for runners and coming out to give support. Such a nice chap and the extra support and conversation was very welcome. He left as I entered the Holiday Park in Hawsker and took the final steps onto the path along the cliff tops to Robin Hoods Bay.

Then the rain came, again!

The coast path was a mud custard, slipping and sliding everywhere. Day walkers clearly caught out by the weather and conditions were emerging from mud puddles looking like the creature from the deep!

At this point, the enormity of the event hit me, and a few tears were shed on those final couple of miles. I don’t mind admitting that!

Then I was there, the drop down to Robin Hoods Bay. I had my poles folded, breathed in deep and fully sent it into the finish line – about a mile downhill, steep slopes, tourists everywhere, visitors to this beautiful little place looking bewildered by these filthy (and a little bit smelly!) grown adults ploughing down the hill to the slipway! I turn corner after corner until I found that final turn and saw the end. My wife and two youngest children there to greet me. Even now, writing this brings a tear to my eye. This was a monster; this was a ridiculous thing to do. But I had finished, I had taken on that 300Km and won. I had shown my family that there really is no limit to what you want to achieve, no matter what it may be, you can do it. Hard work, determination and sheer bloody mindedness goes a long way to proving that the human body and mins can do so much.

I would like to say thanks to all those people that helped organise and support this event. The teams at the support points were amongst the most amazing I have ever seen. Catering was unbelievable for a race. with some of the best Lasagne and Chocolate Brownie I have ever tasted.

I also want to thank all the other runners I met along the way, Chris Parr, Nick Summers, Henrick, Marcus, Jimmy, Oliver, Crystal and Rich, Matt and so many I simply cannot recall names of. This event was massive an whilst I ran a lot on my own, the times spent with others was amazing. We all share a common goal of pushing ourselves to achieve the unimaginable and we all did our best on that day, no matter what the outcome.

Finally, but possibly most importantly, I want to thank my family for supporting these crazy endeavours, putting up with the training and the endless talk about running, kit, fuelling, hiking etc, but also for having most of them there at the end of the event. Events like this make memories that will never fade and will live on, in me and others for years to come.

And what has this taught me? Well in simple terms I truly believe that the limits we set are there to be challenge and overcome. I will continue to go out there and challenge my limits and ability to overcome them for as long as I am able to. We are all so much more capable of achieving great things than we know, and we allow ourselves to believe. Believe differently, get out there and disprove those limits.

Nick

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Spine Winter Race, Southern Challenger 2024

January 2023 opened my eyes to the Spine Race. I was comfortably in my Arc 100 taper and I stumbled across this crazy event where runners try to run 268 miles through snow and over some damn lumpy hills with the minimum of outside help.

Of course I decided I needed to try it out. Thankfully there is a few options, so I ent conservative and opted for the 108 mile Southern Challenger from Edale to Hawes.

Deep Pockets

Once I actually signed up I got stuck into the mandatory kit requirements and quickly choked on my coffee. The kit list is huge, ranging from sleeping bags, knives and camp stoves, to poo shovels, anti-histamine tablets and GPS devices (and no, your Garmin watch isn’t sufficient!)

You have to carry this kit all the time and so it’s a balance between cost and size. Go cheap and often it’s bulky. Go small and you have to sell a kidney or two to over the cost! I decided that this is likely to be the first of a few races that need similar kit, so I invested in some good bits of kit, whilst going budget on some others.

Help is not always at hand!

The other big thing about this event is that there is only really 1 certain official support stop across a route that as described as 108 miles. There are other ‘stops’ for water/tea and a biscuit or two, but these may not be available as they are staffed by Mountain Rescue who could be called out at any minute! Other options are shops etc on the route – so arrival times will determine whether you are lucky or not to find them open!

I wasn’t used to such self sufficiency. Crews are not allowed either, so it’s up to you!

Is this a good idea?

I have to admit, since Jan 2023 when I signed up I, a number of times, questioned my choices. This was getting expensive, was likely to be very tough, with some truly Wintery weather a good bet to boot. But 6 years of running so far had taught me that you are only limited by your own mind. Time to tune myself into the right mindset. I’d chosen to sign up – it’s only me to blame.

Kit, kit and more kit

There’s a lot of kit you need for this, and not everything worked out. Some was great and some was pretty awful. I’ll do a separate piece about kit (eventually!).

Race Weekend

Ahead of race weekend you get a registration time on the Friday. Mine was (by request) in the morning. So arriving at my AirBnB on Thursday afternoon things had become very real.

Registration

Thorough is one word you could use. Don’t bother packing your gear before you get there as it will soon be all over the place. I had to provide around 10 items to be checked at kit check. Unfortunately I had forgotten to pick up enough gloves, but the car was 5 minutes down the road so a quick leg loosening run later I had passed kit check.

Number assigned, registration photo taken and all my kit in disorganised piles in the car it was finally time for the last prep. Time to go back to the AirBnB, eat, repack and sleep. Tomorrow I was truly taking on something epic!

Welcome to the family

The organisers truly believe that once you have taken part in the Spine in some way that you become part of the family, and the whole organisation felt so coordinated and well managed that it really felt like a family event more than a race event.

Once trackers were fitted it was a short walk to the start arches. And in no time at all 8AM arrived on the 13th January and we were off.

Which Way?

Initially it is pretty straight forward. Simple trails and lots of people all heading in the same direction. Before we knew it we reached Jacobs Ladder and the first of the proper inclines kicked in. Poles came out, hike mode engaged and off I went. I am not bad at keeping a good pace on this sort of uphill. I can gain plenty of places from those that are slower and its a good boost to pick a few people off!!

Once we reached the top it was misty and not easy to see an obvious route. Those familiar with the area trotted on so I found the back of a small pack who are familiar with the route and I tagged along quietly.

Throughout a lot of the first half I found the route easy to follow. Some signs (National Trail ones) and the GPS was good. There were some Mountain Rescue teams around so after water refills I didn’t require streams thankfully (but I had a water filter bottle just in case!).

Perfect conditions (apparently)

The weather for the event appeared to be too good! It was dry and mild and minimal wind. I was being spoilt. However during the course of the race we had heavy rain, winds that could blow the socks off your feet, snow and a windchill that likely took the temperature down to double negative digits! Spoilt! REALLY!!

My kit was solid but under these conditions and after hours and hours of running and trekking, I was struggling to keep warm.

Pass me another bacon roll!

Given the lack of support I have to admit that I never felt I had a worry over food and water availability. We had 3 MRT water stops during the event. We had Nicky’s food bar (converted shipping container) near the M62 which was a fabulous stop serving burgers, tea etc and it was wonderful!!! We also had the Coop in Gargrave as well as the safety checkpoint at Malham Tarn. I guess I was a little lucky (MRT hadn’t gone out and the shops were open in Gargrave and Malham too). For others coming through at different times this may not have worked out so well.

Slogging it out

What I found with the race was that it became more of a slog than others. The Arc 100 was tough, but the Spine became a real ‘din in’ early on. The climbs are steep and the terrain is rougher than the Arc in a lot of places.

To that I also had the lingering niggles I had which had really compromised my training. PF in the left foot meant my training since Chicago in October was nowhere near what I had wanted it to be. So my fitness wasn’t at its peak, but my determination and will to finish it was at 110%. Relentless forward motion was the key!

Hebdon

The only real stop was at Hebron Hey, around 46 miles in. Here my drop bag was waiting for me as were the amazing Spine helpers. The stop was great. change of clothes, check and attend to feet, replenish food, batteries and then get food and drink. Whilst I ate I left my phone and watch on top up charge to make sure they lasted the duration!

