Avenue of the Giants Marathon

May Day 2011. Our long-awaited scenic spring marathon finally arrived, without volcanos or BA strikes to stymie us this time. Having picked up numbers etc the day before, we made it to the race venue in the heart of the beautiful Humboldt Redwoods State Park over 90 minutes before the 8:00 start time.

Some nervous waiting, and a couple of trips to the Port-a-Potties later, and we were standing at the front of the crowd of maybe 600 listening to a spirited rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, then a short briefing, and countdown and we were off!

Down the road beside Bull Creek and within a minute we were running through stands of majestic Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), most over 300 feet tall and 1000 years old. The day before we had admired them up close, but now we were concentrating on running and the trees were somehow less substantial, although still a unique and powerful presence. Our goal was to run each mile of the race in 6:50. On many training runs this winter and spring, that would have seemed like a tough pace, but on this day it felt absolutely effortless, at least for the first few miles of the race.

Lin's was happy to let me set the pace, despite two younger women starting off ahead of us, and opening up a lead of over a hundred yards. They were either really fast, or had gone off too fast, and it would do no good to race them at this stage.

The course consists of two out and back sections in the woods of a half-marathon each. Soon we had reached the first turn-around point and met the leader on his way back, followed by a few other men, then the first lady, possibly ahead of us by a minute at this stage. We had already passed the other woman and Lin was second place in the ladies race, and we were about 20th overall. We were exactly 5 seconds behind our target pace, which was very good, since we were now at the highest point on the course.

The return half of the first leg was slightly downhill, so we regained that 5 seconds, and without meaning or trying to, about another 45 seconds more so we were 40 seconds up on our schedule by the half-way mark which we reached in 1:28:50. Support from the other runners was great, many calling out "Go Maiden Newton" as we passed them. Then we were on the second half, and the second out-and-back, with runners coming in the opposite direction doing the Half-marathon and some finishing the 10k race. They also gave us great support, with calls of "well done, second lady" to Lin. We had caught up and were running with a guy from local Six Rivers Running Club who was a great help because his pace was really even, and he also called out ahead to the many walkers strewn across the course to make way for the marathon runners. A feature of American races seems to be that many walkers take part along with the runners, which is great, but it can make it a little tricky when you are overtaking walkers doing less than half your pace, and also walking 2, 3 , 4 or even 5 abreast!

But we carried on, still on schedule, though I sensed that Lin was getting tired now. The sight of the first lady up ahead spurred her on though, and we were definitely gaining on her. About the 18 mile mark we caught her up, and lurked behind her for a minute or so until a shout of "go-ladies" tipped her off, and we overtook - Lin trying to appear fresh and strong to provide maximum demoralisation effect on the opposition. We needn't have worried, though, because after a brief attempt to stay in touch the early leader soon fell back, and by the 19.5 mile turn-around point was over a 100 yards back and clearly struggling. Unfortunately, by now Lin was also finding it really hard, and we gradually fell off pace until with 5k to go needed to run a sub-20 minute 5k to finish under 3 hours. That was not going to happen, but we managed to hang on to a respectable 7:30 pace and reached the finish line to cheers from our friends Sherry and Rich in a new PB for Lin of 3:03:17.

The race had been designated the Road Runners Club of America Championship race for California so Lin was now the 2011 RRCA California State Champion! I got a nice medal engraved beer glass and bottle of Lost Coast Brewery beer for first in 55-59 age-group. A very satisfying result, but even without the awards, it would have been well worth doing. An outstandingly scenic race, with superb organisation, and a friendly atmosphere - what more could you ask?

Well maybe to finish in under 3 hours. We'll have to do that next time...

Lin said: What an awesome experience (I've only been in the US for 4 days and I'm already speaking American, awesome indeed!) the Avenue of Giants marathon was. Naturally I'm very disappointed not to have broken the 3 hour mark but a new marathon PB (my first post broken hip "proper" PB) and being Californian State Champion was a pretty good consolation prize. Mainly I'm just so grateful that Martin stayed with me from the 20 mile mark, when I really began to struggle, and patiently coaxed me every step of the way. He was still feeling strong and would undoubtedly have got under 3 hours if he had gone on without me so a big thank you to him.

So now we have to keep our fingers crossed that we get into Abingdon and do all that training again, but harder...........................................but first there's the small matter of a holiday to enjoy.

Blackdown Beast

After thoroughly enjoying last year's inaugural 16 mile romp through the Somerset/Devon borderlands, (with 3 pubs and a Cornish Pasty/Mulled-cider stop), this event has been on our calendar for many months. We set off at 8:30 sharp, theoretically only an hours drive away and starting at 10:00am, but expecting to need the extra half an hour to find our way to Dunkeswell from the nearest main road - even though it's less than 4 miles as the crow flies. We needed most of that time because despite having done the run last year, our memories of the route were vague, and the roads very windy, and potholy. We found some of the few roads that we missed trying to find the place last year, but unfortunately none of them led to our destination, so we ended up driving round to the far side of the village and approaching from the west. Next year we'll remember the map.

We finally arrived only 10 minutes before 10, just in time for the meeting briefing, or brief meeting before the start where we were told to expect mud, ice, rocks, and more mud, but thankfully not the herd of cows in a farmyard which we had to negotiate last year.

The other important information was that there were only 10 vegetarian pasties, which would have lent some urgency to our pace over the first leg of the course, except that because we were running with Garry (AKA LMRB), we were automatically at the head of the field. Luckily Garry was only "pootling" around so we were able to keep up - just, thanks to him opening most of the gates, and doing the map-reading. A local runner, Tony was running with us too, he is more used to chasing blobs of flour rather than drawing pins, but didn't seem to have much trouble keeping up, and maintaining a conversation.

The first leg was over 6 miles and the short break at Smeatharpe for pasty & mulled-cider was extremely welcome, especially inside a warm village hall where the temperature was several tens of degrees warmer, so the shock when we set off for the pub at Upottery was substantial. It took us a mile or two to really get going again, luckily not as hilly or muddy as the first section with several easy downhill tracks where we could relax a bit, and where Lin relaxed so much that she caught her toe on a stone and went flying. No serious damage, fortunately, she is pretty good at falling over!

The Sidmouth Arms gave us a warm welcome, although the landlady's first words were "you are all quite mad"!!! We couldn't really argue about that, she's right. Forced to choose between the Otter Ale, and Otter Bitter, I had a half of each. In a blind taste test I could just about tell the difference between them (by peeking), they are both good. Lin had a cup of coffee - oh well, it takes all sorts.

The next group of runners were hot on our heels, so we didn't stay long, although it was tempting to stay and enjoy the warmth, and maybe another drink, but the Luppitt Inn was beckoning, only 2.8 miles away, but separated from Upottery by a rather large hill.

I wish I had taken a picture of the fantastic view from the top of the hill above Luppitt, but I was too tired and cold to even try to get the camera out, and we weren't hanging about. It was down the precipice to the road, then halfway up one of the steeper hills in this part of Devon to definitely the smallest pub in the west country. We barely had time to down a half of Otter before the chasing group pitched up, and with still less than 10 runners in the bar, the place was full, and we left to make room for the others.

As we set off to enjoy the second and much steeper half of the hill, we were joined by renowned Honiton athlete, Heather Foundling-Hawker - having a nice easy morning's running as a break from her ultra training. She had just qualified for the GB 24 hour squad in an amazing effort where she had to run well over 200 miles in 4 days after her first attempt had failed due to adverse weather. (Link) She had some interesting stories to tell of the Ultra circuit which helped to make the last couple of miles back to Dunkeswell pass more easily. Soon we were running down into the village, and then up the final steepish hill to the Royal Oak (second most popular pub name in England).

