Ha ha famous last words. Well I promised myself to go back and complete the Hardmoors 60 after getting timed out last year. I knew it wasn't going to be great last year due to lack of training and on the back of doing the MdS but I still wanted to have a go. It just wasn't meant to be for a number of reasons but I vowed as normal not to be beaten by it and to go back and complete it properly. Well, early last Saturday my journey began. I crawled out of bed at 3.45am with most of my kit ready for off, just a matter of getting dressed and having breakfast. Bags packed and ready for off, a very sleepy 'good luck' from Sarah before I left. The drive was ok for saying how early it was and I managed to do my usual challenge of beating the Sat Nav to the location and arrived ahead of schedule at 5.20am. The car park in Filey was a hive of activity for the ungodly hour of the morning it was. I started the process of getting prep'ed and went to sort the parking ticket out. I had the exact change in my pocket so I was all ready. My turn came and I just whacked it in and pressed the button without reading the instructions ha ha whoops! I sat back in the car and was about to place the ticket on the dash when I realised something wasn't right, it was 5.30am in the morning remember, the ticket was only paid up till 1pm. There's no way on this earth I'd be back for that. I didn't understand, on Jon's email he said £5.50 but on inspection the second time it said 24 hours parking £9. Now what am I going to do, not a lot I could really but I used my card and bought another ticket, so now it had cost me £14.50 whoops!!!!!
Once on the coach and on our way I decided to use the time effectively and get my head down for a bit of sleep. Not easy on a bus full of people about to run 60 miles but it was worth trying. It seemed to take forever which wasn't a bad thing. We arrived in Guisborough and pulled up in the carpark. The chap next to me got up and quickly shouted out and started whinging about his bag being wet which was a bit weird as we couldn't work out why. I grabbed my pack but there was something that wasn't quite right, it was dry though. We all scurried off the coach into the Sea Cadet hut ready to get bagged checked and receive our numbers and trackers. The kit check was straight forward for the first time ever, I was then off to the other queue. I got sorted and decided to find a parking spot where I would begin to get the final bits ready. At this point I was trying to keep eating little bits and drink plenty of water. This is when I realised what had happened on the coach, 'it had been all my fault!!!!' the chap on the coach who's bag was soaked 'IT WAS ME!!!!' oops. My all new singing and dancing Montane squashable bottles had leaked, nearly three quarters of one which holds half a litre. His bag must have been drenched. So now here I was at the start of the race feeling mega guilty and hoping I didn't bump into him again lol!
It was soon time, the race brief amusing as ever, then the gathering outside to get it started. The count down began and we were off Hardmoors 60 2018 had started. It was a steady start along the road chatting away with Darren a lad I'd gone to school with and seen a few times at these events. He was a much faster runner than me so I thought it would be good for me to try and stay with him as long as possible. It was good though as we had a good natter and those fist few miles flew past. For me this run doesn't really start until you get to Saltburn, that is when you get introduced to how its going to be for the rest of the run. Steps, more steps and then some more steps and then when you think you've finished some more steps lol! We were in it now and it was time to get stuck in, I wasn't DNF'ing this race I was finishing!
From the moment I woke up at home I'd not been feeling well and had been praying it was going to clear up. It didn't. I'd just gone through Saltburn and on my way to Skinnigrove and I felt terrible. I had like a stomach cramp like ache and felt nauseous constantly. This didn't change at all. It was starting to get me down I felt rough and struggled to eat and drink without bringing it back up. All I wanted to do, was firstly get to Runswick Bay which was at 23 miles as I knew my drop bag was there and it was a cut-off. My second target was to get to Sandsend to see Sarah as I knew this would make me feel better and give me a boost. As I came into Runswick Bay Carpark I was praying for watermelon at the checkpoint. There always seems to be some here so I had all my hopes pinned on it, and yes, it was there! Oh my lord, it was amazing ha ha. I then sat down with my drop bag and tried to eat some food and refilled my bottles. I hung about for ten minutes before picking myself up and getting on with it. I couldn't afford to lose to much time there but I was in desperate need of a short break.
More steps, and more steps, then even more steps!!!
This was not helping how I was feeling, each time my heart rate went sky high I began to feel even more nauseous it was horrible. I was letting Sarah know where I was each time I reached a major point, I knew she was following me on the tracker but I thought it would be helpful to back it up. The plan had been to meet at Sandsend again so that was what I had my mind set on. By this point I was really starting to struggle, it had begun to affect me mentally and this is never good. I kept pushing on with my only focus being to reach Sarah. She'd have the miracle cure I was sure of it!!
