Again sorry for the delay. All is well with me, just difficult to find time but it has now been quite a while since the 2011 Cotswold Way plod..............
This has been written bit by bit as I find time but unless I post this part soon, it will never be complete so here you go. Looks like there will be a part 3!
As the day approached, it became clear that we would not escape the rain which of course was not what we had hoped for. We were hoping for mild dry weather, not too hot, but dry. What we got was far from ideal walking conditions.
After a relaxing day, we met at 9.30 pm at our office in Clifton, Bristol to load up and get in Ollie's Range Rover to take us to the start in Dursley, where we had to register before 10.45pm.
The weather was horrendous, bucketing rain and far colder than weather should be in June, therefore when we met up I was already dressed in my Salomon Cosmics, Compression Tights, T Shirt and Fleece and wet weather gear over the top.
It was great however to finally get going and the nerves that had been building for months were turning to adrenaline and excitement to get started. I was really looking forward to it although was of course aprehensive and I am sure that everyone felt the same way.
Charlie Ten Broeke had been in charge of bringing our considerable water supplies with him. The water, which had been donated to us by another colleague keen to clear some space in his garage, turned out to be several years out of date and Charlie only noticed shortly before leaving to meet us, thereofore a dash around the supermarket buying up loads of bottled water drew some very odd looks from staff and shoppers, not to mention the revellers on Whiteladies on a Friday night! The same water had also been supplied to the other RSG team, who hadnt noticed and were drinking out of their water bottles as we arrived at the start venue at c10.30 pm. As competitors, we were tempted not to tell them, but as friends and colleagues, of course we did and let them share our fresh supplies!
The start venue was a sports hall and registration only took a few minutes, but we must have been one the last teams to register. The scene was slightly chaotic at first glance, the teams spread out randomly across the floor of the sports hall, making last minute preparations and studying the route maps. One of the bits of info that we were provided with was the checkpoints and the quiz questions. The quiz questions were to be answered throughout the route and could affect the overall score, although to be honest, we were not really interested in bthe quiz and focused on a competitive placing in the finishing order.
Everyone looked nervous and after a quick briefing, it was time to go outside and line up for the start. The weather was till bucketing rain so I kept the same kit on as earlier, although removed my fleece as I knew there were two of the biggest and steepest hills between the start and first checkpoint and didnt want to overheat.
We felt good and though we were likely to be competitive and near the front of the field of 28 teams starting. Our goal simple.-
a) finish
b)beat the other RSG team
c)beat the other RSG team
We had been debating whether to start slowly and save energy for the second half and start reeling the others in, or whether to start fast and risk running out if steam. As we felt good and had done lots of training in the dark, we went for the latter and were determined to get to the front of the pack.
The atmosphere was excited and as midnight approached, everyone lined up to start offering each other luck. As midnight struck 28 teams all went off together.
It was a bit of a scramble to be honest as 112 walkers set out down the streets and narrow footpaths to the start of the Cotswold Way and the first hill northbound from Dursley in the pouring rain. Headtorches on, it must have been quite a sight for the few that were out in Dursley at that time in the rain! It was difficult to push to the front with so many people walking the paths and pavements.
We arrived at the bottom of the first hill compressed together trying to get through the gates to start climbing. There was a bit of banter between us and the other RSG team at the gate before we were all blowing up the first climb. Our team were determined to push on and we overtook several teams going up the first hill. The head torches made it very easy to see the teams behind you but not the teams infront as they are forward facing, but we already knew that we would be somewhere near the lead.
A treacherous descent follows, especially in the rain and so we were relieved not to be in the pack that we could see as a big pool of light behind us. It was suprising to see even at this early stage, how elongated the field had become however even after the first hill.
Another steep climb follows and again we decided to push on and successfully overtook another team on the steep ascent. We remarked that it must be demoralising to be overtaken and not something that we wanted to experience!
At this point we couldnt see any other lights ahead of us and the next lights we saw were for the first checkpoint which looked amazing as we approached.
The orgainisers had banners and flags with a kind of gate to go through and register your team number for time recording. It was a huge pool of light as 28 support vehicles and drivers and all of the Action support staff were there to greet us with words of encouragement and to tell us that we were in 3rd place! Dave Nock, the other RSG support driver was looking out for us at the gate and walked us towards Ollie who had the kettle on, chairs out and lots of stuff ready for us. The atmosphere was brilliant and it felt like a party!
