It was over two years ago since my last encounter
with the High Peak Marathon. On that occasion, probably due to the lack of
training, after we got a last minute entry as a reserve team, I had struggled
over the last section of the route from Snake Top. So with a guaranteed entry
this year, surely I would arrive at the start line race fit?
Whilst I hadn’t been able to do any regular long
distance training, due to work commitments and a busy schedule with my son’s
swimming training, I had got some decent runs in with fellow club mates. Andy Gartside
and I had completed a night-time round of the Saddleworth 5 Trigs and Howard Chambers
joined us for a night round of the new 5 Trigs a couple of weeks later. In
addition, fellow HPM team member Gaynor Keane and I had a good run around the
26 mile Anglezark Amble at the beginning of February. With three weeks to go to
the HPM I had planned a couple of other long runs on the hills that would stand
me in good stead. Like all best laid plans it wasn’t to be. Work etc. got in
the way and I had to fly out to the Middle East where I wouldn’t run another
step until returning home. Spending all my time cooped on board aircraft, sat
in vehicles and hanging around in hotels I could feel my legs wasting away.
Returning home to the UK, I went out for a six mile
run on the Tuesday previous to the HPM. Whilst the run went well I woke the
following morning with my legs aching. With only 3 days to go it wasn’t a
positive sign. With the exception of breaking a leg, or something similar, I knew
I would complete the route but I didn’t want a repeat of the last outing.
The High Peak Marathon has a reputation as a tuff
and daunting challenge that traverses some of the most severe upland terrain in
the Peak District. Combined with the distance and severe weather conditions
that can be encountered, along with the fact that the majority of the route
will be completed in darkness, it is not for the faint-hearted. Lack of sleep
is another contributing factor to the events toughness. With most competitors
arriving at the start-line after finishing a full day at work they will be
setting out into the night for what, for most, will be over 12 hours of arduous,
sleep deprived, running.
Race day arrived and I spent all day at work looking
forward to getting down to Edale and getting the challenge underway. My kit was
sat at home packed and ready to go and I was eager for the off. After finishing
work there would be no time for going home and putting my feet up for a rest. As
always I was running about doing one thing another. With the team meeting at my
house for 8.30pm I called at the chippy for a late tea. Chips, Pie and Peas. The
food of Athlete’s!
Chris Webb and Roy Gardner arrived at my house bang
on time. We loaded the kit and collected Gaynor Keane on route to Edale. Chris,
Roy and myself know each other well and the drive down was full of chatter and banter.
Chris, in his usual joyful manner was going on about us setting, and maintaining,
a 7 minute mile pace across Bleaklow and on into Edale. I glanced across to see
the look on Gaynors face, who was doing the HPM for the first time, which read,
“What the hell have I let myself in for here”.
I ran the HPM with Chris on my last outing. Chris
was unsuccessful at getting his team into this year’s event but joined our team
after Colin Bishop had to pull out due to work commitments. Chris is a very
experienced ultra-distance runner. Extremely fit and highly motivated, with an
infectious enthusiasm, he completed the 145 mile Grand Union Canal race, a
couple of years ago, in a very good time. There are a handful of people who
are a pleasure to run with on long-distance outings and Chris is definitely one
of them. Whilst he is capable of quick times over long distances he is a great
team player and never looks down on people just because they don’t move at the
same pace as himself.
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| Not long to go now |
Arriving at the event centre in Edale we conducted
the mandatory kit inspection and then set about devouring the mountains of pre-race
food and drinks that are laid on for the competitors. The atmosphere in the
village hall is always buzzing and it’s an opportunity to catch up with people you
haven’t seen for a while. This event attracts some of the biggest names in
ultra-distance fell running but there is no sense of elitism from anyone. The
whole room is filled with a vibrant, friendly atmosphere and the students of
Sheffield University, who organise the event, can’t do enough for you.
Our start time of 11:29pm soon arrived and we were
off out of the door to a round of applause and shouts of ‘good luck’ from
organisors and competitors alike. The route to the first check point is
straight forward enough and involves a direct ascent up to Hollins Cross. Full
of enthusiasm and spring in their steps many teams set out too fast, in these
early stages, only to burn out later on. With it always taking me at least an hour
to warm up and settle down, on any run, I took the ascent nice and steady. With
a couple of teams passing by and the rest of Team SRC waiting at the check
point my legs felt good.