Game over, but still some enjoyment to be had with a nice drink and a hearty meal of fish and chips in front of the fire, chatting with friends as they arrived back. A low key event, not a race, just great company and countryside - running at its best.

Many thanks to Nick, John, and the rest of the organising crew. We'll be back in 12 months for more mud and Mulled Cider.

Oh, and a plug for the Honiton Hippo. It be a good'un! Similar terrain, but a race, not a pub run. http://www.honitonrc.com/races/hippo/hippo.htm We would be doing it if we didn't have the Johnny Kipps on the same day. Its the old complaint, too many races, too little time.

Tales From The Back Of The Grid - The Great North Run by Eric

First a little background: after a long spell not running due to lower back muscular issues this is my first competitive run since the infamous Parrett Trail last October. Getting back up to speed over the summer was partially successful and I had reached a comfortable distance of 8 miles. The rest was in the lap of the Gods!

The morning of the race was calm, slightly misty and full of nervous tension. Through the night the north east was drenched in rain so I wasn’t quite hopeful of a dry race. I was running alongside my brother-in-law – a much more experienced long distance runner and after a hefty bowl of Scots Oats we made our way to our gate – which was second last nearly a kilometer from the start line!!

Why is it, that while getting ready at the start, all the other runners look so much better prepared than you? I certainly thought this until we walked the kilometer to our gate where there was a better balance of age differences, beer bellies and other ungainly physiques. I felt quite good and quite at home!

Now as usual, I had musical accompaniment for the race. This time I had The Who to get me round. The aim was simple – get to the end of Tommy by 10k, then finish the race before the end of the 1st disc of Quadrophenia.

To get the crowd warmed up there was a fitness bloke on a cherry picker with a microphone giving us an aerobics workout. It was an amazing sight to see 54,000 people all doing the same thing – although the sound didn’t match up with the big screens closest to us as we were so far back!!!!

The wheel Chairs and the blind runners set off first followed by the women’s athletes. Then the men’s athletes were announced – it was good to see Gabrsellassie, it gave the whole race a little kudos and I know in my heart of hearts that I gave him a good run for his money! He only pipped me to the post, I mean, come on, 1hr and 44 mins difference – it ain’t that much!

After the starting pistol it took ages for us to get moving. I thought that I was never going to catch up old Haile and my heart sank even further when the times came up for the women’s race as they approached mile 9!!!!

However, with the promise of being able to high-five Ant or Dec at the start line getting ever closer we gradually made our way forward. The Red Arrows put on brief display – followed by a notice on the big screens that there will be a full Red Arrow display at the finish at 1.15. It should have had disclaimer after that in brackets that said “Except for you fat boys at the back! You’ll never make it!”

(However, I did see some of the display – oops, spoilers!)

After 32 mins since the pistol, we reached the start line and I pressed play on my iPod, completely ignoring and missing Ant & Dec!! Shame! The vibe was fantastic and it was odd how with so many people that we were actually running. The dual carriageway snaked its way through the campus of the University of Northumbria, over flyovers and through underpasses. With the initial flood of blood and sweat dealt with, we rounded the bend towards the Tyne Bridge – a really magical moment. The weather was dry and cool with strains of The Who’s Amazing Journey competing with the crowd noise as I spotted my family on the left just before the bridge. A quick high-five with my son – infinitely better than high-fiving one of those ‘celeb’ types – and we were on our way over the bridge. At this point Phil’s advice about road cambers popped into my head as I took to the central white lines over the bridge – a sport more commonly reserved for the local youth on a Friday or Saturday night after a few alcopops!

The mile markers were coming quite quickly and I had found a good rhythm and shortly after having listened to The Acid Queen, Mile 3 appeared. All was on target, I was half way through Tommy and I recall thinking during “Do You Think It's Alright?” that everything was better than alright!

The next stretch up to 10k went extremely well. What was unusual was that the runners hadn’t thinned out. We were still all bunched up running at the same pace – I guess the whole “gate” system and running with similar runners really works – although it was difficult to get a breeze as the day started to heat up.

A low point of this section was being overtaken by SpongeBob Square Pants – he must have been hot!!!! As we made our way through one of the many council estates, Pinball Wizard came and went. The local kids were busy playing with their new toys – discarded half empty plastic bottles of water, which they were squirting at us passing runners, with a few of the local yoof deciding to abandon squirting water in favour of actually throwing the bottles at the runners!!!! That certainly kept you running for a while!!!

The mile markers kept coming and going with a good regularity and as I reached the end of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” I crossed the 6mile point followed very closely by the 10k marker. I was bang on target and the song was apt:
“Listening to you,
I get the music.
Gazing at you,
I get the heat.
Following you,
I climb the mountains.

I get excitement at your feet.”

The next 5K went without controversy, but dodging over-excited children was still an ongoing torment! When I reached 8 miles I was feeling great and I knew that I was about to move out of my comfort zone. By then I had entered the Quadrophenia phase of the race and was still hopeful of finishing by the end of the 1st disc. Mile 9 came along and then mile 10 took a bit longer to appear. At this point, my knees were a bit red and feeling tired and at each drink station I was left squirting water on my knees to cool them down by myself as the local yoof had disappeared and had probably gone back to the safety of more homely pursuits like joy-riding or ram-raiding.

The pace was beginning to slow and my desire for the next drink station became slightly obsessive. There were 3 isotonic drink stations but there was no sugar and no calories in these drinks. Now forgive me for not being an experienced runner but surely the intake of glucose with all the calories it contains is a good thing? I was relying on a good old bottle of sugary sports drink – Kevlar juice or an equivalent. But no. It was a bottle of foul tasting mineral suspension which although topped up my levels, it didn’t provide me with that boost that was so desperately needed. But wait – what is that I see on the horizon? A jelly baby station? Am I delirious? Have I hit the wall so hard that I am imagining things? No, it’s a jelly baby station!! SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!!! Gimme MORE!!!!  After a small sugar rush I felt slightly better, though the knees were knackered!

Shortly after the 10 mile mark I walked for the first time. Only 10 paces or so, then back to my running pace. But it signaled the beginning of the end. Walking was quite uncomfortable after running for so long but it became necessary. The halfway point of Quadrophenia came and went, so I adjusted my target to get to the finish line before the end of the cd – surely that was achievable? Miles 11 & 12 came and went quite slowly during which one kind resident was stood holding a tin of biscuits – SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!!!! It was pain & pleasure – the biscuit (a custard cream) was nectar, however my mouth was so dry that it wasn’t until the next water station before I could accompany the dry biscuit with some liquid!

Then we headed down hill towards the sea at South Shields and then hell happened. The downhill stretch looked welcoming but just after turning onto the flat straight to the finish line - a kilometer away, my right knee stiffened and became intensely painful – on the outside edge. I knew it wasn’t muscular but that didn’t help me much. 800m to go and I was hobbling along the sea front as the rain started to pelt down in a heavy shower. Then there was a roar as the Red Arrows flew right over my head towards the finish line trailing red, white & blue. An uplifting sight to behold! I hadn’t missed the display after all! With buoyed spirits I tried running again – useless. I hobbled on eyeing the kerb suspiciously as if it were about to claim its next victim. I reach the 200m board. I try running again – success! I feel the pain begin to shift a little – enough for me to maintain a gentle jog to the finish line. Sadly Haile had gone. I thought he might have hung around for a while!!!! With the rain hammering down and foil cape donned like a bedraggled cat I eventually found my family and then set to task on the next race – how to get out of South Shields with 54000 others and get back to Dorset before work in the morning – but that’s another story!!!! 13.1 miles – I did it!

