Last Runfurther race of the year- Warrington Way

 I last did this race in 2016 when it was a new race and only happening for the second time. It has grown lots in the meantime with a pairs race and a 4 person relay also added. The field is now much larger. 

Back in 2016- it was WET

My memories of the race were mixed- great RO team, food etc but mud, floods, motorways, industry, litter and traffic. The course is fast and flat with much of it on tarmac and lots more on stony tracks. Not my forte.

As last time I did not need the points for the Runfurther series but was committed to helping take flags etc. Some heavy falls on rocky ground meant I was feeling bashed and my left knee in particular was still swollen and less than perfect. A plan was hatched with me staying at Jenny's so that we could make an early start and travel together. By 5am we were up and having a hot drink and not long after we were on the move. Roadworks very close to the event centre complicated matters but we found our way with only one wobble and managed to park close by. Soon after 6am the flags and boards were up. Plenty of time now to eat more and to chat. We were promised dry ground and possibly the best underfoot conditions the race had ever had. The forecast was for mild, dry dull weather.

The start was marginally closer to the village cross due to the roadworks and before the 7.30 start we were filling the street and waiting for the start gun. I had no thoughts of a podium place  and at this stage was not even sure I would get round. Lymm itself is a pretty village and seems to have lots of high end shops. We were soon through the edge of the urban area and running on the Trans Pennine Way.

5 miles in

Sadly this was soon over and we were on a road heading over the Manchester Ship Canal. It had more traffic than I like. A mixture of field paths and tracks took us north towards Birchwood and the M62. 

Early on and not on tarmac

Safely across there was a nice section in trees before more tarmac led to close to Croft Interchange. This time we crossed the M6 by footbridge and subway before soon reaching the M62 yet again. 

Rory looking far to cool and laid back on his way to breaking the record

Field paths and tracks led us to a footbridge and eventually landscape that was a mixture of farms and huge distribution warehouses near Winwick. I was now desperate for a reason to stop or slow down but this course really shows you up- There are no reasons/excuses to stop! Still 17 miles done now and all I could do was push on the best I could towards CP2. 

Time for paracetamol

More roads around here led down to Fiddlers Ferry and a well packed towpath along the St Helens Canal. Somewhere in the next section I passed a rather fed up Ian. Sarah had passed him and he enjoying his day although the music at the pop up Oompa Loompas CH did cheer him up. 

My knee was sore but better than expected and was allowing me to run. The 'neuroma' thingy on the right foot was much less happy at all the hard surface and was sending lots of shooting pains. More pain killers taken. A sewage works, and virtually disused lanes led us towards Moore. The map showed a mix of canal, rivers, nature reserves etc but I had no idea where I was an relied on chasing others and the pink tags the RO team had put out. These tags only let me down twice when I needed to resort to OS maps on my phone. There was not much to distract me so I did lots of mental maths working out miles, km, how far to next CP, how far to finish. Two females had overtaken me but I had also overtaken others. 

Near CP3 Hatton

I had no idea of position but when I spotted an 'older' runner It did spur me on to stay with her and then over take and stay ahead. Later once I saw her at the finish I realised she was certainly not a V60 but it helped motivate me. After Moore we joined the Cheshire ring canal and that was much better but sadly rather short. There was a slight uphill on road and a short downhill on a track before CP3 near Hatton and yet another motorway. From here I was able to tell myself that the end was in sight with only 16km or so to go. We turned eastwards and were on the final section. This last quarter of the route is probably the nicest. Farm land with lanes and tracks as well as field paths were leading us home. There was some mud but much less than I remembered. The rest is a bit of a haze but I know we crossed another motorway before the best bit of the day- the woods that lead to Lymm Dam and more woods by the little reservoir. One road crossing and there were the wrought iron gates with pleasant paths all the way to the village. Up through the village, past the cross, up the cobbles and up the incline to the scout hut/ Maple Lodge. 

Actual race time 6hrs 37

In the end a better day than anticipated. The weather stayed dry although it did get chilly in the afternoon. I managed to finish in 6hrs 37 and to gain 6th F and 1stFV and was only 5-6 minutes behind Sarah. Amazingly I had beaten my previous time by over 10 mins - the dry ground must have made a big difference. I also got a PB for 50km according to Strava- mainly because I never usually run that far on flat tarmac! very brief nap with my head on the table also helped. My foot took a while to calm down and my knee had locked whilst I sat still.  

Sadly I missed the prize giving but was able to congratulate Rory on his winning run and breaking Charlie Sharp's record.

A trip to the car for more layers meant I was soon cosy and waiting for Jenny, Charlotte, Nick and Steve.  Many hands made easy of packing up the flags and we soon on our way home. Early dark at this time of year made it seem like an even longer day!

This course will never be my favourite but the RO team are great and the atmosphere superb with loads of supporters around the route and so many extra pop up CPs with goodies and an encouraging word. Balloons in the Lymm Runners green showed the way for the last km.