Race Report: Hardmoors 55m 22/03/2014

A hard moor too far....

Ready to go

Well it was time, after months and months of training more training some lazy days and some more training the time had come to go and test my self in a tough event. The HM 55 caries 2 UTMB qualification points has 2700meters of climb (8000ft for you oldies)  and takes place in some of the most bleak moorland countryside coupled with the most spectacular countryside in the UK.



At the start I felt so excited and raring to go, my whole kit bag had been checked, checked and checked again yet still I checked it again. This race had a strict kit test due to the terrain the weather and the fact it would be ran in the dark for anyone taking more than 10 hours. Once ready to go I hugged a few of my fellow competitors and wished everyone luck and set off on the quest to conquer 55 miles within the time limits. The Hardmoors races are like one big family, this was my third one of their events and I already felt more welcomed than any other organised race.

The race got off with a field of 204 runners' 230 on the start list so 26 had not made the start line. I felt real good as the run got underway towards the tough Roseberry topping. The weather was blowy and cold but dry as the assent up the topping began. At the top I was met by the wonderful marshal Ray and a quick chin wag and a laugh and I was off on my way again down the steep descent. As I came down I bumped in to the delightful social network friends I have been chatting too for some time Dee, Jo and Emily, all of which I had met on my previous Hardmoor challenges and top tough Yorkshire lasses as they say.

Dee Em and Jo on the way up to Rosebery Topping

As I continued along the fantastic scenery of the Cleveland way I felt good and strong as I arrived at the first checkpoint at Kildale village hall on 12 miles. The cut off for this was 3 hours which sounds generous but in fact for many would be tough due to the extent of the terrain. I arrived in about 2. 20 hrs so was quite pleased with that as I headed off after a short break and began the next long assent to Blowworth moor. With the wind heading face on the weather then took a turn for the worst at the next manned checkpoint. A couple of competitors had dropped out at this check point which was disappointing for them but I battled on. The next climb was a monster going up some hell of a hill towards what is known as Wainstones, as I reached the summit and ran along the ridge the weather was unbelievably awesome, cold, snow, hail, gailforce wind rain and even foggy mist to boot. I carried on and just got a little lost on the descent but was put right by a couple of walkers thankfully. I would of not been that far off course just would have gone along a slightly different path. I started to hammer the feet down and pick the pace up along the descent and made real good progress until I hit a crossroads where I needed to get my map out and navigate. Just as I got it out a couple of fellow runners came up behind me and were what one might call “experienced” Hardmoor competitors.  I therefore stuck with them until we reached the very happy smiling face of Nikki and the Dog as well as a couple of friends of mine that had come to cheer me on. Just as I was coming down to this point I had started to feel  slightly “well strange” so the break and rest at Osthormley would be welcomed.

just another climb

I think at this point is where my day started to go horribly wrong. I had actually turned my ankle on the way down in to Osmorthley but had ignored the pain due to the adrenaline. However, with having stopped the pain had all of a sudden become much more acute. I downed a painkiller and told Nikki all was fine, but strangely ate nothing of my planned foods opting for some other untried stuff that was in the hall. As I set off with now a possee of fellow runners mistake number 2 had become apparent. I had up until 1 hour ago been singing out loud too my ipod on some stunning hills in the rain, running on my own at my own pace with my own goals. Now all of a sudden I had allowed myself to be drawn in to the group of runners who at the time I was feeling my weakest  seemed to be feeling their strongest.  Emily had gone past me running with a chap (Flip) that only 5 miles earlier was struggling to stay with me. The two guys running with me were being really held up by me when all of a sudden my ankle started to hurt more than ever, I felt sick, there was two of everyone and the only thing I could think of doing was actually stopping on the side of the track and having a sleep for a while. However, bearing in mind it was now getting dark and we were at mile 35ish this was not ever going to be a good idea. The runners with me persuaded me to keep going to the next checkpoint. They told me it was just over by some woods when as I would later find out it was actually a good 6-7 miles away. I struggled back to my feet and I had now for the very first time in my running career not hit the wall (we’ve all done that) but couldn’t drag myself over it due to the way I was feeling and the pain in my ankle. Ray, (one of the runners) kindly carried my bag a little way and refused to give it back and constantly telling me that I wasn’t’ to be a hero and should concentrate on just getting to the next checkpoint.

The weather this was at about 2pm

This just by the woods checkpoint could have been on the moon before all I knew, it seemed so far away and we just were not getting there. However, at this point Roy gave me some glucose tabs, in fact about 8 tabs. As these started to take effect I started to feel so so much better. I even got back in to a few strides and started moving at a decent rate again. I had done it, I had hit the wall climbed it fallen climbed again and fallen and finally managed to just get over it about 2 miles from the check point. The problem was that I had held the others up so much that I felt really guilty. It was now dark very cold and a beautiful clear night and I had pretty much prevented these two heroes that I ran with from getting PB’s or enjoying their day as much as perhaps they may of done. I may of opted to continue past the checkpoint but to be honest? I felt like I was going to be a danger to the others in the Hardmoors series.

Living so far away I had not been able to reckie the final stage of the race and would have to run this not only blind but need to stop and read my map whilst struggling. This I felt would be unfair on the race organizers whom are terrific folk and certainly unfair on my ankle which was now nearly popping out of the skin.  So as I approached the checkpoint at about 41 miles I handed myself over to the really kind and pleasant marshal who made me sit in his car and listen to ACDC whilst we awaited others to come through.  There were not many behind me at this stage and I would of felt confident of making the cut off times had I needed too which helped me keep my chin up a little. Very soon I was on my way back to race HQ crying inside and hurting more than at any other time in my running career, my first ever DNF was now starting to sink in. As I went up the stairs of the race HQ I met with John and Shirley the organisors and explained what had happened. They furnished me with some great kind words and enthused me to keep going.  This hardmoors bunch are a special group of people for sure and in some way I wished I lived closer so I could practice on the terrain more.

more bad weather Fog and Sleet

So with no toe nails, months and months of training put in, blisters the size of golf balls an ankle that looked like a table tennis ball had got inside it was over.  Back to the drawing board and to work out what went wrong. It was quite obvious in my mind that I responded so well to the glucose tabs that this was what had been missing in my race feed. If I had taken the mars bar like I should of and been training on, if I had eaten the chia bar like I had trained if I had taken my own dextrose tabs that I had bought for the race, I may of survived, but as us southerners say, if my auntie had a pair, she’d be my uncle… if if if.

For more information, visit the Hardmoors website.

Paul N.