The Frostbite 30

Okay I can say right here and now that this race was far, far too runnable! There weren't nearly enough impossible climbs that would force me to walk or treacherous descents that would force me to be captain sensible and take it steady. Nope, it was just 30 solid miles of very, very runnable tracks and trails and therefore, goddamit, I was left with no other option but to flipping well run it. 

And what a fantastic race it turned out to be.....

At the time of writing the results aren't yet out but I'm guessing that there was about 100 of us at the start from the scout hut in Pateley Bridge at 9 am on Saturday morning. Harry was running with me along with at least two other dogs present in the starting line up. Harry was buzzing (and gargling) with excitement waiting for the off and super keen to be first dog home.  Hester was also running and also aiming to do well, especially as one or two of her friends from Ripon Runners were also competing. 

Before us stretched a fabulous route that pretty much covers the whole of Nidderdale. Living on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park as I do, my standing joke (that never gets old) with Hester is that, although Nidderdale is a dale and is in Yorkshire, its not actually in The Yorkshire Dales. No its not, sorry - its close but no cigar (insert big winky smiley here). Its still not a half bad Yorkshire 'valley' though.

Results

Our route round Nidderdale.... nearly but not quite in the Yorkshire Dales (coloured in green)

The race was superbly organised, with the route well marked out and with cheery folk dispensing drinks and snacks at the various checkpoints. And whilst I 've said that the route was 'too runnable' that's not to say it didn't have some hills in because it certainly did, with a particularly good solid climb after Bouthwaite some 4 miles in, and with a few more climbs to come after that too. My gps watch tends to over exaggerate the climbs but I suspect the whole route included at least 2,500 feet or more of ascent and descent. So it was hilly.... yet runnable. All the same from the off me and Harry managed to maintain a pretty good pace (for us) which only really dropped off a bit in the final 7 miles. To make it just 'a tad' tougher, we were running into a strong headwind for much of the outward leg and it was such a relief, at about the 17 mile point, to turn our backs on the wind and be able to run unimpeded. 

Anyway apart from the very last 4 mile run in from Bouthwaite ,which seemed to go on for ever, I felt pretty good all the way round all things considered. Which is a good thing really as I need to start upping my game a bit on the 'running' front as I'm 'doing' the London marathon next year... yep, I'll be getting road running shoes and everything! I've never actually done a road marathon before either so it will be interesting to see what my marathon time might be. On Saturday I clocked the 26.2 mile point in something like 4 hours 15 and, surely to god, I'll be able to knock a chunk of time off that in London?

We finally finished the Frostbite 30 in 4 hours 49 minutes and I was pleased to have comfortably broken the 5 hour barrier. Harry was of course first dog home and was absolutely starving in the scout hut afterwards, scrounging sandwiches and pork pies in his most lovely, doe eyed fashion from all and sundry. There was cracking soup and sandwiches for all the competitors at the end by the way. 

Hester too ran a brilliant race, finishing (a bit worse for wear if I'm honest) in 5 hours and 5 minutes, having run her socks off. What a super star. 

The route profile (orange line) and our pace (white line)

And we're off

Heading for the moors

High Ash Head Moor - we didn't see Jenny Twigg and her daughter Tib though

Oh yeah, Harry played sticks all the way round

Unfortunately we didn't catch any runners to scythe down before us

Me and the boy still running strong at about the 19 mile point 

Hester still smiling

Hester taking 30 minutes to put on her running shoes the morning after (hahahaha)