The Round Rotherham 50 - My 1st Ultra Marathon

"BRING IT ONNNN" this was the first thing that ran through my head as the alarm went off at 3:30am on the 20th October 2012, this was not the usual me, I'm the type of guy that presses snooze at least 3 times, but this was not any old day. I'd set my alarm for silly o'clock as I was to take on my 1st Ultra Marathon, The Round Rotherham 50, 50 miles of roads & trails, believe it or not, around Rotherham.

I showered, dragged my amazing Wife out of bed, made a smoothie, packed the car then we were off. We collected my Dad en-route, as he was going to be my support crew with The Wife, then jumped onto the motorway. We got to the start point just before registration opened for the runners & in time to watch the "walkers" set off "running". The race was broken into 3 starts, Walkers (6:00am), Runners (7:00am) then The Relays (8:00am). I promptly went to register where I met Andrew (@MrAFletch), Andrew has popped up on my blog a few times, he's a top guy & a very good runner, albeit a very modest one. At registration we were given our race numbers, a memento which was an orange sew on patch & a horrid (you've been tango'd) orange T-shirt. Items that at the time meant nothing but later that day would be prize possessions (even though I may never wear the T-shirt) . I threw them in the the boot of the car, got my kit on & headed back into the hall to mingle, there were some sorry sights in the hall, I instantly spotted the guys that had travelled down the night before & slept on the gym floor, I felt especially sorry for the poor bloke who was brushing his teeth in the toilets that were filled with the over powering smell of "protein". Heading back into the hall I bumped into Laura (@LauraInglis1) & her partner Steve. I ran with Laura when we did a recce run of the 2nd Half of the race but she had ran the whole of the route so hoped to run with her for the 1st half at least.

The START: Dearne Valley to Grange Park 10.8 miles

As we lined up at the start line (a bloke waving his hands in the air holding a fog horn) the sun started to rise. As I stood on the start line I bumped back into Andrew & we wished each other a good race, I know I would not see him again as I don't call him "The Machine" for nothing. I instantly loved the relaxed feel to the event, I was used to runners jostling for position at a start line with road races, but here I could not see a start line, we were just a huddle of people outside a sports hall. I stood there in the fresh morning breeze & had a giggle as I recalled my mate Trent (@ManicMilner) saying "just remember when you hear a gun go off it may not be the starting pistol", Trent lives nearby & is a bit of a comedian.

At 7am with a 3,2,1 we were off. I'd planned/hoped to run at 10 -10:30 minute miles but instantly set off too fast. I slowed a bit as the group I was running with was way too fast for me, we ran down main roads & around footpaths, the terrain seemed to be changing fast but I never needed my map. I found myseld running with a veteran Ultra Runner, a lovely woman who had ran this race a few times before, she never divulged how many times & I never asked again. Running this Ultra turned to be a great social event, everyone was very friendly. The lady eventually slowed & I ran on, I was caught up by a man from Clowne Running Club who slowed to chat, he too was great company but without realising it my pace had increased again to 9min/miles while we were chatting. I knew Laura ran at my pace & as a bonus I knew she remembered the route so really wanted to run with her. I arrived at CP 1 in 1:45, this was way too fast so I hung about a bit longer to wait for Laura. The first thing I noticed was the cake fest at the 1st Check Point!

10.8 miles out of 50 completed

-

Park Grange to Treeton 6.4 miles

Still "fresh" I gave The Wife a hug, much to her disgust & headed out onto stage 2 just in front of Laura. I only managed to get around the corner & I had to stop as my Camalback was digging into me, as I fiddled with it a voice came from behind shouting something on the lines of "what are you playing about at, come on", yup Laura had caught me up... This stage was nothing to write home about, we plodded past a sewerage plant & through some "dodgy" residential areas where I just thought thankful that they were early on & not at the end, this way I could at least run away from any mugging attempts :o)

Half way through this stage i noticed my battery on my phone was not charging, I had it plugged into an external battery and assumed it was a faulty lead so phoned ahead to CP 2 &basked Sue (The Wife) for a spare. At about mile 15 I started with a niggle in my lower back, it was obvious that it had not healed 100% after the pounding it had taken on the Red Bull Steeple Chase's downhill sections.

17.2 miles out of 50 completed

-

Treeton to Harthill 7.5 miles

Sue greeted me with B.O spray (point taken, no more hugs) I swapped the cable but it was to no avail, my external battery had died. I dumped my camalback & the phone, this annoyed me lots! I knew a few people were watching the live feed via Runkeeper and the tweets by well wishes were rolling in which I was relying on to perk me up on the latter stages. A quick bite to eat (CAKE) & we were off Laura set off first as I grabbed another Swiss Roll. Eventually I caught up with Laura down the road then realised I'd left my bottle of water on the path at the CP & also forgotten to replenish my Jelly Babies & Haribo Tangfastics, a massive FAIL. On the plus side my back eased off fir short while. The terrain swapped from track to field to road, eventually Niggles & fatigue started to creep up on me at 18 miles so I decided to walk up a hill to save my energy. As I looked around I noticed so did everyone else around me. All apart from Laura, she had pulled in front by now & I started to get the first sign of doubt, I had secretly hoped to beat her & I assumed she had the same goal as we cat & moused the last few miles of the stage. I'd been told that this ultra would be 10% fitness & 90% mental, i was starting to see why. My mood soon picked up when I saw the friendly smile of Mike (@Mikew30), Mike had come along to support and had jogged back to meet me & run the last bit with me, a massive boost that I needed, its always a pleasure to run with him.

