top photo by Simon Pipe
Composing this from our shared cottage here in Maiden Newton in Dorset, I am glad to report that I managed to successfully complete my first LDWA 100 mile event on Monday morning. But only just. Based on the recommendations on the organisers' website, I chose the noon start on Saturday : hindsight and had I sought advice from fellow East Lancs competitors would be that I should have gone for the 10am start with the majority (of the 491 starters, 57 started at noon and 27 at 2pm).
My plan was to mainly walk the first day (to breakfast CP at Beaminster) then run/jog where possible on the second half.
It soon became apparent that almost everyone on the noon start were running so that I could myself with a chap from London (but with still noticeable Glaswegian accent) at the back. The first few checkpoints came and went then someone caught us up. He had started at 12.20 having taken 7 hours to drive from Worcester for his 10am start (we thought it was bad enough taking 7 hours from Horwich on Friday!). Despite being at the back of my start group, I was way ahead of my 3mph schedule. That was the good point. The bad point was that as early as 5 miles I could feel my right little toe rubbing and by CP2 (16.8 miles), I decided to change to my second pair of socks - I had a spare pair for the first half then two more pairs in my breakfast bag.
The fastest of the 2pm starters caught me up by CP2 at Brantspuddle and then I started to catch the slower of the 10 am starters during the next leg to Dewlish CP3. By evening, my feet were really starting to suffer. I caught a group with a couple of fellow East Lancs members and stayed with them to CP4 Ansty arriving about 20 minutes after darkness. This was a really busy CP and I was now amongst a good number of fellow competitors. Normally I would able to get a move on, probably walking with a suitable group but my blisters needed attending to. I also decided to wait for fellow East Lancs walker who had reccied the next section. Probably 45 to 50 minutes spent at the CP and 11pm on leaving. Despite the bit of knowledge we still managed to go slightly astray (may have been a route alteration) but continued through the night to the next CP5 at Buckland Newton (38.8 miles at 2.05am) and CP6 now light at Worden Hill (46.4 at 5.40am).
As it was now light, I decided to have only a short break at the CP and then moved to quickly regain some lost time to arrive at Evershot CP7 at around 7.11am, some 25 minutes ahead of my erstwhile colleagues. A far too short break there then away heading to the Breakfast stop at Beaminster. Having gone off route for an unplanned extra stop, on my return a young lady walker from Leeds caught me up. I didn't recall overtaking her because she had been having a nap at the Evershot. We walked together a bit but she moved ahead being suitably refreshed..
I passed a couple more arriving at Beaminster about 3 hours later than I hoped to be greeted by Julie and my friends from East Lancs (who run the Breakfast CP) with my feet in a very sorry state.
Whilst waiting for food I was also a bit feint.
Would I be able to continue? I must have used almost the maximum of the two hours permissible then headed on me way for the second "half" (the breakfast stop was at 57.6 miles). Soon after leaving Beaminster there was an extremely steep hill - even with my love of ascending, I found it tough. After an hour, the ibuprofen etc began to kick in I started to feel a little more positive. I even ran most of the final 1.7 miles (according to my garmin, 1.2 according to the route description!) to the next checkpoint at the most westernmost point, Blackwood. The bit was between my teeth so I start to move quite well gradually hauling in a few in front of me to CP10 (Netherbury, 71.9 miles). Julie had managed to contact me and arranged to meet me en route and walk the last mile or two to the checkpoint, arriving at 6.05pm. I met her just after wading through a sort of ford with no alternative route, soaking my blistered feet. Maybe a slightly longer stop than planned and a change of socks then on my way, passing a few to get to CP11 at Powerstock (76.5 miles) just before dark at 8.52pm. Quickly away and up through Eggardon Hill, catching another walker as the descent started. Then a problem - the first time the route description caused me a problem and I could not determine the correct route, so I waited for the next group, and we managed to hit lucky and pick up the correct route. I decided to stay with them despite much of the remainder of the leg being on roads on which I could have easily gone with greater speed. We arrived at CP12, Loders at 0.39 am and realising that time was pressing and were only 20 minutes inside the cutoff, three of decided to push on at a faster pace as the next cutoff was 4.40am at CP13, Long Bredy (90.7 miles). One of the three of us was struggling a little, especially on the uphill and a eventually we were caught by other small groups resulting in about 20 of us together navigating through the dark. Once light, I and a couple of others made a bee-line to get to the CP, and although we all narrowly missed the time, common sense prevailed and we were allowed to continue. Despite it being 4.30 in the morning, Julie was there waiting me to encourage me to make the checkpoint in time. She had also been using her persuasive skills to convince that it would be grossly to unfair to time us all out at 90 miles if we looked capable of completing. So I made sure I was moving as fast as I could as I ran into the checkpoint! With barely a few minutes respite, I hit the next leg with a vengeance and managed to claw back my my four minutes lateness to arrive at the final checkpoint, Portesham at 6.32am, with some 28 minutes to spare. This gave me a little recovery time and most of the final group set off at around 6.50am to head towards and along the Wessex Ridgeway. This should have been straightforward, 6.5 miles with 3 hours to do it in, now daylight and no great navigational complexities. However, the surface was akin to walking on rocky desert - it looks like easy paths on a ridge, but it was rock hard and rutted everywhere. Added to this was a howling cold cross-wind.
