The Wall Ultra – 23rd June 2024
by Phil Healey
The morning of the event we were on the road again very early to Carlisle Castle for a 7am start time. Due to some poor co-piloting & a stop to get some photos, we nearly missed the start, as we got to the start line everyone had gone off. According to the Marshall at the start line we had 30 seconds to get off before the road sweeper came through & we would be disqualified. The three of us gave the Marshall all our bags that need to be sent to the three pit stops, we left the poor guy standing there looking like a human clothes stand. As it goes, we bumped into this guy again at the Hexham & final stops, he remembered us & got our bags straight away, in hindsight we should have tipped him like a bell boy LOL.
The 15 miles from the start to the first pit stop was relatively easy going, although in heavy rain. The route was mainly on roads & paths with some short sections though park areas. The route took us through the suburbs & the executive belt of Carlisle. Mile 10 brought us to Irthington Village, the first check point (CP). This was an opportunity to fill up on water & Haribo etc. From there the terrain got a bit more cross country, this was the case for the next 4 mile until we reached pit stop (PS) No1- Lanercost Priory (Mile 15).
PS 1 was a series of marquees with hydration, food, fruit & loads of sweet treats. It was certainly a relief seeing a few Portaloos in place, this relief was very quickly dispelled once we realised that the first stop would be constantly busy until the race pack naturally thinned & gave the cleaners the chance to keep up with the demand. I’ve got to admit that when I got to the food I could not resist in taking as much nutrition as I could,,, it’s going to be a long day I told myself. Having had our fill & still having a full bladder, off we went.
As we left the grounds of the priory with a mind-set of “only 9 miles to the next PS” (First bag drop/pick up), with a CP only 4.5 mile away “This was going to be a breeze”, that illusion was quickly smashed when after 200 yards we realised it was all going to be uphill. The road climb was long & very steep to say the least, it made the incline out of Crook to the lonnen look like a speed bump. One silver lining was that the rain had stopped & the sun came out, time to remove the waterproofs to prevent overheating. Halfway up the climb the CP gave the opportunity to grab some fresh water for the rest of the climb, finally we reached the Walltown Quarry PS (mile 24).
We were greeted by cheers from Sandra who had parked the motorhome there. As per the previous PS it was down to getting more nutrition into the body, including a nice warm cup of coffee. This PS was the first bag collection, I felt like a contestant off “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” picking up a parcel from home, even though I know it was me that packed & sealed it LOL. The dropped bag gave the opportunity to change socks & underwear, obviously using the motor home to facilitate this operation, this was followed by a few plasters to cover blisters/sores from the backpack, Sandra played Florence Nightingale applying the bandages. Time to head off, unfortunately Adam had decided, due to injury, not to join me & Kelly on the onward journey, then there were two.
We left PS No 2 heading towards PS No 3, The Sill 6 miles away. I said to Kelly this was the shortest leg, a breeze she replied, little did we know what was in store over the 6 mile stretch, there was even a CP half way,, “lets do it” we said as we left Walltown Quarry. The three miles to Cawfields Quarry CP was very easy going up to the start of Hadrian’s wall, the CP was located in the car park of the quarry attraction & had the added bonus of proper toilet block, we made good use of the facilities including a quick face wash down. Picking up a few more bags of Haribo we left Crawford quarry, I thought to myself I got to come back & visit this spot.
We headed along the field noticing that in front was a very steep hill, “Good God” this was the start of the 14k+ elevation climb. The first hill was almost vertical for 50% of it, and was made up of large rocks that need to be negotiated, walking sticks out, slow & steady was the order of the day. At the top of the first climb we quickly realised it was not the last, in fact this was the start of 12 valleys down & back up the opposite side. In the middle of the climb we came to the highest point white marker post, perfect opportunity for a photo shoot. The photos do portray that we were enjoying this experience, to be honest we were.
The terrain up there was very heavy due to the natural hazards for slips and trips, we took it as steady as we could. I recall saying to Kelly you don’t want to hurt yourself up here. The camaraderie between all the runners on this stretch of the run was by far the best, fellow runners were having the crack & encouraging each other on.
After conquering all the peaks & troughs of this stretch of the run it was steady downhill to The Sill PS, good change to shake off the pain endured during all that climbing.
As we approached the Sill PS No 3 (Mile 30) we seen Lisa & Jack cheering us in, very welcome sight to see these guys there to give encouragement. This pit stop, as the rest, had all the nutrition you need to get you through, also more coffee to keep you going, time to demonstrate my PacMan impression again on the sandwiches LOL, I didn’t know I could pack so much food away.
We set off once again onwards & upwards towards the main bag drop & PS No 4 at Hexham 14 mile away, 80% of the route was road hill climb. The terrain on this stretch was wide open & offered no shelter from the elements, gave some good views though, got to stay positive, the remainder was woodland terrain into Hexham. The rain came again, very heavy, which at one point turned into hailstones.
We took these 14 miles in steady chunks running when we could & walking when we couldn’t. Maintaining a power walk & a jog we managed to regulate our body heat, looking at some of the other runners this wasn’t their strategy & they were struggling with the cold from the rain & wind. Newbrough CP at mile 38 was a man & woman with a table filled with sweets, water & goodies, we grabbed what we needed & headed straight off.
Running into the Hexham park past the golf course we were greeted by Sandra, Lisa, Adam & Jack, waving banners & cheering. This was the most welcoming sight we seen all day (You guys might want to ask Lisa to play the footage, Sandra did seem to cheer us on with something that might doubt our sexuality). We reached PS No 4 (Mile 44) where we collected our big bag, time for a full wash down & a full change of clothes & slip into fresh trainers, not before patching up the blisters on all my toes.
