Forest Gump once famously said “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. As I stood on the Race to the King (RTTK) start line this phrase crossed my mine.

The last six months have been a mixed bag with no races, varied training, occasional injuries and then the prospect of running from Slindon to Winchester, or at least the possibility !!

I ran RTTK in 2017 and finished in a respectable 12.06, that time clearly wasn’t realistic this year but you only live once so I decided “what the hell” lets go for it.

In the end I called time at 41.5 miles and Exton village, it was both a hard and an easy decision, in that I knew, enough was enough. The remainder of this blog charts how the day panned out. The race was emotional but most of all it was full of the great people that trail running attracts.

After a 4.45am alarm call and a 6.05am departure from Fareham train station myself, Paul, Jamie and Mark were taxi bound heading for Slindon. The sun was out and anticipation filled the air.

Once at the start venue we saw a number of familiar faces, Tracey, Zoe and Sabrina from Fareham Crusaders, then Lee and Neil from Gosport and I was particularly pleased to meet Deborah who I talk to on twitter but hadn’t actually met.

Paul, Jamie, Neil and I set off at 7.45am with Lee and Mark already fast disappearing into the distance.

The initial mile and a half allowed for some overtaking so the field largely found its pace quite early on. The temperature was already warm and as Paul and Jamie eased away from me (not intentionally) I decided not to chase them but to run my own race at my own pace.

For regular readers you’ll know I like to take photos to show where I’ve been, the two photos above plus one more from the start were the only three I took through the whole day. Why ? Because I decided I had to give 100% concentration on this attempt. Thanks to Paul Coates FCRC and Su Baldock from Gosport RR for the remaining photos 🙂

As I approached the first pit stop at about 8 miles the scenery was breath taking, classic South Downs Way. It had been a long and gradual climb to reach the top of the Downs.

Each aid station has an amazing choice on offer and great marshals. I filled my 500ml soft flasks, grabbed a couple of energy bars and set out (they even had portaloos ).

By mile ten I was into a rhythum and was starting to contemplate what the rest of the day would hold. The sky was blue, the grass was a lush green and the white chalky paths made for a scenic contrast.

When running on your own it’s very easy to talk to yourself !! I commented out loud, “the heat is certainly building” !! As I crossed the road at Cocking there’s a steep hill and three quarters up it I noticed Mel from our running club. Yes, she’d run past me and not noticed and likewise I hadn’t initially twigged it was her.

The ironman tattoo on her calf and the Crusaders t shirt caught my eye, we discussed how these 12 miles or so had gone and then as the theme of the day would develop, she moved on ahead.

Around mile 13 I had my second wake up call of the day with a pain in my hip. I ignored it for a while and then decided to use some deep heat. The second pit stop at 16 miles appeared and after a quick chat with Aaron from FCRC, refills and some spectacular Tuna sandwiches I set off again on the long uphill country lane opposite. It was also good to chat again to DiscoDeb as her twitter name says 🙂

As with all climbs you may be walking (no one was running) but you can still be productive. I took my cap, sun tan lotion and more food out of my rucksack while walking with purpose !!

Once up on the Downs again a refreshing slight breeze helped but I decided to blast the hip pain with a double whammy. Paracetamol and more deep heat. By the woods up ahead and 18 miles I was hot and getting even more heated with the pain in my hip.

Granted the tablets hadn’t kicked in yet but my frustrations were heightened when I couldn’t find were I’d put the deep heat. I had a paddy, emptied virtually all my rucksack onto the trail and there it was. A couple of passing runners asked if they could help but I assured them I was fine, I was lying, I was annoyed.

In situations like these, in the middle of no where, there isn’t much choice but to press on so I used a combination of running and walking. The irony of being pissed off is that passing runners sense your frustrations and pass with either a knowing “I’ve been there” nod or they genuinely want to help.

Around this time Sabriana and her husband overtook me and I wished them well.

The kindness of total strangers immediately brought me down to earth 🙂 I knew the remaining thirty odd miles well from this point as we approached the first of the two Beacon Hills so I offered as much course knowledge advice as I could to everyone that enquired after my wellbeing. Trail runners are great people.

With Beacon Hill staring us in the face this also meant basecamp wasn’t too far away and even though we had a series of hills to master with Harting Down the 2.5 miles or so to the camp are largely shaded and downhill or flat, all of which I knew would lift my spirits.

