Northern Traverse 2025

When a plan comes together…

The Northern Traverse is a roughly 300 km (185 miles) route across the North of England from St Bees on the west coast to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast, organised by Ourea Events. The route can broadly be broken into four sections, the mountains of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Vale of York, the North York Moors and a final jaunt along the coastal path. Also known as Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route there is an estimated 6500m of ascent (though my watch measured 8200m; and 195 miles distance covered.) Along the route there are a number of support points, at four of which you have access to your drop bag and can sleep in tents provided: Patterdale, Kirkby Stephen, Richmond and Lordstones. There are also cafés and pubs along the route where you can refuel should you arrive during opening hours. Private support from friends or family is not allowed. This was my second attempt at the Northern Traverse having tried in 2024 when I ground to a sorry halt in the fields near Marske after 116 miles, just four miles from the Richmond support point. I suffered with the ultra-runners’ lean and severe back pain, which escalated quite rapidly within the space of about 5 miles to the point where I could barely move forward anymore. I have since had similar problems on the Summer Spine Challenger South, which thankfully I did complete, and most recently on the Winter Spine Challenger North, where I retired at Hut 2 just seven miles from the finish. It was very dispiriting. My first words to my friend Jen O’Neill when I reached the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm were that I would not be starting the Northern Traverse as it would be completely pointless with my track record on multi-day races. Jen very wisely advised me not to make any rash decisions! Instead I formulated a plan: to increase my strength training and lift heavier, and to take more rest (lying down to offload my back) at the support points during the race. Having worked to an 80 hour schedule in 2024, I now wrote a 90 hour schedule, basically adding in 10 extra hours of rest. I was also mentally fully prepared to take even more time, up to the total time allowed of 110 hours.

I took two weeks off running completely after the Spine Challenger North and cautiously started to build up again with run/walking in the first week of February, eight weeks out from the Northern Traverse. I was back to my normal weekly mileage after four weeks, managed some long runs, and ran in the Centurion Hundred Hills 50k mid March, before starting the taper. All this combined with some regular visits to the osteopath, and strength training three times a week.

Before the race

As in 2024 I decided to leave the car at home and travel to St Bees by train on the Friday (April 4). We were four friends travelling together: Andy Pickering, Rich Whitaker, Ritchie Williamson and myself. After changing in Carlisle onto the train to St Bees we met with several other NT’ers and there was good running banter in the carriage. I was delighted to finally meet Jonathan Zincke in person, having read his blog and been in touch with him via social media for a long time. Next to him was Bev Tucker, both of them have been Tea and Trails podcast guests! The majority of us were staying in the Seacote Hotel on the shore, it’s the perfect spot to stay as it is literally on the start line of the race. In the foyer I met Laura Swanton Rouvelin who I had been chatting with on Instagram, and who would end up finishing in third place, also Ilona Morgan who I have run with on lots of other races and who was here to support others.

Registration opened at 5pm in St Bees School and we made sure we were there early to beat the queues (in which I had got caught last year). With around double the number of participants for both the Lakes and the Northern Traverses it was going to be busy. Full kit check went smoothly. I had enough 300g insulated jackets with the requisite number of hoods, IYKYK! I received my race number, my drop bag was labelled, my tracker taped to my race vest and my photo was taken. I got a quick hug from Hannah Rickman who stood in the queue, this year for the Lakes Traverse. Hugs from elite runners surely must transfer some power by osmosis? Back at the hotel the task was to pack the drop bag again (you could bring it to registration empty for labelling, carrying it when full from the station to the hotel had been enough of a workout) and pack my race vest. We then had dinner as a group before all hitting our pillows for an early night. The dining room had been busy and full of loud voices of excited runners, I don’t think I was the only one who was keen to seek refuge in the quiet of my room as soon as the eating had been done. Thankfully breakfast on race morning was a more subdued affair. After breakfast I went out to hand in my drop bag at the van next to the start line. All bags are weighed (15kg max) and they are very strict with this. It the weight is exceeded you have to take something out, and this happens every year to some runners. Mine came in at 14.2kg so no worries. With my bag safely on the van (first destination Patterdale) I went down to the sea to choose a small pebble to carry with me on my long journey to the east coast.

