LDWA Rombald's Stride

The Long Distance Walkers Association put on several challenge events a year and Rombald's Stride is one of them, it is billed as 23 miles but was slightly shorter. The forcast was for wet and windy so we packed waterproof jackets. We marked our map and carried the route description as these events are not signed. We got up early and got the dog walked before heading to Guisely when we met friends, Martin, Richard, Jeff and Helen, we are all members of NYPTri. We registered at St Oswalds School and collected our number tags, clip card and were informed of a route change and given a map of that section. I tied my clip card and number tag to my running vest. At 08:50 we all walked over to the start. It was a mass start and quite busy, we couldn't hear the race briefing. A man rang a bell and we were off, runners and walkers together, Billy and I ran together, Martin and Richard ran together and Jeff and Helen ran together, we didn't get far before we bottle necked at a railway bridge. This looked familiar, as we turned and crossed a broken wall, I realised that it was part of The Dragons' HDSRL (Harrogate and District Summer Running League) route, but I gad never run it in conditions like these, it was wet sloppy mud and grass making the descent amongst so many very tricky indeed. On man was dressed as a King. There was a cry of "The King is down, God save the King" I looked back to see the man dressed as a King regaining his feet. At the bottom of the hill it was back to new ground and the first climb of the day, up through the woods then down to the water treatment works, we then ran down a lane, there were caravans scattered in a field and across the lane the trees that flanked the river were festooned with rubbish, like Stig of the Dump's Christmas trees. We entered a field and there were two young men with buckets, we had to give them our number tags. That took ages as I had tied mine on good and proper, thinking I needed to hand it in at the end. 

We crossed the road and climbed towards a chapel. The pic is a bit blurred as I took it when I was moving 

It was muddy, mud was going to be the order of the day  

There was a mix of mud and paved for the next section, the thing in common was it was wet, everything and everyone was wet. 

Checkpoints were spaced out over the course clipping our cards and feeding us cake, biscuits and sweets, and giving us drinks. 

We steadily passed walkers, there were old, young and whole families walking and running.

The heaths and moors were tough going, slippy mud and grassy hillocks, it was misty and runners ahead soon disappeared in the distance. On section had gallops for horses and the surface was aweful to run on, it was like shredded material, the horses were lovely in the mist

We steadily progressed along the route. A section of slabs allowing us to run but it was narrow and we struggled to pass people, but we did. All too soon we were back on moorland, Heather trails deep with water and mud, making it difficult to look around as it was tricky going. We passed a stone circle and clambered through rocks, uphill and down dale. There was a point where we were above the mist and there was a glimpse of the scenery we were missing.

Billy led me onwards, I ran sections I would normally walk. There were not many runners around us now, but lots of tracks across Ilkley Moor

ON ILKLEY MOOR BAHT 'AT (Traditional English - Yorkshire) 

 Wheear 'as ta bin sin ah saw thee, 

On Ilkla Moor baht 'at?!

 Wheear 'as ta bin sin ah saw thee? 

On Ilkla Moor baht 'at?! 

On Ilkla Moor baht 'at?! 

I ran to the tune in my head, when I saw the checkpoint at Ilkley Bottom I expected a brass band, but there was none. After the check point we were running along a track and the runner in front turned off it. We followed, Billy did a Bambi impression as he slipped in the mud on the steep hill, I saw people to the right, but we followed the man to the bottom of the hill and as we turned right to cross a stream we saw other runners and walkers still on the lane moving up to the right. We had gone wrong, the other runner had disappeared in the distance and we set off up a steep muddy bank to meet the lane, we were now behind people we had passed earlier, up up up we climbed. I saw some people on top of a cliff, "Do we go uP there! I asked two ladies near me, "No, you turn before you get there" we came to the junction, Billy called to a man going up the steps to the top, the man said we did need to do the steps, we could pick our own route bug he had done the event the last 5 years and always went this way. So we followed him. It was a long tough climb and we struggled to keep the man in sight, finally we came down a steep bank and crossed a stream there were runners all directions but we followed the man in the yellow jacket and black rucksack who had done the event many times, Billy ran ahead to keep him in sight, he was like Willow the Wisp, I wondered if he was leading us to our doom, but there was a clip point, so we must be right and finally after the moor, a full checkpoint with cake and biscuits, yellow coat black pack was there. 

We set off before him following a man in an orange top, we crossed some slippy muddy fields and along a lane, my lace kept coming undone and orange shirt would disappear, soon another couple caught up with us and kept us right and we gradually caught up with orange shirt and his partner, we all stayed together a while, across more muddy fields and out onto a road, we got to run downhill for a while on a reasonable surface, that was nice, over 20 miles now, not far to go.

We crossed the road into a wood The Chevin it said on the sign. "Is this the last climb" Billy asked a lady by the gate, "yes but it's a big one" the lady's friend caught up and the 6 of us set off up, the path was not a path, it was a wide swathe of grass and mud. I was at the back, I couldn't keep up, then the others stopped, it was a self clip point. Time to catch my breath I hoped it was the top, I don't think it was even half way, my legs were burning and every now and again I'd slip, I struggled onwards. There was a photographer at the top and another check point, the others were leaving so we clipped and followed them onto a road, ah Tarmac it was lovely, but not for long. More mud down a lane, more road and we were back in Guisely and the pace opened up, I had nothing left though, but there it was, the school, the finish.

22.36 miles in 5:15:26, not bad considering the conditions.

Shoes Brooks Cascadia

Pack Salomon race vest 

Jacket Montane mountain jacket

2XU leggings

ToeToe socks.

And now to recovery. I changed into long sleeved and long legged compression, and compression socks.

When I got home I walked the dog.

After my shower and warm bath I put on compression shorts and vest.

I set off with a popped blister on my big toe, I had covered it with a blister plaster, that had come off, I have cleaned and dressed it. I also have an issue with my left ankle and my foot can flip on uneven ground. I lost count of how many times it happened today. If is now elevated and covered in DeepRelief cream.

And I have worked hard to replace the 2000+ calories burned off.