Johnny Kipps

What a start to our 25th year, with a little help from our friends at YTRRC and two MNR members on bikes a total of 26 people completed the 20th JK. There have been many years when you could count the runners on one hand taking part in this annual event, so it was a bit f a shock for Wynford Eagle having this many runners invading the peaceful village.
After a brief description of the route given by the chair and it was over to Lord Wynford to get the race underway (but not before telling us he was still in touch with Johnny and he is impressed to hear the event was still held in his name).

I have always found the start of this race difficult, as it seems a bit of a cross between a social run and a race. The only plan I had of trying to stick with Dave C when he made his dash to leave everyone else behind at the start was out the window when Dave retired to riding his bike round the route due to a foot injury.
Without any real plan I found myself taking to the front of the pack with in a very short distance, fully expecting to be joined and probably over taken at the first of the many hills crammed in to the first 2.5 miles of this route. Apart from a few shouts to slow down from Pete Jakeman, it soon became very quiet. By the time I started to climb the second hill I was beginning to think there was some plan I was not part of and everyone else had turned round and head for the nearest pub. Hearing Dave C giving words of encouragement to someone (is that multi tasking, riding a bike and talking Dave) reassured me there was still a race going on.
Still out on my own heading for the last and the steepest climb on the route I took a quick look behind, to see Dave Webb in pursuit. Still not believing I could hold this position for much longer, I pushed on trying to reassure myself if I was hurting Dave had to be. Finally at the top and grabbing a much appreciated drink, I actually started think I had a chance of winning. Still not sure how far back Dave was or if he was on his own, it was the turn back towards Wynford before I dared to take another look. which confirmed it was just Dave about 100meter back. I knew I could not let up if I was going to stand a chance of collecting the coveted biscuit tin, which had not graced the England household for many years.

With just the long straight ahead followed by the steep down hill to the finish, I had convinced myself I could win this race. That was until Dave C arrived on his bike, looking for a bit of reassurance I asked “is he gaining on me or am I doing OK”. The reply came well this strong wind could catch either one of you out, it really depends which one of you wants it the most. These reassuring words NOT, were followed by right I am off to the finish to let events unfold with out my influence (Thanks Dave). One final check before starting down the hill to the finish confirmed Dave W had found the wind just as tough as I had and was not closing the gap. This did not stop me continuing as fast as my legs would let me to the finish line.

I know this has turned into marathon report but I can’t finish with out thanking everyone for making the effort to turn up to start our 25th celebration it great fashion, well done Mike for producing a perfect set of results and Jackie and team for provide the drink station. O and of course Dave C for providing the biscuits, one down side with having so many runners the tin was all but empty by the time I got it home.

2011 promises’ to be an interesting race, this years winning time was exactly the same as last years. Add to that other runners not saving them self for a marathon the next week, it should be an interesting race.

Grizzly 2010 - Beauty and the Beach

This was the best Grizzly of the 7 I have done, for a number of reasons, not least the perfect weather. Although it was pretty cold when we arrived at the seafront in Seaton at 8:00am and had breakfast in the van, by the time the race started, it was a toss -up whether gloves would be necessary.

We met up at the start with Ironman Phil, who made us feel even more tired before the race, when he mentioned that he had cycled the 30 miles to Seaton! Our feelings of tiredness were probably mostly down to nerves, which for me, lasted through the half-mile of beach (which is always a bit of a shock to the system), and the first hills and a lot of winding around the holiday camp on the west of Beer. It wasn't until the cliffs above Branscombe that I really started to feel that the race was going well. I was being passed frequently on the uphill stretches, but making up those places and more on the downhills. The steeper the better!

Branscombe Mouth itself was a great experience, the spectators/supporters there creating an amazing level of sound and encouragement. We sped out of the area along the valley on the way to the major hills to the north.

The hills arrived all too soon, and for the next few miles, if we weren't climbing we were descending, apart from the bits where we were negotiating a bog or the skirting the side of a hill with one leg a foot higher than the other. Or at least that's what I remember, I think there might have been a few hundred yards of flattish road or track in there somewhere.

One place that definitely sticks in my mind, and in my shoes and socks is a field which started as fairly churned up muddy grass and ended up with foot deep liquid cow manure - no other way out or around! I passed one unfortunate groping beneath the surface for a misplaced shoe. Wonder if he was using that hand later to grab a jelly baby from one of the many plates that were on offer around the course.

The bogs were great as always - probably my favourite feature of the course. I have learned that no matter how tired you are, you have to keep moving and try to skim over the top, it takes much more effort to go slowly. I overtook loads of people, and started to think that I could finish in the top 100 which has always been a goal for me, only attained the year when the numbers were drastically reduced due to the shipwreck-induced postponement.

Great encouragment from the race-supporters and marshalls helped tremendously as I continued to push hard, and especially through the Fountainhead pub area, and down to the coast again. The beach at Branscombe was hard, but not as hard as the path up the cliff at the other end, but I was still overtaking people.

Down into Beer, and again great encouragement. Up the steps on the other side, and I was even catching up runners from the Cub race who pulled over to let me past and cheered me on. Then the track back down to the coast road, a steep path down to the sea-front, on to the beach for a quarter-mile of crunchy shingle ( I took the wetter, but firmer seaward route) and up the ramp to the finishing straight. I heard footsteps from behind and managed a sprint to the finish, and congratulations from the race-director Garry Perratt.

I was tired, shattered might be more accurate, but I was also on an incredible high. To finish under 3 hours, and in the top 60! Things only got better when very shortly I heard the announcer saying that the third lady was finishing and it was (none other than) Lin Lascelles! Wow, what a great performance from her, also in the top 100, and her best result since she won first place in the Corfe Beast last year. Also a tough, hilly race, and clearly the kind of event in which she excels.

After a mandatory, but admittedly brief dip in the sea to wash off the worst of the mud, and who knows what, we changed, and then strolled back past the finish to help support the runners still finishing. The warm sun and almost carnival atmosphere seemed really special.


The weather, the terrain, the scenery, and most of all the people supporting the event made it a truly memorable experience. Thank you to all who made it possible. It doesn't get much better than this, and we felt really lucky to have been involved with the Grizzly - long may it roar!

Sussex Beacons Half Marathon, Brighton

A leisurely drive up on Saturday took us to our favourite unofficial Brighton campsite which was almost unrecognisable because, since our last trip, they cut down the handy hedge screening us from view. We set 3 alarms to make really certain we didn't oversleep, woke up an hour early because my phone was still on French time. Then drove to the seafront in Brighton for the closest parking spot we could find which was still over a mile from the start.

So we were in position for a breakfast of instant porridge before stretching out for the next 2 hours to await the time to leave the comfort of the van for our warm-up jog to the start.

Watched increasing numbers of runners streaming past as the weather deteriorated until at 9 it was time to feed the meter with a handful of coins and jog to the start.

We thought we had plenty of time, but 15 of the 30 minutes before the start was consumed waiting in a 100yd long line to check baggage in. We barely had time to insinuate ourselves to somewhere near the correct starting position before the race started, bang on time, just as well, we were freezing in the blustery wind and steady rain.

A fast first mile up the London road, dodging puddles, past the famous Pavillion, next mile doubling back wending our way through the North and Old Lanes, then back on the sea-front, past the pier again, up a rise to Marine drive for a mile, still on schedule. A couple of hairpin bends and were back on the sea-front, heading east, then a sharp turn back to the West. Met Lin coming the other way, a minute or so behind.

