PETE HUTCHINSON, THE
SPINE CHALLENGER 108 MILES in 55 hours
Pete Hutchinsons report
The Spine Challenger first half
6 AM Saturday the 10th January
Car parked up at the ramblers arms, drop bag checked, tagged and dumped with 68
others. Last minute change in clothing layers, base layer, then thermal, plus
fleece, Gortex top layer. Legs base layer, Gortex top layer times two. Feeling
about right but I knew it was going to get hot climbing up Jacob's ladder, but
it looks like rain so the plan is go easy to the top. Were I expect it to get
much colder, that way I don't have to stop to add layers and get wet. 6:28 AM we
make our way down to the start gantry, I can hear it creaking as it twists in
the wind, and we are advised to keep well back in case it blows over. As if on
cue the heavens open up, I look around and take in the other racers, thinking
how I am going to compete with the racing snakes with ruck sacks that look about
the size of my sleeping bag. I remind myself that I am not here to race, just to
Finish safe. I pull my poles out and click them together, and we are off past
the village hall, sharp right past the pub, a road section for the first mile,
then left down a sheltered tree lined path. I feel myself getting a tad warm as
we go through the stile and on up, starting to climb now, as we skirt Broadlee
Bank Tor. The wind starts to knock us about a bit. "This doesn't bode well I say
to myself, it's always sheltered here, it will be ten times worse over, Upper
Booth and the Ladder. We didn't have to wait that long, as the wind started to
knock people down like ten pins, when you wasn't picking yourself up, you were
helping someone else to there feet. The more we swung around North the harder it
came, then the machine guns opened fire with icy hail hitting us in the face at
70MPH, I ducked behind a wall and pulled my ski mask out, thank god Sandy had
told me to take one along, I slipped it over my red face. A fellow racer
suggested we should buddy up, and I nodded, this is getting bloody dangerous and
we have hardly gone 3 miles. We get a little rest-bite as we reach Jacob's and
start to climb, At the top the wind is hitting us from all directions, as we
Head towards Kinder Downfall. When we get there we are greeted by Kinder
up-fall! as the wind pushes the water up and over our heads. We stop for a few
pictures, and exchange names. Sarah Fuller, one tough lady, who i later found
out is also a walking map. We pick are way across mill hill and moss castle, and
crossed the A57 snake.
Only 10 miles and I am feeling weak, time to take on a little food.
Sarah is so strong, and pushes us on whenever possible, jogging the flats, and
down hills, power walking the uphill. I dig in, and we make it to Tor-side, my
feet are wet and I feel some hot spots, and I need to change some base layers.
Sarah tells me we can get cover, in the woods on the other side of the
reservoir. As we pass between Tor-side and Rhodes wood, the wind off the water
cuts through me like ice, I am not in a good place, and need to sort myself out.
We have made good time, and passed some good runners. I don't want to hold Sarah
up but have to stop in the woods. I sort my feet, change my damp gear for warmer
dry layers, and grab some food. 5 minutes wasted and we lose 5 places. But I
feel good now and, have realised I have to eat more to keep warm. We reach the
A628 and get called over to the checkpoint we nearly ran past, Sarah gets some
water and we head off. We cross the fell and climb to the A635, a short road
section. I get to the cross roads. I realise I have lost my ski mask, "it was
their at the stile, I must have dropped it" I tell Sarah to go on and I track
back for it, it's a vital piece of kit in my armoury against the relentless
wind. I find it and walk back to the road. I find Sarah just past the cross road
waiting for me. I am feeling all in, as we turn again, And hit head wind as we
head west to Black Moss. At the A62, Sarah's husband has driven out to cheer her
on, and her two daughters are passing cake out of the window.
! we get a welcome cup of tea from a guy in a camper van, waiting for his mate.
He asks if we have seen him, the tracking put him just behind us. We ask about
the Spine racers, as we have been expecting the fast boys to pass us. We get the
news that they where held back till 11:30. as we head off across Standedge, we
contemplate when they will pass.
It starts to get dark as we approach the M62, the red glow from the city makes
us feel a little sad, at the light pollution we inflict on the sky. We stop for
food, before taking the foot bridge over the motorway. I start to feel a lot
better as the night draws in as we pick our way over Blackstone Edge Moor, in
the light of our head torches, 20 years of night shifts has equipped me well,
and I start to feel like making up some ground. As we reach the disused quarry
we see the lights of The White House, and we can pick out some head torches
making there way down to the pub on the Halifax road, I glance back and see
lights gaining on us at a lightning pace, just after we turn to head down to the
reservoir, Pavel and a group of racing snakes fly past us, Shouting out
encouragement as they go. My mind starts to think of the pub and a warm drink.
