travel – Run With Dai

Interlaken planetary, Interlaken planetary

Published on July 27, 2024 by runwithdai1 Comment

A few years ago Paul did a solo adventure along the Hardergrat Trail in Switzerland. Ever since he’s been eager to go back with us to do it with him. We started scheming and found the time to form a plan and incorporate another visit to the Eiger Ultra Trail alongside the Hardergrat Trail. Paul, Matt and I did the E101 100km Eiger Ultra Trail back in 2022. Darryl and Natalia wanted to do the race too so it was perfect timing, to combine the Hardergrat with the E51 50km race the following day.

The plan seemed simple enough, fly to Switzerland on the Thursday, Do the Hardergrat Trail on the Friday, do the race on the Saturday and fly home on the Sunday. Efficient, although not the recommended approach for a race and a bunch of early mornings were for sure going to be tiring! We based ourselves out of Interlaken to take advantage of being closer to the Hardergrat Trail and more options for accommodation. We also had one shot at the Hardergrat Trail so were very dependent on the weather/ground conditions, which thankfully, were perfect…

Hardergrat Trail

The Hardergrat is a popular and well known hiking trail that runs along side the Brienzersee lake between Interlaken and Brienz. Although I say hiking trail, I don’t believe it is an official waymarked and maintained Swiss trail. Depending where you read, it is often described as one of the most dangerous hiking trails in the world. Whilst I don’t believe that myself and think there might be some dramatisation (I’ve felt less safe on some other trails I’ve done!), the risk is very real and it is well known that people have fallen, in some cases fatally, from the trail (there are many memorials and crosses along the trail!). It also isn’t for the faint hearted though and can be quite terrifying in parts. So if you are considering it, consider it carefully and plan appropriately!

All that said, we didn’t go into this lightly and had planned it very meticulously. Firstly we had Paul leading the way and he had completed the trail before. So we collectively knew the route and dangerous points and what to expect from first hand experience. Secondly we were only going to start if it was safe to do so. If it was wet, or indeed had been wet in the days leading up to our adventure, or windy, or any risk of the forecast changing unexpectedly for the worst, we wouldn’t be starting. We also planned to begin at 5am. The trial is over 25km long and has close to 3000m of elevation gain in total and finishes high up in the mountains where you either get a train back down, or descend over 1000m by foot. We didn’t want to feel any time pressure so we planned to start the hike from Interlaken up to Harder Kulm as early as possible (note, there is a vernacular that covers the ~1,000m climb to Harder Kulm, but this doesn’t start running till about 9am). We also planned to stop towards the end of the ridge and descend to Planalp and get the train to Brienz from there rather than continue all the way to Brienzer Rothorn. These trains finish around 4-5pm so you need to be ready to reach the end destination in time or face that huge descent on foot back to the lake (also worth noting it was about 40CHF for a single ticket down from Planalp!). Besides all that, the four of us consider ourselves to be well experienced on mountain trails and conditions and look out for one another. So we felt we were suitably prepared…

Our one concern was water. Given it is only really safe to attempt this trail in summer, and it is completely exposed along the top so was was going to be very warm, we wanted to carry as much water as possible, a minimum of 3 litres each. With the Harder Kulm being closed so early in the morning, there is no where along the trail to get water for pretty much the duration of the trail. Around Augstmatthorn I believe you could descend and then retrace back to the trail, but you’d be adding hundreds of metres of elevation and hours to your time, so you only really leave the trail here to start or finish a hike. We’d carry as much as we can and be sensible with the rationing.

We woke at 04:00 when our alarms disturbed our slumber. Had a quick breakfast and made our way outside around 04:30. It was a short run to the vernacular station where the trail to Harder Kulm starts. It is a forest trail winding up narrow switchbacks pretty much the whole way. I popped two Energy Bytes (caffeine sweets) here to help wake me up a bit and give me energy on the climb. It took us about 1 hr and a half to make the climb through the forests to Harder Kulm which was about 800m over 5km. From the restaurant and viewpoint here there is probably about another 300m or so along 2 km through the forest before the mountain ridge becomes visible. On the way, as we stopped and ate some sandwiches, a few others passed us including two brothers from America who we would see at various points as we leapfrogged each other along the trails.

It was beautiful seeing the sunrise through the forest and the morning mist giving way to these epic summits stretching way off into the distance. A long way below to your right, the lake looking like a gigantic hole in the ground. The mountain kept climbing until we reached Augstmatthorn around 14km in at some 2,100m up. Getting here we had our first taste of the ridge and some narrow sections. Many hikers stop at Augstmatthorn and make their way off the ridge. Another hiker we were talking to told us the route becomes much harder and more dangerous after this point (he had hiked it many times himself when he was younger he said). Somewhere along here there were also electric fences to one side of the trail to keep the cattle on the mountain side to the left. I know they are electric as at one point, whilst sitting down and resting, I brushed my arm against it and felt a tingle in my opposite ankle. This amused the others!

We carried on knowing we were a little under half way along the route we’d planned. What lay ahead now was a series of 7 or 8 mountain climbs. Each short (in comparison to what we climbed to Harder Kulm!) but very very steep. Some sections were rocky and had ropes and chains. Some sections had very clearly defined paths, but were right on the ridge and were very narrow underfoot. Some of the climbs were like walls and we scrambled our way up. It was very slow progress and we stopped atop of each summit to sit and enjoy the views and eat food. The views around us were pretty static. The view down and across the lake remained unchanged throughout the hike. The view to the left did change as the valley climbed through a mountain pass alongside the ridge. The view in front however was spectacular. With each summit we climbed, the descent became visible and the ridgeline curved off with a different perspective into the distance. Up and down we went…

It was a long slog as each climb was exhausting and we rationed our water more and more. Unlike when running in a race with aid stations, I was taking small sips to ensure I saved the water and had plenty for later on. Each big climb though would quickly empty a bottle. I played a strange game with myself where I was committing to not finishing a bottle before some point I picked in the distance. This felt counterintuitive but, the longer we progressed, the less water we had and the more it become problematic. One by one we were calling out just how many bottles we had remaining and the numbers were dropping quickly!

It’s hard to say for certain which memories and pictures correspond to which peak on the ridge. I do recall though that we passed plenty of hikers along the way, many doing it in reverse having taken the train up from Brienze and hiking back towards Augstmatthorn. One couple were lovely to chat with and I had a great conversation with the lady about the vibrant wild flowers all along the ridge. She told me to “take as many as I could and keep them in my heart”. I thought this was a beautiful sentiment. I also recall one particularly difficult descent which required scrambling down on all fours. For much of the ridge I kept my poles tied away in my pack and relied more heavily on my hands and having more points of contact with the ground.

Towards the end, the ridgeline was far narrower which caused the legs to feel more wobbly despite the clear and flat footpath we were following. Way off in the distance though we could see the Hotel Rother Kulm / Brienzer Rothorn Station which is the true end of the route. We weren’t going the whole way here but instead would escape down the side of the mountain and get on the train at another station at Planalp. For us, continuing to Brienzer Rothorn wouldn’t add much to our experience other than making it more dangerous – it would be quite a few more kms and probably two more hours or so, which we weren’t able to accommodate with water to sustain us. It wasn’t the timings that concerned us, but carrying enough water!

As we neared the trail junction where we could begin descending off the mountain we were all pretty much out of water. By now we’d ‘adopted’ the Americans who had made great progress but ultimately weren’t prepared for their adventure (think lack of training and deciding to do the hike whilst on a family holiday) so together we all descended. Even the downhill was tough going as our legs were now tired and our throats dry. We had about 600m of elevation to drop and about 4kms to go. In the distance we spied a water trough, however when we got closer it was a static one without a tap filling it up. We carried on. Paul had disappeared into the distance and Matt was somewhere between us and Paul. Thankfully after about 3km and 500m of descent we caught up with Matt at another trough that did have a fresh water supply. We stopped and drank about a litre each and refilled our bottles. A few hundred metres further on we all felt the groans of our stomach as the sudden intake of water and bouncing movements unsettled us!