24.7 miles out of 50 completed

-

Hartill to Woodsetts 5.8 miles

Check point 3 was heaving, I logged my number & went inside for a drink & some food (CAKE), I grabbed a couple of oranges (& CAKE) then headed out following Laura, I felt as though I had more energy but I stayed back, I never attempted to catch her up this time but was keen to kept her in my sights, I knew I needed to run alone for a bit at this stage. My socks were soaked wet through by now but I squelched on with cramps coming & going, my mood would swing from one mile to next as pains came & went. A lot if these miles mingle together but I do remember running past the airfield & a plane flew past us very low, another runner called from behind, "I live local to here & I've never seen that before, that was for us that was" I was not going to argue with him, it made me smile,

"I'll take that, Hooo Rah" I replied.

The guy ran with me for a while & I appreciated his knowledge of the local surroundings he was running too slow so I pulled away and caught up to the group in front. All was well until we got slightly lost coming into CP4, as we crossed a golf course a few of us took the wrong side of a tree line & ended up down a road to a massive house with walled grounds & a missile in the garden. Yes a missile! Seeing a missile in a garden at the best of times would make me question my sanity but seeing it while running 50 miles? Yeah it too made me question my sanity. We decided to take a chance and carry on, luckily we intercepted the group again just down the road, we had taken the road that ran parallel with the route so the detour was not too costly. Mike was there on queue to run me into the CP at the top of a small climb, his praises & support helped loads as I was really hurting now.

30.5 miles out of 50 completed

-

Woodsetts to Firbeck 5.6 miles

I saw Sally, a running friend, at the entrance. Sally was part of the Maltby Running Clubs Relay Team for the event, again it was nice to see a familiar face. I headed inside to the CP & grabbed some bits, once outside again I changed my soaking wet socks, the freshly ploughed fields had taken their toll. I gracefully lowered myself to the floor, who am I kidding, I groaned & squealed so much so a passing spectator looked over in shock & asked if I was ok. I changed my socks, got back up & headed back out. Laura had gone & I was guessing she was 5 mins in front of me by now. Mike ran out with me & took my mind off of the pains that were getting worse. We ran over one muddy field before he turned back. The change of socks was not the best idea I have ever had, although they felt like heaven initially the next field was not only freshly ploughed but looked like it had just been watered! My fresh comfy socks were soon the same as the last pair that were by now fermenting in my car. I remembered this part of the route well after the recce run but it made it no easier. At each checkpoint I read some of my tweets of encouragement & at this point I really needed them, I tweeeted at one of these CPs "I HURT", my head had stopped working, I could not even write a plain tweet, never mind a "funny" one. We ran past Langold Lake & the Dad of a family asked "I know your tired mate, but how far is the race?" I had all intention of politely saying "50 miles mate" but I think it came across as "50 MILES MATE!!!" the look of shock on the mans face sure did cheer me up, "Wow" he replied, "enjoy" I had a giggle to myself as I heard his wife telling him off "enjoy? what a silly thing to say, he looks shattered".

I tagged onto two ladies for the rest of the stage as they ran with their maps in front of them so was confident on not getting lost again as we ran thought small villages.

36.1 miles out of 50 completed

-

Firbeck to Maltby 4 miles

At CP5 I was really please to see Sue, her bright pink camping coat that I wind her up about all the time stood out from the crowd. I was at this point slightly "punch drunk", I was giddy & full of "life" as I ran in, I use the word "life" very loosely. As I pulled up I noticed Cat (@CatkinTaylor) smiling away, its always nice to put a real life face to a twitter friend & Cat was no exception, she came across as being as full of beans in real life as she does on twitter. I need to do an apology now to Shaun (@SpontaneousPlan) Paul (@paulbuchanan80) & any of the other guys that were stood with Cat as I never recognised any of you, thank you guys. I dropped to the floor again for the 2nd time to change my socks & shoes, it was a risk as I knew deep down I may not be able to get back up, I cant remember what we talked about but I remember being happy & laughing throughout the CP. Laura was about10 mins in the lead by now so with a war cry I headed back out, I knew there was a chance of beating the 10 hour time but I had to dig deep. This stage was a pretty stage with a couple of fields, Roche Abbey and some scenic woods, apart from the pains & cramps it was kinda pleasant. I caught up with a guy who's name for the life of me I can't remember, he lived in Scunthorpe which is not far from me, we chatted about anything & everything in an attempt to block out our pain, he had set off at 6am with the walkers but was running & walking, this is the style I'd now adopted, initially I only walked on inclines but the pain was too much now, mentally & physically I was exhausted. We had to check our maps at 38 miles as we had missed a turn under the railway bridge & picked up another runner who had made the same mistake. We caught up with someone else shortly after & the 4 of use cat & moused the rest of the stage. The church spire was a welcome sight and so was Mike who stood there lije a homing becon to CAKE, the sharp climb into the graveyard hurt like hell but I forced myself to run into the CP6.