Along the "Ovett Mile", past the finish line and a further 3 miles were into the wind along the seafront to Hove. It was really hard to maintain anything like target pace, but I just about did, and after the leader passed us going the opposite direction at 7.5 miles, already over a mile ahead, I was very glad to finally, turn away from the wind and head back towards Brighton.

I knew I had to make up the time lost into the wind, although feeling increasingly tired, I was able to resist any temptations to slack off because this is probably my best chance to do a good half-marathon time this year. The final 3 miles were the same as miles 3 to 5, but I was really struggling to maintain speed, and was passed by several runners. The finish was a really welcome sight, as was the finishing time of 1:25:56 - well under my target time, and my second fastest ever, in quite difficult running conditions.

Lin finished exactly 8 minutes back in a respectable time, only just outside her previous post-broken-hip best of last year, although nearly 11 minutes outside her lifetime PB.

We didn't hang around, although if we had we'd have spotted Richard Rider finishing a few minutes later, chip time 1:45ish. But the warmth of the van beckoned, and we hastened back towards Hove, and were on our way to the Hove-Park Cafe, for a Greek Breakfast of toast & marmalade, topped with rocket, halloumi and olives - sounds like a strange combo, but its almost worth driving to Sussex for by itself.

All in all a good race, worth doing at least once. On a nice sunny day, it would be quite special.

That's it for now, next weekend Dalwood 3 hills!

Lin's bit: Only for running would I get out of bed at 6.30am on a Sunday morning for the second week in a row!!! 

Dartmoor Discovery Ultra Marathon

Saturday saw the Westgates and the Lascelles duo at Princeton for the 10th anniversary Dartmoor Discovery 32 mile Ultra. A stroll in the park for Lin and Martin but a step into the abyss for us ultra virgins. Training included a week’s holiday to build up strength by laying and pointing a huge area of paving. Unfortunately this backfired as we both got dehydrated and backache.

Having checked the weather forecast Richard and I were among the few runners who wore coats over our vests; Richard also wore gloves and kept his coat on for the whole race. We started off slowly at the back and I thought conversation pace meant talking to everyone I knew, plus a few who I didn’t. Richard lagged behind for a while, then drew level, but the talking proved too much for him and he moved ahead. I spent the rest of the first 10K getting bored with the sight of his yellow coat an irritating distance ahead, before he pushed on out of sight. I prayed that he would be tempted to try and “race” the next 26 miles, fall apart as he nearly always does on a long run resulting in me beating him!

The second 10K was probably the most enjoyable, good scenery, lots of downhills, sunshine and feeling good. Nothing much to say about the route through Ashburton, which led to a long hard climb back to the moor. The weather now changed: thunder, hail and continuous rain. I wished I had brought my Everest Base Camp handwarmers, which I had optimistically thrown out that morning. Richard said he couldn’t feel his fingers towards the end and a marshal offered to pour out his special drink at the 29-mile refreshment station.

Make no mistake, this is a testing route but it does have some excellent viewpoints, streams, stone bridges, wooded hillsides, chocolate-box thatched cottages, sheep and ponies with foals. Shame about the cloud and rain, apparently it was 25degrees C in Milverton.

Organisation was excellent; friendly marshals and drink-station people. Split times were called at various points and our own special drinks were transported to any of the 10 stations. I had ginger beer towards the end and it made a refreshing change. At the finish there were free teas, coffees, bananas, sandwiches, biscuits etc. The moment runners crossed the line a blanket was wrapped around them, a real benefit on a cold, wet day. Unfortunately Richard didn’t blow up and finished in 5:33:22, but I wasn’t far behind at 5:46:42 (unofficial times) which probably beat him on an age-graded basis! (And I ran the last 10K about one minute faster than him!!!).

Lin and martin had a slightly slower run than last year with Lin persevering with some pain in her knee but still putting in a strong last 10K. Apparently her time will mean that Lin won’t get the No 1 race number next year!

Additional words from Richard:

My race plan was to run with Lesley and hopefully finish in just under 6 hours. Soon after the start I realised I didn’t want to run with Lesley – she talks too much! But I did set off slow and comfortable and it felt good in the sun. reached 10K at 58ish, 20K in 1:56ish, marathon in 4:25ish so the times were well on schedule for under 6 hours. The cold, hail and rain proved a bit of a challenge. A lady runner thought ‘cos I was well dressed that I was an experienced ultra-runner – no, just an old git who feels the cold! Last three miles were a real mental battle – took about 34 minutes running completely on my own but there were occasional supporters who really cheered me on. The blanket at the finish was so welcome and I must admit as I did some stretches on a stone wall there were a few emotional tears, relief at finishing, relief at staying ahead of Lesley, relief at not feeling sick and bad and having to lay on the ground in a recovery position! Phil England drank flat coke on his Ironman marathon section and this also worked for me on my two special drinks.

Good to see many familiar faces, a huge contingent from Teignbridge Trotters, Jonathon Day from AVR, Alan Littlejohns, and Kevin Day of Goyt Valley Striders, the organiser of the Shady Oak 10K which we ran as a warm up for the White Peak last year. Also met a geezer who has done all ten Discoveries, and he lives in Essex!

Respect to Lin who ran on through knee pain, must take an extra stubbornness to keep going in pain, especially knowing that on a better day you could be 30 – 40 minutes quicker. Respect to Martin for staying with her when he could obviously have pushed on. Naturally in similar position I would have stayed with Lesley!

PS from Lesley. Was this the hardest thing I have ever done? It certainly wins for sheer effort, but the final day’s walk to Everest Base Camp is just ahead as I was more exhausted afterwards. The effort of trying to get there while suffering from altitude sickness definitely took more out of me.

--------------------------------------------

Postscript from Martin:

I took some pictures early in the race before the rain. Unfortunately the camera phone soon became waterlogged and I was unable to get any pictures of Lesley and Richard after the race ( or for 2 days afterwards until it dried out).

Lin running down the hill towards Ashburton, not much sun left.

Rain threatening Just before half way.

Its really raining now.

The highest, and the wettest point - so far - hope the lightning doesn't hit us!

Meanwhile, back in Dorset, in fact everywhere else but Dartmoor!

The Big Sur Marathon: the most scenic road marathon in the world

April 27th 2008 - our mission - to check out if the above claim was really true.

The Big Sur is a point to point marathon along the coast from Big Sur to Monterey about 100 miles south of San Francisco. As the road was closed for the duration of the race most competitors had to get the bus from Monterey at a ridiculously early hour. We had the foresight to book into a camp ground amongst the giant redwoods just 1km from the start - for which we were rewarded with a lie-in until 4.30am.

Despite this being the 23rd running of the event the organisers made a bit of a foul up at the start which found the road jammed with the slower runners and nowhere for the front runners to go. Eventually with a minute to go till the 6.45am start they announced that everyone should stay where they were and the rest of the runners would be “fed in” - after the 6 hour plus competitors had plodded past!! Our immediate reaction was “No way!” so we dived through the barriers, raced across the front of the start line and dived in from the side. A few lucky souls were quick enough to follow suit but then the marshals sprang into action and no-one else made it. Their problem, not ours - we were on the start line and ready to go.

And so finally, after months of planning and looking forward to the Big Sur, we were underway. The first few miles were slightly downhill or flat, winding through the redwoods, but we resisted the temptation to storm off and took it steadily. Martin was still suffering the end of a cold, which had left him with a nasty cough, and didn’t want to push too hard too soon. That suited me fine, neither of us was in top shape and we were happy to take it easy. Enjoying the route was more important than a decent time for us today.

