The day started early for Dave – who by swanning off to Italy on holiday at the crucial planning stage – found himself running Legs 1 and 2 – the longest leg and the early start! Martin and I thought we were getting up at the crack of dawn, but we did spare a thought for Dave whilst we having breakfast – he had already left Tollard Royal and was heading for Shroton, the handover point for the lucky runners who didn’t have to carry on and complete another leg.
We arrived at Okeford Beacon in plenty of time, and sad though it sounds, it was actually very exciting waiting for the first runners to appear. At last the first competitor was spotted and as he drew closer it became clear that the Dorset Doddlers had opened up an early lead. We then had a nervous wait for Dave – had he overslept?, had he got lost?, was he doing OK? We need not have worried – at exactly the time we were expecting him he came charging up the track and the first handover of the baton was safely completed. It was all a bit of a blur to begin with as I struggled to pin on my number (collected by Dave at the start!), cope with the baton and run as fast as I could – hardly surprising that I had completed half a mile or so before I remembered to start the GPS! Well it was still early………….
Leg 3 was the one I was most worried about navigating safely so I was quite glad to have some runners ahead of me. However, I soon overtook the Gillingham 3 and then shortly afterwards the Yeovil Town runner ahead of me – so from then on there was no-one in sight. I need not have worried – the tricky hill fort section passed without problem and then a welcome downhill stretch, along a stream bed (nice wet feet just before having a ploughed field to cross) and in no time at all I was approaching the next hand over at the start of Leg 4. The cry of “runner coming” went up and it was quite funny watching the assembled runners looking round trying to work out which one of them was about to start – and then sweeping past them to start Leg 4!
A long steady climb ahead of me and no more worries about getting lost – I could just concentrate on covering the ground as quickly as possible. Once through Dorset Gap (I didn’t stop to sign the visitor book!!) more climbing and then a long downhill lane to the road crossing before once again starting to climb. As I reached the top I became aware of not one but two runners behind me, so I sped up as best I could to try and hold them off. As they drew level with me I saw that one of them was Garry Perratt of Axe Valley Runner fame (aka the Lean Mean Runner Bean) so I knew I could forget about trying to keep ahead of him! Fortunately there was only about half a mile to go and it was all downhill so I really bust a gut to try and stay with them. They were both clutching their course descriptions so I had a sneaking suspicion that they might miss the tricky right turn off the well defined track we were following……..and sure enough, they raced straight ahead. Being a sporting type, I did shout at them, but as I was a bit out of breath from trying to keep up it didn’t come out very loudly…… Consequently I swept down the hill and handed over to Phil, who took off like an Olympic sprinter out of the blocks, and then had a few moments to compose myself before they both approached from the opposite direction looking a bit confused as to how I had managed to get there first! Well all’s fair in love, war and relay races …………………….
We arrived at Okeford Beacon in plenty of time, and sad though it sounds, it was actually very exciting waiting for the first runners to appear. At last the first competitor was spotted and as he drew closer it became clear that the Dorset Doddlers had opened up an early lead. We then had a nervous wait for Dave – had he overslept?, had he got lost?, was he doing OK? We need not have worried – at exactly the time we were expecting him he came charging up the track and the first handover of the baton was safely completed. It was all a bit of a blur to begin with as I struggled to pin on my number (collected by Dave at the start!), cope with the baton and run as fast as I could – hardly surprising that I had completed half a mile or so before I remembered to start the GPS! Well it was still early………….
Leg 3 was the one I was most worried about navigating safely so I was quite glad to have some runners ahead of me. However, I soon overtook the Gillingham 3 and then shortly afterwards the Yeovil Town runner ahead of me – so from then on there was no-one in sight. I need not have worried – the tricky hill fort section passed without problem and then a welcome downhill stretch, along a stream bed (nice wet feet just before having a ploughed field to cross) and in no time at all I was approaching the next hand over at the start of Leg 4. The cry of “runner coming” went up and it was quite funny watching the assembled runners looking round trying to work out which one of them was about to start – and then sweeping past them to start Leg 4!
