Most people’s idea of a relaxing long weekend probably involve something nice like going to a spa, staying by a beach, going to a nice pub. For me, it’s dragging the family off to a hotel in Reading, sneaking out at 6am, traveling to somewhere in the Wiltshire countryside and then running 40 miles back the way I came. What a great husband & dad I am!
This is the second time I’m running the Ridgeway 40, a fantastic walking / running event by the LDWA that is incredible value at £13 to enter. Since last year I’ve done several runs across the Ridgeway and have come to love it so much I’d like to get out there at least once a year for some event or other.
So there I was on a quick 6 am train from Reading to Goring, sorting through my kit on the way. In Goring I bumped into some other runners on their way to the coach who told me they were training for race to the stones, and today would be their first ever ultra distance, which was exactly where I was this time last year.
The hour long coach gives you plenty of time to ponder (and in my case, overthink) what the day might bring, and despite knowing what to expect from the course I found myself getting a little nervous about my kit and preparation. My Garmin charger was playing up and only had about 70% battery. I wasn’t sure if I needed to be wearing a base layer, and I was feeling hungry and wondered if I had packed enough fuel to last me the whole distance.
The start is in a different place this year, at Avebury sports club instead of Overton Hill. This was nice because you get to see some of the bizarre, ancient landmarks in the area like Silbury Hill on the way down, and also get a good look at the standing stones at the beginning of the course.
It was a foggy morning and quite a cold and wet start as we trudged our way around some big puddles out of Avebury and made our way up onto the Ridgeway. I thought about wearing my raincoat as an extra layer and hoped it would warm up. Most of this was uphill and quite rutted so I did more walking than running until I eased into a good pace.
The first few miles to Barbury Castle went by in no time. Here the course takes a bit of a detour away from the Ridgeway and along some fields. I had the route on my phone so used that to navigate as I pointed out the way to some runners I caught up with. They way was pretty straightforward and we soon reached the first checkpoint for biscuits, crisps and a water refill.
The next section was a massive hill which everyone walked up and when we reached the top the weather was clearing up nicely and we see some of the view. I decided to keep to a relaxed 10 minute mile pace, walking the uphills and saving my legs for later. I could always up the pace later if I still felt good.
Checkpoint 2 was only 5 miles after that and I grabbed myself a bag of dried fruit. I wasn’t worried about supplies anymore as the checkpoints were very frequent and we were being well fed. I had found a good pace by now and was feeling very comfortable. There’s something very ‘freeing’ about running the Ridgeway which is what I love about it. The vast view, ancient landmarks and quiet stillness make you feel very small as you make your way along the path. This particular event is really friendly as well, and I usually end up chatting with people who I meet along the way which makes a nice change from a lot of typical running events.
I caught up with a few walkers and a couple of runners on this leg, saying a quick hello as I went by. The day was warming up steadily so I would need to refill my water bottle at each checkpoint. The longest stretch was about 9 miles between checkpoints 4 and 5 (one of the stops was dropped this year) and I managed to overtake a few more runners here. I could also see another runner way off in the distance and was slowly able to close the gap with him by the time we got to checkpoint 5. We overtook some of the 20 mile walkers who were really encouraging and cheered us on as we passed!
It was very sunny by now, and my legs were definitely starting to feel a bit heavier for the final 6 miles. I had a quick chat with the guy I caught up with who said he might have started off a bit too quickly and was feeling a bit shattered. We were both walk/running by now and he soon disappeared into the distance again as I kept with my slow plod, keeping some energy in the tank for the end.
There was another checkpoint only two miles down the road which came by so quick I almost missed it. Once again I finally caught up the runner in front who was walking by now. I offered some words of encouragement and trotted the last few miles into Streatley for the finish.
As I approached the finish at Goring village hall I was startled by two other runners absolutely legging it over the Streatley/Goring bridge. It was an impressive sprint finish which I wasn’t going to attempt to match so let them pass and we got our times recorded together.
I finished with a reasonable time of 7:30 – half an hour slower than last year (fun fact, all of my runs have been half an hour slower this year). I was glad to be finished but had an amazing day. I felt as though I could have pushed it a bit harder and got a quicker time, but keeping things relaxed meant I got to enjoy the day which is what it was about.
The village hall resembled a kind of kids party with loads of cakes, biscuits and savoury things. Only instead of kids it was sweaty, broken people sitting around. It was nice to just sit for a while and watch people come in for the finish. I caught up with some of the runners I met along the way while stuffing my face with quiche and cakes, and the runner I was leapfrogging came in about 10 minutes or so after me.
Lorna arrived with the kids soon after, and I picked up my certificate and changed into some dry clothes which felt good as my running gear was pretty nasty by now. The weather was perfect and the four of us had a really nice afternoon in Goring, which is a beautiful place to hang around. I’ve told Lorna a lot about the Ridgeway, and seeing people finish the event has left her feeling inspired and wanting to take part in the walk next year! Maybe I can get her running it…