Eventually we made it down to the Planalps station where Paul was nowhere to be seen. He’d mentioned there was a restaurant at the station which we couldn’t see. We soon found it further down the road with Paul sitting happily in the garden waiting for us and a cold panache! We stocked up on drinks of all kinds whilst we waited 45 mins for the next train (which we just squeezed onto) down to Brienz. Here we headed straight to the lake for a lovely cold dip to relax before making our way back to Interlaken. What an adventure! Now time for the Eiger Ultra Trail…

Eiger Ultra Trail E51

After a restless sleep and another an early wake up call we made our way to the station at Interlaken Oost to get the first train to Grindelwald along with a load of other runners. The train was quick and easy and we arrived 20 mins before the race started. We made the dash to the registration centre in the sports centre (we’d taken advantage of the opportunity to request registration on the morning of the race to save another trip to Grindelwald on the Friday!). The ice rink in the basement of the sports centre was gone and it wasn’t cold this year as we waited in the short line, collected our race numbers and dropped our bags off before making the way back to the start line. There were only 5 minutes to go before the race started so we settled into the back of our wave 1 start and then gently ran the 2km or so to the trails. We had maybe 10 runners around / behind us for those first few kms. As we got to the trail there was a big bottle neck as we queued to cross the river. We waited a few minutes at a stand still before we made it through.

Shortly after we began the first climb to Gr Scheidegg, the memories from the E101 a few years ago started to come back to me as we wound our way slowly up the switch backs. Last time we did this in the darkness so it was refreshing this time that I could see the trails and experience them, and the views, around me. We steadily climbed and enjoyed the short break after about 6km where the trail levelled out and we ran the undulating trails before the remaining climb to the first aid station. As we arrived, it was just as I remembered – a narrow set up that doesn’t really accommodate space for the runners. Navigating through the checkpoint in single file we grabbed some snacks and water and waited out the other side. We spent a while here eating and drinking and enjoying the early morning views of the Eiger before carrying on. I popped another Energy Byte to give me a kick and wake me up a bit.

From here to the next aid station, at First, was great. It is a short section of about 6km that has some runnable trails and gentle descents and climbs. All along it are panoramic views of the mountains surrounding the Eiger. The Eiger itself was standing magnificently proud in the cloud cover across the valley. Towards the end of the section we began the long, but gentle, slow ascent to the viewpoint and aid station. As we reached the top, the route markings took us across the trail and towards the viewpoint and the walking platform. This was Natalia’s first time experiencing such a long and exposed platform so we slowly walked along it to the sanctuary of the aid station, after getting some pictures of course! At the aid station I had my own party as I sat and ate loads whilst singing to the 90s pop anthems blaring out. Even though we’d only done less than 15km I tucked into the soups and bouillon available (it’s a popular feed station on the E101 route!). Eventually though we had to carry on.

I remembered the next section as we left First and made our way towards Feld. The trails were similar to before and led us towards some amazing lakes of Bachalpsee, naturally as we ran around the lakes the views were incredible. It really is a beautiful place. I pointed out Faulhorn to Natalia, the highest point in the race way off in the distance, a tiny speck on the mountain. Along here we met some other British runners who were part of a group running from Wild Trail Manchester, the group I spent a lot of time running in London with. After the lakes we encountered a small amount of snow on the trail which made it slippery, so we climbed slowly and carefully. Some smart arse behind us tried to rush past us and slipped in the mud and slid back down the hill. Not sure what he was trying to gain. He didn’t try to go past again.

I knew the next section was quite rocky and technical (It’s even marked as such with ‘danger’ signs from the organisation). That much I could remember. I told Natalia to go slowly as it was rocky and now wet and slippery too. As we progressed we found ourselves near a lady who was clearly uncomfortable on the technical terrain. Knowing it was a short section I told her not to worry and to go at her own pace safely and we’d all follow behind. We stuck with her. Naturally a queue formed as we slowly progressed along the single track. After a while some prick behind us made a comment “it’s called trail running not trail walking”. I couldn’t hold my tongue. My usual polite and refrained manner was overcome and I snapped back to tell him that clearly there are runners who are not comfortable and that their safety is important. I told them that if they wanted too they could find an alternative route past and if they were such good trail runners then they wouldn’t be way back here in the race with us ‘trail walkers’ after 20km. No one said anything. No one tried to get past us. Go figure. It wasn’t long after that the technical trails gave way and the ground became more firm. The lady kindly stepped aside for people to pass her. We went past and started running. A few moments later I looked back, no one was keeping up with us. Says it all. Sometime later, on the next section after the aid station, we past the guy who made the comment as he was sitting on the side of the mountain on the next climb, clearly knackered. I was tempted to make a sarcastic comment then…

Anyway… After a short stop at the next aid station, Feld, we started the climb to Faulhorn. Before the race I couldn’t remember this climb. As soon as I saw it though I remembered. Like years before it was a warm day so a very hot and exposed climb. It is steep and slow going, a snake of runners slowly dragging themselves up to the top. In the sun it felt like it went on for ever. All the way up you can see the restaurant at Faulhorn, sitting way up high and ever so slowly getting closer and more in view. We kept pushing without stopping and made our way over the saddle and onto the last short climb to the restaurant were the trail takes you around to the back/top of Faulhorn. We stopped for a picture by the archway then joined the queue of runners waiting to get in and fill our water. Like many of the aid stations it is a tight fit (although this one on top of the mountain is justifiable with its limited space). I had a few cups of Coke that had been expertly whisked to a flat state by the willing volunteer. It was so refreshing in the heat.

We began descending and all the memories I was so sure of started appearing to have holes, giant black holes. As we left Faulhorn I was chatting to another British lady and I told her it was all nice runnable trails from here. It isn’t. I’d completely forgotten about the next section. First there is a short, sharp descent down from the summit. Then you make your way over rocky ground before the real descent began. This one is long and very rocky. There were a few short snow field crossings thrown in the mix too. As you make your way down you are descending on lots of large steep steps in the rocks, then further down we went, past the restaurant, on trails covered by snow burying the rocks beneath. I slid down on my bum as my shoes had no grip (I was very aware that they are now excessively worn but I thought would be ‘fine for the lovely runnable trails’ I falsely remembered!). Like the climb before it, the descent felt like it went on forever. As the trails started to re-emerge my head started piecing together the memories better as we made our way up a little incline to the water stop that is ‘Egg’.

It was actually this next section from Egg to Schwand that I recalled the best. My memories just made me believe the whole section from Faulhorn was like this. There are some lovely trails for the most part as you ran along the exposed mountain tops. Lots of tourists and walkers out enjoying the hike from Schwand to Faulhorn in he opposite direction. The mountains are exposed and you have these Epic views over the valley to the Eiger on the other side. Way off in the distance you can see another mountain restaurant perched on the side of the mountain. Below it, somewhere, the next aid station. It was a long way to go by sight, but not that long now you can move more quickly with the even terrain underfoot. We made a quick stop in some shade to apply more sun cream as it was getting pretty hot now.

Before getting to the end of the path, there was the ladder/step climb I’d completely forgotten about too. I piggy-backed on to a group of runners half way up and thanked the hikers waiting patiently to come down. After this it was a gentle hike up before we eventually reached the turning point where the downhill started. Pretty much from here it was all down hill to the final aid station. First we descended on lots of switchback trails to the aid station ‘Schwand’ though. This I remembered quite well as two years earlier Paul and I had stopped at a trough and desperately filed our bottles and relaxed, only to then see the aid station a few hundred meters further along. I recognised the trough (now covered up!) and pointed out the aid station to Natalia. We were ready for a break from the sun.

After a little break in the shade and a ‘little douche’ from a volunteer with a hose pipe we departed. The trails led downhill into the forest. It was more technical than I remembered with roots causing the descent to be painful on my now very tired quads and ankles. The ground below was very spongy between the roots. This year I was prepared knowing that there was a sizeable climb during the descent. This caught us out back in 2022. It started in the forest then took us up as we crossed over a waterfall and then climbed further through a hamlet. I didn’t recognise the hamlet and it turns out that we went a slightly different route this time and climbed further. See, not all my memories are wrong! Eventually it was back into the forest as we began descending again and continued down towards the valley. We spent most of the descent in a train of people slowly making their way down gingerly. At some point the single tracks opened and we squeezed passed the group and were able to run at our pace. As the trail became switchback roads Natalia opened up and sped ahead. I couldn’t keep up. We could then smell (literally) the final aid station. We ran passed so many people in the short field as we ran down and into Berglauen. We took a few mins to refuel, deciding against the potatoes on offer, then set off. The final 7km to go back to Grindelwald.

