Well, it is done: the last big race of the year. And oh my goodness, it was hard! I knew it was going to be tough; its the longest fell race I have ever done, and nearly as long as I did in the Lakeland trails ultra I did several summers ago. But, as usual, it didn't go well and under preparation played a key role in this. So put on the kettle; I am about to tell you a saga.
Lets start with a bit of background. Craggrunner are a running events company that seem to established themselves in 2021. They may have been about before but there isn't much on their insta feed prior to that, and I don't think I had heard of them. Their events are in and around Calder Valley. They seem to have absorbed a few existing events and they are doing what they do well; challenging Pennine running events with a few longer events in their calendar. And their events are excellent value! I picked up the this race through the LDWA website who had it listed as a challenge event. And in August, with training going quite well for the Half Peaks Skyline, I decided to enter, completely forgetting about the realities of winter running and the fact I had a few Lakeland Trails events in the diary which would eat in to prep time alongside all my usual time sapping commitments. So come November, when I finally buckled in to a proper training cycle, I had a few sudden hard truths to absorb: it was cold, it was wet, it was boggy and I was woefully under fit for 21 mile run on the moors around Hebden Bridge. I read and reread the instructions and route card repeatedly. Then to cap it off, I caught a cold the week before the race and really didn't think I was going to make the start line with wheezing and sneezing (it wasn't Covid). But by Friday I was reasonably better so I packed my kit and decided I'd run.
The kit list wasn't too bad for the moors in winter; basically the FRA kit list plus an additional base layer and then a Santa hat and a present for the bran tub. But there was also clothes for after and a towel. And maps and route descriptions and so all in my kinder vest was fairly full, at least in the back section, and I had a duffel bag of stuff when I arrived. And I arrived early, partly as I had to drive over Cragg Vale in the fog and dark, partly because I wanted to get parked okay. And crikey, it was pretty foggy and pretty dark!
The registration was Hebden Bridge Gold club which was half way up a large hill. A hill, I clocked, we would have to get up at the end of the event (more on that later). It was classic LDWA style: registration, brief kit check and then cups of tea and butties, but also santa hats. I had been in two minds about butties but in the end I had decided to have breakfast at the event and accept a slightly slower start. And the egg butty was fab but I managed to explode it wall over myself like a rookie. Three nervous wees later and we were all standing outside the club house ready to go in the slowly lifting darkness and fog.
Most people were very jolly. I was on my own, but a lot of people were in groups or pairs. One man was carrying a hug log, and no one ever got to the bottom of why. After a brief admin and dibbing in, we were off at a slow shuffle; this was the walkers and non-competitive runners start, it was uphill and there was a gate and a narrow path. I was fine with this, but as soon as the path opened up I opened up in to a slowish jog. It wasn't too steep and the path was alright. But you couldn't see much.
The not seeing much was okay initially as there was one path and we were aiming for a wall before turning left. However, once we were up on the moor, we were supposed to head north towards an airshaft and I was glad at this point I can read a map. I headed straight over the path junction as various maps and instructions were consulted. Eventually, the air shaft appeared and we went left on to an increasingly boggy path. As we bimbled along Deer Edge I decided to take off my waterproof top as I was, to my surprise, quite warm. The forecast had been for a 2 degree celsius start followed by rain at about 11 but it seemed milder. At the second trig, Dave Woodhead or someone from his Woodentops photo company was taking photos and cheering us all on. He got a good one even if I am pulling an odd face.
Then it was just following the path off the moor to the road and checkpoint one. I was running among a little group of women at this point, all of us intermittently over taking and being over taken. They were pretty friendly and it was nice.
After the checkpoint we started heading down across a less good path. Then there was a horrible rocky path down towards Lumb falls where a walker, who I would see several times through the event, over took me at impressive speed. Lumb falls would have been a nice spot but I was keen to make up for the time lost on the descent and started the long and slightly tricky ascent up the moor past some ruined farms. For those that don't know, this area of the Pennines is classically very steep at the bottom with open, undulating moor at the top. With bogs. At the top we went round the shoulder of the hill and then across a field dropping to a farm then almost back on ourselves up a hill (there had been a few more navigationally confused people in the farm yard). In this section, there was an amazing view through the clearing fog across all the hills and I was pretty sure I could make out some features of the course; they looked very far away. I tried to banish that thought.
We trotted over this section of the moor on a shooting track and I had a nice chat with a lady who was training for the Spine Sprint, which is referred to as ONLY 47 miles. I was very impressed and we bumped in to each other a few times over the event. She eventually finished quite far ahead of me as my race fell apart.... We dropped down towards reservoirs, catching up with the super speedy walker from Lumb falls. I had wanted to get to check point two before the front runners from the 9am start caught us, but just as we crossed in front of the reservoirs, the front three came through, including Matt from Chorlton Runners. They were just moving so fast! Oh well. On to the metalled road and down to checkpoint 2 where there were sandwiches but I decided against.
