To the end, to the end, I'll journey to the end. In summary The Northern Traverse is a non-stop race from coast to coast, mostly following Alfred Wainwright's famous route from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hoods Bay near Whitby on the North Sea. Competitors have to be self sufficient between checkpoints, which are up to 55km apart, carrying food, water, appropriate clothing and everything else needed to keep moving (if possible) or at least safe. The key figures are 300km (186 miles) and 6500m ascent. The biggest new challenge for me, on top of the distance, was that it would take me through three nights (the leaders would manage it in around two days, and the last finishers would take more than four). The longest ultra race I've done took me into a second night, but I didn't have to sleep. I knew that wouldn't cut it for this one, but not how things would play out - where would I sleep, how would I deal with being so tired? This is going to end up being a ...
The Cheshire Circuit First Known Time I completed The Cheshire Circuit route, going clockwise and including the optional ascent of Old Pale, in 24 hours 59 minutes. To the best of my knowledge, and that of the route organisers, this is the only known completion. Strava link here verified on Fastest Known Time site My only deviations from the route were minor re-routing around farms to avoid cattle, and some navigational mistakes - mainly overnight around fields and going up Old Pale. I was tired and not thinking straight. All these deviations added time and distance, and none offered me any advantage. I did it "supported" - with people giving me drinks and food and swapping clothes here and there. I didn't have anyone running with me as a pacer. The latter stages overlapped with a race, where I caught up with a few people so I got the benefit of a bit of company which was nice. The idea When I got into running a few years ago, completing the Sandstone Trail in...
Winter Spine Sprint preparation I over-thought and planned and stressed about this so much! What's involved 70km from Edale to Hebden Bridge along the Pennine Way. No proper luxury aid stations. At a few road crossings Mountain Rescue teams have gazebos to give a little respite from the conditions and offer drinks. (we're encouraged not to rely on these being here as the teams may be called away to attend an emergency). It starts noon, so there's 4 1/2 hours of daylight, and then the rest in darkness. Being January the weather is usually difficult Why am I doing this? (pre-race thoughts) Not just a rhetorical question, you do need to have a decent answer to this, for a race of this nature, or you'd just not bother, or quit at the first obstacle. It involves a fair amount of cost, and the commitment to training and preparation is significant, and then once you're out there it's going to be pretty tough. I can't believe anyone cruises through these things ef...
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