Aid Station
Aid Station
Ep 29 - Kev & Lizzie do and review the Beacon’s Way 100
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The episode covers the epic Beacon’s Way 100 mile ultra by GBUltras. Held in biblical weather conditions this has a lot of learning experience to share. It features both Kev’s take on the event and experience of completion, as well as the amazing result achieved by Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gatherer. Who is featured in the show. Not far to the next Aid Station!
https://www.gbultras.com/beacons-way-ultra-100/
https://ultramadlizzie.com/
Aid Station website where you can find the episodes or leave comment https://www.aidstation.co.uk/
Please feel free to give the show some feedback on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/aid-station/id1549735359
Hello and welcome once again to the Aid Station podcast. This is episode twenty-nine and it fully features the Beacon to A hundred. I saw this race advertised about uh four months before my 66th birthday, and it happened to start on the 22nd of July 2023, which is my 66th birthday. So I thought I'd give myself a birthday treat, and I really fancied running across the Brecken Beacons uh on that day. So I entered, um, and as it turns out, it was three weeks after the Ultra uh Wales event, the 50 Mile in Snowdonia, I did with Hannah, and so we rented a cottage in Abergavenny, which is where the race starts, and with Jill and her son and his wife and my grandson Herbie, we uh all set off to stay down in Abogavenny uh on the night before the race. Uh Herbie actually got introduced to the mountains already. He's one year old, he was one year old the week uh before the race, and his parents took him up the table mountain while I was out celebrating my birthday. So maybe Herbie is gonna be an ultra rudder one day or at least get out in the mountains, which would be great. Having just registered and I am in the car with somebody who's very, very excited.
SPEAKER_03Very excited. I screamed when I saw Kev.
SPEAKER_00No, it was that wasn't the reason she was excited.
SPEAKER_03I gave him a big hug, but I think the marshal, I was screaming hello, but the marshal at the gate thought I think I was talking to him.
SPEAKER_00As you can gather, I'm with Lizzie Gatherer. Um, and uh this is a big race for Lizzie for many reasons. Maybe you'd like to tell us why, Lizzie.
SPEAKER_03Um I'm very, very excited about this race, as you can probably tell. Um I just feel like this is my my home ground now. I spend so much time in the Brecken Beacons over the past two years, and I know doing the Gwyn Harris round and round Minidou, and I know so much of the route already. Um I and I've done I've also recceeded the last part on the first part, so I feel confident, hopefully, with the route and the nav. Um I think the distance over this terrain is is just gonna be incredible. It's gonna be such an achievement to do it. Um and uh yeah, I feel over the past two years I've got stronger and stronger on the mountain stuff. So I just feel like this hopefully will cut sort of be all the work I've put in will hopefully show tomorrow um by me having a really a really good race.
SPEAKER_00So that's great. That sounds very confident. And it this I mean it's almost the perfect culmination, I think, this race, isn't it? Beacons Way hundred for all you've been doing, sort of joins all the dots together. Absolutely. Um for you to have a really, really good race. And it it's I'm pleased that you're feeling so up about it.
SPEAKER_03And the weather's in my favour as well. It's forecast to be wet, windy and wild tomorrow, so that that definitely works in my favour. Um I've I I can't say I necessarily enjoy that kind of weather, but I can certainly run in it and I do well in it, and it doesn't bother me. Um I did a race recently in really, really hot weather and I really really struggled with that. So um I'm I'm all for the rain. That's that's fine. Um bring it on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the forecast is rain all day tomorrow. Um and also, according to the mountain weather forecast, about 40 miles an hour on the top of Penny Van tomorrow. Um with about 14 mil of rain, so it could be quite exciting up there. Um and a wind chill factor of five degrees, which for July is pretty chilly. Um so yeah, we need to they've actually made uh waterproof trousers mandatory in the mandatory kit. Um so they're obviously expecting it to be um quite cold and wet up there. Um so what have you got a plan for the race in terms of times and things?
SPEAKER_03I do have a plan. I've got a schedule. Uh you can't tell us because nobody will hear the thing. Yeah, I yes, I suppose yeah, don't don't um don't show this to everyone if I if I don't do my schedule. Um so my very um accurate schedule says I will do it in 29 hours and 50 minutes. So um I've got a few goals in mind. So the current um ladies' course record is 33 hours, and although that is a very good time, I think that's a very beatable time. I think this um route this event's only been on, I think this is its fourth year. So I think I don't think they've had any of the elite or super fast ladies do it. I sort of feel like a lady, a super fast lady should do it in 24, 25 hours. Um, so I feel that is a good target for me is to try and beat the current ladies' record, which is about 33 hours. Um the next target down from that would be, or up from that, I don't know which way, uh, is sort of maybe the 31, 32 hour marker. But really what I really, really want to do is is sub 30. So um, and I'm gonna try and stick to my schedule for as long as I can until the wheels fall off, basically. But um, I may trying to uh keep an average of 15 minute miles. I know in the beginning I'll be doing about five miles an hour, and then that'll drop down to four miles an hour, and then at the end three miles an hour, and then I've with the checkpoints I've allowed sort of 10 to 20 minutes per checkpoint alternate, um, missing out the first checkpoint altogether because in theory I shouldn't need it. Um, and then on the drop bag checkpoints I've allowed 40 minutes, so I feel that's a lot of time. So if I'm behind my schedule, then in theory I could then get into a checkpoint um and have that as a buffer and be able to leave the checkpoint on time. But I don't know, I don't know it's a bit of an unknown, you know. I've done 75 miles over this elevation, um, so it's an extra 25 miles. So I think it'll be interesting to see what happens in in those, yeah, in the last 25 miles, just see how how tired I am and how much slower I I get. But I I know I know I'm gonna enjoy it. I think it's just gonna be epic, epic day out tomorrow. I cannot or two days out, I should say. It's gonna be incredible. I can't wait.