I carried on reaching the cinder track that I remembered was the approach into Sandsend before the little path on the hillside and down the steps. This was a great sign so I up'd the tempo a little even though I was feeling worse by doing so. Down the steps towards the carpark, I'm so close now. In the past we've had a red car and it stood out at this point so I could see Sarah waiting and cheering, but not this time, we have a black car now and the carpark was full of them!!!! Last few steps and I was there, but no sign of Sarah and the miracle cure. This was bad news, this hit me quite hard as I'd been banking on it so much. I went to the end of the carpark and found a nice little spot to perch on. I decided to try get some food and drink in me anyway and I'll try to contact her. For what ever reason we hadn't met and I wasn't going to get upset as its learning to adapt that's the key here. We arranged to meet in Whitby so I got a wiggle on and got moving since this was only a few miles so not far really. Along the way I passed a friend and his family who'd been on the beach and packing up. This was a great little boost even thought I'd let a few pass me it was great to say hi. He said, "I saw a load of nutters doing some mad race and wondered if you were here!" so we had a laugh about it then I pushed on.
Once I got into Whitby I felt a bit better but now I was wondering where I was going to meet Sarah. I thought I'd push on a little into the town before calling. I got to the Wishbone and decided this would be a good spot to call. It turns out I'd just ran past her she was back up the road I'd just come down lol! We had a hug and I told her I was feeling terrible but I should be ok then I asked what did she bring. The answer was, nothing you didn't tell me to. EEEEEKKKKK! There was coffee though, so I had a sugar coffee and a snickers out of my pack. This was ok, this made me eat more and get some kind of a boost from the coffee. We arranged to meet again at Robinhoods Bay which again helped me mentally as gave me another target. So off I went into Whitby crossing the bridge through the crowds then up the steps at the Abbey. Yes more bloody steps!!! Upon reaching the top I knew this is where the trail begins again so I detoured via the Ice cream van. Wow, best thing ever, highly recommend it. This and a drink of Fanta then gave me the legs to kick on to Saltwick Bay checkpoint. I initially still didn't feel great but this nauseous feeling passed and it was starting to come together nicely. I had a great spell here passing through the checkpoint and on to Sarah at RHB. I arrived feeling great and smiling, she couldn't believe the difference. So I guzzled down some lucazade and another sugary coffee with a quick something to eat and said goodbye. That was the last time I was going to see her before I got home in the middle of the night. I was convinced now that I was going to be ok for the rest of the way and be able to finish comfortably. Oh how things can change so quickly.
The ill feeling came back and it was going to be a hard slog the rest of the way now. I'd had just under 10 miles of feeling great so about 30-40 was my good spell. We arrived at Ravenscar well within the cut-off but not with time to waste so it was a little rest and a re-fuel before off. I'd met a small group that I'd settle pace wise with and moved well with them so the plan was to try and move on with them as we seemed to work well together. I met a guy called Dave who I stayed with the rest of the way as we seemed to be about the same pace and I sensed he was desperate to finish it like me. This was great as its much better when you're able to pair up or work in a small group. Its like the pellaton in cycling, you each take turns pushing the group then resting whilst someone else leads.
Scarborough was the new target, just got to get to Scarborough then along the front to the checkpoint at Holbeck Carpark. This was going to be a grind, with feeling ill and the dark set in. Its a tough part of the route in the dark as it seems to go on for ever and the lights never seem to get any closer so mentally its like torture. We didn't have time to dilly dally as it was going to be tight for the cut-off and I wasn't missing it this time so I decided to lead the pace. I pushed on hoping they would stay with me but they started to fall back and I was almost on my own now. Then this girl caught me up called Emma she was running with her boyfriend who had joined her at Ravenscar. She wanted to push on too and encouraged me to stay with them which was great. Dave soon caught us up which I was pleased about as it showed how keen he was to finish and be able to push on. Emma kept leading the pace with a run/walk pattern and giving us mini targets to run to. This helped as it made us move quicker but you knew you got a mini break each time. We eventually got to the end of the promenade, remembering my nightmare from the previous year and trying to make sure I didn't make the same mistake again and take everyone else with me. Emma's boyfriend knew the path but was a little concerned about the tide but it turned out ok. We reached the long road from the beach up the hill to the carpark, wow this went on for ever. We made the cut-off with time to spare and a little cheer from the marshal's as this meant we were going to finish the race barring any silly mistakes or injuries. So we fuelled up and moved out. It was just Dave and I now, the end was near we just had to keep going.
It felt like a tunnel, endless and no light to aim for. Actually that's a lie, there was a light, it was a beacon on Filey Brigg which was the target but the light never got any closer. Every sign was giving us false hope as they all seemed to be confused about the distance. We had a little wobble in the woods at Cayton Bay where we went down the path to the beach then realised this was wrong and had to go back up the steps which did not do me any favours at all. It was fine though we cracked on as we just wanted to finish and go home now. The path was winding in and out as we followed the coastline, lights appearing then fading away leaving us feeling like we were drastically going the wrong way. Then finally the Brigg and the carpark appeared and the signpost that says "Helmsley 109 miles". This was a euphoric moment as I knew that was it, we were there!!!!
So along the path into the towards the town with a few little surprises along the way involving a hill and yes even more bloody steps at the end. The final treat was the road to the Methodist Church Hall was a long steep climb, oh my god!!!!
We finished and that was that, job done! Thanks Dave we got each other through it and thanks to my amazing girlfriend Sarah for giving me the much needed boost in the middle and for always being there!
