I often do race write ups on Facebook but I thought I'd do this one as a blog, since I have so much to say about my experience. This will be a VERY long post but I'll try not to waffle for too long.
Saturday 15th of April, 4am wake up call. Yes, FOUR in the morning. I was planning on having a bit longer in bed but I was being kept wide awake by my nerves and self doubts. I managed to force a little pot of porridge down but it took around 40 minutes to eat - I don't do well with eating at such a ridiculous time of day! Spent the next 20 mins buzzing around the room trying to decide what to wear - forecast said windy and cloudy but it looked okay from a quick glance out of the window.
The hotel was only 20 minutes away so we got to registration around 5.20am, I'd rather be early than late so that was okay with me. The atmosphere was like nothing I've ever experienced, it was dark due to the time but the start line stood out. There were runners all around, we all had full kit on, ready to go and some of us were taking photos / selfies with the L2M flags and banners. I was lucky as I got to see some friends that I've not seen for ages, some friends that I see all the time AND made some new ones in the space of 30 minutes. A quick loo stop (yes, TMI as always) and we were off!
Again, like nothing I've experienced as most of us were checking watches and pace for a good mile or two to ensure we weren't going too fast. Most races you're making sure you're not going too slowly! My chest wasn't happy so I coughed my way along, I'm sure I sounded far too unfit to participate in a 50 miler.
The first 6 miles to CP1 were fairly uneventful, I spoke to lots of different runners as they went by - I'm a slow runner, I accepted that a long time ago. I had to remove my thermal layer once I'd arrived as the sun was out and there was absolutely no wind. The volunteer team at CP1 checked me through after that and off I went again.
The second 6 to CP2 felt very similar, my chest seemed to kick off more so when I stood still so I walked for around 30s to let it settle down. The route was very flat so far and reminded me of the Newburn / Wylam track, same surface which was lovely. More runners went by with bits and bobs of conversation as they went, everyone was super friendly and encouraging which I loved. I reached CP2 around 90 minutes ahead of cut off pace so I could start to relax a little. A quick drink and a couple of sweets and I went on my way.
CP3 was another 5.5 miles away which felt a LOT shorter than 6,even though it obviously wasn't. I really can't remember much of the route in this section but I knew that I was planning on eating something more substantial when I got there. I was running at a very similar pace to a lady for the second half of this stretch so we ran together and chatted our way along. My watch got very angry with me for running on the grass and not the road as we approached the check, I was using the map feature on my Fenix 3 and I must say, I'm impressed. When we got the the check, it was very clear that EVERYTHING had been thought about and planned way in advance. During a marathon, the aid stations have jelly sweets and gels - extreme sugar content. Here, we had crisps, nuts, malt loaf with butter (thank you SOOOO much for that), fruit, biscuits and chocolate filled pancake bites - from what I can remember. They also had water, two types of juice and coca cola. You could tell that this ultra was organised by people that love to run as we were looked after VERY well.
On the way to CP4, there was a lot more to look at, we were right beside the river and canal paths. The sun was shining and it definitely made me feel a lot better about the journey I was on. I started running with a group of 4 or 5 runners which was nice, we discussed running, Ultra running, snacks, the route, the team, the distance etc, this seemed to really help the miles go by. There was another lady doing the 200 mile from this company in August so we discussed that for a while, it was great to meet such like minded people.
CP4 came, I stocked up on water, fresh pineapple and more malt loaf whilst I was there. I asked one of the team what time this CP closed to get an idea of how I was doing for time (I was so worried about being timed out) but he assured me that I was well ahead of time. I had made up just over 2 hours by this point so I was really thrilled, I was also still running everything by this point which was also pretty good.
Onwards to CP5, this one was only 5 miles away which felt like nothing at all, it would take us to 28 miles. More canal path with a few roads to cross, I was really enjoying myself by this point. I was running and chatting with two others at this point, non of us wanted to do any walking until at least 25 miles (halfway) so we're plodded along at a very reasonable 10'30ish min mile. I knew in my mind that once we got to 25, we'd be counting down which is what I do for any race. I vaugely remember that we had to cross the river / canal / water which was no more than half a mile away. I thoroughly enjoyed this bit as it was different and I actually had to think about where I was going as I was alone by this point. I crossed over and saw a woman who said "check point is literally only 200 metres away". This gave me a tiny burst of energy - I'm not going to walk up to a check point, I need to make it look convincing at least! 😂
When I arrived at CP5, race director Wayne was there, he was previously at 3 I believe. Although he must have been EXTREMELY busy, he ensured that he made time to speak to each and every one of us, make sure we were feeling okay and happy to carry on. I can't speak for anyone else but this and this alone made me feel much happier about the remaining 22 miles. You really got the feeling that the volunteer team cared about you as a person, not you as an entry fee. Once again, stocked up on water, pineapple and malt loaf I walked away, UP the minor incline that followed - thank God!