Running into basecamp at about 23 miles it dawned on me I’d been running for over five hours and was on the verge of only the second marathon distance I’ve run in 2019. These facts gave me a boost and I left the camp with a renewed approach. I think I saw Tracey from FCRC here but I’m a little cloudy on that one ?? The multi-coloured flags were waving in a slight breeze which was very welcome.

The next coupe of miles were shaded which helped immensely as it was about 1pm by then and I was starting to get a headache. This could have been the heat or dehydration or stress with my hip but either way I needed a distraction to take my mind of it. My saviour was Su Baldock from Gosport Road Runners.

I’ve never met Su before, I just noticed she had a Gosport RR t shirt on. I know lots of GRR runners and without exception they are all friendly. We initially chatted in general terms and then when I mentioned I had a blog she told me my 2017 RTTK write up had been essential reading for a number of her fellow club mates which was very gratifying to hear.

As was the case for the whole race Su headed on in front of me and I set myself for the long gradual climb up New Barn Lane and the steep incline through Queen Elizabeth Country Park. I kept my sense of humour by imagining the many times I’ve run this lane but in the opposite direction. I tried to recall all my running friends that have accompanied me in this area and again the trail running community spirit spurred me on.

Once through QECP the legendary Butser Hill presented itself.

Again I used the hill walk to eat and text my family to ensure they knew I was still alive even though it wasn’t all going to plan. Butser really hurt my hip, I was starting to suffer with the heat and to be honest I wasn’t in a good place. I knew the 31 mile pit stop was on top of the hill and I pondered on dropping out.

I’ve never DNF’d (Did not finish) so I refilled with liquids, flat diet coke and peanut butter sandwiches (which I hate) but it was good to get proper food inside me as well as gels and snacks. I must mention another positive from this race in that there were no single use plastic cups so my refill bendy cup came into its own. Well done RTTK for tackling plastic issues.

I soldered on past the Sustainability Centre and down Salt Hill. The tough undulating downhill played havoc with two sore toes I’d largely been ignoring and for the first time in perhaps nine hours I actually stopped, sat down and contemplated what was my next step.

Yet again, the sound of a friendly trail running companion asking the way meant I could offer my local knowledge and consequently my mood was lifted. I told a few runners about the cold water tap at Meon Springs and their eyes lit up !! I poured more over my head than I drank 🙂

Old Winchester Hill was a slow walk and I entered the pitstops with a resigned demeanour, I was close to packing it all in. Zoe from FCRC passed me and we said hello briefly but I knew the end was in sight. I could have asked to be signed out there and then but I felt I owed it to myself to reach 40 miles. I plodded on.

The trig point on Old Wincheter Hill is a favourite location of mine but it wasn’t today, I was getting moody and the day was catching up with me. On the descent my hips and toes hurt but more than anything I knew I wasn’t enjoying it.

I’ve mentioned before that I sing to myself when running and as I contemplated my situation The Clash “Should I stay or should I go” came to mind. It was time to go.

I rang my wife and she came out to pick me up near Exton. So, 41.5 mile in approaching eleven hours with various stops and it was all over. My first DNF in 30 years.

The final irony was we still needed to go to Winchester to pick up my kit bag and at the same time I could officially register dropping out.

It was the right decision and I haven’t changed my mind. I still love trail running 🙂

Huge congratulations to everyone that finished. I managed 3/4’s of the distance on not enough training, a hot day and pain, others may have finished with a similar scenario but enough was enough for me.

I really appreciate the supportive comments that I’ve had on twitter, facebook and instagram from friends. I appreciate that they respected my decision and not one person offered sympathy because it wasn’t needed. I made the decision.

I’m proud of the 41.5 miles that I covered and yes, “I’ll be back” !!

5,000 calories and all but one of the big hills covered meant my appetite has gone crazy. A Harvester breakfast was the only answer on Monday #dayoff .

Thanks for reading. Rog 🙂

This is my running buddy Paul’s video of the Portsmouth Coastal ultra. The 4 minutes sum up our 5 hours + of running really well. Good work Paul and thanks very much for letting me share it 🙂

Why would you want to run 31 miles on a morning that started with frost and ice and finished in rain ? The answer is because we love a challenge and we love to run. This photo of my running buddies Paul and Nikki sums up the buzz that trail running can give you. Someone once sung “Money makes the world go round” but they were wrong, it’s people and especially long distance runners 🙂

The Portsmouth based Believe & Achieve running company host a number of events through the year but they are probably best known for their pre Christmas marathon and 50K ultra.