St Bees to Patterdale (43m)

At 08:30 it was our turn to set off (the Lakes Traverse having started at 07:30). Nice to chat to Gordon Cameron on the start line, whom I had met volunteering on the Spine in 2024. With the sun in a cloudless sky this was a decidedly different weather picture than last year when we faced Storm Kathleen. It was still chilly with a slight breeze, and I wore my gloves for the first few miles, but it promised to be a warm day. And the stable weather was to remain for the whole of the event: clear sunny days interspersed by clear and very cold nights with temperatures at times well below freezing. I have seen many runners use terms such as ‘sweltering’ and ‘scorching’ but I just found it pleasant during the days, to me sweltering is 30 degrees plus. Perhaps I just never ran fast enough to get too hot! I am sure I would have found it hot had I been road running at maximum effort.

I loosely ran with various friends, mainly Punk Panther and Hardmoors runners, during the early miles to Ennerdale Bridge (mile 15) where there was a water stop laid on by the event, by the Gather café. I arrived there at 12:40 and refilled a water bottle, made use of the toilet, and bought a giant and delicious caramel crunch ice cream, my first of the year.

Andy was running with Sue Wilson, and they would stay together until almost the end, always slightly ahead of me but we kept meeting at check- and support points. I also ran for a while with Karen Saward. Rich had teamed up with Sean Higgins. Ritchie was already well ahead on a much faster schedule (and would finish in a brilliant 66 hours). I chatted to Bev again for a bit on the stretch to Ennerdale Water. Once we reached the path along the southern shore I needed to concentrate on where to put my feet, this long rocky stretch is definitely not one of my favourites and from here onwards I largely ran on my own. At least I managed to keep my feet dry on this section, unlike last year, but otherwise I could not find any joy in the Ennerdale path and was very glad when it was over and I could join the 4×4 track all the way to the Black Sail Hut. The café was still open but I did not need anything and only used the toilet. Onwards for the first climb over to Honister. Last year I had been cleanly blown off my feet here by Storm Kathleen, so the current benign sunny weather offering stunning views over towards Buttermere and Crummock Water was a huge contrast. Down the hill, through the slate mines where there was an event Response Team based who quickly asked me if I was OK, and then onwards down to the Rosthwaite support point (mile 29 -17:35). Just before I reached the support point the path went through someone’s private garden and the children living there had set up a tray with glasses of water and biscuits, so I briefly stopped for a drink and asked them if they had seen some really fast runners earlier in the day. The boy said ‘no they were all just jogging’ which I thought was quite funny as I am sure Damian Hall wouldn’t like to be described as a jogger! Perhaps they had missed the front runners?

At Rosthwaite I was delighted to be greeted by Jen O’Neill who was volunteering there. We first met on last year’s edition which Jen did finish. Having trained hard for this year’s race with the aim of a faster time she had been most unlucky to strain her calf only 5 days before the event! Disappointed but undeterred she joined the volunteer team and it was great to receive her encouragement at several points in the race. Also lovely to see the queen of volunteering Sharon Dyson. I replenished my water bottles, ate two slices of pizza and some banana, and did my back mobility exercises on a patch of grass in the sun before putting my pack back on. I think the pizza was the only ‘non-beige’ food I had on the entire event. I regretted it as the onion kept repeating on me for the next few hours.

Next stop the Patterdale support point (mile 43), but in those 14 miles there would be two major passes to climb: Greenup Edge via Lining Crag, dropping down to Grasmere, followed by Grisedale Hause, then down through Grisedale to Patterdale.

The journey to Patterdale was nice, despite the two climbs. It had been too warm in Rosthwaite to already put all my layers on but on my way to Lining Crag I was beginning to feel cold, as the sun was disappearing behind the hills, and had to stop to do this. ‘Be bothered’ was as ever the mantra, don’t put it off until you really are (too) cold.

