TOWN AND COUNTRY HARRIERS ROUGH RUNNING NEWS
WINTER 2018
Well the winter solstice has passed so the • Keynsham Dandy race report nights will start to get lighter, even if • Cathy Fagg’s amazing parkin recipe we’ve still got a bit of weather to come. • And much more!! As I take stock of 2018 I think back to all the fun times on the trails – the great races I took part in, including my first A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR ultra, but also the Tuesday and Thursday This is my first RRN as TACH Chair and I’d night club runs where I have seen parts of like to thank Graham Bazley and all of the Bristol (and their hostelries) that I had outgoing Committee for their hard work never been to and found out all sorts of and for leaving the good ship TACH interesting historical facts about our city “shipshape and Bristol fashion”. We now as well as spending time with a great have more than 125 members and I’d like bunch of people. Here’s to plenty more of to welcome all new members to TACH, this in 2019! not just to the Thursday runs but to the Yet again we’ve had lots of amazing increasingly popular Tuesday runs, social contributions so thank you to everyone events and training opportunities who has sent something in. The Spring organised by the Committee. Everything is edition is due in late March so please send always listed in the weekly e-mails and on any submissions to me on - the Members’ Facebook page, so keep [email protected] your eyes peeled. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year! The new Committee has a mix of old Vikki hands and newer people, which is really great and there’s already been a flurry of In this edition – activity, including new training opportunities, finalisation of plans for the • Advice on winter running 3-day South Wales Traverse in May, which • Running the OMM I think will be a really exciting event. • Mark Hooper’s Grand Slam We’re also working hard to simplify some of the complexity of the background or 50 miles, or can’t attend every week, as administration, for example by moving all long as you join in. Talking of attendance, events including weekly runs, to Google for our CASC tax exemption, we need 50% Calendar (visible on the home page of the of our membership participating at least website). This has required a lot of effort, 12 times per year, so please make sure especially by Tom Hunt, but will pay off in that your participation is recorded – this the longer term. of course includes any non-TACH races that you attend.
Looking back over 2018, we had a very successful 4-race season, with two new I look forward to seeing many of you at races: the Rowberrow Romp 10k, our annual 12th Night event on January organised by Andy Fagg, and the 5th, where as well as some short speeches Keynsham Dandy organised by Bubbles and the presentation of our annual Young, both of which received lots of awards, we’ll be entertained by the positive feedback and we plan to host mighty TACH band. both again in 2019. The Butcombe Trail
Ultra, which will have 50 mile and 56 variants in 2019, goes from strength to Here’s to an injury-free and exciting 2019. strength, and in 2018 raised £3000 for the Happy running! Mendip Hills Fund. This was the biggest ever donation to the fund and it’s great to Simon Whittle see TACH being able to put something back into projects based in one of our favourite running locations. One outcome of the well-attended races is that we have built-up a cash surplus, which isn’t the primary aim of a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC), and one of the first actions of the new Committee was to agree to work to reduce the surplus over time. So far, we’ve decided to invest in First Aid Training, GPS tracking, and additional items of race kit, such as gazebos, which will make marshalling more pleasant for our volunteers.
The TACH Championship still attracts much interest (and the occasional bit of intense competition to get the most points), but I would like to stress that it’s all about participation: it doesn’t matter whether you are slow or fast, run 5 miles CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES!!
Don’t forget to buy your tickets to the TACH twelfth night party, it will be a great night! Thanks also to Matt Claydon for a little creative adaptation of the twelve days of Christmas (I’m sure our lovely club band may lead us through a few renditions aided by a pint or two!) The Twelve Days of Christmas Matt Claydon On the first day of Christmas, the Green Man gave to me… A place in the UTMB. On the second day of Christmas, the Green Man gave to me… Two OS maps, And a place in the UTMB (and so it goes…..) On the Twelfth day of Christmas the Green Man gave to me… Twelve pairs of trail shoes, Eleven kinds of cider, Ten physio sessions, Nine blister plasters, Eight mini pork pies, Seven stripy TACH buffs, Six missing toenails, FIIIIVE. PINTS. OF. BEER! Four bags of crisps, Three odd socks, Two OS maps, And a place in the UTMB.
RECIPE TIME!!!!!! For those of you on December’s Sloe Gin run you may remember with fondness the parkin that greeted runners up at the Blaise folly (Neil certainly does). Many thanks to Cathy for the recipe – and indeed the cake.
Yorkshire parkin with a whisky caramel In a big bowl, whisk together the sauce sunflower spread, sugar, molasses and mashed date paste, until uniform and The longer the cake is left to sit, the bump-free. stickier and better it will be. Make it in advance, wrap in greaseproof paper and In another bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, keep in a tin or container to help it bicarb, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice, develop. then slowly fold in the wet mixture, until you have a thick, well-mixed batter. Serves 8-10 Scrape into the cake tin and bake for 45 • 90g soft medjool dates, pitted minutes to an hour, until a skewer comes (from 100g gross weight) out clean. • 200g sunflower spread – I like If you’re not storing the cake – it will Biona improve over time, wrapped in tinfoil or • 80g soft dark brown sugar an airtight container – cut it into squares • 200g black molasses and serve it warm with a hot caramel. To • 200g plain flour make the sauce, put the sunflower • 175g fine-cut oatmeal spread, golden syrup, sugar and salt into a • ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda small saucepan, and leave to melt over a • 1 tbsp ground ginger low heat. Simmer for four to five minutes, • 2 tsp ground nutmeg until treacly, then take off the heat. Leave • ½ tsp ground mixed spice to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the • For the whisky caramel sauce whisky. Prick the cake all over with a fork, • 150g sunflower spread cover with hot whisky caramel sauce and • 100ml golden syrup top with the banana coins. • 80g soft dark brown sugar • 1 large pinch sea salt • 1 tbsp bourbon whisky • 2 bananas, peeled and cut into coins, to serve Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas 2½ and line a 22cm-square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Put the dates in a bowl and cover with 130ml freshly boiled water. Mash with a fork until the fruit disintegrates and forms a paste. https://www.sportsentrysolutions.com/new_
race_page.php?recordID=201021
South Wales Traverse 4th to 6th May 2019
Jonathan Riley
Llangorse Activity Centre, near Brecon
There is no expectation of minimum ability. I want this to be inclusive to all members who run regularly but TACH expect members should have some prior mountain experience above 2,000 feet because the ascents can be tough and British weather can be unpredictable – and for safety, there will be a mandatory kit list.