As final 7kms of races go this is ace. It’s pretty much flat the whole way following the river back to Grindelwald. Over the 7km there is 225m of ascent and 100m of descent. Mostly this is grouped into three ‘climbs’ towards the end as you near the town. We ran/walked the whole way passing many runners as we jogged along the river. We then passed through a small village with incredible wood carvings (I now wish I stopped to take a picture!) and welcoming signs before crossing the river and running through the train station and over the train tracks for the Eiger glacier train (which we had to wait for and got a huge thumbs up from the driver). From here it was almost the final stretch as we stated to climb into the town and along the footpath to the point where the E101 joins from the opposite direction and we make our way up the final climb into the town. Its a short steep climb on paved road which everyone climbed so slowly. Once done, it was over! We we ran the few hundred metres down the town to claps and cheers from both sides of the road, round the final turn into the finish line area and down the familiar steep ramp to the finish line.

Just like that it was over. We quickly escaped the busy finish area and went to collect our bags, change into fresh clothes, before meeting up with the others and making our way to the train back to Interlaken. It felt like a very long day by the time we had food and made our way back to the accommodation!

What a weekend! The Hardergrat was an incredible experience and it was special to see the mountains around Grindelwald again and share the race with Natalia. I don’t remember the race being as difficult as it was (and I won’t blame the run the day before!), it was certainly more technical than I remembered. We all agreed we wouldn’t want to do the 100k after experiencing the 50 nor could we believe that we’d done it previously!

Van, Van, Van Der Veen!

Published on May 24, 2024 by runwithdaiLeave a comment

The Salomon Ultra Trail Hungary has numerous different race distances from a V500 up to a the 111km ultra. It is set in the town of Szentendre, a short drive outside of the capital Budapest, situated on the banks of the Danube. On this occasion myself, Natalia, Nick, Elise and Carl headed out there with me and Carl doing the 111km, Natalia and Nick on the 50km and Elise doing her second trail race on the 22km ‘Twin Peaks’.

Natalia, Carl and myself flew out on Friday and spent the night in Budapest before joining up with Nick and Elise who flew on the Saturday. The weekend began with some humorous errors. Carl booking the wrong hotel in Budapest (thankfully he was booked in the accommodation next door and not further away!) and then we found out that somehow we’d all missed that Elise’ race was on the Saturday, just a few hours after she landed, not on the Sunday as we thought. Thankfully, when checking in to the hotel in Budapest, we got talking to Erika, the receptionist, who was running the race herself on Saturday and volunteering on the Sunday. So we were able to get a message to Elise and prepare her ready for the surprise! That day in Budapest a thunder and lightening storm hit the city. It was torrential. We spent maybe 20-30 mins at one point waiting under a bridge as the rain was so heavy and the ground instantly flooding. We hoped that the trails would dry up on Saturday (Saturday was predicted to be mid 20 degrees, but more rain forecast for Sunday morning).

The next day we travelled to Szentendre and met up with Nick and Elise in the town centre before checking into our AirBnB around 2pm. We all went to the race centre for registration, where I had the comedy moment of seeing a picture of myself and Paul from the Letecka ultra on a tv screen at a stand for the Slovak Ultra Trail. I also happened to be wearing the race tshirt as was the person at the stand. So we had a quick chat about that and the Big Bear Ultra which is another Slovakian race I’ve got my eye on. After the Expo we saw Elise off to the bus for her start and went about preparing for our races. Carl and I would be starting from the town at midnight whilst Nick and Natalia had a more respectable 9am start on Sunday.

Around 8pm we made our way into the town centre to cheer Elise over the finish line. Whilst there was a prominent race finish area, and plenty of crowds, the atmosphere was completely flat. Hardly anyone was cheering or clapping runners in. We took turns ‘enthusiastically’ cheering in the runners whilst awaiting Elise’s finish. She soon came bounding round the corner with a huge smile on her face (and mud on her legs from a slight fall). We brought the noise chanting “Van, Van, Van Der Veen” much to the delight of the elderly lady next to us. It worked out nicely, for us all to be able to support Elise as we expected we’d all be out running when she would finish. Afterwards we made our way back to the accommodation and an early night (or attempt to rest our feet for a few hours for me and Carl!).

At Midnight we entered the start line. A full kit checked was performed on every runner entering the start pen and information about the route and weather was relayed to the runners. From the start we weaved through the old town, along the cobble streets and towards the river. We had a few kms along the footpaths before leaving the town behind and entering some fields and forest trails. The ground was compact but soft and the rocks slightly slippery. The first climb came and went and soon enough we were on single track forest trails on a speedy downhill. We were chatting away non-stop and commented that it was incredibly peaceful. There wasn’t a sound in the forest and no other runners were chatting or speaking. It was very relaxing, but it was also very humid. The lingering storms made the night stuffy and warm. I was already soaked through and felt like I’d been swimming in a river with my shorts dripping wet and clinging to me.

Next up there was a long, slower climb where the ground was covered in a thin layer of slippery mud. It made the climb tougher than it should have been, but the sweeping downhills made up for it and we skipped on at speed. After one climb, seemingly out of nowhere a huge derelict building appeared next to us. It was eerie in the darkness of the night. Right after this we found ourselves in some sort of campsite / out door active area and the first aid station (Dobogoko). We were 20km in so took some time to eat and drink before carrying on.

We started descending from the aid station straight away on beautiful forest trails. I made a note to message Natalia and Nick with some insight on the trails. It was very much like the sort of trails you’d find on the North Downs Way or in the Hurtwood forest. Very runnable and mostly wider, well defined trails and paths. We continued to enjoy the sanctuary of the quiet forest before a short section higher up where the wind was howling and the temperature dropped. After descending though we soon warmed up again. The next climb was a little more troublesome as the sludgy wet mud had returned with a vengeance. The trails were drenched from the recent downpours and our shoes were now clogged with mud. We struggled to get any grip and made slow progress up the climb. Thankfully the descent was much better and very gentle. The morning was starting to break and for the first time we could get a sense of the scale of the forest. It was dense and the silhouettes were vast and majestic as the darkness started to ease. We were over 30km in now and already confusing ourselves. Somehow we thought we had another climb and descent to go, but then arrived at the next aid station (Pilisszentlelek). We were happy about that, a pleasant surprise! Whilst this was just a water stop (there was an option to have a bag drop here which we didn’t use), we sat down and rested for a good 20 mins. Carl was starting to feel fatigued and was having issues with his hamstrings and his glutes. We did acknowledge that we had probably been running the downhills too quickly.

The next section was fairly straight forward. After the two longest sections, and 5 chunky climbs done, we now only had 9km to cover with a small climb and longer descent. The forests woke up and were filled with the sound of birds going about their morning routines. It sounded like there was a party high up in the trees. After a short out-and-back section we were at the aid station of Pilismarot. We sat down and enjoyed some warm vegetable soup. It was so salty, exactly what we needed. It was starting to become clear that we were spending more time at aid stations than most runners. We weren’t concerned just yet, but were very aware that the cut offs for this race were quite tight and we probably didn’t have time for all these long breaks. We went back out on the course, into the forests and began one of the longer climbs of the day.

I was needing a comfort break so told Carl to carry on and I’d try and catch him up. As I tried to catch him I upped my marching pace and started over taking runners as I set my sight on Carl way off further up the climb. As I got near to him, the runner in front turned and started coming back. Shit, I thought, had we missed a turn? I checked the route on my watch and we had indeed missed a turn a few hundred metres back. As we made our way back we wondered how we’d managed this as the route had been exceptionally well marked throughout. As we found the flags it only made it more confusing – there were about 4 flags, clearly marking the turn and all 3 of us had completely missed them. We must have been tired!

