In this first photo (above) I am in the Field of Dreams, possibly the most iconic location along the section of The Ridgeway that comprises the Race to the Stones route. As a friend pointed out, it very much looks like I just ran here with the attention of arriving to say 'hi, I'm here!' on Instagram. Which in a way I did, I had viewed images of the locale on the RTTS site, and on Google Earth recon missions so many times, that I was elated to actually be there in reality. Field of Dreams is The Thing Itself.
In the second photo I've just finished the race and have a genuine smile on my face. I was very happy to see my wife Diane who had just arrived moments before I crossed the finish line. A woman behind me was sobbing and laughing at the same time, and I could see the crowds of people waiting behind the COVID line as we approached. I held my Loki Micro Trail Pro poles (see photo below) one in each hand to highlight (if only to myself) how important this gear choice had been. These poles were a key element in my pacing which towards the end I would characterise as a 'fast walk', on very uneven and unforgiving terrain. The chalkland ruts in the final leg of the race are notorious and 'vicious' (as a friend so aptly put it). Having the stabilizing influence of this light comfortable bit of kit was wonderful through the whole of the second day of the race (I was pole-less on the first day).
The first day was also amazing in its own way, and it was really different, a real contrast, to the one that followed. I was the fourth person out of the start gate at 6:30am on Saturday in a field near Lewknor. It was dry and cool, great conditions, and I saw a couple of people I knew, and I waved and smiled, with only slight nerves running through me as I spaced myself next to the other starters. I paced myself out to the 1km marker where marshals and race supporters cheered us on as I sarcastically remarked "one down" to the 1km marker and the cheering people standing next to it. I had a good chat with a pair of similarly-paced (approx 10 min mile) runners about how good the conditions were, and about how nice it was to be on the trail, pacing, and not going off too fast. At this point, and throughout the entire race I was being passed by runners going faster than me. I was never passed by a walker. By the end I managed to finish in 171st place (fourth page down on the Weekender page), a result with which I am most pleased because it reflects not only my goal of completion, but also a fine finish for someone not really out to compete. Scrolling down the pages later I saw a LOT of DNFers and 'dash' finishers (a dash next to your name meaning what, I not quite sure).
The photo above shows my posing after several lovely cozy fun hours with my wife at the basecamp, a couple of which were kind of miserable with rain, but luckily we were under a beautiful dry tent, and I spent a good deal of time stretching, eating (a massive burrito filled with chips, salad, sour cream, and lovely cooked veggies), showering (I was the first person into a pristine shower stall over in the 'quiet' yellow tent section, which I LOVED, because it was ACTUALLY quiet ALL NIGHT). During the dry hours we watched Wimbelodon on a truck-sized television next to the chill-out tent, sitting in chairs we'd had stashed in the back of the car for just such as occasion. In the photo above I'm sporting my RTTS sweatshirt featuring a yurt-sized hood. The next day I wore my 'official' RTTS running shirt despite it allegedly being bad luck to do so.
In a way it's amazing how well I could walk by the end of the first day, given how brutal it had been, especially Grim's Ditch. I had read up on this feature beforehand but it is impossible to see at the resolutions available on Google Earth. It's an old fortification or jurisdictional/parish boundary that runs for several kilometres roughly east-west, and it is filled with tree roots and a lot of non-flat slippery or single track sections with very little recent trimming. Because of the mostly single track aspect of it, and because it is early in the race, it is very easy to get locked into the pace of the dozen or so people directly in front and behind you, like a moving queue. This for me was the most challenging aspect, and after Grim's Ditch I never really went very fast again, though I'm proud to have maintained a good pace anyway. After about 18-20 miles the fast part of my race was over. This does, I realise, amount to starting off too fast, which seems bound to happen regardless of best intentions, given how excited and fresh one feels to be starting one's race after six months of training and a really good taper.
