Windmill Way 2017

I hadn't done this event before, but it was held in the same area, to the west of Hull, as the enjoyable Golden Fleece. That one was organised by the scouts as was the Windmill Way so I thought I would give it a try.

The organisation was laid back. The kit list consisted of whatever clothing you thought was appropriate. The person before me at registration asked if there was a checkpoint at the windmill as there hadn't been one in previous years. 'No there isn't' was the answer although it was on the route description and on the tally card which was supposed to be clipped. Nothing was said at the briefing, so I was lucky to have heard that. There were lots of checkpoints with increasing amounts of food at them which was nice, but I did get a little nervous after the first one which just took my number and had nothing to eat or drink !

However, this was largely made up for by the finishing memento

which was lovely. Registration and Race HQ was a fairly dour building on the outskirts of Skidby

but there was plenty of parking. There were walkers as well as runners and the briefing largely consisted of telling us about a fairly small route change.

Just over the mile from the start was the famous windmill

where I didn't waste any time looking for the non-existent checkpoint. Then it was back into another part of Skidby for the second checkpoint where they just took my number. Then we were off into fields with one or two gentle climbs

followed by pretty villages such as Little Weighton

and attractive churches - this one is Rowley

The next section was tricky as the gpx route I was using didn't go the way everyone else was going, but I just trusted the two people I was running with and some yellow tape which appeared and was never used again. That got us to the route change (in order not to disturb some prize pigs apparently...). That was fine, but there was about 0.25m on a fairly busy road, followed by a long stretch on a much quieter road. There was a quite a bit of tarmac overall and the fields were also very hard from the lack or rain recently.

There were some signs to point us in the right direction

but they weren't that often.

Soon after we turned off the road were running downhill through woodland

which is just my favourite running terrain. At the bottom was the Yorkshire Wolds Way which we were to come across and follow about three times. We climbed up out of the valley and there were some good views of the Humber estuary (which can hardly be seen in this photo)

On to the village of Everthorpe, which I was familiar with from the Golden Fleece

On to South Cave where there was an indoor checkpoint with cake, soup and hot drinks. I was pretty warm at this stage, so I just filled up my bottle with water and didn't stay long. At this point it started to rain, which had not been forecast, but it wasn't heavy and it was too warm to put my waterproof jacket on. On to the Wolds Way again and on to the lovely Brantingham church

More climbing and through some more lovely woods to Welton where the checkpoint had rice pudding and peaches. There was no way I was going to skip that. On to Welton Dale which was lovely

before crossing a few more fields and on to the long green lane back to Skidby and the finish. 5hrs 6min which I was pleased with - quite a bit faster than I have ever done the Golden Fleece.

There was more rice pudding and peaches at the finish together with cake. Cost of the whole event was just £10, a bargain.

Hardmoors White Horse marathon 2017

Twelve years ago I never thought I would run a marathon, I thought at 53 I would be too old to start running one. However, I soon realised there were members of my running club who were older than me who were running them successfully. So I entered my first one and ran it just before my 56th birthday in 2007.

By December 2015 I had completed 126 marathons/ultras and I decided I needed a target. I am not one who sets myself many targets (and I don't like anybody else setting me targets, but maybe I shouldn't get started on that issue here ....).

After a bit if thought I came up with trying to get to 150 marathons/ultras within ten years of my first marathon, Windermere, in May 2007. So I was aiming to get the next twenty four marathons/ultras in eighteen months. That should be achievable provided I didn't get injured. I have been lucky, I have had no injuries, so today was the day of my 150th marathon/ultra with a month to spare on my target.

I was very happy that I had managed to arrange my 150th to be the Hardmoors White Horse marathon as it is a fantastic route and I love Hardmoors events. It is a tough route with lots of climbs, but the scenery is beautiful. I had completed my 100th marathon at the Hardmoors Wainstones, so I may have started a pattern here.

I wan't expecting a good time for this event, my previous times has been 6hr 55min (2015) and 6hr 43min (2016). Also the week before the event we had been on holiday and we had clocked up 53 miles (which is about half my usual monthly miles) in one week. Not much of a taper.

The start was at the Sutton Bank Visitor Centre (the nearest we would get to the White Horse).

and I chatted with a few friends before the start at 9.00. The start is not far away

and I was ready to go

The route starts along the Cleveland Way heading north but before long we turn off and plunge down the escarpment to Gormire Lake which is usually pretty muddy. However, this last week has been very dry and today was also dry and very warm, so it was very easy to avoid the muddy sections.

The climb out of Gormire was a bit muddy in places, but nothing like it has been in the previous two years. Once back on the Cleveland Way, the views started to appear, although it was a bit hazy.

