I’m not sure when I first meet Gill, but one of my earliest memories was when she took part in our GL3Day event. I can clearly remember Gill being tailed by Terry Davies and Simon Madin who worked everso hard to hang onto to Gill’s strong and never faultering pace. Apparently, they nearly lost ‘El’Tel’ in a bog on Greenup Edge; Gill and Simon laughed but togther they with Simon’s extra tall height, they levered him out relatively unscathed. Simon and Terry were knackered at the end of three hard days and had that ‘never again’ look on their faces. Gill became a regular participant and then a crucial part of our organising team.
A few years later I was at the Woodgate Farm checkpoint on The longmynd Hike, after 33miles this is effectly the grouping point for the dark night section. Conditions had been wet and windy during the afternoon and we were all chilled. Whilst climbing into long leg wear, dry shirt, headtorch and grabbing a mug of tea in the melee, Gill appeared out of the gloom, along with Terry.
No time to waste. Gill told me I was with them as a group of three, and informed Owen the checkpoint officer we were off. I don’t think some people had known she had been and gone.
Conditions had been wet and cold and Terry was in a bad way. He was shivering badly, ‘but I’ll be OK in a minute’. We jogged off down the road, spilling tea from jogging and shivering. Terry was traveling light to say the least. He just wasn’t warming up and with no spare kit to put on I considered dressing him in my spare but it would come down to his knees and wouldn’t fit too well.
We nursed Terry through the next hours (at one point he ate a whole jelly baby!) and he felt a bit better when Aunty Gill Mac wrapped him up in her fleece at Stiper Carpark. Shuffling on, Terry ‘still didn’t feel right’, but Gill was on a mission and by careful group management and perfect route choice we didn’t loose much time and no other groups passed us in the dark.
Cresting the top of the ‘Mynd, Terry was feeling a lot better, probably because he could smell the beer of The Ragleth Inn below. Terry had been suffering with mild hypothermia for a few hours, but back on form the pace increased and we powered up Ragleth and down to Stretton, with good finishing times to be had. All the way across the playing fields Gill was pushing the pace...all the way to the school door. I hadn’t realised it but, a new Ladies record was waiting. In the dark and wet I hadn’t noticed Gill’s strength and focus, but it had been a tremendous perfermance and a good night out. Over the past decade or so Gill made Longmynd Hike victories, and the Ladies record her own on more than one occassion.
In August 2005 I had a go at The Paddy Buckley Round. Gill had completed a PBR in under 24hours in 2002, and I’d heard quite a bit about it. I’d also tried it many years ago but had blown out half way in poor weather. My 2005 attempt was a bit of a last minute decision but Gill, Phil, Keith and Pauline fronted up a formidable support team from Mercia Fell Runners and friends. Blessed by a bag of mixed weather, neccesitating a change of start time and venue, I ground to a halt on the last Leg before recording a memerable time of 26hrs10min. Not a defeat, but an amazing adventure in great company, and with tremendous contribution especially from Gill, Phil, Keith and Pauline.
A few days before the 2006 ‘Hike Gill was diagnosed with cancer. She didn’t take part and there was an emptiness without her. Her ladies record was broken by a minute or two by a newcomer to the event, in good conditions aided by a quality field of ‘Montrail Runners’.
In the Spring of 2007 when Gill was recovering from Chemo I stayed at Gill and Phil’s house on a Sunday night. It might have been after the Longmynd Vallies race, and the Monday morning gave us the chance to go for an ‘easy’ run before I was to drive home. We ran one of Gill’s favourite loops from Gaerstone Farm and I enjoyed traversing paths I hadn’t run for several years. My legs were tried and we ran steadily. Gill was weak but her determination deep within rose to the surface as we ran. Gill talked of running The Longmynd that October, and the more she talked, the more I realised she was talking of racing the Hike, not just aiming to take part.
Driving home I realised how important that event and the record meant to her.
2007 was the 40th anniversary of the Longmynd Hike. Terry Davies had persuaded me to do two laps as some sort of celebration. Terry has lots of good ideas and this was one I thought might not happen. Our first ‘unofficial’ lap started at 11pm Friday night. Twelve hours later, we were back at the start ready to go again with the proper start. Pauline came with us this time just to look after us, apparently, and tell us jokes. We had our own little adventures but were somewhat oblivious to the hard nosed racing taking part up front, in both mens and ladies race. (‘Ladies’ - so why not ‘Gentleman’s Race?)