There will be faster people who go off ahead, Ridge running – it might look like this! and slower people at the back, but we want nobody to be left by themselves. We plan to Mark Hooper and I are organising something get a vehicle to half-way each day so people new for TACH – something adventurous: a 3- can do half-days as appropriate for them. I day trail run in South Wales. A complete cannot easily sustain running up mountains, so traverse of the Brecon Beacons during the first I will be walking uphill as fast as I can and Bank Holiday in May. running whenever possible!
The route is called the South Wales Traverse, The route I have chosen is a recognised fell going to each of the 20 peaks over 2,000 feet. running challenge. From the Split over three days means 23 miles / 23 miles “fellrunningroutes” website: / 27 miles, with 15,000 total feet of ascent
(Strava using imported GPX file). Day three is “This 24-hour challenge involves 73 miles and slightly longer but should be the easiest as some 17,000 feet of ascent. It was launched in once you are up on the ridge you stay up. 1984 having been completed by Derek Fisher and Andy Lewsley the year before. It traverses We have booked a minibus and a bunkhouse 31 summits in the Carmathen Fan, Fforest with 28 places at Llangorse Activity Centre near Fawr, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains Brecon. areas and may be completed in either direction. The mountains selected are from the The total cost will be £75 each, including 2 2000 foot (610m) summit tables compiled by nights’ accommodation, breakfasts and George Bridge in his book - The Mountains of evening meals that we will cook together at England and Wales. the bunkhouse. A £25 deposit is required to secure a place. Please sign-up using this link: The men's record (as of 2013) was set by Mark Hartell in 1993 in a time of 14 hours 42 minutes. The women's record was set by Katie Roby in 2013 in a time of 19 hours 53 minutes and 29s.”
Members are welcome to join us for one day – just let me know so we can coordinate meeting times.
The Route over three days = 23 miles / 23 miles / 27 miles
Ascent over 3 days
FIRST AID TRAINING OPPORTUNITY
TACH is offering all members a Sports First Aid course on 16th February 2019. This bespoke course is heavily subsidised from TACH funds and will cost members just £10.
The course will cover AED use, Anaphylactic Shock, Bleeding, Wounds, CPR and the unconscious casualty plus Extremes of Hot and Cold / Managing a patient outdoors (including splintage). There will an extension module on managing Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs). Participants will gain their Emergency First Aid at Work certificate plus a manual and course notes.
The trainer will be Alex Brazkiewicz. He has over 30 years’ experience teaching First Aid to many clients, including the Armed Forces, and over 24 years Front line Accident and Emergency work. Further information about Alex can be found here: http://www.eastwesthealthcare.info/first-aid- courses
For further details and to book, go to: https://www.sportsentrysolutions.com/new_race_page.php?recordID=201028
At present, there is just one space left available so please contact Luke or Andy if you miss out but would be interested in being a reserve or in case a future course comes up. WINTER RUNNING – Emma Bagley
Winter is an opportunity to train. It’s just summer without as much sun and a little more cool - Oh and then there's the snow, sleet and rain. And the festive indulgences. And the better telly that distracts. And the copious more layers you need to wear. And the wet clothes and still-damp trainers from the last run. Winter can be a chore. Forget the positive mental attitude stuff. Let's face it - it can suck. So how can we better survive winter as a runner?
First, let's cut to the chase. Why are you running? Know what your aims are for the winter months. Is it to trim off a few pounds, train for a spring race or just to clear your mind on the trails? Decide what the aim is and stick with it. Write it in your training diary, share it with friends or stick it on a post-it on the fridge. However you do it, keep it in mind, and it will help you get out the door.
Do your prep before running. Weather websites will become your best friend. The Met Office does an hourly breakdown of temperatures and probability of rain (www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather). Other websites are available, such as Metcheck. Knowing what the weather forecast will better inform what clothing you will need. Try and layer so that you can peel on and off as the conditions require. Be brave at the start, in the knowledge that you will warm up within the first 10 minutes or so. Consider doing a small loop close to home to discard layers. Try and take a hat, running gloves and a waterproof in case the weather changes for the worse.
A good pair of trail shoes will get you through the winter conditions under foot. There are a wide assortment of running accessories you can add, if you have the money and inclination. You can get mini ankle high gaiters to stop the mud coming into your shoes (https://runnerclick.com/best-trail- running-gaiters-reviewed/). Then there are sole grips such as yaktraxs which help if running in the snow (see www.yaktrax.co.uk). Ear warmers, hand warmers, buffs and hats. You can seriously burn some cash on top-end stuff. As much as you may want to splurge on this stuff, remember that you still need the leg power to do the runs in the first place. These additions to your kit cannot replace miles on the trail.
Do keep an eye on when it gets dark. Bear in mind that if you are under tree-cover it may seem darker earlier (as the sun won't be able to peep through as much). Be aware of how well you will be seen when crossing roads or on dark country lanes. High-viz vests can be picked up pretty cheaply and could save you being flattened by traffic coming from every which way. A headtorch will help show you the way after dark, and a red light attached behind may be worth considering in low visibility. See previous editions of Rough Running News for headtorch reviews.
Running on snow can be a totally liberating experience. Fresh snow is a joy to kick around in. But be aware of the fact that it will leave you wet after a while. Consider taking a change of gloves and socks in case it just gets unbearably cold. Also consider taking a spare thermal layer in a small running back-pack in case you need to slow down and pop it on, or if the conditions deteriorate.
After running through the first mile or so of snow you may feel your lower limbs feel more achy. Your running action will eventually adjust and you will start using muscles you may not usually use. The running action you may be using is similar to running through soft sand. So if you want to prep ahead for snowy conditions consider a trip to your nearest sand dunes. Your quads and calves will be on fire after a short while. So get your foam roller ready for use after a session on sand or snow!
If you feel your mood dipping with the mercury then consider getting a regular top-up of daylight. Your body can't hold on to Vitamin D for very long, so a daily dose is good. Whether from a run or a stroll, or simply being outside. Just getting out there is half the battle, and your body will thank you for it. Being happy and alert will help you stay motivated to run.
If you are finding it hard to just get out during the winter months consider going out first thing. If you get out of bed and get your trainers and gear on, then your body won't have enough time to know what's hit it. So try just getting up and going out. It doesn't matter if it’s cold or dark, you will be up, and may even see a beautiful winter sunrise, and get back before everyone starts their morning commute. Or even better combine it with your morning commute to work, school or whatever it is you do during your waking hours. A bonus here is that you will be running before breakfast, so you will have a fasting training session. This makes your body more in tune with fat-burning.
