Scottish Coast to Coast

Pre Race

I'd entered the Scotland C2C way back in March when there weren't many races in the diary. At the Open 5+ Kim and I hatched a plan to recce the route on 14th August. The week before I started to think about the weekend and found the 'detailed' map wasn't really good enough to follow the route. A few emails to the organisers and Gary, kindly responding while on holiday, gave me a heads up on the route. Unfortunately Kim had to pull out of the recce so I figured a long weekend would be good Terrex training. I was late out of work on the Friday, which had the advantage of missing the traffic, so I was still in Ballahulish for 00:15. An early start for a cycle to Fort Augustus along the Caledonia Canal and I was ready to start the route. I left the bike in Fort William and nipped up the Ben before heading back to Ballahulish for a tranquil paddle over to the Isles of Glencoe Hotel. I drove up to Foyers ready for day two. Another early start and I cycled to Cawdor and ran to the start in Nairn. After a spectacular bonk, I wobbled back to Cawdor for another carbo load from the General Store, which perked me up for the cycle back to Foyers. It was already 4:30pm by the time I got back, but as it was a beautiful evening, I did an hour down Loch Ness. I was hit by a squall, so it was a much slower paddle back. Still, I made it home for a hour's sleep before work on the Monday.

Race Weekend

My build up to the race was balancing resting after the Terrex with some speed training and kit checking. My head was quite mashed and work was busy, so I only managed 1 bike, 2 running races and a kayak session in the 3 weeks, which meant my hardtail wasn't ridden for a couple of months. I kit prepped on the Thursday night with a plan to leave on Friday and kip in the car somewhere enroute. Joe had kindly agreed to be my support crew and was already in Scotland, so I was fairly free to travel when I wanted. After a long day at work on Friday I was too tired to drive up and decided to get an early night - of course that didn't happen and a restless night was over all too soon. Glasgow was very slow and when I finally stopped for some lunch on the A82, the traffic was too heavy to cross over for an M&S pasta pot, so I settled for a Shell sandwich - not quite the carbo hit I'd planned. I met Joe at 17:30 and we headed straight to Nairn to register. It took a while to find registration as the essential information didn't actually mention it was in the Nairn Community Centre and there was a surprising lack of hoardings and flags outside. Once registered we got some food and planned the race strategy. By this time Somerfield had closed, so we decided Joe could buy some fresh food while driving between transitions to supplement my supply of bars.

The Start

I'd kipped in the car 100m from the start, so roused myself at 5am and set about some crunchy oat cereal, a second helping and I was ready to go. I figured everyone would go off hard and settle into a good pace after 1km or so. True to form we flew off the start and I settled down to the max heart rate (170) I was allowing myself for the run. Ant came past after a couple of km and I ignored my breakfast sitting high in my throat to keep his pace until the castle. A moment of disorientation and I got to my bike and started to undo my shoes - klets knots are brilliant for keeping shoes on your feet without loosening for 24 hours, but they are slow to undo in transition! A swig of For Goodness Shakes and I set off on the bike. I'd lost valuable seconds and the group I'd come into transition with had about 400m on me. I closed to 100m but was working too hard, so settled into the HR cadence routine that served me well in the ironman, I was 5th fastest so it served me well here again. The High5 seemed to have curdled with my breakfast, so my stomach was painful in the aero position and I didn't take on as much food as I'd have liked. The kayak transition was busy and I took a while to find my boat and sort my gear. There were 5 boats setting off so I was keen to get on the water ASAP. Joe had made me a hot drink but it was too hot to neck in the time I was allowing for transition, so I jumped on the boat to try and chase down the pack.

Kayaking on Loch Ness

As soon as I settled down I realised my seat padding wasn't quite right. I tried to adjust it and lost a couple of places, so picked up the pace and took a few places back. Cramps were shooting down my legs so I couldn't hold a strong paddling position. When I was overtaken by another V10L ski, I tried to adjust the padding again - a big moment later I thanked my asymmetric paddles for allowing a big support stroke and I decided to stop messing about and make do with the position I had. I had water in my Buoyancy aid bottle and High5 on the back of the boat, but with the intensity of racing, there was no time to risk another moment retrieving the bottle. I had a couple of bars and planned a big eat at Fort Augustus. I was 6th fastest on the paddle and 5th out of the water, though I didn't know it, so the surf ski paid dividends. Getting out of the water proved a little fraught and John Laughlin rescued me as the boat teetered towards a large rock while I juggled paddles, bottles, padding and a buff. A quick jog back to dib after not realising there was a control box there and I was off for the run through Fort Augustus.