After about 5 miles the sea came into view on our left and the first of many undulations began. At the same time we were treated to the first section where we were heading into a strong head wind. The first climb, although not steep was hard work but the views made up for it. The Big Sur marathon has an excellent website with a virtual tour - words simply cannot describe the splendour of this section of coastline - it’s well worth a look.

I was finding the race quite tough from fairly early on - an upset stomach was making life uncomfortable and I could feel a repeat of Venice coming on. I wanted to enjoy this race and not struggle for over half the way! However at about 8 miles we began picking off other female runners who had clearly gone off too fast and that improved my mood which in turn made my legs feel lighter!

There is one long hard climb up to the well-named Hurricane Point which begins at about 9 miles and reaches the summit at around 12. We reached the top and were rewarded with more fine views and a long swoop down to a picturesque bridge. On the other side I had to give in to the call of nature and pay a brief visit to a handy Portaloo - timed by Martin at 45 seconds - but well worth the wasted seconds. I felt soooo much better afterwards!

There were several bands and groups along the way and as the event also incorporated a 21 mile and 10 mile walk we were passing people all the time and the atmosphere was good. The whole route was undulating but the worst hills were during the first half, although as the miles ticked by I could feel myself slowing on even the lesser inclines.

The last few miles were tough but nothing compared with the hell that was Venice. We may not have done enough specific marathon pace training and doing a 50 mile training run just 4 weeks beforehand may not have been the wisest idea, but at least we were reasonably fit and could dig in when the legs would really rather call it a day. At every mile marker marshals were calling out not only the time but the average pace per mile and the estimated finish time which was really helpful. In the latter stages of the race our estimated finish time was 3.24 - 3.25 and that didn’t change.

We crested the final rise, with half a mile to go and a nice downhill sweep to the finish, we managed to inject some speed into our pace. Martin suggested sprinting for the finish line, I asked him politely what the hell he thought we were doing if not already sprinting? But then I noticed another woman about 20 yards ahead of us and we really went for it and swept past her in fine style (I was later extremely annoyed to find that she beat me on chip time anyway!!).
It was a great race, and I know we would both agree with the extravagant claims made by the organisers. We finished in 3.25.24/25 - 10 - 15 minutes slower than we were expecting, but the “undulations” had also proved tougher than expected. It was a good enough time to give me 2nd in the 40 - 44 age group and 12th overall. And in a field of well over 3000, we finished 126 and 128 respectively.

Straight after the finish we were herded through a tent packed with a huge variety of food - which would have been nice half an hour or so later but was way too soon for us - not often we pass up free food! Even more remarkable was that there was also free beer….but the queue for it was so long even Martin wasn’t tempted to wait for it!! Might have been an incentive to run a bit faster if only we had known!

Wellington Monument & Stoke Stampede 10ks

Wellington Monument 10k isn't the most exciting event but we keep doing it every year anyway - mainly because it can easily be combined with a pre Christmas visit to my parents. And this year we scored a double whammy - lunch at Richard and Lesley's as well as a family dinner.

We set off slightly later than we intended in a dangerous format - me behind the wheel and Martin with the map. This is not a slur on my driving, which compared to Martin's is boringly safe, as opposed to fast, reckless, nerve wracking, suicidal.............. Martin's map reading is also distinctive, his philosophy being, why drive 4 miles along a main road when you could take a short cut, i.e 3 and a half miles, along a lane with grass growing up the middle and various farm animals running free? Anyway, I digress ( as usual) - we arrived (eventually), safely (slightly stressed) and so back to the race report.

We had been worried about how slippery condition would be due to icy roads, but our fears proved ill founded. We gathered outside the Catherine Wheel pub, the race organiser gave a mercifully short speech which no one could hear anyway and then we were off on the mad dash down the hill out of the village. Martin was on a mission to try and retain his male vet 50 title from last year so he soon disappeared from my view. I knew as soon as I hit the hill that it was going to be another hard slog for me. Richard passed me soon after this making some strange clicking noises and gestures (which he explained afterwards was something to do with Harry Enfield - completely lost on a non TV viewer like me). Anyway he soon disappeared from view too, as did most other people.

As I turned off the road and onto the Monument track I was treated to the rare sight of seeing the front runners - having completed their loop of the Monument they were already on their way back. The first lady (an International we had been told pre race, although I must confess to not recognising either her face or her name) was in 6th place overall - although she was clearly working very hard. (She eventually knocked a massive 40 seconds off the course record - fantastic effort).

I counted the runners and in 18th place was one Martin Lascelles looking like he was out for a stroll in the park. And with a potential threat for his vet trophy - Phil Baylis from Axe Valley Runners - firmly behind him. Marvellous!

I completed my loop and started back down the track - meeting Lesley on her way up - and now it was my chance to feel smug that I was returning and that all those I met were still on their way out. It's mostly downhill on the way back except for the final climb up through the village, past the start and on to the race HQ at the primary school. I had hoped to beat last year's time, but it just wasn't my day and I recorded a personal worst for the course (46.06) and may just have scraped into 10th place. It was a very strong field this year - even last year when I still didn't have a brilliant run I was fourth overall.

Martin did fantastically well - he was only 10 seconds outside of last year's time, despite having done 32 miles the previous weekend and the lack of solid training. We waited for what seemd about 3 hours for the presentation to finally take place, only to discover that John Shapland from North Devon Road Runners had beaten him into 2nd MV50! What a disappointment. Due to the fact that he only weighs about 6 and a half stones neither of us had spotted him. As there are still no results to be found we don't know what the winning margin was and I also can't report on Richard and Lesley's results, but I'm sure they will tell you themselves.

We enjoyed an excellent lunch, and were treated (?) to Richard modelling his Everest/Father Christmas-keep-everything, including nearby mountains, dry poncho. I don't think they'll catch on in the running world..............

And so getting Christmas over with (spent the morning keeping to the age old tradition - no, not getting up at 6am to put the turkey in the oven and make the stuffing - the famous Xmas day run at big Phils' house - good turnout this year - about 14 of us although it was difficult to count because no one stood still for long enough). And the newer tradition of stopping at the Greyhound on the way back, at least this year we didn't have to abandon the car for later collection........

Boxing Day - another age old tradition, the Stoke Stampede. An interesting figure of 8 10k and another place that there is just no easy way to get to. Amazingly we were early, but that gave us plenty of time to eye up the competition before the half mile jog up to the start. Martin is so fired up at the moment that he had decided once again to forego the pleasure of plodding round with me and to race it instead.

Richard and Lesley were also on the start line (Lesley having remembered to pin her number on this time - luckily, given the distance from the car to the start!) and there was a large YTRRC turnout. I had my own agenda - to beat Pete Jakeman and get my revenge for his victory at the recent Street 5k.

Another downhill start - a real cavalry charge along a narrow lane down into the village and for the first couple of km I could see the green and white of Martin's vest ahead of me. Pete was on my shoulder and I was working hard to keep him there. The first loop is clockwise and includes quite a sharp climb, both Pete and another Yeovil runner, Mark, overtook me, but neither of them pulled far ahead and once we reached the top I was able to pass them as we headed back to the start and the village to complete the first loop. I didn't see Pete again, but Mark also overtook me on the climb at the start of the second, anti clockwise loop. Once again I pulled him back at the top and managed to open up a bit of a gap which he never managed to close again.