Once again in a competitive ‘Montrail’ feild Gill was racing against some very talented athletes. I did get to hear the cut and thrust details later, but the gist of it was that Gill ran her own race against splits and times she knew so well and regained her record by lowering it significantly to 10hrs01min. The pace across those playing fields must have been hot! It was a tremendous performance and result.
My 2005 Paddy was no disappointment but in mid-summer this year I decided to try again for a sub-24hour round, if only to put into context the previous round; had I been fit enough, can I handle the much rougher ground, etc? Having had so much Mercia support in 2005 and with Gill very ill it was inappropriate to seek suport from Mercia, so this time I planned to go solo with Lindsey supporting me at road crossings. It the very least it would be a chance to contemplate and rationalise a plan, if any, for the future.
Gill died on Wednesday 6th August, whilst I was making plans for an attempt on 16/17th.
The weather dismissed that date as a non-starter with high winds and rain making the conditions unfavourable. A full moon gloated at me for the remainder of the week and so I decided to have a stab at some sort of round on Friday 22nd. Lindsey was unavailable and the weather window suggested a Friday evening start.
Starting at Llanberis, I climbed steadily through the quarries towards the Glyders enjoying a patchy half moon and a few wispers of thick dark cloud. The night was enjoyable and I was reliving many memories in a lot more favourable conditions than three years earlier. I made good progress across to Ogwen considering I was navigationg in the dark and carrying a lot of gear. Over the Carneddau to Capel Curig I wasn’t going as fast as I wished but still felt confident of giving the full route a go. Under the PYB footbridge I located my food stash only to find a hungry rodent had eaten my Tuna Mayo sandwich; not a good omen at the best of times. At this point it became apparent that I was definitely on a long reece rather than an attempt at The Round. I climbed Siabod steadily but the evening start was contributing to ‘sleepmonsters’ and the terrain along The Boundary Ridge exceedingly wet due to the recent monsoon rain. I realised it was ‘Game Over’ when went waist deep in a bog for the second time and I was recording splits far in excess of the schedule.
It was on this leg in 2005 that I had very fought hard for so long whilst following in the foot steps of Gill and Keith in a desparate attempt to make up lost time. Gill and Keith knew this leg so well and even in dry conditions there are several seriously boggy sections. I was now on a route to nowhere and after a few more summits my ‘bail-out’ options resulted in a decision to head direct for Cnicht, Nantmor and Abergaswyn Pass, if only because I had my second foodstash there. There ended by PB party for 2008.
I announced the secret outcome to ‘Wilko’ in an exchange of texts on the way home. ‘Have you got a date for your Paddy, then?’ She asked. ‘2009, after a very long dry spell, with a full moon, and perfect weather’ was my reply. There will need to be a bit of a re-think and a lot more recce-ing, too.
Gill’s dedication to The Longmynd Hike and Paddy Buckley Round and the effort she put into training and recce-ing the routes is admirable. I was not at all disappointed with my Paddy Run; it had been a great night out, and although running solo the spirit of many was ever present. I felt I had been granted an insight into what made Gill ‘tick’... but there is a long way to go before mastering The Paddy Buckley Round.
Joe
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Friday, 22 August 2008
NAV+art - Bampton 13/14th September
Where are all the Adventure Racers?
Yes, unusually, there are still places available! Perhaps the credit crunch is hitting, or maybe the date clashes with other things, or does the thought of camping put some off. Drag yourself away from your kit box and goody bag and come and do some real nav!! It is geared towards open fell mountain navigation, but all aspiring adventure racers will find this a good investment for longer events.
I'm going to be pretty busy in the next two weekends away in the mountains, and I'm suffering some IT problems ... so don't except 21st century comunication from me, but if you want to come there probably places so send me a booking form asap. Many thanks,
Joe
Yes, unusually, there are still places available! Perhaps the credit crunch is hitting, or maybe the date clashes with other things, or does the thought of camping put some off. Drag yourself away from your kit box and goody bag and come and do some real nav!! It is geared towards open fell mountain navigation, but all aspiring adventure racers will find this a good investment for longer events.
I'm going to be pretty busy in the next two weekends away in the mountains, and I'm suffering some IT problems ... so don't except 21st century comunication from me, but if you want to come there probably places so send me a booking form asap. Many thanks,
Joe
Inspirational
I’ve not been blogging for a while for number of reasons. Latterly, it has been for IT problems and a poorly sick lap top. This is also the reason why I have been a bit ‘absent’ of late.
Lots has happened over the past weeks, with events and occurrences of contrasting experiences and emotions. The dust has settled, (or is that, ‘the wind died down’?), on The Hebridean Challenge, which I now affectionately term ‘The Heb Training Camp’. This is because it is such a tremendous week, and if you survive it without breaking yourself and you recover via an easy week or so, the training effect on body and soul is brilliant. ‘Head training’ is the key.