Food was better than any of the other PS including hot soup, Kelly advised soup was a bit salty, I could not taste the salt for the taste of sweat in my mouth. Prior to leaving & saying goodbye to our supporters, there was the small matter of going through a bag check, apparently if you don’t have the Mandatory kit, you will be disqualified, just imagine, you just ran through all that & 44 miles in you are turned away, we passed the check & waved goodbye to Hexham.
I will admit the thought of the next stretch filled me with dread, 44 miles in & you’ve got 19 mile to the next PS, the thought of getting there drove us on,,, there is only 8 mile after that we assured ourselves, is that the light at the end of the tunnel. We soon realised that the reason for this run being called The Wall-Rat Race. We had completed the Wall bit, we were now doing the Rat part of the race. The dark soon came in and the route had taken us into a series of woodland sections, these were very challenging to say the least.
At mile 49 we came to Styford Toll CP, this is just before entering Corbridge. At the entry into Corbridge we came across the dreaded staircase (Look for the pics on face book). We entered Corbridge to be greeted by what we believe to be locals, they gave us some kind encouragement as they drank their beer. The climb out of Corbridge was very steep & hard going, at the peak we turned down back into woodland towards Ovingham CP Mile 55.
Just before getting to the CP we passed through what can only be described as a encampment just outside Prudhoe in the middle of the woods, Kelly remarked that “this looks like a cult encampment!!” we didn’t stick around very long.
At the Ovingham CP we were advised to keep to the footpath on the left, more like mud path, as the river was on the right. Kelly could not heed this advice and ended up steadily slipping down to the river, joking aside, because of the mud & the road trainers, she had no grip to stop herself slipping. I went to the rescue like a good running buddy, only to find I was going in too. Kelly managed to perform a lay down commando type roll into the undergrowth to prevent entering the river, I managed to get my footing & help Kelly out. Whilst you are imagining this predicament, you got to remember this was all happening in thick woodland in the pitch dark. I cannot lie, the 19 miles to Newburn PS was the longest, scariest miles I have ever ran, that’s why they call this Rat Race.
Newburn PS No 5 Mile 62 was like an oasis in the dark wet forest, my fabulous wife had braved the elements to meet us there, gave me the opportunity to grab a nice warm cuddle, my god I needed one. Kelly also got a much-deserved boost, her husband Doug & daughter Willow had turned up to give her a massive boost. We took on the last nutrition to get us through this last 8-mile. Inside the marquee it was like a scene out of a war movie, bodies laid all over, groaning from the agony. I turned to Kelly & said “8 miles to go”, we both looked at each other & said together “we can do this”.
Whilst at this PS I got chatting to a young guy, he was laid on the ground with the other injured soldiers, he said that he could not go any further, I told him to come with us & we will get him to the end. He agreed & came to the exit for the last 8 mile rat race, the exit out of the PS wasn’t very clear & asked the marshal for directions out of the CP, a quick point “Down there mate”, as me & Kelly went off the guy from the floor looked at the Marshall & asked how could he get a lift to Newcastle, the marshal pointed to a mini bus, “over there mate”. I was gob smacked, 62 mile in 8 miles to go & you get on a bus home NOOOOO.
Newcastle quayside 8 mile away, well the 8 miles, as you can imagine, was the most difficult miles we had done all day. The route went along the Hadrian’s wall walkway on the north side of Newcastle suburbs, the terrain was a mixture of hard path, a bit of woodland & industrial estates. No more check points, but there were marshals in strategic spots along the route. About 4 mile in the route goes down to the North embankment of the Tyne, crossing the A186 (near the start of the GNR). On the bank of the Tyne, you know you are nearly at the finish line, it’s a feeling of warmth as you see & pass the bridges spanning the river.
As we were proceeding along the embankment, I noticed it’s like a scene from zombie’s dawn of the dead, fellow runners heads down limping & the moans & groans from the pain we were all feeling, coupled with the city centre revellers staggering & falling about. Then it came, the best sight of the day, the Millennium bridge right up in front in total darkness (They could have left the lights on for us). Two miles to go, all the excitement of finishing this mammoth event went into my legs, me & Kelly looked at each other and said “We HAVE done it”.
Hitting the North side of the Millennium bridge & its slight incline sent shivers down my legs,,, push on Phil I said in my head, it’s all downhill after this. On the decent we got sight of Kelly’s husband Doug & Willow egging us on with loud cheers, on top of the Embankment was Sandra waving and shouting, over the line & it’s done, 70 mile in 19:30 hours (Inclusive of PS & CPs). The overwhelming feeling of crossing the line rushed through my full body, I thought finishing the Manchester marathon was fantastic, but this feeling was in a different league. Hot food & refreshments was on tap to fuel the body for the onward journey.
Climbing into the passenger seat of the motorhome took me about 10 minutes, my legs had totally gone.
As my head hit the pillow on Sunday morning I reflected on the journey I had just been on, left home at 05:00 on Saturday morning on the 15th of June, ran 70 mile, hot bath & now it was 05:30 on Sunday the 16th of June,,, I thought what next!
I owe all of this to the athletes & people of Crook AC for giving me the support, advice and encouragement. Crook gave me the ammunition to enable me to fulfil my running journey, I loaded the bullets & fired the shots.
Special big thanks to Sandra, my wife, who has been my rock & super supporter thought my short running journey, THANKS.
Big thanks to Lisa who is my biggest inspiration & mentor also Jack my biggest supporter, also Adam who’s peer pressured me in to signing up for the wall.
Last but not least, Kelly, who in my opinion is the most positive person I have ever had the pleasure to know, top athlete to boot.
Phil