There will always be one rainy cold session which you will not be initially enjoying. Take a leaf out of multi-Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington's book and smile whilst running. I once saw her running along the Portway, Bristol smiling as she was running along first thing in the morning. Living proof that she walks the talk. Smiling uses more muscles than being grumpy. It also makes you psychologically feel better. Sometimes I try this, and whilst the gains are often marginal, they are still gains.
Take the same nutrition and fluids as you would in the summer months. Your body still sweats and it’s important to keep hydrated. It seems bonkers, but even in the rain you need to keep drinking. Your body is battling against the elements and you need to hydrate yourself just as you would in warmer weather. The same applies for nutrition.
Do be kind to yourself. Whilst you won't catch a cold from being cold, you can get hypothermia. Hypothermia happens when your body becomes too cold. Your body tries to regulate itself for a while, but it can only do so for so long. So if you find yourself talking nonsense, confused, violently shaking and looking pale it’s fair to say you need to ask for help. Try and warm up slowly again. Try and eat a little, get dry and add nice warm layers (preferably somewhere safe, warm and dry). Don’t automatically jump into a hot bath to get back to normal. It will make you worse not better.
Staying safe means a lot of different things for different people. Do what is right for you. Some will not go out after dark, preferring to run with a group. That's fine as TACH group runs have a role to play here. Others go out with a dog to fend off any nasty types. There are also apps, phone messaging and all manner of other devices that vouch to increase safety. The bottom line is this - you are responsible for getting yourself back in one piece. Try to limit your adventures in winter to what you can salvage yourself easily out of.
If you can't face getting out for a run despite everything I have already suggested then there are still options open to you. Cross training is a good way of breaking up the monotony of training, gives new experiences and uses different muscles. Whether its ping pong, pilates, zumba or climbing – there are loads of indoor options. Be brave and try something new that scares you every winter. You may surprise yourself and find something that you enjoy!
Another option is to find a local gym and use the indoor treadmill. Nicknamed the dreadmill, earlier incarnations of the machines were real knee jerkers, with a dose of boredom thrown in. Nowadays, treadmills give you access to websites, Youtube and even simulations whilst you jog. I'll never forget the bizarre experience of once being on a treadmill at Horfield sports centre, running with an alpine trail running simulation in front of me on a screen. It wasn't for me, truth be told, and I found it more soul destroying than just looking at the wall. But it may work for you and that's what matters.
Don't forget that you are allowed to skip the odd training session. Yes I did just say skip training. When the conditions are say, perilously icy, and not even the yaktrax will hold you down, sometimes you need to stay in. Fear not, as there is always core exercises to fall back on. If you cannot leave the house, exercise can come to you, just where you are standing. You can easily build up a series of reps of the following: squats, lunges, burpees, hopping, plank, push-ups, sit-ups etc. If you want further inspiration there are some interesting suggestions on Youtube from the likes of Mill Hoy, Mo Farah and the Running Channel.
What Does It Take To Do The OMM – Cathy Fagg
The Original Mountain Marathon has an awesome reputation. Held at the end of October to guarantee bad weather and a long night in a tiny tent, it is a celebration of physical, mental and emotional stamina - or is this all hype? There was only one way to find out exactly what it took to do the OMM. 2018 was the year Andy and I reckoned we had the basic fitness from doing the Pyrenees that summer, and no excuses:
It was local and we knew the terrain - the Black Mountains
We were fit after 800K of walking and 40K of ascent in the Pyrenees
We could navigate – having set off from the Atlantic and found the Mediterranean
We had the gear - a lightweight tent, waterproofs and trekking poles.
What else did we need? With the advantage of hindsight, I can now say what it takes to do the OMM.
But first - a quick guide to the OMM. It’s a two-day mountain marathon. In the words of the organisers: “on the start line you and your partner will receive a map of your chosen course. You must then plan a route to visit the marked checkpoints spread across the 400Km2 course area and finish at the overnight wild camp on day 1.
You are expected to use your understanding of the terrain & conditions you’re heading into and make appropriate kit decisions and route choices accordingly. This includes the unsupported overnight wild camp.
Day 2 you receive a new map and choose a second route back to the event centre. The teams who visit the most checkpoints in the quickest time are the winners.”
They reckon the essential skills are:
• Self reliance
• Route selection
• Moving quickly over difficult terrain
• Kit management
• Endurance
• Teamwork
• Sound mountain judgement.
This is our list - in order. What do you think?
1. Teamwork
You can have the right kit and run like the wind, but that counts for nothing if you can’t agree on a route or keep each other going when forgotten injuries make a guest appearance, the freeze-dried food is disgusting and one of you can run fast when the other is dead on their feet. We’ve had blazing rows on previous mountain marathons or failed to challenge each other’s poor decisions and forfeited all our points by coming in late. Without teamwork it’s no fun.
2. Endurance
For all our fitness we both started the event with injuries: Andy tripped three times on a TACH run and hurt his back - an undiagnosed compression fracture affecting three vertebrae. Then two weeks before the event I slipped and whacked my coccyx on wet limestone - nothing like as serious but neither of us had trained as much as we intended.
We enjoyed the first day, walking, even running, the steep mountain paths, thrashing through heather and gorse and scrambling up gullies. The weather was wintry - bright cold sunshine, biting winds, rain and snow. We arrived at the overnight camp feeling strong and capable, pleased to finish a third of the way down the field.
The overnight camp was a sheep field with a thousand other green tents and a double row of portaloos for comfort. The temperature fell to -12C and snow showers rattled on our tent. That night I wore two layers of wool and a down jacket inside my sleeping bag.
At the start of the second day our legs were heavy, our minds dull. We made it to the start line on time, but hadn’t had time for coffee. Our minds were as numb as our fingers as we stared at the day’s map, searching for inspiration. Most people were shuffling their way up the fell, so we followed. By the time we reached the ridge we knew where we were in the landscape and on the map, and recognised we were tired from the day before. So we decided on the shortest route back to base, dibbing into whatever checkpoints we could along the way.
3. Navigation
The OMM organisers issue Harvey’s maps, use a weird scale - 1:40,000, and remove place names and contour heights. As different courses use different checkpoints in the same landscape it’s not enough to follow the crowd, and mobile phones are not allowed. There’s no option but to navigate.
On previous mountain marathons we’ve wasted precious time looking for a checkpoint when we’ve misread the map or the landscape. This time, assisted by clear weather, realism and the camaraderie of fellow competitors we found every checkpoint and finished just within the time limits. I’ve learnt a lot from TACH treasure hunts, the BOK Summer Series, two OMM Lite events, and a couple of Saunders Mountain Marathons.
