Saturday 27 February 2016

Belvoir Challenge 26.4m 2016

This was my sixth time running this event. They vary the course, but this was the third time I had run this particular route. However, the last time I ran it was 2013 so I could not picture the exact route. I find having different routes appealing, you never know what is coming next.

We were both expecting lots of mud as this is fairly normal for this event. However, there was very little and you could mostly avoid it. There was a bit of a breeze in the second third, but nothing very strong. Plenty of gates and stiles, especially on the 16m route that Melanie did. As usual the start and finish was in Harby and all proceeds went to the local primary school.

This year they had chip timing so the start moved back from the road into a field so everyone crossed crossed detection device. It also finished there which meant that the route was a little longer than in previous years. There was less parking this year, so we got there about an hour and half before the start. Melanie and I were starting at the same time and we would follow the same route for the first 4m



I had my new gaiters on to stop any grit getting into my shoes and they to worked well. We climbed up the escarpment for the first time and ran alongside fields and on farm tracks - the vast majority of this route was off road with just the odd short road section. To our surprise the sun was coming out through the clouds and we were warming up quickly - it had only been about 2 degrees when we started. 

After Melanie and I parted, I went through the first of many pretty villages. This church was in Goadby Marwood


The next village, Scalford, contained the first checkpoint which was laden with cakes and sandwiches


A bit of a climb out of the village, along attractive paths across fields


through Waltham on the Wolds. 



Shortly after this I caught up with Darren and we chatted a away for a while before I pushed on a bit to the next checkpoint at Croxton Kerrial


There is a lovely descent down the escarpment after the village and it usually ends in a very muddy field. This year it was fine


Then on Harleston where there was blossom on the trees


I was starting to tire at this point which was disappointing as there was still 10m to go. I had been eating cheese sandwiches and maybe I needed a sugar boost. The third checkpoint had as much food and drink as the first two


This was followed by the long pull up to Belvoir Castle


Another climb up the escarpment and into the woods whether I started to catch some of the 16m walkers. However, there didn't seem to be so many of them this year. Then I arrived at the last checkpoint and it like a party. There must have been about twenty walkers there chatting away. Apparently they had cheese biscuits and stilton on offer, but it was so busy I didn't spot it


The last four miles and pretty easy, more paths through the woods with lovely views to the north and then a lovely downhill into Stathern and then across fields towards Harby. This section normally has a pond where you cannot avoid wet feet, but it basically wasn't there this year it was so dry. I made it back in just under five hours thirty minutes which was pleasing. As usual, there was soup and roll followed by bread and butter pudding and custard waiting for me at the finish - there are lots of opportunities to eat at this event !

Melanie enjoyed her run though she was a bit frustrated by some of the queues at some of the stiles, ten minutes at one stile ! She had time to go back to the hotel in Melton Mowbray, shower, change, have some coffee before returning to pick me up in Harby.





Monday 15 February 2016

Hardmoors Saltburn marathon 2016

I last did this event in 2013 when it was held in August. I managed to win my age category that time, but I haven't won my age category in a Hardmoors event since, so I had no hope that my return to this event would result in a trophy (spoiler - I didn't win this time either). This was the first time the event had been held in winter, so I knew it would be tougher than in 2013, but I had it in my mind that it was one of the easier Hardmoors events. This meant that I underestimated it.

I had a copy of Melanie's route from the 2014 event to follow and this seemed to work pretty well apart from an extra hill that Jon had thrown in since then !

I arrived at about 7.50 and had plenty of time to relax, register and get ready for the 9.00 start. I also met up with Sara, who I ran with on the Hardmoors 60 and was marshalling with Kerry at the second Skinningrove checkpoint and Garth who I first met many years ago at a Fetch mile event in Leeds. I also had time to browse the pop up Ultra Runners store and chat to the Striders who were running the marathon.

Melanie was doing the half and going on to a retreat so she arrived as Jon's briefing was taking place and had time to come down to the start to see me off which was lovely.