We all enjoyed a spectacular sunset behind us whilst on Greenup Edge, and darkness fell for me on the descent towards Grasmere when the head torch had to come out. Then another ‘up and over’ past Grisedale Tarn. It was all very benign compared to last year when we were being blown about in wind and rain. I had also been on this stretch more recently on the Tour de Helvellyn in quite challenging weather, so this really was a breeze in comparison. I managed to run from where I hit the tarmac above Patterdale all the way into the support point, which I reached a few minutes after midnight, and where I was delighted to be looked after by ultra legend and ex-Ilkley Harrier Brian Melia who was on volunteer duties.

Patterdale to Kirkby Stephen (35m)

Last year not a hair on my head had considered sleeping at Patterdale, and this year I was certainly the only one of my friends who stopped to sleep (though there definitely were other runners sleeping). My stop was part of my strategy to look after my back, but the sleep that I did catch as a side-effect was helpful I am sure. Yes it was cold (temperatures had dropped well below freezing) and this is an outdoor support point, with a marquee to sit in for food and race admin, and large 8-person tents for sleeping. I had my warmest down jacket in my drop bag for wearing over all my other layers at support point stops, and with that I was warm enough. Nevertheless, the trek to from the tent to the portaloo (I managed to need the toilet within 30 minutes of going ‘to bed’) with bare feet in my sliders through frozen grass was less than a delight. I also made the mistake of not putting my long leggings on before getting into my sleeping bag, and was irritated by the sticky and clammy feeling of my bare calves, covered in sweat and sun block residue, rubbing against each other. Mental note made to get this right at the other stops. I didn’t sleep for that long, perhaps an hour. I got up and had more food (tea and mushroom soup), did my race admin, chatted to Brian, and left the support point about 03:15 to tackle the fourth and last big climb in the Lake District, Kidsty Pike, the highest point on the route.

Last year we had been diverted via Askham Fell, avoiding Kidsty Pike because of the storm. I was pleased that this time I would be finally going over it. I had been to the summit on a recce, but had run it from the Shap side as an out and back, and from the Patterdale side I had been as far as Angle Tarn, so just a few miles here were new to me. I enjoyed the ascent, the ground was frozen and it was quite easy going. A couple of runners went past me and I went past a few too, otherwise I was on my own. I was greeted by the earliest signs of the dawn when I reached the top which was just beautiful. The descent was mainly easy, apart from a short stretch which is quite scrambly and unpleasant, but it’s not too long. I promised myself the reward of a sit down on a wall by Haweswater to drink my chocolate milk and eat a snack, and delightful that ‘breakfast’ was too.

Onwards to Shap along Haweswater, a path that does go on forever (about 4 miles) and is too lumpy to run, for me anyway. But I was happy enough, relieved to leave the Lake District behind me. Beautiful as it is, the terrain is taxing for me, especially the descents. Through the lovely small hamlet of Burnbanks and then through a series of roads and fields to Shap, where I arrived just after 10 am, having popped into the local shop first to buy some porridge pots. I had been disappointed by the lack of porridge in Patterdale, I had survived the Spine Challenger North on porridge and had wrongly assumed it would be available at all the support points here too. Never assume anything!! The indoor support point at Shap was lovely and quiet, and they even made me proper porridge, yay! Nice to see ace volunteer Chris Taylor of Alston Lasagne fame. Oh and I got a bonus hug from Hannah Rickman, who had come second in the Lakes Traverse the day before, and who was popping in to see Siobhan Brennan at the support point. No drop bag or sleeping here so it was a quick stop, but I did make sure to do my back exercises on a patch of grass in the sunshine, before hoisting my pack onto my back and setting out for Kirkby Stephen an hour later.

