White Rose Ultra 60 miler 2014

WHITE ROSE ULTRA (60 MILE) 2nd November 2014

After a break over the summer due to illness I ran the White Rose Ultra 60 as a tester to see what sort of condition I was in. Having not run since the Evesham Ultra in April I wasn't sure if my body could take a battering for 60 miles over the Yorkshire hills, but I had about 6 weeks good training behind me without illness so I thought, why not?

 

The white rose ultra is organised by TeamOA and headquarters for the race is located in the village of Marsden, just off the Pennine Way. After a sleepless night in a local hotel (thanks to a rowdy party next door) I made my way to the headquarters at the local cricket club and was warmly greeted by the organisers and around 250 other competitors of which around 85 of us were down to do the 60 mile race. After a short safety and info talk we were on our way to the hoots and hollers of the supporters and staff.

 

 

The white rose ultra is run over a 30 mile course which means two laps for the 60 mile runners. The race takes in some beautiful countryside including reservoirs, trails, wildlife hotspots, villages and plenty of hills. However if you are expecting an out and out trail race then let me warn you that this race has a lot of tarmac and track. Even so, don't let this stop you entering as the views and local villages keep this race interesting at all times and it is well worth a run. The race itself has checkpoints about every 6 miles and all are very well stocked with food (sweet and savoury) and drink, price wise it is very good and you can even do next years new 100 mile version for just over £50 which is very good for a 100 mile race.

 

I wont bore you with the mile by mile account of my race but the first 30 mile loop went well for me and I ran at what I knew was a sustainable pace and although I had know idea what position I was in, (mainly due to the 30 mile runners being mixed in with the 60 mile runners) I finished the first lap in around 4 hours and 45 minutes. Knowing that I had another 30 miles to go I did think that maybe I was in the top ten or even higher. The climb up from Marsden along the Pennine way and past the reservoirs was slightly more taxing on the legs than the first time but they were still pretty strong and I managed to find myself in fifth place and just behind third and fourth place.

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 For the next 5 miles or so I ran closely behind or with third and fourth and enjoyed the chat with the enthusiastic aid staff at the checkpoints. There was around 15 mile to go when I had the feeling that the other two runners were feeling a little more fatigued than I was so I opted to take less time at the checkpoints and to try and keep running as strong as possible. It wasn't too long until I left them behind and caught up with second place who seemed to be struggling slightly up the ascent, so I chatted for a short while then carried on regardless. It was getting harder now and with about ten miles to go at the next checkpoint the aid staff volunteer asked me if I wanted to know how far off first place was. I replied OK and was told that "STEVE AUSTIN" was over an hour ahead. I laughed and knew it was impossible to catch him up but also knew it would be a hard battle to keep 2nd place. On a few stretches where I could see up to a mile back I could make out two figures but they never seemed to be closing the gap but weren't tiring either so I gritted my teeth for the last 5 miles and as darkness ascended I put my head torch on and as I reached the brow of the final hill I was greeted to the lights of Marsden and the Cricket Club floodlights. I ran down the final descent towards the finish shouting and singing with happiness and after 10 hours and 7 minutes I had completed the White Rose Ultra 60 and was greeted by my brother James who had come to support me and first place finisher Patrik Verme who was from the Swiss Alps and finished the course in an amazing 8 hours and 33 minutes and was even in front of the 30 mile winner when he started his second lap. Third place was Kirk Hardwick who I had chatted with, along with Kelvin Dixon who was fourth just behind.

All in all it was very good day for me and I am looking forward to next years races already. I am hoping for a return visit to the 106 mile Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc as well as a trip to Tenerife in October for the Tenerife Bluetrail a 100km race which includes a near summit climb to 3500 meter high Volcano Mount Tiede. I'm also looking forward to a return to the Evesham (Cotswolds) Ultra as well as some newer projects I have planned. Once again Thanks to all who support me and as ever big LOVE to my wife Rachel and daughter Ellie my number one fans. x x x

Evesham Ultra 2014 (Run In The BUFF gets me first!)

Evesham Ultra 2014 (Running in the BUFF gets me first!)