The news that we were third spurred us to have a very brief stop, to grab some water and an apple and set off again without being overtaken at the checkpoint. Ollie looked a bit dissapointed that we were not going to enjoy the freshly brewed tea etc that he had made for us but knew that we were rushing so checked we were okay ansd sent us on our way. We left in 3rd place.
After the 1st Checkpoint there was a winding wood section that we had been through before so roughly knew our way. We could occasionally see headlights infront of us and knew that we were gaining on the team in 2nd place when we saw them veer off the path and take a different route. After checking our maps, we knew that we were on the correct path and so to be honest, thought that thet other team were cheating taking a short cut. We pushed on and a number of fields followed the woodland section. It had stopped raining around this time and so wet jackets were put in backpacks.
From our previous experience getting lost in the fields outside Wotten Under Edge we were aware how difficult it can be to follow a path through an open field in the dark. As we entered the 2nd field, a pool of headlights came into view from behind which we figured must be the team that had taken the short cut as it was unlikely that the team behind us had caught up because we were really pushing. It was incredibly frustrating for us to see the team following our lights through the open fields to find their way. They were easily able to see when we had taken the right path and when we had got it wrong! We lost a bit of ground to them which we were unhappy about so once out of the fields and back on the roads, we decided to jog and create some distance between us and the team behind.
During this section our training really paid off as we knew there were a couple of tricky paths to find which if you were unaware of could get you lost. A combination of our jogging and these tricky turns meant that we lost the team behind and that was the last time we saw them until the finish 30 ish miles later!
A big climb follows just outside Wycliffe School which we found really tough when doing our training, but spurred on by adrenaline on the Plod, we flew up and through the woods onto the 2nd checkpoint. It was now c 3.30 am and thinking about getting light through the mist in the woods. This checkpoint was a little more subdued than the 1st as some of the support drivers were trying to get some sleep. We were still greeted with enthusiastic Action Staff who confirmed that we were in 2nd place and c 6 minutes behind the team in 1st place.
Ollie and Dave Nock were up and ready for us and worked together to give us a hot drink and help us with filling water bottles / camelbaks and enegybars etc. We were very proud to be in second and Ollie and Dave did a fantastic job of turning us around quickly. We were keen to hear how the other RSG team were getting on and Dave confirmed that they were okay but had been 15 to 20 minutes behind us at the 1st checkpoint.
We checked out left in 2nd place as the team in 3rd place arrived.
The next section took us to Painswick and followed the route that we had been down before. This bit was mostly downhill and seemed like a shorter section as the sun was coming up and the skies were clearing. We were keen to build a buffer between us and the third place team during this stage and so kept up the pace. It was still chilly so had most of the kit on from earlier but there was no need for the wet weather trousers anymore. We were all checking on each other regularly and trying to keep each other motivated if one was lagging a little bit. It was during this stage that I struggled for a few miles as the cereal bar and tea that I wolfed down at the 2nd checkpoint took its toll. I was fine, but just felt a little uncomfortable for a bit and found the going hard. Once that passed, I felt just fine and we were heading into Painswick at c5.30 am.
We had been warned that the breakfast checkpoint wouldnt open until c 5.30 am and that if you arrived earlier, you wouldnt be able to checkin. We were eagerly looking for the checkpoint as we enetered painswick but couldnt find it. We walked up and down the highstreet past the church a couple of times looking for the flags of the checkpoint and in the end resorted to calling Ollie to find out where he was in relation to the church. We found the checkpoint but were disspointed to have lost valuable time. On checking in confirmation that we were in 2nd plave and that the team in 1st place were there and wolfing down supplies.
The 3rd checkpoint was a little different to the others. Firstly there was a big catering van with free bacon butties etc for the walkers if you wanted - we didnt! Secondly, as the plod progressed, the field became elongated so that the slower teams support drivers would be asleep or at an earlier checkpoint. It was also 5.30 am on a Saturday morning and so Painsick was asleep. As things were heating up, we lost our wet weather and warm gear and quickly refuelled, Chesney and I sharing some Tuna steak to Ollies disgust! Dave and Ollie were brilliant again there was a real feeling of camaraderie between the teams support drivers - Ollie and Dave were enjoying their role despite the tiredness and hadnt really expected us to be competing as we were. We checked on the progress of the 2nd RSG team and Dave informed us that they looked tired and were worried about knees but were doing okay. Dave couldnt believe how fresh we looked!
