On Sunday, I took part in the YOMP. Last year I completed the 23 mile course in 5 hours 47mins, mainly walking and the odd bit off running (in heavy walking boots). I did however receive the 'Hellgill cup' a few months later in the post for the fastest 16 and under male in the full Yomp. This year I had the intention to mainly run it.
I arrived quite late and registered. I was stopped on my way out by women from mountain rescue telling me that they're would temperatures on the summits of -5 with gusts as well so I needed a following list of items which I hadn't brought. One of the other people from Kirby Stephen Mountain Rescue took me across the road to their base where they happily leant me a waterproof jacket and a 'Lowe Alpine' Bum bag. I was treated particularly nice seen as I had been so stupid to come so un prepared.
I set off not long after. I ran the first half relatively well, mainly walking on the steepest parts as 'tactics', so I didn't exhaust myself for later. After running down Wild Boar fell and checking in at the half way point I had clocked a time of 1 hour 55 mins, not a bad time really, considering it was the steepest part of the course. After that though I was lacking energy. Running on any ascent at all seemed to be pretty difficult and even the flats were getting harder. I hadn't had very much for breakfast, only a cereal bar, mainly relying on the fact I had stuffed myself on Pasta the night before. However I soon needed more energy and my hands were so numb, if I touched one, I couldn't tell if it were my hand or my fleece without looking. This made it very hard to open up my Bum bag and get out the 'fun' sized mars bars I had picked up from the refreshments after registration. Luckily they're were plenty of Marshals about and one very kindly took of her wooly mitts and got them out for me. When I saw them I remembered reading the book 'Feet in the Clouds' by Richard Askwith, where he was handed to 'fun sized' Mars bars by his friend after a long run over the Lakeland fells, with the comment "They would be a lot more fun if they were twice big." At the point I read that I remember thinking "Why bring them instead of a full sized one?" Yet here I was opening two 'fun sized' Mars bars half way up a hill in the cold. The temperature seemed to be more like 5 degrees C with a wind chill of about 3 below. Which probably makes sense seen as it was about 9 degrees C in the valleys.
By about 3 quarters of the way through the course, I was reduced to no more than a walk and a little trot down the hills. Even walking up the steep bits was tiring enough and Running on the flats was exhausting. By the time I got to Nine Standards and the guy said the rest is downhill I suddenly heard myself go 'Yey!' I was soon annoyed at myself for sounding so incredibly wimpish. The Down hill bit was much harder than I'd have thought. Pains in my stomach had me walking quite often. Luckily they're was one last check point where I could take a swig of water and that seemed to help the pains a bit, so I could at least run with it. It was about 40 minutes before i had made it to Kirby Stephen. And a further 8 minutes before I was back at the School. With an over all course time of 4 hours 52 minutes.
So I had a time I was relatively happy with and in theory the fastest 16 and under. However when I asked the organisers said they couldn't present me with the Hellgill cup, as they are not supposed to encourage competitive running over that distance anymore. However they might quietly send it me in the post like last year.
Thanks for reading,
Ethan
I arrived quite late and registered. I was stopped on my way out by women from mountain rescue telling me that they're would temperatures on the summits of -5 with gusts as well so I needed a following list of items which I hadn't brought. One of the other people from Kirby Stephen Mountain Rescue took me across the road to their base where they happily leant me a waterproof jacket and a 'Lowe Alpine' Bum bag. I was treated particularly nice seen as I had been so stupid to come so un prepared.
I set off not long after. I ran the first half relatively well, mainly walking on the steepest parts as 'tactics', so I didn't exhaust myself for later. After running down Wild Boar fell and checking in at the half way point I had clocked a time of 1 hour 55 mins, not a bad time really, considering it was the steepest part of the course. After that though I was lacking energy. Running on any ascent at all seemed to be pretty difficult and even the flats were getting harder. I hadn't had very much for breakfast, only a cereal bar, mainly relying on the fact I had stuffed myself on Pasta the night before. However I soon needed more energy and my hands were so numb, if I touched one, I couldn't tell if it were my hand or my fleece without looking. This made it very hard to open up my Bum bag and get out the 'fun' sized mars bars I had picked up from the refreshments after registration. Luckily they're were plenty of Marshals about and one very kindly took of her wooly mitts and got them out for me. When I saw them I remembered reading the book 'Feet in the Clouds' by Richard Askwith, where he was handed to 'fun sized' Mars bars by his friend after a long run over the Lakeland fells, with the comment "They would be a lot more fun if they were twice big." At the point I read that I remember thinking "Why bring them instead of a full sized one?" Yet here I was opening two 'fun sized' Mars bars half way up a hill in the cold. The temperature seemed to be more like 5 degrees C with a wind chill of about 3 below. Which probably makes sense seen as it was about 9 degrees C in the valleys.
By about 3 quarters of the way through the course, I was reduced to no more than a walk and a little trot down the hills. Even walking up the steep bits was tiring enough and Running on the flats was exhausting. By the time I got to Nine Standards and the guy said the rest is downhill I suddenly heard myself go 'Yey!' I was soon annoyed at myself for sounding so incredibly wimpish. The Down hill bit was much harder than I'd have thought. Pains in my stomach had me walking quite often. Luckily they're was one last check point where I could take a swig of water and that seemed to help the pains a bit, so I could at least run with it. It was about 40 minutes before i had made it to Kirby Stephen. And a further 8 minutes before I was back at the School. With an over all course time of 4 hours 52 minutes.
So I had a time I was relatively happy with and in theory the fastest 16 and under. However when I asked the organisers said they couldn't present me with the Hellgill cup, as they are not supposed to encourage competitive running over that distance anymore. However they might quietly send it me in the post like last year.
Thanks for reading,
Ethan
