Written by Di Newton
This is a 38 mile challenge in the Lake District on the shortest day of the year. I had done some good training leading up to this event and was confident that I could finish. I had been on one of NAV4 reccie days and learnt more in that one day about navigation than I had over the previous 64 years. Three of us arrived in plenty of time on Saturday just before 7am. I got through a very smooth kit check and was the first out the door in the pitch black. My niece and her friend would set off later. Timing was such that you were not to arrive at the first checkpoint at Side Farm before 9.30am. I knew I would be one of the back of the pack runners and so set off quietly into the dark morning. I wore my waterproof from the start as it was very cold. I didn’t want to have to stop and faff about. Cecily & Stephen were going to follow along and maybe meet at Side Farm for about 9.30 when that check point was due to open.
I just walked briskly along for probably 10-15 mins. After about 5 minutes I realised in my haste to get out of the door, I had forgotten to switch Garmin on! It was odd, no one had passed me yet! I looked around and saw all the little lights just to one side of me on the other (more tricky) route. So I carried on my route and joined in with them later. The faster runners would set off later so they didn't have to hang about at Side Farm, so as time went by a few people started to pass me. I soon turned my headtorch off and the leg from Askham to Martindale was uneventful. I dibbed and carried on round to Boredale and the long climb, with the steep rocky bit at the top. Managed to get up there with only the odd speed merchant passing me. It felt good. Along the Hause the guy in front of me threw a banana skin down, so I shouted "Oi, don't throw your rubbish down here". He muttered something about being biodegradable, organic etc. I said it wouldn't biodegrade up here and so he went and retrieved it. When he caught up with me I just said, "Sorry if I was a bit grumpy". He then turned left instead of right and I didn't see him again.
Then there was the descent to Side Farm. I could see some people leaving across the field, so I knew my target time of 9.30 had just gone. Then Cec & Stephen passed me, Stephen has just completed The Hill and "failed" at 81 miles (his words, not mine!) He already looked a bit ropey. We got into the checkpoint, had a quick drink and nibbles and away we went. They were soon gone. It was hard running along the road to Glenridding, up to Greenside, and then the climbing really started. The rough path zigzagged up the hill, before turning for more steepness. I should point out that Cecily had suggested we wore Santa hats and so we did. What genius. Everyone who passed me commented on the festive hat. Just those words kept me going.
Along to the next dib at a footbridge that leads to a long slog up to Sticks Pass. It seemed to go on for ever. Then I spotted the ski lift and knew it couldn't be much further to the end of that climb. I got a bit of a scoot on along the ridge and dropping down to Stanah, although the last bit I slowed, as I knew it would be easy to turn an ankle on that bit. Dibbed at Stanah, had a quick drink and nibbles and set off on the road round the west side of Thirlmere. This was a detour as the Forestry Commission had been doing major works in the forest on the usual route. I was on my own mostly, except for a couple behind me. I hate the roads and walked a lot of the way. My hip was moaning and then I needed a wee. I just had to go off to the side of the road, although I knew this couple would see me! When they got to me, the bloke came across and asked if I was ok! I said "I'm having a pee!" His face was a picture. I let them go and when I stood up, immediately I noticed the hip pain had almost gone. So I started to jog along to Dobgill car park, the next dib. Then along to Steel End, where we went off road again. I had caught up with the couple so shared jelly babies with them. Kept up with them to Dunmail Raise and up to Grisedale Tarn. Saw the little stones I had put out along the route for Cecily, made me smile. I was able to share my knowledge about the route with them, and then they jiggered off down Grisedale to Patterdale! I knew I wasn't going well down that valley and I was concerned about making the cut off back at Side Farm. They had said it was doable, but I had slowed, so I knew it would be tight. Richard (my partner) had been popping up all over the place and encouraging me along. He popped up again at Grassthwaite How turn off and said I had plenty of time to meet the cutoff. I knew I was struggling now and I asked him if I looked lobsided - he said yes. Anyway he ran with me from there to Side Farm and I was about 15 mins within the cutoff. It was just starting to get dark, so Richard helped me get my yellow jacket on underneath my waterproof jacket, and w/proof leggings on over my winter running leggings, and I had time for drink and food and got my banana out. I put my balaclava on too. I said my farewells and off I went out into the dark with my headtorch on. As soon as I left the checkpoint, I had my doubts about getting over Boredale. I was the last one to leave the checkpoint. The others who had been at the checkpoint were already well up the fellside. I could see their headtorches in the distance. I got nearly to the top, geeing myself on by thinking, "well I have all the time in the world and it is a lovely night". I took a wrong turn of about 100yards. I needed to concentrate here. Got back onto the correct path and