On Sunday the 27th of April I was lucky enough to run in the Evesham Ultra Marathon around the Cotswold hills. The race itself is around 47 miles long and comprises of mud, trail, track and around 7 miles of road, the race is organised by Cotswold Running who do a variety of events from half marathons up to 100 mile races. A couple of weeks before the race I had been lucky enough to be donated some gear from Team Buff UK and was looking forward to racing in my new apparel and showing the guys that I wasn't going to let them down.

 Shortly after Transgrancanaria I had taken part in the Black Mountains 40 ultra race in wales and came away with an awesome 3rd place spot so I knew I was running well and I had a good feeling about the Evesham Ultra. The race starts at Evesham town hall so about 45 minutes before the start I registered and then had time to take a few photos in my new gear and chill out for a while with my wife and daughter.

 

 

 

At 9.15 we all headed off along the river path and I soon settled into a comfortable pace as we ran through town and then out onto a trail heading for the first checkpoint at Netherton Fields. The first five runners ahead of myself were well ahead of me at this point but I knew the pace was probably to fast so I just did my own thing and ran at a pace I knew I could sustain.

 

 

  The next five mile or so are through fields and a couple of small villages and are reasonably flat, so when I arrived at the checkpoint I was about 6 minutes behind the leaders but lying in about 6th place. The next section to Little Beckford starts to incorporate a bit more climbing and this is where I like to try and catch people up, and as we ran through some beautiful countryside up and over Bredon Hill I started to close the gap between myself and the leading runners. At Little Beckford I was met by Rachel (my wife) Ellie (my daughter) and my father in law Neville. The support was fantastic but I didn't really stop to say anything and ran straight through and onwards to Winchcombe.

 My strategy so far was working well and with using bottles instead of a bladder I didn't have to take my pack off at all to refill and this seemed to be saving me some time at the checkpoints. The course from here to Winchcombe is a series of climbing diversions which take you over the hills of Langley and Alderton. The third checkpoint was meant to be at the 20 mile mark but as I found out later there had been some confusion about the placing of the water station from the volunteer and the first eight or so runners missed the checkpoint until it was moved into the correct position by the organisers. I carried on running regardless knowing that I would be ok until I got to Winchcombe at mile 24 and would just have to cope until then. On arriving at Winchcombe I had moved into 4th position and felt strong and was doing well on the hillier sections. I quickly re-filled my bottle and ate a little food before saying goodbye to my supporters and off I went again.

 

 

  From Winchcome the route follows the Cotswold way and with the hills increasing I found myself overtaking 4th place and in striking position of 1st and 2nd place. The two guys in front seemed to be enjoying the descending more than I did and would open up a small gap on each descent. Luckily there was always another hill to climb and I soon found myself on their heels again. At mile 31 we reached the checkpoint at stanway where the first two places ran straight through. I however stopped to re-fill again, drink a little coke and eat some rocky road. I must say that the aid stations had plenty on offer especially the latter ones and I hardly needed to use my own supplies at all.

  The next stage was full of small sharp little climbs and I used these to catch back up to the two leading runners. It was a little like a game of cat and mouse with them both getting away on the descending but myself catching up on the ascending. Finally I managed to overtake 2nd place and after I took a nasty fall descending into Broadway I picked myself using some very rude words and powered up the climb on the biggest ascent of the day all the way to Broadway tower. I arrived at Broadway tower in first place to the screams and cheering of my supporters who now also included my two nephews Jack and Charlie and my sister in law Bryony. I must say that the noise from this gang of mine was brilliant especially seeing the kids waving and cheering. For the first time that day I really thought I could win it.

 However I still had a good 8 mile or so to go and now there was a big descent into Evesham and I knew as I left the checkpoint with the other runner Ned he would probably open a small gap on the descent. He did indeed open up a gap but not as big as I thought so I slowly started to increase my pace and eventually caught back up with him with about 5 miles to go and carried on opening the gap very slowly. There was one more checkpoint about 3 miles from home where I downed some coke quicky and continued to increase the gap.

  My lungs were burning in the final mile as I ran through Evesham and eventually up the high street towards the town hall where I could see and hear my supporters giving it their all. I crossed the finish line in 7 hours and 18 minutes and my GPS read 47.8 miles. I finished just five minutes ahead of Ned in second place and was overjoyed for my first place.