Cycle to Fort William

The rain was picking up as I got to my bike and a I was looking for a quick change get out ahead of Sean after battling to catch him on the paddle. Joe hadn't been able to buy any food and I picked up the part drunk FGS from the first transition so didn't get in as many calories as I'd planned. The bike started flat and I was still going well, but once onto the road I hit a section of the route I hadn't recced. It wasn't clear from the mapping (online or OS map) and this was a section of steep, muddy, gritty single track which immediately caused chain suck. Unaware of this section, I'd used a wax based lube which was unsuitable for the conditions. I was carrying a heavy duty lube but it was already far too late, the chain was coated in liquid mud and I was down to 3 gears. I lost a couple of a places to cross bikes and started to feel weak. My heart rate was still up at 160, but my speed had dropped dramatically. I pressed on trying to get through the section when the lead racer came through, he was making light work of the trail while I was deteriorating rapidly. On the descent I discovered when slicks let go, they really let go, and I had a close encounter with a fence before popping out on the road. My mental conversation finally worked out I was bonking and started the "you should probably eat conversation" (if you've been there you'll know what I mean, if not eating is strangely the last thing you want to do). Thure came past asking if I had any spare food, I was capable of saying no I needed it all, even though I had a full bento box and wasn't eating, I relented though and gave him a bar before waving him on his way and finally starting to eat myself. The rest of the ride was a slog, though I was relieved to find the singletrack I had recced wasn't actually part of the course and the cheery backmarkers in the Challenger field kept me going. My brakes also failed, which caused a momentary panic as I careered towards the A830. Coming into transition I was goosed and looking forward to sorting myself out.

The big trek

As I ran in there were lots of people milling around but I couldn't see any expert support area. Asking around I eventually established there were only a couple of places laid out and none of them were mine, stories of accidents and traffic suggested Joe hadn't got here yet. Some helpful marshals and another support crew started trying to round up enough food for me to do the next leg while I rang Joe. With no reply I started weighing up my options, running 24km in cycle shoes with minimal food or waiting in the hope Joe could get through. By this time word was spreading I had no support and JohnL again came to my aid running up to the expert car park to see if he could find Joe. Just I was hatching a plan to run the first part and meet Joe in Glen Nevis, he arrived with my pack and a bag full of food. I quickly changed shoes and headed out. By this time I'd lost another place and Chris Morgan was hot on my heels. I munched on an apple that tasted fantastic (thanks to the marshal who went on the food hunt and whoever donated it) as we ran up the summit path comparing notes. I eventually lost him as we headed up the West Highland Way, I was pretty knackered and couldn't run any distance, so was surprised to see him again as we came out of the forest. It transpired he had knee trouble, which balanced out our pace, so we jogged and hobbled to the high point of the route with lots of challengers for company, a couple of experts and racers passed us at impressive pace that we could do nothing about (it turned out a couple of very fast experts had got lost earlier on the course and were reintroduced further down the field, hence their relatively fast pace). I left Chris to nurse his knee on the descent and jogged into transition for the final paddle. I was fairly relaxed until I saw another expert about 200m out on the water so abandoned my boat prep, jumping in it and pushing hard to catch the slower boat. My stomach complained and I had to stop to eat a bar, as I was still low on energy. I steadily overhauled him feeling a bit like jaws creeping up on unsuspecting prey. The last run was painful as both my legs were cramping badly, but I got them moving and came into the finish reasonably upright. I was surprised to find I was 10th and had covered the 100 mile course in a time of 10:37.

It was now chucking it down with rain and I had minimal kit, so it was a relief to see Joe had got round the loch pretty fast. I took off my sodden cycle top and was slightly bemused by the clatter of gas cylinders falling on the floor - I'd carried an extra 1/2kg of bike kit for the final trek! After a shower and change at the hotel, we headed back to see the final finishers over the line and have a few beers with the fellow racers. Joe had to leave early in the morning so took and the car and I cycled back about midnight for another nightcap in the hotel bar.

