Hardwolds 80, 20 November
Report by Lena Conlin
Hardwolds 80 Hull to Filey, 24 hour cut off. 20 November 2021 8 am start.
Way back, pre Covid, November 2019, a friend and I swept 63 miles of this race. It was tough and immediately afterwards I said I would never do that race, it was brutal, it had rained most of the week and on the day, it was like running through slime with relentless hills, the majority of the time in the dark.
A few weeks passed and I entered it for 2020, Covid came and lockdowns, 2020 was cancelled.
I entered the Hardwolds 40, Beverley to Malton, as preparation. A freak accident with a cow meant I only completed 15 miles. At around a marathon the Hardwolds 80 route passes through that field.
Because of lockdowns and the accident, training has not been ideal. I managed 100 miles at end of September in The Tunnel and a week later completed the 35 mile Round Ripon Ultra, so I knew my endurance was still there. My pace was not though, I started to work on my pace and completed Yorkshire marathon in October in 4:41, about half an hour slower than previously. Since then my focus has been pace in order to make cut offs.
I can’t lie, it’s been really worrying, the thought of passing through that field and running a race in the Yorkshire Wolds where I remember there were loads of cows in 2019. How might I react? Would I panic and freeze? I had to do it though, I had to lay the ghost.
I travelled to Filey on Friday and stayed in a hotel in order to get maximum rest before getting the bus at 05:30 on Saturday morning, ready to leave for Hessle Rugby Club at 05:45.
I didn’t sleep well, what’s new the night before a big event. I rested my eyes as much as possible on the coach trying to relax my busy brain. There was no waiting around, bag drop, kit check, registration, collect tracker, a visit to the loo and it was race brief time. Jon said they had contacted as many farms on route as possible and there would hopefully be no cattle on route but advised everyone to walk through any field of livestock.
5 min to start and everyone gathered outside by the start, I was near the front so I could hear Jon. 5,4,3,2,1, go, we all set off. There was a a little bottleneck as we turned onto the foreshore and headed under the Humber Bridge.
I was being constantly passed and was soon near the back of the pack. I didn’t mind, it was the start of a very long day. I did try to keep runners in sight to aid navigation, saving me having to read the route description as long as possible. I also had the route on my watch.
After running a mile or so along by the Humber we turned into more residential streets, I walked the ups and ran the flats and downs. My plan was to get through the field, around a third of the way, then to leave Millington checkpoint with as much daylight as possible left, and to finish.
It was warm for the time of year but windy, mainly an annoying headwind. My eyes were streaming, an odd after effect of the accident, making it hard to see clearly even with my clear classes on. This made the off-road sections even more tricky than the leaf covered tree roots already were, I made the most of tarmac, especially the downhills. I made the first checkpoint (CP) at Brantingham, 10 miles in around 2 hours. That was good. The next 10 mile section was more off road but I was maintaining a steady pace on the field sides and farm tracks. The hills however were already tough, I was struggling with them, lack of off road hill training apparent. The next 10 miles passed without incident but the worries were rising. I was through the checkpoint well within cut off.
I was running with David who had passed through “the field” shortly after the incident, he said he would stay with me. On route we saw 6 buzzards sailing over the fields, a welcome distraction as we approached the farm. David chatted to me all the way through and we discussed the incident on 26 June. The field looked smaller and was broken up with an electric fence sheep on one side and the path side was just grass.
Soon we reached the gate and I had done it. I had been anxious but there was nothing to be worried about. Onwards to Millington.
In and out of the checkpoint, 33 miles done, well over a third of the way. Sunset was 4 pm and it was about 3:30. Now the hills started, big ones, steep ones, up and down. The hill out of Millington really took it out of my legs. People with poles passed with what appeared to be ease. I had packed my poles in case I needed them later in the race, this seemed early, but on the next hill I got them out, they really helped with the hills.This next section was 11 miles but each mile took forever. I got my head torch out ready for sunset, the clear skies and the fact that I was on a nice road section meant that it was 16:45 by the time I turned it on. From then on the miles took longer, I walked more to be sure of my footing. The hills did not seem any kinder in the dark, some with steep cambers.
Thixendale checkpoint came with relief, more than half way now. Coffee and cocktail sausages to keep me going, every step a step closer to the finish.
Another 10 miles to Settringham Beacon this section I spent more time alone, but as before there were periods of running with others, there were more woods this section, this kept the wind off, in the open the wind was cold when it was a head or side wind, not too bad when it was a rare tailwind.
