Edale to Hebden Bridge (checkpoint 1)
We arrived on the Friday afternoon, the evening was taken up with the safety briefing and kit check. Then we went for a meal at the Rambler Inn and chilled out, I did the shorter version of this race last year, So this year decided to step up and do the full race. The start of the race was delayed until 11:30am due to high winds. Then we were off.
Just like every other ultra I have done, at the start people set off like they are running a 10k and I'm at the back!. When I got to Jacobs Ladder and started going up I looked back and there was only about ten people behind me. When we got to Kinder Downfall the wind was that strong the water was getting blown back up.
After getting covered in spray while passing by it, I was over Bleaklow Head and heading down to Torside Reservoir where I met my dad and brother Chris, who were supporting me for the week. I hadn't been here since last years race so was enjoying it. Then it was over Black Hill and on towards Wessenden and the M62. As I was passing by Warland Reservoir the weather was terrible, it was a blizzard, I could only see a couple of feet in front of me. The weather eased off and I carried onto Stoodley Pike. I ended up in a group with Dave Lee, Malc Christie and someone else. When I decided to have a go at the Spine Race I'd read all the blogs and information about the race that I could find and Dave Lee's was one of the most informative. It was nice to meet him. I stayed with them until we got to checkpoint one.
Hebden Bridge to Hawes (checkpoint 2)
I checked in then climbed back up the bank and met my dad and Chris, I stopped here and had a couple of hours sleep. When I got up I set off again this, is where I had my first problem in the race, I'd developed a groin strain. As I'd only done about 48 miles this was worrying! There was nothing else I could do but slow down and take it easy so it was onto Ponden Reservoir and Lothersdale, the path was mainly across muddy farmland.
The weather here was really windy and it was raining, I didn't feel cold but just got my head down and walked on concentrating on getting to Gargrave where I'd arranged to meet my dad.When I got there I got in the van then realised how cold I was. I couldnt speak properly and was shivering, I took off the clothes I was wearing, a Haglofs gram goretex jacket, North Face primaloft jacket and an Under Armour cold gear compression top and put on a dry set of clothes. I got some warm food into me and some hot orange. This sorted me out and I warmed up. This gave my dad and Chris a bit of a shock at the state I was in. As I got to Malham they were waiting there to check that I was ok. Gargrave to Malham the path is pretty much just over muddy fields then you follow the river for a bit. Once through Malham you walk up the side of Malham cove, there was nothing to see here as it was dark.
Malham Cove in daylight.
At Malham Tarn checkpoint, I just checked in and went and this is where things got interesting. As I ascended Fountains Fell the weather gradually deteriorated, it was wet and windy. At Pen-y-Ghent the wind was gale force (70 mph apparently) the mountain safety team had decided to divert us so we didn't have to go over the summit and instead turned left and head down to Horton in Ribblesdale. The only problem the wind was that strong it was nearly impossible to open the gate to the path down. After managing to get through the gate it was hard work descending because of the wind. On reflection this was probably the windiest conditions Iv been in on a fell. On getting to Horton I stopped for a couple of hours sleep.
Getting going again at first light was ok. I was happy to be heading to Hawes. Then whilst I was unwrapping some flapjack I made a navigation error and missed a left turn in the path. This is how quickly your mental state can change on an event like this, one minute I was moving along quite happily eating and feeling happy. The next I was totally sick. When I got to the edge of the forest I realised my mistake, instead of going back along the path I decided to cut across to the corner of the forest and then get back onto the Peninne Way. This was my second mistake, five minutes later I was knee deep in bog! Once I regained the path I reckoned not paying attention had cost me nearly a mile. Then the wind picked up again and it started raining. I was totally pissed off this was the lowest point of the race for me as I got into Hawes. When Id read other spine racers blogs they had mentioned getting to Hawes in good condition, and here was me arriving in a right emotional state. Everything was hurting. My legs were sore, my feet were sore and I felt tired. When I got into Hawes I stopped and changed my socks and had some pasta. The weather improved a bit and things were looking up.
Harvey guarding the washing at Hawes
Hawes to Middleton (checkpoint 3)
Once through Hawes you head up Great Shunner Fell, this was ace the rain and wind had stopped and the cloud had lifted. Then I got to Thwaite and it started getting dark. Next stop was Tan Hill., I wasn't looking forward to this section down to the A66 as Id heard it was very boggy. Although it was boggy it wasn't as bad as I expected. At this point in the race, pschyologically I started getting stronger. I had reccied the route from High Cup Nick all the way to just south of Bellingham, and had done a lot of my training in preparation for the race on Cross Fell and Hadrians Wall and knew the route well. After the A66 I carried on for a few miles to a roadhead where there's a small car park called Clove Lodge, just after Cotherstone Moor, I met my dad and Chris here. Just as I arrived the heavens opened so I decided to stop here and get a few hours sleep. I got up just before first light and got going again. I arrived at Middleton at 08.43.