That was the end of the short CPs, the next two were 7 miles each then an 8 to finish. I felt a bit daunted by that because the support had been amazing so far. I was alone and hurting for the next 11ish miles so I put myself in a walk / run strategy - walking 0.85 of a mile and walking 0.15. This worked really well over the next 7 miles. It took an hour and a half which is very slow, even for me but I made it. I did speak to a few other runners on the way, they were using a different walk / run strategy so it was essentially a game of cat and mouse. I dare say that kept me moving forwards as convincingly as I did. This stretch was a lovely, pretty woodland type path. Trees on either side and a softer surface for my joints which was nice.
CP6 arrived, the last mile of that stretch seemed to take forever and a day, albeit it only lasted 12 mins! At this CP I had a little sit down as I knew I could walk the whole of final 15 miles and still be an hr or so under the time limit - I said from the start that I simply wanted to be under 14 hours which was the official time limit. I took my shoes off as my soles were burning like mad. I used a basic sport massage technique which made me feel much better. Two fellow UGB200 runners were manning this check point, it was great to meet them and chat while I was there. Everyone else there was ensuring that my bottles were full and that I was taking more food on board as the next 7 miles was going to feel like a long way at this stage.
Off I went again, still alone - I either need to get faster or start enjoying my own company much more. The next 7 miles felt daunting and a very long way away. 35 down and 15 to go. I really can't remember much about this stretch, I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other, that I didn't take much in. I remember a bit of road with no path at the side but whether it was in this stretch or not I don't know. I remember thinking that I'd gone wrong as it seemed like I had totally lost the Trans Pennine Trail. Not so long after that, I was in a woodland type area. I know this as I made vlogs to look back on and put it all together again. I had to go for a quick pee (TMI again, sorry) so that took a bit of time up. Once I was back on route I saw a lady not so far ahead. My aim was to catch up with her, I knew she'd been behind me for a while but we were running at a very similar pace. It took a good mile or so but I managed to catch up. We stuck together for a while and talked remaining miles, pain, pain and more pain. We decided that if either of us could go faster then we would go on ahead but it seemed that we were doing okay together. Thank GOD for some company, I was so happy to have someone to natter / complain to! We reached CP7 in decent time although, it seemed further than 7 miles. The pure devastation of thinking the CP would be just around the corner and finding out it wasn't was mental torture. I'm sure it was worse for her because she knew her family were there waiting for her. Once we eventually made it there, she had 5 mins with her family and I had another sit and foot rub. Unfortunately, since I took my shoe off, my hot spot on the side of my toe turned into a nice full blister. Not that it was going to stop me or slow me down (not much was slower at this point anyway). As soon as I took my shoe off, a marshal and a first aider were by my side to ensure I was okay. I felt totally overwhelmed that people can be so kind. I think they were relieved when I told them what I was doing and that I didn't need medical assistance!
We set off on our FINAL LEG of 8 miles to the finish. We worked out that we could walk that in less than 3 hours so we would probably come in just under 12 hours at worst which is two hours faster than the cut off time - so much for my 14 hours! We had a little bit of road with a tiny bit of downhill - ouch! We came across two people at their car with a small table of water and slightly melted chocolate flapjacks, they said they were unofficially volunteering, such a kind gesture and the flapjacks were AMAZING!! We walked for a bit longer because I couldn't swallow said flapjack, whoops. I remember the next part of this stretch mostly being by the water which was nice to look at. The ground underfoot had become big bits of gravel which was pretty uncomfortable but then, we had ran 44 miles by this point so of course it was uncomfortable. We went a bit wrong by crossing a bridge because we weren't paying attention and looking out for the little bits of tape that Wayne had left to mark the course but Emma found it after a while. We plodded on a little more and got passed by Scooby Doo, who by the way, was doing so very well. A little more plodding and complaining and we came across one of the team taking photos. We thought we had 5km left but he said there was less than two. The PURE elation that I, and I'm sure Emma, felt when he said that was just incredible. It gave us a little burst of pride and of course, I almost cried (probably about 10th time today). We reached the path from which you can see the finish line through the trees and that felt AMAZING! We tried to cut across the field but the organisers sharp shouted to us and told us we had to do a lap of the field. I can't describe how that felt, talk about kicking someone when they're down! Thanks guys! 😂
Our final lap felt like the longest 500M I've EVER ran in my life but it was there, getting closer and closer with every brutally painful step. I could see my friend Allyson pointing her camera at me so I tried to smile, goodness know whether I managed to pull it off or not.
FINALLY, we made it IN 10hrs 44mins and joint 130th place (DELIGHTED WITH THAT). We got our massive medals, our gorgeous tech tops and a voucher for some hot food. The organisation team really made us feel like we'd literally won the whole thing.
We got some pics alone and together, I definitely cried a bit too - very happy tears.
I saw some of the people I'd ran with from time to time and talked about how we had all done. The bacon sarnie at the end went down VERY well too so thanks for that!
I said a final thanks to Wayne (who was now at the finish) before I left for home and buzzed on adrenaline and pride all the way back to Newcastle (sorry Allyson).
An exceptional organisation team, an exceptional race organiser / director and an exceptional race. If you are looking for an ultra marathon to do then I could not recommend GB Ultras enough. I'd you're still with my by this point (well done to you, your attention span is amazing) please, go and look on their website, twitter or Facebook page at their races and photos. Second to none and a 5 star day.
