Monday 9 December 2019

Hardmoors Roseberry Topping marathon 2019

This was my 200th marathon/ultra and by coincidence, my 50th Hardmoors marathon/ultra. As is the usual case with the Hardmoors marathons there were 'bonus' miles, in this case over four  as I measured 30.6 miles. The events are organised by Jon and Shirley and I can't thank them enough for putting on these friendly, challenging events. Melanie had contacted them to ask them to arrange for this to be my race number:



The temperature at this one was pretty mild and we only had occasional rain and hail, the biggest issue was the wind coming from the south west and gusting up to 40 mph according to the forecast. This meant the first half, where all the major hills and moors were, was particularly challenging. Dawn and I took about 4hr 25min to do the first 15 miles and 4hr 2min to do the second half.

We walked up the road from the start to avoid the usual queue at the first stile and it worked a treat, we did not have to wait at all. Then it was through the woods to the infamous Tees Link climb up to High Cliff Nab.



The mud was much less than last year





We had been sheltered from the wind on the climb but when we got to the top it was a bit of a shock to feel the full force, but the views down to the start at Guisborough were lovely.


Then it was across the moors towards Roseberry Topping


What can't be seen from the photo is the drop down Little Roseberry before you start the climb up. Then, as is now the norm in this event, you descend the other side, turn around and climb it again, descend by another route and then climb up Little Roseberry again.

This photo is looking back from Roseberry Topping towards Little Roseberry


On to a runnable section towards Gribdale and the climb up to James Cook monument where the Sports Sunday photographers were awaiting (thank you for these photos which have Roseberry in the background))



Through the woods to the next checkpoint, downhill to Kildale and then a very long climb up along the Cleveland Way almost to Blowarth Crossing. I found this particularly tough, the wind was in our faces and we were being blown about. We were starting to catch people in this section with some fast uphill marching.

Finally we made the turning point and with the wind at our backs we made some faster progress and headed towards Westerdale and Castleton and on to a section which we had covered on Fryupdale


From Castleon to Commondale close to the railway and to the final checkpoint (26.5 miles covered by this point). Then on to the moors, through some boggy parts, luckily it was still daylight. Jon had made the course slightly longer but easier by finding a track which was less boggy and when we arrived at Guisborough Woods we finally had to switch our head torches on. The usual very muddy descent through the woods was much less muddy and we made it back to the Sea Cadets Hall to find some vegan cherry bakewell cake which Yvonne, who did the 10K, had made us. That hit the spot.

The marshalls today did an amazing job standing around in that wind, thank you to all of them.

Dawn again drove me there and back and thank you for that, it made it so much easier. And thank you for your company, that always helps.

Melanie had put a lot of effort into my arrival at home and I was greeted with all these:







Sunday 10 November 2019

Hardmoors Goathland marathon 2019

A different course for this event and we were warned it was going to be muddy. It was very muddy and one five mile section was very bad and it was difficult to run at all. In one mile Dawn and I managed a 26 minute/mile and there were no hills in that bit !.

However, it was a lovely day and the scenery more than made up for our slow progress through the mud.


The start as at usual at Goathland Village Hall. It was bright and still a little icy with a little bit of black ice on the initial short tarmac section.


Then it was down the old railway line to wards Mallyn Spout




which was in full flow. A steep climb up out of the valley, which is where I noticed that we were just in front of a sweeper. This happened at Fryupdale and we ended up catching quite a few and the same happened again at this event.

On to the moors and a quick look back at Goathland


and on toward the first checkpoint


and up towards Simon Howe ( a gentler way up than we usually do on this event). Past the SportsSunday photographers


It was warming up a bit now although there was still ice on the pools of standing water. At Simon Howe we headed south towards Wardle Rigg checkpoint. This was the vew back towards Simon Howe.



Then down into Newton Dale and towards Newton Dale Halt, a bizarre place for a station with no buildings anywhere close.


The next climb up through Talbot Wood I had bad memories of when I did it on the Crosses. However, it was a very long way into that event and this time teh climb did not seem so bad. Lovely views from the top.


We then headed towards Skelton Tower (after I made a minor error in navigation) with more lovely vies back into Newton Dale






Then some climbing towards the village of Levisham



About a mile after this we reached the very heavy mud. Melanie and I had run part of this in September and it was nowhere near as bad.





There was no easy round most of it. We both had waterproof socks and poles which really helped.

Finally we reached the next checkpoint at the south end of Levisham (17.5 miles into a 28.5 mile event)



The mud didn't finish there but it did get a bit easier. Onwards into the Hole of Horcum, a first time actually in the Hole for both of us.






Then a steep downhill towards the railway line


and back up the final big climb to Wardle Rigg again. It was starting to get dark now, so our head torches came out for the return to Simon Howe and then a direct line back to Goathland across Two Howes Rigg. This section wasn't fun, boggy, very cold and it wasn't easy to see the tape in the pitch black. Also Dawn was getting very cold so once we got to a grassy section and then tarmac we ran faster than we probably had all day to get to the end and warmth.

Dawn had done the driving today and it was lovely to be driven home after a long day.

During the run I had found that various items (such as my mug, poles etc) had had string attached to them as a joke by Melanie. When I got home I came into the house to this 😀




Sunday 13 October 2019

Hardmoors Fryupdale marathon 2019

A new Hardmoors marathon starting from the Yorkshire Cycle Hub.


The Cycle Hub is a new facility, but there wasn't much space in the Registration Hall so we had to store our bags back in Dawn's car - Melanie wasn't running this one as she has a niggle in her foot so I was running with Dawn.

Jon announced a few changes in the route at the briefing and we started uphill



As you can see we weren't going to get many views today because of the low cloud. Once at the top there was a gentle road incline up to the first checkpoint. It started to rain at this point and basically hardly stopped all day. The intensity changed a bit, sometime light drizzle but other times pretty heavy.

A couple of muddy sections across the moor, past the Sports Sunday photographers who took these two photos



and we headed for the Lion Inn. Although we passed very close to it, we could not see it because of the cloud.

On to the railway line heading towards Blowarth Crossing and we got some views




Before we reached Blowarth we turned out down the lovely Westerdale



where the route was a bit boggy in places. On to part of the Roseberry Topping route towards Castleton



 and then continuing on the Esk Valley Walk towards Danby


On through Danby and on to the Moors National Park Centre near Danby


Then a long road climb up to Danby Beacon with the rain getting a bit heavy. There was a checkpoint at the top and we both got a bit cold after that so we ran most of the way down and through Leaholm. The weather got a bit easier for a short while at this point


On to Glaisdale and then a very, very long climb up the Glaisdale Rigg, before a steep, muddy descent off the Rigg - we both slipped and fell in this section. Then some road sections back to the Cycle Hub where we were greeted with lots of flags showing us the way to the finish !


The Cycle Hub has showers and a cafe and we both needed showers and warm drinks to heat us up a bit. We had been told that this 'marathon' was at least 32 miles, but because of the various route changes I measured it as just under 29 miles, so that was good !