Being responsible for running the 8 peaks challenge this weekend yours truly had to go out and lay out the clippers at the checkpoints on the course for the runners to find.
The route as a crow could fly it was just about 10 miles, as I "ran" it turned into 13.
So on the hottest day in April since 1949 off I set up the biggest hills around Kington.
Leaving clippers
at various places
along the way
while enjoying fantastic views.
But due to the heat things started to go slightly awry.
Thinking that I would do this in less than 4 hours (record is just about 2and half but that was set by a whippet) I didnt pack my bag with much other than a turkish delight, a bag of skittles and 500ml of water. At this point, less than halfway there was only 100ml left.
So ever onwards
leaving clippers
at strategic locations.
By now I was out of water and as Rock HQ was only across the valley and almost on the route of the race a slight detour would put things right, the last mile I covered in 14 minutes so I was ahead of schedule feeling confident.
More clippers
dropped
and then so did I. This is the point it really went completely wrong.
The view from my sad situation showed the hills already covered and the last one Worzel was there so I had come a long way from its summit to find myself sat suffering from cramps and feeling terrible. What I should have done was pulled the eject handle and baled out heading home some 1000 metres to my left. Instead I scoffed some skittles and headed up, and up
to the summit of the bonsai mountain noting that this last mile had taken 42 minutes which even taking the climb into account was slow.
And the cramps caused by lack of water continued meaning walking pace for next 3 which took 46 minutes combined.
So I finished 19 minutes and 16 seconds over my target, but I finished and had a fab can of pop and bacon sarnie at Dots cafe to celebrate.
Think I might have caught the sun too.
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