SPEAKER_00Oh, fantastic. Yeah, it sounds well you've got a plan and you've got an aim and you're up for it, so it all sounds really good. And I'm with you on the weather thing. I'd rather have it colder and damper than the hot stuff anyway, definitely.
SPEAKER_01So you've got a plan, Kev.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, to finish. Uh we get 40 hours. Um I'll take anything inside 36 to be honest. Um the way I've been, and I'm coming off the back of Wales 50 as well, which to be fair was a bit of a um test race to see whether I'd actually do this. Um so yeah, um I I've no idea to be honest until I get out there, but I'll take something inside thirty-six hours, definitely, but I won't be chasing you. Um and uh yeah, there's how many checkpoints is it? Nine.
SPEAKER_01There are nine uh ten. Ten checkpoints. Ten are there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. And two of them, as Lizzie said, are drop bag checkpoints.
SPEAKER_03Five and five and nine are the drop bag ones.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And then it's a bit nasty because after they're quite well sp spaced out the checkpoints, but the final checkpoint ten, which is at a quarry, from that quarry to the finish line, you've got fifteen miles, which is I think a really long way at the end at the end of a race. So um but yeah, they are fifteen very I I that's the bit I've done. They're fifteen very interesting miles. So um they should be hopefully enjoyable.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03If we're still awake.
SPEAKER_00Well, it all looks it got us very excited. Uh it starts in the grounds of what's left of Abergavenny Castle, um, and the the uh banner was up for the race. Um it's a little bit like a mini conwe and the dragons back race, um, but we'll see what it's like. There's only I think there's only 111 in the field. Um and do you know how much female opposition there is?
SPEAKER_01I do. I thought you might. There's there's 18 ladies, I I know that.
SPEAKER_03So uh yeah, there's uh there's I know there's a uh young lady called Sophie Clark. I ran run with her um on the Late District 100. Um she's a really, really strong runner. It's her first hundred miler tomorrow. Um I'm hoping we might get to run a bit together tomorrow because she's really, really good company. Um and then I think that from the ladies, that's that's pretty much I think she's the only one I know.
SPEAKER_04You know, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03There's a couple of names I recognise from I think Facebook groups and Strava, but um I think she she's the only one I know. And then on the men's side, we've got um Ed Gwyn Harris, um, who I'm gonna put my money on him to to win it. Um, or if not him, it'll be Tim Whittier, I think.
SPEAKER_00Right, okay.
SPEAKER_03As they are both awesome runners.
SPEAKER_00And Ed is famous for the Gwynn Harris round.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Yeah. Which is a big a big part of my of my running life.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00So all right, well, brilliant. Thanks for talking to me, Lizzie, and we'll see each other tomorrow on the start line when I'll talk to you again. See you tomorrow. Yeah. Sleep well.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_00Which was about half an hour's walk, all downhill, thankfully, and I'm in the grounds of the castle, just put my drop bags in. It's the 22nd of July, and we're all set to go here. I'm really looking forward to it. 100 miler, uh 20,000 feet of elevation, uh 10 checkpoints, uh all the way across the Brecon Beacons from Abergavenny to can't remember, Clan Clan something a dog. Doc, I expect. So we went over Skirid first thing and got to the Skirid Inn, which was only a water point, first checkpoint, and then uh went on from there up round Hatherall Hill, back down past Clantony Priory, which was checkpoint two. Uh didn't stop there too long. Got loads of birthday wishes though, which was really nice from the support crew. Um, and then we headed off from there up over to Krikau, which was quite a trek, quite high. The weather is pretty appalling, it's been chucking it down with rain, really windy. Well, sort of 25 mile an hour wind on the top. Um, but it's rained pretty much the whole time, but not going too bad. Um, I was only in checkpoint three about 15 minutes. Um, didn't really need much, ate some sandwiches, had a coffee, met my wife and family uh there who got me a coffee, which was really nice. You can hear me clanging away, opening and shutting gates. There are millions of them on the course. Um and I've been running with Ali Bailey of another podcast fabe. Um, and Allie had has done a 200. In fact, she won the ladies or the women's um what's it called? I want to call it white horse, but it's not white horse. White something 200 in Brecken Beacons. Um so I was having a chat with her and we managed to go 2k off course on a road. You know, it's one of those things where you hit the road and you think, oh, it's downhill into Krakal. And it wasn't. We had to go up and skirt around the edge of Table Mountain, which meant to be able to track back up. Cost probably a good 25 minutes, maybe even half an hour. But anyway, it doesn't really matter on these things except that it's just annoying in adding on the extra mileage. Um when I saw my wife, she said she'd seen Lizzie, who was, I think, pretty much on schedule, and she spent half an hour in the aid station, but that was part of her plan anyway, and probably quite a sensible plan to get refuelled, maybe I don't know, change a top or something, which I didn't do. So soaking through, but just keeping warm. You know, it's what it's like boiling the bag jacket on. Um and so I am off from here. We're going over to Bolch, Lake of Bolch, Bolch, I think it's 17k or just over 10 miles. Uh another load of elevation. Um, and then after that is Talibont, near the Talibont Reservoir, um, which will be an important stop actually. I think that's somewhere around 45 miles, um, and that'll be get ready for going up onto the central fans and putting all the right gear on and getting