Race report Hannah Lupton

You know when you have a great idea for a day out and persuade your mates to join you, but then as the date gets nearer you realise it was stupid idea, completely idiotic! Well, that’s what happened with this years Yorkshireman entry.

Whilst training for Leeds Marathon and Endure 24 I obviously must have had a couple of weeks where I felt fit and strong and decided this year was the year to enter Yorkshireman Marathon. I’ve completed the half a few times now and I’ve always been curious as to what the marathon distance was like as I’m told most of the climbing you do is in the first 8 miles of the half and actually the half is ranked harder by the FRA. Yes, this year was the year to give it a go, and I persuaded Nicola, Nicky, Sara and Laura to join me. It’d be a great girls day out.

Then the wheels fell off my training as I picked up a knee issue and I’ve just not bounced back from either of my events like I thought I would, I’ve felt exhausted. Noone’s training was really going to plan, summer is busy with families and holidays and none of us were managing to get any long runs done.  I’d been having a wobble for a while and decided that this fun day out was making me anxious so I made the decision to drop to the more manageable half and by the time race day came we had all made the sensible decision to drop to the half. Have I mentioned it’s not a half and that you just climb up the moors for the first 8 miles, much easier….

Nicky, Laura and I arrived at Howarth Primary School on Sunday 14^th September ready for the 10:30 start and none of us wanted to get out of the car, it was absolutely bouncing it down. Nicola said she’d brought us a gift as she produced a poncho for each of us, brilliant idea! And so we arrived at Howarth Primary School relatively dry, unfortunately, within 5 minutes we were overheating and with the weather not looking like it was going to ease up we decided to abandon the ponchos and woman up for the walk to the start. Nicky and Sara joined us outside the Fleece Inn and we all set off together down the cobbles then immediately up the steep climb onto Penistone Hill. By the top I’d stripped down to my vest as although it was raining, and it never stopped, it was a really humid day. Laura was already disappearing into the mist and the rest of us were getting ready for the next big climb up Bodkin and Stairs Lanes. If you’ve done Wharfedale Half it’s very much like the Mastiles Lane climb but shorter, steeper, and rockier underfoot. Halfway up I thought I was hallucinating from lack of oxygen as I heard the gorgeous sound of a Yorkshire Brass Band, it was lovely to be serenaded by them as we climbed the horrible hill.

The next section takes you across fields, a couple of road crossings and along the edge of the moor heading towards Ogden Reservoir. Laura was no where to be seen now so I gave up thinking I’d catch her up and we’d naturally fallen into pairs, Nicola and myself and Nicky and Sara. It was still raining and the aim was to keep moving and get to the first check point which would mean that the worst of the climb was over. On the way you also hit a path where, being at the back of the pack, you can cheer the front runners on and watch them flying down off the moor heading back to Howarth, and wish you were as sure footed as they are. Usually, you can also see the windmills in the distance, and you know the nearer you are to them the closer you are to the check point, not this year as visibility was poor, it was that horrible mizzle, you know the stuff that really gets you wet.

After the first check point you hit a mile and a half section of road, normally I try to switch off on this bit and enjoy the view, there was none and it was just relentless tarmac. We had made friends with another couple of female runners and did what we women do best and chatted till we got back to the moor. Normally, the view from here is just stunning and helps you navigate back down off the moor, it’s the start of my favourite views across to Ogden and Howarth. Visibility was getting worse and I almost took a wrong turn here, thanks to one of the other runners and a faint red mark on the ground we kept on the right track and were soon heading out of the mist alongside Leeming Reservoir on the way to the 2^nd and final check point, almost finished! There are many things I love about off road running, and one is the checkpoints. This one ranks as one of my top 5 favourite as it supplies you with cheese, fruit cake and port (you’re supposed to shot port aren’t you?)

The final sting in the tail of this race is as you get back to Howarth, you cross the railway bridge and turn into the cobbled climb of Butt Lane, cobbles, rain and off road shoes do not go together well as you feel like you are slipping backwards with every step. Then it’s the final “sprint” finish up Rawdon Road and to the school.

I was dreading this race, I haven’t felt fit for weeks and the weather was awful. However, I actually felt good all the way round, I loved being back off road in the mud, I stayed upright (yippee) and had great company. Yes, I was bedraggled, cold and tired but the pizza and lemonade provided at the end by the race organisers helped replenish me, as did Laura’s flapjack that I had back home with a cuppa.

The winners of the half were Ashley Wright – Todmorden Harriers – 1:43:05 and  Hinda Hardaker – Keighley & Craven AC – 02:08:00

Otley Ac results are below and the link to the full race results is https://www.sportident.co.uk/results/KCAC/2024/Yorkshireman/

Kirsty Pomfrett                2:37:07

Danielle Tiffany               2:46:36

Laura Hind                      3:10:30

Hannah Lupton               3:33:46

Nicola Swann                  3:33:46

Chris Brunold                  3:37:16

Sara Richard                    3:51:38

Nicky Gifford                   3:51:40

Louisa Vendettuoli        4:02:59