By this time I had buddied up with Tim and Richie, we gathered for food (Chicken and rice) and after spending maybe an hour in the stop we headed back out. trudging about a mile to get back onto the Pennine Way and the rest of the 60 or so miles to the finish in Hawes. An hour seemed right at the time, but it was too long. Things could have been much more efficient here.

Tim had travelled from Switzerland for the event and was experienced at 200 mile races. Richie was a local and not used to the 100 mile distance but knew some of the route, importantly the latter stages!

At times I felt I could have pushed on from the guys, but I liked the company and appreciated the benefit for safety, navigation and experience that the team brought. Early on we decided we would stick together and take each other along.

1 shoe or 2?

The moors have a tendency to switch from good under foot, to waist deep bogs. Twice on the event I found myself at least thigh deep in peat. Thankfully I managed to extract myself without losing a shoe (that would have been a nightmare!).

What Scenary?

The time of year means that you spend much of the time in darkness. The views were great when we could see them. Otherwise it’s dark and your senses are heightened to anything around.

As the even continued and the pace slowed I had to battle new experiences. The Arc took me 26 hours, my longest event yet and without sleep. As the hours ticked past 30 on the Penines I had to battle more tiredness than before. I found a new threshold for my endurance before I hit the wall. Over the whole 42 hours I was out there I reached a point of being tired, but never did I feel I had to stop and sleep. I had more to give once we reached Hawes and that as a real win – longer adventures on the horizon maybe??

Another challenge as kit. The wind and cold really started biting into me in the final 20 miles and had there been another 10 miles to go from Hawes I genuinely think I may have struggled to make it through being too cold. I’ll elaborate more in my kit post, but a few bad choices of when to deploy kit left me short of usable kit at the end of the event.

Pen-Y-Ghent

After about 92 miles we got to Pen-Y-Ghent. in the darkness, wind and icy conditions, As we climbed the steep side I was genuinely scared for my on safety. I’m not a climber, and in daylight maybe it would seem much easier, but at this time of day and after this distance, it felt like I was in need of ropes and crampons. It felt genuinely like I as one step from plunging into the darkness below me.

Having Ritchie, who had local knowledge of the route, made all the difference. I was grateful I had stuck with the team!!

The road to hell

The final stretch to Hawes takes in the Cam Road. This must have been the inspiration for Chris Rea’s ‘Road to Hell’. The road never ends, like literally never. Just hen you think you are going to drop down towards Hawes the road turns around and up another hill! You think you see Hawes in the distance but it never gets closer. I was here in the dark too, so all we had was the light bouncing back up off the road/path and nothing else.

I have never felt more remote.

At this point tiredness probably was playing a few tricks on us. Ritchie for one was struggling. Apparently he was seeing large flowers shaped like German Shepherd Dogs! Neither of which actually existed!!

For me I didn’t’t have hallucinations, but I could have sworn I could hear children playing. Maybe it as just sound travelling across the open countryside, but in the middle. of the night?!?

A job well done

When e finally reached Hawes and had to run around the whole cillage to reach the finish there was a lot of relief. This is not the longest event out there, but combined with the conditions, terrain, support and unpredictable nature of weather it makes for a truly tough challenge. To have a Spine Winter Races medal in my collection is a very proud moment.

I gave a lot in preparing for the race, and would have like to have done more. But the event Ould have still chewed me up and spat me out regardless.

The Spine Winter Races are brutal. They are as tough as I can ever imagine an event being.

But, just maybe I I’ll be back to take on the other sections of the Pennines. In for a penny…

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2022 Quarter 2 Review

Boom and half a year has slipped away.

So what’s happened? I would say a decent amount. I started this quarter with 1 race under my 2022 belt, I now have 6, so April, May and June have been busy – April especially:

I’ve been very satisfied by the progress this year.

Reading Half was a race that I took with one eye on Brighton Marathon only a week later. So I took that easier than I could have done and so was really pleased to get a 1:30 time.

Brighton Marathon was ace. I really wanted sub 3:30. I had in mind sub 3:15 (to beat my treadmill marathon PB from 2020), and given how well I was running, I had a bit of a dream that I might get close, or just sneak under, 3Hr. I didn’t quite make that but it was close – still comfortably a BQ time (!!!).

The IOW ultra has been bounced from year to year due to COVID and I was finally so pleased to take it on. A great race, some fabulous scenery and a lot of hills! A 6th place finish was very satisfactory.

The Hampshire Hoppit – a replacement for the cancelled Race To The Castle. A changed route to the now I ran in 2019, but still tough. Big hills, steep downhills and again, stunning scenery. Finishing 19th was better than expected.

Race To The Tower – This was amazing. The Cotswold Way is beautiful. Views go on for miles. The route is very challenging with hills a plenty. Some of the downhills are so tough they are harder to get down than some of the ups! Combining that with a nasty fall at around 20 miles, a 7th place finish and sub 10Hr for a double marathon was more than I dreamt of. That race is an instant winner in my book.

And that is the quarters events covered. The rest of the time training has continued following the Krissy Moehl guide I have used for a couple of years now. The mileage has been steady, but as we enter quarter 3, the mileage is going to grow towards the 100mile/week mark. Things are going to get tough.

The rest of 2022 has more races in the schedule. Most excitingly for me though is a return to Cornwall for some South West Coast Path running. My spiritual running home. The target of taking part in the 2023 Arc of Attrition means taking on some of the hardest hills I’ve ever run, over 100+ miles. So some time on the path this summer is going to be key to my training and conditioning for this challenge.

I also need to tackle some training with poles. I feel they are important to taking on the Arc. But not without practice. I have some cool Leki carbon fibre poles and a Salomon Quiver to hold them, so there’s no holding me back now.

One final thing for 2022. Nutrition. A lot more practice and research needed to fine tune my nutrition package for those long endurance events. I have good food options for mid distance ultra’s but long tough 20 hour plus races I need to work on. I have just started to look into Supernatural fuels so will report back on those. Im continuing to enjoy Veloforte gels/bars and have found Mountain Fuel a good addition to this, along with their night and morning fuel pouches.

So here’s to another 6 months of training and putting in the work to get me to the Arc start line in. January 2023. It’s going to be a real journey.

Getting ready to run into the second half of 2022.

Race to the Stones, 2019 – Review

My thighs are aching…

My ankles have been painful for hours …

I don’t know how my knees are still quiet and not complaining like a 5 year old that can’t have an ice cream every time the ice cream van jingle can be heard outside…

Then the next thing I see is ’95Km ‘More is in you”. A Park run, that’s all that’s left. 5Km. Never before had 5Km seemed like such a welcome distance. That said I was still on an elevated section of the Ridgeway, with a 3Km loop out and back to some Sarson stones at Avebury before I reach the finish arch, so at some point this race is going to head down hill …

So with 5Km to go, the last previous 95Km flies through my mind. I get that tight feeling across my face that normally precedes some form of blubbering wreck appearing, its like the Hulk but less green and nowhere near as menacing.

What have I done?

How the hell has this happened, I’ve been out on this track for 12 1/2 hours and it’s nearly over, nearly 100Km, with just short pit stops. No massive break, no 3 hour rest with Pizza and coffee.

My journey started some hours ago and this is my story of the Stones 2019.

It’s 5:15am, I’m in my running gear but its nearly 3 hours until I’m going to be running. I spend the next few minutes putting tape on my feet to help protect from the possibility of blisters. Fill my socks with talc and finally complete getting ready. My bag was packed 12 hours ago, full of food, water, salt tablets, sugar tablets, head torch, recharging power banks and many other things that I wouldn’t ever need, but ‘better to be safe than sorry’!