40.1 miles out of 50 completed

-

Maltby to Denaby 7 miles

At Maltby the CP steward was not at his desk, my Dad shouted for him but I was in no rush at that point. As I stopped I could not think straight, I wanted a gel but could not get the words out, I filled my water bottle up and as the pain got worse I knew I had to move, I needed to finish this before my body gave up. I headed out in a huff, I was snappy & feeling sorry for myself. Praise & encouragement from others never cheered me up, they were just words, even the fantastic twitter mentions did not lift up my mood, I was in a hole. I ran on in so much pain, having to stop to walk more often than before, this just made me more angry with myself. In the end I gave myself a good talking to & accepted I was broken, broken but I would finish this race. The group thinned out with me taking the lead but they soon reeled me back in on the walking stages, my stride had shortened dramatically and I could not extend it due to the pain, it was everywhere, I could not pinpoint any point as I hurt from head to toe. I was over taken again & again. The down hill into CP7 was a welcome relief to the legs,bit was very quiet & I was a tad emotional to say the least.

47.1 miles out of 50 completed

-

Denaby to Dearne Valley 3.2

I grabbed a cake and asked Sue for a gel, well I say ask, apparently I was quite abrupt (Sorry). As she went back to the car for my gels my Dad calmed me down and reminded me I only had 3 miles to go, I'd ran 47 and it was nearly over. In a strange attempt to sort myself out I for some reason thought it would be a good idea to take a pic of myself and look at it. I have no idea why I thought this would work but it what I did (I told you my head had gone)... I pulled out my phone & took the picture.

I looked at this pic and though who's that mardy B@$~#*!

My Dad gave me a pat on the back, I fought back the tears, kissed Sue on the cheek, thanked then both then headed off for one last push, this was the 1st checkpoint I walked out of. I gathered my thoughts, I could not work out why I was upset, I felt happy, I felt proud, yes I hurt but I was not upset with pain, I started running with a couple, a husband & wife running together, this brought a massive smile to my face & my mood instantly picked up, the rest of the race felt strange, I knew I was hurting but I felt numb, I ran the whole of this last stage only walking to climb steps, pass through gates & to cross over a bridge. I caught up with two Germans on the Canal & we discussed Ultras, I mentioned this was my first & they was shocked, they had done many & said they were having a bad day before praising me & one of them patting me on the back. We chatted for the rest of the stage until we saw the school roof over the trees,

"THAT'S IT!!!!" I yelled, "COME ONNNN, LETS HAVE IT"

We instantly stopped talking & picked up our pace, we were racing! England vs Germany!!! Good God I don't know where it came from, I have no idea, I some how stared to pull away from them and when I hit the grass I gave it my all. I came down the finish shoot with a massive smile on my face, holding back the tears, (there was no way I was going to cry) I saw Sue & my Dad smiling back then my mate, best man & newly converted running buddy Russ (@Rustyw5).

"GET IN THERE, COME ON!!!!!! YESSSSSSSS!!!! LOVE IT"

I went nuts, my arms went up and I punched the air, I was over the moon, I had bloody done it, I was now officially an Ultra Runner, OOOOOOOSH!

I was promptly ushered into the tent by Andrew who had kindly waited to see me in, I was that ecstatic about finishing I'd forgot about signing out of the race. I saw Laura & gave her a big sweaty hug, she had nailed it in 10:03, I know she was a little upset to be so close to the 10 hour and not break it but this lass ran the last 5 miles on a bust knee on top of all the pain she was suffering with from the general mileage, she beat me fair and square (you can read her side of the story HERE) . As I thanked everyone for being there my legs started to give way on me, I lowered, fell back onto a bollard and I saw from Sue's face that I only just made it.

BROKEN...

The drive home was in luxury, well I sprawled out on my back seat with a bottle of beer and my phone catching up on all the missed messages and replying to every last one of them and thanking everyone who had sponsored me.

On arriving home I will not sugarcoat it, I felt awful, I was starving but could not eat. I could only just walk and every forced stop hurt like hell. I promptly went to bed, proud as punch but feeling lousy.

How do I feel now?

Still proud as punch. My ill feeling went over night & I am left with 2.5 black toe nails, one tiny blister, DOM's in my thighs that hurt like hell if I sit in one position for too long or move about too much, oh & a stiff lower back. On the plus side my feet have not swelled up like I was warned, my calf's are not as bad as my thighs and I managed to tackle the stairs without having to slide down them like a child on its bottom, I never even needed to walk down backwards to ease the pain. I have eaten like a horse & walked as though I have lost one today but considering I've just ran 50 miles in 10 hours 13 mins I can't grumble. I can handle walking like an O.A.P for a few days and I'll soon put back on the 3kg I shed during the race.