At about 8km I became aware of someone else catching me, caught a glimpse of bright yellow out of the corner of my eye and to my surprise discovered that Richard was behind me. I thought he was so far ahead that I hadn't even seen him! We ran the rest of the race side by side until the very end where Richard sprinted ahead to try and hold off the challenge of a Mexican bandit complete with Poncho, Sombrero and guns. Unfortunately, as Richard was not sporting his own go faster, bright red Poncho he didn't win the contest!

I was quite pleased with my time of 42.06 which was half a minute or so faster than last year despite having done another 10k only 3 days earlier....until I saw Martin's smiling face and he smugly told me that he had done 38.29! We have a contest which is who has the record time for each race that we do - and Stoke was one of the dwindling number of races that still counted as mine - until today when Martin had smashed my 2003 time of 39.09. Despite being a bit put out, I was also very proud, he is running so well at the moment and if there had been a MV50 prize today he would surely have won it. Lesley finished in around 52 minutes, a little slower than last year, but understandable in view of the stress she had endured over the past 2 days.

So that's Christmas run and dusted. Now we have the New Year to look forward to and the Brown Willy, a 6 mile race over Bodmin moor on New Year's Day. At least I don't have to worry about retaining the course record since neither of us have done it before!

Clarendon Marathon Relay

On Sunday the team of Richard, Lin, Martin and Lesley, AKA "Three Hares and a Tortoise" represented MNRC at the 10th Clarendon Marathon Relay. The route was from Salisbury to Winchester via Broughton along the Clarendon Way. I had a really funny bit about the use of the word eponymous here, but Lin advised me to remove it, so instead here are some of the pictures we took along the way.

The results are here
Individual race reports to follow:

Sleepwalker

As soon as Lesley emailed Lin the link to the Sleepwalker Midnight Marathon we knew that navigating 20 miles of steep rocky trails in the Brecon Beacon National Park at night was the perfect way to spend the first Saturday evening of the Autumn.
After an afternoon carbo-loading we started at 9:00pm, near the front of a field of 53. The pace seemed very fast, and a group of 3 or 4 runners pulled away, leaving us in a group of 5 or 6. Running at night is not something completely new to us, but we usually keep to the better paths or roads, and this was really rocky and uneven, and most of all, fast.



At first we were able to follow the lights up ahead, but after 2 or 3 miles they were no longer in sight and we were forced to do some navigation. I think we may have gone a bit off track in places, but we must have been more or less right because after 6 miles we came out on a brief road section where the first checkpoint was set up. We gave our numbers and pressed on behind a group of (Axe Valley) Runners who had opened up a gap of 100 yards on us, but kept stopping to check their maps allowing us to almost catch up.


This continued for while until they slowed a bit and we joined them. Although technically a race, this felt more like a long night-time training run, and apart from a mile or two in the middle we were always running with at least three others.


Nearing the halfway mark we still had the steepest climb ahead of us to 2000 feet. This was made more interesting and difficult by taking the wrong path (not my fault!) and having to negotiate hundreds of feet of boggy hillside including barbed wire fences and a stream or three.

The descent off the mountain involved a very tricky section where we dropped a thousand feet and a couple of the AVR team, and having reached the second checkpoint , and unaware of my well-deserved reputation for getting lost, the 3 remaining with us seemed to be quite happy to let me do the navigation. Luckily in most places the trail was fairly obvious and visibility was OK with our high-powered head-torches.

The main problem was maintaining a good pace without tripping or slipping on the steep rocky paths. Fortunately by the time we started to get really tired we were down off the mountain and the final 3 miles was on roads and finally the (seemingly interminable) towpath to the finish. By the time we finished at 12:39am (in joint 4th place, thanks to a sporting gesture by the two AV runners who waited for us at the end) we were on a real high.





What a great event, I highly recommend it! Maybe next year we can send an MNR team? It was an exciting adventure, and not exactly a walk in the park, but it was so well planned and marshalled that it was not dangerously difficult and would be achievable by most with a bit of preparation, common sense and plenty of determination. If it had been held a day later in the storm that blew in on Sunday it would have been a lot more challenging, maybe next year...

PHIL ENGLAND - TRIATHLETE!!

Ironman 2007

Congratulations to Phil for an excellent performance at Sunday's Ironman. He completed the swim in 1.20.01, the cycle in 6.51.39 and the run in an amazing 4.08.25 to finish well under his 13 hour target in 12.41.42.


About to embark on a little Sunday morning cycle ride - 112 miles of Dorset hills on a windy day!




Just starting the marathon and still smiling!



About 10 miles to go.

Phil's own race report to appear here shortly (when he has got enough energy to switch his computer on!)

21st August 2007 - Phil obviously made a quick recovery and here is his report!

Ironman 2007
I am temped to make this the shortest report ever for MNR, I did it, got the T shirt to prove it.
But after all the support I was given by you all, right from the 6.00am start in the lake. I will try and string a few words together.
After the constant rain on Saturday it was good to find it stopped on Sunday morning, the thought of having to spend 13 + hours in the rain and wind was not good. To my surprise the usual pre race nerves were not there (this could have been due to it being 4.00am and I wasn’t awake enough to notice). All the kit and bike had been handed in the day before so all I had to do was turn up and prepare for the swim which was the one bit of the event that concerned me, 1500 people all trying to swim around the lake as quickly as possible. The start of the swim was delayed for 20 minutes to make sure every one made it into the water after some parking problems (they needed Dave Webb’s expertise). But again this still did not bring on the pre race nerves and once we actually got under way it was nowhere near as difficult as I was expecting, in no time, well 1hr 20 mins, I was climbing out of the lake heading to transition for the bike ride. This was not the fastest transition of the day by any means, but when you are going to spend the best part of seven hours on a bike it’s worth preparing for it (that’s my excuse any way). By the time I came out the large group of supporters that had taken over the grounds of Sherborne Castle to see me take part in this event were thinking I had given up. But a full 13 minuets after climbing out of the lake I was on the bike heading to Dorchester for the first time. At this point I was on such a high the cycling felt effortless, this continued right though the first and second laps of the route, and as the photos prove, smiling all the way, even at the top of Lyon’s Gate where cameras were waiting to capture the pain. The final turn from Dorchester back towards Sherborne knowing I had 8 miles of hills ahead of me was tough but not enough to take that now fixed smile off my face. As I was approaching Sherborne Castle to go into transition again to prepare for the run, there were thoughts of "how am I now going to run 26.2 miles?" The swim and the bike had gone perfectly and I had enjoyed it, but could I, or would I be able to run 26.2 miles? Eight minutes later to cry’s of “what the hell have you been doing in there?” from Lin I was starting on the run and yes the smile was still there. All the advice of don’t run too quickly, start slowly, went out the window and I had soon completed the two laps in the Castle grounds at a pace I knew could not last. The pace continued though the town, if only to try and out run Martin with his camera. The footbridge with all its steps at Sherborne Hotel brought the pace right down; heading out along the A30 for the first time knowing I had to do it again was the only low point of the day. 11 miles down and 15 to go - I knew I could finish it but it was going to be hard. Having eaten and drunk enough so called energy drinks and bars to last me a life time there was only one thing left to try to boost the now depleting energy reserves, flat Coke. Not to make things worse I only tried a small amount, it went down OK but did not seem to make much difference. By the time I had reached the turn around point for the second time, about 19 miles, I had got a taste for it and was drinking it at every aid station, and by the time I got back to the dreaded foot bridge heading back to the Castle I had a complete new lease of energy - running up the steps two at a time. I don’t know if this was all down to the Coke or the fact I had worked out that I could finish in less than 13 hours, whatever it was it kept me going right to the finish line to collect the T shirt in a time of 12hr 41m under the dream time I had hoped for of 13 hrs.
I know this report is pushing towards one of the longest ever, but it would not be complete with out a big thank you from me. First of all to my family who have supported me 110%, putting up with me training up to six days a week, coming home from work and then disappearing again running, cycling or swimming, and the occasional pub run. Secondly to all of you who came out to watch the event. I was overwhelmed to see so many face right from the start of the swim to the finish line - as some of you know a friendly face and a shout of encouragement can really lift you and I got more than my fair share of that all the way round - thank you.
Will I do it again?
Jackie say’s not if it takes this long to write the report afterwards!