I live 35 minutes from the start line which is really cool, logistics plans are that my wife and two youngest will drop me off before the start (about 7:15), hopefully meet me near Uffington White Horse Hill (about 40 miles in) and then my wife alone will be back whenever to meet me if and when I finish. I have no clue of when that’ll be. I start at 7:55am. The closest estimate on my ability to run this race is a 50Km training run that took me 5-5 1/2 hours. This race though is hillier and obviously twice as long. I would love a sub 12 hour run, I’d happily take sub 14, I’d prefer to finish before it’s too dark, but bloody hell man, this is 100Km, be grateful to survive it!!!! Fair point.

The Course

So the course is predominantly along the Ridgeway, but not exclusively, There are some minor diversions to make the distance work. Overall the run is a mix of every surface you can think of to expect on a trail run. Some excellent woodland in the first third, nice shady cover, lots of roots and trees to avoid, and some paths with a few steep drops to the side. I heard one story about a chap that lost his footing and slid down the slope into a tree- I hope he’s OK!

There’s some sections of road, mainly through the villages in Wiltshire and around Goring & Streatley. Nothing too excessive but road none the less. The roads are open as well so there’s the added spice of dodging traffic in theory – however don’t fret, the roads are quiet and cars are infrequent – it was pretty good.

The majority of the route is hard packed footpath, mud, grass, chalk and gravel. The Ridgeway has a reputation for rutted paths and lived up to this reputation quite nicely in many places.

The Hills

There are some. This is the flatter of the three Threshold Series routes apparently, but my Garmin logged 1500m of elevation, so nearly a mile – not a minor thing. Much of the route is undulating – there are few stretches that are simply flat. There are some big hills too. Just after Pit Stop 3 was a tricky one, completing the stretch out of Goring and onto the more exposed route of the Ridgeway track around Compton. There’s also the hill at Compton Gallops (around 40Km in). The Ridgeway then throws hills in as it feels like it. Dragon Hill near Uffington White Horse is a tough one, given the fact you’ve done 40 miles at that point. There’s also no denying that the elevation plot suggest a killer hill just before Pit Stop 9. This turns out to be a bit misleading. plenty of elevation yes, but much more gradual in my mind than expected. By that time though there was little running left in the legs for any kind of upward travel!

Post pit stop 9 look like a pretty good run in, down hill. But there’s more hills and drops until just after 95Km when there is thankfully a healthY down hill, leading to the Stones and ultimately the end.

The Pit Stops

The facts – There are 9 (including base camp). They have water, food, medics and toilets as well as a space to sit and recharge. But they are also so much more than that. The people manning them were fab. They were helping people by getting refreshments to them, making tea, sandwiches etc whatever you wanted. They would offer cold water sprays to those looking a bit hot and bothered – and these are so helpful and beneficial after 88Km! The food stock was sizeable – loads of fruit and snack bars, rolls, malt loaf – loads of options.

There was also water, squash, coke and hot drinks. As well as energy gels and rehydration tablets.

Basically it felt as though you couldn’t really want for more. The team were brilliant and the feeling at each Pit Stop was just rejuvenating.

I took the time to refill water reserves, eat fruit and take 2 minutes to regain my thoughts, breath and composure before heading out.

The Weather

Well it was dry which I appreciated, but it ended up warmer than I anticipated. The first third of the race was OK, early start and woods etc on the route gave shade and protection. By the time I left Goring the route was more exposed and the heat was building. With the hard packed chalk path the sun was bouncing up off the surface making it feel like the inside of an Aga at times. It was hot, dehydration could have been a real risk, but I was actively trying to consume 500mL to 1L between pit stops and also taking on 250mL additionally at the stop itself.

The third section of the route was abetter as the sun began to set and the heat dropped it got more pleasant to run and made the finish easier (sort of!)

The Participants

Well firstly, like me, I feel I am qualified to say that many are in this for the personal challenge. I want to see what I could do, to test and find my limits. I tested them, but I didn’t’t find them. As they say, ‘You don’t know your limits until you fail!’

Everyone on the trail had their reason to be there. Some were focussed on the race, headphones in, mind on the job in hand. Some wanted, and needed to talk, share stories and experiences. I’m not a social butterfly, I would choose running quietly in my own space than being the one that starts conversations with everyone, but this was different. This really did feel like a big team, in it together, starting together and beating it together. I spoke to a lot of people. Mostly making utterly incoherent conversation I’m sure!

Some people recognised me from my Social Media postings – which was great, but I apologise for not being very chatty – the scale of the task in hand made my ability to converse somewhat poor. So to those of you that said Hi! I hope you had great journeys across the weekend and achieved what you set out to do. You were all amazing !

The Achievement

Right, I’m back at 95Km, I realise the downhill is here and the brakes are off, I hit 5 min/km pace for most of the final 5Km to the end – no idea how after 95Km but the adrenaline at the end of the race is almost forming a taste in my mouth.

I know my wife is on her way to meet me at the end. I texted here at Pit Stop 8 and 9. She responded saying eta 8:54 PM. I’ve no idea of the time now but im going to get to the end as quickly as I can to share this moment. Emotions are high, I’m not a big cryer in daily life but running brings the emotions out in me.

I visit the stones, turn for home and can now hear the announcements as people are finishing, 1.5Km to go, I can see the lights, I can hear the cheers.

Final stretch it’s straight to the finish. I can see the arch, there are supporters dotted along the side. A couple of children join their mum only meters ahead of me to finish hand in hand – an amazing site – so heart warming. Then I hear the announcer call my name, announce my time and then I’m there, under the arch. I see my wife and I’m not sure which of us is closer to tears.

I’ve done it. I have the medal. I have the feeling in my mind and heart that I’ve just achieved something many can only dream (or fear) of. Many won’t even try to do what we all did. Many rule it out as something that is just for the elite athletes. But many of us are not in that category. Many of us are normal every day people, with kids, families, jobs and lives to juggle. But we all share this achievement in common. We decided to show ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and each other what we can do if we just try.

Some of us made the start line, but couldn’t complete the journey and many of us crossed under that Finish arch whether it was 100Km or 50Km and took our medals around our necks. No matter where the journey ended we all won in one way or another over the weekend. We are all legends, heroes and role models for so many.

We conquered our challenges, we made our memories and no matter how or where we finished we all can stand tall, slap ourselves on our backs and say ‘I did that’.

Stand proud.

My photo gallery

Finally an UltraRUNNER?

I know! I’ve done ultras now for 5 years (almost to the day!). First stepping up to an Ultra start line in 2019 to tackle the Race To The Stones – which I hope to take on again in 2025!!!

But one thing I have seen with all long Ultras (certainly 100km up) is that invariably pace drops to a fast walk at the best of times as the body gets to the point of exhaustion. I’m not talking hills. Even flats and sometimes just everything. It’s a long way and to run it all isn’t realistic for many.

With 2024 I set myself a tough goal. Not only 4 100 mile plus races, but 2 of the toughest in the country (Spine Challenger South) and the Northern Traverse. That along with 2 of Centurion Runnings toughest 100 milers means I was expecting a tough year!

The Spine and NT indeed fell into the pattern of having to grind out the final sections. Hiking with a purpose I like to call it. But those first two behemoths of events really gave me a chance to hone that skill. I came away from those with massive experience, really knowing how I can grind out what is necessary. I also came away with a new realisation of what my body can do. How to read the feelings, aches and pains. How to know when to call for more and when to hold back.

In Matterley bowl this June when I lined up for the SDW100 I wasn’t sure my recovery was far enough along to put this to the test. But armed with this new understanding of how to use my body I was willing to give it a try.

