Penrith Marathon - England, 13 May 2007
by Dave Wells
My first event is the second of a series of marathons held throughout England, Wales and Scotland. This one is the first time a Merida event has been held in England. The few days prior to the event, rain had been common feature of each day. Even up until the night prior the rain had fallen. Then, it all cleared for the race. Clouds still filled the skies but no rain.
1297 competitors lined up for the mass start. There were four different distances all starting at the same time. 25, 50, 75 and 83km. The longest was supposed to be 100km but a late protest by some bird watching group meant a change to the longest distance. With the chance of the weather changing at any time, one of the biggest problems for the race was as to what clothes to wear from the start. It was still quite cold but dry. Knicks, long Johns, shirt, gloves and a new lightweight water proof jacket were the final choice. After about 10kms the jacket was removed due to climbing the first rolling hills making it quite warm inside. Another reason to stop at this point was to say hi to ex-Darwin resident, Tom Gilfedder who is living in England. From here we continued on together for a few kilometres having a chat until he disappeared into the distance.
The course of the marathon then ventured across open moor lands seemingly water logged with many boggy areas to cover. Some quick sections of narrow lanes between stone walls after the first check led to the start of the first long climb. It was also the highest, crawling its way to the top of a fell. (Peak) If not for the constant mud and water, it would probably have been a good rideable hill. The ground seemed to move under the tyre tread as if on top of a swamp that would open up any minute and swallow me up! These places are really bog marshes that must have a constant flow of water not far under the surface. Needless to say, it was a long haul to the top. But what a spectacular sight from there! What greeted us was a panorama view looking down over one of the many lakes in the area with mountains all around and villages dotting the edges of the lakes. Clouds floated along the valley under the peaks and water courses flowed down into the distant lake.
Going down the fell was no easy task either. If dry it would have been a really fast downhill but the boggy mud wanted to stop the front wheel if not careful with where the body was placed. And then further down the mud turned into wet slippery clay that caused the back wheel to drift around necessitating a drop of speed without over use of the brakes. At times I thought about my choice of tyres for this race but I still think that the Larsen was a very suitable all-round decision.
More climbs were to come which involved pushing or carrying the bike over very loose and steep rocky climbs. This occurred on many occasions and was energy sapping and difficult on the legs. I now realize why the studs are on the front of Shimano MTB shoes!! On the steepest climb I found that I had to push the bike forward and then walk up to it while holding the front brake on. A steep and very technical single track descent followed one of these climbs. Maybe rideable on the Santa Cruz but with the more head down position of the Anthem, I carried the bike over a couple of the worst sections. The rideable sections allowed me to pass many other riders that were walking over most of the descent.
The 4 feeding stations were always a welcome sight with plenty of bananas, cut up energy bars and electrolyte drink. Technical help was also available at a couple of the stations. The last of the feeding stations was a welcome sight as the weather had turned cold and looked as if it may even rain. I had already but my jacket back on earlier due to the cold but it was really becoming more noticeable as the afternoon wore on.
A quick blast down walled lanes and through narrow bridleways led to the final slow climb up dirt tracks and across several kilometres of rolling hills before rounding a small dam and applause from the crowd waiting at the finish. It was quite amazing how I managed to find a little extra energy to up the pace at this stage!
At the finishing line an event T-shirt was handed out. Then it was over.. I had been concerned that my legs were going to lock up after the finish but in fact they were surprisingly quite ok considering what they had been put through. Pressure washers were available at the finish area and it took some time to clean the mud and animal droppings from the bike. After a quick rinse off in the now near freezing conditions (for me anyway!) and a change into dry clothes, it was decided to move south to my friend Pete’s house for a hot shower and a couple of ales to ponder over the days event.
