THE PENNINE WAY – THE MONTANE SPINE RACE FUSION 2019
I’m in a hotel in St Gervais in the Mont Blanc region of the French Alps, I’m here to run the 2019 UTMB ultra marathon, I think now would be a good time to post my blog of about my race of The Pennine Way I did in June this year, It’s a bit of long blog as the race was very long, I hope who ever reads some or all of it enjoys my words about this incredible race/adventure. The Montane Fusion Spine Race is a 268 mile race of the entire Pennine Way. It starts in Edale Derbyshire and ends in Kirk Yetholm in Scotland taking in many historic parts of northern England with an ascent of around 42000 feet. I think the best way for me to try and compute this race is to write about some of it, so here it is. Cheers.
I boarded the 10.18am Cross country service to Manchester which was rammed packed with ladies and Gents going to Ascot, all dressed smartly for a money spending celebration of watching magnificent animals bleed from the mouth with the risk of potential death in front of the Queen. Pass the pims please darling, I’ve got a tenner riding on this one. Speaking of death my train couldn’t stop at Macclesfield because the train in front hit some sheep that were on the line, how the hell do sheep get on the line? The news of this saddened me somewhat but I’d soon realise how this might have happened, as there are a lot of sheep along the Pennine Way. I’ll come back to that later though.
I got to Edale where the race begins over an hour later than planned which almost cost me my place in the race, upon kit check I realised I’d put the wrong trousers in my pack and didn’t have the required waterproof seamed trousers, instead I just had walking trousers, I felt nervously stupid as the head honcho said he’d lent all of his spares out ( 6 pairs in all ) and I’d have to come up with something and something fast. I managed to find out where the nearest outdoor store was and legged it for a train to the place the store was located, I asked for directions and ran as fast as I could and made it with 4 minutes to spare before the shop closed. Waterproof trousers in check I walked back to the station and waited for 35 minutes to get the train back to Edale to arrive back at race HQ halfway through the race brief, thankfully I had the correct trousers now so could continue and pass the kit check and be ready for 8am Saturday morning to start.
STAGE 1 – 46 miles
More nerves upon the start of the race, in place and the starting line with about 5 minutes to go before we headed off I realised I hadn’t checked in for my tracker to be fitted, so I quickly ran to race HQ, luckily no train journey involved this time as it was 30 seconds from the startline and got my tracker fitted. I’d never been so nervous before a race or was it just different with new things to remember to have? I think it was nerves. Under early morning sunshine the race begin and I quickly got into a nice groove taking in the start of a brand new race, its course and the adventure ahead.
The first bit or the race that comes to mind was the first real climb which was called Jacobs Ladder, under the mid morning sun it was a hot climb of which reaching the top the first real stunning views came in:
For most of the rest of the day it was very warm and sunny so I took it relatively easy for the conditions with each water stop coming as a nice relief to be able to finish what I had and refill with fresh water to move on. Heading towards Hebden Bridge, which was the first major checkpoint in the early evening, coming down a gravel track through the woods down to the canals appeared a good friend who I’ve worked closely with who now lives in the area. I haven’t seen him for sometime, so it was great to see him smiling at me coming down the hill. As this is an un-supported race he gave me nothing but we did chat as I moved along which was lovely, we spotted this weird gnome in the bush which made us laugh. I made it into Hebden Bridge at around 9pm. 46 miles done, 226 to go!
STAGE 2 – 61 Miles
I ate some food, a jacket potato, sausages and beans (that made me fart so much the next day I’ve been put of eating them from now on…for ever!) and had a shower. I’ve never been part of a race where showers were available during it so I took advantage of this new luxury. I was assigned a bed to get some sleep, I didn’t get enough though and I stupidly only got an hour or so, I think my adrenaline was way to high so I got back up and went to get ready to leave again for the next stage of 62 miles, the lack of sleep would bite me in the arse. I headed back out at around 2am for stage two. I came across another runner who’s GPS wasn’t working so he tagged along with me for a while as mine was working fine and I was on the correct route. We came past two other runners who had got in their bivvy bags next to the road on a bridge for some kip, little did they know that just a few miles up the hill two tents with sleeping bags and bacon rolls and tea, coffee and other much needed snacks was available thanks to a running club setting up an un-official aid station for everyone, that bacon roll went down a real treat and a little rest was very much needed, proper quality touch from those guys for doing that, those two blokes missed out on the tents though but did enjoy the bacon rolls aswell. As the day rolled on under another day of sunshine and some cloud I was feeling pretty good, a generous charity Ice lolly came from heaven which was amazing. Tourists filled Malham Cove with a few asking me what I was doing, “Scotland!! Hey lads this blokes’ running to Scotland! Bloody Hell, fair play Lad” I made my way to checkpoint 1.5 past a beautiful lake at Malham Tarn for some soup and a re-charge/rest as my Garmin battery was running low so I needed to re-charge it as much as I could for the second leg of the stage.