organised for that. So, but the moment it's still raining, but a little bit brighter down here in the valley, it'll probably be rubbish up at the top of the next climb we do. Uh along this section from uh checkpoint two to checkpoint three, I got running with Ali Bailey, who had uh recently, not so long ago, done this event uh over a similar ground. She'd run the um uh getting and we got uh we got about 2k off route. Uh got had to run back up road and then back up another big steep section to get back onto the route, which was a bit annoying, and that just shows what happens when you get chatting away going downhill on road. Um, and I think it's part of your brain is thinking, oh, this is lovely, I'd rather keep going this way. And we completely missed the turn now. I don't know how, but we did. Uh but eventually I reached checkpoint three where I was met by Jill, Joanna, Dave, and Herbie. And Jill told me that Lizzie had been in there ages, she was a bit stressed about it, I think. And I said it was okay because it was part of Lizzie's plan to be in there 30 minutes, and uh so I got given an oat milk cappuccino there, which was fantastic, and one of Jill's homemade banana flapjacks, and I had only about 20 minutes stop there, so caught Lizzie by about 10 minutes there. Yeah, sure, and uh moved on in the rain to uh Krikau, uh from Krikow rather to Bulk and checkpoint four. And this section was pretty horrendous. I mean there was two metre high bracken, which was all wet and hanging over the path, you couldn't see your feet. I've no idea how the faster runners got through it at any pace. There was miles, it seemed like about four or five miles of it. It was about a six mile section, I think, from uh Crocal to Bulch, and uh at least four miles of it were through Bracken. So I didn't enjoy that much. Um and along this section, I first plugged my watch in. I hadn't had a low power warning, but I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't got any issues, so I thought I was um ahead of the game and getting some power into my watch as I was going along, and uh eventually reached um checkpoint four. I don't remember much about it to be honest, fairly unmemorable. I think it might have been an indoor one actually. There were only three indoor checkpoints on this route, uh, and checkpoint I know checkpoint four was one of them, and checkpoint nine was another, they were quite a long way apart. But anyway, I'd uh I covered about the first 41 miles in about 11 and a half hours. There's a 40-hour cutoff uh to this course, um, and thought I was going along pretty well. So the next section was checkpour to checkpoint five, which was out to Talibont near Talibont far under Taliban Reservoir. And on this section, in the pouring rain, um my watch suddenly started telling me that I needed to plug my cable in and it was already plugged in. Uh pulled it out, pushed it in, pulled it out, just kept doing it. Uh just couldn't get it going. Uh, and I think the cable had a fault on it. Um, I had another power pack in my drop bag. We had drop bags at checkpoint five at Talibont. Um so I was hoping that that power pack might sort it out. But in the meantime, I came across two really nice guys called Luke Kinson and Stuart Lee. I told them about my charging issues and asked if uh I could follow them, and of course they said yes. And I trailed along behind them all along the tough trail in the torrential rain down to Talibont. When we got there, there was just the usual gazebo out in the open. Uh, remembering it's now uh getting on for the evening time, um, we were soaking wet. Uh Stuart and I dived into the back of the drop bag van to get change and just about changed all our kit, and I put on everything that I had with me. Um, so that was um a La Sportiva base layer, uh, a t-shirt, um, a montane 300 gram synthetic base layer, uh, a waterproof that I'd already got on, another waterproof on top of that, a waterproof hat and head torch because it was gonna I couldn't be bothered messing about, wanted to make sure my head torch was on before I left the van on my head. I mean we had another couple of hours of daylight to go, but I didn't want to be messing about. Out in that rain and wind up on the top of the central vans trying to uh get my head torch on. Luke had taken off into the car park, deeper into the car park, and found a van owner who made him a fresh coffee. I just love the support that comes at these events, especially when the conditions get tough. And I'm Luke was delighted for it. We were jealous as anything, but good for him. Um anyway, we got our act together, uh, got all together and set off for uh from checkpoint five to checkpoint six, which is at Story Arms. Now this means that you go up, we were due to go up uh Fanny Big, Penny Fan, and Cornee. So we set out on this route, and the first thing you pass is massive thundering waterfalls that Stuart had said he'd not seen so powerful in winter before. Stuart's um a Welsh guy and he knows the area. It was a bit worrying about how severe already these waterfalls were running and that what we were about to face. But we pressed on, climbing up the steps towards Fanny Big, and Stuart said that he thought Ali Bailey, who I'd been running with, had dropped out because he saw her in Checkpoint 5 car park, which surprised me as she was going so well. But I think a few others also dropped at this point before the central vans were tackled in the dark. Just before Fanny Big, we were met by the race director, uh Wayne Drinkwater, who told us that uh everybody was now on what they called the low route, although we were still very high up. We were actually dipping underneath the tops of Fanny Big, um, Pennyvan and Corndee. And there was about 50 mile an hour driving rain. The rain was actually stinging into your face. Lots of people I heard stories that were nearly blown off their feet, had to be held up by others. Uh, so it was a wise call to keep us down off the lower tops. And the by now the the trails you were running on were just streams, you're just running through streams and streams of water at this point. Um, I was actually passed by a guy who was