A cracking day for it albeit on the warm side. I set off from Lickey Hills visitor Centre with spring in my stride and a full race vest of water. Things were going well by the time I arrived at Clent, I picked a good line down from the four stones that allowed me to maintain a 2 hour pace I was aiming for.
The heat then got hold of my and the climb at 10 miles in up Winwood heath road I had to settle for a power hike! I was watching time slip away but knew I was on the home leg. After the kilometer long road climb there were just 3 more climbs, two at the end I knew were a hike and the long steady longer climb up through the woods.
The long climb starts with a road section before picking up the path through the woods, it started with a road ahead closed sign and at this point I thought it was curtains, They were resurfacing but had room for pedestrians to pass. The then usual runnable climb through the woods was then back to hiking and trying to get in as much of the fluid I had left, Here I managed a rice crispy square knowing there were 2 horrible climbs to finish.
The climb up Rednal hill was tough the ground so dry each step up I would slide back down half a step through the dry dirt, getting the legs turning over at the top I began my descent, the watch ticked over two km remaining at 01:56 at this point I knew I was still on for the FKT but not my 2 hour target, I got a good break in the traffic crossing the road and was able to attack the final hike up bilberry hill before getting the legs turning over once more for the little out and back to the top of Cofton hill, from here the 300 meter dash downhill back to the visitor Centre. Stop the clock 02:05:57 6 minutes off my target but still the quickest time to-date.