A long steady climb ahead of me and no more worries about getting lost – I could just concentrate on covering the ground as quickly as possible. Once through Dorset Gap (I didn’t stop to sign the visitor book!!) more climbing and then a long downhill lane to the road crossing before once again starting to climb. As I reached the top I became aware of not one but two runners behind me, so I sped up as best I could to try and hold them off. As they drew level with me I saw that one of them was Garry Perratt of Axe Valley Runner fame (aka the Lean Mean Runner Bean) so I knew I could forget about trying to keep ahead of him! Fortunately there was only about half a mile to go and it was all downhill so I really bust a gut to try and stay with them. They were both clutching their course descriptions so I had a sneaking suspicion that they might miss the tricky right turn off the well defined track we were following……..and sure enough, they raced straight ahead. Being a sporting type, I did shout at them, but as I was a bit out of breath from trying to keep up it didn’t come out very loudly…… Consequently I swept down the hill and handed over to Phil, who took off like an Olympic sprinter out of the blocks, and then had a few moments to compose myself before they both approached from the opposite direction looking a bit confused as to how I had managed to get there first! Well all’s fair in love, war and relay races …………………….
Martin and I managed to intercept Phil at a few road crossings and he was going really well. Once he had gone through the hand over at Batcombe and started on his second leg, Martin and I headed over to the A37 crossing to await his arrival. At this point we had caught up with the race again, and so the first runner we saw through was the Dorset Doddler – and it was 20 minutes before the second placed Poole Runner appeared. Next came the red shirt of Wimborne, and then the yellow of Marlborough, and then the welcome sight of the silver vest and Phil powering up the hill, having closed the gap somewhat on the team ahead.
We had hoped to be in the top 10, but to be in 5th place at half way with no other team anywhere in sight behind us was fantastic. It was Martin’s turn now to carry the baton and he hared off down the lane with an impressive display of speed. Phil and I headed over to the A356 road crossing to intercept him at about the half way point. Dorset had long since passed by but we saw the 2nd, 3rd and 4th runner go through – the Marlborough runner appeared to be struggling and Martin seemed to have made up ground. A quick swoop down into Maiden Newton to pick up Dave and then one more stop off to see Martin and refuel him with energy drink before heading over to the start of Leg 9.
An interesting development – the Marlborough runner had overtaken both Wimborne and Poole and taken his team into second place, but even better, Martin had closed the gap by another minute or two. No pressure for Dave of course……..
Next stop, Beaminster, and Dave sailed through looking comfortable, and then straight over to Sheepwash Lane to await his arrival. Once again we had caught up the race and saw Dorset Doddler go through, their impressive lead intact. I was changed and ready to go, but still with time to wait for Dave’s arrival. The Poole runner was next to appear, having pulled his team back into 2nd place, and then it was just SO exciting to see Dave sprinting down the road, having overtaken both Marlborough and Wimborne and bringing us up into 3rd place – an absolutely fantastic achievement and who was the pressure on now?!!!
It was so cool to hear the other teams saying “Well who is he? What team?” And we could proudly reply “Maiden Newton Runners !!”
Next stop, Beaminster, and Dave sailed through looking comfortable, and then straight over to Sheepwash Lane to await his arrival. Once again we had caught up the race and saw Dorset Doddler go through, their impressive lead intact. I was changed and ready to go, but still with time to wait for Dave’s arrival. The Poole runner was next to appear, having pulled his team back into 2nd place, and then it was just SO exciting to see Dave sprinting down the road, having overtaken both Marlborough and Wimborne and bringing us up into 3rd place – an absolutely fantastic achievement and who was the pressure on now?!!!
It was so cool to hear the other teams saying “Well who is he? What team?” And we could proudly reply “Maiden Newton Runners !!”
The Wimborne runner was close on Dave’s heels, so I took off as fast as I could and just hoped that he wasn’t too fast. It was really hard getting going again after a break and I struggled to begin with. The Wimborne runner overtook me within the first mile, but he didn’t pull too far ahead. Much to my surprise I caught and overtook him going up Pilsdon Pen, but within half a mile he returned the complement. I managed to stay with him and as we approached the short road section at Blackdown I got past him again – just in time to impress Martin and Phil! It was short lived though – on the final stretch he proved too strong for me. I really gave it everything I had but he finished about 50 yards ahead of me and we were back in 4th place as I once again handed over to Phil.
Martin and I set off to try and give Phil some support – Dave was now travelling with Jackie and his sons (thanks for the vocal support at the end of the leg boys!). At the first road crossing, Phil had closed on the Wimborne runner and looked strong, at the second road crossing he was ahead and pulling away! At the end he had opened up a 2 minute lead and so Martin took the baton in third place and under huge pressure not to get lost! The Wimborne runner waiting to start the last leg looked about 25 years younger than Martin and worryingly fast.
