The packing for this little race finished about midnight Thursday, with complicated arrangements in place to cover childcare until husband returned from the depths of middle England.  Friday morning it was just a case of dropping the kids off at school and tying up with the two friends who were accompanying me down to Windermere, although they had a weekend of Christmas shopping, cream teas and general tourist-like behaviour planned unlike my energetic jaunt.

The journey down the A9 and M6 provided plenty of disgusting weather, making progress slow and left me hoping this was not a preview of weather for Saturday.  Sometime late afternoon we eventually arrived at Brockholes and I went in to collect a bag for my drop-bag contents, had my kit checked – was so pleased they actually checked waterproofs as I am so fed up of doing races where they make a real song about having the proper kit, never do the kit check and most people travel light with none of it! Boo bah humbug!!  I also collected the electronic SI tagwe were all to wear around our necks for the duration of the race, , and my race number.

My friends were staying in the relative luxury of a B&B for the weekend, but I opted for camping at the start/finish. I figured it made life easier for everyone and I’m sure they didn’t need to be up at 5.30am on the Saturday to drop me at the start!  After check-in’s and tent pitching were completed we went in search of the ultimate pre-race meal. Lazy Daisy’s in Windermere did a fine job, Cumberland sausage on a bed of mash, encased in a giant Yorkshire pudding and liberally doused with red onion/wine gravy – yuuuuuummy!  Then, I was dropped back at the campsite and off I went for a good hour of kit faffing in the tent before finally setting the alarm for 4.30am. Always such a lovely time to be eating breakfast and trying to stick contact lenses in eyes – not!!

I guess I dozed a little, I was certainly warm and comfortable but all too soon the alarm went off.  I was unsure what to wear really as the MWIS forecast had suggested there could be some showers in the afternoon, also that winds would be 15 mph, so opted for a long-sleeved base layer. Why I thought I’d need my compression shorts under my knee-lengths I’ve no idea but seemed a good idea at the time. Opted not to take baseball hat (would probably blow away) and sunglasses – now that’s just asking for rain isn’t it!!!  Downed a large bowl of muesli and yogurt and washed it down with a cup of tea – breakfast done. Final kit adjustments and then it was 5.40am and time to head to the start area.

It was still quite dark and chilly. There were two categories completing the 100km distance – ‘racer’ with 24 hours and ‘challenger’ with 26 hours (I think), plus a 50km race covering the second part of our course.  There was a nice friendly atmosphere under the starting arch, then a countdown and we were off to much clanging of cow bells and the obligatory circuit of the grounds before heading out onto the road, we were off.

Light improved pretty quickly and the head torch was soon off and tucked away. We headed out along the road and then off up a narrow bumpy track. I found this stretch quite frustrating as there was a lot of bunching and walking as people jostled to find their place. But soon the route opened out and people settled into place.  The sun kept rising and the views kept opening out as we headed across towards Troutbeck, eventually picking up the Garburn Road which is a track leading up to the village of Kentmere (first checkpoint). I was alternating between jogging and walking depending on the incline, sticking firmly to my rules of walking the hills and jogging the rest. I’d say my jogging pace was slower than I would have imagined but I did jog a fair bit.

Out of Kentmere onto more tracks and it started to feel more like heading into the hills. We climbed above Kentmere Reservoir and the views were simply stunning.  Ahead I could see a steep pull up to the Nan Bield Pass and thought this would be a good point to try out my new lightweight poles.  Took me a while to get the hang, as ground was quite uneven, but they definitely helped.  Suddenly we popped out at the top of the pass, greeted by a marshal in fluorescent jacket. Was so funny, everyone was stopping to take pictures, much like coach party tourists!!!  From the top we looked down at Haweswater.  The descent off was pretty technical, more so than I expected and I took a couple of tumbles on the way down.  The rocks were still slippery from yesterday rain, but I arrived into the second checkpoint, Mardale Head, at the bottom in one piece having covered about 13 miles by now.    Quick water bottle refill – they were supplying Nunn tablets which were fantastic. I found them really refreshing and suffered from very little cramp throughout entire race.