The route to the second check point, on Lose Hill, is
only a couple of kilometres away but teams chose a variety of lines. The decent
towards hope is good going underfoot and on normal occasions is a down-hillers
paradise. However, tonight, in a bid to save leg strength, the descent is
conducted in a controlled manner.
Passing the Cheshire Cheese public house Roy had the
sudden urge to need to find a secluded spot in the woods. Earlier in the
evening, at his daughter’s birthday party, she had given him a bottle of
Coconut Water. Telling him it was the latest energy giving drink, he had consumed
the whole bottle just before we crossed the start-line. Obviously she was
getting her revenge on her father who had had to leave her party early to go
off and do some mad-capped run. When she gave him the witches brew she could
not have envisaged just how many times her Dad would pay for his crimes,
throughout the night.
Roy was a last minute addition to the team after
Howard Chambers had been forced to pull out due to injury. Standing at over 6
feet tall he is a strong, talented runner and a great team asset. With his relaxed,
friendly attitude and supportive nature he is the ideal person to be out on the
hills with for any extended period of time.
With Chris setting a quick pace we soon reached Win
Hill and made our decent to Yorkshire Bridge. Chris continued the quick
walk/jog pace up the long road section that is New Road. Deciding that this was
too quick a pace, at this still early stage, I deliberately dropped off the
back a little and chatted with an all-female team who were moving at my preferred
pace. Always with a spring in her step, and still experiencing the early stage
highs of the event, Gaynor was happy to go at Chris’s pace. However, we still
had many more miles to go and we still hadn’t stepped foot on any real rough
ground yet. Being her first event I wanted to ensure that we moved at the right
pace to ensure success and save energy for later on. Besides, I didn’t want to
burn myself out either.
It was whilst on this road section that I began to
feel a sharp pulling under the arch of my left foot. Whilst not causing any
real pain, the nagging worry that it may develop into something worse would plague
me for some time to come.
Catching the others up at the track which leads up
to Stanege Edge I joked with them about the merits of adopting the ‘Maylor
Shuffle’ and jogged by, on route to High Nebb. Another check point down we moved
at a good pace over Moscar Moor to the food station on the A57. As with all the
check points we were greeted by a group of joyous students in fancy dress.
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Grabbing a cup of tea and a sandwich we headed off
down the A57 to the checkpoint at Cuthroat Bridge, before striking out across
the moor to Derwent Edge. The edge is runnable virtually the whole way and we made
good progress to Lost Lad where Roy, yet again, had to pay the price for crimes
against his daughter.
Dropping down to Sheepfold Clough we climbed up onto
Howden Edge and made way to the Trig Point at Outer Edge, via Cut Gate. From
here on the ground is extremely rough and notoriously boggy. However, with
temperatures down to around minus six degrees and, in parts, covered in snow we were
able to make good progress. The firm snow was a delight to run on and, using it
to our advantage, we passed teams who were travelling on rough frozen ground
and had not yet recognised the advantages of our new found friend.
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| Check Point on Outer Edge |
With a cold wind now blowing head-on the temperature
dropped again and rucksacks and cags became encrusted in a layer of frost. My
water bottle had frozen and I couldn’t open the valve to access the
solidifying solution within. The traverse across Harden Moss to Swains Head passed
by with relative ease, although both Roy and I did break through a frozen bog
together and ended up knee deep in its freezing cold contents.
The next section onto Bleaklow is one of the most
difficult sections as far as navigation is concerned. Whilst visibility was perfect
we wanted a good line across this rough ground which is bisected with countless
deep peat groughs. This is where Chris’s intimate route knowledge is an
advantage. We decided to continue to use the snow to our benefit and, whilst
many other teams seemed to be going across country on a direct bearing, we
followed the meandering, snow filled, peat groughs. It was definitely a good
choice as we made good progress, whilst saving valuable energy, and emerged
just a couple of hundred metres short of the checkpoint at Bleaklow Stones.
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| The long awaited sunrise |
Whilst grabbing a quick bite to eat we enjoyed
watching a much awaited sun rise over to the East. It was a beautiful sight and
one that we would have missed had we opted to stay at home tucked up in warm
beds.
Once again using the tried and tested method of
following the meandering, snow filled, groughs we headed for Bleaklow
Wainstones. With a warming sun now emerging on our backs we could, at last,
turn off the head torches as we picked up the Pennine Way and made our way to
the second feed station at Snake Road Top.
