Date: Saturday 9 August
Distance: 34 miles
Ascent: 1920m
This is a good candidate for the toughest event in the Peak District, so don’t underestimate it. It’s a great round taking in the Hope Valley, Edale, Kinder Scout and Stanage Edge, so the views are good, and there is a lot of climbing. If you’re going to recce anything, you should make sure you know the bit from Burbage Bridge down to the Derwent valley: every year the tape markers have gone by the time the runners get there, and every year some of us gain a few places while others get well and truly lost looking for the elusive Checkpoint 14.
Well, less than 13 days recovery from the finish of my thunder run win and 124 miles, I was a little apprehensive of running this little beast of a race. I was well aware of my massive bonk at the Ennerdale fell race two weeks after my BGR and didn’t want to do the same. I actually found my 200k at thunder run harder than the Bob Graham and my quads were still heavy. I made a conscious effort on eating 150g of carbs a day in the week leading upto this. Not the 700g that sugar burners load with but enough for me. I knew that there would be enough intensity to tap into my anaerobic pathways and wasn’t going to make the mistake again.
We travelled up in the morning. Usually we pitch up the night before in the van and sleep nearby but I knew this race well and there was plenty of parking so opted for a night at home….Lisa continued her nights sleep on the way. Bless… I downed my GenerationUcan mixed with electrolytes on route
A pleasant day and on arrival there were plenty of familiar faces Dave Bethell, Frank Murphy who hadn’t entered but was going to run with lisa in the half tour. Matty Brennan fresh from the lakeland 50 or maybe not so :). Steve merrylegs Foster who’s photos I’m pinching for the blog btw along with Nick Hams 🙂 and http://www.sportsunday.co.uk, thanks guys. Nicky Spinks was running, the girl never stops. Helen Pickford my dual NoMad 50 lady winner, Thunder run team winner…. There’s a theme here we seem to run the same events :).
A relaxed atmosphere helped by nice weather.
After registration We wander over to the start for the brief. They have changed the start to inside the park on the grass now instead of on the road. I looked at the gates and instantly thought backlog. I wasn’t going to sprint to them today though.
Off we go then and there was a slight backlog. I like this pic of peeps running in all directions trying to save seconds. I was just chilling and going easy to start. If I felt good at 20 miles I might enter the race but I’d just keep the top ten in grasping distance until then I thought.
The race is straight into a climb. I’m not much for the start as it’s neither here nor there. A gradual rocky climb to the top of cavedale. I tucked in behind Nicky Spinks. I knew she held the ladies course record of 6:03 and that pace would suit me today and is a respectable finishing time.
These two pics are courtesy of http://www.sportsunday.co.uk
We reach the dibber now to descend into Castleton via the usually slippy glassy rock of cavedale. Today it wasn’t too bad but boy were my quads sore. Four more quad bashers to come on this race too. Through Castleton and to Hollins cross for the first real tester of a climb. My flipping salomon soft flask had leaked….worse still it leaked onto my electrolyte tablets and dissolved them….:(. This would be a tough day.
I lost Nicky Spinks and was joined by Helen Pickford for a bit before the descent into Edale. Then it’s up to Ringing Rodger and to a dibber on Druids stone. I never get the right route to this checkpoint/dibber
…..never and yet again I take the wrong path. I was about 2-3 mins ahead of Nicky and Helen but they met me at Druids stone when I got there lol.
I tucked in behind Nicky again on the descent of the plateau down to Back Tor letting her choose the foot placement, I just felt lazy and copied them. Ouchy tho…my quads were screaming again. They just ain’t recovered. A quick down and up Back Tor now to the lose hill summit, dibber on the way and down we go. On this descent I know I’d chose the wrong footwear for the day. I’d gone for the inov8 talons. There wasn’t the need for the grip as it was bone dry still. I could feel every rock and slab and my feet were as sore as my quads. I’d lost Helen on the descent but she was back with me at the checkpoint in Hope. We climbed and skirted around the Win hill summit to the Dibber on ladybower then made the descent to the reservoir. Love this one, it ain’t too steep but rocky sandy and rooty…and fast!! Unfortunately it leads to a few mile of flat cycle path.
