My review of my race day, including lessons learned (official time 15:17:57)
This was my first proper Hardmoors race after only ever having done Fryup Thriller October 2019 which is a 10k. I am not really sure why I have not got more involved, the lake district has been a big pull, but I must say I have been missing out on Hardmoors. There are a lot of differences between Lakeland50/100 and Hardmoors, but both are fully recommendable.
So my entry to this race with James Lundy was on the proviso that it was not a full on 100% A race, that was Lakeland 50, 8 weeks previously. I came into this race injury free but not having done lots of miles since Lakeland 50 had taken so much out of me, broken my feet and knees. That said I wanted to run this race well and run it smartly. I didn’t want to set off too fast, I wanted to leave some in the locker for later on. I was also hoping to run with James if that worked out. In addition, I sort of wanted to finish this race knowing I could go on, I wanted it to be a test for longer runs which I hope to do. That’s what I hoped for…but what happened?
One of the main reasons I write these blogs is for future reference, to help me in the future to remember what I know I will forget. The future me is my audience and I guess anyone else who reads, so please forgive some of the below.
So having woke at 3am, having gone to bed at the same time as my 4 year old son, I picked James up at 4am and arrived an hour early for the bus in Filey, the day had got off to a good start. The journey to Guisborough took about 80 minutes but I had the deep sinking feeling thinking I needed to run back, 60 miles is actually quite a long way on bus, you have time to think. I was fully hydrated had a nice chicken stuffing sandwich on the bus and aside for a quick bathroom stop all ready to run by 8am.
The race set off everyone buzzing and the paths quite full. Lots of sharp hills in the first few miles and James was up them like a shot. I’m slower on the up hills and I was fully aware my heart was pumping. My achilleas were also letting me know it was an up hill start, they always like to remind me they don’t like up hill starts so I was determined to give them the odd minute walking after the sharp up hills to allow them to behave, and thankfully they did the full race. It was around this time I was trying to slow James down a bit aware my heart was pumping hard and it’s a long day out there. I set off on my normal routine of jelly sweets 30 minutes past each hour and gel on the hour, this did last for 3 hours then become more sporadic. I should try and keep that lasting longer.
It took 1 hour 47 to get to Saltburn by which time I was desperate for the loo, so I took advantage of the public loos there. James carried on and I was a good 4-5 minutes behind him. I felt good having been to the bathroom, it had been playing on my mind. Setting off from Saltburn which was looking like a beautiful seaside resort in the middle of summer, this should have been a warning to me, it was going to be a hot day and at around 10am it was still early.
The views out of Saltburn and beyond are stunning. I have never walked the Cleveland way and I really wonder why not, it is just so beautiful. It’s open to the elements and I am sure it’s brutal on a wet/windy day but on a nice day it really is spectacular. I have to mention Staithes, how beautiful is that place, I will be visiting for a leisurely afternoon one day. A true gem. That was the beauty, the beast was the fact my water was running down. It’s a long section from Saltburn to Runswick Bay and even though I saw a club mate Adrian handing out water, I felt it more appropriate to make a joke then fill up my water bottle, what a mistake that was! So yes my water was rationed for 4-5 miles then it ran out, Runswick bay was more than the advertised 21 miles in and by the time I got there I was goosed. I sort of had been and sort of not been trying to catch James. I had seen him a few times on the climbs here and there in front of me, but he was too far to catch and if I am honest I was not 100% sure it was him. Red shirt, dark hair/cap, dark shorts….but was is James? Turned out it was, he got to the checkpoint 5 minutes or so before me so we were similar speed on that section. James had had 5 minutes to sort himself out and having had a tough section himself was starting to feel better. I needed lots of liquids and my sandwich and a bit of time to get my head back in the game, which I did. Having set of slowly from Runswick bay with James I came around and felt a bit better. I always say to myself when struggling that it’s ups and downs and one follows the other, I say it when I feel good too. So we cracked on. We both realised we had set off too fast, that it was way too hot and we both just wanted to finish and the time did not matter. So we progressed, bit after bit and talking to a few people the time flew by. Sandsend was the next checkpoint and my wife Kristina was there which was lovely and although we were tired we were doing ok. A walk for a minute or two out of Sandsend with Kristina was nice and it wasn’t long before we could see Whitby in the distance. The stunning views kept on coming and the temperature did drop a little, although it was still hot. I remember when we were approaching Hornblower which is an old (is it still in use?) fog horn station, all I wanted was a cup of coke, but all that was on offer was water. Still, I filled up and drank away and we progressed. The marshals at Hornblower were funny and pleasant, but when they said it was 8 miles to Ravenscar I was not laughing, it felt like a long long way. It was nice to see Kristina in this section too, a bright happy face and Oasis of joy, it helps lift spirits!
