I started on Hartlepool beach at Steetley Pier at 5am on Friday 4th August 2023.
I had a friend with me as support crew who would drive to various points on the route where I'd restock food and fill water bottles, etc.
The first pitstop was approx. 18 miles from the start, at Sadberge. This first section of the route was fairly straight forward, some running on road involved, but as it was very early in the morning there wasn't much traffic.
The next stop was at Barton, approx. 28 miles in. I developed a hot spot on my right foot during this section so had to take a slightly longer pitstop to tape my foot and change socks. All still going well so far.
Pitstop three was at Richmond. What a beautiful place! Having ran through a lot of 'built up' areas in the early sections of the route, it was awesome to get out in the open... almost as soon as I crossed the A66 at Scotch Corner and headed for Richmond, the scenery changed and it gave me a great boost.
The next section took me to Redmire, approx. 46 miles in. I got there and my friend was nowhere to be seen! Very little phone signal either so I couldn't get through to him. I still had some supplies in my backpack so I decided to run straight through this pitstop rather than wait. I sent my friend a message saying I'd run to the next village and meet him at a pub there. Around 15 minutes later he drove past me on the road to the next village, so we stopped in a small layby and had an impromptu pitstop there to restock.
Hawes was the next pitstop... again, what a beautiful place! I got there around 6:30pm, just as my friend was picking up a pizza that he had ordered! Perfect timing I thought. I ate a couple slices of pizza, restocked food and drink and got on my way. However, those two slices of pizza slowly tried to kill me over the next few hours!
Once you pass through Hawes, you are well and truly in to Yorkshire Dales territory... it was one long road from Hawes to Chapel le Dale where my next pitstop was. I found this section to be one of the most enjoyable. The scenery was amazing, the road takes you right through the centre of the Yorkshire Three Peaks route and past the historic (and very impressive) Ribblehead Viaduct.
I had intended on a pitstop at The Old Hill Inn in Chapel le Dale, but my friend had parked up at The Station Inn which was slightly closer. I got there at 9:30pm and restocked there. I changed my t-shirt for a long sleeved running top as the temperature was starting to drop.
The next pitstop was Wray, approx. 82 miles in. This section from Chapel le Dale to Wray was tough. I found this to be one of he hardest sections of the route. The inclines really ramped up. Put that together with tiring legs and the night setting in, it made for a couple of hours of very slow progress.
I started having stomach issues around this time also. It took some time to figure out what was causing the issues, but eventually I pinpointed it to the electrolyte drink I was carrying in my bladder pack. Once I'd pinpointed the issue, I cut that out of my restocks, but it took a while to flush through my system which slowed me down once or twice!
The next pitstop was at Halton. I first attempted this route back in June 2023, and it was at this point that I picked up an injury (pulled groin) and had to stop. Getting to this point in relatively decent shape, and a couple of hours faster than I did last time, gave me a big boost to keep pushing forward.
Braides was the next pitstop. From around 4:30am on the Saturday morning it rained heavily, and non-stop, pretty much for the next 8 hours. Waterproof jacket now firmly in place, I pushed on but if I'm being honest, the enjoyment was now gone! The rain was sapping any remaining energy I had at this point. I carried on through Lancaster, although I didn't really take in much of it due to being battered by the rain. It was a case of 'head down, move forward'. I felt myself falling asleep whilst running on a couple of occasions, I'd now been awake for approx. 27 hours. I rang ahead to my friend who was already at the next pitstop at Hambleton Services, and asked him to get me a coffee. I got to the Services, did a quick restock, picked up my coffee and was on the final stretch to Blackpool.
The rain finally let up slightly as I got in to Blackpool, which made it a little more pleasant at the end. I should have tried to set my expectations though, as once I saw the Tower in the distance that made me think I was almost done... unfortunately I was still around 5 mile (very slow miles I might add!) away. This last section seemed to go on forever, but I eventually made my way down to the sea front... ran/walked/hobbled along the promenade until I got right in front of the Tower and saw my friend there waiting for me. What a feeling being in front of that Tower, knowing that the last time I'd seen sea and sand was the day before at Hartlepool, and I was now about to set foot on the beach on the opposite side of the country.
I ran the entire distance on my own. I had no support runners. My friend in the support vehicle was there solely at pitstops to help restock my backpack.
I initially set myself a target of 30 hours for this route. I managed to complete it in 31 hours, 21 mins, 16 seconds... which I'm happy with considering the stomach issues which slowed me down, and the bad weather conditions.