At the checkpoint it splits from the half tour again, I’d missed catching lisa by around 8 minutes. She’s got about a mile or two to finish…. About 16 for me and a climb up to stanage edge now by a diversion. The “escalator” (Bamford clough) was shut… We had to take a longer route around which I didn’t enjoy. I quite like the escalator.
Some peeps have more fun up it than others
Once we reach Stanage I’m caught by a Totley runner but I’ve already decided not to go for it… I ain’t got the horse power today. I tell Helen I’m not going to race it and the main priority is to get her to the finish as First Lady. O, and to pinch her Nuun tablets due to my bottle fail 😉
We reached burbage car park and we re-hydrated. Both of us agreed to take the more runnable path. It’s longer but I’d reccied it with the wife and think it’s faster. I’d been informed by another runner that the woodland route would be gone next year as they were chopping the trees down and replanting. No time for sentiment, I’m still taking the path. I’m starting to cramp a little now as we reach the bottom and dibber. A combination of cumalative muscle fatigue from previous exploits and dehydration I think. Now to find the elusive dibber 14. We watched one runner shoot into the woods and two coming back out tired and bedraggled. Any ideas which way they say? Up here guys. This happened to me last year. I made sure I’d reccied it this year. They didn’t follow, I think they sat down for a breather. There’s 3 places claimed in a few minutes. It was worth that reccy then.
At the dibber I say to Helen, “right let’s do this”… I’ll watch out for runners behind, I was expecting Nicky to be chasing Helen down. I knew that Helens weakness was descending and the next bit has some technical downs whilst navigating the woods. When we reached the bottom and the fields there was nobody in sight. It’s in the bag this is I say to Helen. As long as we are moving nobody will catch her. We were still moving at a reasonable pace and running the ups…..Slowly. We reach the last manned checkpoint. He tells us there are other runners just in front. I wasn’t too bothered, just about what female was behind. Off we trot to find the last dibber. A tough road hill climb at this stage leading to some pretty trail running about 5 miles from home. Cramp was biting me but I adjusted my form to cope. Probably looked like I’d shit myself but it works. Anyway there’s no crowds here like thunder run, well until the town. Dibber 16 slotted and it’s the gradual climb home to Abney moor. Nick Ham is on the road section snapping photos. Surprised to see you running up here he says
I catch sight of another runner….conscious of the descent into Bradwell I tell Helen to tuck in behind me and follow my feet. This is a steep drop off and now i fancy another place. Funny how cramp disappears when I scent blood. Why didn’t this feeling happen 15 miles ago. Come to think about it, the same happened last year…..professor Tim Noakes theory of ‘central governor’ springs to mind
We make it down safely I see the road and hear the gate shut… Woohoo let’s go. We take off at sub 7 minute miles after 33 tough ones and fly past the runner in front. If we’d ran a couple more like this maybe we would have made the top 10. Might as well finish fast like this then :). We run through the town to applause…. More for Helen because she’s First Lady but I’ll wave anyway…. I see Frank, David and lisa with a pint on in the pub!!! Wtf :). Amusingly they think me and Helen are racing each other to the finish.
Into the finish to Dib for the last time. 15th and 16th position respectively. 6:06 but the course was longer with the diversion so happy with that considering I wasn’t pushing too much. Well too be honest I hadn’t got the legs this weekend to push anyway. 4th vet 40 aarrghhhhh they give the top 3 prizes too. Helen takes the prize for 1st lady. Mission accomplished. Helen is a ticking time bomb I’ll tell thee….she’s going to be good…..very good.. 🙂
A link to her blog is here http://www.runmoor.co.uk/race-reviews/long-tour-of-bradwell-2014/
Matty is having a sit down on the grass. Finishing in 5:56 and two places in front. Another good run.
The wife drags herself away from the pub and tells me she has the 2nd vet 40 in the half…. Which makes me proud and happy. David Bethell finished 7th overall also in the half. A good day out was had by all. A very well organised event indeed. I’ll be back again next year…..probably with lakeland 100 legs this time :/. I was never short of energy so the low carb load of 150g along with generation UCAN looks about right. My legs tho were in bits. Nevermind. They will be bathed in the sea for two weeks very shortly. I used nuts, cheese and UCAN first half of the race and then switched to torq gels to finish.
This race is part of the http://www.runfurther.com championships.
Jansultra 