Toon & Country (2 very different races in Northern England)

The Lakeland trails series takes in a number of trail races in and around (unsurprisingly) the Lake District between March and October each year ranging from 5k to 100k. I had opted for the 15k trail challenge as i thought this would be good training the week before the Great North run the following weekend. As described on their website, the 15km Derwentwater Trail Challenge is a circuit along well marked and marshalled footpaths and bridleways, taking in panoramic views of Derwentwater, the surrounding peaks of Skiddaw and Blencathra and the northern fells.

Views along the route

The course starts off with a flat circuit of the cricket ground and a slight incline begins to take you out of Keswick and into forest trails. This turns out to be a much needed warmup before what is to follow which is essentially 7km of uphill jog and at several points walk for the majority, including myself. The highest point of the course at 400m is finally reached at the 8km mark. The hard slog which preceded is made worthwhile by the stunning views and at this point it was encouraging for me to see a good few hundred people snaking up the hill behind me. A couple of well timed hill reps at harriers training must have helped. The remaining 7k is pretty much downhill all the way with a much needed water and jelly baby stop at 11k. This was a relief for the legs up until the 12k mark where I was starting to find the now steep downhill sections taking their toll. This then flattens out for the last 1.5km which brings you back to the finish area and some much appreciated cheers from the spectators.

After collecting the memento t-shirt and changing, it was a (slow) wander through the town for a pub lunch to refuel. On the way back I checked the event tent to check results to learn that I had finished 69th out of around 500 in a time of 1:33:48. The winner was none other than the founder of the Lakeland trail series Graham Patten of Ambleside AC who finished in 1:14:27, (maybe he knows a shortcut?).

Glad to be in the home straight

For anyone thinking of doing a trail run and able to make a day of it i can recommend doing one of the Lakeland trail races, in particular the ones in Keswick which is a nice place to have a wander. They’re also well organised and the scenery is stunning, though it helps if it’s not raining I’m sure.

Exactly one week later I was headed south of the border again for the Great North Run.
We got parked as near as we could for picking up wristbands for the metro on Sunday, which happened to be the Hilton (we weren’t staying there or anywhere in Newcastle for that matter due to the hugely inflated hotel prices during the GNR weekend!). Unknown to us this was where the elite athletes were based going by the various signs and security in the hotel. This was backed up by spotting Lynsey Sharp in the reception who I later learned was taking part in the City games that day.

Arrived in Newcastle where the junior and 5k races were taking place next to the Tyne

After carb loading at pizza express (any excuse), it was back to the Hilton to pick up the car and head to our hotel some 13 miles out at a small place called Houghton le Spring (it’s not as posh as it sounds trust me!). While Tanya was validating the parking at the reception a woman in the queue next to her politely said that she wasn’t skipping the queue but picking up a message. This turned out to be Gabby Logan (not Gabby Roslin as Tanya thought she was called).

After getting parked at South Shields and travelling down on the packed metro to Newcastle, it was time to follow the line of runners and supporters making their way down to the start line about half a mile way. As usual with events of this size, too many people and not enough loos, time to join the queue! With only about 10 mins to the start I was anxious to get down to the first entrance into the orange wave section. After stopping briefly to re-tie my laces before joining the mass of runners, on looking up they had closed the gap in the fence I was going to go in so I had to go another 50 yards or so back. Unknown to me Tanya had waited at the start to take a few photos before heading for the metro back to South Shields. She managed to get a few shots just before the elite men started.

Mo before winning the race for a 4^th time, closely followed by Jake Robertson, only 6 seconds behind

It was some 12 minutes before I crossed the start line. The mass of runners spreads out a little before compacting again at the Tyne bridge where the Red Arrows flew overhead, an impressive sight! This combined with lots of cheering spectators along this part of the route and you feel like you’re part of something special. I’ve never run the London marathon but I’d imagine it’s on a similar scale. After the buzz of the first couple of miles, the next 3 climb steadily as you start to make your way out of the city centre. Despite this there is still a huge spectator presence and this is basically the case for the entire 13.1 miles! Along the way it was impressive and almost moving to see so many people running for a charity that is important to them. There was also a fair share running in fancy dress, a sumo wrestler and unicorn being 2 that I remember.

The only downside I found was with it being such a popular event it is difficult to get into a good rhythm with most of the route feeling quite crowded with runners and i found myself having to look for gaps to get into a better position on many occasions.

I was feeling fairly good at 7 miles and averaging just under 8 min/mile pace. The course undulates until about 10.5 miles where it goes uphill again until 12 miles. At this point i was starting to tire and my pace dropped a little. It’s not until the top of the hill that you see the beach at South Shields which is the backdrop of for the last mile which starts steeply downhill before quickly flattening out.

I crossed the line in 1:45:08. Had hoped to be a minute or two quicker but pleased with my effort overall. Shortly after the below photo the beer tent was (eventually) tracked down. You’d think they’d put it nearer the finish line!

I really enjoyed my first Great North Run and I’ve signed up for the 2018 reminder, so who knows maybe again next year. Thanks to my wife Tanya for doing all the driving to and from both races

and taking photos.

Paul Rooney