This sunny weekend I opted to spend it running, but mainly walking around Cherry Orchard Country Park when I took part in the HARP 24 event. Each of the very picturesque loops is 8km or 5 miles long. The challenge to do as many laps as you can from 12 midday on Saturday until 12 midday on Sunday. There are a range of different options, solo, duo and teams of up to 12 runners in each. I opted to enter as a solo runner, as I did last year.
This race had been on my radar for some time, without me ever really focusing my training on it. I have slowly been getting some regularity into my training, running three or four times a week with total mileage of something like 16-20 miles. Lots of short runs 5km, 5 miles, the occasional 10km, a rare 10 mile long run on a week when time allows. I completed the Shakespeare Half Marathon in 2 hours 14 minutes at the end of April but I faded badly in the second half of that and so realistically I was only in 5 hour marathon shape.
I wasn't too concerned, this was a nice scenic walk last time out and I thought it would be much the same this year, with hopefully a little more running given my improved fitness, all be it over the shorter distances. I achieved 11 laps and 55 miles in 2024 and so needed at least 12 laps and 60 miles to be satisfied, 75 miles was the stretch goal, my long-term target being 100 miles and we can then retire from the 24 hour game.
My biggest concern for the race as it had been last year was putting up and taking down the tent. I had managed to break the poles from last year's tent as I took the tent down on my own with the wind blowing. That had been a rather fetching turquoise number with space and a certain style to it, in its place was a £25 rather feeble looking offering from Amazon. I managed to put it up, the only issue being the rock hard ground bending the tent pegs at a terrifying rate. I managed to get two pegs in perfectly, more through luck than judgement. The other two, the less said the better. Guide ropes? I don't have enough straight pegs or patience to deal with those. I just had to hope it wasn't a windy one.
One thing I did remember was a mallet, and this proved a useful aid in making new friends. My next door neighbour was struggling with his tent even more than I was. The smart move would have been to assist him making his, and he would then return the favour in making mine, but we're men and we're men that do ultras, we don't ask for help we just struggle alone and get it done. I did offer him the use of the mallet, and he happily accepted and things seemed to get better from there.
We got chatting about various races we had done and we introduced ourselves. It turns out he is called Roman and I told him he shared a name with my new nephew. He was a lovely guy and we would catch up at various points throughout the weekend. My other neighbour was another nice guy called Stuart who was also a solo runner. He had done the Outlaw Iron distance triathlon at a similar time to me, and was on the running comeback trail after dialling it back as his seven year old was taking up his time. Sounds familiar.
Enough of the background, you came here for the running. Having arrived at 9am the wait till noon was a long one. It eventually came and on the stroke of 12 the mayor sent us on our way. That first lap is so different from all the others. All the solo runners and one member from each team are out on the course and all starting at the same point, it is bustling and at parts of the course it narrows and you start to approach crowded. This soon thins out and people scatter around the course.
The first lap included a number of runners popping out of bushes and trees or else running through fields. I initially thought they had gone to water the plants but they were saying they had gone the wrong way and got lost etc. I can't quite understand how, as the course is pretty straight forward and the organisers have done a great job in marking the course.
I was running well, looking to take it as easy as possible, I didn't walk at all for the first couple of miles, but then decided to do so up the hill just before the aid station at half way. I remembered this from last year and would walk it each lap. It's a decent climb and the extra energy and effort required to run it just didn't make sense. Once I had refilled my water bottle at the top I ran most of the remainder of the lap and finished the lap in 56 minutes, a minute or so faster than my time from a year ago.
I think I will leave part one there. 24 hours is a long time and I reckon I can eek it out over at least three blogs. Come back soon for the next instalment. Thanks for reading.
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