In my mind I knew that when I needed to walk the climbs I could power up. I opted to go without poles to really put the emphasis on the legs doing the work and they came good. Many of the ups I was able to push up to or past others. Feeling strong and determined.

My other goal was to keep in mind that feeling at the end of the Northern Traverse, when I reached Robin Hood Bay after 76 hours. I still had enough to run that last mile to the slipway finish line and reach the end as I had imagined it. My body was in pieces by then but I had the effort deep within to make that happen. I recall that feeling in my legs, my core, my back and shoulders and I knew I had more remaining than my body was suggesting. That taught me that I can call on more when at first glance there may be nothing left!

So as I moved through the SDW100 I kept this in mind. When I would previously have stopped and walked the flats (or even downs at times) of other races (Arc 100 in 2023 springs to mind) I knew I could keep going, knowing that my initial instinct to slow down was one I could hold off on listening to – for know at least. I kept pushing (no 4 minute miles – don’t worry 😉). I kept a steady run when normally I would have succumbed to dropping the pace further.

The one thing that I know showed how my ultra running has become stronger this year was those last few miles into the track at Eastbourne. Once out of the undergrowth and onto something resembling runnable ground I was able to pick the feet up and run all the way to that Centurion arch. Previous races I known I would (and have) walked some of those sections. Thinking the legs are done and there’s nothing more. Now I know better how to read what’s going on in my body and how to translate the signs.

And the signs are pointing positively forwards ☺️

I’m not going to be worrying Jim Walmsley or Kilian Jornet anytime soon but maybe now I can feel more comfortable with the badge ‘UltraRUNNER’ than ever before.

Lakeland Trails, 2023

Prior to July 2023 I hadn’t run a step in the Lake District. I had visited once about 20 years ago and thought it was beautiful. Having taken up running the idea of venturing there for a race had often crossed my mind.

Forward to July 2023 I was about to break that duck and see what the lakes had to offer by taking on the Lakeland Trails Ultra 100Km.

I chose to camp at Ambleside Football Club which offers camping associated with the Lakeland Trails event, and also is a general campsite when the football team aren’t using the ground!). Great little site, basic but excellent value. It’s also about 14 feet from the start line (OK I exaggerate, but it’s right next door!)

My first experience of the lakes was wet, VERY wet! So wet in fact that on the Friday morning of the event (it started just after midnight on Friday night) I had to go buy a newer, more waterproof, tent!!! Not a great start.

I spent Friday getting ready; fuelling well (My go to pre race meal is a pizza and it always works sits really well!!), hydrating, preparing my pack and my kit, and taking a lot more notice of the prep for my feet. Now I’m normally a light taper of my feet and I also use 2Toms powder to reduce friction. I have pretty good results from this, but there’s normally a blister or two after long ultra’s. This time, given the night start I used the evening time to up my taping regime. I taped most toes, the achilles and the side of my big toe. That in combination with 2Toms resulted in me completing the race with no blisters to worry about, no hotspots and generally being comfortable from start to finish. A clear sign that a bit more care and attention for my feet would be wise.

The race itself starts at 00:01 Saturday morning and heads out from Ambleside towards Troutbeck, then Kentmere, Haweswater, Bampton, Askham, Howtown, Martindale, Glenridding, Patterdale, Grasmere, Little Langdale and then back to Ambleside.

It’s fair to say that the Lakes are hilly, over the course of the race there was 11,591 feet of elevation gain. Some of the climbs are pretty tough, some gradual, but all are stunning. The sight of Haweswater just before dawn after a heck of a climb is one that will stay with me forever, it was indescribably beautiful.

As the day went on it was clear that things were going quite well. Checkpoint volunteers were keeping us up to speed on position and generally ‘top ten’ was the update. ‘Wow’ was my usual response given that I have only done Race To The King 3 weeks earlier and the route was truly gnarly.

Weather wise, whilst my tent had practically been washed away the day before, the sun was out and things were heating up. Rain was forecast, but didn’t look like it was going to happen soon. As things got hotter I found the streams criss-crossing the route were perfectly useful to keep cool. constant ‘hat dipping’ felt sooo nice 😃.

One of the great things about Lakeland Trails is the mix of race events staggered over the Saturday that make use of the same tracks etc. This meant that as the final few miles approached we started meeting others doing 55/23/14 Km events. Seeing so many people all taking on different routes, battling different distances and all racing their own race was fabulous. Sharing encouragement and well wishes was lovely and having spent a lot of the day running with just one other new running buddy, it was good to be surrounded by a growing group of runners.

One little treat was the loop near Little Langdale. This loop seemed to go on for ever. There was a marshal at the start of the loop who said ‘head over towards the white farmhouse, its about 10Km and you’ll come back to me, when I’ll then send you off home’. However, that loop seemed to last so long we started to doubt if we were ever going to see that marshal again!

As 15 hours approached the final descent into Ambleside was on the horizon. Me and Tavi (who I had run 67 Km with) absolutely bombed it with everything we had left, having agreed to cross the line together to celebrate the fact we had supported each other through every step of those 67Km.

To my surprise Tavi and I finished 7th and 8th. I was truly amazed to have finished this high up the finishers list. Maybe I have a real ability to nail these hilly events. Maybe my miles running The Arc in January have built a hill running capacity I simply hadn’t realised!!!

I absolutely loved the race, the Lakes are beyond description and being able to run around these trails is a real privilege. I have been lucky enough to find running as a way of keeping fit and healthy, and as a result I have the amazing luck to find myself being able to run around places like this.

Will I be back? absolutely. The Lakes have so much to explore. I might already have signed up to a little race in 2024 that might just explore a bit more of the Lake District – but more of that another time 😉.

RACE DATA (From my Strava)

Distance: 64 miles

Elevation gain: 11,591 feet

Calories burnt: 8,518

Pace: 14:05 minutes/mile

Boston Marathon 2023

First things first, Getting a BQ (Boston Qualifier time) was never on my radar when I started running. To be honest, I never knew there was a marathon in Boston, or that you needed a qualifying time to enter.

As soon as I got into running and started getting involved with running Social Media it became clear that there was a goal a lot of people had, which was to get a BQ and go to Boston. I looked into it, realised it was quite a target to reach and felt that it was probably a bit beyond me. Didn’t really think much about it after that.

My first marathon in 2019 didn’t help, with getting 3:44 in Brighton, a good 30 minutes plus outside my BQ. Looked a bit hopeless.

But roll on to 2022 when I next hit the road for a marathoning things have changed. COVID messed things around and in some ways training became a bit easier with all the lockdown and having a treadmill in the garage! Brighton 2022 as the breakthrough, I felt I was in good shape but blew my own mind with a 3:04. A BQ by over 10 minutes. I didn’t immediately realise but soon the penny dropped. I had hit the mark, and by enough to feel pretty confident of getting accepted. And that’s how it turned out. 2023 was going to be the year of Boston!

What I never really thought about was whether Boston was a tough course or not, it had this aura of being something plenty of runners wanted to do, but I never really checked out the course or the challenge in fun until I was in. Turns out Boston is far from flat. Even from the early miles there are rolling hills. In the middle third there are pretty chunky hills and the less said about Heartbreak hill the better!! The final few miles are pretty good and flat, but by then your legs have given up wanting to be associated with you and anything your quads or hamstrings have to say cannot be repeated in front of young children.

The other thing about the course is that. it must be one of the straightest courses there are in road marathons. Very few real turns and corners. Yes there’s some curving arcs in. the road, but generally the rule is, stand at the. start, look east, and then run east. until you hit Boston. That easy!

All that aside, Boston is mind-blowing. It’s maybe a Boston thing, and it’s maybe a USA thing, but it is the most tremendous experience imaginable.