still in shorts, which I couldn't believe. It was only just keeping warm myself going uphill with all the layers on that I had. Uh, we passed below Corn Dee at about 11 pm at night and turned out onto the descent of the motorway that's the tourist route that comes off uh Corn Dee and Pennyvan straight back down into Story Arms Car Park, and the wind and rain was being driven directly into us now, and I was starting to get cold and had to get off the mountain. So I had my quads were burning quite badly on every step, and I just pushed on down. Um and so did Luke. Uh, we Stuart seemed to drop back as we were descending into the story arms, and when I got to the bottom, Luke was already there with his crew in story arms, um, and Stuart hadn't arrived. There was yet another gazebo in the car park which had already been blown across the car park, and they had to rescue it and bring it back. Uh, there was no other shelter than under the gazebo. Um, and Stuart arrived having had really painful knee and decided to call it a day. So at the story arms, Luke had donned a black Cape Cagal, and for the rest of the race during the night, it was like chasing the Cape Crusader throughout the night after this point. His Cape Billowing away in front of me. At the Story Arms, we teeped up, teamed up with Andy Dickinson, decided as a three that we'd be better off navigating our way across the wilds of the Western Beacons, heading out to Craig Kerrig and uh Craig Cumdu. And it was a very long night following Luke and Andy as they nav their way over those directions and turning out to Fanleela and out towards the Black Mountain. Once out there, uh Andy took over the nav, as he was the only one to have downloaded the low-level GPX route as we were now going underneath the Black Mountain on a low-level route. And this is a real numpty error by me, and I'm death indebted to Andy for getting us through this section. Um and I thank Andy and Luke for their constant waiting for me to catch up on the climbs. I don't think I held them up too much, but I'm sure that they would have preferred to move at their own constant pace and not have to wait even for a little while if they were getting some rest for me. Anyway, daylight came up as we headed out on the low route section, skirting the base of the escarpment of Fan here. Uh, and we eventually reached the water body that's at the base of the Black Mountain. And at this point, Andy said to me that we had 12 hours left to complete the course. And I thought this was very achievable and uh didn't give it much thought. Over that period, uh checkpoints seven and eight were a complete blur to me, and I don't really remember them. We just got through them quickly and kept moving to stay warm. Uh, somewhere out between Glin Fan 4 and Hlin Fan Fach, uh, which are the two lakes at the bottom of the Black Mountain, the elastic snack between Luke and Andy and myself. And at this point, at least the rain relented after 28 hours of non-stop rain. And after a while I reached the out and back road section to checkpoint 9 of Clan Dusant. This section uh has very steep switchbacks on the road and involves an out and back section about two and a half miles. Uh, as I was climbing the last hill up towards the checkpoint, I was met halfway up by Gitto Evans, uh a tent mate of mine from last year's Dragonsback race. Uh Gitto had contacted me ten days before the event and asked me if I needed a pacer. I've made my views known on pacing before on this podcast. Um and I wanted to say no because I wanted to do it alone or unpaced, but um I just couldn't say no to Gutto. He lives in the area, knows it very well, uh, and thank goodness I didn't because he was an absolute star, and his pacing made sure that I got round and got the event done. Uh while in checkpoint nine, um I told Gutto that I'd be a while. I needed to sit on the loo and deal with bad chafing in some areas that you don't want to hear me describe. Um, but the uh what la the wet weather and cold and lack of chance to uh Vaseline up uh had caused me quite a few issues, so I ended up having about a 45 minute stop at that checkpoint. Um, and while there, Gutu asked me if I had any special food requests, and I immediately said pizza, but straight away realised that this was purely wishful thinking. You know that you dream about food you crave for after about 80 miles of mountain running, and pizza was one of them. And I said to him, Oh day, you know, don't bother with that. We're in the middle of remote West Wales, I'd no idea where you'd get that anyway. Anyway, we came out of the checkpoint, set off at a sort of walk and jog downhill pace, easing back into running again, and the the quads were screaming at me on the downhills. Um, and then we headed out over open ground on some quite difficult navigation actually on rocky ground, and uh started to see Andy in the distance. Um, and Gutu was catching him with his local knowledge navigation, and Andy was using an app on his mobile, so stopping and checking at each turn obviously made him much slower than uh my live wire ghetto app. Um a mile from the last checkpoint, uh checkpoint 10, I got a call from my wife Jill informing me that Lizzie had won the women's race and was seventh overall. And in my weakened emotional state, I welled up, but I didn't get to fully break down as she also informed me that my predicted finish time was only six minutes inside the cut-off time, and I still had 16 miles to go. I told Gitto this and a new urgency set in from somewhere I managed to increase my pace and stick with Gitto. Uh we got to checkpoint in the quarry at five minutes to four in the afternoon, leaving us six hours to get the last 15 miles done. Which sounds easy, I'm sure, but with 87 mountainous miles in terrible weather conditions uh in my legs, I knew it was going to be tough. But I like this sort of challenge and was very up for the fight, and so was Gitto, thankfully. I actually thought he was only pacing me between checkpoint and checkpoint ten, but he said there was no way he was missing this and raced off to get my water bottles filled and grabbed some chocolate bars. Standing on