It’s only about 20 miles and feels like a hop and a skip when done on fresh legs, but on this occasion it did seem to take a long time. Still, it’s a pleasant section over moorland and later through fields with lots of very cute lambs enjoying the sunshine. I met a large herd of beef cows and calves, with their bull standing right across the path. He was a fine specimen indeed. Another runner who had just caught me up was all for back tracking and finding a diversion on the other side of the wall, but I was feeling confident, and having eyed up my possible emergency exit over the wall managed to safely guide us past the bull who was pretty docile. I did tell him we were part of an Ourea Event which is fully vegan which I am sure reassured him of our credentials. There was no other excitement and I reached the Kirkby Stephen support point at 17:40. This is an indoor support point in a school, with toilets and showers, and sleeping in the sports hall, or outdoors in tents. I saw several of my friends here: Rich and Sean were just setting off as I arrived, Andy and Sue were inside, as well as Karen who had teamed up with two other runners, Anna Jebson and Claire Cologne.

Kirkby Stephen to Richmond (32m)

After having tea and one of my own porridge pots I opted to have a shower first, as by now I was covered in an unpleasant a layer of sweat, dust and sun block. It was a bit of an effort but the water was lovely and hot and it was definitely time well spent, I felt refreshed and it was good to put a clean set of clothes on. I opted for the sports hall for my sleep as the tents might still be hot from the afternoon’s sun. With ear plugs and my buff to cover my eyes I managed to reduce the distractions to a manageable level and I had quite a good sleep, around 3 hours, though as per usual I had to get up half way through for the toilet. I think the constant jolting from hiking/jogging makes my bladder hyper sensitive. I got up to dress for a cold night, and do my race admin. To my shock I had developed a sizeable blister (I very rarely get blisters!) in the callous on the inside of my heel, so I had to drain it and K-tape my foot. later I would get a blister on the other side too. I opted to switch to my larger trainers now. Then to eat more food. I went for the mac and cheese, which was delicious whilst being beige and bland, just what I wanted. I managed to leave at 00:15 after almost seven hours at the checkpoint, it was Monday morning now.

The climb to Nine Standards Rigg starts with quite a long road section, and I was overtaken by Sarah Taylor, one of the other F60’s in the event, who was very fast indeed on the ascents. We would spend quite a bit of time together during this night, and would keep encountering each other all the way to the finish. There was hardly any bog to deal with, though the small wooden bridge on the ascent, which never seems to serve any purpose as always sitting in water, was actually still semi-submerged which surprised me. I was pleased to reach the top and admire the nine cairns, even though I have been there a few times they remain intriguing. And whilst not halfway on the Coast to Coast when measured in miles, this spot does mark the watershed between the river Eden, which flows west towards the Irish Sea, and the river Swale, which flows east towards the North Sea, so it is kind of a half-way point too. The descent, which has always been infamously bog-ridden, was made much easier by 1. the dry conditions, 2. the overnight frost and 3. the work being done on the trail. Much of this stretch has already been paved with flagstones, and the sections not yet paved are indicated by a series of stacked up slabs which have been dropped by helicopter, thus making navigation very easy. Some of the worst bogs have had wooden bridges installed over them. Eventually I reached the sharp left turn to join the track that runs east. From a distance I could see a red light, I knew I wasn’t hallucinating (so much quality sleep!) so I wondered if it was an Ourea Response Team, but it turned out to be the partner of a runner behind me, waiting for her to appear to give her some encouragement. I would meet him again several times over along the course. Whilst we appeared to be in the absolutely middle of nowhere that spot was actually quite near the road from Kirkby Stephen to Keld, so in hindsight it was not so strange to see a person there.