Getting to. the start was nice and easy with the free transfer using school buses – loved it.

The athletes village at the start was good, well equipped and another. well organised aspect of the event.

That just left walk to the start line and a 26.2 mile run back to Boylston Street and my finish line bag!

Having run London 2022 and recalling how absolutely spectacular the crowds were I am going to stick my neck out and say that the crowds in Boston are a league above. Yes, London has massive crowds tens deep near the finish and by the key points like the Cutty Sark for example, but Boston is just 26.2 miles of noise, encouragement, enthusiasm, front garden barbecues, people setting up their own aid stations, dance music, 80s rock, 90s hip-hop and everything else. It is never ending. The crowds outside Wellesley college, a private girls school, had clearly lost their volume control! It was mad.

Yet it was wonderful.

Yes it was cold to start with, I’ve never seen so many grown people wearing bin bags, pyjamas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle hoodies and dressing gowns in a public place before. Something that none of them would ever do I’m sure if it were not for the fact that they were about to run a marathon.

Yes it rained, at times a lot! But it was refreshing and I think it rained a lot more than I realised, such was the way that the whole experienced enveloped you and carried you along.

As for my race, it went well. My training in 2023 has been a bit stop start, and I’ve had a recent hamstring niggle. So I was keen to push in the first half and judge the second half accordingly. With the hills, I will admit, I started to feel the left hamstring and hip in the final third of the race and really held off on some of the inclines, and by the time I reached the finish line I felt as though I had given it everything I could, without ruining my chance of running the Thames Path 100 in 3 weeks time!!

Boston was a real bucket list race, a real memory to cherish. Alongside London Marathon and The Arc this has to be one of my real running highlights so far.

Next Marathon, Chicago in October!

Arc of Attrition 100 Mile Race Report

10:30 am.

Friday 27th January 2023.

Porthtowan.

Buses depart. Runners ready. No turning back now.

Lets wind back 12 months…

I fell in love with the idea of the Arc whilst tracking the 2022 event on Social Media. I have run a number of miles along the Coast path and have found it challenging yet spectacular. To find a race on the route I enjoy, and it be 100 miles seemed too good to be true. I had opted to not run any 100 milers in 2022 to focus on becoming a stronger runner. This seemed the opportunity I needed.

Read my final Arc thoughts here.

Coverack

As 12 noon approaches the tension was high. Lots of nervous runners. Many experienced ultra runners. This group was, in the most part, a serious bunch of hardy runners. I felt a little out of my depth. These people all looked much more prepared and ready than I was.

I hear the Led Zeppelin classic Kasmir fire up.

Kashmir – Led Zeppelin

Hairs on the back of my neck rise.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ….

The race starts with around 300-400 people and the first few miles are tricky, stop start, wiggles and turns. You cannot get into a rhythm unless you’ve put yourself up front and go for it. In the pack you are kept at a reasonable modest pace and this is actually a fabulous warm up. I started slowly enough and enjoyed the ease of that first period.

In the first 10 miles there was a little bit of mud, not much, but don’t be mistaken there was a lot of water and plenty of mud, with some lovely bogs (more later) across the course. But in reality the course conditions were good, considering its Winter on the Coast Path! I nearly chose an aggressive trail shoe for the race, but at the last minute opted for a more mixed trail. option.

I preferred the idea of wearing one shoe model and not change it at Lands End. No crew meant I only had one swap option then. No shoe is ‘the’ right shoe for this, so I opted for the one shoe I had ran 100 miles in, and one I knew worked well on a lot of the path – as long as it wasn’t squelchy mud – and on the whole this was the right choice,

By 10 miles I got to Lizard, the pack was opening up and space appearing so running became a little easier and more my choice as to the pace I set. There were loads of people here, massive support, and though I saw lots of people I strangely don’t recall much noise. From the comment of others, I looked as though I was just in my zone, and I think that’s the reality. This race was such an important thing for me that I really had slipped into an early focus.

Between Lizard and Porthleven (CP1 at 25 miles) I had the pleasure to run with Vassos Alexander. We had a great chat running through the incredibly splashy bogs on the way to Mullion Cove. Apparently this year wasn’t too bad, even so, the water was 3, 4, 5, 6 inches deep in places. I was incredibly grateful of the choice of my Dexshell waterproof socks.

Porthleven – CP 1

Arc Valets are a new thing to me. As you approach the checkpoint you get ‘collected’ by a valet who guides you in, makes sure everything is good and you are given what you need – food, water, medical attention etc. Once you are ready to leave they then guide you out like Airport ground crew. They point you in the right direction and wave you off towards the next checkpoint. fabulous aspect of the race. They were superb. and made the race such a special event.

I grabbed a coffee, put on the lid of my cup and cracked on.

Up to now I had really been eating well. I didn’t need a top up at the CP.

From Porthleven on, my race was quiet, I ran with people at times, but very little chat.

That said I did spend some time talking to Steve Wyatt a.k.a. the Pirate who has taken part in 7 races and won it 5 times. Not in it this year to complete but found his way to the startling and I had a great chat with him. Top bloke 🙂

After Porthleven I was concerned about the way I would feel in my not particularly cushioned shoe on the road into Penzance, and I think I misunderstood the route at the point a little, as I thought there was a long road section into Penzance. Maybe it felt better than I thought, maybe I just misunderstood!!

Not long after Porthleven the darkness hors kicked in, the head torch came out and the night became lit with hundreds of tiny moving lights along the Coast Path.

What you do see in the dark though is the places like Penzance can often appear nearer than they are, you can’t always see the curve of the coast and what seems like half a mile away turns out to be 5. You need to be prepared for that otherwise its all to easy to get really depressed by. these elastic destinations.

As I got to Penzance I was expecting the CP to arrive at 38 miles, but actually I hit about 40 before I got there. That dragged on and I started to get a little frustrated. But I had to put my blinkers on a bit. I couldn’t afford to lose focus at 40 miles knowing I probably had 65 more to go!! I was looking forward to hot food, and the extra 2 miles wasn’t welcome at that point.

Penzance – CP 2

Penzance CP was again a fabulous place. Support was brilliant. I grabbed some pizza and a coffee, took a couple of minutes then up and out and back onto the route to head towards Lands end via the joy that the Minack steps can bring!!

That CP stop actually really set me up for the next section. The coffee and the pizza hit the spot brilliantly, I walked the next 5 minutes, letting the food settle, warming back up. Then when I started running again I really felt re-juvinated. I knew that I had what it would take to get me to Lands End!

The route from Penzance through Newlyn to Mousehole has a lot of tarmac, it’s hard and without road shoes your feet are not always happy. It was a section I just had to grind out a little. Focus, one foot in front of the other, repeat, repeat, repeat …

Leaving Penzance I was over 40 miles in and I was now into territory new to me – I had a maximum experience of 40 miles on the coast path from last summers night run (Roseland Peninsula). Every mile now was going to test me!

My next challenge was Lamorna. Having seen the excellent videos by Stephen Cousins (Link), I was a bit concerned over the path out of Lamorna. Rocks, unclear routes, cliff edges and pitch darkness sounded a little daunting. Having recce’d the route out of the cove the day before race day I felt a little more comfortable about how dangerous it was. It’s not one to how the wife in advance!! But the route I say enough in daylight. A recce here I a good idea!

Arriving at Lamorna there was again excellent support and I headed straight through to the rocks. That went well, I was confident in the route and just ploughed through. The recce was super helpful. What appears as an impassable pile of rocks with no obvious path (in the dark) is a little challenging but having looked in the daylight I knew better what to do! That said, you are still inches from the edge of the path, and a big thing this route and race requires is the utmost respect from those taking part. Its dangerous, no doubting, and that’s before you even hit the steps in the last few miles!!!!