I over heard the lovely volunteer chap with the big bushy beard mention that the Cam High Road was “just a looong road” and that the weather would be changing in a few hours time, I didn’t think too much of it and headed out for the second part of the leg. The wind was really picking up upon my ascent of Pen-Y-Ghent, a 2,227-foot peak in The Yorkshire Dales. I knew the weather was changing for the worse fast so I got over it in good time and quickly made my descent down to the small village below. The rain started to fall heavily and a Fusion marshall offering some water asked me about the wind up on Pen-Y-Ghent, I said I thought it was about 50 miles an hour and he said it had been that earlier but was more like 60+ now. With the rain falling hard I really upped my pace to try and get to Checkpoint 2 as quickly possible. I ran as the rain got harder and harder and was making good progress as I started the Cam High Road where everything was about to fall apart.
CAM HIGH ROAD To HELL
I shouldn’t have sworn at the gods, It was raining so hard and the wind and fog was so intense, it was burning my eyes and I could only see a few feet in front of me, “OH JUST FUCK OFF WILL YA!!!!!” I screamed into the storm. It came back at me full throttle and the next 7 or so miles were utter shit. My garmin only had five percent battery left but the rain was so heavy I was worried the battery charger I had in my pack would just get soaked if I took it out of my pack plus there was absolutely nowhere to shelter so in my sleep deprived state I carried on hoping the battery would hold up. In the terrible weather I suddenly realised I’d straid off course as my garmin died. I came down a few metres on a rocky track and the fog slightly eased but every time I turned around and went back on myself and climbed a little way back up the hill the fog became more intense with the torrential rain and with the tiredness I just couldn’t find the way back to the correct route. I tried a few more times and by this time I was very cold as I’d stopped moving enough to keep warm, I stupidly tried to cut up a steep verge to get back to the route, I stopped, turned around a few times and for the first time in my life I completely had no idea where I was or which way to go because the fog and rain was so intense, It properly freaked me out, I was completely disorientated and to be honest, afraid.
After a tiny tired five second sob, I composed myself and managed to get back down the verge, back onto the rock laden track and just headed down it where I found a gate, I was almost completely done in but didn’t want to quit. I was also lost so in my tired and emotional state I pressed the emergency button on my tracker as my phone signal was also dead. I waited where I was as instructed to do so in the brief about having to use the emergency buttons on our trackers. I was cold by this point and shivering, then in the distance I managed to spot a head torch as someone else was coming down the same wrong route as myself, I blew my whistle to alert them I was there. The runner’s name was Dave (everybody’s got a mate called Dave) and he was lost aswell, he said it was too wet and cold to get in our bivvy bags and wait it out so we both carried on down, further down and with a phone signal my phone rang and Race HQ said they were sending a truck up to check on me and to carry on down the track we were on, a few minutes later they arrived and after a coffee and a chat with the medic they decided I was OK to carry on, “Ok, out you get they said, its only 4 miles to the checkpoint and we’ll see you there, they also said there’d been a few emergency buttons pressed from other runners out in the storm which made me feel a little better about having to raise the alarm for myself. Dave and I followed his map down and getting to the checkpoint after seeing Danny Devito as The Penguin from Batman hanging out at a bus stop in the distance (good old sleep deprivation) I was the most relieved and tired and emotionally drained I’d been in a very long time, I was way ahead of the cutt off time so I knew I could get some proper sleep. Luckily and emotionally I was still in the race.
STAGE 3 – 33 Miles
With fresh cIothes on and food in my stomach I set out into the morning gloom at around 9am still feeling a bit emotional and tired from the previous day, the weather was forecast to be wet and foggy up on high ground so I knew getting to The Tan Hill Pub, which is the highest Pub in England was going to be a wet and grey affair. For miles and miles it was just that – Wet bogland. Squelchy, sqwishy, muddy, raining, misty and continuous one foot in front of the other mental state of mind. When I arrived at the pub it was 2.50pm and food stopped being served at 3pm so I was so happy to be able to order gammon, eggs and chunky chips after checking in with the HQ who where set up next door. I sat down at the table put my head in my hands and cried. The Cam road experience from the night before and the tiredness had to come out and crying like I did lifted the anxiety and emotions from the night before. It’s a strange thing when doing ultra marathons that it isn’t just about the racing, it’s also about the mind and your body and experiencing things you never have before from within yourself. Feeling completely lost in the fog, wind and rain isn’t something I’d recommend to anyone but I was lost just for a little bit and to come through it is what’s make it the adventure and makes you feel so alive! As good old Mr Bill Hicks would say “Its all part of The Ride.”