The Morning After

Monday dawned grim, so I was in no hurry to head outside. I eventually set off and as I drove down Loch Lomond the sun came out so I decided to go for a paddle and work out why the seat hadn't worked. This morphed into an ascent of Ben Lomond in warm sunshine, which was a nice way to finish the weekend.

Reflecting on the race I'd have been very happy with 10th if I'd had a clean race, but as I spend my life telling people to eat I'm annoyed I didn't set myself up to get the most out of the fitness I had available. The course was fast and a good test, some work needs to go into transition logistics so support crews can move about efficiently and booking the weather would be a big advantage ;-)

Lessons

Calories, calories, calories

I've gone into cathartic detail on my diet for the race and written like this, it is blindingly obvious my calorie intake was nowhere near enough to sustain the pace I was going. Having a proper meal the day before would have helped, as would a sensible sized portion of porridge for breakfast. This would have set me up better to eat on the first bike. I should have had some foodstuff I could shove in my mouth at the start of the paddle and H5 in the accessible bottle to get calories in without stopping paddling.

If you can control an area of the race, do, leaving food shopping till the day is a exped race idea so it lasts longer - it isn't needed in a one day race and I should have done the shopping the day before. Transition food needs to be easily palatable for bike and kayak (dreaded bananas are back on the menu, quiche would have worked I think), for foot, something easily portable that can be eaten on the move.

Kit preparation

In the build up I was tired and working long hours, so yet again prepped kit too late to fully test it all.

I need quick release shoelaces for short run legs!

I thought I'd tested the seat combination I used in the race, but with hindsight the foam I'd tested was in my Nelo so not shaped for the V10 seat, also the height adjustment on the seat pushed me forward so the footrest was too close causing additional cramp. The extra water bottle was useless as I couldn't reach it without stopping and setting myself up, which would have taken too long at the pace I was going. Quote on my paddle from a multiple Olympian: 'you didn't say you were using the Kinetic! You need to change...now! Even wings used badly will be better than those.' - A good excuse to go shopping.

Why my bike failed so catastrophically isn't too clear to me, I hadn't ridden it for a while other than up and down the street, but don't remember any issues, so I put it down to the wrong lube for the mud and grit. Slicks were great but need a little care cos when they go, they go!

1:1 Support

This is a really challenging role which I think I need to perform to understand what information to give. I didn't learn the lessons of my Bob Graham Round too well: Never assume the support with have time to anything other than drive to the next destination. Provide complete packs for each transition, provide a checklist for each transition, provide expected times for each stage. I had a bag full of spare food and spare clothes in the car, but with cars being parked remotely to transition, these were inaccessible in the time I was allowing for transition.

I found I was full of adrenalin coming into transition and needed short clear instructions on what to do (your boat is on the right, your boat is on the right, keep going, keep going, keep going, stop look down etc). Kit laid out is an interesting one, if it is cold it is probably better kept dry, otherwise laid out for easy decision making. I like to know what is going on, Chris knew far more about the race than me on the final trek (who was leading, where friends where, what position he was in, what the weather forecast was) this is good mental fuel when I'm tired.

Transition

Did I rush my transition? I don't think so, I just wasn't efficient, klets knots, putting cycle gloves on before starting to ride, putting multiple layers on for the kayak.

Not emptying my bike stuff out went back to late change of plan. I swapped a bike bottle repair kit for a water bottle, so mentally hadn't planned to have any bike stuff on my body and so wasn't thinking about dumping it.

Mental

Doing the recce gave me a huge mental advantage, as I had no nervous energy being spent on wondering what the course looked like. The flip side of this was the poor mapping (sorry Nokia - Ovi maps aren't there yet for off road and the route plotted was offset against the basemap!) not giving sufficient detail to allow me to follow the correct route - double whammy with the bonk coinciding with the bit I didn't know undid all the advantage :-(

So lots learnt (and now written down so I might remember it in the future!)