With an 8am start for the ultra and 8.30 for the marathon we were all up “bright and early”. Nikki’s photo below shows the view from behind the Pyramids leisure centre, our race HQ, and out towards the pier, #inspirational !!

Inside the Pyramids main hall we talked with runners from Fareham Crusaders, Gosport Road Runners (GRR) and Pompey Joggers. I also chatted to Spencer from Centurion Running and the Runr chaps who were there manning their running kit stall. As we made our way out for the start it soon became clear that the seafront was quite slippy underfoot and that caution would be needed.

There were lots of familiar faces on the start line by now and we were all marvelling at the blood red sky and the early morning sun. I spotted Dean, Nikki, Paul, James, Simon, Matt, Dave, Thom, Dwayne, Del, Cat and Richard from our local clubs running the ultra as well as Shaun saying goodbye to Susie Chan who was running the marathon half an hour later.

This map from my Strava download shows what lay ahead of us. Two miles along the seafront, a section of harbour mud, compacted trail around the harbour with a small amount of tarmac and then down to the Hayling ferry for the 15 .5 mile half way point. All that remained after that was to retrace our steps !!

The curious thing about ultra’s are that by definition you run slower. As a consequence you rarely see people warming up !! So the hurly burly of a 5K is replaced with lots of chat and banter, both as runners stand on the start line and for a good mile into the run.

Fleet brothers Dave and Matt disappeared into the distance first, they were then followed by most of the other people we knew but Richard Law and Dwayne stayed at mine and Pauls pace. We’d decided to start conservatively. Me, because frankly I hadn’t done enough training and Paul because he’d run Bovington marathon the previous day !! I think he’s up to 61 marathons now.

The harbour mud wasn’t too bad at 2 miles and as we weaved our way along the harbour path the field started to thin out. The temptation to pop into the Harvester pub for breakfast at about 4 miles was avoided and by 5 we were into our rhythm of just under 10 min miles.

The beauty of the course is that it’s fairly easy to spectate at as well as drive ahead and appear again. Gosport Road Runners were very well represented including my friend Hayley with her vocal support and tambourine. The aid stations were well stocked but we ran through the initial ones as we were carrying supplies. Thanks to Mike Harper who also gave us a shout.

The first shingle section passed without any issues but as we made our way around the coastline the wind off the sea had started to slightly pick up as well as the sun disappearing so I decided my egloves were staying on !! Paul dropped behind me slightly but we both know each other well enough that I was confident he’d catch me up later.

Once across Hayling bridge the 10 mile bleeper went on my watch, a third of the way !! By now a number of the marathon whippets had overtaken us and with the nature of the out and back course runners were heading towards us.

The 13 mile half way mark was quite congested with supporters and then, all of a sudden, it because really quiet with only the ultra runners carrying on. Now at this stage I was on my 3rd gel and had drunk well so I felt reasonably in charge. However, I was rudely awakened by the next shingle section !! My god that hurt. It was like running in toffee. Once again, however, seeing friends running in the opposite direction was inspiring.

The half way aid station had the ever lively Kiernan from On the Whistle to encourage us so I set off with renewed vigour. It’s also worth pointing out that at this point we were only a few hundred metres from the 29 mile point, it’s just that it was tantalisingly on the other side of the water. After a couple of motivational hellos with Cat, Ian and Del this then meant I’d left the shingle and was heading back towards the marathon runners. I have to say meeting familiar faces on a long run really does lift your spirits. Some banter with Allie and Crusaders men’s captain Paul Pickord certainly helped as they were taking drinks at their 13 and my 18 mile point.

With 20 miles approaching I’d got to the point were my lack of training miles was starting to show and I had to accept that dropping my pace was needed, however, there were a number of marathon entrants walking now, so this kept me going.