On reflection, I had become aware the first hour and slipped behind me and I hadn't started fuelling. I had then shoved half a voom bar down somewhere on the second section, and then taken one more block going in to checkpoint 2, but I on reflection I had gotten behind with my fuelling and was going to struggle to catch up and there were a lot of miles to go.
Section three was relatively short but started badly as I had a crisis of confidence with my navigation. I could see people on a track the other side of the stream but I was pretty sure I wanted the road to the left then to drop down to the stream before climbing the moor. I walked, hoping someone would follow. The drop to the left was further up than expected, partly as map three was on a different scale to map two and I hadn't got my eye in yet. Eventually it appeared and I started to jog down to the slippy boggy path by the stream. It had really rained the last few weeks; those bogs were pretty full. Then it was a climb up and over Standing stone moor. A few more fast runners were coming past, including one who was asking for directions and clearly not looking at any map... As we hit the road at the bottom of the moor there was quite a lot of people coming past and at this point I started to feel unnervingly tired. I walked a bit (on the flat) and tried to get my glutes and back to relax a bit. This wasn't good. Checkpoint three had a very jolly lady and was a simple dib in and out. She joked about people clearly not navigating and asking her for directions when she was just here to tick numbers. The ladies I had been running with were a fair bit ahead of me and pulled away. I ran down the hill and began the seemingly unending uphill climb on a bridle way that was pretty wet, including being a stream at some point.
After a road crossing, I was quite tired and so followed a group of people blindly across a horrible wet field of bogs into my biggest navigational error. We ended up at a road at the top of a hill above a sheep farm with a group of people who weren't sure where we were. I had realised half way through the sheep farm I was going the wrong way but couldn't face the terrible bog I had just come up so had planned to run along and down to get on course so scooped up the people and took them with me. They were grateful and we ended up on the bridleway which was mostly a bog and no where near as clear as it seemed on the map. I was glad to get to the road for a short break. I had also found most of the women I had been running with in the group taking the diversion. This boosted me but soon they were very ahead of me again as we descended down Dean wood and I had nothing to really give the descent in to the final checkpoint. I was trying not to get down but I was moving very slowly. I had pushed half an outdoor provisions bar in and another half a voom bar. For reference, I reached checkpoint 4 at just over 4 hours and had only had half an outdoor provision bars, and one and a half voom bars. I grabbed a bit of cake at checkpoint 4 (swiss roll) and did another quick checkpoint strategy before walking along with my cake.
The final leg was the longest in distance and possibly mentally longest thing I have done. It all went rather wrong.
Apart from the fact I was walking, and not as fast as I should have been, I didn't make the navigational mistake a lot of people did and left the Pennine Bridleway at the right point. I might have actually been better doing this as the path here was good but it wasn't the route so I took the right steeply up through the tree and out on to the moor and amazing views of Stoodley Pike. I walked a lot of the next section as we made our way around a hill. More runners and walkers over took and I tried to not feel too miserable. I was consciously fighting going to the bad place in my mind. The views were good, my podcast was good, and I tried to focus on these. Then my shoe start to break. It started with just a bit more movement in the heel. But as we climbed the most horrendous boggy field to the top of the moor (it was reallyhard going), the sole started to flap. I still had approximately 4 miles of tough terrain to go. At the top I couldn't really balance enough to run as my flapping shoe was sliding underneath me and filling with puddles. I walk awkwardly for a while, slowing even more. I was also in pain from my back and legs. More poeple passed but someone leant me a rubber band to try help; it was generous but eventually the sole was doing more harm than good, and hanging just by the toe section. I took the plunge and pulled it off.
I felt very alone and miserable at this point. I could see the last two run walkers disappearing in to the distance and I was in pain. I was tired and underfuelled (I'd not eaten anything since checkpoint 4). I could barely run and was trudging across the moor. The sky was darkening and I could see I was already well over 5 hours. But I also knew that there was no one coming to save me. I was on my own. I had to get the Mytholmroyd and then up to the golf club and there was only one way I could do that. I had to keep going.
The descent of the moor with my one working shoe and one foot covering as it had now become was hellish. It was slippery mud and rooty rocky paths. I had no grip on the left foot and so could only relaly go down with my right foot first, and if I put my foot on a sharp rock, I felt it. I could see the town below. 'Just get there', I thought, 'There might be some help' I kidded myself. I dreamed of gaffa tape or even a cheap pair of shoes I could borrow, but I knew I couldn't just ask someone on the street.