As we re-joined the correct route the heavens opened. it was probably 7/8am now and it was pissing down. I was hopeful the dense forest would shelter us, but we suddenly seemed to be in the least sheltered part of the route so far! We made the decision to stop and take our jackets out before we got too wet. We were then amused as my shoes started foaming with soap suds, clearly I hadn’t rinsed them well enough after I last cleaned them! The rain made the rest of this section tedious as we continued climbing in the now wet and muddy forest. We were however greeted with the start of some excellent views as the sun continued to rise before descending on the what was starting to become a mud slide. We were all over the place trying to stay up straight and move forward rather than sideways. Thankfully after the downhill we had the next stop at Domos, which on the way to we passed a gathering for mass at the site of some old ruins. Once we reached Domos, which was another water station, the rain eased up and we packed away our jackets, tried to knock the mud off our shoes and refilled our water.

Now we began the biggest climb on the route. It started off weirdly technical as we clambered up some rocks, but it soon eased up. It wasn’t long though before it became particularly technical again. Firstly there was a long steep forest climb, trying to follow the flag markers where an obvious path didn’t exist. Then it became a narrow, single track path. I found some rocks and sat and waited for Carl to catch up. The views here were spectacular. For the first time we could see the landscape in which we’d been playing. All around us were layers of mountains, dark green forests covering the land for miles and miles. It put everything into perspective of just how dense the forests were. We continued climbing as the views became more and more impressive. There was one rock we though looked like a head staring at the mountains opposite. Slowly the forest gave way and the rocky ground started to dominate. We had a light scramble for a short while, where a photographer capture the runners and the landscape in the perfect location. Then, thankfully it was back into the forest for the remainder of the climb.

We were nearing 60km into the race now and the fatigue was having a greater impact on Carl. He was open and honest as he started verbalising it and so we agreed to take the climb a little slower before finding a place to rest. At first a log seemed an ideal spot before a race volunteer near a look out tower with benches appeared and seemed more optimal. We ‘checked in’ and Carl sat on a bench. I asked the volunteer if I could climb the look out tower and he replied “yes, if time is no worry for you?!”, so I did. Round and round, up and up I went. From the look out tower I had an incredible view over the Danube (and Carl below). It was just a shame I had to share it with some hikers smoking some weed. As Carl waited, he talked to the volunteer who told him all about the ‘famous Hungarian trail’ we’d soon be running on (and to look out for the green trail markers that indicate the route).

Our focus now was on re-energising Carl. We had a few kms downhill to the next aid station (Lepence) where we’d have access to our drop bag. A change of clothing and a longer rest was hopefully going to work wonders. We plodded on, and gently covered the downhill at a more conservative pace. We then arrived into the aid station with some odd confusion. The trail left the forest with a short, steep and incredibly muddy descent to an access road. There were volunteers there and a lady started waving and directing us to our right, where there was another trail leading off back into a forest. There was a language barrier and we resorted to pointing to the trail leading off to the side, to which we interpreted her response as that being the way we needed to go. We couldn’t understand why as the aid station was right there. As we ran off they started shouting and calling us back. It seems they were simply trying to direct us away from the mud to an easier descent. We didn’t care and risked the mud, tentatively sliding our way down. Thankfully we didn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of falling over in front of everyone!

We changed tee shirts and socks (our feet were soaked) and took some time to rest. Carl wasn’t improving though and the tight cut offs were now a stark reality for us. We were right against it and only had 35 mins at this aid station until it was to close and 2 hours to make it to the next one. So at a tad over 60km in Carl was starting to accept his fate and that he might need to make a decision to not continue. Carl is incredibly self-aware, modest and considerate. He was phrasing the logic around me, would I be able to make the cut offs if he wasn’t slowing us down, could I go on to finish the race, would I be annoyed if he dropped out. The answers for me were simple. I wanted him to run and to finish. I wanted to do it with him and of course I wouldn’t be annoyed in anyway. I also had complete faith in myself that if he did drop out, I could claw back the time and make the cut offs and finish. The difficulty was though that we would have to move much quicker than we had been and we’d have to stop for less time at each aid station. We decided to continue and make the decision at the next aid station (which would also have more hot food at it). So with slightly drier feet we set back out.

The next section was one of the slightly longer ones at about 12km, but ‘on paper’ looked fairly straight forward. There was one climb and then a long section of undulating trails. As we set out, the trails made it clear to us that we’d have to work for it… The first few kms were a very gentle downhill, almost flat, but alongside a road. The trail was elevated a little up on a sort of embankment with a steep drop on one side and overgrown foliage and felled trees on the other. The path was covered in the same wet, slippery surface mud that had been plaguing us for hours. The path was also right on the edge of the slope. So we had to move carefully as the risk of falling seemed high. As we moved the trails gave us everything, mud, rocks, overgrown parts, felled trees to climb over, stingy nettles. We moved quickly, but it was tiring. Towards the end of the path, after seeing a snake (slow worm?) we ran along side the road before continuing into the forest again. Here the mud was worse than we’d experienced so far. We had a tiny climb and descent of about 70m but it felt like it took a lifetime, every step forward we climbed we slipped backwards. When it came to the descent, well, we just had everything crossed. Our feet didn’t leave the ground, we were just ‘skiing’ down hoping not to loose control. I was lucky to stay on my feet (despite sliding straight into a stick front on into my shin), Carl wasn’t so lucky and at one point I turned around to find him on his back horizontal across the trail. I thought he was about to roll down the slope!

Back on his feet, we found ourselves re-joining a more respectable path and one which the 50km route had now joined up too. I wondered where Natalia and Nick were and if we would see them (I suspected we’d be way too far behind them now as their cut offs were an hour earlier than ours). We plodded up a long uphill as the day started to get quite warm (I think it was now around midday). Every opportunity we got, I started to run and set the pace. I felt bad, but I knew I had to push Carl. He had to ‘taste’ the pace which we needed to maintain to make the cut offs. It was hard work for me and I’m sure it was hard for him too in his condition. As we reached the top of the climb we came across a picnic area full of people. I noticed the green trail markings on the trees. We were on the popular hiking route now. If the markings weren’t obvious, the volume of people were. It was busy, very busy. The trails were dry and narrow and there were a lot of people to pass for the next few kilometres. Thankfully everyone was very kind and supportive and ever single person we came across stepped aside and gave us priority. I’ve never experienced such common generosity on a race before. Something else I noticed was people’s attire and footwear. No one was dressed for mud! So I was optimistic that this section would be far kinder on us. And it was. We covered the trails at speed, passing other runners too. I hoped it was good encouragement for Carl (except the bit where were once again missed a turn and had to back track!). After a short and steep climb we were out of the forests again and in open fields and a small town. We had arrived at Pilisszentlaszlo, the next aid station.

On arriving at the aid station two volunteers offered us water to wash our hands and our faces. Clearly they recognised the muddy yet warm conditions and it was nice to have some small sense of hygiene before entering! They also told us we were the first British people on the 100km and I joked back that I just had to beat Carl to the finish. Little did they know that Carl was about to make his intentions to quit known. We entered and a lovely lady started tending to my needs, she took my poles and replaced them with homemade tomato soup and offered to fill my water. I told her that Carl needed more help than I did and I went off to eat. As I was enjoying a second helping of soup Carl came and joined me. He hadn’t dropped out just yet. They’d indicated that the next section was 8km pretty much all downhill and we had time. His mind was back in the game. So we sorted our hunger, quenched our first and set back out together. Carl was clear and understood the mission now, he’d tasted the required pace and told me he’d let me know if I was to go on without him. So we started running again…

After leaving the road and entering the forest again, the descent started. I naturally picked up the pace felt Carl dropping a little further back. I shouted back to see if he was ok. “Yes, No” came the response. I turned back and waited as he clarified. He wasn’t going to be able to maintain the pace. He told me to go on without him, that he’d make it to the next aid station in his own time. That was it, the moment the race changed. I accepted his decision and didn’t push him to reconsider. There was probably about 35km still to go and now it was just me against the clock. We said our good byes and I embraced the downhill. I ran, I didn’t think about anything else other than running. I knew I now had to run every section of the course that wasn’t ‘uphill’ and when it came to the hills, I had to push hard. The next cut off was at 14:40 and I had maybe an hour and 20 mins until it closed. I was hustling as the trails passed by some built up tourist centre with a load of busses and people. I dodged and weaved my way through as I made my way to the river.