Once over the Hayling bridge I was counting down the single figure miles. With a large group of GRR supporters, including Terry, Nick & Kim from Absolute Running and Hayley with her tambourine cheering us on near Havant this helped over the next couple of miles. Paul caught me up and another host of marathon Crusaders did too. Ladies Crusaders captain Mel, Paula, Trevor and Rachel all appeared along with a gingerbread man 🙂 (Thanks for the photo Mel) This was at around the marathon point for me and it’s always great to know you are moving into ultra territory !!

Mel and Paula (to the right of the GB man) had also run Bovington marathon the previous day. By now steady rain had set in but luckily it wasn’t too heavy and it certainly didn’t dampen my spirits. We exchanged banter and as always Paul was leading the way. The final miles were a bit of a struggle for me but I insisted I was fine, when Mel asked. I ran / walked for a while and crossed the line in 5 & 3/4 hours.

As ever I was greeted by lots of the people mentioned above and if the car park ticket hadn’t for been imminent we’d have stayed later. This is what’s great about our running community, it doesn’t matter what position you have finished in, you are part of the community. I had a fantastic day with so many great running friends. Thanks to all the runners and supporters. Running maybe an individual sport but we are all part of one big happy family.

If you have enjoyed reading my blog maybe you’d consider voting for it please. Just follow the link  VOTE

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Many thanks to Rob Piggott and his Believe & Achieve  team for a great race.

P.S. Here’s a facebook message from a potential future winner !!

A 31 mile run in the middle of December … what can possibly go wrong 🙂

Starting on Southsea seafront the 50K takes in all of Langstone Harbour, then down the old Hayling Billy railway line and almost as far as the ferry. Once you’ve turned around all you have to do is retrace your steps !!

This blog is aimed at giving runners who don’t know the area an insight into what to expect. Naturally this will apply to both the Believe and Achieve marathon and the ultra, both of which still have “some” places available. Today I ran a 7 mile out and back section of the route starting from a small car park that’s where the course meets the A27 as my strava map shows below. What it also shows is that my watch ran out of battery at 8.5 miles !!! But it does relate well to the course map.

The first two miles of my run would be on tarmac and more importantly a cycle lane that connects Portsmouth to Havant. Even on race day this will be the case so please bear this in mind !! That said, I was impressed with the amount of cyclists that rang bells or shouted “coming through” as we all took in Farlington Marshes to our right.

As I got into my stride I pondered how the wind would effect todays run and of course what might lay in wait on the day. The horse shoe shape of Langstone Harbour means that the wind can come at you from different angles, only for a brief couple of hundred metres or a prolonged breeze so basically its best not to overthink it, you just have to go with the flow !!

Once off the shoreline the route briefly skirts the edge of Havant before a sharp right turn that takes you back towards the coast again.

The track narrows as you pass the sea defences and within another half a mile Hayling Bridges are in sight. A short section of shingle adds to the “seaside” feal of the course but it’s only 200 metres or so.

I’d point out the next section of the coastal path here as it does need some caution with it being quite rough with stones and larger bricks which stick out. This section doesn’t last for long thankfully but it also leads to a short muddy section with a style. Once through, that’s really the only technical section of the whole course.

I mentioned Hayling Bridges earlier, there’s the current road bridge and then there’s the remnants of the old Railway Bridge that hasn’t been operational for some decades now. What I did like was the signal that’s been erected as a reminder of days gone by. My photo below was slightly off the race route but worth a snap 🙂

The Hayling Billy railway line have compressed soil and stone which is ideal to run on and it’s also quite wide too. The harbour views extend across to Portsmouth with its Spinnaker Tower and out towards the Isle of White. Quite a few sections of the line have hedges that give cover from the elements (we will be running in December) and with the nature of the race being “out and back” we’ll see the quicker marathon runners heading towards us, which will be great for motivational banter !!

I didn’t go as far as the ultra turn around point today but I’ll blog about that in the coming weeks. Once I’d reached 7 miles I turned around and headed back. The line was well used by dog walkers, parents and children, even a horse rider so again these will be factors to take into consideration on the day.

Portsdown Hill stretches across the skyline on your return leg and it’s intriguing to look across the harbour to see where you’ll be in an hour or two’s time. Once over the bridge I had four miles left and I have to say the shingle section was harder work than I remembered what with the seaweed and drift wood that needed negotiating. However, it doesn’t last for long 🙂

All in all today was a solid 14 miles on my own just as a recce and reminder because I haven’t run around her for some time. I’m looking at getting a few of us together in the coming weeks so I’ll be able to add other local runners views to mine.