4. Sound Mountain Judgement
For me the pleasure of orienteering is reading the land in detail, studying the curve and slope of the hills, spotting the changes in vegetation and land use that indicate bogs or rough ground, and watching the shifts of light and cloud that hint at changes in the weather. There’s no substitute for walking and running in the mountains in all weathers, with people who share their experience.
5. Kit Management
Our first mountain trip was to Langdale in 1975, before Goretex or Garmins. We wore tweed britches, red woolly socks and an aran jumper knitted by your mum, and slept in a cotton ridge tent. Only Joss Naylor ran up mountains and nobody had heard of him. So it is worth begging, borrowing, stealing, or as a last resort buying the best tent, head-torch, backpack and waterproofs. Having said that, nothing beats merino wool. But if you don’t use your kit when you need it, it’s nothing but a dead weight on your back.
6. Moving quickly over difficult terrain
Seriously over-rated. It’s nice if you can do it and it keeps you warm. If you combine it with all the other skills you might even get to stand on a podium, but we walked most of the time, enjoyed ourselves and still came a long way from the bottom of the results table.
In conclusion, the weekend was bleak at times, but we enjoyed ourselves - so much so we’ll do it again. But staying injury-free and training properly opens up wider possibilities, the chance of a higher position, and can only add to the fun.
Keynsham Dandy Race Report – Tom Moriarty
A cool, sunny morning in mid-November saw 164 runners gathering to take part in TACH’s inaugural Keynsham Dandy, billed as 12.5ish miles of mostly off-road running in mostly gentle Somerset countryside.
After parking up by the start line, the first task was to find the leisure centre and race HQ. Normally just a quick hop away from the car park, the rather tired old leisure centre was buried in a maze of hoardings and scaffolding, but we were guided the long way round by a smiling, hi-vizzed Liz and fluttering red and white tape.
Registration was in the ‘River Suite’, which was fitting, given that we’d been promised a good splash along a stream at some point in the race. The ‘suite’ reminded me of football club changing rooms from my youth - something to do with the 90s decor and the competing odours of Deep Heat and pre-race nerves.
We headed back down to the start line once we’d registered and pinned on our numbers using some remarkably high quality safety pins. We were briefly briefed by Bubbles, and then we were off. We soon escaped the edges of Keynsham (with only one or two minor bottlenecks) and swapped tarmac for the day’s first minor challenge - a narrow, downhill, slippy, rocky lane. A runner in front of me had his hat pinched by an overhanging branch, but everyone else around me made it through OK.
The lane emptied us out into Chewton Keynsham, where my wife Georgie and my dad were marshalling. Dad had only just finished shooing a small herd of cows off a bridge when the first runners came past. Georgie was in her element, as she always is when she’s marshalling - cheering on complete strangers during races and parkruns is one of her All-Time Favourite Activities. It’s certainly good for the soul, and if you’re wearing a wrist-based step counter, it’s good for your stats: 1 clap=1 step.
We meandered along the river to Compton Dando. I didn’t really have much of an idea of what pace I should aim for - I hadn’t run this far in about seven months, and at the time of running my ‘A race’ was a flat, paved 5k parkrun the following weekend, so I wanted to take it reasonably easy. But I felt good, and it’s always hard to take things too easy in a race, so I just tried to go on feel.
The first heart rate raiser of the day was a nice climb through a copse and a field, and then we hurtled down towards Woollard, where plenty of marshalling TACHers were waiting with grins on their faces to direct people straight into the stream, which we ran up for a good 200 metres. Remarkably, this is a byway open to all traffic, but good luck getting down there in anything less than a Land Rover. Best to stick to running through it, I’d say.
The water was thigh-deep in parts and icy cold, but after a moment of shock it was a pleasure to run through - like a mid-race ice bath. Another hill followed - a long one this, but on slightly numb calves it was almost a breeze. It’s easy to run on feel when you can’t feel your legs.
I gobbled down a handful of jelly babies at the first water station, headed through the woods and nearly took a wrong turn, thanks to a sign that had fallen over, but was saved by a local chap who knew the course. Then more ups and downs and more woods, including one with a slightly eerie, empty paintball arena in it, and a brief midrun chat with a postman from Southville Runners who was full of praise for the ‘cracker’ of a run we were on. I left him behind, and then fixed my sights on a woman in a highlighter yellow t shirt who would, unbeknownst to her, become my ‘running nemesis’ for the rest of the race.
I got to within a few paces of her, but that’s where she stayed. I’d reeled a fair few others in during the first part of the race, but I really struggled to go any faster than her. I had to pick up my effort to stay with her for a good couple of kilometres, then finally overtook her at the top of a hill, but as soon as I’d stopped for water and another gobful of jelly babies at the second water station she came flying past me, and I had to track her down again. With her help I picked the pace up for the last third or so of the race, and together we chased down a handful more runners.
It was only with about a mile to go, just as we passed my dad’s marshalling point, that I got past her again, and then I used the fear of being overtaken by her to keep me going. It’s a weird, one-sided relationship, this running nemesis lark, but it does the job for me. I made sure to thank her at the end.
I was expecting to run about 20k, so I was pleasantly surprised when Keynsham came into view after about only 18k. I pushed up the pace a bit more, still feeling pretty decent, and aimed to catch the pack in front of me, but I ran out of road at just over 19k and I finished 26th, squeaking in a smidge under 1 hour 40 minutes.
Lots of people stayed on to clap everyone else home - especially runners from Southville, who were probably the biggest contingent and definitely the clappiest - well done to them. But everyone at the finish was in good spirits, even the passing locals - an older man walking his dog ran the final straight and was roared over the line by an appreciative crowd.
One runner cheerfully told me it was ‘the best trail race I’ve ever done’ (and he’d done quite a few), giving as his reasons ‘my favourite kind of jelly babies’, the friendly marshals, the great marking and the ‘beautiful course’, where there was ‘not a pair of headphones in sight’. I overheard someone else saying it was the best race they’d done all year after the Green Man. Everyone seemed generally very happy and contented.
I did hear a few Stanbridge Fliers wondering where their medals were, hoping that perhaps ‘when the race gets more established they’ll get some made up’. I couldn’t help thinking they were missing the point - this was a gloriously low-key race that was lovely enough not to need knickknacks, and memorable enough not to need mementos. Running it was its own reward.
Thanks to everyone at TACH who helped make it happen!
Centurion 50 Grand Slam 2018 – Mark Hooper
Who am I and why am I writing?
I am quite new to TACH, a member for just over a year now. Living in Chippenham and working in Swindon I make only limited evening runs, but do try and get involved in weekend runs, especially longer slow paced ones, when I can.