I started slowly and comfortably and we went down into Valley Gardens and along a muddy path beside the stream I had not covered before. Along the prom, stopping for a quick photo


The sun was out at this point, there wasn't too much wind, it was all lovely. A climb out on to the cliffs and the chance to look back.


The cliffs rise gently upwards and on the way there was one of SportsSunday photographers



Then down on to the beach before Skinningrove



There is a steep climb out of Skinningrove and I think this is where we had the first snow coming down. It didn't seem to last too long and we were soon back to sunshine and this is how it went all day. The Cleveland Way just keeps going up for a while and this section was extremely muddy. Just as we got to the top we turned 



and headed via a few fields to the road we ran down on the Loftus Poultry run. Then down across fields to Skinningrove and Sara, Kerry and John's checkpoint. I stopped for a brief chat and then started the steep climb to Carlin Howe where Jonathan from the Striders was waiting to cheer us on. Up and out of Carlin Howe and soon after the half marathon runners started to overtake us.

I remembered quite a bit of the route from the 2013 event although we had been going in the opposite direction in 2013. This nearly led to my downfall. I came to a road crossing where Dennis (marshalling) and David (running) were chatting. I remembered the route from 2013 went straight across so that was what I did. I didn't check my watch and got about twenty yards into the next field before Denis and David had seen what I had done and called me back. I am glad they were there !

I walked up the next hill with David who was not feeling well and at the top of the hill he took the half marathon route back to Saltburn. The marathon runners rejoined the Cleveland Way and into a heavy snow flurry. This stopped just as suddenly as it started as we started the descent into Slapewath


Guisborough Woods had quite a covering as can be seen. As we came out of the Slapewath motorcycle woods, I was expecting to keep along the bottom of the woods as Melanie had done. But no, we followed the Cleveland Way and went up for quite a while before descending back down again and following muddy forest trails before we hit the familiar route across fields that leads to the long climb up to High Cliff Nab. I had always done this descent very early in other races. Doing it at 18m in was pretty tough and the first third was very muddy. There was no view from High Cliff Nab as the cloud was down which was a shame. We then then ran along more muddy forest road through the woods. Jo caught me up at this point, I had passed her at a checkpoint, and we chatted before she headed off and this is how it went for the rest of the event, I would spend less time in the checkpoints and then she would catch me and go on.

We came out of the woods together and on to the boggy moor (my feet got very wet here) and reached the turning point where two marshalls were waiting with tangerines and a camera (thanks to Joel Tiffney for this one. 



The tangerines tasted so good ! Then it was on to the busy road crossing where I photobombed a marshall and the two runners ahead (thanks to Hippie Lee Nixon for this one)


The next section down to Booseberry was really muddy, there was often no way round you just had to dive into it and get mud everywhere. Jo caught me again as we came to Flip's checkpoint in Skelton and with about 2m to go I couldn't keep up with her, but I could see her and I tried to keep her in view. As I turned into the Race HQ at the Leisure Centre a car full of Striders went by and gave me lots of cheers which was lovely. I had calculated at Booseberry I might just get a sub 7 hour finish and I reckoned I had just about done it, but we must have started a little late and I came in with 6hr 38min which was pleasing. I missed the age category by just ten minutes, but I wasn't too disappointed, it was good to have finished.

It is great to have showers at the end of this event. Overall the event was great, well organised by Jon and Shirley with very friendly and supportive marshalls who must have been very cold.

Things I learned from this event. 

1) Make sure you bring the right hat, I brought an old one of mine which I had given to Melanie (who had been looking for it !) so I had to wear a buff to keep my ears warm. 
2) Get some running gaiters, I had to stop three times to get stones and grit out of my shoes. It isn't easy to bend down and fiddle with your shoes when you are stiff near the end of a race. 
3) Make sure you bring socks to change into, I thought I had.

There was a new design for the tee shirt and medal this year