I sampled my first Open24 a few weeks later, again with ‘Wilko’ and can see why it is a very popular event. I think we did ‘OK’ for our first attempt together as a pair, and were able to draw on Wilko’s experience of the previous three year’s when she has been paired up with Johnny 5 Legs. Many people suffered in the heat generally and with extreme sunburn from some unexpected brilliantly blue skies, which appear whilst we were sea kayaking. I found it a bit odd trying to get the pace right, as 24 hour racing is a bit of a sprint when done in a multi-sport format. I suppose I have a lot of experience of multi-day and non-stop exped racing and a lot of 24hour ‘foot racing’ but as new pair it was just a bit ‘odd’. I’d been nursing a very sore throat all week at expected to suffer but survived to finish sixth mixed pair, and not far from the top. We only made one or two small navigation / strategy errors, due mainly to mis-interpretation of special stage instructions. The secret is just to keep moving steadily in the right direction and score points, and you must include all the special stages which are highly valued. Overall I think we under achieved by a small margin, but this is always better than over reaching and the ‘crash and burn’ scenario. It’s no doubt an adventure, and I enjoyed it, but the navigation input wasn’t all that challenging. But an excellent event well planned and executed by James and his team and in a great part of the country. Recovery was good, the journey not too much of an epic, and sleeping soundly for several hours on Sunday afternoon a good tactic to avoid weekend traffic.
A week later was Borrowdale Fell Race; the perennial favourite. If I had to choose one iconic long fell race, this would be it. Wilko and I ran steadily in difficult conditions for a pleasing 4:19 finish. (We are becoming very compatible especially on foot, but she does have a turn of speed that leaves me behind, and she used her sprint finish to gain some Championship points.) We were keen to run steady as we were due to pace Rachel Vincent on the Leg 4 – Helvellyn, and Leg 5 – Skiddaw sections of her Bob Graham Round. Unfortunately, the evening turned out a little unexpectedly but ultimately successful. We sat drinking tea and stoically stuffing the food down, whilst others were waving pints of beer around, killing time prior to our Keswick pick up time later. On arrival in Keswick and finding phone coverage, I was shocked and dumbstruck to find that Rachel was at least two hours up on schedule and we had effectively missed Leg 4!
This meant Rachel had pressed her husband, Phil, into acting as pacer, and all we could do was kill more time and wait at Threlkeld. I did consider trying to find them along the Helvellyn range but dismissed it as a foolish gamble. Happily, we soon got a phone message and then saw lights on top of Clough Head indicating that they still going strong. However, frustration turned to anguish as we watched them take an appalling line down the fell and become entangled in Threlkeld Quarry losing 45mins or so. I so wish I had gone up Clough Head to meet them. With plenty of time still in hand, Rachel had a quick refuel break and was focused on pushing on. She was climbing very strongly, but it was evident that a sore knee was limiting her downhill and running speed. The bad luck continued with me not finding the perfect lines between Blencathra, Great Calva and Skiddaw, and so Leg 5 became a slow painful experience shrouded in an uninspiring cold grey dawn, to finish just inside 23hrs. You can read Rachel’s own account at on http://www.tynedaleharriers.com/ and it’s an interesting read. Well done Rachel – an excellent effort and great performance in difficult conditions.
The following weekend was even more exciting. Marcus had asked me to act as oad support for his ‘Devil O’The Highlands’ race. This is 43 miles along the West Highland Way, from Tyndrum to Fort Bill. I’ve considered it myself before but it is just to fast and runnable for me. Marcus had prepared a schedule with times ranging ranging around 6 – 6 hours 15. He had all the splits worked out and was quietly confident of getting inside the record of 6:08. He was also keen to race against Jez Bragg, the current record holder for The Highland Fling and West Highland Way. Marcus has a phenomenal turn of speed and has been winning local road races. He also has a lot of Elite mountain marathon class experience, so it would be an interesting exercise in speed endurance.
The first support point is at Bridge of Orchy after just seven miles, and the pace was very fast and inside Marcus’s predictions. Marcus himself was comfortably cruising at the back of the leading bunch of five or six, and confident in his ability. At Glencoe Ski Station the leaders were now strung out a little with the pacing not slowing. Jez’s own blog http://jezbragg.blogspot.com/2008/08/battling-it-out-at-devil-o-highlands.html describes the race really well.