I'd Just like to end this with a few thank you's. I know this has not been the easiest post to read as I ramble on lost mainly due the fact that all the miles and CP's mix into each other & to be honest I still feel mentally tired, so firstly thank YOU for persevering with this post and reading this far.

Thank you to The Wife aka Sue (@_The_Wife_) for putting up with me and my training for all of my challenges, especially this one as the training sessions have been long and the price of new shoes & kit does not come cheap. Also a massive thank you for being part of my Support Crew during the RRR50, I am truly grateful and you helped me through the hardest parts by just being there. x

Thank you to my Dad (@GaryHookway), for agreeing to be on my Support Crew for the 2nd time. I honestly thought you'd have had enough during Hookway to Hookway. I could not wish for a better person to have on board, if a job needs doing it gets done with him on board. Thank you.

Mike for being there just before the checkpoints, picking up my spirits, guiding me in and running around after me when I never knew what I wanted. You never wore your pink fairy suit mate but you brought flapjack and backwards running, you even brought it up a level by doing it through a freshly ploughed field. ;o)

Laura for just being Laura, she made me laugh and put me through my paces, she would make a brilliant PT. I hope you recover fast & I get the opportunity to race with you again in the future.

Steve (Laura's partner) for picking up my trainers at CP5 when I changed them and Sue forgot to put them back in the car. The brave man picked them up and carried them to her before she drove off. Cheers mate.

Andrew for all his support this year, as I said before it is a honour to run with him and one day (when I grow up) I want to be just like him ;o)

Russ for making it to the finish line with his lovely daughter, he was working all day but got finished early to meet me. He wanted to run the last session with me but sadly due to a pulled groin he was unable to. Get well soon mate, we need to get training for the Clowne Half Marathon ;o)

lastly I'd like to thank friends new and old that I met along the route, all the Marshall's and Stewards that ran the RRR50 like clockwork and everyone of you that sent messages of support and donated to the children's charity that I ran this race for, Rainbow Trust. I don't like preaching for sponsor money but I am still way off the target of the £2000 I need to raise so I can run the London Marathon for them but on the positive side I am only £300 off of the December target. So please dig deep and if you can please sponsor me so I can run the VLM2013 and we can help support the Rainbow Trust so they can continue to support children with terminal illnesses. If you fancy helping out and would be kind enough to take a sponsor form into your work for me please just ask, every penny counts guys, just click the link on the top of this page to donate or ask me for a sponsor form if you are local and don't like filling bank stuff in online.

Oh and would I do it again????

HELL YEAH!!!! oh and that flimsy memento I mentioned earlier... Its better than any medal I have raced for.

Thank you

MARTIN

The Biggest Challenge Yet: The Round Rotherham 50 Ultra Marathon

*Gulp* so here I lay, 1 more sleep until I take on my biggest challenge to date, The Round Rotherham 50. I've been staring at the bedroom ceiling for an hour now, the plan of an early night has been scuppered by a mix of excitement & nerves. I woke this morning with sore throat & when I went to my usual shop to buy my gels I found it had shut down, not the best day in prep for the biggest run I've ever attempted, but there is no turning back now! When I started running "seriously" in January 2012 I set myself a personal goal to run a Marathon before the year was out & now here I lay, it's October & in the morning I'll be attempting my 1st 50 mile trail ultra marathon.

I'm really pleased with my progress this year, I've got stronger & faster, I've set new PB's in 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon, no Marathon PB but that's because I have not raced in a Marathon yet, to tell you the truth I can count in one hand how many times I've ever ran the 26.2 miles (or over) but here I lay about to take on 50 miles in a race that I feel totally out of my depth attempting. I was told that you train your body to run marathons but an ultra marathon need more than a conditioned body, they need a conditioned mind & the only way to condition your mind to run an ultra is... Well, to run ultras. I had a solid training plan set up but sadly due to a mix of work circumstances & my inability to say no to races most weekends that should have been my long runs normally ended up being filled with ParkRuns, 10K's, a couple of HM's & a the crazy Red Bull Steeple Chase that I blogged about earlier in the week. All these races were at speed with the intention of beating PB's or until I fell. I have however recced the race (well the 2nd 25 miles) of the race earlier in the year. I joined Laura @laurainglis1 on her recce & we ran the back half of the course. We ran at a steady pace of 10-11 min/miles right up to the last 5 miles when I slowed the pace down. I had discovered that day that I had "acquired" Hay Fever, never before had I had it but everyone we ran near or through a"Wheat-a-Bix" field did I wheeze & fight for breath. It was a mixture of this & acid build up in my legs that called for Laura to tell me to "man up & fight on". I won't lie to you I was very glad to reach the finish.