But Sarah is having none of it, let's crack on she insists as we reach the car
park and get a blueberry muffin stuffed in our hands, by one of the angels
manning the check point. We take on water and they tell us "lots of the pack
have stopped for food at the pub". best reason I could think of to run past, and
steal some ground on them. We could see them sat in the pub through a big
steamed up window, as we headed up the road and sharp left along Blackstone Edge
reservoir. We can see head torches up ahead, I make out 5 and start to push the
pace as the wind starts to push us a little, but Sarah is struggling and we slow
to let her take on water, the sweet blueberry muffin has made her feel sick,
sugar-hi, we suspect . But she soon recovers and we hunt down the lights ahead.
We reached Light Hazzles reservoir, and pushed on to Warland, we passed Clare
Holdcroft, Sarah had a chat and we pushed on. We had pulled about 30yards on
Clare, when without any words passing between us we both started to slow, and
Clare joined us, It was one of those nights you wouldn't put a cat out, and we
wasn't about to leave Clare, and it felt right. As we got to the end of the
reservoir and turned right along Warland drain. And then on flag stones over
Cold-well hill, and Blad-scout hill. I take a tumble down the hill, I think it
was at Withens gate. And nearly in-pale myself in the groin with my pole. I ease
back and chat to Clare as we make our way up through High Stones to Stoodley
Pike. Sarah needs to sort her feet out and we plan to stop under the monument.
As we pick our way through the bogs and take five at the monument, a spine racer
slips past us in the night, and makes his way down the soddened hills to
Charlestown (Hebden Bridge). We roll into Charlestown, and check in at a lone
Land- Rover, with friendly faces waiting to meet us. Then across the road, the
girls know the area as they had reccied it. "Right" Clare says and I look in
amazement. "that's not a path its a slate cliff face" In the conditions it was
lethal, the steepest slate path I have ever seen, with water running down it
like a river. It go's on for a good half mile. my lungs where bursting by the
time I reach the top. I look at Clare and Sarah, they were muttering about the
hill, but making it look easy, two very tough cookies I have teamed up with. We
head off over the popples, it's very boggy and wet. We cross a road, through the
tip of Fosters wood, then follow the road into Slack, and pass spine and
challenger runners coming back out of check point 1. The rain is coming down
heavy again as we cross a grassy hill down towards Hebden Wood. I slip on my
arse three or four times, but I'm up quickly I don't want to stay in that
position to long, as I can see the grave stones of the cemetery to are right.
Sarah and Clare are chatting up front and the won't miss me till they get two
the checkpoint. I hurry myself along down the bolder and bog feast that is the
path two the scouts hall in Hebden Woods CP 1. We pick up our drop bags and the
guys carry them through for us we only have the energy to kickoff our boots. We
sort bags the girls eat, and I grab a shower, I had been dreaming of a shower.
The girls grab some sleep and I go down to the kitchen and eat as much food as I
can get down without making myself sick. 48 miles done I think to myself I feel
like I have done more like 100. To be continued
The Spine challenger part Two
The power of the pasty.
After stuffing my face and gulping down pints of electrolytes. I sat and took in
the atmosphere of the mess-room, it was like a hotline to how the race was
going. Marcus Scotney had pulled out at Tor-side, we had heard rumours. I had
been stood behind him on the start line envying his micro ruck sack, He had been
blown over and done some damage. There had been a few pull out early, but most
had made it to CP1 and pulled, or been pulled by the doctor. It was going to be
hard to pull our sorry backsides out of this warm cosy check point. I checked my
boots I had stuffed with paper to extract some of the bog. And it was time to
raise the Girls we had said 2:30 and it was about 2:40. time had passed as quick
as the racing snakes on Blackstone edge last night. By the time we had all our
gear sorted we slipped out of CP1, hauling our battered bodies Back up the bog
and Boulder path we had descended some four hours earlier. The wind had not let
up and it was another bog infested common over Green hill and Clough head hill,
as we picked up the pennine way, along Graining water then over it and out to
Walshaw reservoir, I was getting sick of water, as all it brought us was cold
wind, and was glad to head off over Withins height. We had expected to eat and
get some shelter in the stone hut at top Withins but it was locked so we
sheltered behind it and had a drink and I stuffed down three baby bells and a
pepperoni extra hot smile
emoticon.