I headed towards PorthCurno and the Minack steps. These steps have a hideous reputation. But then any steps after a tough 50 mile race are going to have to try very hard to not be hated! As it is they are not all that terrible, Helped now by a new handrail (not nice to look at but helpful to climb!). The other thing to consider is that these steps aren’t all that bad when you compare it to the steps up the ‘bitches’!

At this point I was just finding the legs moaning a bit about steps. I had reached 50 miles and steps were a little more effort. I had poles with me but they remained stashed to this point. They were going to make an appearance a little later but up to now I hadn’t used them. In all honesty there is a mix of thoughts on poles at the. Arc. The route is soft going early on with narrow paths that are twisty and awkward. So much so that at times poles are a massive hinderance and hazard, whereas other times they can really help. I had some spots in mind where I was thinking of using them and had Lands End as my target for getting them deployed.

Up at the Minack I met the Flying Angels (not for the first time). Topped up my fluids, had a quick chat and then pushed on.

Now, in theory I had run the route from here to Portleven, all but the final 4 miles or so. This gave me some confidence on the day as I didn’t recall anything scary! In reality it was impossible to know where I was due to the darkness. Apart from the occaisional landmark that you couldn’t miss (Levant tin mine for example) I recognised none of it and the previous running experience was of no use!

Anyway, I only realised that when I reached St Ives and thought, hang on, I’ve run through that bit already!

Anyway, back to Lands End. It’s not far from Porthcurno, but you see it from a long way out, so it appears as though it keeps running away from you as it never seems to get closer! There’s a bit of a need for a strong mindset here. It will arrive, just grind it out.

Lands End – CP3

At Lands End the valet were again great. Now as an unsupported runner I got a drop bag at Lands End. I had a strategy:

Change socks, hat, buff, top etc. Spare clothes as needed. Replenish food.

In reality I changed my hat and buff and stuck with everything else. I replenished my supplies, topped up may Garmin and settled in to a bowl of vegan chilli with cheese (mozzarella – a new experience I won’t lie!!). And another coffee.

Now I was feeling like I was in a race!

My legs were telling me they weren’t really sure they had been consulted on this activity and wanted to ask for a second opinion haha!

Anyway the pause and food again was good.

Now, here is my main mistake. I felt like I had gone through a tough day, but nothing was done in or painful, so I opted to not change too much – don’t fix what is broken! In reality I should have changed my socks and attended to my feet to make sure they were in the best possible state to last another 49/50 miles. I regretted that decision by the time my race was done.

So, drop bag returned, poles out, 2 pieces of pizza in my shorts pocket for the journey (who doesn’t have pizza in their shorts eh!)

Into the night I headed knowing I had the badlands of the Lands End to St Ives stretch with the post Pendeen Watch section to look forward to!!

23/24 miles would see me to the final checkpoint.

LandsEnd to Cape Cornwall, Cape Cornwall to Pendeen Watch and then Pendeen Watch to St Ives.

Easy enough!!

From Lands End to Pendeen the running and path etc is not bad. It’s no Olympic. running track but it’s not bad. You can settle into some nice running, climbing, descending etc and feel like you are making steady progress.

As soon as you move past Pendeen its like things take a turn. For the worse. There’s a big section of this part that is unrunnable for all but the best mountain goats amongst us. Rocks, boulders, bogs, running water, mud, hard to follow paths. It had it all.

With the wet weather preceding the race the streams all around the course were pretty full and fast flowing, so there was a lot of water around (maybe not as much as in other years) but. If you are new to this path in winter, it has a lot of streams to cross in some way.

After twice falling on my arse and nearly losing a shoe in a knee deep muddy puddle I reached a section that was just a pile of massive boulders. In the dark I simply couldn’t see the route. It took me minutes of scrambling wandering and head scratching before I found the route. In the. Daylight it would have been easier, but in the dark I couldn’t see the path! This section I well worth a recce before hand!

Getting towards St Ives is a real achievement. It is a massive challenge to get there, and I cannot blame anyone for dropping at St Ives, it takes a massive effort to reach there, and no matter how much people say you can walk it in from there, I think the stretch through Zener to St Ives could sap the enthusiasm and energy from many. As Vassos said at the award ceremony, he didn’t lose his legs in that section, they were taken away from him!

St Ives – CP4

I arrived in St Ives not long after daylight and the early morning in St Ives is nice and quiet. Here was one of the very few places that Mudcrew signs had been put up. So getting through the town was a piece of cake. I found the valets lined up at the RNLI station and was taken up the road and into the final Checkpoint. It was now dawning on me that I was going to finish this thing,.

At the checkpoint, I again stopped for food (beans on toast) and a coffee. Took a few moments to just check in on myself and see if everything as good. I got my pack on my back, picked up my poles, and decided that I had this race to take down and was going to crack this thing I had been working so hard for. I began to feel the emotions swell inside me. I could feel that sense of achievement bubbling away, but I had to keep focussed. There was still more than 20 miles to go. It could still go wrong. But I was in a strong place to pull this out of the bag!

At this point whilst I was broken I knew I had it within me to get this done.

22 miles to the finish, Dunes of Doom to get through and the infamous ‘bitches’.

I had a goal to just finish this race, but my personal objective was to get it in under 30 hours and get that Gold Buckle (Sub 24 = Black, Sub 30 = Gold, Sub 36 = Silver). However I wasn’t doing a good job of understanding the timings – probably a bit of tiredness now kicking in having been awake for over 24 hours and still 22 miles to run! I wasn’t sure the sub 30 was really still on. Given how I felt. But wasn’t prepared to give up yet. My watch was giving me the right information, but. I wasn’t reading it properly and thought I was probably 3 hours behind the actual time.

From St Ives my strategy developed. There was significant reliance on the poles now. Stricter on uphill hiking and downhill running – where it was possible as some of the downhills are too rocky or steep to run. I find with poles that even on flats they can be useful to help tap out a rhythm. Tiredness can destroy running technique at times. For me poles really help to keep things in shape. They were getting me through this.

Eventually I found my way to Hale, a quick flying angel stop and I headed to the Dunes. These Dunes are not too doomy, not really. In daylight they are OK to navigate and the GPX file for the route made it much simpler. Almost always finding the slate marker meant the next post was visible, but towards Godrevy they get a bit few and far between. I just new I had to follow theGPX route and all should be fine.

Through Godrevy now and some pretty reasonable running conditions appear along the North Cliffs. It was getting busy though as a lot of people were out walking dogs etc. It was nice to have the encouragement of so many of them. I had to dodge a dachshund or two, but the clapping, good wishes and shouts of ‘well done!” forom many was really heart warming.

Now, I knew there were some hills towards the finish, but I have to admit I couldn’t anticipate how I would feel when I reached the last few hills approaching Portreath.

By now anything uphill I was hiking, steps I was really relying on the leverage the poles were giving me.

The so called ‘bithces’ into Portreath are hideous. Such steep climbs up and down. I’m not sure how I would have gotten over those with the poles. They saved my quads from total destruction. The shark grips on the Leki poles worked so well at this point too. Without poles those climbs may have been a step too far for me!

Now there’s a sting in the tale, as I had misunderstood and thought that after Portreath I was pretty much done for hills (apart from the final climb). But I forgot about the infamous. Sally’s Bottom. This is a killer, and with 99 plus miles in my legs it looked insurmountable. The poles took the brunt of it. For a moment before I climbed up I took a deep breath and just dug in, then it was just step, step, step step. Getting to the top of Sally’s Bottom climb is such a relief.

