Leaving the Black & Gold in the wardrobe, Jason & I were playing in the away colours of Northumberland Fell Runners for this one.

We drove up the steep road up Carlton Bank to the start at Lordstones Café. Getting out of the car, it was freezing – a shocking contrast to the temperature when we left the house. Registration and a kit check & we were ready for the off.

It didn’t take long to reflect on the title of the race and realise that anything with 4 peaks in the title wouldn’t be flat. In true fell running tradition, it was straight into an uphill which was steep but runnable. Not much time to get your breath back & into a difficult downhill down the steep flags on the Cleveland Way. These are the worst kind of terrain for me to descend & as I resembled Bambi tip toeing down them, a fair few people sped past me.

Then it was back round past the start line & back into the second of the 2 peaks which was a bit more of a walk than a run. Determined to find a better line down the next descent and avoid the flags, I took a fell trod to the side of the path, following a few wiry fell runners who looked like they knew where they were going (they didn’t). Stuck in a tangle of bracken & ferns, I realised we’d all gone a bit wide of the line and we’d lost a fair bit of time & places trying to get untangled & back on track.

The 3^rd peak took us up onto the moor where the sidewind nearly blew me off my feet. Another downhill, then a quick sprint through a field of cows who had thankfully moved a little bit to the side & it was onto the final climb up to the Wainstones.

A final tricky descent down (again poorly executed) & then it was only 2 miles to the finish line. I was under the impression this was a flat run to the finish but it was still a bit undulating and my energy was now running low.

Pushing my legs on through the little uphill of the finishing field, I finally reached the finish line relieved and reminded of just how hard fell races can be. A bag of Haribo & cup of water in the tent & I felt a bit better although I vowed never to do a fell race again. Once I got home I reviewed my calendar to find the next one’s in 2 weeks. Better get those fell shoes clean then. ;-)

With 1800 ft of ascent over 8 miles and some tricky descents this race maybe isn’t the best choice for newbie fell runners although it is well marked & marshalled. Details of all the Esk Valley races can be found here: http://www.eskvalleyfellclub.org/

The weather was really quite good : breezy with plenty sunshine. The views from the start were stunning and as far as the eye could see, was the Bay stretching out in front of us. You could see the opposite side of the Bay and to be honest it didn’t look that far, not 13.1Miles. But then you don’t go directly across do you? When you look at the route you go a long way inland first, before you cross. There is a reason for that. It’s to cross the River Kent.

We set off after a small briefing, reminding us to stay within the marked zones or you might end up in the quicksand. Gulp! The initial few miles were on very wet, wrinkled sand, not the most comfortable conditions, but that was soon forgotten when we approached the first water crossing. The racing part of the challenge ground to a halt. Splash!, in we go, woohoo what a laugh and actually quite heavy on the legs trying to wade across about 30-40ft wide thigh deep lukewarm water.

That was the first of many water crossings of varying depths, most notably the bit where we crossed the River Kent. Now by this time I was quite used to getting wet but this was different. The under currents in this crossing would have swept a small child out to the Irish sea in no time! Not being much bigger than said small child, I somehow managed to make it to the other side. There is a marshal posted here (probably to let the coastguard know if you fell over) so that was alright, I felt it was safe. It was slow going but strangely enjoyable and cooling as the sun was now beating down constantly. Another crossing achieved we plodded on with soggy sand filled shoes. At this point I remembered Nigel telling me to run in my oldest running shoes as I was not going to be taking them or my socks home.

(Those of you who know my bright yellow, self cleaning, trail shoes, will be happy to know they are safe and well. One of my 3 pair of Asics had to go.) There was a point about ¾ of the way through that we came across a huge expanse of flat sand with nothing to see except sand in the distance. But if you look to your right at this point, It is then your eyes are treated to the magnificent view of the lush green coastline. Stunning hills in the background, a feast for sore eyes. It was around here Nigel spotted the finishing Marquee like a mirage in the distance. It took a long time in getting any closer. Final water station at 10 Miles then onto the finish in just under 2hr 30m.

Water stations were at 4M, 7M, and 10M. Finish line facilities included Sports massage for a small donation to Cancer Care, other merchandise including your t-shirt could be purchased here and there were a variety of refreshments on sale. Portaloo toilets are available at the end but no showers or running water.

The Gordon Posse went back to the start point to watch the tide cover our tracks, and of course to have fish and chips.

It was a really good day out. I Would certainly recommend this to anyone thinking of doing it. I personally am looking forward to doing it again.