Hardmoors Race series

[karen nash]

Great event
Thanks to the company from Headless, No10 and especially Martin G and Dave plus Daves wife. Without your decisive action and helping me into warm layers I don't think I would have got round. Long time since I have been so cold and even then needed a long stop in Kildale for more hot tea.
Family stayed over to orienteer on Cringle Moor today- I bailed out half way round and just went up the the edge to see the view. Perhaps it was just as well we couln't see R Topping it looked a damn long way

[Toyota_Crown]

Bad luck headless - I would have prob quit at Osmotherley unless I'd had a full change of kit. I can sympathise with anyone who did drop out, even though i was lucky enough to finish

The exposed route, low cloud, rain & wind all combined to produce the most unpleasant conditions I've ever raced in (and I speak as a finisher of the 2005 WHW race that was stopped early).....
For once, it turned out that a race name wasn't mere hyperbole. It really was the HARDmoors.

Half way round I was wondering if the race might have even been called off, it was so gruesome out there. So interesting to note from your comments as likely a more experienced ultra/fell runner, that we really have had the pleasure of a proper silly tough one. Hard Moors indeed!!!

I was looking forward to seeing this side of the NY Moors and Cleveland Way properly for the first time, as I only know the latter coastal part. Well, looks like I'd have to come back and do the race again, coz lets face it, except nearer the end, you couldnt see nowt, visibility was so horrendous. It was some experience, just plodding on in a weird world of low cloud/fog, rain and North wind. Even worse for me as I wear glasses, which were oft smeared with rain, making some of the uneven & wet rock-step descents a bit hazardous if attempted at any pace.

I went off a bit too fast, trying not to let a good pace group get away. As it was I made a slight early navig error, so ended up with another group of 3 lads. Turns out they were a good bunch anyhows, so I had to gradually let them as it got ever murkier before we got to Osmotherley. Crikes that path was annoyingly slippy with mud after Sutton Bank top car park. So much for my hopes that the ground would have been dry enough recently to soak up the overnight and morning rain.

I was tempted to drop out at Osmotherley, as my knee was troubling me, and was already pretty bushed. But I did an almost full kit change which took me 11mins. I figured with such a long way to still go, and not being one who copes well when i get wet & cold, that it would be reckless and not much fun to continue in my already distinctly wet gear. I had taken bigger kit change bags than anyone else, and i didnt regret it the options i now had available. I donned a thicker cycling top, a posh e-vent jacket, and a fresh hooded cagoule over that as well. 'Ironman' running cap with peak to lessen rain onto my glasses, a better Goretex Mountain cap, and my cagoule hood. So i had 3 layers on my torso and head. Normally I would have overheated in seconds if I'd tried to run in that lot. But here i was just fine - so the conditions were quite unprecedented. I also suppose that i didnt overheat coz you couldnt push a hard pace at this race, as you wouldnt sustain it to the finish. You basically werent working that hard to get too hot. And there were even some times up on the exposed tops when I made myself run a bit harder in order to heat up and keep warm, even though I was pretty knacked. Respect to the likes of swimmingdunce who could do the whole thing with no kit change.

However even with the 11 min break, and recovery walking up the long climbs after Osmotherley, I felt pretty shot, and was unable to find the mojo/energy to do any consistent running, so it was run a bit, feel knacked, walk a bit at the first sign of any gradient. the weather had temporarily improved, and I was refuelling OK (and had no stomach issues queasiness throughout). With the next sections being so tough, there was a lot of climbs that demanded you walk so I welcomed these hills as recovery breaks. I was caught by 3 lads, 2 of whom I knew the form of, and I had recovered just enough to hang onto the back of them, though this was tricky in the murk, and i nearly lost them twice when i had to faff with some kit.

One lad dropped off, but myself, Colin and Rick? were pretty evenly paced as I started to recover. We just ground out a steady sustainable pace, with Rick doing a good job on the navig. Thankfully the weather had eased up by the time we got to Kildale, and i was feeling OK, and didnt need any further kit change this time.