We turned off upper heights it was good to be on the lower ground,but the wind
off Ponden reservoir was in our faces. pushing on over Oakworth moor as day was
about to brake. 7:30 and we all looked like the morning after a new year party.
And cracks in our armour were starting to show. I was in a running dream half
way between sleep and conches-ness "what was that"!. I thought I had seen Bambi
bounding over the hills just above Cowling. I rubbed my eyes, and Sara shouted
it's my friend Kate. Kate had been watching us on the tracking, and we where not
far from her, she came out in her camper van with soup and tea. "This way" and
she bounded off over the bogs like a Thompsons Gazelle. We kicked of our shoes
and repaired our feet slurping down soup and drinking tea, I made my apologies
about my smelly feet and we were on our way across Surgill beck and through
Lotherside. As we got to Thornton in cave Sarah's fella and girls surprised us
again and asked if we needed food the girls turned it down, and I was a little
worried about them not eating. I of corse tucked into a cheese pasty and we
arranged to meet them just up the road, as there was a better parking place, and
Sarah needed to sort blisters out. I was telling the girls how this was the best
tasting pasty in the hole wide world, when Sarah had her first wobble, I think
it was seeing her girls and Fella had put a chink in her armour, Clare and i
plastered it over with words only distance runners would understand, like do you
really want to come back and do this all again, and the old favourite "you will
hate yourself in the morning. Last thing Sarah wanted was sympathy, that would
have just shattered her. We started running and I told them they had to try one
of the pasty's, down the lane and under a road bridge there was the camper van
we jumped in and took on water and changed some wet gear. Sarah and Clare shared
a pasty and perked up, nothing beats real food.
It was nice to be on a flat section and as we hit the canal, you couldn't get
much flatter. A nice little section over a few fields and we where in Cargrave,
one of Sarah's running buddies met us on the bridge and ran with us to the big
stone bush shelter and toilets. He stayed with our bags as we raided the co op.
I found the hot sausage roll and pie cabinet and preceded to empty the con-tense
into a bag, lucky both the girls are vegetarians
smile emoticon .
I grabbed another bag of baby bells and we were back to the shelter.it was
filling up with other runners coming in, so we were on our way. It was getting
dark, we could just see the head torches of two spine runners who ran through as
we put our bags back on. I took the opportunity to use them to sight our way
through this section it was getting dark and it's hard to find the gates and
styles as their where paths in every direction. We could see the guys up ahead
reach the fence or wall then track along it till they found the gate. I powered
on knowing the girls could see my light and would follow. We crossed 6 or 7
before I lost the lights and we ended up in the corner of a field with no way
over, lucky we saw a runner further over and cut him off as he reached the gate.
Was I glad to see him it was Dave Dixon an experienced spine racer. He gave us
directions down to Malham and slipped away into the night. We followed the river
down and could see a big building in Malham as we made our way down to it we
suddenly became surrounded by 4 sets of big eyes reflecting very scarily from
the light of our head torches. We where being mugged by horses and I mean mugged
they wanted my sausage rolls, and I was going to put up a fight for them. The
girls made a brake for it as I tried to get my map bag out of one of the big
brutes jaws. Then as quick as they came they were gone, off to mug some other
poor runner. We made our way through the streets of Malham. And visited our
first pub for a hot pot of tea and a warm up, then we made our way up cove road
on to the track and steps up too Malham Cove, we took a left and some runners
called us back "your going the wrong way" "no your going the wrong way" chips in
Sarah. And we head off in the right direction, only to see them track back
behind us ten minutes later. As we swing around the top to pick up the valley.
Off they went again around the left side, Sarah shouts them back and then sighs,
"men never think we can map read". They didn't know Sarah's secret she is a
walking map. We pick our way down lethal wet limestone, and down Ing scar to
Malham tarn. It's about 19:33 as we crawl into check point 1.5. 85 miles in the
bag.