 

 

 More than that though it had been a great day with friendly adversaries, lovely checkpoint staff and some stunning scenery to boot, I thoroughly recommend this race. After some photos I thanked all involved at the finish and went with my family and supporters for food and drink, what a great end to a great day. Once again I would like to thank all those who support me and the guys at BUFF for the gear and headwear, especially as ever my number one supporters Rachel and Ellie. Take care all x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE NORTH FACE TRANSGRANCANARIA 2014

THE NORTH FACE TRANSGRANCANARIA 2014

 

The Transgrancanaria is a 125km race starting in the small fishing village of Agaete on the northern coast of Gran Canaria, it traverses the volcanic mountains through the center of the island and finishes at the lighthouse in Faro Maspalomas on the southern coast line. It has a total elevation of 28,000 feet (8500 metres) and passes through ten or so checkpoints along the way. The terrain consists of mostly loose boulder and scree and is challenging underfoot to say the least.

 

 

 

We (Myself, Rachel and Ellie) arrived on the island on the Tuesday before the race which gave me time to acclimatise to the heat and get a couple of runs in before the race starts on Saturday morning at midnight. On the Thursday it was time to pick up my number and check out the gear at the trailzone convention. Just after picking up my number I noticed one of the elite athletes Seb Chagnieu and cheekily asked him for a photo, he agreed and had a little chat and was nothing but friendly. Seb had won the race the last two years and was probably the favourite for this year although the depth of competiton was a lot higher this year what with Timmy Olson, Scott Jurek, Julien Chorier and Ryan Sandes all towing the start line, it was going to be tough to get a third victory. As it turned out Seb collapsed from dehydration about 3/4 through the race after being in the lead for most of it. I truly hope he comes back next year and wins it.

 

 

 

 

The day of the race arrived and after a very nervous day I bid my wife and daughter goodbye and caught the coach from Faro to the start line in Agaete. The weather in the north of the Island was cooler and misty and there was a slight drizzle in the air which was actually a welcome relief from the humid hot heat of the south of the Island. However this would change by mid morning when the clouds cleared and it was between 25 and 30 degrees for the rest of the race.

 

 

 

We were treated to Spanish drums and trumpets before we set off and the crowd and announcer tried there best to lift us before the starting gun, and then finally after what seemed a lifetime all 550 of us were underway. After a short run through the village we were instantly greeted with a 1,300 metre climb to the summit over a mere 6km. This was to be a taster of things to come and as we all settled into single file along the narrow track to the summit I wished I had started a bit nearer the front as it was very difficult to overtake anybody here, although the stunning sight of hundreds of headtorches all winding up the mountain was spectacular. I arrived at the first checkpoint in 208th place and there was a small marquee at the top of the first climb called Tamadaba, there was plenty to eat and drink and we were greeted with loud music and cowbells. The next section was where the descending begun and the tracks were Knarly and technical with the odd section roped to help the competitor across or down a difficult section. We finally reached the 2nd checkpoint of Tirma at the 19km point where after refilling my water it was time to start climbing again. This time it was a 14km climb to Artenara a small town in the mountains. The going was tough and the terrain was unrelenting. However I felt reasonably strong and I noticed that I was overtaking more people steadily and on reaching checkpoint 3 I had moved up to 187th place.

 

 

As I left Artenara dawn started to appear and although the weather was still drizzly and misty the landscape became greener and the tracks slightly muddier with newly cut out steps for the race. This terrain remained similar for the next 23km with plenty of ups and downs although the worst was yet to come. Through this section we passed through small villages and hamlets dotted through the north of the island and ran through two more checkpoints Fontanles and Valleseco before reaching the bottom of the next huge climb from the checkpoint at Teror (56km). I had been running fairly well and was now in 134th place.

 

 

(Photo of Teror)

 

On leaving Teror there was now a 10km uphill section before a 5km descent into the small town of Tejeda. The uphill section was really beginning to tell on the legs but the descents what with their rock and loose scree was even more telling. The weather however had decided to clear and the temperatures were rising steadily. On the plus side the views around the area were phenomenal and I felt blessed to be able to run in such beautiful surrounding. On reaching Tejeda (71km) it was now midday and I had moved up to 122nd place.