Exmoor Seaview 17

The Exmoor Seaview presented an ideal opportunity for a weekend away......unfortunately the weather was not so ideal and spending a Saturday evening in Minehead in heavy rain is not an experience I'm keen to repeat any time soon. We did eventually find a pub which served something other than burgers, and then spent the evening trying to avoid eye contact with the hard cases who were drinking there, including one who we were convinced had an electronic tag on his wrist.

We had not booked a campsite but elected instead to drive up onto North Hill and park the van off road. By this time it was getting dark, misty and still, of course, pouring with rain. Due to the large quantity of beer that Martin had managed to consume I was driving so it was lucky that we managed to avoid the potholes and find a reasonable parking spot. It was quite spooky not being in a camp site and we were a bit anxious about being moved on by a National Park ranger, but we spent a peaceful night - apart from the rain and wind and it was worth it in the morning when we opened the van door to a beautiful sunny morning, an uninterrupted view of the sea and no-one in sight for miles around.

We had to be at Race HQ for 9.15 to get the bus across to Countisbury where the race starts. The bus trip up Porlock Hill is always a bit nerve wracking but at least we had a competent bus driver. The runners in the second bus were not so lucky and we were all kept entertained when he got the bus stuck in the car park at Countisbury. Good job Steve Eliott was there to sort him out!!!

We gathered for the obligatory group photo and the pre race speech from organiser Fred Hagan - and then we were off, a charge across the grass jostling for position on the narrow coastal path where running in single file is unavoidable. Martin and I had planned to run together but this first section is definitely a case of every man (or woman) for himself, so it wasn't until we turned inland up the first of many steep hills that we settled into a comfortable pace together. The sun had come out again now and it was beginning to get quite hot - my favourite kind of running weather but Martin (precious little flower) was already beginning to suffer from the heat and began whining quite early on about slowing down a bit now or a lot later. I did my best to ignore him and keep a reasonable pace going......

This is a beautiful section of coast - much more scenic and definitely easier going than the South Devon coast we recently experienced. I was feeling quite strong and enjoying myself, especially when we got to the first checkpoint and the marshall used my favoutire expression "Well done, you're first lady". Not what Martin wanted to hear, he knew there was far less chance of me slowing down if I was in with a chance of winning!

We turned inland to avoid a landslide - the diversion to last year's route added an extra 2 miles to the route and also threw in another very challenging hill. Martin and I ran together until we reached Porlock Weir but at this point I gradually started pulling ahead, despite Martin taking a very cheeky shortcut - and in full view of some other runners! By the time I reached the checkpoint at Bossington I could no longer see him behind me and I knew that I had now reached the toughest part of the course - the long climb up Hurlstone Point where you rise from about 90 feet above sea level to well over 900 feet in the course of a mile. I was very impressed by the two runners in front of me who managed to keep up a conversation almost the whole way. I was far too busy trying to drag some oxygen into my lungs to even think about talking!

Once you finally reach the top you know you have done all the hard work and just have 3 or 4 miles of fairly easy running to get back into Minehead. However, life is never that simple, and having overtaken one of the "talkers" in front of me, I couldn't stay with the other one and therefore had no-one to follow. The route isn't marked - you merely follow the acorns on the coastal path. What no-one told us was that as you approach Minehead you don't follow the coastal path - you keep straight on. I turned to follow a track clearly signposted "coastal path" and it wasn't long before I realised that this definitely wasn't the way I had come last year! I reached Minehead via the harbour - a detour which added some extra distance - but I wasn't the only person by any means to make the same mistake. (Martin did exactly the same thing as did many other runners)

I was tired now and also disappointed that I clearly wasn't going to beat last year's time. The worst part of the run was still ahead of me - along Minehead seafront, trying to dodge holiday makers who kept wandering across in front of me - and having made it safely across the moors and cliff path I managed to fall off the pavement at the only road crossing due to watching the traffic instead of where I was going. It was a relief to turn into the school and as there wasn't a cricket match on this year we got to short cut across the field instead of running all the way round it. I finished in 3.12.52, almost exactly 4 minutes slower than last year, but the GPS revealed that the new route was over 2 miles longer at just under 21 miles.

Martin came in soon after me in 3.22.45, followed by Richard, who was running with a 17lb back pack (ultra training - yes we've managed to convince him of the joys of the ultra event!) and Lesley finished in 4.04, looking as fresh as a daisy........and to think what a short time ago it was that she could regularly be heard saying "I DON'T do running".............

This is the best value race around - the £5 entry fee gets you the bus to the start, a fantastic run, excellent Race HQ, including showers, and last but certainly not least a fantastic spread of free sandwiches, cakes and drinks at the end. And they still make money out of the event for charity!

MOB Coast

For Maiden Newton Madness entry form and info, click here: http://maidennewtonrunningclub.blogspot.com/2007/06/maiden-newten-madness-7pm-saturday-11th.html

What an amazing experience the MOB Coast event proved to be. We realise now that we were completely unprepared for it, despite the fact that we have been training and planning towards it obsessively for the last 4 – 5 months.

Day One

After Camping overnight near Paignton, we started at Haytor on Dartmoor at 8.30am on Thursday morning – a small field of 20 runners - with 105 miles ahead of us, shivering on a cold, foggy morning.

The first 18 miles followed the Templar Way down to the coast at Teignmouth and was mostly fairly easy running. The only problem we encountered on this section was a recurrence of my calf injury which caused us to do some walking breaks even as early as 4 miles in. Eventually I managed to develop a rolling gait which made the pain bearable – or maybe it was just that the huge quantities of pain killers began to take effect!

We had to get to Teignmouth by 1pm to beat the tide as the last few miles were along the river estuary, where there was no real path, just slimy green pebbles which made the footing treacherous.

We made it without getting our feet wet, but by now the sun had come out and Martin, who had foolishly not picked up water at the previous checkpoint, had become slightly dehydrated and was starting to struggle. It was made worse because he was finding it really hard to force any food down (not a normal state for him!) and I was seriously worried that he was not going to be able to continue.

Once we picked up the South West coast path the hills were brutal and the sun was really beating down. Luckily, I was feeling really strong and I was able to help Martin, pushing him up the hills, carrying his pack at times, bullying and cajoling him to keep going when all he really wanted to do was lie down and die.

The last check point was on the front at Torquay and we knew what lay ahead of us from this point as we had walked the last few miles of the course the previous day to get to the campsite from the station. Martin began to feel slightly better and I even managed to coax him into a jog a few times. As we entered Paignton we were overtaken by two other runners, but our desire for an ice cream break overcame any competitive urges we may have been feeling.

However the ice cream must have had restorative qualities because we actually caught them up again about 500 yards from the finish and in a sprint for the campsite (or what passes for a sprint when you have competed 36 miles with a 14lb back pack) we managed to pass them and finished the first day in 8 and a half hours and joint 5th place.


Day Two

A largely sleepless night and it was actually a relief to get up at 4.10am, pack our gear, put on our damp gear and sodden running shoes, eat our instant porridge and prepare for departure.