There was some drizzle so I put on my jacket, that made it warmer, although sometimes when moving well, too warm, although I was walking more now. My head torch started to flash so at the checkpoint I changed the battery.
Leaving the checkpoint I had got cold, in the short time I was there, I put my gloves on and pulled my hood up. The next bit was downhill, I jogged and soon warmed up. Gloves and hood off again, less than a marathon to go. More mud this section and a near vertical climb through the woods.
I had worked out that it was 13 miles to Ganton. It was the middle of the night and my stomach was unhappy with food and drink, I often felt nauseous. I forced a gel down and a slug of water, it helped, the section felt like it was taking forever slow sections of woodland, but some tarmac that helped make up some time. The lights of civilisation were to the left at the bottom of the hills I was running up and down. I fixated on a brightly lit building thinking it Ganton CP, the track turned towards it and I was buoyed with relief, soon to be shattered as my watch vibrated 62 miles, nowhere near and the Acorned Yorkshire Wolds Way sign moved me away from the lights. Andy and Sarah caught up with me again, we had run close to each other all day, Andy said the CP was close, that it was more like an 11 mile section with a 4-5 mile section and a 10 mile section to finish. I was glad Ganton was closer but that did make for that 10 mile last section that I had thought was 8.
I took a bit longer at Ganton, I took off my jacket to feel the benefit when I went back out. I forced down some pizza and coffee. My feet were sore, grit had got in my shoes as I had forgotten to put the Velcro for my gaiters onto my trainers. I decided to live with it rather than faff with my feet at this stage.
It was half one in the morning and there were 15 miles left. When I swept the race in 2019 I stopped at Ganton, so the next sections were totally unknown, Except Andy had warned me that you can see the Flixto Wold CP a long way off but you have to go up and down a couple of hills before you get to it. The hills were steep, one was a near vertical climb, I was glad of my poles. On the way down one hill, I slipped on the mud and one of my poles snapped, I flopped around and was a pain, I finally got to the checkpoint where I changed my head torch battery again and the checkpoint guys taped up my broken pole. It would not be weight bearing but not flopping around making it easier to carry, it would not break down anymore to pack away.
!0 miles to go, I was on my own for a while, I could see torch lights in the distance but the hills made the distance deceptive. But eventually I caught up with 3 runners, one was Tony, we had run together earlier in the day a couple of times, we ended up together most of their rest of the way, Tony knew the route from 2018, the weather was deteriorating, my gloves were back on and my hood up, we were joined by other runners as we approached Muston, the rain started, icy, gusting in the wind, but we were now in Filey, I was tired and starting to feel the cold, Are we nearly there yet? I asked, about 3 miles, just 5 km. The weather deteriorated further, wind and rain increasing, I increased my pace to try and warm up, Suddenly we crossed a little bridge and descended some steps and were on the seafront at Filey about 24 hours after I had left my seafront hotel. The weather had turned wild, heads down we followed the seafront and ascended the steps to Filey Brigg, as we came out onto the cliff top, the rain was horizontal and stinging, the strong wind pushing us towards the cliff, I moved slightly inland and headed for the final cask point at the Cleveland Way marker, Down and up another set of steps. Hard work with steps hidden in wet leaves but a brief relief from the weather. It was a battle to get to the marker stone, I went round it and headed back, Mark had been there for hours marshalling. A tough job today. Our band of 4 were split up now, I had to keep moving to keep warm. The last climb, Cargate Hill felt mountainous, but the finish was so close, maybe quarter of a mile to the Sea Scouts Hut.
What a relief to enter the warmth and bright lights of the finish to applause. 21:26:27. I was very happy with the time, marshal gave me ma medal, T-shirt and looked after me.
Thanks as always to Jon and Shirley, the Hardshals, the medic (I never needed his services) and timing team.
A well organised challenging event.
Kit
- Salomon 12l race pack and soft flasks
- Merino base layer
- Injinji socks
- Scott Ultra Track trainers
- Ron Hill cargo crop tights
- Black Diamond carbon poles
- Montane minimus jacket
- North Ridge wind proof gloves
- Petal Neo head torch
- Icebreaker merino headband
- Watch Garmin Fenix 6 pro solar (still had 20% battery life left after navigating and recording the run)
Would I recommend this race, yes.