Terrex

Pre Race

I arrived fairly chilled around midday in Keswick to be met by kit explosions various in the field and lots of people poring over maps. The rest of the team were in Ambleside (got the feeling I shouldn't ask why!) so I went to registration and picked up the maps. I'd fully intended to return to the campsite but got waylaid by planet fear hospitality and then Booths for a final food shop so didn't make it back to the campsite until about 3. We spent and hour throwing kit round then returned to Keswick cinema for the

briefing, a quick map check indicated we should probably have spent a bit time studying them as this was anything but an obvious linear route. We split effort and ensured at least one of us had plotted all sections before the prologue and went to get changed.

Prologue - Keswick

The prologue was 4 laps of Keswick running, orienteering, swimming and kayaking. Our aim was to complete it safely - I've seen many teams pick up niggles in prologues and didn't want to but adding to the list for this race. I was kayaking so had a long and increasing cold wait for the others to complete their legs. It was a quick run (OK adrenaline got the better of me) to th

e boat and a short paddle before a confusing run back. I always get lost in the wood and in the dark I couldn't read the map so went the long way round. We finished 14th 13minutes behind the leaders.

Stage 1 - Morecombe Bay

The coach dropped us off on a road with the great expanse of Morecombe Bay stretching out in front of us and the start banner worryingly close to a half submerged landrover 'beware of quicksand' the route book said but the Queen's guide was onhand and had marked the route with Laurel trees so as the hooter sounded we headed out across the bay. Some of the channels were quite deep and needed wading with care, but a couple of hours later we were nearing the island with the 'torso'. On arrival this turned out not to be a half naked Jim, but a mannequin around the corner. By this we were all complaining about sore legs - not good at the start of a long race. None of us had trained by running on the flat, so we were confident we'd recover in the hills. At the end of the leg we sat out our penalty from the prologue in bright sunshine while refueling. We almost

missed the restart after a map faff (this was a big stage that covered multiple maps which in theory we had in duplicate).

Stage 2 - Western Lakes Cycle

Leaving Holker we decided to take roads as much a possible to save our legs for later, this took me to Cartmell Racecourse for the first time and slightly longer tour of Cartmell Village than planned. Back on track we headed to the first checkpoint and then on through quiet roads and bridleways to Broughton Woods. I was off my map by this point and after climbing for a while in the forest Phil got agitated, we stopped to fill water bottles as we'd all run dry which gave Phil time to reorientate and realise we'd missed a turn(we also rearranged maps so both were back in play) on to the next checkpoint we passed a couple of teams already looking rough, the course was already taking its toll. Again we opted for the road and made good time un

til a van closed a gate on us (Dave and James your integrity is over intact!). Again opting for the road we headed as close to Devoke Water as possible before breaking out into the boggy hike a bike. Jackie had an over the handlebars moment but thankfully didn't land on anything too hard. We battled our way across the rough ground until rejoining the road and heading out to Ravenglass. The instructions clearly stated go down the closed footpath and cross the unsafe bridge, but this was anything but clear on the ground. After numerous double checks we passed the 'no cycling' signs 'footpath closed' and 'unsafe bridge' signs and made our round the coast. We decided to stay on the Cumbria Coastal way and not cut up yet another footpath through the Muncaster Castle as the rules state 'you must not cycle on footpaths'. By this point we were hot, thirsty and frustrated at the slow progress. As so often happens in

races, kindness by a member of the public lifted our spirits. Ravenglass didn't have a shop, but the camping and caravanning site did. We queued and steadily emptied the shelves onto to counter before walking outside and scoffing the lot. The camp attendant came out to ask what we were up to and pointed out the showers and taps. As the shop didn't stock any vaseline he went beyond the call of duty and got his own from a nearby caravan (he was a runner). As we cycled of Muncaster Castle grounds we hit a wirebridge, in Barbara's case literally - her handlebars were wider than Phils and as the bridge started to swing she caught the rail and caught her face on the suspension cable. The yell was bloodcurdling and I thought our race was over. Thankfully it was more shock than damage and we were able to continue shortly aftewards. We cleared the first orienteering stage efficiently just before dusk and cycled into the first night to tackle the first major climb up Harter Fell. Going up was a slog but trying to come down was slippery boggy hell. Progress faltered and after a brief respite on forest tracks a bad decision (sorry Barbara) put us back in the rocky bog until the wire bridge at the bottom. We formed a chain and got the bikes across fast, but I lost both water bottles in the process. It was then onto the next slog up Walna Scar Road, this was long and hard. In the end we summited, only to the find the descent very sketchy and, without good visibility, I'm sure we missed some fast side runs.