Laura will also be running the Round Rotherham 50 tomorrow & so will fellow Twitter friend Andrew @MrAFletch, I will be supported by my Dad & The Wife & fellow Runners & Twitter Friends Mike @Mikew40 Cat @CatkinTaylor have promised to be strategically placed along the course with home made delights containing copious amounts of sugar that will work like magic & regenerate my legs. Fingers crossed my long standing friend, best man & recently sworn in training buddy Russ @Rustyw5 can make the end of the race to run me into the finish. Preferably before dark.

 

So here I lay, falling to sleep, I'm starting to babble on now so I'll bid you all good night. My kit is packed & I'm up at silly o'clock (3:30) in the morning, we race at 7am, I will be tweeting throughout the race so please send your support & dig deep to help me raise the £500 I hope to raise for the children's charity Rainbow Trust. I'll have my phone set to read out all your tweets & donations so every one of them will help me through the challenge & provide the money needed for Rainbow Trust to continue supporting terminally ill children & their families.

A MASSIVE Thank you to my Wife, Sue for putting up with me this year while I have been training for this, she has been a dimond.  Thank you to everyone that has Tweeted & FB'ed your support, & to everyone of you that has sponsored me or is about to sponsor me, lastley can I thank you all for taking the time to read this post & for your gereral support.

In May 2012 I ran with RelayGB, after that I felt I could call myself a Runner, this time tomorrow I hope to be able to proudly call myself an Ultra Runner.

Martin

Red Bull Steeple Chase Review

Well where do I start? I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen runners to take on this new Fell Race with a twist. I'd never run a fell race before so it all was new to me. This was a 21 mile race over the Peak District. The Red Bull Steeplechase was described as a unique and challenging knock out fell run it saw 160 runners cut down to just 40 as they progressed through four eliminator checkpoints sited at church steeples along the route.

Billed as one of the most challenging events on the fell running calendar, the Red Bull Steeplechase course took runners up steep hills and rocky ridges, through streams and marshes and over stone walls and barbed wire fences. The unique eliminator element of this race meant that runners had to battle to stay ahead of the pack and prevent themselves from being cut from the race at the end of each stage. With an overall height gain of over 1,400 metres across 21 miles of rough terrain only the fittest athletes made it to the end. The slowest 120 competitors were knocked out at various stages along the race and unable to complete the course. only 30 men from the men's race & 10 women from theirs were left to cross the finish line.

My aim was to hit the 2nd checkpoint...

I set my alarm for 4:00am & attempted to sneak out of the house without disturbing The Wife, yeah that never happened, falling over the wash bag as soon as I dragged myself out of bed put a stop to that plan. I apologised to The Wife then went down stairs & made a smoothie, dam that food processor is louder in a morning than in the day! The drive down was quite straight forward, I'd given myself loads of time to get to the race village & even had time to stop on the edge of the Sheffield to watch the sun rise before dropping down into the Peak District through the low lying fog, the views were picture perfect. I had to make another unplanned stop just down the road but we won't discuss that in detail. My body likes to, let's say; remove all unneeded weight before races, normally when there are no amenities around!

The drive into Hope Valley took me past the race route after Checkpoint 2 then onto the race village. I was waved down a lane by a Red Bull official parked at the foot of Mam Tor. The first thing I noticed was how well planned this event was. Red Bull Staff were everywhere & to say it was still early (7:00am) they were very helpful, talkative & smiles, smiles at silly o'clock on the morning! Did these guys have Red Bull piped into their veins while they slept? The race village was a couple of tents pumping out music, filled with massive beanbags, stands that showed everyone's race number & a map of the route stood in the corner attracting runners like kids to a sweet shop.

Runners arrived in dribs & drabs, I just soaked up the atmosphere, I chatted to a few guys, some beginners, some road runners & some MACHINES that obviously lived & breathed the fells. One guy stood at the route board with his eyes closed talking himself through the route, "over sty 3, bank right, steep down hill, shorten stride" BLOODY HELL i thought, now that's pre race prep to the extreme! I asked his girlfriend if he knew the route by any chance, in jest, "oh yes" she replied, "we are local but he still had to walk the course yesterday". This slightly panicked me as nowhere was there a proper map with a detailed route, even the mini map they advised us to carry (incidentally I left mine in my car) was just a map with arrows on pointing in the general direction to run. Did we need to recce the route? I thought this would have been sign posted & marked with officials. Oh to hell with it I thought, if I get lost I get lost, I turned around left the tent & had another walk around.

The first thing I noticed as the race village filled was the difference in runners, some carried Camalbacks, full compression gear, gloves long sleeves, running tights & gels, how I imagine Ultra Runners to run, others were just kitted up like Track Athletes, shoes, socks, short shorts & a vest. I was somewhere in between, I'd gone with my Saucony Guide5's as they had more grip than my Brooks that to be honest are ready for the grave, I'd opted for shorts, compression calf guards, a long sleeve Saucony top, gloves & a race belt containing my phone & 3 gels.