the road at uh checkpoint ten was Andy, um, and he asked if I was going straight away, and I said, Yeah, I can't afford to wait. And so at 4 pm, the three of us set off on the last section. I introduced Gitto to Andy and we duly slotted in behind our Welsh Wonder Pacer. Um Gitto's background and local knowledge, uh, he's in the local running club, they use it for the training ground, he takes people up there running around these routes, so he knew the whole of the final 22 miles of the last section from checkpoint nine through checkpoint ten to the finish, uh, which was totally invaluable for um myself and Andy getting the race done. But after about four miles, Gitto takes off into a car park and meets a woman who turns out to be his wife, Anita, and she's bought out Domino's pizza, chips, and coke to meet us, which is unbelievable. Where Nita had been able to source this in the remote area, I have no idea. But it was a delight to see and absolutely delicious. Anita met us a further twice along the route, allowing us to eat further slices of this delicious pizza and drink more coke. And at the last stop it was topped off with Mars Bar ice creams. What a bloody amazing team they were. So Gitto was the perfect pacer. I joked with him after that that it was like taking an overactive dog for a walk. He was all over the trail in front of us, checking the right pass, opening and closing gates, taking our poles off us over styles, and setting the perfect pace to get us round. We were constantly calculating our time and distance to the finish, but it was hard to get it right when not knowing the train that was coming ahead. So we were cut constantly in a bit of a state of stress over whether we were actually going to make it in time. Eventually, a little village called Bethlehem, we were met by Jill and her son Dave, and were given a further boost and a time to finish update. Um, and one of the ambulance crews there told us that it was 4k, uh sorry, it was 3k to the finish, which once we did our calculations, we thought we were well inside. As it turned out, it was three miles and not 3k, uh, which made things tight again. So, anyway, we increased our pace. Um and of course, when I say this, it's very relative. We probably weren't at much more than a trot by now, anyway. So we were just picking it up whenever we could. Um, and after crossing what seemed to be like field after field after field, we finally hit the road at the Finnish village of Langadog, uh, which left us a mile to go. And Andy and I crossed the finish line together with 14 minutes to spare and posed with Ghetto uh for the obligatory photos, and Ghetto broke out the butty back beer as a toast. Of course he did. I mean, what a top guy and a brilliant pacer. Um, and I got round in 39 hours, 45 minutes and 50 seconds, finishing 31st. Um, Andy was 30th, 10 seconds ahead of me, which must have been the time he crossed the line behind me at the start. And Luke Kinson was 29th, and there were only 32 finishes from a starting field of about 96. So, yes, two thirds of the fields dropped out, and that's how tough a race this turned out to be. I think the weather caught many out on this race, who, in my opinion, were underprepared in terms of warm and protective layers. I was told at a few checkpoints that it was carnage, with runners coming in with blue lips and shivering uncontrollably. Many were attempting their first hundred, and I'm guessing that not many had done any training in very wet and very windy conditions. And if you add into that running at night, it's unlikely to be something that um had been replicated in training by many people. This in turn leads me on to yet another moan about GB Ultras. Um, as with the Wales Ultra three weeks ago, uh they did not carry out any pre-race checks. I saw no spot checks during the event. Um, and as this race was run in very testing and dangerous weather conditions, I'm a self, I will always be prepared for folk and focused on the forecasted weather conditions and carry more than I actually need, but many are not. Uh many are stepping up in distance and elevation, and they should have all been subjected to rigorous checks uh for their personal safety, the safety of the support staff, the safety of the operation of the event period. I'm sure there'll be uh many competitors who will have had to have helped other people in distress in the conditions due to the lack of sufficient protective layers. While none of us would leave someone in distress, why should we have the likelihood of this happening escalating due to insufficient kit checks? That's my last GV Ultras until race director Wayne Drinkwater addresses this situation. This race will long stick in my memory, not just because it was my 66th birthday, but because of persisting and surviving in very difficult weather conditions, thanks to the incredible support of Gitto Evans, Luke Kinson, Andy Dickinson, Stuart Lee, and Anita Evans, and maybe above that the incredible performance of Lizabh Gatherer, R. Lizzie, who not only won the women's race but did it in a new course record of 30 hours, 34 minutes and 30 seconds. What a birthday treat.
SPEAKER_03Hello, I had to click a box to confirm that I I accepted you recording.
SPEAKER_00And am I accepted?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you're accepted. That's why you can hear me now.
SPEAKER_00Right. So you are joining us from where?
SPEAKER_03I'm in core fi at the moment.
SPEAKER_00Um what a lovely way to recover from the beacons by hundred.
SPEAKER_03I'm actually working, but um there's been a I actually managed to to wrangle um a free sports massage yesterday, so uh that was quite good.
SPEAKER_00Brilliant.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So how are you feeling?
SPEAKER_03Great, yeah. Like I think my face has finally stopped hurt hurting from smiling. Um it rained.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So um I ought to uh explain. Well, I'm just one, I'm in awe because when we did the pre-race uh interview in my car, um you came up with some uh pretty amazing predictions, which you just about delivered on all of them.
SPEAKER_02Sounds good.
