Stretton Skyline 14/9/08 - by Colin Prosser
19/09/2008 by Gerry.
Andy Blackmore, Matthew Lawson and myself set out from Chepstow around 8am on a reasonably nice Sunday morning and arrived to register in Church Stretton about 10am. I took a last minute decision to take the 10.30am start (the official start being 11am) and there had also been a 10am when apparently quite a few set off.
The start was a mile from race HQ and I set off the wrong way – as usual – but soon got a lift from another runner and found myself at the foot of the Cardingmill Valley with two mature veterans and the lady who had so kindly offered me a lift.
The initial ascent, as previously reported, was runnable and we all set off at a sedate pace on a steady ascent next to the babbling brook.
The lady runner pulled ahead after about half a mile and I then pushed on as she got about 50 yards clear and we soon left the two old vets behind.
I then ascended another mile and was still feeling good but the weather was closing in and visibility was down to about 50 yards and at this stage I thought a path to the left was the right course but had lost sight of the front runner and decided to wait for the seasoned fell runners.
Waiting, I found I had made about 200 yards on the first of these 2 runners with the last man not in sight and upon his approach I asked for some navigational advice and he informed me that my route choice was a possible course but that he was going on up a bit. Graham, as it turned out, had done this race loads of times so I fell in with his pace and we carried on up the valley and had a bit of conversation about this and that including the fact that the bloke behind us would beat both of us with ease being a good descender.
We reached the first summit and checkpoint at Pole Bank in about 38 minutes and I felt I could have been going quicker but with visibility now down to about 20 yards I had no intention of going off into the unknown.
We finished the descent and reached the first water station at the same time as the first four runners who I was surprised to see stop and drink a full cup of water each before setting off again – probably with some sort of energy stuff. Anyway we did likewise and then I got a bit carried away with the field and left Graham behind as I took on Ragleth Hill where Matthew passed me towards the bottom and Andy Passed me towards the top.
The skies had cleared by this time and I was pleased with my descent holding off some of the mid-fielders and thinking – I’m definitely on for about 4 hours or better!
So, another drinks station and off up Caer Caradog – this one hurt a bit more than the first two and I was definitely slowing up but once at the summit I was able to run off and get lost round the side of the hill.
At this point I spotted Gerry Ashton descending back to my right and I altered course to the bottom of the hill just as Sue A arrived and we jogged round to the next water station. I was thinking at this stage that this long fell race stuff is a bit overblown on the fitness side and downed my water and headed up the Lawler and up and up.
I was going so slowly that Sue was able to trot ahead adjust her camera and get a photo of birthday boy before jogging off into the distance. Sue said that she felt the start of the race was a bit sparse on runners and actually spent a bit of time in last place which despite her second race of the weekend gives some idea of the quality of the field and confirmed my good decision in starting early.
The Lawler went on and on and on as the entire field apart from two passed me as I shuffled on up the hill. The sheep are so used to walkers that they just stand and watch but my approach must have appeared as the stealth of a fox as they spooked and ran, either that or the glint in my eye as a boy raised in the Ebbw Fawr valley before they piped it!
Eventually the trig point on some sort of mast came in view and I got my time from the marshal, kicked his rucksack - accidentally, and set off back down the hill as this is the out and in section of the race. However, now I felt everything hurt, particularly my knees, and could only slow jog in a zig zag back down the hill to the same water station and took another drink of water.
I had lost the rest of the field (apart from the two behind) and having taken directions and feeling a bit woozy I set off across several stiles and muddy fields back to the main road in a faltering walk jog. Now up to this point I was really impressed with everyone runners and marshals alike and I’m also probably doing this bloke down but Vanessa this may have been the one at Pole Bank when you did this race.
He said, do you want to go on – it’s about 4 or 5 miles of hard climb – or you could just turn left on the road and you’ll jog to the finish in 15 minutes – lots in front of you have!
The temptation was huge – on my approach he’d said -are you ok and I replied - no I’m all in! Why not I’d done most of it – in fact I’d never run 19 miles before never mind over hills – who would blame me!
I looked the guy straight in the eyes and said no I want to go up – he pointed me towards a nice lady with a bottle of water on the other side of the road and I began the last ascent to the Port Way.
To begin with this was OK and I jogged up the valley choosing to run in the stream at points for no particular reason. As the path began to steepen there was a choice to the left and my markings on the OE map suggested this was the route but I was unsure.
I looked behind and again Graham was about two hundred yards behind me and I decided to wait and seek his advice.
He said – well you can go that way but I’ll go on up the road for a bit first. So we then fell into a reasonable pace walk together and after about half a mile I believe I hit what is called the wall and got ever slower as Graham pulled ahead but waited on two occasions to offer moral support and some more navigational advice – which overall made us more than even as my earlier stops had been for my own benefit.
I was really struggling and chewed down my last energy bar on the way up which really at that stage should have been a gel as I needed a quick fix. So I struggled on very slowly and reached the last checkpoint at the Portway and set off for the last descent all the way back to Church Stretton – about 2 miles.
At this stage I think the energy bar started to work and I really started to perk up, spotted the 2 runners in front and headed off in pursuit. I hit the tarmac with about a mile to go and carried on picking up the pace passing Graham and the other runner (who had started at 11am) and finishing with a bit of a sprint finish and a minute or so ahead.
Andy and Matthew were dutifully waiting at the finishing line to cheer me in and I was mindful that I had kept them waiting ages and that we had all missed the presentations.
I made lots of mistakes and prepared poorly – mainly training and nutrition on the day – would I do it again? Damn right!
Will I do the Black Mountains – not a chance I couldn’t walk properly for 2 days – but this is what it’s all about and I’ll be back!
About 5 hours – what a doddle.
Don’t know the results as yet for everyone who took part but a great day all in all - endorphin heaven!!