We probably left c 6/7 minutes behind the 1st placed team and just as the third place team were entering the checkpoint to whom we greeted. We knew that from here that it was a long slog to the next checkpoint which was near the Air Balloon pub outside Birdlip and was c 11 miles.
This part of the plod appeared never ending and took us out of Painswick, past the golf club, and towards Coopers Hill where lunatics chase cheese. The Cotswold Way paths runs down the side of the hill to the side of the field where the cheese is rolled.
We had again decided to see if we could close the gap between us and 1st place on this stage and knew that the team in 3rd place would now find it hard to overtake us if we kept up a reasonable pace and avoided injury. We we reached the top of Coopers Hill and I really cannot believe that people run down it! Surely you run more 'off it' than down it and there is just no way that the cheese is worth the potential injury. I am clearly too old now but you would only attempt it if you have a screw loose!
We paused at tghe top of the hill to check the map and get our bearings and then began to follow the path downwards with the cheese rolling field on our right, when we were greeted with the team in 1st place coming back up the hill towards us! After greeting each other we both insisted that we were going in the right direction until I pointed out the direction signpost that was conveniently placed! it seems that the other team had taken a wrong turn and were heading up the hill after descending somewhere else on the hill.
We walked with them for a spell and understood that they were marathon running, ex marines which had recently come back from Kilimanjaro!We wished them luck as they jogged on out of sight.............
They were nice guys.
We were over the halfway mark by this point and began what seemed like an endless trek through this woodland around this big crescent that went on for miles and was pretty muddy in places.
It was getting warm by this point and muscles were starting to ache so out came the paracetemol to keep some of the worst aches at bay and was now down to my RSG T Shirt, Compression Tights and shorts and my wonderful Salomon Cosmics that were coping brilliantly with no blisters. Stu began to suffer a couple of blisters but is like a trojan and just doesnt stop so didnt slow him down. Charlie is fit and it was noticable that whenever he got to the front the pace quickened. Chesney is at least 10 years younger than the rest of us and has longer legs so he was feeling just fine apart from his boots.
Chesney had originally set out to go with just two pairs of trainers. If it had been bone dry, he might have been okay, although I wouldnt recommend it without ankle support and decent grip. As we set off in sheets of rain, he was forced to borrow a pair of Dave's old walking boots to save his feet. There is no way that he could have made it in Trainers to this point. It was half way through this leg with c5 miles to go until the next checkpoint though that Dave's old boots admitted defeat and partially shed their of their soles. Ches had to walk with one of the soles hanging off and flapping each time he took a step. It was hard work for Ches and our pace slowed but there was nothing that we could do and no option to get his trainers dropped off by Ollie as we were a long way away from a road.
Stu saved the day by donating the lace from the waist band on his shorts to lash the sole back onto the boot. It wasnt perfect but the best we could do until we reached the next checkpoint.
Getting nearer to Birdlip, we were getting hungry and thirsty so apples were shared and the occasional energy sweet kept morale high. 2 miles before the checkpoint was a beacon that was also a quiz question answer where the path kind of doubles back on itself and we could easily see the 1st placed team only a few minutes ahead of us. This energised us to pick up the pace again and as we passed the air balloon pub, we knew we were near the checkpoint. We had a minor detour that Stu needlessly kept blaming himself for and then we arrived at the checkpoint 6 minutes behind.
This checkpoint was smaller because the field was elongated and Ollie and Dave provided updates on where everyone was. The other RSG team was a long way back by this point but all 4 teammates were still going. They said that lots of the teams looked exhausted and that we looked really fresh in comparison. Ollie and Dave were able to work in tandem rather than assigning one driver to each time and it was incredibly helpful and motivating having them there turn us around quickly. We were all hungry by this checkpoint and so indulged more than we had loading up with food and drinks. I really really wanted one of the instant porridges that I had bought and the golden syrup flavour porridge was just what I needed. Chesney had a Pot Noodle!
It was another quick pitsop, encouraged by the action team and our colleagues to get moving and get after the 1st placed team as soon as possible who left probably 5 minutes ahead of us. Ches changed into his trainers and off we went towards the penultimate pitstop the words of encouragement ringing in our ears.
The third placed team had not arrived by the time we set out.
Posts