Was I ever bored doing road support? No chance! I was never waiting around for more than 20 minutes at any road support, and the tension was quite unbelievable. Marcus left Kinlochleven with a clear gap of 2-3 minutes having used his downhill fell running abilities. I tried to suss out how Jez was at this point, but I hadn’t met him before and he didn’t show much emotion at all, in the very short time he was there, and I certainly wasn't going to intrude on his focus. Again, his blog sums it up correctly. I saw them both, briefly, at the final road access point about six miles from the end. Marcus was just 200 metres ahead, and Jez reeled him in on the next tortous section of forest trail and made his vast experience count while Marcus suffered a minor wobble.
Jez finished in 5:22, with Marcus only 10mins behind, well inside the record. That 10 minutes is nothing, To lose just 10 minutes is a great effort considering he suffered with a slight route finding glitch which dropped him on to the road to earlier, while Jezz pushed his advantage to the finish line. They both smashed the old record as did another 3 or 4 runners. I think my club mate, Andy Davies of Mercia was inside the record as first Vet 40 too.
Marcus can be very pround of his race and ultra trail debut. I was just very pleased to be there and see it, so much so that I have entered The Highland Fling next April … eek!
I've also been looking at a certain Welsh 24 hr Round but the weather hasn't been too encouraging, and finding the right mindset difficult in the current circumstances. Perhaps, I'll have success to report soon.
Finally, if you are interested in joing on our NAV+art course on 13/14 September, there is still time. Please get a form to me asap.
Joe
Lots has happened over the past weeks, with events and occurrences of contrasting experiences and emotions. The dust has settled, (or is that, ‘the wind died down’?), on The Hebridean Challenge, which I now affectionately term ‘The Heb Training Camp’. This is because it is such a tremendous week, and if you survive it without breaking yourself and you recover via an easy week or so, the training effect on body and soul is brilliant. ‘Head training’ is the key.
I sampled my first Open24 a few weeks later, again with ‘Wilko’ and can see why it is a very popular event. I think we did ‘OK’ for our first attempt together as a pair, and were able to draw on Wilko’s experience of the previous three year’s when she has been paired up with Johnny 5 Legs. Many people suffered in the heat generally and with extreme sunburn from some unexpected brilliantly blue skies, which appear whilst we were sea kayaking. I found it a bit odd trying to get the pace right, as 24 hour racing is a bit of a sprint when done in a multi-sport format. I suppose I have a lot of experience of multi-day and non-stop exped racing and a lot of 24hour ‘foot racing’ but as new pair it was just a bit ‘odd’. I’d been nursing a very sore throat all week at expected to suffer but survived to finish sixth mixed pair, and not far from the top. We only made one or two small navigation / strategy errors, due mainly to mis-interpretation of special stage instructions. The secret is just to keep moving steadily in the right direction and score points, and you must include all the special stages which are highly valued. Overall I think we under achieved by a small margin, but this is always better than over reaching and the ‘crash and burn’ scenario. It’s no doubt an adventure, and I enjoyed it, but the navigation input wasn’t all that challenging. But an excellent event well planned and executed by James and his team and in a great part of the country. Recovery was good, the journey not too much of an epic, and sleeping soundly for several hours on Sunday afternoon a good tactic to avoid weekend traffic.
A week later was Borrowdale Fell Race; the perennial favourite. If I had to choose one iconic long fell race, this would be it. Wilko and I ran steadily in difficult conditions for a pleasing 4:19 finish. (We are becoming very compatible especially on foot, but she does have a turn of speed that leaves me behind, and she used her sprint finish to gain some Championship points.) We were keen to run steady as we were due to pace Rachel Vincent on the Leg 4 – Helvellyn, and Leg 5 – Skiddaw sections of her Bob Graham Round. Unfortunately, the evening turned out a little unexpectedly but ultimately successful. We sat drinking tea and stoically stuffing the food down, whilst others were waving pints of beer around, killing time prior to our Keswick pick up time later. On arrival in Keswick and finding phone coverage, I was shocked and dumbstruck to find that Rachel was at least two hours up on schedule and we had effectively missed Leg 4!
This meant Rachel had pressed her husband, Phil, into acting as pacer, and all we could do was kill more time and wait at Threlkeld. I did consider trying to find them along the Helvellyn range but dismissed it as a foolish gamble. Happily, we soon got a phone message and then saw lights on top of Clough Head indicating that they still going strong. However, frustration turned to anguish as we watched them take an appalling line down the fell and become entangled in Threlkeld Quarry losing 45mins or so. I so wish I had gone up Clough Head to meet them. With plenty of time still in hand, Rachel had a quick refuel break and was focused on pushing on. She was climbing very strongly, but it was evident that a sore knee was limiting her downhill and running speed. The bad luck continued with me not finding the perfect lines between Blencathra, Great Calva and Skiddaw, and so Leg 5 became a slow painful experience shrouded in an uninspiring cold grey dawn, to finish just inside 23hrs. You can read Rachel’s own account at on http://www.tynedaleharriers.com/ and it’s an interesting read. Well done Rachel – an excellent effort and great performance in difficult conditions.