Here the trails followed the river downhill as we crossed it 12 times (so the volunteers told us we would earlier in the race). I tried to count but couldn’t even keep count to 10 as my concentration was on the trail and the quickest route for each crossing, finding those stones and logs that looked most stable and wouldn’t see me end up with wet feet. I started catching and passing runners, I enjoyed this section. We left the trails onto a road and passed another popular area where people were fishing and watching the wildlife (I think there was something special going on with lots of birds making noise in the pond areas?!). I passed by another runner looking lost as I called and directed him back to the trail. At this point I had the route on my watch. I wasn’t going to risk any more navigational errors! After a short climb we descended on a concrete slab driveway and down into a small town, Visegard, the next water station. It was 14:20. I had 20 minutes spare and I needed it. I was hot and tired from running. My left heel was sore. I thought I’d developed a blister (I’d been gradually loosening my left shoe all day as it was putting pressure on my foot, I suspected the looseness now meant there was rubbing on the heel!) so I had to do something as I’d soon be in agony for the next 30km otherwise. I also planned to fill a third bottle for the next section as there was a big climb to come and it was bloody hot now! As I had to take off my bag to get the bottle I also fished out some spare KT tape to give a bit more protection to my heel. Thankfully it was just a hot spot and a blister hadn’t yet formed so I set about drying the area with my buff to try to get the tape to stick a little bit. Then a lovely lady came over with a box of medical supplies and offered help. They had zinc tape so I cut a few extra strips of the tape to put over the area and make it more secure. This was perfect. On the way out I was also given water to wet my head, hat and buff to keep me cool. I left without eating and began the journey to Pap-Ret. I was fired up and focused.

I left the town and began the climb. It was one of the longer climbs on the race profile but one that looked broken up into two, maybe three, smaller climbs. It was now back into the forest and a slow slog on the forest trails. The mud wasn’t as bad as earlier parts, but still added an extra level of difficulty to the climb. I remember there were lots of amazing views of the surrounding area, but no time to take them in. Only at the top did I stop to take a picture and absorb the moment. I then started running again. There were about 5 km of undulating trails that I just kept focused on. Small little inclines that I used to try not to break my momentum. Through the forests I went, picking off runner after runner. I was moving far faster than those I was passing. At no point though did I have to call out / request to pass. Everyone in the race was so aware and always stepped aside well in advance and cheered me through. Occasionally there were runners moving at a decent pace, and this only encouraged me more, I sped up as not to pick up any runners, I didn’t want any pressure of people running behind me. I was hydrating well and glad of the third bottle. I knew I wasn’t far from the aid station now and then came across the volunteer directing people the correct way along a crossing in the trail. I remembered it from the route, there was an out and back to the aid station. I kept running. It was longer than I realised though and I covered almost a km before I reached it. Along the way I recognised many runners from earlier in the day going in the opposite direction. There were people that passed us on the climb back around the 55 km mark. I made it my goal to see them again…

At the aid station I looked for Erika as this is where she said she’d be volunteering, but I couldn’t see her and I needed to get a move on. I had just ten mins until the aid station closed. I told the volunteers I would leave in time. A girl then helped me fill my bottles and then a few minutes later I was gone. I had about 2.5 hours until the next cut off and 13km and 500m of elevation to go. I was confident. I’d done the last section in just under 2 hours and it was slightly shorter with similar elevation. I just hoped the trails were not covered in mud all churned up from all the other runners that had passed before me…

I ran back through the fields and forests, there was then a small, gentle climb that I quickly walked before the forests presented a series of glorious sweeping switchbacks for me to descend on. It was the first time in the race that the trail had been switchbacks. The terrain was good, the scenery was awesome and I felt good to push, so I did. I ran and ran, passing many more runners. I knew at some point there was a steep climb to come. Elise had told us the day before about a steep climb where runners were using their hands to climb up on the tree routes. As I approached a ‘wall’ in the forest, there was a volunteer who asked if I had enough water and directed me to a stream where I could refill. I had 3 bottles again so I was fine, but I took the opportunity to wet my hat and buff again, putting water on my neck and arms too. Then I started the climb. It was as Elise had described, it was steep and there were loads of runners ahead of me, all clambering up on all fours. I was catching them as I powered up. Each one became a target.

At the top I was relieved, I was glad it was over. But I couldn’t rest up. My mind was also calculating, wondering if that was the climb Elise was describing. I thought I had another climb to go, and she’d said it was the second of her two climbs. I wondered if her route hadn’t come this way, surely she wasn’t describing a climb that was harder than what we’d just done? After more lovely switch back descents I found my self hiking uphill again. I was full of anticipation, waiting for the route to turn and become steep, but, it never happened, I was descending again. I was checking the profile on my bib number, surely I was on the way to the final aid station now. I was. I left the forest onto a road and saw the flags in the distance. I was there, Skanzen, the final aid station. It was about 18:30, I was will inside the 19:00 cut off now.

I was buzzing though, full of competitive energy knowing I’d finish in time and getting high off the endorphins of passing other runners. So I quickly refilled my bottles and confirmed there were a little over 6 kms to go. I knew this was mostly road and down hill to re-join the paths along the river we’d used to leave Szentendre all those hours earlier. I grabbed 3 gummy bears and ran on. I intended to run all the way to the end. I messaged Natalia and Nick to tell them I was on my way and moving well.

The last section took us along the main road before we continued into fields then out and onto a beautiful residential street that was so wide and full of massive houses. I wanted to live there. All the way I was watching over my shoulder for other runners. I felt pressured but engaged, I wanted to catch runners but I also didn’t want anyone to catch me. I knew that with the pace I was going, if I maintained it, then I’d be just fine. From the residential street we joined a main road. It was busy and loud. Thankfully though there was an elevated pavement away from the road. One by one I passed a few more runners. A police man then held the traffic and waved me across the road and I followed a trail back across a bridge to the riverside path. This was it. I knew I wasn’t far from town now. It was still about 2.5 km, which was further than I’d like, but I promised myself not to stop. Every now and then I’d see runners in the distance and set them as the next targets. With about half a kilometre to go I passed one more runner and headed into the old town.

Final 300m through the cobble streets of Szentendre

Running down the cobble streets my legs were flying and it felt like my stride was lengthening. I smiled at, and thanked, the many volunteers cheering me in as I ran round the corner into the finish line cordon. I saw Natalia, Nick, Elise and Carl. The joy of seeing them was mixed with the raw emotion of Carl being on the other side of the fence. I ran to them and stopped. I hugged and kissed Natalia. I was so proud of her for completing her 50km race. I hugged Carl (no kiss for him!) and thanked him. I wouldn’t have been at that finish line if it wasn’t for his company for 70+ kilometres and his thoughtful, considerate decision to tell me to leave him and chase the finish line. I tried to get him to come walk the finish line with me, but he humbly refused and agreed to walk along his side of the fence. I slowly jogged to the finish as the announcer said something like “come on, get a move on and finish”. A stranger reached out for a high five and I duly complied. I clenched my fist for the photographer and took a very welcomed wet towel over my shoulders and a medal round my neck.

I was full of emotions at the finish line and glad to have my friends share the moment with me. We sat for a bit as I waited for my body to go into shock and crumble (I expected it but thankfully it didn’t happen!). On the way back to the race centre (to collect my drop bag and grab some post race food) we ordered pizzas for collection. As I waited I saw many of the runners I’d run passed finish, I clapped and cheered them in too. I’m sure they were filled with similar relief and emotions to finish too.

I knew the race would be fast and hard, 20 hours for a hilly 100km is a tough target for me. We didn’t manage time well and got complacent early on, spending too much time at the aid stations, particularly those that were just water stations. We lost a lot of time doing that.

