Northern Traverse, 2-6 April 2022
Long distance race, which follows Wainright's Coast to Coast route, taking in 3 National Parks, from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay.
Distance: 190 miles
START (St Bees) to Rosthwaite – 47km
Rosthwaite to Patterdale – 24km
Patterdale to Shap – 25km
Shap to Kirkby Stephen – 32km
Kirkby Stephen to Richmond – 55km
Richmond to Lion Inn – 69km
Lion Inn to FINISH (Robin Hood’s Bay) – 47km
Best things that I heard
If
you’re tired, you’ll sleep
[marshall
at Kirkby Stephen support point]
If
you are ready now, I have a one man tent available for you
[marshall
at Kirkby Stephen support point]
Of
course I will
[a fellow runner and complete stranger
at Kirkby Stephen support point, who was happy to volunteer to pop my blister
when I sought advice for my blisters]
Is
it like the Ironman?
Would
you like some food?
Can
I get you a plaster for your blister?
Yes
of course you can leave your empty coffee cup here, just throw it over the gate
when you pass.
[Nice
lady at a cottage in the woods, just past All Saints Church, Ingleby Cross]
My
biggest worries
I
would struggle reading the map, when unsure of the route, having to put my new glasses
on each time I needed to check the route (my eye sight has recently slightly
deteriorated). I would go wildly off
route. I bought a magnifier for map reading and kept it with the map just in
case. I didn’t need to use either my glasses nor the magnifier - nor the map.
I
would struggle with the GPS (I haven’t had the opportunity to practise either nav
using map and compass, or using GPS technology, where I live, outside the UK). In the event, I just about managed, following the dot on the route; I saved the route to my phone using the Outdooractive app recommended by the race organiser .
I
wouldn’t get enough sleep and I would hallucinate and/or have temper tantrums and
get disqualified. I did manage to get some sleep, I had just enough
sleep, maybe more than I needed.
What
I did to prepare
I read all the blogs I could find eg Anne Green, Andy Cole, Karen Nash, info on the internet from Jen Scotney and John Kynaston. Reading the blogs and interviews and watching the Youtube vids helped me visualise the route and I picked up some great tips. I made notes about route errors made by others, hoping to avoid them. I made notes of where shops (food and drink opportunities) were. I love a Coopportunity and I surprised myself when I walked past the Coop in Shap, I just wanted to get to the Support Point and rest my feet.
I packed a spare pair of socks in my race pack (as recommended by Jen Scotney) and that saved my race when my 1000 Mile socks failed me by greeting me with a gaping hole in the heel, after just a few hours into the race, at Ennerdale Bridge. I changed my socks approximately half way between Support Points, and my feet appreciated this.
I
set my alarm clock for 5 am most days in the month leading up to the race, so
that I was used to being woken up earlier than normal. I got used to jumping out of bed and faffing
with kit, checking my race pack was ready and going out with the full kit, even
if just for 20 minutes.
I read and reread the mandatory kit lists for running pack and drop bag and checked the rules for the finish bag countless times, I made countless lists and ticked everything hundreds of times for weeks leading up to the event including the morning of the day before, the night before and morning of the race.
What
I did wrong
The forecast was for snow, ice, blizzards, hail, sub zero temperatures, a couple of days before the start. I borrowed some microspikes from a friend, at the last minute and made an emergency visit to Millets to buy thermal leggings, although I worried I didn't have goggles. On the morning of the event, the conditions were much milder than forecast but I was so hooked onto the arctic conditions which had been forecast that I didn’t revise what I planned to wear and from the start at St Bees, until Ennerdale Bridge, I sweated under the weight of my thermal tights which I had put on under my capris, and my thick merino top which I should have saved for another day. It may be that the merino top helped from Rosthwaite to Patterdale, as it was cooler in the night, but I could have worn a lighter layer until then.
My
race pack was too heavy – it was really heavy on day 2 in particular. I really need to work out what to carry and
what to leave in my drop bag. I tried to be ruthless and make my mantra "every gram counts" but I did carry too much, just in case.
I
carried the borrowed microspikes (approx. 600g) not only from the start to Patterdale,
but also from Patterdale to Kirkby Stephen when I should have put them in my
drop bag at Patterdale.
I
carried a battery pack (600g) throughout the race so that I could recharge my
iPhone, which I was relying on for nav. For back up I had a Garmin 64s but that just had a breadcrumb to follow with no map, which I found slightly difficult to follow. I should have made sure I had one
method of navigating and been able to rely on it, without having to carry such a heavy battery pack.
