The weather forecast in the week leading up to the race was looking a bit spicy with several severe weather warnings being issued for Devon and Cornwall. Boardmasters music festival in Newquay was cancelled a few hours before it was due to open with concerns over safety in the high winds. In the days leading up to the race I became obsessed with checking the weather forecast, although it became evident it was changing on almost an hourly basis. Shortly after the Boardmasters announcement, MudCrew posted on their social media that the race would still be going ahead. The weather would certainly make the race more challenging than it already was but for me this added to the excitement.
With the weather very much on our minds, we managed to book a last minute camping pod which had become available. This came as a relief as the thought of camping was not appealing since last year our tent leaked in the heavy rain! I had planned to take the opportunity of being in Cornwall to squeeze in a surf on the Friday morning, however the impending storm made the conditions less than favourable and I am not a fan of windy surf conditions so decided leave the board at home and focus on the run instead, lets face it I could probably do with conserving every drop of energy I have. A decision had been made to delay the opening of the race village and campsite from 5pm to 7pm to avoid the worst of the wind and rain, I was grateful not to be pitching a tent in this weather and being able to climb into a proper bed with warmth and shelter. We were going to be in for a wild night.
The MudCrew RAT offers various distances of 64 miles (Plague), 32 miles (Black), 20 miles (Red), 11 miles (white) and new for this year Bring Out Your Dead (BOYD). The BOYD runners somewhat drew the short straw as their race started at 8pm and would be running for 24 hours. Being MudCrew this wasn't your conventional 24 hour race, it covered the final 5 miles of the course which are arguably the hardest with approximately 500 steps and 350m elevation, runners were only allowed to stop for a maximum of 20 minutes, if your tracker doesn't move for 20 minutes you're disqualified, absolutely no outside support is allowed and runners are only allowed access to what they put in their box at the 'sanctuary', a small cordoned off area at race HQ. There was me thinking that the Plague was bonkers. We watched the start of the BOYD before registering and having our mandatory kit checked.
The entertainment that evening came from elite runner Damian Hall. Damian came 5th at last years UTMB (Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc) and holds the fastest known time for covering the entire 630 mile South West Coast Path. We watched a couple of short films documenting these two races before a Q&A session. It was a lovely addition to the evening and it was inspirational listening to one of the top names in GB ultra running.
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| GB ultrarunner Damian Hall |
Last year I heard the start of the Plague from inside my tent and it sounded rather dramatic so we made plans to go and watch the start of the race a midnight. The sound of beating drums, fire hoop dancing, flares and the howling winds added to the feeling of anticipation and excitement as the Plague runners gathered ready for their midnight start. I have massive respect for these guys who would be running out 32 miles to the turn around at St Antony's Head before coming back to Porthpean. Knowing how treacherous the terrain can be, I could only imagine how difficult it must be to head out in the dark in challenging weather conditions.
I retired to the camping pod hoping that I'd be tired enough to get some sleep, however turns out my brain had other ideas (not to mention 3/5 sharing the pod that snore). The alarm was set early as the guys running the Black RAT would be off a couple of hours ahead of the Red RAT runners. Much to my relief the weather was currently dry and just a little windy, a vast change to the forecast earlier in the week which suggested we'd have non stop rain all weekend. After seeing off Paul, Mark and Ian who were running the Black RAT, I had plenty of time for some kit faffing and a second breakfast.
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| L to R: Ian, Mark (aka Sparkles) and Paul |
I would be running with a friend Damo. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime it was finally time for the Red RAT briefing before we were loaded onto the coaches and heading for the start in Portloe. The temperature in the coach provided the perfect snoozing conditions, warm and sheltered from the wind and without the sound of snoring, it was very tempting to catch 40 winks on the way but didn't really want to wake up feeling groggy before the race. I strategically got on one of the coaches that I knew was leaving first as to get ahead in the port-a-loo queue when we arrived. After some rather tight and winding roads (I wouldn't make the cut as a coach driver in Cornwall) we arrived at Portloe. Moments after we stepped off the coach the rain started! It was quite heavy and persistent for a good 20 minutes, it did however give my new OMM Kamleika rain jacket a test. It seems that rain rolls off the jacket pretty effectively as I discovered when I bent over to pull down my and shorts for a wee, the rain that had collected rolled straight off into my knickers and shorts - noted for future! We were told by Ferg the Race Director that we will hopefully be starting early once everyone had come back from the port-a-loo's. This was welcome news as the standing around was only adding to my anticipation and I was desperate to get going.
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The start was at the bottom of a hill (of course it was!), as instructed, knowing I wanted to start off slowly I positioned myself down almost on the waters edge on the boat slip way at the back of the pack. Damo and I had agreed to start off running together with the understanding that if our paces differed we'd part our separate ways, for me my only objective was to get to the finish line, I was not at all interested in the time so long as it was under the cut off. Although rain and strong winds were foretasted throughout the day, the air temperature was warm so I decided to pack my jacket away before we started.
