Stanza Stones Ultra

 Going into this injured was necessary if I was to keep up my aim of the Runfurther Grand Slam. I told myself that I didn't have to win, just complete. I reckoned if I started slowly and took my poles that perhaps I could ease my knee round and that by going slowly I might have enough energy to run all the flat easy running like the track after the White House and the canal after Bingley. That was the plan. Daz joked that he had 'my' trophy ready but I really didn't think it was likely this year.

We drove across to Marsden on Friday evening and luckily by 9.45pm the rain had stopped and the kids playing out had all gone home. The flags were up, one less job to do in the morning. The forecast was pretty dire so I decided to wear my newish very thin OMM cag but also to carry a heavier one just in case.

I registered early and before the coach appeared leaving plenty of time to chat- there was a good turn out of Runfurther runners- Rory, Ian, Adam, Steve, Charlotte, Barbara, Mark, Mark D, Sally, Steve, Martin, Jonaton, Stuart, Jenny and more.

Steve aiming to lead the start out of the cricket ground

 I then went to swap Runfurther bits and pieces with Ken and Jenny. It was still dry when we set off at 9am but the sky did look a bit ominous. Hopefully Bob would get the flags down before the raiin.

The fast boys- Rory broke the record

I stuck to my game plan once we were out on the road. It's a steep start and I resolved to just  let people go. I was happy in my own little bubble keeping up a reasonable but not crazy pace and chasing nobody. It rained on and off for all this first section and I remember realising that my 3/4 tights were soaked and dripping  wet up near Windy Hill. It was boggy and rainy with patches of low cloud over Blackstone Edge and I looked for the easier ground with mud but fewer rocks as trip hazards. We were treated to two groups of young kids out doing a navigation walk- they were in fantastic spirits despite the rain and were so polite and encouraging to all us runners. Shame I never saw their adults to tell them how great they were.

By the White House there weather was damp but not awful; in fact the forecast never really materialised at all. I grabbed some food and set off determined to run all the big track. 

There were groups of guys around me and this helped motivate me. It is true, starting slow saved me energy and allowed me to run all of this section. Even when the track ended I ran pretty much the whole way to Stoodley Pike. It was hood up, hood down over and over again but never as wet as I had feared. Most of the guys pulled away on the descent but I knew I had to be careful and kind to my knee. I made up some time on the boggy section that followed but then lost lots of places on the nasty descent into Mytholmroyd. Rachel over took me here.

The CP was indoors this year. It was good to see Phil and Mandy plus Elise who made me a cup of tea. The slower pace was also allowing me to eat well. I left alone but was soon caught by Kyle, a young man doing his first 50 miler and we chatted intermittently on the steep climb up onto Midgely Moor. It felt tough. I couldn't quite keep with him but kept him in sight all the way along the drain/culvert and to the CP on the road just before the next Stanza Stone. I was alone again but not too worried- I knew the route surely. Then at Hambleton Lane I made an error. I was trialling Folow Course on my watch and didn't realise it was not instant and struggled with parallel paths. It told me I was off course and I should have trusted my judgement. All sorted but 5 mins lost. Plus when I took my phone out I found it was On, running OS and battery had dropped to 9%. Bugger.

Once back on track I made reasonable time down into Oxenhope and then on to Haworth. The town was predictably full of tourist and so many seemed to have left their brains at home. I did make it safely round the church and down the cobbles but not without incident! It was a relief to cut off and head for the CP. Again I stopped and made sure I fuelled properly. I also wanted to give my phone a chance to charge a little- thanks to the marshal who plugged it in from his car.  It was still only 11% so I turned it right off and saved it for emergency use. 

I ran alone all the way to Cullingworth. It was now dry and even a bit sunny. I made no mistakes an was enjoying myself. The muddy and rocky path in Goitstock Woods was not as bad as I feared and although there was one family swimming at the waterfall it was fairly quiet. Then I made a big error at Ruin Bank Wood. I sort of questioned it but stupidly pushed on. I should have stopped, tried my watch and even waited to turn my phone on. Instead I ended up on Lee Lane and was slowly forking further and further away from where I needed to be. I put it right and did manage to get back into the woods but must have lost almost 10 minutes. Ironically once I was back on course other runners appeared and we ran into Bingley together.