The other best decision (aside from pacing myself and using poles in the second half) was my choice of shoes. I chose to run in a pair of newish (<100 mile) Asics Gel Kayano 26s and not to switch to trail shoes for the second day. Sticking with the Asics was definitely the right choice because I have never done significant training time in trail shoes, and because the majority of training was done in the shoes in which I actually ended up running the race. The poles, however, were virtually a new addition on race day, so why did these end up working? I had actually used poles on some long runs at one point back in 2020, perfecting my so-called Nordic walking technique, which I did use a bit on race day until it started to give me blisters. Before those blisters could even set in I changed my technique to more of what I might call a 'back stab' technique which I'd seen another guy a bit older than me using at the start of that glorious second day.
I actually feel like I made a friend with him, and we chatted for a good half hour. I had actually seen him before, in 2019, and vividly remembered having been asked by him that first time if I was running on fresh legs (which I was: in 2019 I did day 2 only, coming in at around 5h 30, and managing 10th place for that day). Turns out, having chatted to him a bit more and being a bit more companionable this time around, he's a lifelong runner who has switched to ultras and staged races now that he's mostly given up on marathons. He will be running in Iceland as training for some 300 plus mile sled-pulling staged events finishing up in the Canadian Arctic at Tuktoyaktuk, NWT. This chat at the start of day 2, on the glorious route that it represents, in the brilliant sunshine along towards Uffington White Horse and that whole landscape, was the highlight of the race for me. I loved Grim's Ditch and its mud/guts/glory aspects; and I loved Field of Dreams; but being able to bond and relate and find out about someone else's journey was the winning moment and a breakthrough. It was also really funny how announcing at one point like it was a big deal that I was actually going to run, I then ran for around 10 miles leaving my friend behind, only to have him continually thereafter pop up several places ahead of me (not too far mind you), but without him seeming to ever break a sweat. It was funny, and is part of the reason why I was still smiling right at the end (after passing my friend again, him having beaten me to the Avebury Stones themselves on that funny little jog at the end where the race cruelly makes you double back around to reach the finish line).
In the map above, Grim's Ditch is the straight section with the hard left-turn at the end, moving from top right to the left across the map. Below you see my completed second section from the Strava map. Many people complained about day 2 but I think it is both more beautiful overall and more forgiving. It is only hard because the very last section is rutty single track and because you're exhausted.
My take aways from my first 100k? Well, first of all, I'll be doing it again! I will probably do the weekender again next time because I love the vibe at basecamp, and loved spending time with my wife there to just get a big boost, and relax and enjoy the summer a bit.
Second, I love the landscape and will seize any opportunity to experience it again. There's something magical about the area, and not just because I'd read Pratchett's The Wee Free Men just before my run. The whole Ridgeway feature is packed with history and beauty, with friendly people and adventurers, with the most beautiful cows I ever seen (like cows from heaven), with the hardiest looking grains and soils and bedrock the most sensuous-smelling vegetation and just solid foundation-running I can barely formulate into words. It is a holistic and unforgettable life-changing world-shaking experience that I will try to do as many times as I can again before I die. It might sound weird to say that, but it is truly something to measure oneself by, and it brings to mind thoughts of mortality at times in part, well, let's be honest, because you feel like you're dying!
Third, it's a great run and love setting up the kit, being prepared, and just running out there in my carefully chosen ensemble right down to the socks I'd picked up at the last minute at the running store and that brought me as much comfort as anything when I was sore. Mostly I remember feeling good to be honest and I was lucky to be able to recover from this run really quickly too. Part of the 'great-runness' of it has been recovering with a big juicy steak on Sunday evening; managing somehow to stay up for the England-Italy match later that same day (was it still the same day somehow?); going out for another big juicy steak on Monday the next day, and by Tuesday feeling ready to run again. I am lucky, but I also prepared well and didn't overtrain. My max training run was 24 miles; my best training run was a 20/14 mile back to back. These things (and just shy of 1000 miles training over 6 months) got me through.
Fourth, I have to say I love posting stuff post-run, and I'm all about the kudos. With that I'll go reminisce and scroll a bit more, and think about signing up for next year! I can't wait for RTTS 2022.....