I decided that as this is a one-off achievement for me I’d try and give a flavour of one of my two main running objectives for this year. I don’t normally write reports or blogs, hopefully you won’t wish I hadn’t bothered to write this. I am a typical mid-pack runner, I have no chance of winning races but am rarely under threat from cut-offs. I read a lot of blogs as they are great way of finding out about races and differing preparation and processes which I can learn from. The majority involve great battles to overcome sickness, injury, bad luck, equipment failure etc to win, PB or finish just inside cut-offs; also often featuring great camaraderie and long spells talking with various other runners, marshalls and organisers.
This is just not me, mostly running alone - there are of course tough times - finishing in no-mans land between the stars and those who have to fight every inch of the way just to finish.
So apologies if it’s a bit dull but this is all a bit novel for me.
What is the Grand Slam?
Centurion are one of the (many would say THE) premier Ultra Running race organisers in the UK. They run 8 races, 4 x 100 mile and 4 x 50 mile, and as an incentive they have created the Grand Slam if you complete all 4 races of one distance in one calendar year, they reward you with an extra large buckle or medal, as appropriate and a Grand Slam technical tee-shirt, which I anticipate regular TACH runners will soon become sick of seeing me wear! The 50 Mile Slam consists of 4 races - South Downs Way; North Downs Way; Chiltern Wonderland and Wendover Woods.
Why did I enter?
About 22 months ago back in 2016, there was a message posted by one of the key staff at Centurion, Nici, suggesting why don’t you volunteer for all four 50 mile races in 2017 and then run the Slam in 2018. Now as someone who has a tendency to avoid spending any more than he has to, (for any TACHers who have bought me a drink after a social run this is slightly tongue in cheek, so don’t worry I will pay back!!), this seemed too good to miss out on. It didn’t quite work out as 4 free races as we had already booked another race which clashed, but three spells of over 6 hours marshalling and one paid entry later and I was committed to the 50 Grand Slam in 2018.
South Downs Way 50, 7th April
This is a 50-mile race from Worthing to Eastbourne, running along footpaths and bridleways from the edge of Worthing for about 5 miles to the South Downs Way, then following the National Trail until above Eastbourne where it drops down a gulley and along roads to finish with 2/3 of a lap of the track at Eastbourne Sports Club. Officially 50 miles and 5,700 ft of elevation this is a tough route but with ‘rolling’ hills and a well-marked trail it’s definitely a course where you can set a good time.
I had not booked many races early in 2018 and this allowed me time to split the course and recce the full length over two weekends in advance. The good public transport along the south coast means you can run from town to town and get the train back to where you left your car - although I had experienced the delights of rail replacement bus and delays on one of my two visits!
So Saturday morning rolls up, Jane and I find our way from our hotel to the start. Thankfully easier than finding our hotel - which took a few trips up and down the dual carriageway until we, none too harmoniously, found the correct turning! All the while not helped by our phone and car navigation systems all insisting it was variously up the road or on the other side of said dual carriageway. I got my kit checked and collected my number, briefly spoke to a few runners and volunteers who I have
met along the way at previous events and settled myself ready for the start. Having reasonable knowledge of the course, knowing Centurion also mark things very well I was quietly confident of a reasonable run. I knew the first hill up to the ridge was long and steep enough that if someone of my ability ran it all you’d pay later. So I deliberately sat back a bit, and walked more than I strictly needed keeping in mind there was plenty of distance to go. It is hard to remember too much, the race started with some drizzle and a shower but was mostly dry and the underfoot conditions were good (the advantage of fast draining chalky South Downs soil, even after the wet winter). I ran along trying not to push too hard from landmark to landmark and checkpoint to checkpoint trying to enjoy the scenery and the day. As ever running only when comfortable and not being afraid to take a little walk even on easier terrain if the legs felt like a break. First stop the pigs at Bottolphs farm, and the aid station shortly after – first and only major mistake of the day, I tend not to eat enough early in the race so to counteract this I stuffed my face – TOO MUCH – I ate less on all the other aid stations put together I reckon as it weighed a bit heavy on me. Not done this before or since but it shows how easy it is to get the balance wrong when it comes to nutrition. Next up to Devils Dyke where I briefly saw Jane, embarrassingly almost running past her positioned near the gate not as expected!! A brief stop at Saddlescombe Farm checkpoint and then onto Housedeans at half way, we had worked out a good pub for Jane to eat just down the road but as this is non crewpoint just a quick wave was all we could risk in case we got accused of cheating.
On the way towards Clayton Windmills (Photograph courtesy of Stuart Marsh Photography)
Onwards through Southeaze and then to see Jane for the last time before the finish at Bo Peep car park, the conditions at this point were odd with mist and quite chilly conditions on the hills but sunshine and hot in the valleys. On the way down a steep road into Alfriston I had the first of a recurring theme in long races this year a spasm of calf cramps. This was already 40 miles in so it wasn’t too serious. Through this aid station and after filling up my water from the church tap at Jevington one last hill and down to the track and my fastest 50 mile race 9:05:27 – 92nd place and 9th in my age category.
North Downs Way 50, 19th May
Six weeks to recover and prepare for the next race and the only one I had completed before, in 2015. I made a reasonable recovery and managed to recce most of the route with a 22 mile and a 19 mile run along the route. This is a race from Farnham to Knockholt Pound, with all but a very short section at the end on the National Trail, this has official stats similar to South Downs Way but in reality there are an extra few miles and the hills are shorter and sharper.
I had a good strategy for this race knowing that on the previous occasion I had paced it badly. The first 24 miles to Box Hill, while far from easy are just a precursor to the relentless hills and steps through to mile 43 at Botley Hill. It was important to keep under control especially as it was quite a warm day. First stop the Bacon Boat –the last year this will feature! – and two fellow ultra runners from Surrey, Mark and Alan providing butties. It took me ages to eat but it was very enjoyable. Then onto the first major hill St Martha’s, this race has some great views and St Martha’s is one of these. From here it’s onto the aid station at Newlands Corner where I saw Jane for a quick word.
Near Newlands Corner – a warm day (Photograph courtesy of Stuart Marsh Photography)
The next section to Box Hill is fast and includes a long downhill through Denby’s vineyard, so I really tried to hold back. Then up Box Hill steps - where last time I ran as many as possible, and promptly started to struggle from this point on – I was more circumspect this year. I even had enough breath to speak to Jane at the top. This is now where I started to gain time on my previous run, it was far from easy but I did feel stronger through Reigate Hill, Caterham Hill and Botley Hill – the difficulty of this part of the race should be obvious from the frequency of the word HILL. The last miles are then a slog through what feels like an endless run of fields. At one point I called back a runner who had gone the wrong side of a hedge. Finally, it’s onto the road where you turn left (annoyingly a loose shoe lace meant a brief stop), left again and finish at the Village Hall – the finish marquee is in sight about 1 mile before the finish so you know it’s coming! 9:33:48, 48th and 6th in my age category, most importantly 6 minutes and 23 seconds faster than in 2015.