Once in Bingley I asked for my phone to be charged a bit more although I was fairly sure I could nav all the next bits. I settled to eat but  the pizza was tough to chew and swallow- need soup! Martin T appeared and we had a quick chat. Heading for the canal I heard my name being shouted. It was Chris Driver who was offering to take my phone charge it and then return it as I passed his house- what a lovely guy. I left a few minutes after Martin but never saw him despite me running every step of the tow path- again I have never managed that before. Chris was waiting with my phone and also an ice pop in memory of my request on the super hot race two years ago. Martin was in sight and we left to climb up to Silsden Road together. We stayed together pretty much until the end and worked hard pushing each other. It allowed us to overtake runners and we dragged each other through our respective low spots.  He pulled ahead a little on the climb to Addingham Moor but we were back together before the Swastica Stone. I felt strong on the climb up to Whet Stone gate and the last CP and especially so along to ridge path to the 12 Apostles. We made the detour and circled the stone (but there were no aeroplanes- Daz will never know). It was now all down hill and only about 4km. Martin was ahead but in sight all the way on the good track but then after the stream crossing where it got steeper and more gnarly he pulled ahead. I knew I would be slow here but recovered once I reached the tarmac and ran strongly, for me, to the finish. Martin had beaten me by 2 minutes. We worked well together and had driven each other on.

Lovely to run with Martin again

I was chuffed to be 5thF, 1stFV (over 50s) again and gain a top 20 overall place. Even better I had knocked almost 40 minutes off my previous runs so a PB. So Daz was right- that trophy had my name on it. It was interesting to note that I was also much less trashed than usual. 

I now have a set of 3 FV trophies

Rory won and in a new record time with Adam 2nd. Pretty much all the Runfurther runners finished, I think Ian S was the only DNF. 

I sat drinking coke and then several cups of tea and eating everything in sight. 

Still not sure about the hair- a pain in wind and rain

Bob had moved the flags to the finish for me but we felt mean taking them down with so many runners still finishing and so left them for Charles to do.  I was home showered and celebrating with beer before bed at 11pm. 

My Birthday run

 Last year I did just over half of the North West Way- Bowes to Preston. The whole route is about 192 miles and I did a bit extra to finish on Preston docks rather than the railway station as it was more convenient for the van and home. It meant this year I would only have about90-92 miles to do. I had been gifted the book of the route by the author so it would be rude not to complete the journey. 

We knew we could get a quiet nights sleep in Bowes so I planned to go from Bowes to Carlisle. I might do a loop of the city main attractions at the end to finish via the castle and cathedral and then back to the van but it would depend on the weather and my mood. We had a sunny drive to Bowes only to arrive and find that the main street was being resurfaced and there was no parking. Fortunately there was a space in the layby on the east of the town and ideal for my start.

Bowes has quite impressive medieval castle ruins that were in turn built on the site of the Roman fort Lavatrae. I had visited before so this evening I concentrated on organising my gear and resting. I had moved my run forward 24 hours as the forecast for Thursday was not at all good. Wednesday would be cooler than of late but dry and if I ran fast I might not get wet at all. More likely I would get wet from midnight onwards.  I find it hard to guess my time on these solo runs. So much depends on the surface, the hills, the state of the paths, mud, the weather, my fueling and my mood. I certainly hoped to finish inside 24hrs and really wanted it to be inside 23hrs.

Wednesday dawned dry and clear. I was dressed, fed and ready to leave just before 5am. Bob got up to take photos and then would move the van to Middleton. He had about 3 hours before I would arrive. The first fields of long grass were damp and clearly the path was not used much as I waded through nettles to cross the A66. I hoped this would not continue. 

It seemed a long way from home

A few more fields of wet grass led me to the A67 and once I crossed this things improved with nice field paths all the way to Nabb bridge- a pretty packhorse bridge from 1699.  Heading northish there was then a good track to Lartington- posh hall and cottages. 

Lartington mausoleum

A short stretch then led me to the Tees rail path. This was better than I hoped as it was narrow, not dead straight and had lots of short ups and downs where it met lanes. Romaldkirk was pretty and a short diversion from the rail path before rejoining to cross the Lune at Balder viaduct.