There were no hills today which makes a pleasant change and its always enjoyable running by the sea, it just seems to have a relaxing effect on you 🙂 It’s a varied route so there’s something for everyone.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my course notes, if you have then maybe you’d consider voting for my blog in the Running Awards ?

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Today was a new experience in a number of ways, the furthest I’d run, the longest time I’d been on my feet and my first White Star Running (WSR) event, in short, it was emotional !! The Rushmore Estate in Wiltshire was the location and with an 8.30am start this mean my alarm clock went off at 5.15am. WSR have had a growing reputation with their more relaxed approach, humour and really looking after runners which made for a great experience. Can you see me starting my watch, behind and to the left of, number 134 in my maroon Fareham Crusaders top ?

The race instructions from WSR set the tone for the day. Comments like “write your mobile number on the back of your race number in case you get kidnapped by the locals” and “anyone caught littering will be carted through Tollard Royal in chains” this meant I was really looking forward to my visit to the Wiltshire chalk downs. The weather forecast was for light rain showers later in the day so I packed my Ron Hill jacket and my favourite race nutrition, SIS gels, cliff bar and Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Preparation wise I’d been to see Sharon at Rural Retreats for a sports massage and printed off the maps but 36 miles worth of maps don’t mean a great deal when you’ve never been there before !! As it turned out I was never in any doubt where I needed to run so that’s quite an achievement over such a long distance and hats off to the WSR organisation.

The rural setting meant parking in a field and porta loos for the 100 + runners as well as an onsite ice cream van, fish & chip van and cider shack !!

As we got into the run it was noticeable that there weren’t any mile markers but instead boards with motivational saying, quite a good idea seeing as most of us have garmins. The nature of running around a countryside estate meant the course went from open fields one minute to 1 metre wide rights of way through yellow rapeseed fields the next.

I haven’t found the total elevation for the route yet but it must have been 3,500 ft + as the up hills really did seem to outweigh the downs or maybe that was just my mind playing tricks on me. As with all off road races there was lots of chatting while running through the first few miles as we all got into our rhythm. My race number being 118 was certainly a comment that came up a few times 🙂 With 3 feed stations in the first 10 miles we were certainly being looked after and the views would have been suitable for landscape oil paintings.

The section between 12 and 15 miles was quite tricky in that it was narrow tracks of slippy mud with over grown hedgerows and to add to that it had started raining. At points like this it’s safer to walk and just laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation is. Not knowing any points of reference it’s hard to explain the course but as 20 miles approached the boost of flat coke at a feed station was really great.

We shared the day with various park uses on the Wiltshire Downs including these trail bikes !! Reaching 20 miles and knowing you still have 16 left could be daunting but I decided I was over half way and with the sun coming out again life was improving. We next headed along a dove which would have been used to drive cattle to market in years gone by. I also chatted to a local lady runner who gave me an idea of what was left which was very useful so “thank you” to her.

WSR are famous for their “Love Station” which is placed at a point where you will really need it. Our’s was at 29.5 miles and at the end of the drove, which had been slightly uphill for some 6 miles or so. Alcohol and lots of food, as well as the offer or a huge, were very tempting but the organisers had cleverly placed it at the top of a hill so I decided to press on and get some well earned “easier” downhill miles under my belt.

The rain had started again by now as we tackled another section of unrunable mud before passing through a farm with some inquisitive cows who must have wondered why their quiet day was being interrupted. Pressing on down some country lanes the hardest hill was coming up at about 32 miles. A one metre wide track of mud that ran up hill through some beautiful woods but my god it was hard work and I was starting to feel a bit dizzy so the final feed station at 33 miles with the sight of a downhill run towards the finish line flags was exactly what we needed.

A cheeky 400 metres up hill to the finish line summed up the nature of the race and that was that. I had tried to even out my effort and walked when I thought I needed to, this resulted in me coming 81st out of 106 so 75% through the field which seeing as I’m still learning about Ultra running I was happy with. How tough was it ? My time was 7.59.31 which is easily my longest effort to date. A great day, T Shirt and medal, thanks to White Star Running. I learned a lot about myself today and if I can offer one piece if advice it would be that we are all capable of more than we think 🙂 Happy running.