Chiltern Wonderland 50, 16th September
After entering the four 50 mile challenges of the Slam I had a slight fly in the ointment in my plans, as 2018 was my second year of qualification for CCC I expected to fail to be drawn and then that race would be the focus of 2019 as I would be guaranteed a place. Oh no – got drawn out and could not afford to refuse it after pulling out with injury in 2016. The CCC race - 63 miles ish in the Alps - was 2 weeks before the Chiltern Wonderland, not the kind of preparation I was looking for. So I lined up on 16th September full of fear that my legs would not get me round as I was asking for a faster recovery than I’d ever attempted before.
On paper this course a loop from Goring to Goring through the Chilterns featuring mostly smaller trails looks like a dead cert for a fast time, the profile looks runnable except one climb near Turville. Reality is it’s another tough race and not to be taken lightly; which having run a major race just 2 weeks before and not recce’d any of the course was exactly what I was doing. Firstly Jane and I stayed the night before in The Swan at Streatley, this was probably not a cheap option – but as Jane does all the logistics for my races I don’t honestly know how good a deal we got – but had the great advantage that I could stroll up to registration, get my kit checked and number before the queues. Then stroll back and have a lie down before going back just in time for the briefing.
This was a strange start we were waiting by the banks of the Thames and I was busy talking, suddenly the hooter sounded and we were off. This probably demonstrated my approach to this race: go very easy and just bloody finish. The first section takes in the hilly section of the Thames Path, then off on some great trails to ‘pop out’ first at Mapledurham and then the first aid station at Tokers Green. After this I recall more back trails interconnected by short road sections until an aid station at the village hall, Bix. All good so far, although I recall already feeling tired for 18 miles into a race. At this aid station I recall having a piece of particularly good ginger cake. Then more trails until running (walking quite a bit by now) through Stonor Deer Park, I was a bit underwhelmed to only see a few deer and in the distance across the valley. The next key point was the climb to Cobstone Windmill from Turville.
The struggle up to Cobstone Windmill (Photograph courtesy of Stuart Marsh Photography)
This was a steep climb and by now my legs had pretty much given up the ghost. On again through beautiful countryside to an aid station in a little courtyard, Ibstone School apparently, here I tried to take on some energy and the saltiest food I could manage. Text message to Jane before I moved on– sports balm to loosen my wrecked muscles required at Christmas Common – it was quite a battle to cover the next 3 miles to see Jane sat on a rock just before a long descent. My legs definitely worked better for the next section, until some tough up and downs on the Ridgway before Swyncombe Farm, more salty food and a hot drink – was it coffee or soup, I forget. Then a different route to Nuffield where I arranged to see Jane again, one last massage and I had to survive 15ish miles to the finish. The next section is the rooty Grim’s Ditch to the last aid station. This was run by a running club, I owe them a huge apology forgetting their name, they put on a great spread with a huge choice of cakes and Greggs sausage rolls – no cheap supermarket brand for these volunteers. I ate what I could and strolled down the road eating my cake with almost 10 miles to go. This part of the course if, unlike me, you had some running left in your legs is potentially very fast. So as I toddled along not really knowing where I was I was passed by a number of runners. This was not helped by making my only navigational error of the 200 miles, I ran down a rocky gulley enjoying a bit of a run thinking that guy in front went down here quick as he is not in sight, then I looked at my watch and saw I was off course – back up the hill it is then! Finally I came into the top end of Goring, round the back roads and into the village hall. Not my greatest run but a finish – 10:19:11, 83rd place and 15th in category.
Wendover Woods 50, 17th November
And so onto the fourth and final leg of the Grand Slam at Wendover Woods and this is a different beast of a race compared to the previous 3 races. Consisting of 5 loops of 10 miles it was psychologically quite different to the point to point or loop of the first three courses; then add to that 10,000ft of ascent, (the other races have about 5,600ft) and the fact that Centurion allow an extra 2 hours to finish the race and you have an idea how much harder this race is.
The whole course is in a relatively small woodland about two square miles, with the start finish and another checkpoint at 5.5 miles so there is no shortage of volunteer support. Given this, and the fact that she had already trailed round three 50-mile courses encouraging me, we agreed that after watching the start Jane would head back, have breakfast and spend the day shopping in Wycombe, then once seeing that I was on the last lap come back to HQ to see the finish.
So off I set again I was busy chatting and off went the hooter, the lap consisted of a steady start round to the Gruffalo – apparently his home is in Wendover Woods – then up a bank and onto smaller trails round the cross section and then onto the Ridgeway for a bit. The next little downhill with a greasy steep bank was my nemesis all race - the La Sportiva Akasha were fine everywhere else in the course but had no grip here. On the third lap I ended up on my bum, and cramped in my calves AGAIN, I didn’t fall over again but my calves twinged here on both the last two laps. Then a fast grassy descent, back through the ditch and an up - down until passing the aid station only 10 metres away but about a mile and a half on the course. After a mile and a half the first short killer climb, then a short recovery before a steep downhill.
Downhill on tricky conditions (Photograph courtesy of Stuart Marsh Photography)
Next a long climb up to Go Ape, before a downhill section of minor paths and shale tracks to the aid station. A quick top up of food and drink then several miles of shale track including the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, thankfully not as trashy as the Green Day song from their sell out album. Then another steep climb named Snaking Around, followed by a more runable section before the steepest climb of the day – Gnarkin Around, a tough slippery 0.8 miles at around 30%. Another downhill then the final climb (Reelin in the Rails) and round over a stile (ouch) back to the tent and do it all again.
I slowed lap by lap but not by as much as I feared, and in the last stop I had to change to a warmer top as the dark came down and this took a few minutes - so the longer time on the last lap was partly due to this and the less certain foot placement in the dark. I had intermittent cramping, the very steep sections both up and down were tough on my legs despite training in the month or so leading up to this on some similar profile including coastal paths. Luckily as I was running low on salt tabs at Hale Lane aid station one volunteer saw me stretching out my legs and offered me some from her own supply – this is a real representation of the ‘Centurion spirit’ which along with the excellent organisation of James, Nici and Drew is what makes these races such a success. Finally after 10:58:30 (59th and 7th in category for the record) it was done and I could collect the bling, 2 medals and two tee shirts.