Phil and I drove up to the A35 road crossing and then began a long and anxious wait. If Martin was going to get lost it would be on this first, tricky section. The Poole runner came through looking very impressive and the minutes began ticking past – they had been about 6 minutes ahead at the handover – by the time 7 minutes had ticked slowly by my nerves were in shreds – and then, what a relief, Martin appeared round the corner, looking strong, just a slight pause for traffic and then he was across and heading off down the hill, the end drawing near. Phil and I waited a couple of minutes but the next runner still hadn’t shown and so we rushed down to Up Lyme just in time to see Poole finish in 2nd place.
It was just fantastic to see Martin appear and know that we were home and safe – everyone having given it their absolute best effort, no one having got lost and we were THIRD!!! Out of 20 teams! And we were only a team of four! Next year no-one will be saying “but who are Maiden Newton Runners?”
I apologise for the number of times I’ve used the word fantastic in this report, but that’s just the sort of day it was.
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7 comments:
Lin's right about it being a great day and a great result. I started to feel confident at 6.45 a.m. when, stopping for a wee in a quiet gateway, I found myself a few yards from a hare - a good omen I thought, though I did not feel so hopeful as I plodded up Okeford Hill 2 hours later.
We all wondered how we would cope with doing another leg later in the day, and the omens were not so promising when I saw a dead bird on the ground just before I started leg 9. Luckily for me the 2 runners in front of me were struggling by the time we got to Lewesdon Hill and I was able to get in front of both of them just before the end of the leg (despite what it says on the results page about me finishing 4 mins behind Wimborne).
The others all gave it everything over the final legs and there we were, in 3rd place and amongst the first into the pub for the free food.
It's all been said, what a great day for MNR.Thanks to lin & Martin for the Transportation, where do we go next
What about the Clarendon Marathon relay? 4 legs of about 6 or 7 miles each. Its in October, from Winchester to Salisbury. Its a proper marked course, and we would be up amongst the leaders in that race too.
Congrats to Lin, Martin, Phil and Dave for an excellent result and wonderful achievement. Our efforts seem quite mediocre in comparison, however a reasonably concise report follows.
Last week we went to Derbyshire, somewhere around Matlock/Buxton (which is actually quite near Staffordshire). We drove up on the Wednesday, and after checking in the B&B, tea and cakes provided on arrival, we set off later for a little village the other side of Buxton about 20 miles away. The race was the Shady Oak 10K, named after the pub/Race HQ. There was a bit of drizzle during the afternoon, but as we got nearer the heavens opened. Not quite the JK deluge, but enough that I was still sitting in the car at 7.15. However it eased off in time for a quick change and walk up to the start. In true Maiden Newton style, no one seemed to know exactly where the start was, so everyone went up the lane, and then we all came back down again. The race was mostly on quiet lanes, but with a 2K section of rocky, steep track up and down, and then a longer steeper climb up the lane, at which point what should have been views of the lovely scenery disappeared under the low cloud. The pay off was a long descent back to the finish line. Richard achieved this in 47:00 mins. I managed a more leisurely 61 mins, which got me back to the pub just in time for the 8.30 cut off for serving meals. But we had some very nice fish and chips with mushy peas, can definitely recommend the chips “up north”.
We then had two days for sightseeing, and hopefully easing off the stiffness in my legs. A long walk on Thursday, including another steep hill probably wasn’t a good idea, but we did check out parts of the marathon course.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny with a cool breeze. An early breakfast, drive to Cromford Meadows, and then a coach journey to the start on the Tissington trail. This is a trail that follows the course of a disused railway line. Because of this the trail gradually wound its way slowly uphill to the 11-mile mark, going through cuttings and along embankments to maintain the gradient. At 11 miles we turned round, literally going round a marshal in the road. (I was 1:45 mins here). We then joined the High Peak trail, another disused railway line, which took us back, still climbing very gradually, towards Cromford. At about 21 miles we came to the first of the inclines down. A short section of about 1:14, followed soon after by two more inclines of 1:8, the last being the longest. I didn’t mind this bit at all (neither did Richard), but it did seem to bother a lot of other runners, and I passed a few men at the bottom of the last bit. Unfortunately it didn’t bother the woman in front of me who pulled away during the final mile along the canal towpath to finish ONE minute in front of me and was the first FV50!!!!! However there was some consolation in our finish times, Richard finally broke through the 3:30 barrier to finish in 3:28:04, and I managed to knock 14 minutes off my FLM time to finish in 4:18.