The start was pretty slow as once we joined the SW coast path the track narrowed. We were walking for at least the first kilometer whilst stepping aside for Plague and Black RAT runners to pass. This was no problem as it allowed my legs to get going and settle into things, they had after all not seen many hills let alone any running for several months. The coast path presents many dangers, sticky out rocks, tree roots and stumps, holes, low branches to name a few, add the weather to the mix we were going to need to have our wits about as as Damo soon discovered! Shortly after his brief introduction into trail running, we agreed it may be best for me to lead the way and point out potential hazards. After a short while we settled into a rhythm; walk the ups, run the downs and flats. The focus was always to get to the next check point.
After almost an hour and a half on our feet we reached the first checkpoint at Caerhays 4 miles in. Having lost his footing earlier on, I recommended that Damo made the most of the event medical support and to get his ankle looked at and strapped, there was still several hours between us and the finish. With my stomach telling me it was lunchtime, I made the most of the checkpoint food dining on some salted pretzels, crisps and watermelon washed down with some coke. It's funny that I never drink coke normally but during a long run it's just the thing you fancy! At this checkpoint I bumped into couple who were also Vegan Runners and assisted them with some label reading on crisp packets. In fairness to MudCrew they put on a decent selection of vegan friendly checkpoint foods. Sufficiently refuelled and refreshed we left the check point before we got too comfortable.
On a couple of exposed sections the winds were gusting quite strong, the forecast suggested over 50mph at times. I had to hold onto my hat at points and on one occasion I could feel the wind forcefully pushing me off course. I am grateful for the fact that the wind direction was onshore blowing us inland. For the more technical sections I kept my left arm out stretched incase I did get buffeted by the wind and knocked over! This stretch was probably my favourite part of the course with some stunning views and runnable sections. However, the steps also started to appear more frequently! The earlier showers had cleared and we were treated to sunny intervals and glimpses of blue sky.
Another 5 miles on and approximately 3 hours on the clock we reached the next checkpoint at Gorran Haven. Set in a village hall, I made the most of the facilities, needing a wee was a good sign as I was doing well to keep myself hydrated. The checkpoint was blaring out techno music to keep the energy levels high, I think I may have lingered a little too long having made numerous visits to the watermelon, coke and pretzels, taking a hint from one of the checkpoint staff we set off again knowing there was just one more checkpoint until the finish.
I had been keeping an eye on my watch and I could finally announce that we'd passed 10 miles and we'd now be counting down the miles to the finish. I was hoping psychologically this would be as much of a relief to Damo as it was to me. We soon arrived in fishing village of Mevagissy. Last year the harbour was overrun with holidaymakers making for lots of crowd weaving and dodging. I am guessing that the weather had put people off as it seemed a lot quieter for peak holiday season, although we still got the odd word of encouragement from passers by. The section through Mevagissy takes you away from the coast path temporarily onto tarmac, the benefit of which was you could take in some of the views without worrying about where you were placing your feet!
Now back on the coast path we were 15 miles in which meant we had just 5 more miles to go, although I knew what would be waiting for us during those final miles. We'd been on our feet now for almost 5 hours. My memory got a little sketchy at this point, I think I had blanked a lot of this last section from my memory from the year before! I just knew that when we get to the checkpoint at Pentewan there were ice poles and we were on the return leg! Once arriving in Pentewan it felt like the check point was much further away than I recalled which was annoying. Once there I went in hunt of the famous ice poles only to discover that they were not yet frozen and just cold liquid. For some reason drinking ghastly coloured, sugary water full of E numbers was far less appealing than being frozen so I declined. It didn't bother me too much as it wasn't a blazing hot day. At the check point I bumped into a few familiar faces and probably spent a little too much time standing around chatting and procrastinating.
Damo and I walked out the checkpoint prepared as we could be for the final stretch. On our walk out of the village we bumped into a lady walking her dog with the cat following behind - not something you see everyday! We rejoined the coast path and I made the same mistake as last year misjudging the location of the infamous steps, I was almost certain that the bastard steps we'd just climbed were 'the' steps, however there were a lot of steps in this final section of the race and it was easy to get confused.
The ladies at 'Cocktail Corner' were a welcome sight, I had drunk most of my water and was down to the dregs of Tailwind in the other bottle. Much of this section had been through tree covered path and with the temperatures deceptively warm I was a lot thirstier than expected. A cocktail of isotonic drink and fruit juice hit the spot. I jokingly asked if the cocktails were alcoholic only to be told that they were not, however if I wanted some alcohol she could open a bottle of prosecco from the boot of the car! As tempting as that was I declined as there would have been the temptation to linger and stay longer than planned. Revitalised and spirits lifted we headed out to take on the final section of the course knowing that a cold cider awaited us at the finish.