JOB DONE (Photo courtesy of Stuart Marsh Photography)
Would I do it again? What about the 100 mile Grand Slam? Probably no and I’m not sure if I will get enough experience to try 4 x 100 miles in one year before I get past it!
There are so many events and challenges available that you can do a different race every week and still have so many that you could choose but I would certainly recommend Centurion Running, if you find it hard to afford the races you can always volunteer for one year and get a free place for the next year. I still have the Autumn 100 booked for 2019 and I am volunteering at Chiltern Wonderland 50, after this year’s disappointing performance I want to go back in 2020 and do it better. I guess that is what keeps me running these events of 50 miles and above, striving to do it better – hopefully faster but most importantly just better so you can enjoy the races more.
If you’ve got this far thanks for sticking with it! I hope it was mildly interesting and has piqued your interest.
Don’t Stop Me Now: 26.2 Tales of a Runner’s Obsession. Vassos Alexander
Review by Tom Moriarty
When I was about 26 I went to a gig in the Thekla. I didn't know the band, but I trusted the friend who’d urged me to get a ticket. So I was surprised by the music - radio-ready, pretty and polished country and western music performed by two good-looking Home Counties crooners. (The band was The Shires, and if you like that sort of thing, great, I’m not judging, I'm sure they’re very good at what they do.)
There was only one moment that really moved me. Halfway through the set, in between songs, the female lead asked ‘Hey everybody! Do we have any Radio 2 listeners in the house?’
A huge, horrifying roar went up from the crowd. Where was I? How had I got here? Where once I only saw bands that even I’d never heard of, now, approaching the tail end of my mid-20s, I was in a room full of people cheering, without a hint of irony, for a middle-of-the-road, state-owned radio station. I’ve never been the same since. Something in me - some spark of youth - died that night.
Anyway, that’s all a rather roundabout way of saying that I’d never heard of Vassos Alexander, Radio 2 breakfast show sports reporter, before I stumbled upon his book, Don’t Stop Me Now: 26.2 Tales of a Runner’s Obsession.
Sceptics might wonder why they should give him the time of day - he's an overpaid BBC luvvy who lives in a posh leafy SW London suburb, he’s chummy with Chris Evans, and he gets paid to go to the world’s premier sporting events. He's a decent enough runner, but nothing special. Why should we care?
It’s a testament to Vassos’ charm, humour, warmth and writing that he wins you over almost immediately. You can’t help but like him. Perhaps the effect is enhanced with the audiobook, which he reads himself.
This definitely isn’t a book about running against all odds, about overcoming socio-economic hardship, about hard-won transformation, about achieving the impossible. It’s not a book about how to run better or smarter or faster, and it’s not a book about one particular feat or success.
Instead it’s a book that surveys the recreational running scene through the lens of one man’s jeopardy-free journey into the sport. We follow Vassos on his first tentative steps on the treadmill, we see him puffed out on his first ever outdoor run, when he set off far too fast and barely made it past the end of his street. We’re with him when he gets his dodgy gait analysed, and when he ducks over the line of his first marathon in under four hours. And we're there with him in the Lake District when he realises how wonderful trail running is - something he returns to in his follow up book, Running up that Hill, which is all about ultras and his attempts on the Dragon's Back and the Spartathlon, among others. But more of that another time.
Vassos uses his impeccable connnections to sprinkle sporting stardust throughout Don't Stop Me Now. In between every chapter, a runner of varying ability shares their story. So, we hear about Steve Cram running around the block in Jarrow on a Sunday morning, Joss Naylor cutting the legs off his trousers to compete in his first ever race as a ringer, and Paralympian Noel Thatcher discovering he could run after doing punishment runs for smoking at school - he was made to run five miles every day for a month. And there's the quietly inspiring Angie Copson, who only started running at 59 but has since set records in the over 65s category for 1500m, 3000m and 5000m. She has a marathon PB of 3hrs 17mins.
There are '26.2’ chapters, which each begin with a mile by mile update from Vassos’ Ironman marathon. I think it's an odd choice - it's often amusing, but it's a bit of a punishing sufferfest. It sticks out like a sore knee in a book that's largely about how great running is - these little vignettes might just put some people off longer distances. But unlike the injury Vassos gets during the race, this is really just a minor niggle that I can happily overlook.
Early on in the book, Vassos tries to recall the moment when running became something he loved, rather than just something he did to keep fit. I’ve been having my own ‘moment’ over the last few months, and I think it came while on a run, listening to Don’t Stop Me Now - one of the most charming, entertaining, persuasive and inspiring running companions you could ever hope for.
A Supporting Role - Simon Whittle
The best technique I’ve found for “run dodging” is to offer to support someone on an ultra, and with Judith planning several “big ones” in 2018, I grasped the opportunity with both hands.
Having followed the old bat on several runs, I’ve learned that, with a bit of careful planning, the whole experience can be changed from a stress-filled crazy-mad rush into a pleasurable experience. It can be summed-up using the “Five Ts”; Tracking, Tucker, T’Internet, Telegraph and Toilet. Tracking is definitely the most important here, as if you don’t know where your runner is, you don’t know how long you’ve got to get to the next checkpoint or worse still, whether you have just missed them. Our Dog Tracker Nano, borrowed from Grace Spaniel has transformed the experience, as it provides a moving map location display, updated every 30s, with 20+ hours battery duration. Since it roams between mobile networks, it’s very rare to lose track for very long. Tucker is always high on my list as it’s pretty hard work driving around listening to the radio all day and decent supplies of pies, pasties, frothy coffees and the odd café are essential. This is where T’Internet comes in as it’s the perfect tool for finding the best local suppliers of quality nutrition (especially farm shops and Philps Cornish pasty shops). A copy of the Saturday Telegraph is perfect for passing the odd 30 mins waiting in a layby. One thing I have learned is to never pass up the opportunity for Toilet and lesson I learned from Graham Bazley is “never wee in a roadside hedge whilst wearing a reflective vest”.
