Frostbite 30 Ultramarathon Rules:
No.1 Don’t ask if it’s been cancelled due to ‘a light drizzle’ a ‘bit of a breeze’ or a ‘Desmond’.
No.2 Don’t be a wimp. It’s Yorkshire. It’s on. It’s always on. The clue is in the name.
No.3 Don’t ask when the route map will be produced.
No.4 Don’t be a wimp. The route map will be published several hours before the race.
No.5 Don’t ask if the route will be as long as last year.
No.6 Don’t be a wimp. It will be longer, much longer.
No.7 Don’t ask if the route will be as hard as last year.
No.8 Don’t be a wimp. It will be harder, much harder.
No.9 Don’t ask ‘why is it called the Frostbite 30 then’
No.10 Don’t be a wimp. You wimp.
No.11 Don’t ask if the route will still be mostly flooded.
No.12 Don’t be a wimp. Just keep your mouth shut on the sections you have to swim.
No.13 Don’t ask what fluids are available at the 25 mile aid station.
No.14 Don’t be a wimp. It’s Jagermeister, always Jagermeister.
No.15 Don’t ask what food is available at the 25 mile aid station.
No.16 Don’t be a wimp. It’s Jagermeister, always Jagermeister.
No.17 Don’t ask what shoes would be best to run in.
No.18 Don’t be a wimp. You won’t feel your feet after mile 2, or care by mile 25.
No.19 Don’t ask ‘what time does it go dark on the moors?’
No.20 Don’t be a wimp. Have you seen the film ‘An American werewolf in London…..’
137 lunatics from far and wide came to Nidderdale, milling around the scout hut at Pateley Bridge, as dawn broke, the gales howled outside and the rain pelted down, ‘Desmond’ having done his best for 24 hours to make the race a little more ‘interesting’. It was going to be a remarkable race, having been out the day before for a recce and not even making it past mile 3, despite having been given a lift on a farmers quad bike through the floods. Anyway – back to the start, 9am, the clouds were breaking and the wind easing, so off with the jacket.
It was looking good for the first flat mile alongside the River Nidd to Glasshouses. 200yrds later and it started to p*** it down. The first major climb of the day was Guisecliffe (cliff – the clue is in the name) where the course took ‘route 1’ i.e. straight up the front, out onto the delights of the moor, and a vicious headwind (which continued for 25 solid miles). Dropping right back down into the valley, just to climb the 800ft back up to the Coldstones Cut above Greenhow, at which point someone piped up ‘only 30 miles left’. Twat. Picking up the Nidderdale way for the next 8 miles it was down through the lead mines and right back to the bloody start at checkpoint 1 (how mean is that!) where I refuelled, packing a second litre of carb/electrolyte fluids into my race vest.
This is where the race really started. Running in a pack with Sally Fawcett (Montane) and Lee Kozlowski, we covered the ground (floods/mud/torrents – add as appropriate) at a decent pace, pulling further away from the following groups. The river crossing at Dry Wath (normally dry) was waist deep and decidedly brass monkeys, but it did clear the brown adrenaline moment mid river…… repeated only 5 minutes later having to cross the same river to the same depth. Somewhat frozen, the race route climbed consistently up towards Scar House reservoir at mile 25, fully exposed to the elements. Middlesmoor (Crown Hotel and the smell of chips…..mmmm) came and went, then How Stean Gorge (looking remarkably spectacular full to the brim) before hitting the uber-sloppy fields back towards Gouthwaite reservoir and the final homeward miles along the Nidd.
Mrs Nash popping up unexpectedly with 200yards to go for a quick kiss&cuddle and some cheering on, before reaching the line in a very respectable 13th overall in 5:42:28. Soups, sandwiches and as much tea & cake as I could manage, were troughed through over the next hour, plenty of banter, as well as a superb post-race massage. The daylight went at 3:45pm and racers started coming in with headtorches – quite a sight on the riverside path in the moonlight. Igsy and Bernadette came home through the last few miles in the pitch black – in their debut ultramarathons!! Kudos!! Both thoroughly exhilarated at having finished/survived. All in all one hell of an experience, by far the toughest race I’ve ever done, but organised to perfection by Rob Jarman (Berghaus), marked to perfection and marshalled to perfection.
13th 5:42:28 Ali ‘ultrarunner’ Nash
94th 7:56:26 Bernadette ‘ultrarunner’ Cooke
101st 8:03:10 Igs ‘ultrarunner’ Robun