SPEAKER_00Which is absolutely fantastic. So just do you want to explain to everybody what you've actually achieved?
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, I I it's hard to talk with the massive smile on my face. Uh so um I did the uh yeah, I did the beacon's wave 100 mile and I won the ladies' race. Um not only did I win the ladies' race, I actually beat the previous course record. So right now I am the current course record holder.
SPEAKER_02Um you've got me there. I'll tell you exactly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And 30 seconds.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, correct. I thought that would be ingrained in your mind.
SPEAKER_02But that's okay.
SPEAKER_00Cool. Um, and not only that, you were seventh in the race, which is amazing.
SPEAKER_03I was ninth until the final couple of miles. Um wow. Yeah, and then I overtook I overtook two guys at the end. Um, because actually my crew, I had a surprise, I I wasn't supposed to be crewed at all, actually. Um, and then someone last minute decided to crew me, which was amazing. Um, so actually, if it wasn't for him, there's I I genuinely feel I would have had to DNF because I I just don't think I had enough clothes in my bag and in my drop bags. Um, I I think I would have got cold. I think I would have had to DNF without without him. So it's just as much his trophy as it is mine. His name is Francis. So well done, Francis. Thank you. Um and yeah, and he said to me at the final checkpoint, he because obviously he was watching me on the tracker and he said, There's two guys, go get him. So I did.
SPEAKER_00Interesting you can say that because the dropout rate was huge. I mean, it was I think about 54 went out of a field of about 96 or something.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and I'd put a lot of that down to people being ill prepared for the weather that we encountered. I don't know what your view is.
SPEAKER_03Well, I felt I'm a planner, um, hence, I mean, you saw my spreadsheet um before my run. Um, and I felt like I I had enough clothes, but in hindsight, I realised I didn't. Um and I think thinking about it now, I mean, I knew I knew the weather was gonna be like that. I think the way I would have done it differently, the way I could have perhaps done it without crew, is actually to have two spare tops in my bag. Um and in each drop bag have an additional top. So as well as the dry outfit, I could have put an extra top in my bag, and I think I could have done with an extra pair. So I I only own I only have one pair of waterproof trousers. Actually, no, that's a lie. I've got some like um, you know, the cheapy ones from the the really thick ones, I could have put them in my drop bags, I think that would have been helpful as well. Um and I I think yeah, I it's it I think there was a massive dropout rate because mainly because I think people couldn't keep warm. But I've since found out there's a huge amount of people that did not have the low level, the bad weather route on their watches. Um, so I had to lead two people um on one section. And if I hadn't have been there to lead them, then I guess they would have dropped out. Um so yeah, there was that I I think there was an element of that as well, people not having the correct course on their watch.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you can't see me, but I've got my hand up as well. I've already owned up I've already owned up to it.
SPEAKER_02I didn't I didn't name, yeah, I didn't say your name.
SPEAKER_00So I am extremely indebted to a guy called Andy Dickinson, who did have the low-level route, um, and he was one of only four of us that had it.
SPEAKER_04Wow.
SPEAKER_00So uh yeah, we got round because of him. Well, one of the reasons I got round was because of him.
SPEAKER_03I have since emailed GB Ultras and I have said I feel they made it extremely clear that both routes needed to be downloaded, but I said I suggested to them that maybe they include that as their mandatory kit list and it's disqualification if you don't have it. Because seriously, I mean the the the that the nighttime section I did, and I I was leading one guy to start off. With and then another guy caught up with us because we were moving so slowly. Um if I it was scary because I was getting cold because um they weren't or one of the guys wasn't moving fast enough, but at the same time I didn't want to leave him behind, and yeah, it really genuinely felt like a life or death situation because it was pitch, pitch black. Um the the rain was absolutely torrential, the wind was something I've never experienced wind like that. My head torch actually blew off my head at one point, um, and the water crossings, which would normally be trickles, were raging. There was one in particular that was like a well, as you know, it was like a raging rapid.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03It came above my knees, and I genuinely felt like one false move there, and I would have been swept in the water down the side of the mountain. Um, and to be there in those conditions with no route on your watch, um, and it wasn't like there was an easy access point for mountain rescue either. So, you know, because all the the whole point of carrying all this extra kit is so you can keep yourself, stop yourself from getting hyperfermia, um but you know, and give yourself enough time for mountain rescue to get to you. But I think it would have been a long, long time before any mountain rescue people got to, you know, if you needed, if it got that severe. Um I this sounds all very dramatic, but I think the I think some people don't take the mountains seriously enough. Um I think it can really it can turn you can become very unwell very quickly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um I agree, it's the worst conditions I've raced in, uh especially overnight. And I think it surprised people with how low the temperature actually got in July.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I think being that soaked as well, just being that wet for that long, um, meant potentially people getting quite cold as well. Yeah, I reckon it was about amazing race, though. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it what made it even more amazing is is the result you had in those conditions. I think it's just incredible.
SPEAKER_04Thank you.
SPEAKER_00And there must be loads more in there on a good day, and not having people towing around behind you who can't find their way. Yeah, so if you thought about it, you can't.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was um it's tricky, isn't it? Because I genuinely normally I say, you know, what happens on the day happens, and and you can't change anything, and everything has happened for a reason. So you can't say, Oh, if I'd have spent 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes in that checkpoint, I would have finished early. You can't say stuff like that. But I'm gonna I'm gonna make an exception here. I genuinely believe if I did not have to take those two guys, um, I would have finished. I think I genuinely feel I would have been on my target, it was 29 hours 50. I really feel I could have done that. Um I I really, really strongly believe that. So, because there was loads, like I mean, you have you seen my finish line video? Yes, I had, yeah, I had the energy.
