Ultra_Tales_Issue_13

EVENT REPORTCOAST 2 COAST ULTRAActually, I ought to mention I normally have a bigproblem with cyclists. I live in Germany and run ontrails and hills at weekends. The cyclists are so rudeand dangerous. They barely say hallo or even thankyou for getting out of their way and I have hadarguments with them on more than one occasion.However the cyclists on this route were very politefriendly and safety conscious.It was mentioned to the cyclists we were runningthe route which was greeted by exclamations ofshock, surprise and disbelief. I love it when thathappens.As I left Chrissy put my rain jacket on. As I alreadyhad my Care Keep Warm top on I thought thisunnecessary, but the Waskerley Way turned out tobe part of the Pennines, ‘An area of outstandingnatural beauty said the sign. Beauty, my arse! It is abarren windswept sheep filled wasteland.If it is so beautiful how come no one lived there?Although I left before the three musketeers, theysoon overtook me. After a while I called Chrissy andshe told me she was meeting me earlier thanplanned at the Rowley crew point some 107 miles inas the other crews were there. I was pleased withthis news and had more tomato soup from theGoodwin sisters.As I left I asked Chrissy to get me three cheeseburgers at the next stop in Consett. As I approachedthis point I was a confused as there was severalpossible route through the town and I wanted toget to the one that went past Tesco’s, the meetingpoint. I called Ross and he confirmed I was headingin the correct direction. A cyclist tried to stop meto put me back onto what the correct route was, butI wouldn’t stop for anyone.As arrived in the car park I saw the other supportcrews with coffees in hand.‘Chrissy is over there’‘Hiya’‘Hi can I have my burgers please’‘I haven’t got them I went for a coffee with thegirls.’Part of me wanted to scream WTF! But another partsaid it doesn’t matter we must keep moving. Zebrathinking, there is no point in arguing aboutsomething you can do nothing about.Both of those voices were wrong. I could have,should waited for the burgers there and then.Instead Chrissy pointed me to the correct route. Iwas a little distracted by how good she looked onno sleep and her concern for me. She did her funnylittle skipping run which is so cute and I completelyforgot to refuel.I entered a park a bit dazed and confused and hadto call Mark again to determine the correct routeonto the Derwent Way. I needed food and water hadnone. I called Chrissy and arranged to meet at theDerwent Walk Inn just off the route. I ate one of thecheeseburgers and loaded up with gels. I couldhave taken the other burgers with me. Anothermistake! These were the only things that would staydown as the energy bars were too heavy.I knew time was moving on and I wasn’t going fastenough. I resolved to run as fast as I could ignoringthe pain in my feet. I got to Rowlands Gill at 117miles and changed out of the Care Keep Warm topand into the Spartathlon shirt which hummedsomething rotten, but I didn’t care. I refuelled withgels and cheese in crisps packets.Chrissy poured water over my head to cool medown and showed me the way the others hadtaken. I was a bit confused but found the way backonto the Derwent walk. I couldn’t see properly andit took me a while to realise I had lost a contactlens.I called Chrissy and asked her to meeting me inNewcastle somewhere along the water front and tobring my distance glasses, ALL the gels and theother backpacked filled with water. About this timeI received a text from Mark saying he wanted to seefive mile per hour from me to reach the finish intime and that I must run.WHAT THE FUCK did he think I was doing? No pointin wasting energy on him though, run, run like the56 ULTRA TALES | OCTOBER 2014Sponsored by thehttp://