I’m amazed at how fresh I felt and able to push hard for the last 35km or so. I don’t think I’ve ever run at that sort of effort so late in a race before. I was also amazed at how I ran without eating much, pretty much since the tomato soup at the 74km mark I’d eaten nothing. Normally I’m empty inside and running on fumes on the later sections of races. The soups really were great and must have given me the energy I needed.

Everyone was so generous, the volunteers where so incredibly friendly and helpful, and the awareness of other runners to let me pass them on the route was so very thoughtful. Like wise for the many people we passed who were just out enjoying their Sunday.

Its a great race and a beautiful area and one I’d highly recommend.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

Published on December 30, 2020January 3, 2021 by runwithdaiLeave a comment

Since I started writing down my memories and running adventures, I’ve also summarised each year in a single blog. No different this year, only the content is a little blurred and includes a bit more personal snippets than I usually care to divulge, this being my running blog and all!

So where do I begin? Chronologically of course, but is it possible to recap the year that was 2020 without mentioning “the situation”. Probably not. It sucked for most people. Covid-19 that is. I don’t want to focus on it, but I have to acknowledge it. Like everyone else, it wasn’t the year we expected or planned for. So what started off looking like another action packed year of adventure with races spread across the year ended up being more fragmented with an unbelievable adventure followed by months of lockdown, a frantic flourish of running adventures before ending the year back in lockdown. It really was a year of good, bad and ugly running…

Way back in January, in the shadow of Brexit, I left the UK late on the evening of the 31^st January and began my planned adventures as I flew to New Zealand. The concern of Covid was becoming real and changes at airports and public places were starting to be seen. One week spent exploring the North island of New Zealand with the ‘Trail Maggots’ made me forget all about it. I felt untouchable on the other side of the planet. So off to Rotorua we went as I kicked off my year of running with my virgin ‘miler’ – the 100 mile Tarawera Ultra Marathon. My journey had begun with, once again, my biggest challenge yet!

Tarawera – What an experience! What a physically and mentally draining experience at that. But what a rewarding one. Crossing that finish line after 27 hours running around the spectacular lakes, mountains and waterfalls made me feel invincible. A hero to myself. Inside, my achievement gave me that warm satisfactory glow we all desire. I wore my finishers pounamu for weeks. Less so out of pride and more out of fear of losing it. I’ll never earn another medal like it!

Straight after Tarawera I spent another two weeks exploring the South Island of New Zealand with incredible adventures planned with Jorge, Natalia and Sean. I was now officially back at work (remotely) and was fortunate to be able to manage my time and squeeze in plenty of runs and hikes with the others. I didn’t want it to end, this was a dream. I still think about it. The space. The mountains. The tranquillity. New Zealand is a phenomenal place.

Next stop, for another week of work before two more weeks of holiday, was a stop over in Bali for a small piece of rest from running and hiking which, sadly for me, didn’t live up to the touristy hype. The places I visited in Bali were beautiful and dreadful at the same time. Still, I met Amir a few times on my travels here, ran around the Mt Batur volcano rim and recuperated a little ahead of the next adventure.

The next one really was the adventure of a lifetime. Adventures in Borneo. So much to say here. The Maverick team. Joanna, Richard and all the guys at Adventures in Borneo. The group of other runners, all the guides. The jungle. The rivers. The pineapples. The warm and welcoming Borneons… What a country. What an adventure. The only thing that would have made two weeks of running around Borneo (and seeing Orangutans) would be to have finished it off with a race. Oh, wait… I did! On the last day of my adventure I ran the Borneo Ultra Trail Marathon and finished in the top ten ahahaha what?! Told you it was like a dream!

This must have been early as I’m smiling

The dream quickly became more of a nightmare though as I left Borneo as they entered a nationwide lockdown and made my way back to the UK. I had just two weeks left in my job and I was now panicking about where the work will come from as, the moment I touched down I was advised to collect my laptop and work from home for the remainder of my contract. The UK I’d returned to was unrecognisable. And not because of Brexit which had dominated our lives for so many years. Within a week of my return the UK had too entered a state of emergency and a national lockdown soon began.

Two weeks after I’d flown home, I joined thousands of others in the rapidly growing unemployment community as the lockdown was enforced and the future became bleaker. I was lost. I was worried. Coming back from 6 weeks away to find I was now out of work was not ideal. Still I was thankful. I had a roof over my head, my health and some savings. I tried to remain positive but did find I was bored very quickly. Even doing all those DIY tasks I’d put off for so long and getting involved with various Instagram challenges (including walking steps everyday throughout April) didn’t occupy my mind enough. Turns out work really does give us a purpose in life! A fortunate turn of events in May meant I did find work again thankfully. I was one of the lucky ones.

And so lockdown continued. Race after race was cancelled. I, like many others faffed about rearranging flights, accommodations and trying to recoup money wherever I could (and now in December still am!). The lockdown brought other benefits though. I found myself running semi frequently. Although starting work again I soon fell out of this routine as I struggled to adapt to a new one entirely built around staying in my bedroom for the majority of the day working. Then, a new challenge lay on the horizon though and my running increased once more. The Centurion Running Community One event. I planned it with a personal challenge – to run the entire Capital Ring route with Paul. What an adventure, what a challenge, I was focused once more. In June, just as lockdown began to ease, we set off on an incredible adventure and a challenging one given the circumstances (access to food, water and support along the way was severely impacted). In just a few weeks though I’d refocused my mind, had a purpose once more and even managed to explore many new routes locally within London in the build up.

Fortunately, as the summer progressed, I maintained running thanks to the series of virtual events organised by Maverick Race. I’ve never been one to get involved with virtual events but these were with a difference. It wasn’t just a “off you go, do what you want” approach. They set up their event village and joined in with us each time and flooded social media throughout the day. It did feel like the closest substitute for a real event and provided a buzz that had been missing for so long. What a community!

In the middle of it all there was also a trip to Chelmsford to run with Joe. Joe and I, along with some others, had been doing various press-up challenges throughout lockdown and out of the blue Joe decided he wanted to run a marathon. So he did. With just a few runs under his belt he jumped straight in and ran a full marathon. What a guy!

As the lockdown restrictions continued and the cancellations came one after the other, wiping out my race plans, I was thrown another unexpected challenge. I had a place in two races on the same day in August and I hadn’t yet pulled out of either. The trip to Norway was inevitably cancelled but the Centurion Running NDW100 was still hoping to proceed. Suddenly, I was in line for another 100 miler again 6 months after my first. How had this happened!? This wasn’t the plan.

With just two months to re-plan and yet again refocus my mind for the next challenge, it is fair to say the training and build up was utter pants. I’m sure it was for everyone with the uncertainty. Truth is, by this point I came to accept that I’ve wrecked my body. My legs ached and hurt constantly. I’ve said it for a while. My approach is not sustainable. I can’t keep running so many long distance events and take the weeks off in between. I need to get back to a consistent level of running and training. The consistency I started to see at the beginning of lockdown was a thing of the past. But, hands up, I’m an addict. I can’t stop myself looking for the next challenge and signing up to more events and places to explore. I can’t convince myself to rest, repair and begin again. Maybe that would be my next challenge – To find wisdom and search for that sensible bone in my body, before I break that too.

And so, August came…. Further lockdown easing along with changes to operations and protocols meant England Athletics started to agree permits for running events to begin again. NDW had been given the green light. 100 miler numero deux was on. It was happening.

It was a formidable challenge. Turns out a heat wave decided to hit the UK that week. As if it wasn’t going to be hard enough already now we had temperatures of high 30s to battle against also. Battle I did and with the help of Nick and Jon as my crew and pacers I earned my 100 mile buckle to go with my Pounamu. 55% of runners DNF’d that day. Perhaps I was still benefiting from running in New Zealand and Borneo earlier that year and had some heat acclimatisation still!

The following week I returned, hobbling, to my favourite event – the Stour Valley Path 100 – for my fourth time. This time though, not as a runner. I volunteered to earn my yellow Tee and give back to an event that I partly hold responsible for my fascination (obsession?) with ultra running. Thanks Mathew! After experiencing the Covid protocols from a running perspective the week before at the NDW100, it was surreal to experience it from the volunteer side that weekend and be part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of other runners chasing their goals.

