Story
Additional donations received by cheque:
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Arrow Engineering £100.00
Elizabeth Halliday £250.00
SMS Towage £100.00
Caparo Merchant Bar £100.00
Svitzer Towage £150.00
A Report: A Coast to Coast Challenge 16th – 21st May 2010 Stumblers: Gary Armitage – 48 years; Roderick Burton – 55 years; Mark Whitelock – 46 years going on and on about reaching 47, which he eventually did. Support and Logistics: Susan Peck Charity Co-ordinator – Nick Cutsforth Chosen charity: Macmillan Cancer Support Website: www.justgiving.com/coast2coastchallenge1 Gathered on the glistening early morning sands of St Bees in Cumbria, the bare bones of the adventure awaiting our three would-be gallants seemed modest enough. Over a period of six days they would cover, at a run, the course of Wainwright’s famous 1972 creation: the Coast To Coast route of 192 miles, assuming no errors of course. Just 32 miles a day then, before the North Yorkshire beach at Robin Hoods Bay was reached. The famous Mr Wainwright had chosen a route that showed off the main attributes of the Lake District; The Pennines and the Yorkshire Moors. In particular he favoured views. In general views are found at the top of walloping big hills and mountains. Our boys would have to climb almost 24,000 feet over the six days, and with a few extra alternative views added in the total ascent would match getting to the top of Mt Everest! Logistics Manager Susan joined the boys in searching for the traditional pebbles to carry across the breadth of England. Photographs were taken to evidence Team Scunny properly immersed in ankle depth briny before the planned 9.00 a.m. start time. The team were confident of success. A detailed training Blue-print had been put together in the autumn of last year. Training would kick into gear early in the new year. Like all the best Blue-prints this one was to find a useful life lining the inside of a waste paper basket with January not two weeks old. The weather and life had intervened. Weeks of snow and ice made the northern Uplands, over which so many training runs had been planned, a no-go area. Gary, an electrician on the Corus site, broke down with an acute Achilles heel injury. Various medical and Sports Injury Specialist opinions gave Gary the difficult task of not running for 12 – 15 weeks. This he managed to achieve with tremendous success. Instead, he donned his thermals and went hill walking in the Lake District, over a number of long weekends. Mark, by occupation a builder, was already physically hardened to all that the weather could throw at him. Training alone, or with club colleagues aiming at completing the London Marathon, he concentrated on building up his endurance. But, he had a number of setbacks with various parts of his anatomy, not least with a groin that came and went. Rod, now establishing himself as an art and antiques dealer, managed to stay virtually injury free – a knee niggle aside. He had foolishly entered his first (and only, as he tells partner Sue) 100 mile event: The Heart of Scotland 100, run from Dunkeld, Perthshire, just 8 days after the anticipated C2C completion date. Consequently, for 14 straight weekends, he ran an off-road event. Normally these runs were of marathon length, but he also threw in a 33 mile and two 50 mile events. So, at 9.00 a.m. and fortified by a Saturday night pub Steak & Ale pie supper and a sumptuous ‘Full English’ B & B Breakfast, our intrepid three stood poised to start, brimming with health and fitness. Compasses were consulted to ensure that they set off in the correct direction – North North West as it happens, and up, of course. Running rucksacks were adjusted; shoe laces retied; rations checked and finally, with Rod 50 metres behind – the start of a theme – they set off to a resounding wave from Susan. For the two weeks beforehand the weather forecast had foretold of cold and of biting northerly winds. Our boys were consequently kitted out with the full winter running regalia – hats, gloves, thermal base layers, fleeces, cagoules and survival bags. As the run commenced on that Sunday morning the sun came out, and the temperature began to climb. This process was to continue throughout the week, with temperatures peaking by the end at about 24c – plenty warm enough for running! With over 30 miles to cover each day, and a number of substantial mountains and fells to ascend, prior training had concentrated on endurance and on climbing the steep and apparently endless – it seemed – slopes. This training effort was to pay off, as neither sheer distance nor the effort of climbing caused any undue problems. But problems were to occur… . It was to be the going down that nearly sunk them. Blistered and bruised feet do not take kindly to the constant and often severe shocks suffered on a typical rocky descent. A painful lesson learned! So, what of the run itself? It was long and it was arduous. It hurt – quite a lot at times. The latter three days were, for Rod and Mark in particular, an exercise in pain management. Gary (the Goat – don’t ask) grew steadily stronger over the week, his Achilles injury forgotten, and ever more annoyingly cheerful. He only faltered slightly in the last ten miles when a minute heel blister became apparent, and a sharp pain arose in his lower shin area.* * This was actually more serious than it seemed, as it subsequently became very swollen and painful. It appears he was either stung by a Hornet or bitten by a snake, hidden among the rough heather that was run through at the time. The biggest bonus, by far, was the camaraderie found along the route. Scunny’s trio of triers became a tight knit team. Our hosts at the many B&B’s were, without exception, full of generous good humour, and some even made unsolicited donations to the cause. The ‘Lincoln Lads’ – a famous five if ever there was one, were first met towards the end of an exhausting second day. Local rivalry ensured that gentle fun flowed for the following four days as our paths on course conjoined, and in the evening hostelries where restorative potions were imbibed. The many Coast to Coasters met out on route with whom we shared stories and traded tips on staying pain free. On our first real ascent, over Dent, we were hailed by a Scunthorpe couple who identified us individually from recent press articles. Along the way, and separated by ten miles at least, Gary recognised and had lengthy conversations with fell running friends – husband and wife of course! Even at the very end, as thirsts were slaked by salt and sweat crusted runners, total strangers pressed five pound notes into our hands. Good folk all. All of the B&Bs were brilliant, both beds and breakfast. The single night in a bunk barn was cheap, and offered a snore-free zone in a damp and smelly caravan – a small price to pay for an undisturbed night of sleep according to Rod. One evening meal – a cracking chilli – was provided by our hosts at a remote farmstead outside of Keld. Otherwise, it was the local pub for an early evening meal, and they never let us down regarding taste or value. The weather could not be faulted, with a cooling breeze discernable on the hottest days. The scenery was magnificent, and the visibility almost crystal clear throughout the run. Susan gave a brilliant support service, meeting up two or three times a day to dispense cups of tea and coffee, sandwiches, rolls and cakes, plasters and drugs. Drugs!!! By the end of the run all three runners were full of them. In fact, it would not have been possible to complete the run without regular doses of the array of well known anti-inflammatory pain relievers. Also in use, increasingly as the run progressed, were various support articles to hold together disintegrating knees and ankles. The final day groin flare-up is best ignored. Although 20 minutes later than planned due to a path transforming itself into bog just five miles from the end, at 18.50 p.m. our heroes sped (strictly, shuffled may be a more accurate term….) onto the beach at Robin Hood’s bay to the triumphal blare of our supporter’s plastic trumpets. These were a classy touch, we thought, as were the “You Did It” balloons! A few minutes of stomping around in the surf preceded the flinging of those wretched pebbles, and the taking of the inevitable cheesy photographs. The Challenge – it had been planned; it had been started; it had been achieved – without deviation – thanks to those compasses and Gary’s maps, and without hesitation. “Just a minute” said Gary, turning his beaming face to the others, “that was so much fun, why don’t we just grab a quick bite to eat and turn round and go back to St Bee’s.?” “ Great idea Gary” cried the others in unison, as they eased their way into the Wainwright’s Bar at the Bay Hotel, “Goodbye!” Roderick Burton – 24/5/2010 NOTE – By their efforts the team are hoping that at least three thousand pounds will have been raised for Macmillan Cancer Support