Middleton to Alston (checkpoint 4)
At Middleton checkpoint there was a few tired looking people about. I had a couple of bacon sandwiches for my breakfast then headed off. This section of the race was really good, passing by Low Force and High Force, Id only seen two people all day on this section of the course, Richard Lendon and Simon Beasley (with the exception of 2 blokes walking a dog. They shouted over asking if I was one of those people doing the larl jog! I replied yes, Iv only got 120miles to go!) . There was a diversion around Cauldron Snout then it was over the moors to High Cup Nick. It got dark as I started heading down to Dufton. As I was walking into the village, Angela was there with Meika our husky. This was a nice surprise as I wasn't expecting to see her until I got to Hadrians Wall, (we only live 20 miles from Greenhead). Earlier on in the race I'd damaged one of my poles. Angela had phoned Tony Holland at the Ultrarunner Store and he sent a pair out and they arrived the next day. So Angela brought them to Dufton for me.I stopped at Dufton and got something to eat and put some warmer clothes on before going over Cross Fell.
looking tired at Middleton checkpoint.
The walk up Green Fell was good. Richard and Simon overtook me again having stopped in Dufton longer than I did. As there was fresh snow covering the ground from there to Greggs Hut I had practically no navigating to do, I just followed there footprints. Before the race Id reccied Cross Fell four or five times so knew the route. I got to the top of Great Dunn Fell at 10pm. From the top you could see the lights of Penrith and the Eden Valley. Then it was over and up to the summit of Cross Fell which was just in cloud. This part of the route is probably my favourite part of the Peninne Way. After the summit it was down to Greggs hut which was unoccupied, as John Bamber was at Dufton checkpoint not wanting to get stuck at Greggs hut in bad weather, so no noodles this year! It was so cold that the tube on my water bladder had frozen solid. After that I was on the track down to Garrigill when Matt and Ellie from summit media who were making a film of the race came up in the landrover and filmed me for a while. Then they went. A short while later they came back up the track and stopped, they had Richard and Simon with them, apparently a female competitor was lost on Cross Fell and the three of us had to go and locate her and bring her down to the landrover. It was approximately 1 am. Matt and Ellie drove us back up the track and we got out and headed up onto the fell. After a while we saw a headtorch when we got nearer the head torch was on a fence post and the woman was in a bivvy bag. Richard made sure she was ok and we escorted her down to the landrover where she was insisting that she only wanted help to locate the track then she would be ok to go onto Alston. She had only got lost because she had lost her glasses and couldn't read her gps. I think in the end race hq told her she was out of the race as she had called 999 and initiated a rescue. I set off and carried onto Alston I was fairly pissed off at the time as I was now about a mile further back up the track than I had been when they picked me up. As my water had froze it was now a while since I had anything to drink and I had also stopped eating. I had been on the go since 6am the previous morning and as I was walking I was that tired that I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. Richard and Simon passed me again and I must of looked like I was in a mess as Richard told me to eat something. They said it had took them twenty minutes to persuade the woman to get in the landrover! The next four miles to Alston were the hardest of the race for me, I was on the edge totally exhausted and just wanted sleep. It seemed to take forever to get there it was 3.45 am when I got to the checkpoint. On arriving at Alston I told my dad and Chris about the lady competitor who had got lost it turned out that they were talking to her at Dufton and she told them that she couldn't use a gps!
So she had put myself and two other competitors at risk coming to rescue her just because of her navigational incompetence! I was slightly aggreaved about that! After a sleep I was informed that the race was going to be suspended for 24 hrs because of Storm Rachel. The wind forecast was 100mph. After the conditions on Pen-y-Ghent a couple of days previous I think it was the right decision to suspend the race at this point as to have racers and mountain safety team out in that weather would of been too dangerous. So I mainly slept for the next day.
Alston to Bellingham (checkpoint 5)
The race resumed at 7am the next day. It was a mass start. Id done most of my training for the Spine on this section of the course as it is the closest to where I live. The ten mile section from Greenhead to just past Crag Loch is the best part of Hadrians Wall. From Alston to Greenhead was pretty straight forward, on getting to Greenhead I went to the checkpoint and carried on without stopping. At Wallhead, Angela had come out to see me, the weather along the wall was as the same as since the start wind, rain and snow.
wet weather on hadrians wall
After Hadrians Wall the Pennine Way heads north through the edge of Keilder Forest. I took it easy through here as it was now dark again and if you go slightly off path in places you can go up to your waist in mud as I had done when I was training for the race. This is probably the boggiest section of the route, if it isn't only the section from Tan hill down to the A66 is worse.
This what happens if you miss the path in kielder!