Then after about 4m we reached Sneck Yate Bank and one of Jon's motivational signs

Then on past High Paradise Farm and onto the moors. I had started at the back and I was gradually overtaking people and this went on until the end, it is funny how some races go well and others like Kielder Dark Skies two weeks ago which I didn't feel went well (although I did a faster time there).

Then soon we were turning east and down into North Moor Wood and past the lovely Arden Hall

and a climb in road to the lovely village of Hawnby and the steep climb up to Hawnby Hill. Recently, at some Hardmoors events there has been a party checkpoint and at the top of Hawnby Hill. I should have take a photo of the bunting and the many inflatables, but I just one halfway up the climb which was telling us what was to come...

The views from Hawnby Hill are amazing. 

If you have never been to Hawnby and climbed the hill, I would highly recommend it !

Down Hawnby Hill to the next checkpoint where they had honeydew melon slices, heaven !

Another climb and a run alongside Easterside Hill, which is a section I love and then another climb up Bilsdale West Moor before descending (thanks to Peter Hunt for this one)

to the checkpoint where Gillian and Eric were volunteering. It was great to see them 😃Then its back to the southern Hornby, before the horrible road climb out on Murton Bank. I really don't enjoy this climb, it seem to go on and on.

Finally I reached the checkpoint at the top (thanks to Vicky Maidens for this one)

and it was lovely to see Sara volunteering there ! Jon had mentioned that there was to be diversion as he hadn't got permission for us to run through Deep Gill Wood so we had a smoother run and avoided this from previous years

which was a bit of relief. Generally the route was much more runnable this year being so dry. Via some lovely woods 

and on to Rievalux Abbey

If there had been an ice cream van in the car park we passed with no queue, I would have stopped, but there wasn't.

On past this lovely garden

and plodding now to the final checkpoint, where Lorna and Adrian welcomed me. I managed to run a bit more after this then I normally do, but I stopped at these stepping stones

to soak my buff and squeeze the water down my neck and rinse my face.

Before we climbed out of this section, we came across this lovely building

I can't remember whether it was there last year. We climbed out of the valley and wind has developed into more than a light breeze and it was kicking up lots of dust and I had to put my sunglasses back on - I have never had a problem with dust before at a Hardmoors event !

I didn't stop at an extra checkpoint at Cold Kirby as there was less than 2 miles to go and I could see I was going to get a course pb. And I did  I came in with something around 6hrs 16min, a 27min course pb.

So overall, it was a lovely event and I will be back next year. There are to be no targets for a while, just carrying on doing events that I enjoy 😃

2016 blog

Dark Skies 2017

My tenth running event round Kielder and my first one in the dark. I was due to run this last year but I had to miss it because of injury. Last year storm Katie hit the area during the race and everybody got very wet and battered by the wind, so in the end I wasn't too disappointed to miss it.

This year the weather forecast was excellent, clear skies to see the stars and little wind.

I drove up in the afternoon after taking it very easy at Durham parkrun in the morning as the tail runner. I got there pretty early as I wanted to park at the event rather than a mile away and have to wait for shuttle buses before and after the race. I stopped to take this photo shortly before the scout camp where Race HQ was located

There was loads of people I knew at the event, clubmates, 

old work colleagues and Hardmoors runners.

I checked out where the start was 

which turned out to be right next to the main buildings. There seemed to be lots of entrants, over 300 ?

The Lakeside Way around Kielder is not quite marathon length so we were sent round the grounds of the scout camp 

before turning to do a clockwise loop of Kielder Water. Later we had a short out and cak section presumably to add ore distance. I started off very steadily as I had been having one or two issues with both my knees and my right hip. The aim was to get round without having any issues - I was lucky my body behaved itself. 

We reached the bridge over Lewis Burn fairly quickly

and the climb up the other side had the same lovely view near the top

Very soon it was getting quite dark for taking photos but I managed one last one

There was an official photographer at the viaduct

I seemed to be running quite steadily. I was walking the hills as I usually do at Kielder. I finally got my head torch out just before checkpoint 2, an hour and half after the start (the race started at 5.30). I realised I hadn't checked the fit pretty rapidly and I had to fiddle around in the dark trying to sort it. The stars started to come out slowly and I seemed to be making steady progress and passing quite a few runners. I thought that maybe I would come in under 5 hours which is what I have done on eight of the previous nine times I have run round Kielder.

We finally reached the dam and there was a little breeze in our faces here, but nothing to slow us down. It seemed noticeably colder on the south side of Kielder - I had a long sleeved base layer, tee shirt and thin gloves, capri shorts and calf guards on at this point - it was my top half which was feeling the cold. Looking at the temperature later, it must have been zero or below at this point. At about 20m, just about the start of Bull Crag, I put on my running jacket, but I couldn't get it to zip up which was frustrating, but it still had a beneficial effect and I also put on my new Inov8 mittens on top of my thin gloves. These mittens were a purchased after suffering with cold hands up on the moors at Saltburn. They worked well although it is harder to do things with mittens.