It was now onto Church Beck, but none of us were clear where the start was. Phil logically beelined it to the centre of Coniston, but there were no obvious signs. Jackie checked the routebook but there was no title 'Church Beck'. I figured it was probably the upper beck, so we set off up the road, not at all sure we were going the right way. Eventually we met a marshall who pointed us all the way back down the hill so, after more confusion, we arrived at the transition. The marshalls informed us that full body cover was required (me in particular - Pete Rostron is still scarred by seeing me jump in a buff at the Open 24), so we stripped off and put on waterproofs only for the stage. The stage time had thankfully been extended, which gave us enough time to get down the rock slides and jumps, but not enough time for the final checkpoint on the bike. So that was it, we were off the full course before the first day was up.

Stage 3 & 4- Coniston Water and Bethecar Moor

Putting the disappointment behind us we set off for a beautiful moonlit paddle down the length of Coniston Water and the first big high point of the race. The first control took a bit of finding, with a number o

f teams to help, then we were on our own for most of the paddle before meeting teams coming back at the far end. On the map stage 4 looked an easy hop, but as we passed a sleeping team for the 4th fourth time less than 200m from the lake and started up onto Bethecar Moor, we were soon moving slowly in bracken and heather. This slowed us down far more than we'd realised and in the night with teams all around we started looking for the checkpoint in completely the wrong place. With hindsight we should have rested until first light as dawn brought a new perspective and we moved 500m SW to the correct footpath and found the control. It was an uneventful trot to Windemere YMCA for some toast and kit reorganisation. Jackie had a sleep while we sorted maps, trackers and kit for the next stage. We all tried for a cheeky 20 minute sleep on the floor in the hall while rain bucketed down outside.

Stage 5 & 6- Windermere

Revived we set off for the long paddle up and down Windermere. It was a fairly uneventful paddle with the odd wobble on the wash of speed boats and cruisers. The weather was mixed and by the end we were all soaked. The ferry was going to be tight so we raced up to transition and tried to get hot drinks before jogging down to the ferry to see it pull away. Frustrated we turned back and realised we were in a pretty bad way. Back in shelter we got more hot drinks and sorted out our kit so when we went across the second time we were in much better shape to start the bike. The sun had come out and made good progress to Elterwater where a mistake marking up the maps before the race caused much confusion and Barbara's local knowledge got us out of the quarry and back onto the correct path. Sticklebarn transition was a field so we got changed quickly and headed up to Pavey Ark in the fading light.

