Last week end three Acorns completed the Hardwolds 80 mile race. It started in Hessle and finished in Filey following the Wolds Way through the yorkshire wolds. It was wet wet, wet. The first third was deceptively fast and by Millington I was dreaming of a pre midnight (16 hour finish). Leaving the warmth of Millington village hall the mud started immediately, sending me flying and draining all speed. The mud never let up for the next 48 miles to Filey and my estimates for finishing kept pushing back.
Andrew Goddard led for a lot of the race, eventually finishing in 3rd place (16 hours 14 mins). Mark Webster finished in 10th place (18 hours 25 mins). Sorry, no finish photo for Mark. I completed our trio, crossing the line with good friend David Betteridge to finish in joint 14th place (19 hours 13 seconds). Those 13 seconds would not have happened if either of us had a working watch by that time.
Nikki Gover put in a sterling shift on the first checkpoint and then supporting me and David (when he caught up): I’d pushed on earlier but after a brief detour and tiring legs I was pleased to run with someone who had recced the route.
It was good to run new paths as I’d not previously done much of the Wolds Way. It would have been better to have seen some of it: rain and fog during the day and then a little under half in the dark. Brilliant support as usual from Hardmoors marshals, some of whom were putting in overnight shifts in muddy laybys tending to the physically and emotionally fragile runners.
