An inaugural 30 mile race from Blackpool Tower to Lancaster Castle. Two buses were provided to transport runners back to Blackpool at the end, but I don't know how this worked out in relationship to the difficulties at the ferry. Yes, there was a ferry crossing, which I have never encountered in a marathon or ultramarathon before ! Another attraction was running largely in a new area for me.
Melanie dropped me off at the famous tower
as registration was outside next to the Comedy Carpet
near the North Pier
We ran above the promenade. This was a stretch I had done before on my one and only sub-4hr marathon back in 2009. My memories are the tough undulations in the last three miles, but running them in this race, they were really nothing at all. But I guess there is a difference between the last three miles of a marathon when you don't want to blow a possible PB and the first three miles of an ultramarathon.
I was just taking this stretch very easy as I knew there was going to be the ferry coming in just over nine miles.
We passed various illuminations
and the Rossall Point Look Out Building near Fleetwood
and shortly after we reached the checkpoint at the ferry terminal, where there was quite a queue for the ferry (which seemed to only hold about 30 passengers). It was operating non-stop but it was taking about fifteen minutes to do a round trip. It meant a forty minute wait from arriving at one side to starting to run at the other side (the crossing itself was only about five minutes).
Then we had a section on a breakwater close to the sea and some quiet roads before finally some trail after about 12 miles.
The route was very well signposted.
There were three checkpoints each with their own cut off which I made even after the delay at the ferry. I think they did extend the cut offs in light of the ferry difficulties.
We passed a brewery who were offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer, which I was tempted to take but resisted.
Once I had gone through the final checkpoint I knew I had loads of time to get to the finish so I slowed down and at 24 miles I basically walked the rest of the way.
At Glasson, about six miles from the end, we started on an old railway line which took us all the way to the river bridges at Lancaster.
This bridge has memories for me - I did the Trimpell 20 mile race in 2008 with Susan and I did my fastest ever 20 miles there !
From there it was the climb up to the castle and the finish
Nice hoody and medal at the end and when I got back to the van and Melanie, the rain came down in quite a downpour, so I was pleased I had finished by then.
Many thanks to Melanie dropping me off and picking me up and also congratulations to her for her 75th different parkrun at Lytham Hall !