I cracked on towards Ravenseat Farm (home of the Yorkshire Shepherdess and her family), somewhere along this stretch I caught up with Sarah as she made a minor nav error. We then stayed together passing first the farm, then Keld (it was 5 am by now) before going through the lead mines. I enjoyed having some company. It was very cold, especially the hour or so before sunrise, and I noted the water in the bite valves of my soft flasks had frozen. I could still get the water out, but the crunch was unmistakeable. It got light as we traversed the lead mines, which definitely made it easier compared to last year, when it had been pitch black and I had struggled too find the path a couple of times. In the mines we caught up with Karen, Anna and Claire who were running together. I loved the ‘moonscape’ of Melbecks Moor and once the descent began I fancied a bit of a jog so in due course I found myself ahead of the others making my way to Reeth. I cursed the endless uneven stony path that is Skelgate Lane, my mind came up with the mantra ‘tarmac, baby, tarmac’ as in that moment I was all for covering the whole lot over with the black stuff! Eventually I did reach the road, and the Dales Bike Centre where I arrived at 09:38, perfect timing for a coffee (free for those on the event) and a toasted teacake. All the cakes looked very tempting but I felt they would be too rich and I stuck to my ‘plain food’ strategy. Sarah, Karen, Anna and Claire arrived in due course, I also met Stijn Belmans here, a Belgian runner. It took a couple of attempts before he clocked that I was speaking Dutch to him! But after the penny dropped we happily chatted away and I would keep meeting him from then on until the end. He appeared to be running very well so I was surprised that he was not further up the field, but his strategy was to take significant rest periods and then run relatively quickly in between, which seemed a good strategy.

After an hour at the Bike Centre I was on my way to Richmond, just 10 miles of lovely rolling hills, lambs, daffodils and sunshine. This is where last year it had all unravelled for me, though it had been night time then (having made much shorter stops). It felt significant passing all these places between Reeth and Marske where I had stopped and sat down in pain and increasing despair, before ringing race HQ to ask to be picked up. I felt delighted to feel so good, though at the same time still very worried that the same problem would catch up with me in due course. There was still so much time left for things to go wrong.I was constantly checking if I was still standing up straight!

Coming into Richmond I was ‘running’ down a nice residential street when a lady working in her front garden asked me where I had walked from. ‘Walked???!!!’ I thought in my head, what do you mean ‘walked’? I am a runner who is running, can’t you see I am running? It was quite funny as I guess I was running at walking pace. I answered ‘from St Bees’ after which there was no reply. Maybe she thought I was insane and best ignored for safety’s sake? I reached the support point at 14:10 on Monday afternoon.

Richmond to Lordstones (31m)

Richmond is another outdoor support point with a marquee, tents for sleeping in, and portaloos. Great to see both Jen O’Neill and Sharon Dyson here again, and lots of other wonderful volunteers. Andy and Sue were here too, nice to see them again. The main menu item at Richmond is curry, but I gave that a miss and had scrambled eggs on toast instead which was delicious. After that it was time for more sleep, it was warm and sunny, and there was quite a lot of noise that my earplugs somehow did not quite block out, but I managed to get around three hours sleep, or at least rest. After that I had yet another helping of scrambled eggs, got dressed for the night ahead, and prepared myself to set out for the tedious (flat) section through the Vale of York via Danby Wiske to the A19 services (23 miles), and then onto the Cleveland Way to Lordstones (8 miles).

People are all so encouraging when you leave Richmond, with phrases like ‘you’ve got this’ or ‘it’s almost in the bag now’. Truth is, you have covered 200 out of 300km so there is still a very long way to go and anything can happen. As someone who has retired at Hut 2 on a Spine Race I know that it’s very much not over till it’s over. Still, the encouragement is nice and gratefully received, and I set off positively into the beautiful evening just after 19:00, having spent five hours at Richmond. Just before Catterick Karen came past me, she had decided to go it alone and run her own race, which I was pleased to see as we had been chatting about this very thing. It was nice to have her company for a bit but I encouraged her to go ahead of me as she is a faster runner. A bit later Stijn came past again. On the long road section to Danby Wiske I listened to the latest episode of the Tea and Trails podcast, which really helped to pass the time and boost my morale. I had left my head phones in my drop bag by mistake, but as there was no one else around for miles I could just listen to it playing on my phone which was sitting in my front pack.