The following weekend was even more exciting. Marcus had asked me to act as oad support for his ‘Devil O’The Highlands’ race. This is 43 miles along the West Highland Way, from Tyndrum to Fort Bill. I’ve considered it myself before but it is just to fast and runnable for me. Marcus had prepared a schedule with times ranging ranging around 6 – 6 hours 15. He had all the splits worked out and was quietly confident of getting inside the record of 6:08. He was also keen to race against Jez Bragg, the current record holder for The Highland Fling and West Highland Way. Marcus has a phenomenal turn of speed and has been winning local road races. He also has a lot of Elite mountain marathon class experience, so it would be an interesting exercise in speed endurance.
The first support point is at Bridge of Orchy after just seven miles, and the pace was very fast and inside Marcus’s predictions. Marcus himself was comfortably cruising at the back of the leading bunch of five or six, and confident in his ability. At Glencoe Ski Station the leaders were now strung out a little with the pacing not slowing. Jez’s own blog http://jezbragg.blogspot.com/2008/08/battling-it-out-at-devil-o-highlands.html describes the race really well.
Was I ever bored doing road support? No chance! I was never waiting around for more than 20 minutes at any road support, and the tension was quite unbelievable. Marcus left Kinlochleven with a clear gap of 2-3 minutes having used his downhill fell running abilities. I tried to suss out how Jez was at this point, but I hadn’t met him before and he didn’t show much emotion at all, in the very short time he was there, and I certainly wasn't going to intrude on his focus. Again, his blog sums it up correctly. I saw them both, briefly, at the final road access point about six miles from the end. Marcus was just 200 metres ahead, and Jez reeled him in on the next tortous section of forest trail and made his vast experience count while Marcus suffered a minor wobble.
Jez finished in 5:22, with Marcus only 10mins behind, well inside the record. That 10 minutes is nothing, To lose just 10 minutes is a great effort considering he suffered with a slight route finding glitch which dropped him on to the road to earlier, while Jezz pushed his advantage to the finish line. They both smashed the old record as did another 3 or 4 runners. I think my club mate, Andy Davies of Mercia was inside the record as first Vet 40 too.
Marcus can be very pround of his race and ultra trail debut. I was just very pleased to be there and see it, so much so that I have entered The Highland Fling next April … eek!
I've also been looking at a certain Welsh 24 hr Round but the weather hasn't been too encouraging, and finding the right mindset difficult in the current circumstances. Perhaps, I'll have success to report soon.
Finally, if you are interested in joing on our NAV+art course on 13/14 September, there is still time. Please get a form to me asap.
Joe
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Seeds of Change
The Heb was great. 'Pyro' has managed to get some great photos ont'web via Flickr - search on Pryo's Yard Productions or The Heb Challenge and you will be sure to find them. The photos bring back all of the good memories and only some of the pain and anguish, and of that, it is only 'Type Two', ie retrospective pleasure?
Plans are being talked about for 'Heb 2009'; talking plans is fun and easy, making firm and commitment is a corner we are yet to round.
Having recovered from The Heb my next challenge was to discover that our venue for the next NAV+art course was double booked. Hence, this has involved several phone calls and emails regarding availabity of venue, tutors and clients of course, but hey... we are now back up and running. The course is now 13/14th September at Bampton in the Haweswater Valley, and uses the Loadpot Hill / High Street fells similair to the KIMM in 2005. Ironically, that is why we moved away from Bampton in the first instance. It's quite possibly the last NAV+art course at Bampton, so if you've read about how 'unique' the place is come along and find out. I'm pondering a re-launch and shake up with new venue for 2009. Full details of the September course are available on http://www.joefaulkner.com/ although the 'July News' and date amendment might not be there just yet. (Because my webmaster and me can't move as fast as blogspot)
My apologises go to anyone inconvenienced by this change. The new date will be just as good. There is also the possibility that experienced OMM'ers, can come along just for the Sunday pratice event and run it as pair with thier partner. There will be a small charge for this; contact me if you are interested in doing so.
