Written by Jess Gray - https://tinkstrails.wordpress.com

This event was a late entry into the race diary by Coach Fifty, his thinking was ‘Hey, why not give it a go, wouldn’t it be nice to be UK Trail Champion for both Long and Middle Distance!’. However, we began to question this move, having raced a lot since the Ridgeway Challenge in August and only being three weeks after the brutal Atlantic Coast Challenge, was it going to be one race too many…? so it was very nearly a non-runner.
I’d had a couple of easy weeks training after the ACC, all niggles had settled, so in my head I wanted to race but I wasn’t sure I had enough in my legs for a 30-mile race. Coach Fifty knew differently, so the Saturday before Stort I found myself on the Grand Union canal at Watford with the training plan of trying to run 10 miles at a consistent 7-minute mile pace.
I’m not very good at pacing so I gave up staring at my watch instead I went with what felt like a fast but comfortable effort. Much to my surprise I averaged 6.50 mins/miles and even had enough in the bag for a 6.26 last mile. It was a great feeling to open up the burners on the flat after months of training and racing the hills. I was also super excited to have clocked a 10 mile PB by 3 minutes!! Needless to say, Stort 30 was back on the cards with an incredibly simple race plan…..just RLF from the start! (RLF = Run Like F**K).
Standing on the start line it was great to see a few familiar faces and catch up with fellow BOSH member Helen Etherington. However, it wasn’t long before we were sent on our way, with two laps of the field before hitting the road towards the canal. Craig Holgate and two other chaps were leading the race and I was just a few metres back, for a fleeting moment I naively thought that I might be able to stay with them, however once we got to the canal, they slowly started to pull away.
Immediately I was pleased to have chosen my Salomon Trail shoes as the previous evenings heavy rain had turned the first part of the course into a very slippery ride, I tried hard to stay on the grass and out of trouble, however there were a few near misses. Even though the route was pretty simple – run along the canal to the 15-mile point and then turn back, I still found myself asking a few fishermen if they had seen a few chaps running past, to which they looked at me like I was bonkers!
The aid stations were at 5 mile intervals, I had chosen to carry my own water and gels, planning on grabbing a banana from Team Gray at the half way turning point. This was to be a good decision as it turned out that the aid stations where on the other side of the canal, so to reach it I would have had to negotiate crossing the lock….. and there was only one way that would have ended – wet!!
I had been over taken by two chaps, one had disappeared off into the distance (who went on to finish second) the other was about 50 metres up on me. I was determined to not let him pull away, so I used him as my target. As we were getting close to half way I knew it wouldn’t be long before the lead guys would be heading towards us on their return leg, I was excited to see how the race was panning out at the front!
It wasn’t too long before Centurion Team runner Craig Holgate came sprinting towards me looking really strong, full of smiles and support. He had started to open a gap between him and the two guys who’d originally started with him. It made me wonder how these guys were feeling, they were still going at a mighty speed, but mentally having one pull away from the group still with 15 miles to go must take a toll.
As we reached the half-way check point the chap ahead of me missed the arrow directing runners off the tow path, then I dithered wondering if he was right and I had gone wrong (which is usually the case), however I stuck with my decision, saw the pub and eventually spotted the check point. The CP crew had managed to shout at the guy and he too was now back on the right course joining me in the aid station. There was a great amount of support at the CP, but I wasn’t hanging around long, I needed to know how far behind the next lady was, so I grabbed my banana and shot back out the way we had just come with the other guy in tow.

I appear to be telling off the runner who missed the check point turn off!!

An out and back route is a great opportunity to see how the rest of the field is looking and to give support to the other runners. It wasn’t long before I saw the second place female heading to the CP, she looked really fresh, immediately panic started to set in, then panic went into overdrive when I saw the third place lady wasn’t that far behind her either!
A few demons started to raise their ugly heads, I started to doubt my ability, I wondered if I’d gone off too fast, I was thinking of all the excuses I could give for pulling out. I wanted to win, I really wanted that title to add to my UK Trail Champion for Long distance, I knew it would be unlikely that I would ever have this opportunity again, but the negative thoughts were so powerful. I knew that I had to change my thinking otherwise I was going to end up talking myself out of this race.
I suddenly remembered what Coach Fifty had messaged me the day before ‘Whisky and Wine’…..It was his way of getting me to relax and not stress, to talk to me about whisky and wine. I immediately started to feel better, I now had a big smile and the banana was kicking in. I told myself to fight and if I knew that I had fought hard, pushed hard, then even if I did get overtaken at least I could look in the mirror and know that I had really given it everything!
I was now in 5th position and pulling away from the other chap. I made a mental plan to take it aid station to aid station and keep drinking. The path was getting very busy with runners going in the opposite direction, their support was a fantastic boost and I even got to Hi-Five Helen! There were also a huge number of Sunday walkers, fishermen and cyclists on the path too. Everyone was full of encouragement and it made for a bit of fun jumping over fishing poles, dodging yappy terriers and causing some poor cyclist to nearly end up in the canal as he took a wide berth round me.
By about mile 23 I could feel my legs starting to run out of bounce, with the muddiest part of the course just approaching, I took a second to look back over my shoulder to see if I had anyone chasing me down, I couldn’t see anyone, so I took on another gel and big slug of water and pressed on. The path had dried slightly, so instead of being a slippery ice rink it was now sticky, like tacky glue, every step a forcible effort.
A moments loss of focus lead to me being gracefully sprawled out on the canal path, with my pride shattered and a bloodied knee I dragged myself up, dusted myself off and carried on, desperate to get to the road to ease the burn in my legs. Eventually the road came as did the gentle climb up the hill to the club house, oh how I had missed a few hills, the relentless flat of the canal path had really taken its toll on my glutes, which were screaming!
It was only now with about 800m to go I allowed myself to trust I was going to win, I could feel the wave of relief wash over me….I had done it, I was now UK Trail Champion for the middle distance. However just as I was about to take an ‘easy’ run into the finish, I saw Mr Gray at the entrance, with one lap left of the field he shouted ‘you’re on for course record, so hurry up and get a wiggle on….’ Oh how I could have punched him!!
I crossed the finish line with Thea in a time of 3 hours 44 minutes and 42 seconds, exhausted but absolutely elated and to have Lindley tell me that I had got the course record was incredible….I had very nearly let those demons get the better of me, but the power of ‘Whisky and Wine’ had pulled it back and I knew that I could look at myself in the mirror knowing that I had given it everything I had got.

This was my first event organised by Challenge Running and what a superbly organised, friendly event it was too, the support from the volunteers was superb and Team Gray had a super day too.

That is one very relieved and happy Tink!

My reaction to Lindley telling me I had bagged the ladies course record!

The next stage is to build on my speed, I have Gosport Half and Portsmouth Coastal marathon planned for the final months of this year, these are going to be some great speed training sessions. You can guarantee that task master Coach Fifty also has some vomit inducing hill sessions planned for me in the build up to my first race of 2016 Go Beyond’s – Country to Capital in January!