Great photos. 

I even said to Rach as she headed to Barnsley to have a broken foot x-rayed, that I bet the photos will come out great, as they were taken at places that make the race look look better than it was. What it was in summary was pretty much a Google Maps direction search from Carlisle to Newcastle with the critieria of B roads only set. 90% of it was on road, most of that on roads without path, and a chunk on roads that were quite busy. Despite being born and brought up in, and having lived all my life in huge cities, I am not  okay with traffic being so close, I am not one for playing chicken with traffic in pitch darkness, and so the one dayer just doesn’t appeal, even if Rach and Lew go back and do it in 2020.

£200 quid though for a race that had no road closures, the CPS were so far apart it was easier to stop at local shops and cafes (day 2 they were at 13 miles and then 30!), Sure they were pretty well stocked, but half way and having to pay for all food and drink, and the right to camp, and then for a space in a tent. I was pretty shocked to see that.  I know the Race to the series gets a lot of grief, they do molly coddle, but for less money there are road closures, the food at half way is free, hot or cold, as is breakfast, and the check points are 10K apart, not up to 17 miles. It did feel like a poor man’s Threshold event, except that it was more expensive.

As I said I spoke to a guy on the way to the Race HQ to pick up bibs. He had done most of their events and told me that this would be his last because it was too commercial. Not my words. I had no point of reference. But I do now, and it will be my last too. And I do see his point re the fact this is about making money. the branded kit is more expensive than the new season at Lululemon, you kinda had to buy it too. If you had anything missing in your kit bag they sold it there at a premium. You got a free tee, but it is Rat Race one, not an event tee, if you wanted that you needed to fork out for one. And paying for food, even tea at half way. That was just poor.

In the end Day 2 had no wall at all, and, looking at our times on the tracker we saw 130 people had DNfd up til that point and there were still some out there with less than an hour before cut off. Despite people who will undoubtedly say that 70 miles in 24 hours is easy, that the cut off is too generous to make it a challenge, well? Not everyone made it, and those that did were broken, and some pretty injured. At the time of writing Rachel has a suspected fractured metatarsal or 2 and the ligaments on the top of my right foot are so swollen I can’t get my foot into my granddad slippers as I write this.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THE WALL? There was barely any wall, it was expensive, even more expensive than the Threshold races, without being as polished a product, and you were noway near as molly coddled. Paying for food, all on open roads, so you could just run this yourself? Then I guess if you want the challenge sure. There is a lot of natural beauty and the start at Carlisle Castle and finish at the Millenium Bridge at Newcastle was good.