After Kielder it was just a slog to Bellingham this must of been pretty uneventful as I cant remember that much about it, other than I took a wrong turn near Bellingham and decided to climb over a barb wire fence as I was getting over it the wire sprang up and impaled my leg. Putting a hole in my leg and more distressingly the goretex trousers I was wearing, which happened to belong to my girlfriend and I now have to replace (maybe!)!! I arrived at Bellingham at 22.54. On arrival at Bellingham I got something to eat and went to sleep for three hours. Even though I'd had over twenty four hours rest at Alston when my alarm went off I struggled to get up. I layed in bed for another twenty minutes more than I'd planned hitting the snooze button.
Bellingham to Kirk Yetholm
Once I got going I was fairly happy, only forty odd miles left to go. I met my dad and Chris a couple of miles down the road and had a couple of bacon sandwiches for breakfast,(not sure where they stand as ultrarunning nutrition but they tasted great?!) On this section all the way to Byrness I walked with Dave Dixon, the miles went by fairly quickly as we chatted away. The route been mainly along forest paths. During the race I spent a lot of time on my own so at times it was good to walk a few miles with people. On getting to Byrness I had a break, got something to eat and sorted my kit for the final stretch. Some people say the race only starts when you get to Alston, if this is the case then for me Byrness to Kirk Yetholm was the sprint finish.
Leaving Byrness
After leaving Byrness its twenty seven miles over the Cheviot hills to the finish. You've got to be careful not to get complacent, as in previous years a number of peoples races have finished here, with the end in sight, and have had to be rescued. With this in mind I set off up Byrness Hill shortly after being overtaken by Richard Lendon and Simon Beasley again and then Paul Orton and Ian Bowles overtook me. The weather now was the best it had been all week, the wind had dropped and there was no cloud, you could see for miles and the views were superb. As I was going along I did a few calculations in my head and I worked out at my current speed I would finish about 11pm. This was no good as I fancied a bar meal and a couple of pints. I felt good, no pain in my legs so started running, Gaining ground on the people that were ahead. Shortly after this Paul Orton made a navigational error and headed off down a ridge in totally the wrong direction. Richard Lendon was closest to him and shouted after him but he was too far away and never heard. The ascent of Cairn hill was good after which you turn left and descend towards the second mountain refuge hut, the ground here was covered in snow and I was loving running down it I could see the route ahead and knew just over the next hill was Kirk Yetholm and the finish. On getting to the refuge hut I stopped briefly to talk to the mountain safety team that were there, I put my head torch on as it was getting dark then I was away. There was only the Schil to climb then it was all down hill to the finish. With three mile to go I lost the path and couldn't find my way out of a farm yard. Anybody watching the tracker would have been wondering what I was doing. Back on track the last couple of miles were the longest of the race. I knew my son Daniel and Angela were at the finish with my dad and Chris and was excited to see them all. It seemed to take forever to get into Kirk Yetholm but as I got nearer I could see Angela and Daniel coming up the road. Then one of my friends Keith Little jumped out from behind a car and surprised me. It meant a lot to me that people had taken the trouble to come to the end and see me finish the race.
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100 metres to the end of the spine race.I love this photo.
When I got to the Border Hotel I touched the wall and was given my finishers medal and t shirt I arrived 19.12. Everyone was taking photos, I found the finish a bit overwhelming and looking back think I was a bit shell shocked. It was a lot to take in.
Touching the wall at the border hotel. 268 miles done.
Cost of spine race £550; cost of equipment thousands. Spine finishers medal and tshirt, sense of achievement and pride I feel since finishing absolutely priceless.
Thanks.
Firstly Id like to thank my brother and dad who were my support crew for the week, some people look down there noses at people who utilise support crews saying that to experience the spine race properly you should do it unsupported. I see it differently having my family supporting me for the week made the spine race an experience that I shared with them. And my girlfriend Angela (who paid my entry fee for my 40th birthday!) who since I decided to do the Spine has supported me going training with me, then when she couldn't go with me putting up with me spend long hours away training, then I changed my diet made sure that all my meals were homemade from scratch. Then coming out to Dufton , Hadrians wall and Kirk Yetholm. To Scott Gilmour and Phillip Hayday-Brown and all the team behind you thanks for making this race possible. To the other racers I met along the way, I enjoyed talking to you all and hope to see you's in the future at races or out on the trail.
Lessons learned.
1. At 5ft 4ins tall jumping over barbed wire fences isn't advisable. A couple of weeks before the Spine I got chased off a herd of cows near Hadrians Wall and tried to clear a barbed wire fence ripping my goretex trousers in the process. During the race after a navigational error I ripped another pair near Bellingham. At a £100 a pair this is proving to be expensive.
2. This was the first time Iv raced over this type of distance. Previously I completed the Challenger and the Lakeland 100. I found as the week went on I became mentally and physically stronger finishing the race well. After time had been credited I finished in 13th place. The time the race was postponed at Alston changed the race and I believe people finished the race that wouldn't have done otherwise, in 2014 I completed the challenger 2015 the full race 2016 I was planning to help out with the mountain safety team. I have now changed my mind and now plan to be on the start line to see if I can do the race twice in two attempts.
On the Pennine Way with Meika.