Spine Challenger part three
The Apocalypse
Check point 1.5 was a lot smaller than CP1 with basic hot water and drinks,
Clare made some instant noodles. We knew we needed to rest, the battle of the
last 40 hours had taken its tole. We had planned 4 hours sleep to recharge, and
then take on the last 26 miles. The weather had to get better I thought to
myself as I crawled into my Bivie bag, but as it was I could only manage to rest
and listen to the wind blow everything that wasn't tied down away into the
night. After about an hour I gave up on the sleep, and went to talk too the
mountain rescue guys about something Dave Dixon had told us as he passed last
night,and yes it was true we didn't have to go over Pen-y-Ghent. The wind had
been so strong and to keep the race safe and everything even all competitors had
been diverted, by Bracken-bottom scar to Horton. I raised the girls about 2:30.
And they're was a feel of determination in the air. As we set off down the lane
and through the valley out of CP1. By the time we reached Little fell we could
tell the weather gods had not finnished with us yet, the rain was lashing into
our faces stronger than we had previously encountered. Navigation had become
impossible and we where relying on Sarah and Clare's memory and a little
instinct. But as we went over the top things got a little bit scary. When we
were not slipping over in the mud we were being blown over by the wind, we
couldn't see the path, and to top It all Sarah was having problems with the hood
of her Coat that turned into a proper stamping on the ground paddy. We managed
to find the right cords to her hood and tighten it enough to give her a little
better protection from the hurricane that had been unleashed on us, the only way
I can describe it, imagine trying to climb down the slipperiest muddy bank, that
has turned into a river, then some prat turns a power washer into your face. I
went in front of Sarah as we passed the old mine to take some of the wind out of
her face, and we some how made it down to the road. But I was now wet through
and starting to shiver, Clare knew of a barn on this road, so we set off with
the icy wind in our faces. I picked up my pace to try and warm up, but could
feel this race slipping out of my control. At last we found the barn and it
wasn't locked our luck had changed. I hung my coat up to drip dry and put the
last of my dry gear on, as the girls had some food. We set off from the barn
feeling battered but not beaten, and it wasn't long before we reached the path
up to Pen-y-Ghent, sat in their land rover we came across the rescue guys, who
had been tracking our progress over the top. We stopped for a chat, and jelly
babies. Then were on our way. We followed the path that was nice and sheltered
by a high wall on our left, and to raise our spirits we sang always look on the
bright side, good choice Clare.
Half way up was a small gate in the wall, Clare and Sarah pushed on it and it was as if it was locked, the wind was pinning it closed. It took all three of us to open it I dragged myself through and held the gate, I looked back as Clare had not passed,!what I saw was amazing Clare leaning into the wind like a ski jumper hovering all but for the tips of her boots. We grabbed her and dragged her through, the wind once again in our faces we picked our way down the Rock and slab steps, towards Bracken Bottom. Then finally down a steep undulating hill, with 3 meter limestone Craggs every few hundred yards, I am renaming it Broken Bottom, as I was on mine most of the way down, and have the bruises to prove it. We hit the farm track then road just past the farm buildings. Right at the cross roads, we could see the check point, but it didn't look right runners sat around drinking tea and soup, drying their clothes on anything they could find. The race had been stopped again, as it was two dangerous to go over Cam End and Ten End. Just! a Minute they have stopped every one for the last four hours, going over Cam End. And we had been out on fountains fell for the last Four hours, arr I guess they forgot to tell us about the storm, I'm sure fountains is 600, and Cam End 480. We got the nod that the race would be on again at 8am, not long to wait so we tucked in to hot soup bread and tea, and set too trying to dry some stuff. We looked at each other 12 miles too go, 100 in the bag we can do this. I put on every bit of clothing I had and we head out of the cafe and straight on the Pennine-way following the track up until we reach the Cam Road, or the road to hell as I would describe it, even with all the clothing I had on I was feeling cold and needed to eat, at this point everything seemed to be conspiring against me. Even my map bag, the zipper had got stuck, and my food was in it, the battle went on between me and the map bag, the whole of Cam Road, taking my mind off the weather, but I was the victor, and the prise was three baby bells and two pepperoni extra strong. As we left the road and headed up too Ten End, the Gods had one last try at spoiling our party as the wind once again picked up to gail force. We where fighting every step as the wind tried to blow us off the edge, at one point I was walking horizontal against the edge leaning into the wind to keep my balance, I had a fair few words for the weather Gods at that point, not a lot of them repeatable in this blog. But at last we caught sight of Haws and started our descent and Darren Hunt, one of the spine rescue team, and Clare's fella. Had come out to cheer us through the village. Home job done. well done girls, we beat everything. the rain, the wind, the hail, the snow. I thank the weather Gods for not making it too easy for us