James was determined Ravenscar would be the place we regrouped and gained our strength for the final 20 miles or so. It was a wise plan. I had another sandwich, 2 cups of lush tea and a pit stop in the bathroom, again much needed. Leaving Ravenscar I saw Kristina again briefly, I think she had had a nap, how lucky was she! On we went next stop being Scarborough. The darkness fell just as we approached a makeshift water station. I think there were two if not three makeshift water stations on route, both very much needed. Headtorches on and we picked up a random who had got caught out on the trail without a headtorch. Run walk march strategy worked well, bit of chat with the random chap and we arrived near the Sealife Centre in Scarborough. Lots of cheering going on, bit of a laugh with the crowd and onwards around North Bay then South Bay getting a few runs in between the longer walking sections. The heat had dropped by this stage and if I am honest I was feeling much better. Seeing Kristina in Scarborough again was nice but she spoilt it by saying she had to go as she was off for tea! Nice….well it would have been if she shared some chips!
From Scarborough you go up at a place called Black Rocks and follow the coast slightly inland. It’s pitch black by this stage and we had 7.8 miles to go from the little water station to the finish. By this time I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I had some running in my legs, it was pitch black but I felt better than I had for many hours. I am not sure James felt as great, but we pushed each other along and one step after the other, one little run after the other we got closer and closer to the finish. We had a red dot light on the back of someone’s head in the distance and that was a bit of a target to chase. James was leading when we went up a short sharp hill, I had my head down trying to keep up then at the top I had to give James the news we were off course. James had followed some head torches which had gone the wrong way, and so had we. Back down we went and back chasing a chap we had previously overtaken with that red dot. This is what happens, you can’t go back in time and change it, just accept it and carry on. We passed a few caravan parks and at one of them we hear a chap behind us who sounded like he had a Newcastle accent. We all passed a man in a field who told us it was 2 miles to Filey (he was wrong it was 3.5 miles) then the man behind us then said “did you guys see that chap had his trousers around his ankles” my answer was ‘no’! Anyway we have a race to run, no time to ponder what was going on there.
I love the Garmin when you put a route in and it tells you how far you have to go. Over the last few miles I loved seeing the miles tick on down. To be fair I started the count down at 26.2 miles. Each and every run making progress and if I am honest aside from a slight concern with my groin hurting when we ran 0.5 mile or so sections I felt great, except for blisters. My left foot had blisters all over the little toe, blister in the webbing between big toe and next toe, on my heal and a big one on the outside corner of the heal. My right foot was better just one on the outside corner of the heal. Blisters hurt, but they were nothing like Lakeland heal impact blisters so they were manageable. That said I need to find a way to stop them. Using Hoka Speedgoats worked OK, certainly better then INOV-8 G270’s in the Lakes but the Lakes has much rougher terrain. I used body glide on my feet for this race, I added Vaseline at Ravenscar but I probably should have changed socks too. I must overcome the blisters. I must note too that my knees were 100% fine.
Running into Filey was nice, there were 4 of us and we ran across the beach and up the ramp, James’s girlfriend Emma and her mum were watching, I only realised when the word cider was shouted. Kristina was at the very end and filmed us in. We went over the line together, except James nicked it by a second – the scoundrel!
Hot day, very hot but a great day. My worst point by far was 21 or so miles in before Runswick bay, that has to be a lesson, a big massive lesson. You should not be at your worst 1/3 of a way into an Ultra. I know better than that, well I thought I did.
Things I have forgotten to mention and not sure where they happened:
– Adrian Kamis with the satsumas – thank you Adrian
– Thank goodness I packed an Imodium – that sorted me out somewhere in the 2nd half
– I think I drank about 10-12 litres of fluid on the run and about 12 gels
– 2 Cheese and Onion sandwiches did the job at the drop bag points.
– Even though Ben was not with us on the run, we thought of him and sent him a picture of Whitby Abbey. Ben was following and we appreciated him from afar
– For once neither of us fell over, but James did kick some (invisible?) rocks.
– Last outing for the 2019 Ultimate Direction Adventure vest. String frayed and broke about 7 miles in and James knotted what he could and it got around
– Kristina was at the second Scarborough checkpoint, I knew because she yelled at me as I left, she had been too busy eating her food
– Kristina was also at another point on the way, I know because I saw my car but not her
– Robin Hoods bay was nice, we went the long way around at the bottom but not a big mistake.
My Ultra running memories 