I had
a Petzl Nao Plus head torch and I carried 2 spare batteries for this together
with a Led Lenser hand torch as another back up. I could carry just one spare battery rather than two.
I carried more food than I used, between support points and I could reduce weight by more careful planning. When I arrived at each checkpoint I had quite a lot of nuts and chocolate remaining in my food bag in my race pack.
I wore a 300g Rab VR Summit jacket and I also carried a OMM 300g plus additional layer (Primaloft) for emergencies, which I didn’t wear until the last day. If I had checked the forecast before I left each support point, maybe I could have left some additional layers in my drop bag, but I worry about going over on my ankle and getting cold if I stop moving.
My sleeping bag in my drop bag was not warm enough, I knew that I was taking a risk, with what I chose to take, but I wrongly thought if was tired I would sleep – I was cold at night and this did stop me from sleeping well. Next time I will take a much better sleeping bag, which I do have, it was easier to leave it at home and rely on gear I had elsewhere.
What
I did right
I have only used walking poles on two races (the Lakeland 100 in 2017 and the TDS in 2018) and on some long distance trails I have done and I found the poles invaluable on those trips; they are great if you are carrying a heavyish rucksack and also save quite a few potential falls.
I used my Mountain King walking poles throughout this event and only stabbed myself once with them, which is quite an improvement on previous encounters. On tarmac I find the click clacking too much and I tend to carry them along the road stretches. I did see some competitors dragging them along, like ox and plough.
I prepared an itinerary/schedule which I went through a few times, looking at the route, in the months leading up to the event. On the event, I didn’t look at it once, I just had a small piece of card with the cut off times for each support point written in coloured Sharpies, in my map case which was all I needed to know, on the day. In preparing the schedule I was visualising my progress along the route. I checked the race route against my A-Z book of the Coast to Coast and noted the differences; this helped me visualise the route, so that on the day, I had a vague idea of what to expect as I moved from west to east.
Highlights
The route. I loved every inch of the route, although the roads between Danby Wiske and Ingleby Cross were endured rather than enjoyed. I have done the Wainwright C2C route before (with some minor variations) in 2017 with 2 friends and we had fun. I hoped to improve on the time we took then (5.5 days).
The entire
event itself was an amazing experience, it was a holiday from work and a break from the
real world and I felt immensely privileged to have this opportunity.
The free coffees offered at the Dales Bike Centre in Fremington, near Reeth and Lordstones cafe worked wonders, it was a perk to be offered a free coffee when I was stocking up on tasty food and drink and I was pleased to make it to these cafes, just before they closed for the day.
People: I met some ace people, some new and some old friends from previous races and I hope to meet them again. Yakking and yoyoing with these people who were on the same journey was wonderful.
Photo credit Melissa Friesen
The food: hot and cold food was provided at the support points. I had two servings (even a third serving of the butter bean curry and chips at Richmond) and I thought the food was tasty, nutritious and healthy. Full fat Coke at Richmond was a treat.
All
involved in the event - the other runners, the marshalls, volunteers and event
staff – without exception were wonderful and made my journey supremely fabulous. I met some lovely people and it would be amazing
if real life offered so many positive connections, outside of the race bubble.
The
marshalls were all very kind and supportive and could not do enough for the
runners, that I saw. I am sorry that I
pulled a face when I was told there were no tents because they had blown away,
or there was no power and 'try the pub', because the marshalls then immediately went on offer alternatives as they were responding to the situation beyond their
control. I did think the Enterprise hire
van was going to blow over, as I tried to snatch some sleep outside the Lion Inn,
I was prepared for that, although it did not in fact happen.
There were two
nights when I chose the safety of watertight and safe accommodation (a tent at Kirkby Stephen and
the hire van at the Lion Inn) over continuing, mainly due to the biblical weather
conditions which I couldn’t face right then, at the end of a long day. In better weather, I think I might have kept
going. I was grateful for the shelter.
I would like to thank everyone who offered me food, help, support and assistance at the support points because without fail all the support people were incredible.
I was so pleased to see my friends at the end, Nick and Liga, who came to see me finish and present me with my medal, as I didn’t think anyone would be there for me at the end and it was a real treat to be greeted by friends I haven’t seen for almost 3 years. And Nick had finished in 66 hours, 7 mins, 30 seconds (21st) which was incredible!
1st
male Kim Collison 44h 24m 30s
1st
female Lisa Watson 52h, 52m, 57s
93rd
Sarah Smith 99h 47m 31s
104 finished