Other than that, I'm looking forward to the Open24 this weekend, in apart of Wales I used to know in a dim and distant youthfulness...if I shake of this sore throat! It's nice to be going somewhere different. After that, the adventure is 'only' the Borrowdale Fell race. Less is more.
Have fun,
Joe
Plans are being talked about for 'Heb 2009'; talking plans is fun and easy, making firm and commitment is a corner we are yet to round.
Having recovered from The Heb my next challenge was to discover that our venue for the next NAV+art course was double booked. Hence, this has involved several phone calls and emails regarding availabity of venue, tutors and clients of course, but hey... we are now back up and running. The course is now 13/14th September at Bampton in the Haweswater Valley, and uses the Loadpot Hill / High Street fells similair to the KIMM in 2005. Ironically, that is why we moved away from Bampton in the first instance. It's quite possibly the last NAV+art course at Bampton, so if you've read about how 'unique' the place is come along and find out. I'm pondering a re-launch and shake up with new venue for 2009. Full details of the September course are available on http://www.joefaulkner.com/ although the 'July News' and date amendment might not be there just yet. (Because my webmaster and me can't move as fast as blogspot)
My apologises go to anyone inconvenienced by this change. The new date will be just as good. There is also the possibility that experienced OMM'ers, can come along just for the Sunday pratice event and run it as pair with thier partner. There will be a small charge for this; contact me if you are interested in doing so.
Other than that, I'm looking forward to the Open24 this weekend, in apart of Wales I used to know in a dim and distant youthfulness...if I shake of this sore throat! It's nice to be going somewhere different. After that, the adventure is 'only' the Borrowdale Fell race. Less is more.
Have fun,
Joe
Monday, 7 July 2008
Shredded Head
Well I'm back from The Hebrides, and our two week trip to Scotland, and after one day at work in an office my head is shredded. Guiness and pasta will have me a sleep by 9pm... drinking on a school night! Eek.
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone for their support and sponsorship of my 70 Wild Miles event. It was a great day, nice course, relaxing event and a warm up for the Heb Challenge. You can still donate on-line via www.justgiving.com/joefaulkner should you wish to do so. Sadly we missed out on any evening presentation, buffet and disco as we went to see Dave Atkinson finish his West Highland Way race, so I have no results, but apparently I was 9th out of 58 solos. I wasn't able to blog after the race to limited IT facilities, and who wants to spend holiday time at a PC key board what ever the connection speed? It does make you think about life and the real world, though.
A Sunday ferry took us out to South Uist on The Hebrides for a few days rest and relaxation prior to The Hebridean Challenge. This is a five day race for pairs or teams; cycling, running, MTB, (and swiming and sea kayaking for the teams) the length of the islands - approximately 150 miles as a seagull might fly, and so probably twice that via the race route.
The Heb remains the best Adventure Race in the UK, although Scotland gave us a mixed bag of weather with quite a bit of wet and very windy stuff for several days. 'The Heb' is simply brilliant and a great adventure for everyone. Louise 'Wilko' Wilkinson paired up for a 'lightweight', fun-but-competitive trip... and it was fun, just! It was also pretty tough with 12-15 hour days, which compounded by weather and a few other issues made it a wee bit tougher than anticipated. Nevertheless, we put in strong effort, performing well as the only land based pair against the four/five person teams. I ran some long and tough mountain navigation legs, while Wilko clocked up and increasing amount of time on my road bike as well as running strongly on shorter stages and MTB'ing very well. Even on Day Five we were keeping pace with the leading teams (although they did do a bit more than us, usually a swim leg) until the final afternoon when Wilko was obliged to tacked about 30km of cliff edge MTB section. Initially this was designated a MTB leg, and the geography didn't permit us to 'tag' and relay each other. Once committed to this, and with all teams falling behind 'buffet, speeches, prizing giving and Ceildh(?) schedule' it had become apparent that the 30km wasn't at all rideable, the later teams started to run in relays rather than ride the section or even ride on the parallel road! With the goal posts changed, and no means of contacting or intervening in this increasing frustrating situation, Wilko just got on with the job, 'riding' the whole leg solo, in one 'hit', so she is probably the only rider to do so. Consequently, we finish with pride intact if not an early finish. As a 'Heb Virgin' she really deserves the title of 'Racer of the Week'. Racing with me must be a chore in it's self!
As you might have detected, the finish was a little disappointing, but no-one is to blame really; we were simply a victim of circumstance. Ironically, if I were prepared to drive backwards a forwards and throw diesel and common sense to the island winds, I may have been able to find her and relieve her of her toil, but the chances of doing that were slim, and with a greater chance of missing her at the penultimate controls, and then the situation would have been worse. It the greater scheme of things it is nothing.