From the top its easy running (or at least would have been if I hadn’t already done over 100 miles!!) To Porthtowan. I was still not reading my watch right so wasn’t sure where the 30 hours so had to do what I could to get there quickly.

As I descended into Porthtowan I studied my watch better and realised I had over 3 hours to do the final 3/4 mile to the finish! The releif was massive. Not only was I going to finish this brutal race, but I was going to get that buckle I so wanted, I was going to go under 30 hours! I had to work a bit to hold back the tears at this point. The emotion from the race, the tiredness and the knowledge that the journey of the last year to get me to this race was nearly over, and over successfully was overwhelming.

But … somebody decided that the best way to finish this race was with one final climb, a slow drag up a steep climb. But, to be honest, I don’t recall steps of any significance, and with the poles I was able to hike it out pretty steady. There was nothing left in the tank, it wasn’t quick up that final climb, but it was done, I ran through the fields of the Eco Park, turned the corner and saw the arch and knew I had done it. I had finished one of the UK’s most brutal 100 mile races with 9 hrs 13 minutes to spare from the cut-off. Utterly incomprehensible. Hard work pays off.

I’m going to do two other posts on the Arc.

One a bit more about being an unsupported runner and one about kit.

Thanks for reading

My final Arc 100 Thoughts

Here I am little more than 36 hours away from the start of what is regarded as one of the UKs hardest, most brutal 100 mile races. And I don’t mind sharing with you that there is a whole heap of nerves going on.

Having run for 5 years plus now and having taken part in races from 5Km to 100miles, I’ve started to reach a point of being comfortable in the fact that I have as much right as anyone else to be at the starting line. But this is different, this is a seriously different challenge. That sense of not belonging, that imposter syndrome is back with a real vengeance.

The reality is that I have worked hard for a year to get to this point, I’ve run nearly 3000 miles, I’ve finished well in many trail races, top 10 in a bunch of them, including some of the Centurion Running events, which are well attended and not the easiest. So I’ve earned this opportunity, and I’ve worked as hard as many, if not most, to reach the start line.

Why did I choose to take on the Arc?

Limits, that’s why! I’ve done OK in my running journey so far, I’ve achieved more than I could have ever believed back in 2017 when I bought a pair of New Balance shoes and strolled around my local park for 2Km thinking that this running lark was easy. However, one thing I have tapped into with running is that I have this desire to explore the limits of what I am capable of achieving. Running the 2021 Robin Hood 100 was meant to be that massive obstacle that took every ounce of my physical and mental determination to get over. And as much as I loved that race, and was overwhelmed with my 5th place finish and 20Hr 19min finishing time, it didn’t take me to the complete extremes physically or mentally. It wasn’t easy, don’t get me wrong, but I never reached the ‘chuck it all in’ point. I never came up to my limit and kept pushing against it to find a way to finish that race. I just ran around, had a great time, and crossed the finish line.

So when I came across the Arc dot watchers in January last year I had a few thoughts.

I’ve run a lot of that route and that’s a tall order!
Completing that would be a real challenge
I don’t think I could do that

Those 3 thoughts instantly turned into ‘I’m entering’.

I spent 6 weeks until the registration for 2023 opened flipping back and forth between doing the 50 and the 100. I thought I could do the 50. Yes it would be hard but I felt 50 was within me. The 100 I struggled to see myself getting through that distance, especially over the course that I have some experience with. Throw winter weather in to the mix and lots of darkness hours and I struggled to see the 100 as something I could overcome.

Come the start of March, I had to decide, and the decision came down to the realisation that I’m looking to find that challenge that pushes me to really explore the possible, maybe by finding the impossible on the way. I couldn’t easily visualise finishing the 100 mile route. That had to be the choice, taking the easier 50 mile option would have left me feeling a little like I had wimped out.

From that I knew I had to train hard. I entered a bunch of events that would give me some great training. The Isle of White ultra, multiple Centurion events, including the pretty tough Wendover Woods 50miler and the night 50Km. I ran night training runs along the coast path whilst on holiday, I ran nights, early mornings. I ran in the heat of the summer, I ran in howling gales and torrential rain. Nothing stopped me getting out there. Well, almost nothing!

Along the way I hit my Boston Qualifying time for the marathon (I’m in this years event in only 2 1/2 months!), I came within 100 seconds of breaking the 3Hr time in the London Marathon, and I finished in a number of my ultra’s in some good positions and times.

On top of the running I took up yoga and strength and conditioning sessions, I bought more yoga equipment than I knew existed previously! I signed uo to online sessions with the rather brilliant Carla Molinaro. I went all in for this event.

And the result, …

Well who knows.

I will toe that start line on Friday.

I will have all the kit I think I need.

I will wait for those drums to sound and the blue smoke to curl into the sky and I will head towards the sea, turn right and head towards Porthtowan, 100+ miles away.

Whether I get there, whether I finish in time and whether I get that buckle, that’s only part of my goal here. By lining up on Friday I have already reached my first objective. Finish or not, I will either get a new buckle for my collection, or I will find that limit that exists within me, right now. And both of those are good. I’m OK with either, What is true though and what is undeniable, either way I have more to find within me. I will continue to explore my limits, and when I find a limit I will explore how I can smash through that and push to the next one.

One of my big motivations is that I have 4 children, and my running journey is as much for them as it is for me. At 40 I found a platform to explore what I was capable of, to push my own belief and expectations I had formed of myself.

I want them to realise that there is so much that you can achieve no matter whether you think the limits have been reached.

Importantly I want them to see as well that you have to invest in yourself to make a difference. It takes work and effort, but with the right intent and dedication there is no reason why you cannot achieve something you previously thought was beyond your reach.

When you think that you are at the end of the journey, it is just the start of another.

Shoes shoes shoes

Let’s talk about shoes …

One of my biggest uncertainties for the Arc Of Attrition 2023 is my shoe choice. I’ll explain my dilemma…

The Arc is 100 miles long (and a few bits of change), it’s on the Coast Path of Cornwall with every terrain from tarmac to sand, mud to boulders and anything in between. It’s also in January, mid winter, with all the weather that you can imagine.

Whilst there is a bag drop around 55 miles in and I could put a change of shoes in that bag, the terrain is varied all the way through, so apart from a fresh pair, there’s no real advantage. Oh and I’m going without a crew, just because that’s how I normally roll!

My thoughts on shoes from the cupboard …

Nike – road shoes – Erm no!

Inov8 shoes:

Trailfly G270 – my fave shoe. A top top shoe with great comfort and grip. I would opt for this without caution if it wasn’t for the mud. There’s pretty much a certainty of a good deal of mud and these shoes are like stilettos on an ice rink in those conditions. Not their target surface!

Trailfly G300 – very much like the 270, with extra cushion. Sounds a good start. But in my experience they are much less grippy. They were also the shoes that I slipped and smacked my head whilst wearing, at Tower this year (‘22)! So I’m not the most confident on the wet rocks and slippery downhills.

X-Talon – a great, grippy shoes and definitely ticking the mud box. These shoes did me well at the Wendover Woods 50 miler recently. But they too can be a bit uncertain on wet rock. Better than the G300, but still a concern on wet rock. Also they have the cushioning of a Cream Cracker! Might be tough over a full 100 miles 🤨

Roclite (300 and G275) – probably the right shoe in my collection – G275 over 300 simply on the extra cushion and fewer miles racked up so far. cracking in most conditions – a definite jack of all trades. BUT… these are not great on long distances. 40/50 miles and the feet start to suffer.

So you see the dilemma.

