Hardmoors Goathland marathon 2017

This event was hopefully going to lead me to becoming a member of the Hardmoors 1000 mile club. There were twenty six club members already and I worked out that I would have completed 34 Hardmoors events to get to 1000 miles. That is twenty four 'marathons', eight 30 mile events, one 55 mile and one 60 mile event. I imagine my predecessors would have taken fewer events and most, if not all, will have done at least one of the 110, 160 or 200 mile events. It is a good to have a milestone to pass by on the journey onwards. Where to ? Well nowhere in particular, for me it is just continuing to have fun.

As happens at all Hardmoors events, you have to go through a kit check and you get marked to say you are through that stage

Then you collect your number and I had been given what is now to be my permanent number at Hardmoors events 😀

It was great to see some very familiar faces who were all marshalling

The weather at Goathland has been wet or misty for the last three years, but today was very different. Sunny skies and only a sliight wind. We gathered for the start outside Goathland Village Hall

and headed down via Beck Hole to West Beck

and then to the lovely Mallyan Spout

We crossed the beck a couple of times

before starting the climb out of the valley

and on to the moor above Hunt House Raod

We reached the first checkpoint at Hunt House and passed one of Jon's signs

On the climb up to Simon Howe, we passed one of the SportsSunday team 

Soon after Simon Howe on the way to Wardle Green I was running through a narrow path with heather either side and caught my foot and went flying.

No damage luckily. From Facebook lots of other people took tumbles and several more than one. 

The approach to the checkpoint at Wardle Rigg is usually muddy and this year was no exception

There was no way of avoiding this bit...

 Through the Wardle Rigg checkpoint where Denise and Sue were marshalling and down to the railway line with the sun streaming through the trees

Across the railway line and up the muddy steep climb to Levisham Bottoms and a lovely section  almost to Levisham Elbow

Another steep climb up to Levisham Moor and on to the checkpoint north of Levisham (about 13m) which roughly marked my 1000th Hardmoors mile. Phil was stationed here and the following are his pictures

A bit of a long drag up Levisham Moor to Saltergate and then onto the Old Wife's Way where we had this view:

We then climbed the valley on the right of that picture up to Malo Cross which used to have trees in the background but they have all gone so it looks more isolated

Then on past RAF Flylingdales and onto Lillia Cross via Derwent Head. We then follow the Lyke Wake route down to Elleberbeck. This section is usually very, very wet. It was still pretty wet and boggy but as bad as it usually is. From the Ellebeck checkpoint, I reckoned it was about half an hour to climb back to Simon Howe and then another 30 minutes downhill to Goathland Village Hall. That was pretty much how long it took. During that last hour I had hoped to get a course PB but missed out by under a minute. Then having got changed, it was time for my presentation:

Thanks to Wayne for the next one:

I also get a fleece as well as the plaque and my own race number, so it is a great club to be a member of ! And then of course there was the finisher's medal and tee shirt from the event :