Hey... no worries - no-one actually reads this .... and we went for an adventure. It certain was, and The Heb remains the best Adventure Race in the UK. Whether there is a pairs section next year remains to be seen, as it is clear that the involvement of just three pairs as opposed to 16 teams was an unproportional drain on the events resources, and once or twice logitsical issues smacked us in the face. And when they did it hurt deeply.
Whatever your ambition, put The Heb in the diary for next year .... it is a must. It's brilliant.
I'll be back, as will Wilko ... but we may be looking for team mates......
.......Or may be not?
Joe
Firstly, a big thank you to everyone for their support and sponsorship of my 70 Wild Miles event. It was a great day, nice course, relaxing event and a warm up for the Heb Challenge. You can still donate on-line via www.justgiving.com/joefaulkner should you wish to do so. Sadly we missed out on any evening presentation, buffet and disco as we went to see Dave Atkinson finish his West Highland Way race, so I have no results, but apparently I was 9th out of 58 solos. I wasn't able to blog after the race to limited IT facilities, and who wants to spend holiday time at a PC key board what ever the connection speed? It does make you think about life and the real world, though.
A Sunday ferry took us out to South Uist on The Hebrides for a few days rest and relaxation prior to The Hebridean Challenge. This is a five day race for pairs or teams; cycling, running, MTB, (and swiming and sea kayaking for the teams) the length of the islands - approximately 150 miles as a seagull might fly, and so probably twice that via the race route.
The Heb remains the best Adventure Race in the UK, although Scotland gave us a mixed bag of weather with quite a bit of wet and very windy stuff for several days. 'The Heb' is simply brilliant and a great adventure for everyone. Louise 'Wilko' Wilkinson paired up for a 'lightweight', fun-but-competitive trip... and it was fun, just! It was also pretty tough with 12-15 hour days, which compounded by weather and a few other issues made it a wee bit tougher than anticipated. Nevertheless, we put in strong effort, performing well as the only land based pair against the four/five person teams. I ran some long and tough mountain navigation legs, while Wilko clocked up and increasing amount of time on my road bike as well as running strongly on shorter stages and MTB'ing very well. Even on Day Five we were keeping pace with the leading teams (although they did do a bit more than us, usually a swim leg) until the final afternoon when Wilko was obliged to tacked about 30km of cliff edge MTB section. Initially this was designated a MTB leg, and the geography didn't permit us to 'tag' and relay each other. Once committed to this, and with all teams falling behind 'buffet, speeches, prizing giving and Ceildh(?) schedule' it had become apparent that the 30km wasn't at all rideable, the later teams started to run in relays rather than ride the section or even ride on the parallel road! With the goal posts changed, and no means of contacting or intervening in this increasing frustrating situation, Wilko just got on with the job, 'riding' the whole leg solo, in one 'hit', so she is probably the only rider to do so. Consequently, we finish with pride intact if not an early finish. As a 'Heb Virgin' she really deserves the title of 'Racer of the Week'. Racing with me must be a chore in it's self!
As you might have detected, the finish was a little disappointing, but no-one is to blame really; we were simply a victim of circumstance. Ironically, if I were prepared to drive backwards a forwards and throw diesel and common sense to the island winds, I may have been able to find her and relieve her of her toil, but the chances of doing that were slim, and with a greater chance of missing her at the penultimate controls, and then the situation would have been worse. It the greater scheme of things it is nothing.
Hey... no worries - no-one actually reads this .... and we went for an adventure. It certain was, and The Heb remains the best Adventure Race in the UK. Whether there is a pairs section next year remains to be seen, as it is clear that the involvement of just three pairs as opposed to 16 teams was an unproportional drain on the events resources, and once or twice logitsical issues smacked us in the face. And when they did it hurt deeply.
Whatever your ambition, put The Heb in the diary for next year .... it is a must. It's brilliant.
I'll be back, as will Wilko ... but we may be looking for team mates......
.......Or may be not?
Joe
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
I did it!
I did it! 70 Wonderful Miles, even the 13 miles of steading uphill tarmac in Glen Etive to the finish. At times I though I was going as slow as this internet connection, so I'll keep this short.
No results or times (due to watching Dave Atkinson's flying finish to The West Highland Way) but it took me 6h 8mins.
Many thanks for your support - in whatever form!
More later,
Joe
No results or times (due to watching Dave Atkinson's flying finish to The West Highland Way) but it took me 6h 8mins.
Many thanks for your support - in whatever form!