Before long the path headed down to the Tees and away from the rail line. Bob was parked as planned at the cattle market in Middleton right on my route. I didn't really need much yet but grabbed some food. He told me a female runner had passed by about 10 mins earlier and we wondered whether or not I would see her.  Navigation on the next section was very easy- just keep the Tees on your right. It was also flat and despite a few rocks and tree routes I was making very good time and well ahead of schedule. There was a huge number of rabbits compared to where I run at home and my the river the usual  dippers, wagtails, oyster catchers and more. I was now in the fairly huge Moor House Upper Teesdale nature reserve.

Near Low Force

 knew before long I would reach the river near Bowless and the suspension bridge where the Pennine 39 race starts.  I stopped to take photos of both Low and then High Force. Despite the dry weather recently they were still impressive. They naturally confine themselves to one the many channels at low water and so the falls are still good to see. 

I had been spotting wet footprints for a while and now I could see the runner up ahead. I caught her near the big quarry and we chatted briefly. She was doing the Pennine Way in stages and heading to Alston. She seemed quite shocked when I said I was going to Carlisle.

This was not ground that I knew pretty well. I ran up the Tees crossing it over and then back. Steve's book goes north into Langdon Beck for accommodation  before using the road to Cow Green Reservoir. I opted for the Pennine Way despite the dodgy rocks below Falcon Clints. Slow progress for a while there. The river was much higher than I expected but the rocks were mostly dry. 

Cauldron Snout was impressive as ever as it tumbled down from the reservoir to the Tees.  The Pennine Way from here is on a big track past Birkdale Farm (the highest inhabited farm in England) and then past the firing ranges. 

he red flags were up but I heard nothing. It was surprisingly boggy going down to Maize Beck and all the way to High Cup Nick. My mind was happily filled with so many memories of Pennine 39 races and also coming the other way the Hadrian 100. 

Today I was alone and had the full glory of the view to myself.  I was feeling good and knew it would not take long to reach Dufton where I  planned to refill my water at the toilets and possibly use the cafe. Plans, ha ha!

It's worth two photos

I  raced down to Dufton and all was good until suddenly it wasn't. My reckless but enjoyable descent had damaged my right knee and it was not painful and refusing to operate properly. Heck- I had only done 1/3 of my route and the weather was wonderful. I walked into the village to more upset. The toilets needed 20p and there was no outside tap. 

The cafe was not yet open. In a rather low mood I left the village and began my plod up and up to Knock Old Man. Maybe the walk would allow my knee to recover; I had not planned to be running much of this section anyway. I crossed the little stone slab bridge and made short work of the walled track. 

It was a glorious day

Swindale Beck was bone dry but I knew further up there would be water in the stream. I stopped, drank loads and refilled by bottle. I saw nobody at all between Dufton and Garrigill. 

From the Old Man it became flatter and I tried to jog. No, knee not at all happy. A mixture of walk and jog brought me to the road to the radio masts/ radar. I now had a choice of route. I could continue on the Pennine Way and do the P39 route over Great Dunn, Little Dunn and Cross Fell or I could explore the bridleway down Trout Beck and the Tees. The latter would be new to me, so more interesting and I hoped would have less climb/descent and be kinder to my knee. It seemed to take me forever to complete the 4 miles down to cross the Tees. I was really struggling to run and the path was not what I expected. It soon became a muddy boggy mess and where the river had eroded the outside of bends it disappeared altogether. I was not happy and trudged across the river several times.

Sculpture by Daft as a brush cancer charity walk

I hoped that having left the Tees and started the South Tyne Trail that things would improve. The route did- a huge track with even some tarmac sections. Sadly I still could not run even though I kept trying! This was very depressing as I expected to be flying along this section. There were some tears and I seriously wondered if I would carry on once I reached the van. I have to admit I ignored the guidebook advise to detour to Ashgill waterfalls- doubt there was much flowing in a relatively small stream and I was not in the mood. By the time I reached Crossgill I was managing some jogging and so this continued into Garrigill where Bob was waiting.