A brief argument with the Race Director – the start was split into two stages with the “speedy” group leaving at 7am and the rest at 5am. We had been classified as “speedy” due to our high finishing position, but we wanted to leave at 5am as we felt that we would be walking most of the route. Rory was basing our progress on yesterday and thought we would be reaching the checkpoints too early. NB: Don’t argue with me at 5am when I’m wet, cold, tired and in pain. Told him if we didn’t go now we wouldn’t be going at all. He realised it was an argument which he was NOT going to win and we left at 5.10am. We were joined by Tracey who’s partner had dropped out due to his feet being “shredded”.

We started off by walking, continued by walking and very occasionally on flat or downhill bits broke into a shuffle – to describe it as a run would be misleading. Once the nerve ends in my feet went numb and my blisters no longer pained me it became a bit easier. The first checkpoint was at the ferry crossing at Kingswear and we had been told it was about 10 miles. If you ever do an Ambition Life event do NOT believe them when they tell you how far you have to go. Day 1 was supposed to be 33 miles but was 36; Day 2 was supposed to be 40 miles but we had been told the previous evening it was 44.

We eventually struggled into Kingwear with 13 miles on the GPS and already feeling like we had had enough. We were lucky that the ferry was waiting and left almost immediately. Much to the bemusement of our fellow passengers I immediately removed my left shoe and sock for Martin (he’s a lucky man!!) to perform first aid to my new blisters. Good job no one was having their breakfast as we crossed! When we got to the other side Tracey decided that she didn’t want to continue – we did our best to persuade her otherwise but she got back on the ferry to return to the check point and the soft option.

We are made of sterner stuff so we headed for the refuelling centre, i.e. Dartmouth town centre and stocked up on sandwiches, muffins and coffee, essential supplies to enable us to summon up the will to continue.

At this point two of the real “speedy” group passed us – a bit demoralizing as they had started almost 2 hours after us and had caught us up in the space of 13 miles and a ferry crossing. I guess if you’re a serious ultra runner you don’t stop to buy food and drink along the way.

The next part of the course was quite enjoyable (comparatively). The path leaves the beach at Blackpool Sands and wends across fields and lanes through the villages of Stoke Flemming and Strete – stunning though the coastline was it does begin to get tedious after 50 miles or so and this section made a welcome change.

We also enjoyed the flat section of Slapton Sands, Torcross (checkpoint) and Beesands – we were onto familiar territory now as we had run this stretch during the Endurance Life marathon in February. We had managed to average 3 miles an hour up until this point, mainly because we had run quite a lot of the flat section and we kept this pace up until we reached the next checkpoint half way between Beesands and Salcombe. After that I really started to struggle – the path is very rough and rugged and my right knee was really giving me grief.

The next checkpoint was at the ferry crossing to Salcombe and we didn’t know what time they stopped sailing so we kept pressing on, safe in the knowledge that once we got across the river we could get something to eat and then we only had 7 miles to go. At about 5pm we reached the estuary and turned in land – at this point it also started to rain and we had been on our feet for 12 hours. It was a real low point but it was about to get worse.

We reached the checkpoint at 5.45, the ferry was waiting, all we had to do was climb on, but the person at the checkpoint then told us that we had not 7 but 13 miles to go! The stage was supposed to be 44 miles and I had 37.5 miles on the GPS at this point. It was clear that the organiser’s had been economical with the truth about the real distance. I threw a bit of a tantrum – I felt sure that I wouldn’t be able to do those extra miles to reach the end. To cap our misery it was now chucking it down with rain, we were soaked, we were cold, we were exhausted and we were miserable.

We found a fish and chip shop in Salcombe and guzzled some really high quality fish and chips – lurking in the shop doorway trying to stay out of the rain. We then started walking out of the village with me desperately trying to persuade Martin that we should just book into the nearest bed and breakfast – hot shower, dry towels, soft bed – I even offered to pay - but he wasn’t having any of it and blocked my whining out by concentrating on the map.

Due to the foul weather it was already starting to get dark despite the early hour so we decided to take some liberties with the route and stay on the road, which cut off some of the mileage and made the going easier. I’m not sure at what point I managed to convince myself that I could get to the end of the stage, but as we plodded through the rain, I suddenly became determined that I would not be beaten and that we would make it to Bigbury come what may.

When we rejoined the coast path it was on a high, exposed section and the wind coming off the coast was ferocious and I was soon shivering, I don’t do cold at the best of times and this was far from that. The next few hours are somewhat of a blur, but eventually at 9.21pm we reached the finish line, which had been moved to the Sloop Inn across the river from Bigbury – the ferry stopped at 7pm and only one of the field had arrived in time to catch it across to the campsite. It had taken us over 16 hours to cover what we estimated to be about 48 miles – the battery on the GPS gave up at 42.5 miles several hours earlier.

Day 3

Long before Martin opened my tent at 4.15am I had decided that there was no way I was starting the last day. I think I had mild hypothermia – I had on a t shirt, long sleeve shirt, leggings, socks, had wrapped myself in a borrowed blanket and still I had not stopped shivering all night inside my sleeping bag. My feet were in shreds and I could hardly bend my right knee. I had had no sleep at all.

Martin could have gone on, but he immediately accepted that I wasn’t going to be able to. However we had reckoned without the persuasive powers of the race organiser…… After he had seen the early starters off at 5am, Rory decided that it was his mission in life to get us to the end. I was lifted bodily from my tent, carried to one of the support vehicles with engine running and heater on, wrapped in a blanket and fed porridge and coffee. I started to think, well maybe I could go a bit further………….My blisters were examined – infected but not so bad that I couldn’t continue, I was given some dry socks and Martin fetched my sodden running gear. Another low point when I tried to remove my T shirt and found that it had stuck to my back where it was chaffed from the ruck sack – ouch, or words to that effect.

Somehow in the space of two hours I had gone from crying on Martin’s shoulder to being ready to leave and at 6am we set off, just the two of us, to try and cover another 25 miles. The coastline continued to throw steep hills at us and to begin with we managed to jog the flat bits – mainly in an attempt to keep warm, but by the time we reached the first checkpoint at Mothercombe we were already down to a walk. We were supposed to wade a river crossing here but the tide was too high and so we got taken inland and across the river by car – a round trip of about 9 miles for the sake of 400m!

Unfortunately the 20 minutes squashed in the back of the car had given us just long enough to seize up and it was very hard to get going again. One by one the three race leaders who had left at 7am caught us up and passed us, making it look absurdly easy although even they were walking the hills.

The sun came out and we were covering about 3 miles an hour and thinking that we could make it to Plymouth by about 3 – 4pm if nothing else went wrong.

At about 10.30am my left hip suddenly went into a spasm and after that I had a pain which felt as though it was right on the point of my old fracture. It was ironic that through all the preceding miles the one thing that hadn’t given me any trouble was my hip, but this was worrying and it was getting worse. I think I could have kept going but the warning signs that I had ignored in the build up to London 2005 (resulting in a stress fracture) were flashing before my eyes…..and so we decided that enough was enough and it was time to stop. We limped to the nearest village and a lift to the finish was organised for us.

We’ve looked at results of other long distance races in the past and I’ve never understood beforehand why someone would pull out with 10 miles to go after they had already covered 95 miles – but now I do, and although we were disappointed not to finish we were also enormously proud of the distance that we managed to cover. Of the 20 starters only 8 managed to finish the course and we were the last to drop out.

The conclusion? We’ll be back to finish what we started next year – but this time we WILL be prepared!

Rescue crew at finish. Thanks, Richard and Lesley.