SPEAKER_00I definitely had the energy. Yeah, although you keep forgetting to do the burpees at the end.
SPEAKER_03I do, I know. People and people keep pointing that out to me, and I'm I'm really I'm really gonna because that would have been awesome. Because obviously the GB Ultras team have no clue who I am, and they would have been like, Why is she doing a burpee?
SPEAKER_00But um, I would yeah, nobody knows who you are, so they do now. You're starting to get notice, Lizzie.
SPEAKER_03So I got I got in the habit of doing a burpee at the end of every single ultra, just one, um, and having it videoed, but I I've I must admit I've forgotten it was a burpee streak that didn't last that long, actually. I think I only did it for four or five ultras. But um, but I would love, I would love to go back next year. Uh and also now I know the route obviously a lot better now. Um, I would definitely tweak. There's two very small sections up the on the ends that um I definitely could improve with my nav. Uh I would love to go back next year. Um if I had this, if I've got this level of fitness now, if I've got the same level next year, I I'd love to go sub-30. Um, I really think I can do it. But unfortunately, it is July. And for me to have um done that race in the first place, um, my boss very kindly moved my work dates around. So officially on the date next year, I will be working. So um it kind of comes down to what my boss says. If I can wangle the dates out of her, that's good.
SPEAKER_00And somebody's come up with a similar event, haven't they? Just been released.
SPEAKER_03Oh, that's you know, I was talking to you about Wild Horse. I wanted to see how the hundred went, and then I I would like to see again if I can slightly manipulate my work dates so I can do the Wild um Wild Horse, yeah, Wild Horse 200.
SPEAKER_00200, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so that same company have teamed up with some other people, and they've got the Opona 100.
SPEAKER_00Ah, that's who's behind it, is it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. And it's partly on the Beacons Way, it's partly on Offers Dyke and Cape Cambrian Way as well. Oh right. I think that would be pretty nice. And it's June, isn't it? That's June 22nd, because that's my birthday. You could do a birthday run, do a birthday run, but then could I do that? And then could I do uh the beacon's way a month afterwards?
SPEAKER_00Well, probably wouldn't give it your best shot, would you? For Beacons Way, it's tricky, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02So many nice faces out there.
SPEAKER_00Too many events, too many events coming round these days. Yeah, so anyway, you've been basking in your glory. What's next for you?
SPEAKER_03I've got dragons back.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I know that.
SPEAKER_03I'll tell you what. Yeah, so I've got um, yeah, it's a bit I'm on an enforced rest at the moment because I'm what I'm working in coffee. There's not I can't I can't do anything here. Um then I've got a window um of no work when I come back. So I've got I'm gonna do a couple of days training in Wales, so that'll be day three, Dragon's Back Recce. I'm taking my friend Tarek on his first secret ult on his first ultra, which we've coined the secret ultra. Um his wife doesn't want him to do one, so we're just gonna do it secretly. Well, she thinks you have to train for an ultra. Uh, and I said ultras are different to marathons. Um, obviously you have to train, you have to have a level of fitness, but I don't think I think if you're training for a marathon, that takes a lot more time out of your life than training for an ultra. So he's just telling her that he's going spending a day running with me, which she's totally cool about, and it just so happens by the end of that day he'll have run an ultra. The other reason why it's a secret is because he doesn't know how far, he doesn't want to know how far he's running.
SPEAKER_00Where are you basing that?
SPEAKER_03Uh we're starting in Liphook and we're running to the um we're following the new, I think it's called the new Lichpin's way, and it ends up in the Cuttering.
SPEAKER_00Oh, lovely.
SPEAKER_03So it's just yeah, so that'd be nice. So that's I've got there, I suppose they're gonna be my three two days in Wales, one day doing that, and that'll kind of be my training done for dragons back then, because then I'd be back to work, come back from work, and then it will be it will be DBR.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, brilliant. My favorite event.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Oh, but I'm a little pickle now, aren't I?
SPEAKER_00Because I You are in a pickle.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Explain.
SPEAKER_03So one of the reasons I've I've always quite fancied Dragons Back, um, but I've never wanted to enter the past because of Cribgok, mainly. Uh also I didn't like the idea of camping, uh, and I didn't think I could make any of the cutoff times, so I thought it would be a bit of a waste. Um but they have introduced the hatchling course now, which is very clever because it means so. Before I I I feel like generally if you if you got timed out halfway or you wanted to have the morning off and start halfway, they would generally allow that, but it was only if they had the resources, resources to do that.
SPEAKER_00It's unofficial, and now it's official.
SPEAKER_03But now with hatchlin, it's it is official, so you can choose to do half days if you want to, and you can mix and match so you can make the route completely your route. Um, so this means on day one I can do hatchlin' on day one, and I can stop at Penny Pass, which means I wouldn't have to do Crib Gok, and it'd be wonderful because I'd be at camp early, I can faff around, I can sit in the catering tent, I can watch everyone else come in. It'll oh it'll be absolutely lovely. And then days two to six, my intention would be to try to do full days and not get timed out. Um, but doing Beacons Way showed me maybe I'm stronger on the mountains than I thought I was, and how I'm like, oh, maybe I will make the cutoffs. So how am I gonna get myself over crib gok? Because if I don't do crib gok, my time will not be recorded. I mean, my time will be recorded, but it won't be recorded.