As I approached the pub in Danby Wiske I could see there were lights on. There were also people inside! I thought it had to be a lock in as it was 23:15, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. As I got closer I could see there were some other NT’ers inside, waving at me. And the door was open! What a bonus. The landlord was still serving and I bought a lovely pot of tea (it came with a Penguin chocolate biscuit too). This did the job of lifting my mood, which had been somewhat challenged by the road section in the dark. I was so lovely to have a little sit down, drink something hot, and use a proper toilet.

I reached the A19 services at Ingleby Cross at 02:20 on Tuesday morning. So the stretch from the pub at Danby Wiske had really not taken that long but it felt like an absolute eternity. The hard surfaces underfoot were also starting to take their toll on my feet. If not on roads then the fields were rock hard because of the drought. A particular low light was an enormous field which had been ploughed right to the edges, obliterating the path, and making for a very rutted trail. And I still felt guilty trampling on the newly sown crop, which seemed to be struggling in the drought, but it was unavoidable. I tell you, the sight of that service station appearing within my vision was better than any Lake District vista I had admired on the event so far. It absolutely was paradise regained. Inside was a bunch of NT’ers sitting at the long counter at the end, including Andy, Sue, Karen and Sarah. There was lots of leftover plain cheese pizza, both vegan and dairy, so I did not even have to buy my own. Thanks guys, I owe you! I did purchase a hot chocolate, and later a strong macchiato, some grapes, and more chocolate milk for on the road. I managed to have a ten minute power nap with my head on the counter, did my back exercises on the floor, and used the toilet. The staff were absolutely lovely and very tolerant of our no doubt dishevelled looks, even clearing up after us despite us offering to do it ourselves.

I added yet another layer as I expected it to be very cold on the top of Beacon Hill and Carlton Bank. I was now wearing two base layers, a wind proof top, and three insulated jackets. Long leggings over my daytime shorts, a hat and a buff, and merino gloves with warm insulated over mittens. Basically full winter kit. I still had my waterproofs in the bag in case more layers were needed. Not only was it very cold outside, and I wasn’t moving that fast; after several days and nights on the go, despite eating really well, you are in a calorie deficit and the body’s thermoregulation becomes much less efficient. If you have seen any of the Facebook group discussions about the mandatory kit in general and insulated jackets in particular you might understand why I am mentioning this. The cold weather kit had not been activated for this event. So sticking to the mandatory kit you could just have carried one insulated jacket. Well if you can run as fast as the front runners and be done in two days you might be OK with that, but I certainly would not have survived! I also had another much bigger jacket in my drop bag to wear at the support points.

I was the last one to leave, around 03:30. Andy, Sue, Karen and Sarah had all left ahead of me. Sue was suffering with her back and I must say I was a bit worried about her, she looked to be in a lot of pain. I met up with Sarah on the ascent of the Cleveland Way through Arncliffe Wood and we spent some miles together again, until I was a bit faster on the descent down to Scarth Nick and went ahead.

The light appeared as I climbed up Carlton Bank, it was cold though, with a lot of mist. As I reached the trig point there was an event photographer there, I said to him I must look more like someone taking part in the Arctic Spine than an April race in the UK. It was just a short skip down the hill to the Lordstones support point where I arrived at 06:55.

Lordstones to Robin Hood’s Bay (40m)

I was delighted to be greeted by Andy and Sarah Norman who were volunteering at the Lordstones support point, I know them from my local tri club (though I am not a triathlete! it’s a long story) and from last year’s NT. It had been a very cold night for all those working at Lordstones but it was just starting to warm up a little. Andy and Sue were in the marquee having some food and preparing to go on, they had decided in advance not to sleep at Lordstones because of the cold temperatures, instead they would press on to the Lion Inn with the aim of having a power snooze in a quiet corner there. There was no way on this earth I could have pushed on without a rest first, so, cold or not, I was going for a sleep. And anyway, I was sticking to my ‘back protection’ strategy. I had tea, and scrambled eggs (again) with hash browns, which was delicious. I was also given a print out of my messages that had been sent via the tracking system, it was lovely to read them, thank you to all those who encouraged me that way.

