Report by Kirsty Harvey
On a bright sunny Sunday morning (yes really) in Sowerby Bridge, gathered some hardy souls ready to do battle in the Canalathon – a 50k race along the canal towpath from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge. There were some even hardier souls doing even longer distances like 75 or 100k but it was a bit early in the season for me to consider those. The race organisers had put on a bus to take us to Manchester which left at 7.20 so it was an early start from York for hubby and I. Choices had to be made about what to wear as the forecast had been cold & overcast but it looked like it might actually be warm so off came the tights & shorts were the order of the day.
Once in Manchester the race was delayed due to the queue for the toilets but we eventually got under way. Unlike some towpaths this one had very good surfaces all the way – almost too dry as it was sometimes a bit hard underfoot but we looked forward to getting out of Manchester where it was less than scenic & into the countryside.
I was feeling good as we trotted along – I actually started getting past a few people and not so many went past me which I took as a good sign, but ultra running is all about the second half of the race – if you start off too fast you can pay dearly towards the end as many people found out.
Nutrition is another key issue for longer distance running so a good breakfast before we set out and further grub on the bus made sure we were fuelled up well and would not have to take too much on board during the run.
By the first checkpoint I was still feeling good so I didn’t hang around, just topping up water & moving out quickly – you can lose a lots of time grazing through the treats & faffing with kit etc if you’re not careful.
By mile 20 I was slowing down a bit but kept moving all the time, gradually catching people who had resorted to walk breaks but at the last checkpoint one of the marshals told me I was fourth lady to come through which gave me a bit of a boost. I have to say that from around mile 26 it got really tough & I had to dig deep to keep running. Despite the glorious weather and beautiful scenery the miles seemed to drag by – Garmin watching doesn’t help at all – but eventually I was within the last mile and suddenly rounded a corner to see a lovely group of multicoloured hi viz & Lycra clad people that could only be the finish line.
It wasn’t until all the 100k runners were finished that the results were posted & I couldn’t believe it but I was second lady finisher ( the other ladies must have been 75k runners) & first in my age group. I’ve never won anything before so naturally I was delighted.
If you’re thinking of progressing from marathon running to ultras then this race could be just for you – it’s pretty much flat all the way, no navigation needed, great running surfaces and well organised.