I ran as much as I could round Bull Crag, though passing fewer people. Finally I approached Leaplish which is where the October Kielder marathon finishes. I just wished I was finished at this point and I think I was a bit low at the checkpoint at Leaplish. I also knew now I wasn't going to be under 5 hours. The checkpoint staff told me there was just 1.8m to go and that helped quite a bit and I ran most of that back to the finish, past the fairy lights which had been put up to direct back to the finish.

The route had been superbly marked with flags and reflective tags and occasional signs so I am sure people who hadn't run it before should have been able to find their way. I had paid for a meal at the end and it was vegetable curry (very nice) cake and tea. I was surprised how hungry I was.

I had thought of sleeping in the car and had everything ready for that, but the shuttle bus coming and going and the cold made me think I would drive as far as I could. As it turned out, that was all the way and I got home at 1.00 am which turned rapidly into 2.00 am as the clocks went forward.

Would I do it again ? Not sure, I have a habit of stopping doing the same event more than ten times (parkruns excluded). I have run the Great North Run and the Windermere marathon ten times, but then stopped, so maybe I need a break from Kielder. Although it was good to see the stars, I think I would have preferred to run round during the day and had the views.

Finally another photo from the organisers from the start

Golden Fleece 2017

I have done this event twice before in 2013 and 2014 and I enjoyed it. It does have some long straight sections which I am not a fan of, but basically that's all that I don't like about it. What I do like about it is that it is very cheap, the food at checkpoints is amazing, the stew at the end is fantastic, the route is attractive, it is pretty runnable, it's friendly and well organised.

The route

starts in South Cave to the west of Hull. Race HQ is lovely church hall next to this old church

There was no race briefing, there was no kit check because there was no kit list, it was all very laid back. We were given a card which had to be stamped at every checkpoint which were all manned bar one self clip near the end. The course wasn't marked at all, but we were given a route description and map. Also I had the route from 2014 on my Garmin and I had OS maps on my phone, so I was never in any danger of getting lost. The only new bit on the route description was an alternative way through Walkington which I thought I would try as it looked a bit shorter.

The weather was dry with little wind but there was quite a bit of low cloud so it didn't look like we would get many views.

After last Saturday's disappointing performance I thought I would start slow and see how it went - I hadn't run at all since last Saturday.

There were a couple of queues for gates before we reached the first checkpoint at Everthorpe, no food or drink at this one, but it was only about 2m after the start. A bit of road and then across some fields to North Cave

and then into the Hotham estate

and on into the village itself, passing another church

and we reached checkpoint 2 shortly after. Off into the country again which started to get very muddy (it had rained all the previous night) and then into Tindale Moor woods. In the woods there is this delightful cottage

Then there is a big of drag on quiet road to North Newbald (which is about 8m into the route) where the two routes (long and short) split. Here there is a great checkpoint with load of food

I had a bit of humus and mozzarella muffin 😀 and then started the first climb into the wolds and on to a section of the Wolds Way for a while. Then off to Newlbald Lodge where there was another great checkpoint

It was caramel slice this time 😀 Soon after we reached halfway and the sun came out which I hadn't been expecting.

These were taken shortly after halfway by Christine from Beverley AC 😀

We came to Walkington and two runners in front of me went the way I went I had in 2013 and 2014. I knew there were another three runners running together way ahead of these two so I would see what happened when the two routes merged. As it happened I came out just behind the three who had been way ahead, so the alternative route was definitely quicker. We came to Skidby where we turn west and head back to South Cave and psychologically this feels good.  There is one of the long straights here which seems to last for ever. I had forgotten about going under the railway bridge which is often waterlogged

but it wasn't too bad this year. After this though it turned into a bit of a trudge uphill through mud.

I reached the York Grounds Farm and the last manned checkpoint and I had a small section of stilton and broccoli quiche 😀 I was running now and feeling pretty good. We could even see the Humber Bridge in teh far distance shortly after this. Back onto the Wolds Way (which the Hardmoors 200 runners will be covering, I don't envy them, both sections of the Wolds Way we did today were tough) and trudging some very difficult muddy sections

and onto a lovely church at Brantingham

Into the woods at Ellereker North Wold and here the hills are much more severe. Great views though

and finally back to the Village Hall.

I had a sock casualty but apart from that everything was good, a 8min course pb and a much better performance than last week. It is a puzzle how one day things can go not so well and other days they go much better.

There was food and hot drinks at the end as well, the stew was just amazing 😀 There was also more cake. The cost of this event (£15) even with an overnight stay was cheaper than the Endurancelife event last Saturday and the checkpoints and the meal at the end were so much better today.

I am sure I will be back at some point 😀

2014 blog