I don’t remember much more about this day just that arriving at the next checkpoint and it had just got dark. The checkpoint was a fairly small hut and was busy for the size it was. I remember one runner coming in with his top off which seemed strange and quite funny. I ate some food and got some sleep on the premise that I’d try to get the rest of the race done in daylight hour’s as I didn’t want to navigate in any more fog, rain and darkness.
STAGE 4 – 40 Miles
After a few hours sleep, some more food and some turbo coffee I left the checkpoint at around 4am, 30 minutes later a coffee enema ensued, it was strange as at first I felt sick and reached a few times then it suddenly went to my stomach and a fast exit in scenic surroundings happened. Maybe it was something I ate or just too much caffeine. After this graphic episode and the feeling of being a bit ill passed I got into a calm head space and really focused on my breathing which let me get into a semi meditate state making my way along the River Tees with the tranquil sound of the river and the cool morning air it was a memorable section of the race for me. Just before making the climb up High Falls Waterfall I saw a dead lamb that had fallen from the ridge above on the path, it’s neck was broken and it was staring up to the sky, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for it and am sure it’s end was quick and hopefully painless. This brings me to the lambs, there are so many along the Pennine way that I couldn’t help but become slightly attached to their behaviour and ways, they are so scared of us but many leave it so late to get out of the way which made me laugh on a few occasions, they wait and wait and then when I’m about 5 feet away from them they leg it, they also look quite mad, some half shaved and with dye on their coats and knotted fur, the occasional black one and the rams that have a certain menace about them. So sheep and lambs yeah, You’ve got a spot in my heart, and when you hear a loud noise of a train coming towards you don’t leave it till the last second to get out of the way will ya.
After the waterfall and more wet squelchy moors and a detour which added more climbing back to the route I made it down into the small village of Dufton for a Bacon roll and a coffee and a little rest before getting up to Crossfell. Crossfell is England’s Highest point outside the Lake district, the highest point of the race and the coldest place in England, it even has it’s own wind. That wind picked up, the fog came in and it started to rain again, I climbed up most of it with a nice rambler I met, can’t remember his name but here he is at the top.
I met another Spine Runner and we navigated back down some of the route together before he went into a refuge called Greggs Hut to have some food and a little rest. I decided to carry on and made my way down so I could get to Alston and finish the leg. As I approached the checkpoint I could see a man wearing a bright yellow jacket in the distance with a camera in hand, I thought it was a race photographer but when he spoke and the words ‘ go on Dave Lad” came out I realised it was the legendary photographer and friend Mr Brian Cannon. Brian had recently moved to Cumbria and had been tracking me on the race so drove down to take a couple photos and say hello, he was also joined by my lovely parents who came to say a quick hi aswell. It was a nice lift seeing them all and I quickly had a brief chat and then got into the lovely YMCA Checkpoint in Alston. That was the best shower I’ve ever had! Same things occurred, food, some sleep (in a really hot room), fresh clothes, more food and coffee, re charge of stuff and get back out there, almost 200 miles done. 2 days to go.
Stage 5 – 39 Miles
3.30 am, wrong way, turn around, wrong way, turn around, realise I need to go over the bridge not under it and then yes, I’m back on the route. Setting out in the very early hours was now my favourite time to make progress in the race, the cooler air and now that the weather was lifting made it nice and easy to navigate. This leg of the race took in the historic Hadrians Wall, which was really great to see and run along.
I was making great progress and getting some decent power hiking down with my sticks and enjoying the day even when hundreds of weird long bodied black flies were hitting me in the face coming through the Silent Forest. Also the most menacing Bull I’ve ever laid eyes on was having none of it when I came along the path, I made the widest of detours all the while its eyes on me and its calf snugged safe under its huge belly, this bull was a bad ass mutha! I made it round alive. The sun came out and it was hot going when I finally arrived at the campsite in Bellingham.