eventually came to the hi viz tape I had put as a marker, that was good. It really did glow in the torch light. As I picked up the tape, it was light sleet/rain, but I was well wrapped up and completely snug. I had just bought a Merino balaclava, cost a lot, but well worth it in the wind. Now I was at the drop down to Boredale. The pain in my hip was bothering me, I knew I was leaning much more to one side and here was the really rough steep bit. I was aware my balance was going and to my horror my headtorch started to dim. I couldn't have got off the fell without a torch and I should have stopped immediately to change the battery, using my other cheap headtorch to see, but I didn't. It seemed to take forever to get off the rough stuff onto a better path. I left Side Farm bang on 4.30 and half way down Boredale I looked at my watch and it was 6.30. I was now on the tarmac road, so kept turning my head torch off and on to conserve battery. Then I thought I really must find the little headtorch, so I stopped. In my fumbling, I couldn't find it, damn! I was swaying like a drunk. I just knew I had to keep going forward, putting one foot in front of the other, banish the pain of the hip, just keep upright. My heroes are Ranulph Feinnes and Joe Simpson, because they kept going when conditions were tough. I thought of them. If only I could make it to Martindale Church, there would be a marshal there. I finally got to the turn off to Sandwick I could see the glistening of the puddles on the road, so turned the torch off in case I needed it further on. Then I thought I heard a vehicle coming, so turned the torch back on, so I wouldn't end my day getting run over! I can't describe how wobbly I was. It was as if my spine had just packed up and wasn't supporting my back, every step was painful and wobbly. The car slowed down and stopped. He wound down the passenger side window and it was Joe Faulkner (Race Organiser). He just said "That looks really painful" He wasn't wrong! I offered him my dibber and he just said "Why?" Then I realised what he had in his hand was not the dibber machine, it was his phone. I said would he mind if I kept going to the Church (about half a mile away) so I could dib. It seemed crazy to not complete that section now. Although it seemed crazy to not accept a lift too! He said did I realise that I might do more damage, but I just really wanted to finish that leg.
So he turned round and went back to the dibber to wait for me. I struggled along and then came to the little bit of a tarmac hill leading up to the Church. That was so hard, At one point I was like the typical drunk, two steps forward 3 steps back as I tried to keep my balance. I got to his vehicle and knew the dib was round the other side on the railings. I tried to negotiate round the front of his car and he said "I've got the dibber here" - I turned and very nearly fell over. He jumped out as I staggered sideways and backwards in front of the car. I was shot! He let me dib and then bundled me into the car. That was the greatest feeling. It then seemed to take ages to get back to Askham on those country roads. I said I had no idea where we were and he said he was kidnapping me! I just said Richard wouldn't pay the ransom! Ha ha.
Back at Askham I really struggled to get from the car into the village hall. The nicest thing Richard said was, "Out of all the DNF's you have come the furthest!" Bless him, he had been very worried about me, but knew it was useless to tell me to stop. I would have stopped if the weather had been worse, but didn't really feel I was in danger at any time.
I had some soup and cake and Richard drove me home. Cecily and Stephen had completed it in around 10 hours - it took me 12.29.55 to get to Martindale Church. I had another 4 or 5miles to go to complete it.
Here are the splits (my Garmin must have thrown a wobbly and didn't download properly.
1 Martindale Church 1.31.12
2 Side Farm 1.00.26
3 Greenside 1.12.00
4 Thirlmere Stanah 1.12.28
5 Dobgill 1.18.51
6 Side Farm 3.03.09
7 Martindale Church 3.11.49
The first runner took 5.40.46 !!!!!!!!!
This evening, as I sit here, my muscles feel a bit sore, but my back seems to have improved greatly. I'm not going to consider running for at least 2 weeks and then assess the situation.
So that was 2014. 2015 and I’m back to give it another go. 2015 you may recall is the year of “Desmond” and the floods. We set off across Askham Moor like the year before. Things were going well although the devastation was obvious to the paths. Dropping down to Side Farm and the rough path was totally washed away in places.
I looked at my watch and knew that my time was way slower than it had been on the previous year and the weather was atrocious. If I had made it to Side Farm on the return journey I would definitely been timed out. I made the decision to carry on to Greenside and then I would turn round and track back to Side Farm and wait for a lift back to the finish. It was the right decision for me when I heard later that one of my friends had forced herself to wade through waist deep becks to get along Thirlmere. Sitting in the cafe at the checkpoint waiting for a lift I had time to reflect. As I had dropped back down towards Glenridding there had been plenty of people behind me, but I knew in my heart that they would all have passed me on the long climb out and it would have been a very lonely and scary place at Grisedale Tarn.
I was getting colder and colder and in the end I had probably 4 or 5 coats belonging to the marshals heaped upon me to keep me warm.
Would I recommend this race? Hell, yes!