Stage 7 - Central Fells

We set off up Dungeon Ghyll passing the time with Tim and Sarah who had kindly come over to cheer us on. A change in route meant we went up Easy Gully, rather than Jakes Rake which took a bit of time as a mass of teams were just ahead of us. Once out, we worked our way round to Esk Hause and met the first teams bailing out due the weather. In the shelter we donned more layers and decided to carry on as we were all competent in the mountains and still well placed, despite our problems in the early stages. After Sprinkling Tarn we hit the confusion of paths around Sty Head, eventually losing them all (and all but one of the teams milling around up there looking for the start of the corridor route) and headed cross country to CP38, looking down on the maelstrom I was unconvinced Open Adventure would put a control in an area with the potential to flood, however Phil went down across the streams and confirmed there was indeed a control. Having dibbed we set off scrambling up the side of Piers Gill aiming for Broad Stand. The going was very slow and I was fairly uphappy as stories such as http://www.wasdale-mountain-rescue.org.uk/truestory14~piers%20gill%20rock%20step%20may%2002.htm and http://www.wasdale-mountain-rescue.org.uk/rescue%20pictures%20page%20039%20-%205%20in%20Piers%20Gill%20-%2027%20Oct%2007.htm made me worried for the more tired members of the two teams. We eventually hit the summit path for Scafell Pike and decided to follow the route we'd taken on my Bob Graham Round above the crags rather than below them. In the rain and wind plus increasing tiredness the teams were slowing down too much for my liking. We decided to take shelter in the Rescue Box on Mickledore and so once we'd picked up the path we were relieved to start descending, unfortunately we were on a lower path and missed the box. Phil went and located it while the rest of us huddled in the bothy (7 people can stand in a four man bothy!) By this time people were getting cold and wanted to descend rather than climb so we decided to traverse to CP 39 and head to the abseil figuring this would actually be the quickest way off. Pacing and on the contour we spiked the tarn and woke the marshall who confirmed the abseil was still on as far as he know. We set off in slightly better spirits with me force feeding snickers and jelly babies to the team to stave off hypothermia. the terrain quickly deteriorated and with Barbara mentioning the dreaded words we could get crag bound attempts to find a safe way down became more frantic. the navigators descended some way (towards the CP) but it was loose and sketchy so when they came back we took the decision to head back to Broad Stand. The weather was now starting to play a part as it was torrential rain and windy so hypothermia was an immediate risk if we stopped, while team members were starting to meander with lack of sleep. We took the decision to head to Wasdale as it was the closest civilisation and wanted to get moving. The other team got in a huddle and we agreed to part so Calder Valley was back on its own. Yet again we missed the saddle on Mickledore and rather than climbing back up headed down towards the Esk. The weather and ground were still both atrocious and we lost the path yet again. It was a relief to see the white foam of the Esk below us as we finally exited the crags and the ever present risk of becoming Crag Bound (Phil and I were only too aware of the risk after a bad experience on my BGR nearby in similar conditions). Once on the path I was much happier and started working on the team to get in the bothy to sort our lives out. We hunkered down under a rock and spirits lifted immeasurably once we were out of the wind and rain and warming up rapidly. So much so we decided to try and last out to first light and complete the course rather than take the huge detour back via Esk Hause. Eventually the cramped conditions and collapsed twister contortions got too much for me and I roused the team trying to get the adrenalin flowing for the inevitable burst of uncontrollable shivering that would mark the escape from the bothy. A couple of minutes later we were running towards the Esk when I realised it was a white foamy mess. I called everyone together and we linked arms, crossing as team - in the event it had no power and was easy to cross. It was then onto Gait Crags which turned out to be much further South than we initially thought - thankfully it was now light and we found it once in the right place. We nearly overshot the ruin which should have indicated minds were sleep deprived but we recovered out height, dibbed and set off for the final CP, minds definitely wandered here and having plotted a route from the bottom we gaily summited Crinkle Crags 150m too high and 1km off route. As we dropped down the band the weather improved and we finally made it back to transistion, the last team off the stage. In StickleBarn we had our second encounter with generosity by the public. We stopped in for 4 full breakfasts and the landlord pointed out the warmest seats, brought us extra fleeces and a rug for our feet. Jackie got her head down while we took stock of the race and came up with a plan given our late arrival at transition.

Stage 8 & 9 Not High Street and Ullswater

Refuelled we set off on the bikes electing to skip High Street and head straight to the kayaks to ensure we made the cut off and get our race back on track. The sun warmed us up and we made good time up The Struggle. Unfortunately we were all a little close and when Phil was blown off by a gust of wind I stopped and Jackie fell sideways onto the only rock for the entire climb. We got the transition and cooked up some food while Phil slept. We all had at least 20 minutes but then the rain came calling an abrupt end to the snooze. Once out the water we had a few portages over the shallows before getting on to Ullswater and it took a while to catch back up with Phil and Barbara. I was overheating as our speed neutralised the wind so for the first time we left the tow off and paddled side by side. A buzz from the film crew in the helicopter got our stroke rate up and then the swell pushed us rapidly to Ambleside. With the leg completed much quicker than expected we reevaluated and decided to do the whole of the Helvelyn Stage.