I ate some food and sorted my bag out, had a shower and was assigned a tent to get some much needed sleep, it was around 7.30 when I got my head down and laying on the hard ground actually seemed to help as the little mounds of hard earth underneath my sleeping bag helped put pressure on my tired legs so kind of acted like a weird massage as I moved to the correct pressure points during a restless 3 or so hours sleep. I awoke at 11.30pm and thought, get up and get this done! The Final Day was about to begin, 43 miles to go!
Stage 6 – 43 Miles
The day started with the lovely chef at the aid station asking me if I’d like some sandwiches made for the day, What a life saver those were, I’d realised my food supply was a bit low whilst sorting my bag the evening before so those sandwiches were a god send.
Being further North in the country and it being around the longest days of summer I set out with a slither of dark orange on the horizon at 1.30am, my fear of the fog in a good place as I knew the weather was cool and clear for the night with sunshine forecast for the day. The silent tranquil air and just me all alone, guiding each step by headtorch under the beautiful night sky was a wonderful moment. I stopped turned of my torch and just stood silently breathing it all in, alone in the darkness with only the moon for company. It’s moments like this that make it all worth it and is why I do these events, these are remote places that not many people will see, especially at 1.30 am, alone.
As dawn approached and the sky began to lighten I made my way through the vast Kielder forest which after the soft moors was quite testing on my feet, especially along a fire road of mixed small rocks that was tricky underfoot, also as I made my way along the path a huge looming beast was waiting up ahead. This made me feel slightly weirded out, Luckily it was only a hanging broken tree of course, not some monster from another Northumberland realm but sleep deprivation liked to make me think otherwise. Further into the forest some nice long descents which I managed to run down was a nice reprise after all the trudging along. A much needed coffee and some biscuits was supplied by the lovely volunteer John ( Big Bushy Beard Man ) and a little rest in his tent to warm up as it had got down to almost zero during the night so it was pretty chilly. We had a nice chat and then I left to head out to make my way up onto the vast and lonely Cheviots after some more forest trails and some muddy climbing. Onto the ancient Cheviots I went, the sun was shining and most of the route here was vastly exposed with many long slow sections. I came across another Runner who I knew had been in front of me for a while, with the ascends I’d got into a nice power hiking mode and after a while together I pressed on alone. I came to the first remote hut where the marshall there said he had no water or anything to offer me, but in kind spirit and support he said I’d totally broken the routes back now and was well on my way to the finish. The words helped and I marched on under the hot sun. My feet for the first time along the whole race was starting to bark at me, the constant pounding and soggyness of continuous wet feet was taking its toll and now everything was hot due to the weather change. As I made my way along what felt like the longest stone slabbed path with Scotland on one side of the fence and England on the other I just wanted to sleep, I was suddenly so tired but knew I couldn’t just lay down under the sun in the open vastness of the Cheviots so I slowly pressed on and on and on. A slow climb up to Cairn Hill where I finally stopped, sat down and closed my eyes for about a minute before then just waking up, getting up and cracking on with finishing the race.
The second Hut was in sight and a much, much needed coffee and water refill was had. I sat and rested for a little while and chatted with the marshalls and volunteers. “Just one more little climb” one of them said, I knew he was fibbing as I’d taken screen shots of the route descriptions and knew the hill he was talking about was called The Schil, a near 2000 foot hill!. After the wake me up coffee I stood up and said “Feet! Don’t fail me now” thanked the lovely marshalls and left to make my way up The Schil and get to the finish line.
As mentioned I’d got into a good mode of power hiking so I got up The Schil in relatively good time, next I remember seeing the best sign of the whole route, the sign that read – Kirk Yetholm 4 and a half miles. With my feet pounding and my ankle hurting after rolling it on a small turf mound I came down from the hills onto a path with a small river flowing alongside it, I just wanted to remove my shoes and hot soggy socks and stick my feet in the cold water, instead I placed my hands in and soaked my face and head which felt amazing, along the path I went then up the famous Harp Hill, which is wonderfully steep and one last effort needed for being so close to the end. A race official was at the top, iphone in hand live streaming my near completion of the race on the Spines social media outlets, we chatted and ran down to the green, under the Montane Sponsor Flag, straight to the wall of The Border Hotel, kissed the wall and officially finished The Pennine Way in 5 days 14 hours and 27 Minutes coming in 11th pace overall.
A massive thanks and praise to all the amazing volunteers and organisers on this race, they were all superb, cheers to the other runners I met along the route and love to my family and friends who supported me before and during the race.
Love, Fuzz and Trails yeah.
I am Dave Pen x
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