Sarah showed me to my tent, I think I may have slept for about 90 minutes, and I woke because of being too warm now that the sun was on the tent. The sleep had been good and I felt rested. I had more tea and some more hash browns. I did my admin, knowing I would not see my drop bag again until the finish, but facing another night after this day I had to pack wisely. It was difficult to know what to wear for the next stage over the Three Sisters (Cringle Moor, Cold Moor, and the Wainstones). Up till now there had been a cold breeze in the mornings despite the sun, so I kept some layers on. This proved to be overcautious and after the first hill I would have to stop and take them off. I left Lordstones around 11:00, alone, but was soon overtaken by Sarah, and we chatted a bit. Karen had already left ahead of us. I enjoyed this part of the route, the ups and downs are very short compared to what we had already dealt with, and it was nice to be here in good weather. On one of my recces last year I had turned back to Lordstones as I could barely stand up on the top of Cold Moor because of the wind.

After Urra Moor the trail follows the disused Rosedale Railway via Bloworth Crossing all the way to the Lion Inn. This goes on a bit, but in the sunshine with lovely views I found it easy, it was a stark contrast to my night-time crossing last May during my solo run to finish my unfinished Traverse. I listened to some more podcasts until I was overtaken by Stijn, who was actually running. We spent a couple of miles together until he pushed on to catch Sarah up once the Lion Inn was in sight.

I reached the Lion Inn at 15:45. There was a Response Team based here keeping an eye on our welfare, and there were lots of other NT’ers milling about both indoors and in the beer garden. I sat inside and had a lime and soda and a baked potato with cheese, continuing with the ‘beige food’ theme. Nice to see Kate Aspey, one of my Punk Panther friends, who was offering moral support to several runners and had come to say hello. I put my long leggings and some more layers on ready for the impending sunset, did my back exercises in a quiet corner of the dining room, and left again after an hour, next stop Glaisdale.

I still did not dare believe that I was going to finish, with around a marathon to go there was plenty of time for things to go south. I was so sad to hear, once I caught up with Sarah, who had now teamed up with Anthony Bretherton, that Sue had been forced to retire because of her back ache and a significant lean. She had left the Lion Inn just before I arrived there, but had not been able to proceed far along the route to Glaisdale, and had to be ‘rescued’ by the Response Team from the Lion Inn. Having been in that situation myself, twice, I know how gutting it is. I also felt for Andy, having to press on alone without his running partner.

I reached Glaisdale at 19:40. This is an indoor support point in the Village Hall. No drop bag or sleeping facilities, but there are hot drinks, soup and snacks, medical support if needed and a bunch of super friendly volunteers. And proper toilets! I had tea and some leek and potato soup, followed by a nap across 4 chairs. I was quite comfortable but the hall was noisy due to the acoustics, and I had forgotten to pack my ear plugs. So sleeping wasn’t happening. Anyway, I had rested my back and done my exercises. I must admit I was feeling a little paranoid about the lean. I kept looking in the mirror in the toilets if I was still upright, and the answer was ‘yes’ every time. I also had no back ache at all. A miracle! I stayed at Glaisdale for two and a half hours and set off into the night for the final 19 miles at 10 pm. A mixed route with woodland, road, moors and eventually the coast path, I knew the variety would help to pass the time more quickly despite the darkness. It was all fresh in my memory too as Andy, Sue and I had recently run from the Lion Inn to Hawsker.

I passed through Egton Bridge and Grosmont. After the long climb on the road out of Grosmont I was in thick fog on Sleights Moor making my way towards Littlebeck. This was the only stretch of the whole event where I felt quite vulnerable as a lone runner, being quite near the main road from Pickering to Whitby for a while. Every time a car passed I turned my head torch off, it was around midnight so there was still a little bit of traffic. I was pleased to reach Littlebeck and the lovely woods that lead to Falling Foss. The work to improve the trail is also in full swing here, unfortunately they have turned what was a lovely soft woodland path into a hardcore nightmare, at least it was a nightmare for feet that are on their fourth night of continuous moving.

