High Peak Marathon

Ernie · High Peak Marathon

This is a little Team Event I am involved with during the 7th to 8th March.
It is basically a Night Event starting in Edale in the Peak District at 11pm on Friday 7th March and finishing by around ? 2.00pm the following day back in Edale.
Sounds like fun . Here is a link to an On-line Video of the Event (Looks great when the sun comes up ; so be patient !)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QpecMI_6jGk

[quote]The HPM can test a competitors fitness, endurance and navigational skill to their limit. The route is at least 40 miles long and for much of its distance the terrain is pathless peat bog. The dark, lack of sleep and winter weather add to the challenge. It has snowed in 4 of the last 10 events. All entrants should therefore be certain that they have fitness and mountain experience required to make a safe passage.

Mike Mason

Best of luck Ernie......stay warm.

ps the soundtrack to the Youtube clip is on my MP3 - from Last of the Mohicans.....a great film about long distance running......as they always seem to be running hard over great ultra terrain........

Ernie

One of the requirements of this race is that each Team of 4 brings along a 4 man Tent and a Sleeping Bag.

I did wonder how we were all to get into 1 Sleeping Bag !

Mike Mason

sounds like your old 'don't worry there are twin beds....' ruse...

mikemoreton

any biscuits needed?

Mike Mason

Ernie is partial to a jammy dodger I believe.....

Ernie

Only 2 weeks before the big day.
Spending much time pouring over Peak District Map trying to get some sought a mental picture of the terrain/route.
This for sure will be difficult as navigation at night can be ridiculously hard in such regions.
It will be a miracle if we don't at least get a little lost.
Its the cold and the navigation problems that will make this a very challenging event...

Karl C

Good Luck Team Ronin !

http://www.highpeakclub.union.shef.ac.uk/hpm/

Mike Mason

wouldn't it be great if they all ran wearing Benfleet club wooly hats....????

Mike Mason

I am praying for snow, icy winds and a landscape of hell like scenery. Sorry I can't be with you Ernie, but Neil Young calls me. Don't forget ...I will be thinking of you when he sings:

'old man take a look at my life it's a lot like yours.........' compress

rgds

Mike

Ernie

At least I wont have to worry about Heat-Stroke
http://www.mwis.org.uk/mountain/PD.PDF

Mike Mason

A reminder. Ernie sets out tonight at 23.04 (each team leaves at a few minute intervals). He is in a team of 4 with Jon Steele (who I got lost with on the West Highland Way race with last year when Ernie gallantly supported us), and 2 others.

The race is a 40 mile 'bog trot' over the wildest bits of the Peak District.

The 'caring club' salutes you.........

Karl C

Yep, all the best Ernie. CCMA supports you all the way.

Ernie

My first DNF !
This race went bad for us from about the 3 mile stage with one of our team of 4 not up to the task or energy levels to attempt this race.
Team after Team were running past us and after climbing a big hill to a checkpoint our man gave up and we had to bring him all the way back down the "mountain" to the last checkpoint and his evacuation.
We were then officially disqualified but were allowed to continue the race .
So off we went an hour behind the rest of the race teams running strong and determined at least to run the course.
The weather soon turned for the worse and rain, freezing strong winds were the order of the day (or should I say night) , still this didn't slow us but after being told the wrong name of a checkpoint and not having any bobbing headlamps to follow we became hopelessly lost.
After a couple of hours running round in circles I'd found that the vision in my left eye was seriously impaired (effectively blinded) from wind/rain damage which explained some of my map reading problems.
Still I had one good eye so covering my damaged one I was able to run without any problems.
Finally we arrived at the checkpoint we were wrongly told we were at hours earlier and soon afterwards we were effectively timed-out.
We then walked down out of the High Peaks down to the Reservoir and eventual evacuation.
On the upside the 3 of us had no shortage of strength at the end.
Gradually Regained sight in left eye about 6 hours later so no problems there.
We will be back next year to make amends

Mike Mason

Well done Ernie anyway. Always better to have tried.....The weather sounds awful and I was pleased with my decision - see Neil Young...don't get cold, wet and miserable.

Recover well and make sure the eye gets back to normal....could be a corneal abrasion due to dirt ingress (you know how everything seems worse to me).....

Graham

Sounds like a brutal day - and the DNF not exactly your fault. If you want a replacment team member next year......I'm yours for a crate of fosters. Haha.

Karl C

hang on there big boy Booty - I have already put Godfrey's name in the frame for this one.

Ernie

Graham,
I'll let the other 2 guys know you are interested or maybe we could get a hard Benfleet Team together.
Its a hard race to get a place in as they only excepted 50 teams out of 113 applications and many of the teams were regulars and had guaranteed places.
My eyes are fine now also ....who would have thought running could make you blind !
The other 2 guys being an ex Para and Coldstream Guard wern't too happy with the performance of young Martin and it did get a little testy up there .
Still we learn from our mistakes.
I'm to put it mildly quite p...ed off.

Karl C

Mike Mason

Caption:

Ernie has just caught sight of a Woman, badger, Sheep, Squirrel...delete as necessary.........

Karl C

I can spot Huey, Duey, and Luey - just not sure who the fourth one is?

mArKw

"The Run Exclusive!! Ernie is actually a puppet and is shown here being worked by Action Man!!"

or

"The only way to bring Ernie back to civilisation was to hypnotise him"

or

"The Guildford Four may not exactly have come from Guildford"

I'll fetch my coat........