More later,
Joe
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Adventure - Getting to the Start Line ... is The Hardest Part
Is hard to believe a week a has gone by since the last posting. It's been said that getting to the start line is usually one of the busiest and most difficult part of any race or adventure.
This is certainly an adventure, as well as the prep for '70 Wild Miles' I am of course packing for a two week trip to Scotland, the Hebrides and The Hebridean Challenge. http://www.hebrideanchallenge.com/ so there is a lot of gear and planning to be done, and it's amazing where the time disappears to. There has been more time spent with bikes, bike racks and roof racks in the past week then time actually training. Coupled to that, I've been watching The An Turas race unfold in South Western Ireland and just recieved the route for The Heb. It may be a late night of map marking tonight or tomorrow.
Adventure has been defined as having three key elements; firstly, a 'realistic objective'. Secondly, 'uncertainty of outcome, and thirdly, 'good companionship'. I've held onto these three things for over twenty years, since I first heard of them from a very wise old man* and while the first two usually prompt interesting debate, the third intrigues me the most. I've done a few epic Team Adventure Races and 'good companionship' shines through as a fundamental memory. Paired mountain marathons and involvement in such things as Bob Graham Rounds and other ultra events give rewarding memories, too. But what about solo events? I challenged this notion main years ago as a young man, and it took me a while to appreciate the meaning of this. I was told, by the wise old man's student, ('cos they wrote thesis on it!) that solo trips count .... My 'solo' Heb Challenge was certainly an adventure, and other solo runs, too, but having my partner Lindsey support me through out was an excellent privilege. Savouring the last few miles of that race was magical.
In the next two weeks, I will be 'racing solo' on Saturday, enjoying a few days holiday with Lindsey, then racing as a pretty strong and competitive 'pair' with Wilko. Added to that Geraldine will be joining us for the second week; no doubt 'lubricating' the proceedings with her humour, charm and mellow beauty. What might happen.....? Who knows but we are off for an adventure, with good companionship. And having great fun. I hope those out in Southern Ireland will be do so, as well.
I may find the time (and technology) to write one or two blog postings after '70 Wild Miles', if only to let you know I haven't drowned. Thanks again for your donations to the charity. Perhaps, once I've completed the event a few more pounds will be deposited.
Please keep supporting me.... pass this onto more friends and colleagues.
*The Wise Old Man's Student was called Duncan - and his tutor, Colin Mortlock.
This is certainly an adventure, as well as the prep for '70 Wild Miles' I am of course packing for a two week trip to Scotland, the Hebrides and The Hebridean Challenge. http://www.hebrideanchallenge.com/ so there is a lot of gear and planning to be done, and it's amazing where the time disappears to. There has been more time spent with bikes, bike racks and roof racks in the past week then time actually training. Coupled to that, I've been watching The An Turas race unfold in South Western Ireland and just recieved the route for The Heb. It may be a late night of map marking tonight or tomorrow.
Adventure has been defined as having three key elements; firstly, a 'realistic objective'. Secondly, 'uncertainty of outcome, and thirdly, 'good companionship'. I've held onto these three things for over twenty years, since I first heard of them from a very wise old man* and while the first two usually prompt interesting debate, the third intrigues me the most. I've done a few epic Team Adventure Races and 'good companionship' shines through as a fundamental memory. Paired mountain marathons and involvement in such things as Bob Graham Rounds and other ultra events give rewarding memories, too. But what about solo events? I challenged this notion main years ago as a young man, and it took me a while to appreciate the meaning of this. I was told, by the wise old man's student, ('cos they wrote thesis on it!) that solo trips count .... My 'solo' Heb Challenge was certainly an adventure, and other solo runs, too, but having my partner Lindsey support me through out was an excellent privilege. Savouring the last few miles of that race was magical.
In the next two weeks, I will be 'racing solo' on Saturday, enjoying a few days holiday with Lindsey, then racing as a pretty strong and competitive 'pair' with Wilko. Added to that Geraldine will be joining us for the second week; no doubt 'lubricating' the proceedings with her humour, charm and mellow beauty. What might happen.....? Who knows but we are off for an adventure, with good companionship. And having great fun. I hope those out in Southern Ireland will be do so, as well.
I may find the time (and technology) to write one or two blog postings after '70 Wild Miles', if only to let you know I haven't drowned. Thanks again for your donations to the charity. Perhaps, once I've completed the event a few more pounds will be deposited.
Please keep supporting me.... pass this onto more friends and colleagues.
*The Wise Old Man's Student was called Duncan - and his tutor, Colin Mortlock.
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