The fog started to lower to reveal a stunning blue sky & eventually the top of Mam Tor, the first climb of the race. I registered my arrival as soon as the registration tent opened, grabbed my race bag & headed to the HQ Tent where the pre race briefing was to start. It was here that I was called, "Did you do RelayGB? Is it Martin?" I know the running community moves in fairly small circles but to bump into Adnan Khan a RelayGB runner in a race that had only 250 runners from all over the UK. We had a catch up & to tell the truth it was nice to see a friendly face, the pre race nerves had started to set in & a conversation to take my mind off of the start of this race was a welcomed distraction.

The Brief started at spot on 9:00am, it explained the knock out rules & general safety brief before a Q&A, then the men were sent to the start line, the women were sent 15mins after we had set off. As we all lined up we could just make out the top of the 1st climb in the distance, it was a strange feeling on the start line initially, quieter than most starts, runners wished each other an enjoyable race but it all felt tense.

Well that was until the local Town Crier turned up, he started the race with a light hearted speech that brought a few giggles, pats on the back were exchanged as we all wished each other a good race. The Town Crier informed us the race would start on his 3rd OH YEY...

"OH YEY, THAT'S 1"

"OH YEY, 2" (que fits of laughter, he certainly lightened the mood)

"OH YEY!!!!"

We were off, the pack was tight towards the back where I had positioned myself, I much prefer to start further back & work my up during races but this maybe was not the best tactic for this race. As we all jostled for position down the tight road, race nerves turned instantly into race buzz, I noticed the pace was fairly high for what could possibly be a 21 mile race, but I kept in there on a the tail of a guy in bright yellow skins, picking off runners & working my way forward. The road took a steady climb as it banked to the left then we came to a Red Bull Race Official standing at a gate pointing off road to his left. "up there lads, ENJOY". As the road turned  into fell we had been directed straight into a wall of grass, mud & ferns, the 1st climb had started.

 The pace dropped instantly as we all bottle necked into single file, the row slowed as runners fought for grip in the mud & wet grass, twice I took a shoe in the chest as the guys in front lost footing so I decided to jump out of line & widen my stride in an attempt to overtake by pushing though long grass, a decision I soon began to regret, dam it was hard enough climbing on the flattened grass never mind trying to cut a new path, my calf's & thighs were in bits, the groans from other runners had got louder & the odd curse word was yelled out as the climb took its toll on us all, runners used their hands to push our knees down into the climb, my calf's & thighs were screaming out at me to stop & I was already gasping for my breath. We hit the low lying clouds so visibility lowered for a while, I'd dressed in a long sleeved top over my compression top as I'd expected it to be cold, it was far from cold, so I was overheating too. Dam this was only the start!

The climb continued & so did the groans of pain & deep breathing, we broke through the clouds to reveal a stunning piercing blue sky, by this point I was wishing the top to be closer, we continued to climb then there was a short brake from the groan's as a chorus of "Wooooooow's" came down the line as people started to look back at from where had came. Wooooooow indeed I thought looking back, we had climbed through the low cloud & although we were "running" & I use the word running lightly, into the stunning blue skies, behind us was a blanket of white cloud cover blocking our view of the ground, only the odd hill top in the distance could be seen piercing though the clouds. The feeling of being on top of the world was Amazing, for a split second I forgot that my legs had fell out with me & began to smile again, COME ON! LETS DO THIS! A final push & I was at the top, I glanced to my right looking back again at the stunning view, I was tempted to stop to take a photo but the adrenalin was flowing high so I pushed on, the climb was hard & had already stopped a few men in their tracks as they resorted to walking a while before running again.The climb turned out to only be 0.4 miles but we climbed from 940ft to1473ft,  a 533ft climb in 0.4 miles & dam did my legs know about it.

The path at the top was made of broken rocks unevenly laid, my legs were burning but it felt good to eventually stretch them out as I ran over them altering my stride to ensure I hit each one in the centre to minimise the chance of rolling my ankle if I missed one. I had resorted back to a faster pace than initially planned as I worked my way along the undulating ridge & confidence rose as I worked up the line of runners. This confidence was soon to leave me as fast as it came as we hit another climb, this time up a worn down dusty, rocky path, I was overtaken again & again as runners reeled me back in on the climb. At the top I took my 1st gel as we bottle necked at a gate, then on the flat I fought back & worked my way back up the line, another bottleneck let all the runners regroup as we helped each other over a barbed wire fence then we were onto an epic down hill. My legs were spinning like a Katherine Wheel as I continued to overtake more runners who had took to side stepping or walking down the steep incline, I noticed Adnan further down the incline & aimed to catch him but his style of skipping down hill made brilliant ground, oh & I slipped as my legs went far too fast for my body to keep up. Strangely enough as my backside hit the ground I continued to slide down the wet grass like I was on an invisible luge, I pushed off with my hands to help propel myself down, "Hell Yeah" a voice came from behind as I looked back another runner had thrown himself to the ground too & believe it or not we actually over took more runners.