The next section wasMardale Head to Bampton village. This took us round the bottom of Haweswater and onto a track following the edge of the lake. Terrain was relatively flat with the odd climb, but the path was narrow so in places it was tricky trying to pass people. Really don’t understand the stubbornness of people, their refusal to let fast(er) runners through … why would you want people hanging on your heels?  Ultimately this passed fairly pleasantly and we eventually popped out on the road with three km to run along the road up to the check point.  Resupply here, I tried for the first time the Grasshopper Food porridge that was on offer. OMG, it was delicious, I am not a porridge fan really but the Coconut and Date one really did it for me. Grabbed a lump of flapjack, refilled water bottle, made use of toilets … and stripped off the darn compression shorts as I was absolutely melting by now!

Twenty-ish miles down by now, but feeling pretty fine and dandy!!! Route continued along the road for another km before turning off onto a track leading up onto Askham Moor. Really enjoyed this stretch, there was a slight cooling wind, it was soft turf underfoot and I found someone to chat to :-D, I am easily pleased!!  Some gentle climbs but nothing evil and then we were dropping down some switchbacks into Howtown and checkpoint 4.  Didn’t hang around too long here as just wanted more liquid.  I was carrying a 500ml squidgy bottle in the front of my pack and then some spare in the bladder at the back (probably about 3/4 ltr) for emergencies, so I just kept refilling the front bottle.

I headed out pretty quick from here, leaving my companion behind. This leg would take us to the half-way point, and also over the first significant climb of the day – up to BoredaleHause. We started on fairly flat road, which eventually became a flattish but boulder-strewn trail and eventually becoming steep and narrow as it entered the hause – 200m of climbing over about half a mile at a guess.  So short but definitely NOT sweet!! I chatted to a couple of people on this stretch, a lady I was to leap-frog with many times throughout this race and a guy I was also to see several times throughout.  That’s what I love about ultras, you get to chat to lots of lovely interesting people, who don’t think you are strange for doing this kind of thing for pleasure!!!

Up to the top of the hause, and then off the other side into Patterdale, the half-way point and our drop-bags. Somewhere about 32 miles completed at this stage in 7:55:53. I was happy with that, but did make we wonder how much time I’d lose in the second half seeing as that was harder and hillier, was kind of hoping to get in about midnight if possible … given the lack of training throughout the school holidays I was prepared to be flexible with this guestimate though!!!

So, fresh t-shirt from the drop bag as the other was disgusting. The showers and wind had not materialised and miles of blue skies and sunshine were evident in the state of the long-sleeved base layer I’d been wearing – yeuch!!! Another pot of porridge, a cup of tea, a cup of Nuun, a piece of flapjack shoved in my pack pocket. I decided against checking my feet as currently there were no hints of blisters, so I shoved my spare dry socks in my bag in case I needed them later on, grabbed a few more gels and off I went again.

Am always surprised how settled in people seem to get at checkpoints,I’m alwaysterrified my legs wouldn’t let me get up again! So the next leg involved another gruelling climb – this time up to GrisedaleHause. Another longish flat yomp along the trail before a long tough pull up to the tarn. I started off with a guy who seemed to be wearing far too many layers, he paused to de-layer but soon caught me and we chatted about triathlons (his main sport) as he worked on persuading me to do Keswick Tri as a good first one … soon it became clear he was working at a different speed to me and he left me behind. I caught up with the guy I’d climbed the previous hause with, he seemed to be having a tough time so I worked on encouraging him and trying to ignore how bl**dy hideous the climb seemed.  As before, the path was boulder-strewn and you seemed to be continually kicking large rocks or trying not to trip over.  Eventually the tarn came into sight. Such was the nature of this race, the obvious route round one side was ignored, sending us what seemed the longer (and more climbing) way. Eventually we started to lose height, but it was down a fairly tortuous route but finally onto an open forest track leading to CP 6 on the roadside at Dunmail Raise, just before Thirlmere.