Wye Forest 50 (Bristol & West LDWA)
The first big run of the year was the Wye Forest 50 on 14/15 April, which Judith HAD to complete to qualify for the Kent 100. Shadow was recovering from her knee operation, so she came along for the ride. The event was based just outside Lydney, with excellent facilities, plus somewhat unusual (to me) signs on the gates warning that they must be shut at all times to prevent wild boar entering. The morning went very smoothly with time to get my car washed and valeted, finish a work report over a sausage sandwich, and an opportunity to explore the old Lydney docks. Later in the day, I managed a cheeky half at the rather splendid Old Boat pub at Penallt (pub in Wales, car park across the river in England), followed by an even cheekier snooze in the back of the car (complete with Therm-a-Rest, sleeping bag, pillow and slightly-too-affectionate Labrador). It all went swimmingly until later in the day, when the route re-entered the forest just as night was drawing-in. Judith teamed-up with a slightly odd guy who claimed to have the route on his Garmin, but he had serious food poisoning and was moving very slowly (about 2 mph), which guaranteed that they weren’t going to finish until well after dark. Despite having two phones, on different networks, I was now in the part of the forest near Parkend which has really poor mobile coverage, so I couldn’t see where Judith was. I eventually found a somewhat dubious and painfully slow Wi-Fi signal outside the community centre and guess what? The tracker had no signal and hadn’t sent any updates for 45 mins. Then suddenly, I received one brief update, which showed that Judith had gone wrong and was heading way off-course. I drove about 5 miles to get a mobile signal and tried to phone her, but she also had no signal, so I decide that my best option was to predict her next road crossing and drive to meet her. On paper this looked very easy, but the road I needed was closed and it was a 10-mile diversion to get to the other side, so I decided to take a punt to see how far I could get along the road. There was an impassable barrier about a mile from my destination, so I decided to turn around and, as I was reversing, I saw a huge wild boar with substantial tusks emerging from the trees. My brain raced into overtime: Judith’s lost in a boar-infested forest, accompanied by a weirdo who is about to collapse from the effects of severe food poisoning. I couldn’t do much about it, so I carried on driving and luckily, after getting a couple of location updates, could see that she was back on the route. We were both very relieved to meet up at the Parkend checkpoint, where she could leave her running buddy to get some rest, and continue on the final section of the route, which she’d reccied with Andy and Cathy a few months earlier. I headed off to race HQ, where Judith arrived just after 2 am having covered a total of 57 miles.
1Best avoided!
Cinque Ports 100 (Kent LDWA)
On 26/27 May, just 6 weeks after the Wye Forest 50, this was Judith’s first hundred-miler. Although I’d visited Canterbury several times and endured a miserable childhood holiday at Pontins’ Camber Sands, this was largely unexplored territory. The route followed coast and countryside, with walkers visiting all the Cinque Ports (Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich) plus the Cinque Port Ancient Towns of Winchelsea and Rye, and the Cinque Port Limbs of Tenterden, Lydd, Folkestone and Deal, before heading up to Sandwich and turning back to Dover.
With no dogs and plenty of time to prepare Judith’s race refreshments and spare clothing, my sleeping kit, 2 dog trackers, phones and chargers for 30 or so hours of adventure, this promised to be a grand day out. The preparation included a detailed analysis of the route and many hours were spent hunched over a spreadsheet trying to predict Judith’s times at each of the 17 checkpoints based on distance run so far, ascent, descent and time of day. My estimate was within 10% and this spreadsheet has now evolved into the timing sheets for the BTU50 and BTU56. The organisers had provided their own spreadsheet, complete with supporters’ information and a list of food at each CP, so I ended up with a ring-binder on the passenger seat with 15 pages of 1:25,000 route maps and an A3 printout of information for each CP. The runners started in the early afternoon and I decided to miss out the first CP so that I could explore Hastings (it’s a dump) and to my amazement, I then managed to meet Judith at every CP apart from the penultimate one, which was on a farm and didn’t allow supporters. After an uneventful day and a rather splendid fish supper in Tenterden, I met Judith in Appledore and decided to make us of the quiet village hall car park for a couple of hours shut-eye. Unfortunately, this coincided with a massive 3-hour thunderstorm accompanied by the sound of mating frogs, so I gave up and followed Judith as she braved the storm. I finally got some sleep at the major checkpoint at Hythe (breakfast stop) and in fact slept so well that Judith had to hammer on the car windows to wake me up.
2Proper Preparation... By first light, Judith had worked up a thirst and requested “some low-alcohol lager”, which I somehow managed to purchase from an all-night garage in Folkestone. I left her facing the big climb up to the white cliffs, whilst I headed into Dover town in search of a fry-up and to meet with her big sister, who was catching the train from London. By now Judith was requesting McDonald’s milk shakes, which she disguised by wrapping the map around the carton. Although the finish was in Dover, there was now a big extra loop, in searing heat, along the coast to Sandwich. Alison and I managed a cheeky pint and substantial lunch at a seafront pub in Deal before meeting Judith in Sandwich. After searching out the elusive “Ham Sandwich” road sign, we headed back to Dover, where I dropped Alison at the station and scoured Dover for pharmacies at 7 pm on a Sunday for “all of the antiseptic, spray skin, plasters and toe bandages you can find” (successfully). Judith reached the finish at 20:54, but some of the walkers didn’t finish until 09:43 on Monday morning, after 2 nights on the trail.
3Mini-Judith getting ready for a snooze
4Early morning beer near Folkestone
5I spent 45 mins trying to find this fingerpost
6 The end: Mini-Judith ready for the bottles of wine in the race vest pockets
Cotswold Century (Cotswold Running)
This was a very different experience for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the finish was only 10 miles from home and secondly, I had company: Liz was supporting Clare Prosser, Matt Milkins, Helen & Lucien were supporting well into the night, there were TACHers at some of the checkpoints and Liz Little had offered to run the final leg to Bath Abbey. Judith had previously run the CW100 with Liz Noakes over 4 days, but this time, there was only 30 hours available.
The spreadsheet had been refined and worked pretty well (the hardest thing to predict is the time spent at checkpoints, as this if there are lots of them, it can add more than 10% to the overall time), so there was no mad rushing to checkpoints. We had time for coffee and cakes in Broadway, I managed a trip to Go Outdoors in Gloucester for some spare gloves and we had splendid evening meal (complete with jelly and cream) in the campervan.
7 Helen Preparing dinner for Team TACH As a well-trodden waymarked National Trail and a route with which Judith was familiar, we expected night navigation to be straightforward but we didn’t count on the “can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face” thick mist. Somehow, she managed to navigate faultlessly through to Birdlip car park, where I was nursing a twisted knee after taking a tumble whilst rushing a cup of tea to the CP. The rest of the night was uneventful, although the rain was torrential when she arrived in Wootton-Under-Edge at first light.
8 Coaley Peak at 03:50
After one more checkpoint, I rushed home for a shower, then raced back to Weston village to see Judith and Liz set off, then raced into Bath for a champagne finish, with more cheering TACHers at the Abbey.
7 Judith looking heavenwards at Bath Abbey