SPEAKER_00Um not in the main race, officially, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's a toughie, isn't it? Because you've been up there a couple of times. Have you tried it with a guide?
SPEAKER_03So I I hired a professional guide. Um I a couple of days before I did a mindset session. Uh, and we established that I'm not scared of falling, I'm not scared of heights. For me, it's about feeling grounded and feeling secure. Um, so I had every intention of doing it with a guide, and we we did Trifan first, and that was fine. Uh, can't say I enjoyed it, I felt emotionless, but you know, I didn't feel anything. I didn't yeah, I didn't feel scared or nervous. I I literally felt nothing. Um, I think I was quite almost switched off and I just did it. And then when I'd done it, I was like, oh, I've done that, but didn't really enjoy it. Um, so uh when I got to crib got I got very near the top and I was scrambling up and it was all fine. And then next thing I knew, my knee was by my ear, um and the easy scramble became a very, I suppose I was having to stretch out really far, and I knew the next step I took, I knew was a point of no return. And I was just like, what am I doing here? This is not running, but this is this is a hundred percent not running. Um, and I just said I don't want to do it, um, so I backtracked and I didn't I don't regret it. Um and it's a difficult thing because when I when you do ultures, there's lots of hurdles and obstacles you have to overcome, and you do that because you genuinely you want to complete it, you genuinely genuinely want to get to the finish line. But this is the first time in my life I've got this little thing in front of me that I just I I have no desire to do it whatsoever. I think if I wanted to do it, I would be able to do it. But just at the moment, I don't want to do it because it's not enjoyable, and my whole reasons for running is because I love it. Um yeah, but I have been bouldering and I've been to clip and climb a couple of times. So I am doing things to in theory prepare myself, and then on the day, I'm just gonna see. I think I'm just gonna see how I feel on the day.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, as I said, you got to try and team up with somebody, I think.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but it just it I can't get over the fact I don't want to do it.
SPEAKER_00No, well, I mean that's gonna be all down to your mindset when you so um but anyway, that's DBR.
SPEAKER_03That is DBR, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Maybe you should stick to the beacons, the queen of the beacons.
SPEAKER_02We love it. Well, Snowdenia is such a long way away. So uh yeah, very exciting then.
SPEAKER_03I really look at the ones that yeah, and I've met loads actually on Beacons Way. Uh I've met Tim Masters. I ran with him uh for a bit. I fortake him at the end. Uh I don't know if you had that. Uh he is uh volunteer at DBR this year. Um and I've met someone else on the Facebook group who was uh on checkpoint, two of the checkpoints at Beacons Way, and he's a volunteer. Sarah Francis from our running club, she's running it this year.
SPEAKER_02Oh, is she? Oh wow.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. So uh you're nice. Uh I'll know I know a small, a small handful of people. You might be there even on day six.
SPEAKER_00On day six, yeah. We've all been invited back as we didn't get to finish in the castle.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So we can do day six.
SPEAKER_02You can show me the way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, could do. Although we're not allowed to start till half past eight.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so you'll have to.
SPEAKER_00So that we're not interfering with the race itself.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I see.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, oh, that's a shame. Well, I could start at half eight in theory, couldn't I?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you could do. You get it, you still get it done. There's loads of time.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, and then then have a big party to celebrate.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Brilliant.
SPEAKER_03Can't wait. It's very exciting. I need to start. Oh, I need to, yeah, I need to figure out my packing and stuff actually. I need to do all that next week.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's a whole nother podcast. Okay, Lizzie, I'm gonna wrap it up here. Um, I'm just so delighted that you delivered on what you said you were gonna deliver when you were all excited the day before. Just a fantastic result at the Beacons Way Ultra. And I do hope you go back next year in some better weather and actually really nail a. I mean, yeah, that's an incredible time anyway. I think it'll be a while before somebody gets near it, but um be great if you lower it yourself.
SPEAKER_03But that means I can't talk in this podcast now.
SPEAKER_00Well, I know that's the other thing, because you now need to be interviewed by loads of other people who do front end. You'll be up there with uh Sabrina Virgis now, aren't you? And uh those.
SPEAKER_02That would be thanks. I feel I don't know. I I I I feel like a bit of a do you feel like a bit of a fraud?
SPEAKER_03I just feel like there were there hasn't been an actual like fast lady on that course yet. Because surely a like a proper fast lady would get what 20, I don't know, 26, 25, 26 hours.
SPEAKER_00Well Sabrina would be. She did 23 hours at Lakeland at the weekend, and she exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_03So if she went and did Beacons Way, she'd absolutely obliterate my time. But well, but then I could say she took the time, you know, I I wouldn't mind handing the record over to her, that's fine.
SPEAKER_00Well, I always say you can only beat whoever turns up, and you beat them all, and not only that, you set a course record, so you can't do much better than that. Well done. Thank you. You're still there, Lizzie.
SPEAKER_02Still there. I'm yeah, you are still there. The cogs turning.