I don’t remember much here, I suspect more water bottle filling and I think I grabbed some ginger biscuits before heading off again.  This is the stretch where I hit probably my worst patch in the race.  We did about 1km on the road, then headed off west, this was terrain I’d covered on a mountain marathon a couple of years ago and I chuckled thinking of us trying to find a checkpoint here.  Soon we were in hot sticky undergrowth, a small wood but it was really humid and sticky underfoot too.  My stomach was grumpy and bloated and I just felt bleugh … onwards and upwards and eventually we popped out by a small tarn, along a bit further and then out onto Watendlath Fell, which was just horrible as far as I was concerned. Apparently we were on a footpath, but it was just all bog. I can’t imagine anyone would choose to go walking up there on a Saturday afternoon. My general grumpiness was made worse by the sight of two girls and a guy in front of me, completing as a group, who appeared to be skipping and laughing merrily across this horrible nasty fell!!!  We probably had about 3km of this joy, there were some lovely marshals sitting at the top of this stretch to check all was well, and they were welcome sight.

Checkpoint 8 was in Watendlath itself, again, I don’t recall much of this checkpoint, I think I picked up some more ginger biscuits and put on my windproof top as the sun was starting to dip a bit and it was cooling.  I think this was the point I started to feel better, I suspect I had got overheated earlier along with the effort used to get over the two big passes.

I skipped out of here with my poles, along with a couple who appeared to be completing together (and guy and a woman). A bit of jostling for the front spot here but I eventually headed to the front and positively yomped through to Rosthwaite (oh boy do I love my poles). I was alternating jogging and walking and still legs were feeling pretty good. Quads were definitely feeling a bit trashed and right hip flexor was niggling but generally feeling good and strong.  Along the Cumbria Way we went, passing below the Borrowdale Fells. It was significantly cooler, but still no wind and the sun was starting to go down.

I LOVED this stretch, travelling on my own but knowing people were ahead and behind so I just got on with enjoying feeling good. I paused to get my head torch out as it was difficult to tell when darkness would hit. Stake Pass was the next big climb and it loomed ahead but turned outto be way easier to climb than I’danticipated. The path was nice firm gravel rather than those dreaded boulders, so although steep with lots of switch-backs you could get a good steady pace on. At the top of Stake Pass there was meant to be an un-manned checkpoint with a dibber to swipe, instead we were greeted by marshals, who were having a fine old time sitting up there taking in the stunning views. The sun was almost down, the moon was up, bright orange surrounded by grey clouds. Wow, it was amazing.  I headed on the path that works its way across the top, a bit more boulder here, and then was looking down into the next valley.  The sun went and the route down was a zig-zag of glow sticks going down, down, down to the valley below, all quite a sight.

The head torch came out and I headed down what was quite a tough long descent, especially getting used to the reduced light.  A marshal was heading up towards us and said it was 4km down into the valley and the checkpoint was at the Sticklebarn (a pub up near Chapel Stile).  All I can say is that it was a bl**dy long 4km!!! My Garmin had given up before I got over Stake Pass so I wasn’t too sure how far I’d travelled anyway.  Once down off the hill it was a fairly straightforward and flat track into the Langdale Valley, but the moon had gone behind the clouds and I found it difficult to get a perspective on where I was. There are several pubs in the valley and I knew it wouldn’t be the first one, but with party music drifting down the valley it was difficult to work out what was coming from where.

This was compounded by a complete disappearance of regular signing. Up until now the route had been fantastically marked throughout (we were not meant to need to do any navigating on this race) with flags and signs by day, and then signs and glow sticks in the dark.  A sign took me off main track and up a minor slope and then there was nothing for a fair while … I started to doubt myself and had visions of going for miles in the wrong direction (can you tell I was a bit tired by now?!). So I hesitated, I back-tracked to the sign, I waited for some head torches, and then after wasting about 15 minutes I thought “oh sod it!” and just pressed on anyway.