Coming out of the woods I caught up with Serena Broadway and Victoria Jefferies. I was glad to see some other runners having been on my own since Glaisdale. I had met Serena on the Summer Spine Challenger South last year. Victoria was having a quick trail-side nap on the grass and seemed to be going through a low moment with Serena supporting her. I was in a quandary as to whether to push on or offer some moral support. So I stayed with them for a short time, but quickly found myself getting too cold at this pace, and realised I needed to push on at my own speed. I felt really bad about this. It would have been better to have pushed on in the first place, rather than offering support and then changing my mind again. I rationalised it by telling myself there had not been a medical emergency (in which case I would obviously have stayed), but it had not been my finest hour. I was now worried that karma would bite back and cause me to have an accident! Interestingly I did trip somewhere on the never ending moor section, my only fall on the whole event. But I did not hurt myself. A while later, on the road into Hawsker, Serena, on her own, came past me, running strongly, so at least I had the opportunity to apologise. In the end Victoria had told Serena to go ahead anyway. I was delighted to see Victoria arriving in the hall after the finish only 45 minutes after me, and looking a whole lot better than when I had last seen her.

Approaching the caravan park which leads to the coast path there were suddenly a few other runners around. I was closest to Telmo Ferreira, a runner I had not encountered at all yet, but we finished within five seconds of each other. The final three miles along the coast path were pretty much torture. Often a mudfest, on this occasion the ground was rock hard and where it was rutted it was especially painful on the feet. Everyone sought out the grassy stretches which were much more bearable. Telmo suffered with his knee. I was by now groaning with every step. As Serena had said; ‘this just needs to be over now’. When I had imagined this event and had dared to visualize finishing the final stretch along the coast appeared like a highlight, but in reality it really wasn’t. I could barely make out the sea in the dark and all I was aware of was the pain in my feet, not helped by two blisters which really needed dealing with again. Still, I did now have the certainty of finishing which was an amazing feeling. Reaching Robin Hood’s Bay we negotiated the steep downhill road as fast as we could, Telmo just ahead of me, and I finished at 05:03 on Wednesday morning, after 92 hours and 33 minutes, 107th out of 138 finishers. For perspective, Damian Hall broke the record and ran it in just under 43 hours, the first woman was Fiona Horsfield in 54 hours. Full results here.

I was given my medal on the finish line and then walked down the water’s edge to throw my pebble into the sea. The first light was just appearing on the horizon over the sea, which was a nice touch. A volunteer took my photos on my own phone, there was no finish line photographer which I was very surprised and disappointed about. Having had a finish line photo mishap in the past (and two DNF’s on multi-day events) I am particularly sensitive on this topic I guess. Anyway, the photos that were taken are nice, all kudos to the volunteer there. I was lucky that there happened to be a car there so myself and some other finishers were driven up to the Fylingdales Village Hall where we received a very warm welcome. Lovely to see Matt Hampson there again who had finished much earlier in 86 hours. I was given my hoody, and then had two portions of pasta bake which went down a treat. Once I had eaten enough another volunteer drove me down to the event staff hostel where I was given a bed and could have a shower which was very welcome. I was in a room with Karen and Serena so it was nice to catch up. Karen had finished in 86 hours and Serena just a few minutes ahead of me. I had some sleep, but was a bit too wired really, so spent a few hours catching up on messages and dozing intermittently. In the afternoon I got a lift back up to the Village Hall again for more food, and I sat around and chatted with several other runners whilst waiting for my friend Andrew who had very kindly offered to come and collect me 🙏

With thanks to Ourea Events, all the staff and volunteers, and to all the runners I encountered, for a wonderful event. I don’t think this experience could be improved, having finished it now in the most perfect weather conditions, so I will not be going back, not in 2026 anyway. It was brilliant, but it was also very hard, and the toll multi-day racing takes on my body is not insignificant.

I am looking forward though to the run from the Lion Inn to the finish line that Sue, Andy and I have planned in a couple of month’s time, to at least in part redeem Sue’s DNF. And she has signed up for next year already, go Sue!