Above is the video the other runner took, I'm on the 2:00 mark in black. I still can't believe how fast we were sliding & how fast I pulled away once we got up. I had NO Energy left, must have been gravity pulling me down lol.

The fun never lasted long as it we soon hit the half way point, I was in a dissapointing 112th place, only 90 runners would get through to the 2nd Stage so I needed to dig deep, I grabbed water & most of it went over my head, it was surprisingly hot on the hills. As we hit another climb a voice from behind said "Well we may as well just enjoy the race now, we are knocked out" this just gave me more drive as I pushed up the climb, I was no way giving in that easy. This was to no avail though as I was overtaken again twice, one of the guys was Pete @P_Mackintosh a runner who had cat & moused with me throughout the race, Pete gave a spur of motivation & another runner tapped me on the back & gave what he had left of his water, I was in bits as I took my 2nd gel. at the top, dug deep & picked back a couple of places, the guy in the yellow skins from the beginning was one of these & so was Pete, the ground ran along the edge of a forest & at every turn there was either a Red Bull Race Official or a sign, I had a giggle to myself at that point, thinking back to the guy at the map in the race village. I pulled away from everyone but could not see anyone in front of me, the ground at this point was very muddy & I rolled my ankle a couple of times on rocks hidden in the mud & puddles but luckily I was ok. Tired legs made a rocky downhill section very difficult & at one point I nearly went flying into a tree as I lost my footing on a fast bend.  Pete caught me back up & after a chat he pulled away as we hit the roads again, my legs were feeling it again as we crossed a river with spectators on the far bank, the race buzz kicked in again & I picked up speed, this was short lived as another small climb made me slow to a hobble. The locals were fantastic & walkers gave much needed praise & encouragement but I was spent, I was 99% sure I was knocked out on the 1st stage of 3 but wasn't sure, I can tell you now though that I was 100% hoping that I was knocked out. I was in bits the final downhill led us down a partially closed road into Bamford, I saw Pete put on the afterburners & pull away from me, Pete finished the 1st Stage in 1:38:14, I came in at 1:39:01 as the 113th male, with the next place at 1:35:31. With legs like jelly I could have hugged the lovely woman who apologised when telling me I could not run on as I was knocked out. I honestly thought I would have been upset if I never made it at least to the end of stage 2 but I wasn't, I'd given it 100% & enjoyed every minute of it. Its not every race that you can hardly walk after it but when asked by a Red Bull Official if you'd do it again, you instantly reply with HELL YES!

The Race Pack we got was fantastic, a snazzy Red Bull Towel, a shiny medal, Unlimited Red Bull & a Cracking Red Bull Hoodie that everyone I saw proudly wore, if I had to be picky the only down point was that there was no BO spray or baby wipes in it, but then again everyone on the race bus to Castleton was carrying the same well earned aroma, I just felt sorry for the poor bus driver. I stayed back & watched the rest of the men finish & watched the 1st women come through, one poor woman looked distraught when they told her she had made the cut & could run on to stage 2. The bus ride back was a good laugh as we all discussed our highlights of the race, as well as past & future challenges. The Bus driver had made sure we all had plastic shoe covers over our muddy shoes but I could not help but giggle to myself at the mud that was caked to my backside & the overwhelming smell of runners taking over the bus.

Shout outs to Roger ‏@Rogs128 & Reuben‏ @ReubenTabner, both top blokes with top banter & similar drive & ambition who made the time for the trip back fly by. I'd definitely work along side these guys on a future challenge.


We arrived back in Castleton to see 2nd place cross the line but sadly missed the 1st guy who was black with mud from head to toe, he must have chosen to take on the down hill head first! The guy was called Russell Bentley & he nailed the 21mile course in 2:48:18. The leading lady Sally Fawcett ran a cracking 3:37:03. Red Bull had put on a Hog Roast at the Castle Pub for all the runners & free bar, yes a FREE BAR! & guess who was bloody driving? *waves* I had one & as the barman congratulated me on my run he mentioned that all runners could come up to the bar as many times as they wanted, it ALL HAD TO GO!!! Gutted!!! I could not even enjoy the hog roast as I could not get food down. The one beer I had though went down a treat... It was the best bottle of larger I had tasted in months, to be honest it would have been filled with cat pi$$ & it would have been epic. I sat back & savoured every drop before leaving the bar tent & sitting in the courtyard for a bit in the sun, looking back over to hills we had just ran...

WOW what sense of achievement, I had only ran 8 of the potential 21 miles but still felt over the moon, it was Painful yet Fun, Those 8 miles were the hardest miles I have ever ran, I could hardly walk the next day never mind run, I ran 26 miles recce of  my next challenge & 47 during the Arthurs Seat challenge & although they were far from comfortable runs this challenge was certainly the hardest of any challenge I have ever attempted (to date). I aim for bigger & better, to push & challenge myself with bigger & better challenges & this was certainly in the keeping. But what now? How do I top THIS? The Red Bull Steeple chase was EPIC!