But then Inov8 do this …

Only days ago they release a new ‘Ultra’ targeted version of the Roclite. I already have enough shoes but this, this is surely the shoe I was looking for !!

I think I might have to think what’s best, time is running out. If I go for the new I need time to get them tried out, if I go for an established shoe I need some strategies for managing the grip issues or longevity concerns.

Trial and error

I’m in Cornwall for 36 hours before the race start so whatever I choose there will be a good few pairs coming with me to Porthtowan and a bit of route checking on the Thursday to make any final selections.

Whatever the case, there will be times that I’m in the wrong shoe for the conditions. It’s just a case of getting the right balance. I need confidence on wet rock to stay upright, I may have to go with a shoe that gives me that confidence but is less perfect for mud. But it also needs endurance and comfort for hours and hours of challenging running.

Shoes can make all the difference over this distance and terrain. But there’s a whole package to get right.

53 days and counting …

Wendover Woods 50 Miler

Firstly let’s get to know Wendover. It’s a forestry commission woodland in Buckinghamshire. It’s about 2 square miles and there are a lot of trees. Oh and did I say, it’s got some hills!!

How centurion get a 10 mile race route in that beggars belief. But if anyone can, they are the people to do it.

The route is a mix of leafy woodland, gravelly, chalky footpaths, a bit of field, a few yards of tarmac, some steps and some steep climbs which are muddy or chalky in general. It’s trail running in its finest form. If it’s been wet there will be mud all over and in dry conditions it can be a dust bowl in places. November is often a good time to run but it can be wet. On this occasion we had great conditions. Possibly perfect. It was dry, soft but not squelchy underfoot and just about the perfect temperature for a gentle run in the woods.

The start is in ‘trig field’. Car parking next to the start line. The route is 5 x 10 mile loops. You start in ‘trig field’ run around, through 1 aid station at Hale lane and then back to trig field to start the next loop.

Registration – nice and simple. Get a number (for the second time at Wendover I was 237!). Get a tracker fitted to your pack and hand over any drop bag. I tend to not have a drop bag and utilise my car. You are allowed to go to your car after each loop Naomi get the boot nicely set out and organised as my own crew station and find that much more efficient.

9:30 and race start. Lap 1 is a little different to the rest but quickly joins the main loop, promptly passing the Gruffalo (will see him 4 more times and in the dark by head torch he’s a little more scary 😱). And heading down a rocky footpath.

The route then takes you through the trees and around a loop with some long down hills before eventually heading out over an open field. This is a beautiful section. Lots of runnable terrain and great views. A gradual long climb before yet another fast downhill brings you back to the footpath and a good runnable section before hitting the ‘fake’ aid station. The looped course means you are often close to mother runners at other points of the loop (though you rarely see them because of the trees and elevation). But here you go within inches of the aid station, but have about another mile/mile and a half before you can use it 😖.

Another long, gentle climb (runnable but walkable as the loop count increases) eventually brings you to hideous hill number one. A long scramble with a tree to duck under. It’s a quad killer and on loop 1 you already wonder how you will get through 5!! After this there’s a downhill and ooh that’s nice. But before you know it the ‘Go Ape’ climb appears. Another long climb rocky and uneven and the already complaining quads are really starting g to hate you by now! As soon as you reach the top it’s back down hill again, and onto a decent footpath. Then the ankle mangle that is ‘Root Canal’. This is a shortish stretch with more routes than the AA Planner. It’s a real ankle worker but with care it’s pretty easy. It’s also very easy to turn your ankle and do some damage. Survive that and the aid station eventually arrives. I tend not to stop as the route being 10 miles works well with my 2 soft flasks. Enough fluid to get through.

So on i plod.

Another up hill – not steep, but long allows a fuel break. Perfect time to top up the calories and carbs. Then it’s a long undulating runnable section. Mostly gravelly and rocky with chalk underneath. A great spot to pick up speed.

Just when you think it’s been a while since a decent climb the rope appears in view on your right and it’s a long upward slog on a slippery chalk hill, heading up to the Hill fort loop. This is hard work, especially later on the race. In the wet grip is hard. We were lucky this time as the conditions were good and pretty dry – thankfully!

This next bit is pretty runnable for some time before the last few climbs. Firstly it’s a short(ish) scramble where hands are as useful to prepress as feet! It’s steep and by lap 5 you can’t help but curse the course designer!!

A brief downhill and a short climb again send you down for on of the final times. A bit of decent running brings you to the start of the final climb action ‘railing in the years’. Some helpful climbing rails brings you eventually to within touching distance of the marquee. A bit of tarmac, a stile, a bit of grass and the loop is done! Repeat 4 more times 😂😂.

Loop one was OK. Two already started to feel like hard work – but mind over matter is key. After lap two I stopped, changed shirt to cool down and cracked on. After lap 3 I thought time for food – I wasn’t hungry but wanted to try eating proper food in an event. So I headed to the car and ate a one pasta I had bought with me. That went well. Could have been a bit wetter, but it gave me no GI issues – a success!!

Lap 3 is just a grind. The legs ache but that’s all it is – an ache. No need to give up!

Before lap 4 I grabbed the poles from the car. They were a revelation.

Pole to pole

I quickly for the poles into action climbs I would have walked I got into a fabulous march with the poles. I got up some slopes much quicker as a result. Some of the treacherous downhills were stabilised by using the poles carefully. I also use them on the runnable sections to keep a rhythm. When tired form and style can get ragged. The poles really helped me keep consistent good form. I’m still

New to poles but they were so helpful. Some of the climbs are too steep for poles if I’m honest but generally I give them a massive thumbs up! 👍

For reference I use Leki poles, the Cross Trail FX.one Superlite. They are light, easy to put up and take down, and come with the excellent Shark grip glove. love these poles.

Nutrition

Precision hydration fluid all round. Each loop was a fresh 2 x 500ml. I had 4 cups of coke too.

Eating wise – the pasta I bought, veloforte gel, spring apple cinnamon gel, veloforte bars and a satsumas. That al worked well. I. Ever felt dehydrated or under fuelled.

My aim

I really wanted to complete the course, feel good in relation to fuel and hydration, get more pole experience and not feel like I had been hit by a bus. The main objective was to reach the end feeling I could carry on. And I’m glad to say I managed to achieve all of that.

Finish

I intentionally held myself a little back, I could have pushed more, I could have left it all out there! But I am training for the Arc of Attrition 100 miler. It another hilly technical route. It’s no easier than doing 10 loops in Wendover. So getting through 5 and feeling I could carry on was superb. Wendover 50 miler is the toughest race I’ve done (twice now!). The Arc will take that mantle come January 2023, so feeling I had more left to give was exactly what I wanted.

That said I still beat last years time by 10 minutes – the last 12 months training has definitely helped me become a stronger runner. All year I have hit new PBs across many distances. Let’s hope this is the perfect base to reach the Arc in a state good enough to get through 100 gruelling miles and reach Porthtowan within the 36 hour cut off.

The Arc

I’m not setting any goals except finishing. I’m not crazy enough to think anything else. The Arc promises to be a beautiful adventure whilst being a brutal challenge of true endurance. If the weather decide to kick our arse it could be immensely challenging. I’m up for the challenge, I’ve put in thousands of miles to feel confident of having earned my right to start. I’m also realistic enough to be absolutely scared stiff. Nothing comes close to this challenge I have set myself in so many ways. I’m in it to finish not just take part.

If you are in Cornwall on Saturday the 28th January then I’ll be at Porthtowan sometime in the afternoon /evening. I will get there and I will love every step of the adventure.

If a challenge doesn’t scare you is it truly worth taking it on?

The Arc of Attrition