Six Dales Trail

Another splendid Punk Panther event

The Six Dales Trail, an established and signposted 38 mile walking route from Otley to Middleham, was devised in 2010 by the Otley ‘Walkers are Welcome’ group. It takes its name from the six dales that are traversed as it makes its way across the length of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Along the way the trail crosses five watersheds, separating in turn Wharfedale, Washburndale, Nidderdale, Colsterdale, Coverdale, and Wensleydale.

Our local ultra event organiser Punk Panther has run races along the route since 2017. This year there was the choice between a half marathon, 20, 32 or 50 miles. I chose the 32 mile race which is an out-and-back from Otley to just short of Heyshaw with 3800 ft of elevation, taking in Clifton, Dob Park, and Swinsty, Fewston and Thrushcross reservoirs. I planned this to be a training run rather than a race, in fact it was just intended to be my long run for the week. Of course once I pin that race number on I always find there are some goals I want to achieve beyond merely getting to the finish. As I usually move at an average pace of 4.5 mph (including checkpoint stops) on this type of mixed terrain with a fair bit of elevation, I made it my aim for the day to go below 7 hours.

Conditions during the day turned out not half as bad as we expected whilst standing on the start line in Wharfemeadows Park in Otley, there were a few showers but no persistent rain and the temperature was perfect for running. Though for the brilliant checkpoint marshals it would have been cold and wet (apart from the lucky ones in the indoor checkpoint at Blubberhouses Church ⛪), so definitely lots of kudos and gratitude to them. After a lot of rain during the previous weeks including a biblical downpour the day before conditions underfoot were very wet, in places the ground was completely waterlogged, but strangely enough the fields remained quite runnable and I did not really struggle with mud. There were some road sections, including a diversion around Thrushcross due to logging works taking place and therefore the footpath had been closed for safety reasons. The hard trails along Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs would also allow for good progress.

Following a quick race briefing by Ryk ‘Mr Punk Panther’ Downes we set off at 07:30, together with the 50 mile runners. After just a few hundred meters I already found myself running on my own through the snickets out of Otley, with just a few steadier runners behind me, the vast majority having set off at a pace well beyond my comfort zone, either because they genuinely are faster runners, or because they perhaps misjudged the pace in the early miles. If the latter: ‘see you later alligator!’ I know that I don’t come into my own until much later in an ultra race.

I already overtook a few men before the first checkpoint at Blubberhouses, despite having had to make an ‘emergency stop’ at the toilets at Fewston car park. I overtook a couple more between Blubberhouses and the turnaround, and of course, this being an out-and-back, the faster runners came towards me on their return whilst I was still on the outward leg. Lovely to see the front runners running so well and cheer them all on.

I reached the half-way point at Heyshaw in 3:28, so I knew I had to keep working to get my sub 7 finish. No chatting at the checkpoint! There is more ascent in the outward leg and this fact certainly helped me to get a negative split on the return. Still, it required pushing on. My legs were feeling quite tired and I was painfully aware of the distinct lack of long runs in my recent training past, in fact my last proper long run had been the Hardwolds race 6 weeks previously. Whilst for me ‘running is life’, nevertheless life sometimes still manages to get in the way of running 😏 and it has been that kind of summer. Still, I had words with myself as tired legs can safely be ignored and I told them to get with the ‘sub 7 hours’ programme.

I was buoyed by seeing my friend Gill who had cycled out to Dob Park to see me, though I promptly dropped half of the banana she gave me in the mud, doh! I managed to overtake 3 male runners on the return which gave me a big psychological boost, and caught a 4^th just near the finish, David Coulthard, whom I know from many other PP races, so we ran the last yards side by side and finished together. Our time was 6:45 which I was delighted with, 2^nd woman and 1^st F50 in admittedly a very small field of 27 runners on our distance. The new finish venue in the Methodist Church in Otley was lovely and I wolfed down two bowls of delicious pasta cooked by the brilliant Bev Downes, whilst I caught up with other runners.

With thanks to all the checkpoint marshals, registration and finish teams, race directors Ryk and Mark, and paramedic cum ‘roving road crossing helper’ Julian Hall.