Two weeks later came my first ever DNS (‘Did Not Start’) at the Wild Boar ultra in Bulgaria. We felt it wasn’t right to be swanning off and travelling the world during a pandemic so, instead, I went to Brecon with Jon and co. It was a sort of gentle easing back into running after the rigours of the NDW. I could have risked it and gone to Bulgaria but it wouldn’t have been the adventure I signed up for without all the others there too. Plus, I found the comparably small hills along the North Downs Way far more challenging than I expected. My Mountain legs were gone and I really would have struggled with the elevation of the Bulgarian mountains!!

After the adventures in Brecon, I was now booked into a double weekender with the Farnham Pilgrims marathon the day after the Eden Valley 50km. Earlier in the summer, as races were cancelled I started to book replacements. This worked out well as races started to get the go ahead but with limited places, they were selling out fast! The Eden valley Ultra was a joy. My first run with the Runaway Racing team and a beautiful looped course just South-East of London. The sun was shining for a super warm Indian summer day. I met Arlene and Jon and set off alone to chase a sub 6 hour finish. Coming in about 5 hours 20 with a big smile on my face I headed back to London to rest ahead of the following Day’s adventure.

Really enjoyed the trails on the Eden Valley ultra

The Farnham Pilgrims Marathon was also far better than I expected. Only because It ran along some of the NDW100 route, I assumed it would all be too familiar, but it wasn’t. The sandy course took me through parts of Surrey Hills I’d never explored before and I enjoyed running in the sun once more. The legs definitely felt the pains from the previous day and I completed the marathon in a similar time of just over 5 hours. The support from the Rotary Club throughout the event was top notch. We were well looked after despite the restrictions they had to put in place.

Shortly after my double weekend, we received confirmation that the Cappadocia Ultra Trail in the Urgup region of Turkey was cancelled. We’d expected this and thankfully I hadn’t booked the flights to Turkey yet and didn’t have to worry about chasing any additional refunds. I deferred to 2021 and started crossing my fingers once again. I’ve heard such amazing stories of Urgup and I’m itching to get out their and explore.

September was finished off with my maiden trip to the Peak District with the Maverick Race and their X Series event. This was my first of the X Series events and I was excited to pop my Peak District cherry too. The weekend was fantastic, travelling and exploring with Nick, Ale and Maria. Nick and I ran the whole route together and were accompanied with Daisy who we found at the start line. It had been almost a year since we’d run together and it was great to catch up and hear about all the changes in the last year.

I had such a good time in the Peak District I immediately told the Maverick team I was available to volunteer at their Surrey Hill events the following weekend after my own plans for that weekend were cancelled. A group of us made the way down from London to help out which involved running part of the course, marshalling a road crossing, screaming and shouting into the rain and then helping sweep up the course markings after the final runners. It was good to be out volunteering again and it made me reflect on the different volunteer roles I’d supported events with over the past year. Definitely reach out to event organisers and offer up your support if you are contemplating volunteering.

Still high with excitement I managed to bag a last minute place in Maverick’s X Series Dorset ultra too. I was hooked. Ignoring the recurring aches and pains from all the running I’d been doing. At this point I couldn’t shift my mind from thinking that, all going to plan, with the remaining events I had booked in I’d be able to hit my 50th Marathon (official event of a marathon distance or longer) before the end of the year. It was a goal, a target now!

Maverick Dorset was like picking up exactly where we left off a few weeks earlier. A group of us headed down to the coast and the next morning left the starting line together for another 54km adventure. Through the morning rays we stuck together laughing and enjoying our adventure for 30kms or so until we split off into pairs to finish the day. More beers and Jimmy’s coffee awaited at the finish line before we headed back to the hotel to stuff our faces on some amazing fish and chips like champions.

The following weekend I was heading down to the somewhat familiar trails of the Beachy Head Marathon – I’ve run this course before, on the 30th December 2017, just as I started getting into trail running. But that was a social, group run. It wasn’t an organised event and now it was finally time to go and experience the route under race conditions. It was a tough day as I did set myself a time target for this event. After speaking with Paul and the cancellation of our planned trip to the lake district, I was now planning to be pacing Paul to a sub 20 hour finish on his SDW100 run in a few weeks time. With some incredibly basic math, I needed to be sure I could comfortably run a sub 5 hour marathon on the South Downs. This was my opportunity and I set out and achieved just that. It did give me some confidence as I’ve become so used to just plodding along and enjoying myself too much to care about finish times!

The next day, I headed back down to Eastbourne to help Jon crew Elisa and Lou on their South Downs Way 50 miler. It was great to be back on the other side of the fence and supporting and cheering once more. The girls were phenomenal and both ran a brilliant race to beat their goal and target time. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mess about and enjoy a 50 mile run quite as much as they did!

I was now heading into a busy period with more back to back marathons and ultras. Next up was another first, the inaugural Wild Trail Runners Marathon as organised by Weronika. A few months earlier I’d offered to help support and run the route with her. The aim was to complete a trail marathon in 6 hours. No pressures. I just needed to help guide some runners depending on the numbers and local restrictions. It was back on the North Downs Way and running from Guildford to Merstham once more. There were about 13 of us so we split into two smaller groups and set off for what we knew would be a wet and miserable day. It certainly was wet, but not miserable as we slipped and slid along the trails. Sadly two runners dropped out before we reached Box hill so we reformed into the original larger group when Weronika and her runners caught up with us. Weronika pulled off a fantastic day and we were all treated to a Wild TR branded beer and a homemade medal for our efforts. I didn’t know then, but it was likely that this bonus medal was to be my last and final medal of 2020…

Arriving home that Saturday evening, everyone’s least favourite Boris announced that England would be back into lock down for a month. Within hours it was confirmed, the SDW100 was cancelled – I’d no longer be pacing next week. The Wendover Woods 50km was also cancelled and soon after it was confirmed too that the Camino Lea Valley ultra would also go the same way. My adapted plans to complete my 50th marathon in 2020 were over. There were bigger things at stake once more and rightly so.

This set me thinking. It was time to do the sensible thing. It only took a second bloody lockdown for some sense to be knocked into me. It was time to rest. With the Cheviot Goat scheduled to be just 4 days after the lockdown was proposed to end, my expectations for it to go ahead were small. My intentions to start the event if it did proceed, they were becoming increasingly smaller… a few weeks later it was indeed cancelled and I deferred to 2021.

And so it was the most opportune time to rest I would have for the past 3 years. 2020 has taken its toll on me physically. I achieved a lot. A helluva lot! 3 of my 5 furthest runs had been completed this year. I did it without any structured or even routined training. I lost a lot of fitness and winged a lot of my events. I relied on my brain and experience (no bad thing!) and to some degree just shrugged my shoulders and got on with it. I was in physical pain. For months now, during each run, no matter the distance, my right leg hurt. It started with a calf pain after the Tarawera Ultra Marathon in February. It morphed into a shin pain after I ran the Capital Ring. Then since the end of summer it was my ankle that was the problem. It was weak. It felt brittle. It hurt a lot even when I wasn’t doing anything. My mindset was simply to normalise it. If it doesn’t hurt any more intensely when I run, then I’ll just keep on running. After the last marathon in October, I had similar pain in my left ankle too. Great, twatty twins for legs. Constant pain wasn’t a good enough reason to stop and rest in my mind. But, Boris had thrown me a lifeline. An opportunity. I had nothing to run for in the next four weeks. Removing the Cheviot Goat from the equation meant I had no goal or focus until the beginning of 2021. Suddenly I had time to stop. Time to rest, to repair and then to rebuild. My Lockdown plan became clear in my head. I planned to not run (yes! Not to run!) for 6 weeks. 6 weeks without pounding the ground, 6 weeks with a shift to low impact exercise to maintain fitness and strength. 6 weeks to allow my body to heal. I’d then start again, easy and low mileage and build it up gradually. The goal was to give myself a chance, a chance to get through 2021, as the way things are lining up, 2021 will fuck me up even more than 2020 did! What I was doing was not sustainable. A new approach is needed, a new beginning was required.

