The Ridgeway 40 is a special event for me. It’s the first ‘proper’ ultra event I’ve taken part in, and one of the first I’ve written about on this blog. It’s been 7 years since I last took part in this - I haven’t been fit enough to consider it since the Covid shenanigans of 2020 - and it feels amazing to be able to take part in this event again.
Training this year has been strong - I started from scratch in December and built up to the MK Marathon on Monday of this same week, which went well and felt comfortable. Recovery was smooth and I felt as prepared as I could be for the Ridgeway. I was grateful to have this blog to read up on my past runs and remind myself of what gear I’d need and what to expect.
The family and I drove up to Reading on the Friday night and checked into a hotel very close to the train station. There’s a 5:50 train that takes me to Goring in plenty of time to catch the coach. I was feeling quite nervous and pensive on the way over. I hadn’t slept particularly well and worried various things; was I fit enough to take part, did I have the right gear, fuel, etc. I reminded myself that being fit enough to even consider entering this event was a goal in itself, and that I’d done this before so there shouldn’t be any surprises.
I met one of the walkers getting off the train and it was nice to have someone to talk to on the way to Streatley YHA for the coach to take my mind off nervous thoughts. He told me about the many walking events he’d taken part in, and this would be his 5th time walking the 40. He also told me that he was considering the LDWA 100 (mile) event this year. It made me think about what other LDWA events there are for me to enter for a change of scenery.
We arrived at Streatley YHA in plenty of time for the coach journey to the start line in Avebury.
Coach ride
I’m going to give the coach journey its own section because it stands out as a bit of a highlight for me! There were two coaches, and plenty of room for all of the walkers and runners. The journey takes about an hour and in the hazy morning light, it was really quite special.
The journey takes us through the Wiltshire countryside and some very pretty, medieval market towns along the way. Closer to Avebury the landscape becomes quite otherworldly with prehistoric landmarks dotted around. I did a spot of neolithic sightseeing and got some nice photos of Silbury Hill (Ancient man-made hill as old as the pyramids), West Kennet Long Barrow, and the start of the Ridgeway itself, with several other barrows rising from the surrounding fields.
Start and first 20 miles
The start line was at Avebury Cricket club and there were a lot of walkers and runners (I’d say a 50/50 split this year) queued up to get their timing chips and get started. I heard the event organiser talking about how they’re planning to hand over the event management to a new organisation, and that this might be the last R40 if they can’t find a new volunteer. It made me stop and think, it’s about time I volunteered my time to support an event like this, but I really don’t have the first idea of how to organise an event of this scale. I’m also not very involved with the LDWA walking scene either but I hope someone who has the experience can keep this going.
It also made me stop and appreciate the volunteers at each of the checkpoints, in and around the event, giving up evenings and their weekends every year to keep this event going. Despite being considered fairly ‘small’ compared to the big corporate events, I became very aware of the scale of organising something like this, the moving parts and how each checkpoint is set up and run by the volunteers. Everyone I met throughout the day were awesome and only too happy to help.
I scanned my timing chip and began my third official ‘Crossing’ shortly after. To start with I took it very easy, jogging for a bit, and taking lots more photos! This part of the Ridgeway is dotted with so many ancient landmarks like Avebury stone circle, Barbury Castle and chalk figures like the Uffington White Horse. It felt great to be back after 7 years.
I started to pick up my pace, but as the weather was so warm today (we had a mini one-day heatwave) I decided I’d keep my pace to a nice and comfortable 10 minute mile. There’s plenty of time to go quicker later on. It felt like a good start, and the route was unchanged from the previous times I’d run this. I also remembered this section can be very rocky in places, and I could feel my feet getting quite battered and a bit sore. Luckily there’s a mix of terrain, and this rocky surface didn’t last too long.
The first checkpoint is at mile 10, a quarter of the way and I still felt great. The temperature was comfortable, and I had plenty of energy in the tank. I refilled my bottles, took a couple of biscuits and was on my way up a very steep hill, and onto the higher parts of the Ridgeway with stunning views for miles.
The next section was pleasant and uneventful - two checkpoints quite close together for me to quickly refill and continue. I’d run past most of the walkers by this point (including my buddy from the train), and a fair few runners overtook me as well. I reached the 20-mile half way mark still feeling very comfortable - which is something I wouldn’t be able to say just a couple of months ago! The scenery here is truly breathtaking and I was having the best time, feeling quite nostalgic for the previous times I’d run various events on the Ridgeway.
Second 20 miles and finish
The next stretch is where things started to unravel for me a bit. The stretch between checkpoint 3 and 4 was another 10 mile stretch, and at mid day the temperature had become very warm. I saw quite a few runners slowing to a walk at this stage, and I found myself catching up to many people who had run ahead of me an hour or so earlier. I also found myself slowing down a lot at this point.
I remember thinking about rationing my water during this section, and a particularly tough part on a long chalk path which was very bright in the sun, reflecting the heat back up at us. It was a strange feeling, like being on snow but very bright and very warm. This part of the journey felt like a mid summer day with no cloud cover, which gave us amazing visibility, but also meant the temperature could get a bit warm and with the exposed pathways and lack of shade, I wasn’t acclimatised to it yet.
I eventually made it to the next checkpoint, where I once again filled both my water flasks and added another Zero tablet. I was basically walk-running the rest of the way from here.
The next section was fairly ‘easy’ in comparison - checkpoints spaced around 4 - 6 miles apart. However by now the exhaustion was setting in. I was in good company though - I kept up with 5 or so runners here, sharing words of encouragement at the checkpoints. Despite feeling a bit shattered by now, my legs still felt strong and I felt like I still had enough in the tank to complete the distance. I just couldn’t bring myself to run consistently and it makes me wonder if this is just an effect from the heat, or something I could have avoided with my fuelling. Either way, just being able to reach this point is a pretty big goal for me.
The last 5 or so miles was pretty much a death march despite there being lots of downhill sections. I had everything I needed, zero tablets for electrolytes, plenty of water and jelly cubes to last me the way, but I still couldn’t bring myself to run. My clothes were thick with salt that I’d sweated out as well (I should wear a white top next time).
I finished at 8:47:26, which is well over an hour slower than my previous two attempts, however I was so relieved to be at the finish and to catch up with Lorna and the kids in the ‘recovery room’ that was set up for us runners. This was a pretty big achievement for me, especially with how unfit I’ve felt over the last 5 or so years. It feels great to have built myself up to consider entering this event, let alone completing it.
I collected my patch (no printed certificate this time - those are now sent digitally), and we had a lovely afternoon in Goring, getting some awesome food in a local pub and enjoying the sun (although I did need to sit shivering next to the fire for a while!). My legs felt a little heavy towards the evening, but nowhere near as bad as after the Marathon earlier in the week. I put this down to not running the whole distance, but I think it also speaks to the fitness I’ve managed to build up.