Eventually we reached those bastard steps, turns out they were twice a long as the ones I'd earlier mistaken them for! They felt like they went on forever, the steps down were of varying height, some required a sideways crab walk as they were too steep for short legs. On a plus side, I didn't seem to be suffering with knee pain and stiffness bought on by iliotibial band syndrome which I had so badly suffered with during the race last year. I had consciously made an effort to incorporate more glute strengthening work this year although I had been a bit lazy lately so I suspect it may have had something to do with the fact that I was running 20 miles and not 32. Relived to know that we had got the steps out the way we managed to jog a few sections knowing we must have been close now.
On a downhill through a field I annoyingly stepped in a hole in the grass and rolled my right ankle. I felt a burning sensation and the joint almost spring back then nothing, I must have got away with it which was a bit of luck! The finish to this years course had changed, I spotted Ferg who was stood at a gate with a marshal and we were diverted into a field heading towards the finish. I could hear the finish but with no visual it made it really difficult to know just how much further there was to go and I was too tired to do the maths looking at my watch. I had been keeping in touch with Paul to let him know our whereabouts so he could be at the finish line when we came in. I then finally spotted the shower blocks at the back of the campsite so knew we were a matter of meters now from the finish. We jogged it all the way in to the finish line and were greeting by Paul cheering us in.
I was relieved to have finished. Relieved that I managed to do it despite having not trained, relieved that my foot didn't feel any more painful than when I started and relieved that we didn't kill Damo! For his first coastal and trail run (not to mention the 1500m elevation) and to run the furthest he'd been before was nothing short of admirable. All of it was done with a smile (could have been a grimace of pain) and without a single complaint! We certainly has cause for celebration tonight. With our finishers medals given to us by the lovely Jane (Race Director) they proudly hung from our necks as we took to the photo backdrop for our moment of glory.
Last year I left the after party early as I was pretty beat from running 32 miles, this year I was hoping I'd feel fresher and be able to join in the celebrations for longer. Showered and refuelled on pizza we hit the bar for a pint of my favourite cider, Cornish Rattler. It was going down rather smoothly, luckily I only had enough cash on me to drink a sensible amount which was probably just as well. I shocked myself that I was still mobile enough to have a good dance! What I love about events like this is the shared experiences, we were catching up with people we'd met on the run and congratulating one another and speaking to complete strangers and sharing our tales of the day. I had hoped for an extended party, however come 11pm the music went off and the party was disbanded. Just as well probably as I knew the 300 mile journey home would not be fun with a hangover!
This event has certainly got my heart, I love everything about it! I would say that I will be back next year and part of me wants to say I will be running the Plague (100K) as some sort of injury comeback, however we'll see where I'm at in the New Year when entries open (I'm not running the Plague).
Injury update:
Two days before I ran the RAT, I had an MRI scan on my heel pain which is the injury that has kept me out since I ran the marathon on New Years Day. The scan date had come through sooner than anticipated which was good but it was also annoying that I was getting a snap shot in time of my foot now, 2 days before putting it to its biggest test and to also still not know what was wrong with it as I wouldn't get the results for another 2 weeks. The good thing is, my foot felt no worse for what it had gone though in the race, I half expected that I wasn't going to be able to walk for a couple of days. People kept on asking me what I thought was wrong and if I'm honest I really didn't know, it had been treated for the symptoms it shared with several injuries such as plantar fasciitis, insertional achilles tendinopathy, heel pad entrapment and a trapped nerve none of which had any affect on the symptoms, it was still painful and I was still unable to run.
The scan results were not as I had hoped and did provide explanation for the constant pain. A tear of the plantar fascia with the message that surgery wasn't an option, nor was another cortisone injection and no more running. I was in shock as I came away with many unanswered questions. I was referred for physiotherapy with the suggestion that we try shockwave therapy and dry needling, exactly the treatment I'd already had earlier in the year to no effect, I have to admit I wasn't feeling particularly optimistic and may have leaked a couple of tears on the drive home.
However, in these situations you can choose how you react, sure I was disappointed and wondering what life without running would look like but I still consider myself lucky that there's lots of things I enjoy and that I was just going to have to adapt and get on with things. Already, I have stopped all running, you're not going to catch me doing even 100m at CrossFit until I have been given the nod, I'm scaling any workouts that involve impact (skipping, box jumps, burpees etc) and have stopped yoga for the time being. I'm cycling where I can to get in some extra calorie burn and have bought an assault bike and some kettlebells for some home HIIT workouts. Physio starts in a week so I will hang on their every word and do as I'm told in the hope that I will be back running soon. For now involvement with them MudCrew Arc 50 in February is clouded with uncertainty but until I've spent some time rehabbing (now I know the injury) I am not ready to make that call. I still hope to be on that start line in February...