Eventually I popped out behind the Sticklebarn Pub and was guided in by glow sticks.  I was a bit dazed at this point, especially when the guy running the checkpoint greeted me by name - it’s on my race number – doh!  Anyway, he was awesome – ‘did I want a plate of chips?’ oh my, did I?  A piping hot plate of French fries smothered in salt and tomato ketchup … I didn’t bother with niceties and just shoveled them all straight down, washed down with a cup of Nuun.  By now quads were stiffening up and the hip-flexor was having a good old whinge but still feeling pretty good and not lacking for energy at all. The lovely man serving the chips kindly wrapped up some ham sandwiches in cling film for me (so they didn’t crumble in the pocket of my pack) – I was so over sweet stuff by now.  I’d been on the go for 15:28 by now. Just Ambleside and the finish to go, so in theory about 10-12 miles to go I think.

I managed to negotiate the steps downstairs to the way out, via yet more nice toilets. I think I’ve never done an ultra race where there has been access to so many nice clean toilets!!!  Into the car park, and then doh?which way? no signs again … got onto the road and the right direction but again, stalled by lack of clear signage so I backtracked to the pub, and came across two guys having the same problem but the marshal didn’t seem to know either. So we hung around while she double-checked …  eventually coming back and pointing us in right direction (I had been correct) and off we went to Ambleside.  The two guys provided great company for much of the remainder of the route.

All fairly flat at this point so we took it in turns to motivate running stretches in-between yomping … they could run faster than me, but when I started yomping with  my poles they couldn’t catch me. One of the poor guys had stood on a plug the wrong way up the day before, so he’d already damaged his foot before he even started!!! Anyway, we negotiated our way along the footpaths, taking it in turns to fathom out how to open the hundreds of gates we passed … they were such gentlemen actually, I did chuckle, always holding the gates for m …  Signage was a bit variable and we were kind of guessing our way in places.  Eventually we caught up with another guy going at our pace, he was local and had recced this section into Ambleside. This proved invaluable as a lot of signage and glow sticks were now missing.  A slight shock to body as we negotiated Loughrigg Fell … I thought we were done with hills! and then eventually we popped out into Ambleside, the final checkpoint before the finish.

This was in a very posh community hall, more nice warm toilets :-)  No idea what I ate here but I grabbed another cup of tea, although as I tried to drink it while jogging through town centre I think I ended up wearing most of it!  Met a few of the locals on a night out and put up with the usual questions and comments … ‘run Forest run’ … ‘how far you goin' etc.

I knew it was going to be horrible getting out of Ambleside – another nasty hill, it started off on road and then became a vile rocky uneven thing. We were literally guessing our way through here by now as most glow sticks had disappeared.  I didn’t care, I just pressed onward and upward. No more running for now as was just climbing again up through Skelgyll Wood.  I started to pull away from the two guys I’d been with but was just so desperate to get to finish I kept on striding.  Signs started to reappear so navigation became easier and I caught up with a guy I’d jogged behind earlier.  So we had a good old chat as we climbed up onto the trail that took us to the path we’d come out at the start on. This was a bit gnarly so no jogging down this but once we hit the road at the bottom with a marshal pointing us to the final stretch then we both started running.

Off course, we got to where the finish was to find we had to run a lap, albeit a smaller one, to complete the race … so round we jogged, and came in at 19:21:54.  Final distance not really confirmed but apparently 110km and possible 112km.

Quads absolutely trashed, hip-flexor groaning, knee definitely having a whinge, NO BLISTERS, but I didn’t feel tired or hungry and if it hadn’t have been for state of quads I could have kept on going for a fair while longer!!!

So having made the finish, I thanked the guy I came in with for that final push and waited for the two other guys to come in and cheered them in.  Then I had to walk UP a hill to collect goody bag and drop bag … and then back DOWN the hill to find my tent … ouchyouchyouchy!