This had become my biggest challenge and thankfully the lockdown removed a lot of the temptation to run which made it easier. It didn’t however remove the temptation to plan and sign up to more events which I succumbed to way too easily. I made it through 5 of the 6 weeks. I was happy with that. I could have made it to 6 but I started exposing myself to running again and the temptation became too much. I felt good. I felt like I’d had a strong and consistent 5 weeks and vowed to continue the strength training, yoga and cycling that I’d reintroduced to my daily routine. 2021 was inching closer and I had new goals and targets to prepare for…

Quite a collection of real(!) and virtual achievements during a pandemic!

That was the year wrapped up. 2021 is now full of deferrals and substitutes and packed more tightly than 2020. 2020 started amazing, went rockier than the Trans Gran Canaria of 2018, but, somehow, I ended the year with almost 50 marathons under my belt (by completing another 8 official events). Wow, how did this happen? I vividly remember telling people about my plans to do my first ultra just 3 years ago. Here I go though, cracking on, I’ll hit that 50 milestone in 2021 for sure and might as well target the 100 at some point. For fucksake Dai…

Final Thoughts….I am in control. My happiness is paramount and everyday I have the courage and ability to protect that happiness. 2020 came with challenges, heartbreak, fear and more worries than I’m comfortable with. Difficult decisions and obvious sacrifices were needed and there were plenty of mistakes made along the way. Whether it is running or my personal life, I know I can, I’m sure I can and I will and I do. I trust myself and know I’ll never forget what I can control and what I can change to achieve what I set out after.

In last year’s recap I noted down some standout memories, so I thought why not, lets do it again…

Best Views

The lakes of the Tarawera 100 Miler in New Zealand. Just stunning.
Borneo Ultra Trail. The mountainous landscape and dense jungle forests and Mount Kinabalu as the backdrop
Maverick Peaks. Talk about unadulterated skylines. Hardly a building in sight. Not the highest, but a spectacular landscape.

Hardest Race

North downs Way. I didn’t set out to do a second hundred mile event in 2020. But as I approached it, I did want to make sure that the first one wasn’t a fluke. This was supposed to be easier than the first. It turned out to be harder. One of the toughest I’ve done. A heat wave in the UK, my body was drained. My mind was constantly fighting. The 55% DNF rate says it all. I’m proud to have completed this one.
Borneo Ultra Trails. The heat and humidity on this race is by far the worst I’ve ever experienced. It was a long hard day out in the jungles of Borneo. Powered by fresh Pineapple and a rest of well over an hour where I didn’t stop sweating at the halfway mark got me through. Jumping on a 15 hour flight 10 hours after finishing was probably not the best decision I’ve ever made!

Let it be known that you can measure the difficulty of a run by your love of the Chair! The state of me!

Best Achievement

Tarawera. My first 100 miler. Like any first, it will linger in your memories forever. What a place to experience my first 100 miler. Everything about this event was fantastic. I’ll never forget this achievement.

Best Kit Bought

Tough one, I’ve not had to buy much this year as I already own far more kit than I need. Almost by default it goes to the Adidas Terrex Agravic Split Shorts. Less the ‘best’ and more the ‘new’ item of kit I’ve enjoyed the most – I needed new shorts. The shorts are proper short but kitted out for trail running with multiple waistband pockets and pole holders. They are made of pretty much no material (not reflected in the ridiculously expensive price!) but are so comfortable to wear.

Most overused Kit

Inov8 Roclite 275G. Damn these shoes are like slippers and boy are they tough and hard wearing. They’ve been on all the big runs in the last year. I’ve now switched to using them for the last half of these races (which in a few cases have still been 80km runs!) as they are so comfortable and offer great protection when my feet are a little worse for wear. The Graphene grip is fantastic too.
Squirrels Nut Butter. You don’t run 100s of miles without chafing and the Nut Butter is by far the best anti-chafe solution I’ve used. My skin would be non existent without this!

Fav Race Swag

Maverick Race won this one. For all their events, besides a medal you get items from their many sponsors. Iced Coffee, beer, protein bars, protein shakes. Whatever goes on the day of the event you are doing. One thing is for sure, when you finish, you struggle to carry everything you’ve just been given. Most generously, this was also reflected in the virtual event series Maverick put on in 2020 with many vouchers, discounts and stickers arriving in the post for the events you completed. These guys know how to please us!

Best Dog

There were a lot of dogs on the trails this year. There were two standout candidates though…

The late comer that was Bruce with his little bowtie – a ‘borrow my doggy’ dog that Nick started bringing on runs. Boy can this lil’ fella run and he’s the quietest dog I’ve ever met.
Then there was little Bonnie who took us on a run around the Thursley Nature Reserve in Surrey. She started off unsure, but a few hours later was chasing me around the field.

Thought of the year

“That was a good few miles of running!!” After what would always turn out to be just a few 100m of running during the tail-end of the NDW100 event. Time and distance were certainly distorted for me!
When Nick offered me painkillers in the NDW100 my response was “nope, don’t fuck with the boys in the Command Centre“. Got to keep the mind clear and stay focused, pain and discomfort is a remainder of the reality of the situation.

Fav Trail snack

Pineapple. I’ve never tasted pineapple as good as that fresh pineapple growing on the Pineapple Ridge in Borneo. It has always been my favourite fruit but this took it to a new level!

Best Medal

Without doubt the Tarawera 100 mile finisher Pounamu. I will probably never receive such a fantastic finishers gift again. Personal, chosen by me from the hundreds of variants on the finishers table. Earned, not bought. This is something else!

Most memorable moments

Running around London with Paul. it made for a great Strava map!
Finishing the NDW100 knowing that it meant the first 100 miler I finished wasn’t just a fluke.
The end of the rest period!! I was glad to be back running again.

Not sure if I mentioned we ran around London?!

Most beneficial training

Toss up between stairs (again) and yoga. Let’s go for yoga. 20 minutes a day has now become part of my routine. Never have I stretched so much in my life! To be fair, I did try yoga for the first time in the most spectacular of places in Borneo…

2020 was not all that bad it seems, but lets not be too positive – let’s get some miserable shit in here as well this year, simply because I’m a grumpy Grinch…

Most irritating comments of the year

“This must be easy for you”. This always feels like some sort of backhanded compliment smothered in self pity at the same time. Here’s the thing, no, no its not. No run is ever easy and they can’t be compared. For example, having run a longer distance previously doesn’t make a shorter distance run any more achievable or certain.
“What’s your next race / what have you got lined up?”. I may just be a grumpy twat, but this always feels like a bit of small talk and an opener for someone to just brag to you about what they have coming up.
“I couldn’t do what you do”. That’s bollocks. You can. Anyone can. I’m not special. What you’re really saying though is “I don’t want to do what you do”, because if you did want too, you would.

Social Media trends that annoyed me the most

Boosting one’s self worth by offering some much needed “top” tips to nobody who asked… oh it’s warm, top tip – drink water and hydrate when you run. Never thought of that one. No one cares.
Advertising the water repellent fabric on your (gifted) trainers by running through tiny puddles. Sigh. No one cares.
Measuring your trail running CV by the amount of mud on your shoes/socks/legs. Well done. No one cares.
The ongoing need to demonstrate one’s resilience to weather by captioning that you are wearing shorts. Congrats, we can see that. Guess what… No one cares.
The Instagram inception stories… you know the ones where I share a story you tagged me in and then you share my story and I share your story of my story of your story and down the narcissistic rabbit hole we go. Yep, No one cares.
Posting a story of your own post on Instagram. Got to hit that “look at me” algorithm. Still, No one cares.

I could go on but I won’t because clearly I do care. Dammit.

Worst recurring song lyrics stuck in my head

“Have you ever put butter on a pop tart, its soo frikken gooood…” Cheers Nick. It’s been lodged in there for months
On my last few runs it has been “Scooter – Fck 2020” that has been stuck on loop. Every so catchy/terrible and certainly the song of the year.