I had said that I wasn't going to do Pendle this year. 2020 I ran round with Sarah C, who patiently tolerated my incessant whingeing (until she started to struggle in the last few miles when I switched to jollying her along instead). 2021 was the April year when it was boiling hot and I didn't feel like I'd done very well. It just didn't really feel like my race.
When Claire entered sometime last year I thought I'd put an entry in too. I didn't hate it, I just hadn't felt that it'd gone that well. It's a well organised race with fantastic support, and most of the course is pretty scenic (if a little bleak on a cold day).
In the run up to this year, I looked back at previous blog posts to see what kit I was carrying etc, and started to see why it'd felt less than successful. The last time I'd done it was still near the beginning of my regular ultra running life and I've gained a lot of fitness and experience since then. So I felt a lot more relaxed about it this time around. A friendly weather forecast helped.
Saturday morning was an early start. Claire needed to feed her neighbours cats, and I was picking Daz up from their house, so we left the house around half six. This year the start was at Barley rather than the Heritage Centre in Barrowford. We got there around seven twenty, leaving a bit of time to register, faff etc.
Once through registration I picked up a copy of the map and jammed it in my pack, took a surplus to requirements 2nd spare torch back to the van and hung around outside talking to Karen. She'd had a chest infection for a few weeks and was sure she was going to struggle...
At 8am we headed out. Claire and I were running separately for this one, so we were together for a hundred metres or so then I put my foot down. I caught Daz up at the cottages, then passed another Toddy at the entrance to the woods.
Claire caught me up just after the road crossing, and we chatted for a bit along with a runner from Marsden before I got a move on again. I ran with (Richard from Marsden?) for a while, although some nav problems at the edge of the housing estate separated us for a bit.
The leg to Earby is pretty long even without the 5km earlier start. At 25km or so it's now even longer, but a long first leg is OK. I decided to put on a good bit of speed at Barnoldswick along the canal stretch to bank some time for later. Passing the lock cafe I spotted a familiar L&L shortboat - I think I used to know the owners of 'Kennet' some years back. Eventually I made my way into Earby and all the way through the town to the YHA. I filled up with water at Earby and cracked on again towards Laneshawbridge and Wycoller.
The field just before you get to Laneshawbridge is boggy and unpleasant, but the run along the beck is quite nice. The main road was very busy on saturday morning, and it took a while to cross.
On a bad day the climb up to Coldwell under Boulsworth hill can be awful. It's straight into the wind and a long series of climbs and drops. This year it was fun, the wind picked up here but was still only about 15kph and I managed to crack on fairly well. The runner from Blackpool I'd been talking to earlier disappeared into the distance on the climbs, the lad from Marsden fell back and I was on my own for a while.
At Coldwell I shovelled down some more crisps and headed out again. The next section is varied, with some nice rural paths and some more urban areas. I encountered some familiar faces at Catlow (although I'm struggling to remember where I knew them from) who were on the 30 mile.
At Walverden res I passed then was repassed by a young woman in an orange jacket who featured regularly in the latter parts of the race - I finally lost track of her just before the climb up to the summit of Pendle. The descent down into Brierfield is just through housing estates with road crossings. Not much fun but it doesn't last long. At the bottom before crossing into the field I was surprised by a big roe deer belting across the road in front of me at full speed. Thirty seconds later a very excited collie/spaniel cross arrived, yapping itself hoarse and running in circles, the deer long gone.
The next bit is the venue for the worst feet soaking on the route - a riverside path that isn't so much 'side' as 'in'. I plodged over the sunken duckboards and swamp out to the road, then crossed over to cross the motorway and onto the fields below.
Approaching the climb towards Higham I was struggling a bit. I'd eaten 3 out of the 4 pittas I was carrying, and probably should have had the last a bit earlier. My Marsden friend from earlier caught me up and gave me some encouragement. I ate at the bottom of the climb and pushed as hard as I could manage up to Higham, planning on sorting myself out properly there.
Higham is the point on the PWiaD to sort-your-self-out. It gets more exposed and colder after that, and it's late on in the race. A cup of tea and five minutes sat down sorting kit, adding a layer and making sure torch and warm clothes were immediately to hand, then 3 fruit jellies (very strictly small amounts of sugar) and I felt not just better, but good. I thanked the lovely folk at the CP effusively (in truth, all the CPs on PWiaD are really good - the support is a particular characteristic of the race) and headed out. The young woman I'd met earlier left about the same time, and we chatted a bit about races as we climbed up to Newchurch. At Bull Hole I almost made the same mistake I'd made last time and got the wrong side of the wall. I caught myself just in time and crossed back over. At Newchurch I overtook some people who commented on my Calderdale S&R buff, then I got ahead climbing up above the church. I was moving pretty quick now and once I got onto the steep climb up Pendle I really got into my stride. The cloud came in as I reached the summit, but I only had a couple of km to go.
Karen had, unsurprisingly, finished about twenty minutes ahead of me and was sat eating with Kat who'd finished first female. Rory had broken the course record, in spite of still feeling the effects of winning the Spine Challenger a few weeks ago. Daz had unfortunately retired at 28 miles with persistent injury.
I managed to get onto the village hall wifi, to find that Claire was about 15 minutes behind me. Sure enough, she soon came in, soaking wet from the rain that had newly started but pleased with her third female placing and the cup of tea that was waiting.
I ended up having a cracking day, knocking 58 minutes off my previous time to get 9 hours 19. I think the last minute move from the Heritage Centre to Barley made for a much more enjoyable race, I really hope it will stay that way in future.
Thanks to the organisers and crew of the PWiaD for a great day out :)
Kit:
- Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20
- Silva Trail SR head torch
- Zebralight h53w backup torch
- OMM Flash 1.0 tights (emergency, in bag)
- Awdis base layer (emergency, in bag)
- Drymax trail socks (carried)
- Garmin eTrex 20x
- Buff (forgot my cap!)
- Primaloft buff
- Montane wind shirt
- Columbia lightweight waterproof
- Decathlon waterproof trousers
- Altra Superior shoes
- drymax trail socks (worn)
- Raidlight winter running tights
- awdis short sleeve base layer
- awdis long sleeve base layer
- club vest
- Rab powerstretch gloves
- buffalo mittens
- Supalite bothy
- Silva Ranger compass
- OL21 lamfold
- Screw top container as mug
- UD water bottle
Food:
- 4 * pitta pizzas (pitta half with tomato, mozzarella and something else (cheese, tartex) toasted
- 3 packets of crisps
- Vegan jerky
- seitan chorizo
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8506013719
Stats:
1 bagging round
1 ultra event pre 2019
