Race to the Stones is a 100 km (62 mile) ultramarathon which takes place on the ancient Ridgeway path, Britain’s oldest road. It starts off in a field in Oxfordshire and finishes at the famous Avebury stone circle in Wiltshire. This is a pretty huge and very popular event, with participants coming from all over the world to take on this distance either non-stop, or across two days.
This would officially be the longest run I’d complete by a whopping 20 miles, and entering something like this was a big step into the unknown for me as I had no idea if I could actually complete something like this. Once I’d signed up for this in January I got obsessed with researching what it would take to complete an event like this – what running gear to buy, training tips and generally what to expect on the day. I discovered so many excellent running blogs which opened my eyes to the world of ultra running, captured my imagination and got me completely hooked on the idea of entering more events like this. They also inspired me to start writing about own running experiences, which is why I started this blog.
Race day
It was a relatively early start as I set off on my hour’s drive to Lewknor. Once arrived I handed in my drop bag for the finish, applied plenty of sunscreen (It was going to be another hot sunny day) and I was ready to go with plenty of time. Easy! The race sets off in waves to ease congestion (there were well over 2000 participants), and I watched the first of these waves get started as I awaited my turn in Wave C.
So far so good, but somehow I managed to make a complete mess of my start… Race nerves were kicking in by now and I was a worried about missing my starting slot, so I decided to enter the starting pen early so that I could get myself sorted out in plenty of time for the start. I could see other Wave C people doing the same so it seemed sensible at the time. The horn blew while I was faffing around setting up my Garmin, and I looked up and realised it was just me left standing awkwardly in the starting pen. The race announcer was calling my name and cameras pointed in my direction so I panicked and thought “I’d better go, then” before wandering aimlessly over the start line, still trying to fix my Garmin and now worried that I jumped my starting slot. My race to the stones had officially begun!
My goal for this race was simply to get to the end. I had a rough ambition of a 12-hour finish but as this is my first time running this distance I really didn’t know what time I should realistically be aiming for. I did have a bit of a deadline of 9pm though as my coach back to the car was booked at this time, and if I managed to finish before it got dark I’d be happy. My planned strategy was to keep to my Ridgeway 40 pace, slowing to a walk in the later stages if I became tired.
The early stages of the race were the most hectic with a lot of runners packed together, some going at a steady pace and others speeding past. The trails here were narrow making it quite stop-start in places and a number of people in front of me were falling over roots and things as we couldn’t really see the terrain ahead through the congestion. I just tried to concentrate on not tripping over myself and moving forward the best I could. The first pit stop soon came and I made sure I didn’t stay long, trying to loose the crowd and get into the clear.
The next couple of pit stops were pretty straight forward. The route took us through some absolutely beautiful countryside including woodlands, picturesque fields and a golf course that looked like the set of Teletubbies (your mind goes to some strange places during these long runs). Early highlights included the visually striking “Field of Dreams” and Grimm’s Ditch which is a fun downhill woodland section with lots of gnarled trees and roots to hop between.
It had been a bright and sunny morning and the day was warming up steadily as we made our way through the pit stops. The terrain had been somewhat hilly but and around mile 19 I started to feel tired which wasn’t a good sign. It was pretty hot now, and those who have read my MK marathon post will know I really don’t cope well with the heat. We soon reached the Thames path which leads into the beautiful town of Goring and then onto an uphill section which I wasn’t looking forward to.
Once we got back onto the Ridgeway the temperature had reached a peak and it was clear that I wasn’t the only one struggling here. There was a bit of a climb and I spent some time walking with a group of other participants, one of whom was starting to get some severe cramping and wasn’t having a great time. He was doing the overnight stop so I did my best to reassure him that the next pitstop wasn’t far as we trudged on to Basecamp.
Basecamp – Half way
I was starting to feel a bit deflated by now so was pleased to arrive at basecamp which marks the half way point at 50km (31 miles). Many of the participants would camp here overnight and start on the second half the next morning. For me however, this was another pit stop before I hit the trail again so I needed to recover and get myself ready for the second half. As mid race pitstops go, this place was fully kitted out with a food hall offering a range of pasta, cakes, hot and cold drinks and other goodies. There were places to sit and rest and a music stage was being set up. There was even a bar. Best of all however – tucked away in a quiet corner was an ice cream van!
I probably spent a bit too much time here but I really needed it. The first thing I did was wolf down two Calippos which were amazing. They helped to cool me down and the sugar perked me up considerably. After that I had some pasta, refilled water bottles, took some more electrolytes and changed into dry socks. When I arrived here I wasn’t sure how I’d manage the second half, but now I felt ready for anything.
I set off onto the Ridgeway once again with renewed vigour. My plan was to walk the majority of the second half as I didn’t know how strong my running would be past the 40 mile mark. Fortunately however things had really turned around for me after basecamp and I found myself able to pick up the pace and move forward much more comfortably.
This section of the Ridgeway is a lot more exposed than the first half, but thankfully we had cloud cover keeping the sun at bay. It was still very warm but much more manageable and by now there were a lot fewer runners on the course. There was a fair amount of walk-running from pit stop 6 onwards, but despite this I was actually making up some of the lost time from the first half. I found myself passing quite a few runners during this leg, but as the day wore on tiredness gradually set in.
For a big chunk of this race I was looking forward to reaching Barbury Castle. This is where the last pit stop is, marking the final, mostly downhill stretch to the finish. The trail leading up to this pit stop seemed to take forever though, with a particularly hot and punishing stretch along a busy main road, a steep uphill climb and a long undulating field that never seemed to end. I was starting to lose patience here but pressed on before finally arriving at the pit stop. I didn’t spend long here as I refilled my water bottles and got on my way.
The sun was setting over an incredible view as I ran towards Barbury Castle and I suddenly started to feel a bit overwhelmed and weirdly emotional. It might have been runners high or perhaps I had just about had enough at that point… The realisation that I was on my way to actually finishing this mad evil beast of a run was hard to process.
I pulled myself together for the final push and was able to run at a decent-ish pace to all the way the finish. Despite this race taking me a good deal longer than expected it was looking like I’d finish before it got dark which for me would be a fantastic result. I even managed to overtake a few more runners as I hopped between deep ruts carving up the trail into Avebury. The course followed a little loop around the famous standing stones for a photo, and then we were sent back on path towards the finish line a mile up the road. With the end sight I had a go at a sprint finish (more of a hobbled jog), whilst trying to smile (more of a grimace) as I approached the finish line.
I received my medal, and from there I hobbled over to some chairs where the other finishers were resting. It took me a good few minutes for all of this to sink in, I had just run 63 miles! I grabbed some pizza and spent some time chatting with the other finishers about the day, the amazing race and the challenging conditions. It seems I wasn’t the only one who struggled with the heat on this event.
My finishing time came in at 13 hours 43 minutes which was longer than I’d expected to take, but I gave this all I had on the day and I’m massively pleased with the result. I also made it in plenty of time to catch my coach as well!
This had been a truly amazing day, and overall the event was fantastic and a real challenge. I would absolutely recommend this as a perfect ultra for beginners. The course is very well sign posted, the pit stops are close together and very well stocked. I brought my own supplies for this but found the checkpoints had every type of food, fruit, drinks, gels, electrolytes etc on offer and I could have easily come empty handed and been absolutely fine. The volunteers at each checkpoint were awesome and really looked after the runners throughout the event.
I’ll definitely be back for more.