I took the chance to sit in the van, eat, drink and take stock. Bob was happy to stop in Alston as he had to drive through it anyway. This would allow me to see if things were improving after 4 miles  by the river. I was dreading all the stiles on this section and they hurt but I survived. I ignored the signs about the closed bridge and just prayed that is was still there. They have now cable tied the gates shut but it was easy to climb and cross. To me the bridge seems fine with just one small section of dodgy hand rail. I had no need to use the Spar but Bob was in there buying treats for later. I set off along the South Tyne Trail rail path and Bob would wait in 5 miles at Slaggyford to check I was OK. I would normally hate sections like this but today relatively flat and with no stiles and few trip hazards it seemed a bonus and I was even able to run a bit.  The viaducts provided some interesting views and there were lots of wild flowers. 

View from the viaduct

The only tricky bit was at Lambley viaduct where you descend what seems like hundreds of steps, cross under the viaduct and then climb back up again.  There was a bike resting here and I did seriously consider borrowing it! 

Easy trail now led me to the outskirts of Haltwhistle and I managed to run slightly more. My knee was marginally better, especially on climbs and the flat. Bob was waiting and we had a good view of the Alston Arches viaduct. I had more food and then set off wondering how far I would get before dark when the rain was also expected. 

Haltwhistle is the geographical centre of Britain (lots of claims for this and it depends what islands etc you include) but today I did not have time to visit the monument to this.

I made a slight error leaving town as I was making good progress up the Haltwhistle Burn and remembering the LDWA100 coming in the opposite direction. Today I was meant to turn over a bridge and I had to retrace my steps a few hundred metres. I headed north through farm land to reach Hadrian s Wall at Chester's fort. 

There were lots of interesting remains here but I was determined to press on and make the best of the day light. 

This section was hillier than I expected with some impressive crags on my right all the way to Walltown Crags. At least being a National Trail meant that it was well signed. which was helpful at the fiddly bits around farms and when we were not fallowing the wall closely.  Near Greenhead I passed the remains of Thirwall Castle. 

Near Gisland I made a small error and diverted to a mile-castle and found myself on much smaller footpaths for a little while. Somehow there was a big steep climb up from the river after this but I knew it could not be far to Birdoswald and the van now. It was now dark enough to need my torch.

Bob was waiting where planned and had managed another short cat nap. I had not eaten much of what I was carrying as I had eaten so well at the van over the last few hours. A brief stop and I was ready to push on. My leg/knee were still troublesome but I was able to run a bit and was making reasonable time. It was a shame to miss these sections of wall as I had not been to them before but tonight I was just on a mission of getting the kilometres done and the signal towers, turrets etc mostly just passed me by. There were now lots of kissing gates rather than stile and that was a help. A short section of minor road led me into Walton.

It was now dark and raining. It was not as heavy as forecast but did make it slightly more difficult to check my maps. From here to Newtown is a bit of a blur but I remember farm fields, sheep and muddy tracks. The van was easy to spot with my torch as the wheels on Bob's bike on the A mixture of lanes and farm tracks led me on. The puddles were huge and there was mud. The map shows the line of the wall but in the dark there was nothing of note to see. A bridge led me over the A689 fast road and then into Low Crosby. Apparently this old section of once Roman road once marked the northern edge of their empire. It is now a twee commuter village. Next I was running parallel to the Eden but I couldn't see it. At the next village I left the muddy tracks and had tarmac over the M6 and all the way to Rickerby where I joined a lovely cycle path round the village and to the edge of the park. A small mistake here took me to a small path by the river rather than the more direct major path which I somehow missed. 

Dark when I crossed

It didn't matter and I arrived at the bridge knowing it would only be a few hundred metres to the van. Given the state of my knee and the rain I could not be bothered to extend my route to the castle, cathedral and back to the van. I stopped. 146km with 2311m climb completed my North West Way. in 22 hrs 39 mins. I was later shocked to see a moving time of 19hrs 50.... all that time eating int eh van and stopping on the hillside feeling sorry for myself had certainly added up! For now though I was happy. I had pushed on and not given in, hopefully I had not caused too much further damage. Bob was ready with presents, wine and treats.  I drank the wine, washed the worst of the mud and seat away and climbed into bed. I couldn't get comfy to sleep for ages but it was lovely to be horizontal, resting and dry. I could not have done it without Bob and the van, thank you.  Not a bad way to mark my 64th birthday and prove that age is just a number. We had an errand to run in Keswick but the rain was unrelenting so we gave up on our tourist trip around Carlisle. 

We were home in plenty of time to empty the van, shower, rest and go into town for a celebration birthday beer and food at Chews Yard.