 

 

(Photo above of Tejede)

 

After a short stop at Tejede where we were treated to live music and plenty to eat and drink, it was time to take on what was to be probably the hardest climb of all. This would take us on to the peak of Roque Nublo then further still to Garanon where we would be 2000 metres above where we had started from at the beginning of the race. Things were starting to get tough now and the legs weren't responding as well as they should of been but I knew that if I could make it to the top then the final 30km was mostly downhill. Well that was what I had told myself in my head and it was a good psychological trick for me at this stage. What I hadn't counted on however was that those down hills actually hurt me more than the up hills. The views were spectacular on the climb up and after finding hidden sources of energy and after almost 2 and a half hours of ascending I finally reached the stunning peak of Roque Nublo. I had ran out of fluid by this point and with another couple of kms until the checkpoint at Garanon I didn't stay long making my way quickly before dehydration became a big problem in the now 28-30 degree heat.

 

 

 

(Photo of Roque Nublo)

 

At Garanon I arrived feeling a bit dehydrated and slightly sunstroked so I gulped down plenty of Energy drink and Coke before ingesting a plateful of pasta and other goodies. My drop bag was here so I changed my T-shirt and socks and got myself psyched up for the final 45 kms. On leaving Garanon there was a very steep ascent before reaching the highest point of the race. I was here on top of the island and now it was time to descend back down to sea level. I was feeling surprisingly good and had got a second wind so I wanted to make the most of it down to the town of Tunte at the 95km mark. The descent was long and winding and quite technical to boot so I ran as quickly as I could and with a helicopter filming above I ran as quick as my legs would take me, without trying to burn out. The final few kms to Tunte were steep and sapped me of most of my energy, the relentless pounding of my quadriceps were causing stabbing pains with each step and I couldn't wait for an uphill section. The sun was beginning to go down now and although the pain in my legs was hurting it was manageable and the views with the reddish skies were worth the agony. I finally arrived at Tunte and again the welcome was humbling and before I knew it I was on the last couple of legs to the finish.

 

 

On the next section to Arteara the terrain was slightly better underfoot and although I had slowed down somewhat I was still shuffling along ok and with just a couple of small significant climbs to go I was confident that I could finish. I had been receiving messages of support from family and friends along the way which was a great boost and my wife and daughter would be waiting for me at the finish. Rachel had done a sterling job of letting my folks back home know how I was getting on and I felt truly honoured to have such great support. After a while I arrived at the top of the final big descent into the village of Arteara and boy what a descent it was. Talk about the sting in the tail, the loose scree and boulders played havoc with my quads and every step was excrutiating. I was now descending in the dark again and a slip here would almost certainly mean a huge fall and a nasty  injury. But somehow I managed to stay upright and to my relief arrived at the checkpoint. I drank and ate what I could and shuffled out of the checkpoint with cheers from the aid staff and supporters. Now I knew I was homeward bound.

 

I knew the final 17kms was going to be a mental challenge more than a physical and although my body was pretty beat up and my legs could hardly manage more than a fast shuffle I continued onward singing and shouting along the way, playing echo games with the canyon walls. The final checkpoint arrived and the lights of Faro with the lighthouse in the distance were almost within touching distance. I drank a little and ate a little then thanked the aid staff and made my final journey home.

 

 

 

(Photo of Faro Maspalomas)

 

As I ran the last 6kms into Faro and through the aquaduct which seemed to go on forever I could feel my energy lift and picked up the pace slightly. As I ran past people they hollered and congratulated me in Spanish and although I struggled to understand I knew they were happy for me and keen to show their appreciation. Then I was running along the promenade towards the lighthouse. I could hear the music and announcer and knew I was almost there and as I turned the corner I was welcomed with the best sight ever, my wife and daughter. As I held my little girls hand and my wonderful wife videoed us cross the finish line together I was filled with a sense of real accomplishment and so happy to be able to share it with both of them. I had made it in a time of 24 hours and 13 minutes, 6 hours within the cut off time and had finished 128th overall. It truly was an awesome experience and one I will never forget. Thank you to all those who support me on these crazy adventures, especially my wife and daughter. I love you all x