Eventually I dropped down to the valley where Julie was waiting with the gate open so we were all saved one final stile to climb over. She then walked in with me along the final couple of miles of road. Just before turning into the finish at the School I was greeted with surprise by Neil Shuttleworth.
The finish at an LDWA Hundred is quite overwhelming - everyone is clapping and cheering you in as if you had just won the Olympic Marathon. It is quite amazing.
After sitting, gathering my thoughts, chatting to members of East Lancs who were there, removing my shoes and going to thank a couple who had helped me through the night stage to Long Bredy, we headed to find the medical team to get my feet sorted as they were very painful.
While waiting for my turn with medic, I began to feel quite dizzy so my feet had to wait while they carried me to the bed, gave me oxygen and took blood tests. Everything was ok apart from low levels of potassium, probably a bit of heat stroke and dehydration. Bananas were sought and provided and water to sip as I gradually came round sufficiently to have my blisters treated. After 20 minutes or so, I was deemed sufficiently recovered to get to Julie's car (which she was able to bring to the fire exit) and then she took me back to the cottage where I went to bed for three hours' sleep. I never got chance to sample the meal at the finish : maybe that's for next time.
On completion, I thought there is no chance of going through that again. However, we'll see. I have never run/walked on such feet damaging surface before, but I was determined to complete. If I do next year's hundred (North York Moors), I will have the opportunity to recce the night sections, which will save time, and hopefully prepare my feet to hopefully reduce the impact of blisters. I will also make use of the 10am start to give me more spare time, and eat more food.
Memo to TLoB - you told me there are no hills darn Sarf - Dorset is not that far away from Wokingham and they certainly have hills!
I know this is not a fell race, but if you considered each of the 15 legs as if they were fell races, legs 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 have enough ascent per mile to be classed as category B and overall there is an average of nearly 140ft per mile over the 101.7 miles.
Most of us also believed the route to be at least 104 miles : I did have it recorded on my Garmin but some glitch wiped at least 70 miles of recording. At the time it was showing about 4 miles more than the listed mileage and I am sure only about a mile of that could be put down to bad navigation and movement into the halls used for checkpoints. An app on my phone did record 57,000 steps for Saturday from midday to midnight.
Who's doing the Settle Saunter next Saturday?
Eventually I dropped down to the valley where Julie was waiting with the gate open so we were all saved one final stile to climb over. She then walked in with me along the final couple of miles of road. Just before turning into the finish at the School I was greeted with surprise by Neil Shuttleworth.
The finish at an LDWA Hundred is quite overwhelming - everyone is clapping and cheering you in as if you had just won the Olympic Marathon. It is quite amazing.
After sitting, gathering my thoughts, chatting to members of East Lancs who were there, removing my shoes and going to thank a couple who had helped me through the night stage to Long Bredy, we headed to find the medical team to get my feet sorted as they were very painful.
While waiting for my turn with medic, I began to feel quite dizzy so my feet had to wait while they carried me to the bed, gave me oxygen and took blood tests. Everything was ok apart from low levels of potassium, probably a bit of heat stroke and dehydration. Bananas were sought and provided and water to sip as I gradually came round sufficiently to have my blisters treated. After 20 minutes or so, I was deemed sufficiently recovered to get to Julie's car (which she was able to bring to the fire exit) and then she took me back to the cottage where I went to bed for three hours' sleep. I never got chance to sample the meal at the finish : maybe that's for next time.
On completion, I thought there is no chance of going through that again. However, we'll see. I have never run/walked on such feet damaging surface before, but I was determined to complete. If I do next year's hundred (North York Moors), I will have the opportunity to recce the night sections, which will save time, and hopefully prepare my feet to hopefully reduce the impact of blisters. I will also make use of the 10am start to give me more spare time, and eat more food.
Memo to TLoB - you told me there are no hills darn Sarf - Dorset is not that far away from Wokingham and they certainly have hills!
I know this is not a fell race, but if you considered each of the 15 legs as if they were fell races, legs 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 have enough ascent per mile to be classed as category B and overall there is an average of nearly 140ft per mile over the 101.7 miles.
Most of us also believed the route to be at least 104 miles : I did have it recorded on my Garmin but some glitch wiped at least 70 miles of recording. At the time it was showing about 4 miles more than the listed mileage and I am sure only about a mile of that could be put down to bad navigation and movement into the halls used for checkpoints. An app on my phone did record 57,000 steps for Saturday from midday to midnight.
Who's doing the Settle Saunter next Saturday?
3 comments:
Well done, Gordon. That's 20 miles more than I've ever managed in one outing.
Note to TF:- did you take in that it was the Glossop Goon that formed part of the reception party at the finish? Guess you won't be risking a 100 yourself.
Don't think he was there in an official capacity, just supporting one of the competitors.
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