The meadow finish was a wonderful setting: a cricket match playing in the field, a beer festival with real ale, brass band playing etc. However Richard was in his usual post-marathon state and unable to appreciate any of this. He did manage to drive the car down closer to the race HQ, but still missed my finish, and was still recovering some time later.
PS We also saw a hare on our way to the B&B, and a runner in a Clarendon Way Marathon T Shirt on Sunday..................
I wouldn't describe both achieving PB's on an off road, hilly marathon as "quite mediocre". I'd use my current favourite word "fantastic"! Well done both of you.
I was already a bit envious of you doing this marathon, but now I know I missed a real ale beer festival as well I'm green!
Talking of Clarendon Way, any takers.............?
The following report is all Richard's work and any opinions are his own!!!!
Richard said:
These days it seems certain words are overused, “What a star” when all you’ve done is provide a cup of tea, or excellent, or brilliant when ditto. I thought stars went to the Oscars or were celestial bodies.
The full title of our recent 10K was The Shady Oak Tough 10K. Some runners use the word tough for anything that’s not as flat as Norfolk! Well the Shady Oak certainly lived up to its description. It was the hardest 10K I’ve done making Arlington seem like a stroll in the park, and gave me a personal worst. The course profile indicates the first hill climbs about 300ft, the second about 550ft, then there’s all the undulations! I had one eye on our marathon in 3 days time but still really pushed it. Apparently last orders for food at the pub HQ were at 8.30 and the race started later than its 7.30 time, plus I wanted to dry off and change before going into the pub. I really enjoyed this race and managed to get back in time to order food for Lesley and myself. The pub HQ was great; runners just came in wet and dirty and got stuck into pints of beer! The pub landlord rang the time gentlemen please bell for silence for the prize giving in the main bar area. Think I might try it again next year.
I was a bit worried about doing the White Peak, not having done a long run for 6 weeks. My plan was to run with Lesley to half way and then see how I felt. However the day after the Shady Oak I was forced into striding miles across hostile terrain with barely pause for refreshment. The Peak district is beautiful, but a postman’s nightmare. My legs felt terrible and I couldn’t keep up with Lesley. We both became very irritable and by night barely speaking. If we’d had separate rooms it would have been a bonus! Lesley didn’t want me to run with her and I didn’t want to run at all. She said my conversation was like a series of wasp stings. However by Friday evening things had mellowed considerably and we had a very good pub meal, a large Sardinian malloredusu pasta with wild boar which I bulked up with ten boiled potatoes and 2 pints of Guinness.
Saturday morning I was raring to go. A marshal said allow 10 minutes + compared to a road marathon. So I set off carefully, 8:10 for the first mile, then tucked in behind two guys and we averaged 7:55 for about 8 miles. I was waiting for something difficult but the steady incline was hardly noticeable on the compacted limestone and cinder surfaces. I had decided a 3:30 time was on the cards and decided to push on. At eleven miles a marshal was sat on a chair in the middle of the trail. We circled round him and ran opposite oncoming runners. This was good as I was able to see how much distance I had put between me and some runners I had gone past. By 16 I was about 4 minutes up but felt tired at around 18-19, so deliberately slowed down. Lesley and I had recce’d the last part of the course on our “rest” day and I knew that I would be able to make up time on the steep downhills. The last mile along the canal path seemed to take forever, but suddenly there was the finish on the meadow. I put on a furious sprint, a voice called out “strong finish mate” and I was over the line. My 3rd fastest marathon and even though I felt extremely uncomfortable I wasn’t sick. After resting in the car for a while I gathered the camera and prepared to greet Lesley. I was too late yet again as she came striding towards me in the famous 118 number having stuffed her London Marathon time! The course is ideal for a fastish time and the views are great and you only cross one road. Essex Dave who stayed at our B&B ran this and was going straight on to the Windermere Marathon on Sunday. He has done about 255 marathons!
Unfortunately some time ago I said I would shave, and cut my hair off if I got in under 3:30 again.
Ah, now we get the truth about your trip to Derbyshire...........
Are you coming to the next MNRC meeting , can't wait to see the new clean shaven, crew cut image.
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