Stages 10 to the end Helvelyn to Derwent Water

We set off at a quick pace to the transition, with Tim and Sarah who had again made the journey out to come and say hello. We were surprised and relieved to see our kit bags again, as we were slightly marginal on equipment for another big mountain stage. Some faffing ensued though as we were unprepared and eventually we made it out for a beautiful evening stroll up St Sunday Crag with everyone in high spirits. We made great time round through the well on Helvelyn and everything was going smoothly. Of course it never lasts and the change in pressure threw out our altimeters so we missed the ski tow and had to circle back before reorienting ourselves and eventually finding it. A frustrating decision to contour into the next control cost us time and split the team a bit. We took a 5 minute power nap part way up the next hill to recover and set off again with a purpose to the transition above Dockray. The transition was full of bodies so we hunkered down in our sleeping bags next to Paul Noble's landrover. Barbara went straight sleep while the rest of us ate copious amounts of food. We all put our heads down for 20 minutes, only to be woken by the landrover 30 minutes later (phew - over sleeping is always a problem for me in races!). Barbara's efficiency in getting to sleep hadn't paid off and she's gone into a deep sleep that she now struggled to wake up from. The coach road was long and hard with the loose gravel keeping our speed down, FGS were less concerned and came flying past us towards the end. We caught them again in Threlkeld and set off up the hill together. With all the houses around we didn't chat and a when we stopped to strip off some layers they disappeared into the night. We cycled on past the youth hostel and then stopped to put layers back on for the descent to Bassenthwaite. We got to the lakeside an hour before dawn and the lake was sucking every ounce of heat from the air and us (think dementors in Harry Potter!). We saw planetfear emerging from a very cosy looking hotel reception, but we were seconds too late and the landlord had locked up and gone back to bed. We watched them cycle off into the night bunny hopping and swerving to try and get some warmth into their bodies. Tiredness and cold were taking their toll on us and no amount of cajoling was going to increase the pace so it was a settle down and wait until the sun put some heat and energy back into our bones. The forest trails were slightly confusing but in the end we picked up a path that climbed through the trees and brought some respite from the lakeside chill. Finally the sun rose and we could have 5 minute powernap in a glade which revived us enough to get to the Whittlatter Cafe. More confusion here as to where the trail officially started and while Phil located the control at the bottom of the hill Barbara had a chat with the cleaner who was somewhat bemused by all these cyclists passing at 6:30am on a Sunday morning. A bit of towing took us to the next CP and a rip roaring descent by Barbara, on her last gasp high, brought us back to the bottom in the sunny morning. Time was against us so we skipped the last bike CP and headed to the orienteering. This turned into quite a faff and frayed tempers as tiredness was taking its toll. We eventually started bagging the controls with Phil and Jackie negotiating the navigation. We'd allowed two hours for the final stage in the canoes, but this hadn't taken account of 20 minutes learning how to paddle the boats. Barbara wasn't feeling well so we'd swapped canoe partners for the this leg putting Phil and Jackie in the same boat. This confirmed we'd made the right decision keeping them apart and while Barbara and I paddled a safe distance away we wondered when the divorce papers would be filed. The slow start cost us one CP and we upped the pace to dib the last CP with 3 minutes to spare. There were lots of teams around and the sun was shining making a great final leg through the Bank Holiday crowds to the finish, slightly different to my last jog up the hill at the end of Bob just over a year before.

Epilogue

Having shaken and Bruce and James's hands and cursed Stage 7 and reflected on a great race the others went to start packing while I finished the champagne, cheering in the remaining teams. A trip to the cornish pasty shop confirmed I was unsafe to be allowed out alone (incoherent ordering and meandering up the street) so I went back to the finish area to cheer in planetfear and await the prizegiving. When all was done a shower and kit explosion followed before a quick nap and beers in the Square Orange to reminisce on a great race.

In total we had between 1:45 and 2:30 hours sleep which is much less than I was expecting. We never went particularly fast but also never stopped, which kept us up the leaderboard. Decision making was shared but swift and there is probably only one decision I would change with hindsight (not taking the forest road on Stage 2). Navigation was a challenge. We would have all been happier with the map to keep us mentally stimulated and 'in control', but we chose to select a navigator and let them get on with it with a second navigator following. This avoided four people poring over maps and in the main this worked, but it did open us up to gaps in communication and some legs where double checking would have avoided errors. Having both maps in play continuously would potentially have avoided a couple detours but who can say?

A week later and my body is fine but my mind is still quite mashed. It has better recover soon as it is the Nokia Coast to Coast in 2 weeks...