Eventually I reached the town. The pavement was easier to run on and I started a slow jog. I went the wrong way throuh town as I went the way I knew and I cold stay on pavement. I knew the hill was coming but I had to push it from my brain. I got a few odd looks, hobbling through town, doubtless with a look of pain on my face. There were lots of people out and about and it felt festive. I wished I had opted for a day Christmas shopping at this point. Also, Mytholmroyd seems to be getting trendy, perhaps as Hebden is now too pricey for many. Right on to Westfield terrace and a lady caught me up and explained she hadn't been able to find the footpath so I got her on the right one (there was a diversion but it was okay), and the hill rose before us. She was probably in her 70s and skuttled up nice and quick. Two walkers also over took me as we headed up the hill. In the valley I could here a brass band band starting up with Christmas carols. I tried to smile as climbed towards a converted farm. I was in a LOT of pain from my back and the muddy footpath meant my left foot just slid away underneath me at times, having no grip from no sole.
I had another navigation doubt moment at the farms but got my head straight and found the stile. Stiles were now difficult as I found it hard to move over them. I looked up at the slippy muddy path and tried not to cry. I was not too far now but of goodness it was so steep and so muddy. I shuffled up the hill, with each step only doing half the propulsion it should. A few sharp rocks caused some winces. I was going to make it but it was going to be slow. At the road, I fell over the stile and wondered if I was better staying on the concrete; no I had to do the route. One last lady came past me, asking 'Has someone's shoe fallen off?' when she saw my sole before I showed her my soleless shoe. We battled the brambles together but she pulled away and then the golf course stile was there. She shouted to finish strong and try to run but I had nothing. Mentally, I was completely done in. I shuffled up the golf course drive, showed the final checkpoint my shoe, eventually remembered to dib in, and managed to smile for a photo with the sole of my shoe. The marhals had been wonderful and brilliant through out. This lot also gave me a bit of a laugh as I put the sole in the bin by the door.
I walked back to my car (fortunately I had parked in the car park) and collected my dry clothes and shoes. The ladies shower was broken but I managed to towel down and change. I was already feeling better for having my pack off my back. I confess, I think I forgot to put a mask on after this, but I made it up to the bar to hand in my dibber and find out I had apparently not ordered any hot food. Fortunately there were left over sandwiches from the check point, and a few cadbury's roses around. I invaded the table of a lady I recognised from the run and had half a conversation with her and her friend about the spine but I am not sure I made sense. I was intermittently shaking and couldn't get my back comfortable. I said a word or two to a few people I recognised and left, driving over Crag Vale in yet more fog and now gathering dark. I am not entirely sure how I made it back as I was very tired and very sore and still a bit shakey. The shaking only stopped after a hot meal and bath at home. Amazingly, I am okay today except foot bruising, a tight achilles and my back is a bit sensitive.
All in, I was disappointed. I was disappointed at my time. I was disappointed at my fitness. I was disappointed at my mental state. In the race, especially towards the end, I had really gone some dark places and whilst i had not cried I had come to the conclusion I probably am not made for this kind of event; I am too fat, I don't train enough, I need to do more hard sessions and I need to do more strength work. All of this is true. Maybe I would be happier working on getting quicker at trail and fell half distance. But part of me can't write off the longer distances just yet; part of me just wants to be able to do it. Speaking to my family and Martin they keep saying well done, you did so well, you got through with a broken shoe, etc. but I know I hadn't the fitness and I don't know if i can EVER get the fitness ot do these events. I struggle with long run, I struggle to do strength work, I don't get a decent speed session in most weeks and you need all of that to get good at these things.
The event itself was fantastically run with brilliant marshals and checkpoints, and a good set up at the golf course. And it was only £11.50!! Yes its self navigating but that is part of the fun. I would definitely recommend the event to people wanting a real challenge but you need to be fit as the elevation is absolutely killer and the moors in winter are always going to be challenging. We lucked out with the weather but next year might not be as good.
I never did work out what the bran tub was for.
Brilliant read Hannah! It was Helena and I that you sat and talked to at the end, and you did make sense. Hopefully you didn’t mind us taking the mick out of your southern accent 😉
ReplyDeleteIt was tough, it was meant to be a real test. I know Daz the RD really well and he’s a machine on the hills.
Don’t be down on yourself though. You know where you need to improve and there’s no substitute for the training. You also need to get the eating better as well, but you know that.
There’s Saddleworth Ten Res in March, get some new shoes and see you there, or come and support us on the Spine 😊
PS not sure why it’s using that username!
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