After a quick cup of tea we crossed the Snake Road
and followed the paved, runnable, path up onto Mill Hill. The temperature was
warming up now and Roy and I opted to take off our cags. I only wish that I had
had my shorts with me because I was desperate to lose my longs too and get some
air to my legs.
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| Friendly students at Snake Road Top |
After Mill Hill we made the short but steep climb
onto Kinder Scout and followed the edges past Kinder Downfall over towards Kinder
Low. Normally, when running along this edge you would be skipping and flitting from
rock to rock with the grace of a ballet dancer. However, with tiring legs and
aching joints every rock and boulder now becomes an annoying and unwanted
obstacle in the way of forward progress. Many people mistakenly think that if
you can make it to the Snake Road Top you are almost home. In fact, this last
section, back to Edale, is much further than appreciated and it is now that the
dividends of adopting a sensible pace throughout will pay off. Unlike my last HPM
I was feeling good. Whilst not running fast I was feeling comfortable and
enjoying the whole experience.
Dropping down off the Kinder Plateau Gaynor was
starting to suffer badly from a pain in her knee. She had had a great run, so
far, but was now beginning to feel the effects of moving into untested
distance. Gaynor has a natural running talent. Full of energy and light on her
feet, she is fast over the shorter distances and has proven that she also has a
talent for long distances too. She is a great person to run with and an ideal
team member for an event like this. Knowing how Gaynor likes a challenge she
will deffinately be looking to enter the HPM again. Now that she has
experienced it, and with the right training and the right team she will probably
look to go for a faster time in future.
Reaching the checkpoint to the East of Edale Cross, and
whilst waiting for Gaynor, the marshal’s produced a packet of chocolate chip
cookies from within the depths of their tent. Offering some to us they tasted
fantastic. The taste gave us an instant lift and we set off with new found
energy and enthusiasm. Passing Brown knoll we enjoyed running on the last of
the snow, and like my water bottle, it was beginning to Thaw. My foot broke
through a small snow bridge, over a stream, causing a tumble.
Although Gaynor was now clearly suffering from the
pain in her knee, and lagging behind a little, she maintained the effort and we
soon reached Rushop Edge before skirting around the bottom of Mam Tor for the
final traverse of high ground.
With the last checkpoint in the bag, at Hollins
Cross, all that was left was the final decent into the valley below, from
whence we came many hours before. The last time I completed the HPM, it took me
as long to make this descent has it had done to climb it on the way out. This
time I flitted down with relative ease to the road at the bottom.
Joined by the rest of the team we made the short
return trip along the road to the event centre and, applauded by organisors and
competitors, we clocked in with a very credible time of 11 hours 39 minutes.
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| Job done |
We had had a fantastic event and thoroughly enjoyed
the whole experience together. The make-up of the characters within the team
was ideal and we all worked well together, throughout. I am already looking
forward to next year’s event and would gladly run it again with Roy, Chris and
Gaynor. Thanks to you all for your wonderful company.
The final words have to go to all the High Peak
Marathon organisors. Without the relentless energy and enthusiasm that these
students show this successful event would not be what it is. The organisation
is second to none and faultless. In addition to all the pre-event organisation,
they arrive at the event centre at 07.30 on the Friday morning to get
everything prepared. They make all the sandwiches, cakes, pre and post-race meals
themselves and transport food out to the two feed stations. Marshalls go out to
the remote checkpoints as early as 5:00pm and are there to greet you, in the dead of
night, with big smiles and boundless energy and support. Then when it’s all
over, and the competitors are heading home to have hot baths and put their feet
up, these enthusiastic students still have to pack up and come in off the
hills.
Long after the race was done, and just as I was
going to bed at gone 11pm, I was reflecting on how I’d been awake since 6am on
Friday morning. Forty one hours in total. As I contemplated enjoying a nice
Sunday morning lie-in I thought about a conversation I’d had with one of the
students after the race. She had told me that she had been at the event centre
since 7.30am on Friday morning. Saying that she must be looking forward to
putting her feet up on Sunday, she told me that she was studying Neurology and
that she had a dissertation to get done. Whilst I was thinking that she probably
had a few weeks to get it completed she duly informed me that it had to be written
and handed in by Monday morning!
Hats off and a big THANK YOU to them all!!!