My mojo was coming back, and I was descending fluently cf the other 2, so I broke away at Roseberry as there was a chance of getting in under 10 hrs and i think I achieved around 10hrs exactly, despite getting lost badly before High Nab. Even though I thought I'd lost time with my navig error, I was pleased to have finished feeling relatively strong, which is the main thing.

I picked up the green spray painted arrows thru Guisborough Woods OK, then seemed to lose them when pointed down a muddy descent down towards the town?. There was a bright green glove? on a stile post at the bottom on the left. Was this a coincidence or was it a 'green' marker for the correct route? As i was unsure, I continued down the more obvious path into town instead.

I had a sore knee going into the event, so was naughty to do it at all, and I'm paying the price today as just a little bit of easy cycling into town to watch my local 10k made it flare up quite sore again. So fingers crossed it will heal with some dreaded rest! other than that, I'm OK. Calves just starting to stiffen while sitting down to type this as we speak.

the (free!) massage girls at the finish were excellent. Big thanks to Jon and his team of helpers, everything was fantastic, eg the route marking at tricky bits like getting thru Osmotherley. The hardy souls at CPs camped out in daft locations deserve a special thanks. And an example of an unsung hero was the wet cold bedraggled chap who came into the (excellent) showers having been out on the course as a 'sweeper'. without good folks like this, we wouldnt have the privilege of attempting such an awesome race

just a shame the weather was almost worse-case!!

[Stanners]

Well done all who finished. I was going well upto about 10 miles and then i got the shits. Tried to eat, just went straight through me.
Same with the drink. kept going to the 22 mile checkpoint, but i was getting dehydrated.
Gutted. The weather wasn't too much of a problem as i love to race in crap conditions, my stomach was another story.

[Drunkeneuphoria]

Has anyone seen this? Good to hear he's ok. Hardly "karma" after such a good job done

[Toyota_Crown]

crikey, glad to hear jon's OK!!

[socks]

Sounds like an epic!! Well done to all. My trip to Filey, running along the cliff tops and yet not seeing the sea, pales into insignificance! Visibility returned inland and running through the Wolds was lovely.

On the names - I reckon having done it 2 years on the trot in quite hard conditions, that the "Grin & Bear it" should have an "m" in the first word!

[BritNick]

The conditions sound horrendous. I'm glad I couldn't be there.

Swimmingduce, you're certainly versatile. You seem to thrive on adversity whether it's hot and dry or cold and wet.

[karen nash]

Toyota C- good run.
Wish I had carried ore clothes and less food ( as I didn't eat it anyway)
By the time I knew I needed to wear more I couldn't undo the buckles on my rucksac and just got very worried about how cold and clammy I was getting. Knew it wa a problem but unable to do much.
Was very glad to be bundled into a smitten (the only dry or extra I had)as an extra layer and I guess I could have changed my gloves but felt they would only get wet again. Have never been offered the option of drop bags before and so just opted to carry what I thought I needed as on Long Mynd last year- you live and learn and at least I finished

[Headless]

I picked up the green spray painted arrows thru Guisborough Woods OK, then seemed to lose them when pointed down a muddy descent down towards the town?. There was a bright green glove? on a stile post at the bottom on the left. Was this a coincidence or was it a 'green' marker for the correct route? As i was unsure, I continued down the more obvious path into town instead.

I got to the finish just in time to not need my torch so came through the woods in the light but missed all those arrows. I followed the acorn signs on wooden posts and the glow sticks hanging at junctions. It seemed very straightforward compared with the expectations generated beforehand.

[Drunkeneuphoria]

I was looking forward to seeing this side of the NY Moors and Cleveland Way properly for the first time, as I only know the latter coastal part. Well, looks like I'd have to come back and do the race again, coz lets face it, except nearer the end, you couldnt see nowt, visibility was so horrendous. It was some experience, just plodding on in a weird world of low cloud/fog, rain and North wind. Even worse for me as I wear glasses, which were oft smeared with rain, making some of the uneven & wet rock-step descents a bit hazardous if attempted at any pace.

TC - Come back in the summer for the Osmotherley Phoenix, covers most the same route from Osmotherley turning back and into lower lands before getting to Blowarth. Then rejoins again on the western escarpment in closing miles back into Osmoth. Clear throughout and great views last year, problem then was too b***dy hot in June.