That's still worthy of congratulations Karen. Well done!
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THE CAST:
Checkpoint officials: Ray Howarth and Jane, and Mick Concannon; Dave Haywood, Gisele Bryden and the Jennings family; the extended Booth family; Paul Jepson; Les and Jane Crownshaw, Jenny and Pete Down; Jeanne Tilley and Martin Herrington.
Minibus: Brian Gent
Various places all day: Pete Townson, Mick Cochrane
Sweeper: Brian Harney
Walking sweeper from Maltby: Henry Marston
Hot meal at halfway: Elaine Laurie and Jenny Gent
Hot meal at finish: Pat Rowbotham, June Harney, Jacky Sheriff and Marilyn Carratt
Jim Brogan, for driving the computer on the day that produced the results
Kevin Thomas and Nina Hague for distribution of T-shirts, badges and bags
Alan Bryden, certificates
Sharon Burton for overseeing everything
Thank you one and all.
I think my luminous Round Rotherham tee shirt is smashing!
Weldone tussockface for digging in and nice to finally meet you in our toilet encounter. Well my day started too fast for first bit then paid for it and my lack of recent training with a bit of a crash for a couple of hours then picked up abit and settled into a steady peice it together finish until my old knee injury started letting itself be known so aload of pain killers and alimp in but a good day out with disappointing 11 hr but happy to get doing with lack of training and a limp round the brid half today to finish the knee off for good measure. A big thank you to the woman who stands outside her house giving drinks out. ( although she wont be reading this) but I thought she deserved a mention bless her :)
I fibbed................
Thank you to everyone involved, organisers, marshals, helpers and everyone who I spoke to/grunted at at some point or the other, especially Karen and BritNick who I chatted with before the start. I got round in 11hrs30, slower than I would've liked but started having hip problems just over halfway, which went downhill to the point that I spent the last 12miles developing an interesting shuffle-run-whilst-leaning-on-a-stick gait (a walking pole that my parents happened to have in the car). More training needed next time for definite! But (largely in retrospect) a good day out :)
Great event. I think I suffered the "initiation" others have talked about in the first half as, accompanied by a sore knee, the industrial/commercial landscape around Tinsley area made me think this would be a long and hard day! and made me wonder if I really had the appetite to complete another ultra this year. Great support around the CPs and really friendly and helpful inside (impressed how many indoor CP organised - felt spoilt). Checked my bag and had forgot my compression bandage at Cricket ground - probably the only time I swore that day - so took an ibuprofen (try not to use these during any run, not had to use one on run for over a year) and dragged myself through the reasonably pleasent but prolonged section around about Rother Valley CP (consoled myself these were easy miles). On to halfway and had a ginger biscuit I'd packed on top of other offerings at Harthill which really picked me up. Got a real spring back at this point as pain departed for awhile and before I knew it, time for tuna sarnies and chocolate at Woodsetts.
After a steady first half I didn't really lose any pace after halfway and an increase of rural landscape in the second half helped. And though the mud in some fields was a bit sapping, in general the rain must've softened up the ground nicely as feet weren't too battered after. Though both knees were getting sore and pained by the end, but it is 50m afterall. Ran to the end with Craig, who was doing his first ultra and kept going really well. Great event and good to see plenty of familiar faces before, during and after.
Happy to have done it and will again, even though I think long runs are off the radar for a few weeks now whilst the bad knee recovers a bit - hopefulyy by Rudolph's Romp ;)
It was great to see so many familiar faces once again. What a reunion.
Nice to chat RachFR, and well done with your finish. Same goes to you Tussockface. I'm glad you were able to walk through the injury. Hopefully the long-term gentle exercise and stretching will have helped it.
Karen, well done to you for another dashed respectable result.
These were the muddiest conditions since it moved to October, but the weather was as good as it's always been since the move.
Many thanks to the organisers and volunteers for another perfect execution. Good call old un about the family that offers support just before the first railway crossing. Shame they won't see this.
I found out why I was almost an hour slower than I was last year. Last year I ran to work for 8 days leading up to the event. This year I did not. It's only 2 miles as well. A couple of Parkruns between Hardmoors 60 and this just doesn't cut the mustard, does it?
Provisional results, as pinned up on the wall before I left, can be found in my piccies.