 I'll end this post with a Massive Shout out to The Wife (@_The_Wife_ ) Steve Taylor (Spud), MrsG (@NickyG25) Susan (@Susy412) Lozza (@TheLozzatron) & Steph @Stephsputnick your guys donations to Rainbow Trust have made all the aches & pains I've had to shake off this week worth while. YOU GUYS ROCK!!! The last shout out goes to Jordan (@JordanMcQueen1) another runner that took  on the Red Bull Steeple Chase, a guy that I'd chatted to throughout the day & ended up being parked next to at the beginning of the race near the race village only to realise as we were about to drive off that we followed each other on Twitter. Again it was great to put a face to a name.

So whats next? Well its funny you should ask, this coming Saturday the 20th October (this coming Saturday) I will be attempting to race the Round Rotherham 50, an Ultra Marathon that last... Yup 50 miles! I'll be posting another blog post pre race day with more info but in the meantime please don't forget that I'm doing this for Rainbow Trust & need to raise £500 before Christmas to secure my place to run the London Marathon for them so please dig deep & sponsor what you can to an amazing charity that supports terminally ill children & their families.




In the meant time, thank you for taking the time out to read my ramblings & thank you for all your support. Check out the video from Red Bull & see if you can spot me. Got to be quick.
http://www.redbull.co.uk/cs/Satellite/en_UK/Video/Red-Bull-Steeplechase-Video-Highlights-021243270782554

Many Thanks

Martin @TeamB_O_B

RED BULL STEEPLE CHASE

Firstly can I welcome all you 1st timers to my little blog, if you want a bit of a feel of what to expect from the next couple of months then check out the "Past Challenges" Tab at the top of the page, it'll put a smile on your face if nothing else, if you know know me in "real life" or off of Twitter (@TEAMB_O_B) you'll know that I'm a bit of accident waiting to happen so challenges never quite go to plan!

Anyway back to the job in hand... Apologies for the lack of posts, (excuses out of the way first) without boring you I have been drowned in paperwork to get my business re opened *cough* & errr decorating, (end of excuses). So why am I asking you read my blog I hear you ask? Well I'm back to my mad ways & have a couple of challenges coming up you may be interested in supporting me with.

I received a free copy of runners world in a race pack & saw this advert:

Only 250 lucky runners! A Race over the hills of the Peak District across fields, through forests, fields while taking in some of the fantastic views on offer before taking on final hill of the Peak District! WOW!!! The only way of describing how this made me fell upon reading is like being a kid in a sweat shop wanting the golden ticket for Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Never in a month of Sundays did I think I'd win a place but posted off my "I should be chosen because (in 100 words) form" & in true Charlie & the Chocolate Factory style a few weeks after I got a knock on the door by the Postman & handed a parcel.

Oh crap! I'd been chosen!!! I was one of the 250!!! I will not lie to you I'm very excited yet very nervous. This will be a knock out race, the back (slowest) 20% of the running field will be knocked out at each checkpoint. only 30 men & 10 women will finish the whole race. Looking at the starting line up there are some MACHINES racing this. Runners who have been fell running for years & people who run Ultra Marathons on a regular basis. Than as per usual there is little old me who's been running only a year & has upped his miles & pushed himself to complete bigger & harder challenges far too soon. BRING IT ON!!! That's how I like it, I like being the under dog, the one out of his depth, it puts hairs on ya chest.

I've been training on & off since the Arthur's Seat 12hr Challenge, I've picked up the odd niggle, Lost my running Mojo then re found it again with the help from Twitter friends & a "real life" friend & new running buddy @rustyw5 who has just started running, (I wish I could take credit for how fast he's coming on) but with all that aside I also managed to set new PB's in 5k & Half Marathon so I cant grumble. This however is new territory, I've raced Trial Races & trained over the Moors but all of these have been flat. I have only ever ran in hills like these during RelayGB but all routes were on roads & during a training session with @mrafletch, @m8dk, @mikew30, & a couple of Mikes family. This run was a recky for the HighPeak40 Ultra The guys ran 20 miles of while I had to drop back after 10 then pull out at 14miles due to stomach & leg cramps, the hills killled me off, all that I want is not to get knocked out after the first checkpoint. I will never finish the race as it expected to be won in 2hr 15mins, 21 miles over 1400 meter climbs through the Hills in 2hr 15mins!!! I on the other hand  would struggle to run 21 miles on the road in under 4 hours so you can see what I'm up against. My aim is to go hell for leather up the 1st hill & put everything into making the 1st checkpoint. After the 1st checkpoint I'll hopefully be putting Red Bulls theory to the wind & crossing my fingers that it does give me bloody wings as my legs will be in bits by then.

Oh did I mention it was on the 7th OCTOBER (that's this Sunday) ???

;o)


I have other challenges coming up including an attempt at an Ultra Marathon (50 Miles) & the London Marathon but will post seperate blogs in the near future about these.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post & dont forget I'm doing all this for a good cause so dig deep or at least share my post with your friends.

MARTIN