24th July 2021
This was another race entered last year and then deferred to 2021 due to Covid, and one that we picked because it offered alternatives for both Sarah and I. The Coast to Coast in question is across Devon, from Minehead on the north coast to Dawlish at the southern end of the Exe estuary. The organisers – Action Challenge – offer options that include the full course of 102kms run (or hiked) on a continuous basis, or split over two days. It is also possible to do the first or second halves as individual 50k races, or the first or last quarters. Because of the vagaries of the checkpoint locations the first quarter is actually 33kms, and this was the race that Sarah & Rosie had entered.
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| At the start line in Minehead |
The distance and timing of the race – 6 weeks before the Dragons Back – meant that this was an ideal “B-race” for me in my training schedule leading up to that main objective for the year. Given this is the first running of the SWC2C, there were no historical results on which to base my expectations, but I had decided on a somewhat arbitrary target of 13 hours. Although the course has 2,000m of vertical climb, most of that is in the first quarter where the route crosses Exmoor, and I expected that the remainder should be relatively quick running. My actual time was 13 hours and 17 minutes – slightly outside my target – but I tracked the schedule at each checkpoint with remarkable accuracy until the last 10km. Having run well for 11 hours I really ran out of steam after Exeter, and my jog became so painfully slow (7:30/km) that it was barely any quicker than my fast walk (9:30/km), so I gave in to temptation and power-hiked to the finish.
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| Dunkery Beacon, the highest point |
I had done an Action Challenge event before – the Jurassic Coast 100k – and so knew that their events are very well organised and have extremely well stocked aid stations, probably because the majority of their participants are hikers (or jog/hikers). This SWC2C definitely lived up to those expectations. Because I was running on a relatively fast schedule I did not even stop at the first two aid stations, and only took on water at the third. I did take 10 minutes at the halfway point at Tiverton to get some proper food (chicken curry and rice), and also at Thorverton to change a wet sock that was beginning to cause blisters, but I didn’t really have a protracted stop until the 80km mark at Exeter. Here I very much enjoyed some delicious freshly baked pizza with a couple of cups of tea, and was delighted to meet up with Ric who had picked up Rosie and Sarah from their finish and brought them to cheer me on.
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| Pizza at Exeter |
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| Pretty village of Bampton |
The organisers had had to make some modifications to accommodate Covid restrictions, including staggered starts and not allowing supporters into the aid station marquees, but they had done a tremendous job in ensuring that the event ran smoothly and as closely to normal as possible. As ever, all of the staff and volunteers were exceptional – cheerful, friendly and helpful.
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| Tiverton Castle, just after the halfway point |
The Devon countryside is lovely and whilst not as spectacular as (say) the coastal path, the route is generally picturesque passing through some charming villages. If I were to be critical, too much of the route was on the road for my liking – including some very busy A-roads often with no footpath – and it would have been preferable if those sections could have been avoided. The signage was generally very good and easy to follow, although there was one section entering Exeter where the signs seemed to disappear at just the wrong time and I had to load the GPX file onto my watch to work out the right way to navigate the busy city centre.
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| The temptations of the Fishermans Cot at Bickleigh |
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| Bickleigh Castle |
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| The gates of Bickleigh Castle |
One upside of passing though some busy urban centres was the support received from the general public. I had quite a few people ask about the race and offer incredulous praise and encouragement. Running past a packed riverside bar on the Exeter waterfront at 6pm I had the whole outside terrace stand and applaud. (Somewhat embarrassing given my pathetically slow pace at the time!) And at Dawlish Warren I had a very drunk woman insist on hiking alongside me for 10 minutes providing a gushing commentary – much to the embarrassment of her husband and two kids!
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| Cricket in the rain at Thorverton |
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| Cockwood Harbour on the Exe Estuary |
All in all it was an enjoyable day out. The weather was not great with mostly grey skies and drizzle, but at least we mostly avoided the thunder and lightning that was forecast all day, and it was certainly preferable to the 30-degree heat of the previous weekend. My performance was also very encouraging. Whilst I missed out on my arbitrary 13-hour target, my time of 13:17 placed me 14th overall out of 532 starters and 384 finishers, although to be fair many of those were “hikers” rather than “runners”. I was also the oldest runner in the top 20, and second in a hypothetical over 50’s category. To those that know about ITRA’s scores, at 509 this was my highest ever, and together with the Tsunami 60k result last month leaves me feeling I must be in decent shape for the Dragons Back Race in September… Not that I could have got up the next morning and done it all over again for another 5 days!
All in all it was an enjoyable day out. The weather was not great with mostly grey skies and drizzle, but at least we mostly avoided the thunder and lightning that was forecast all day, and it was certainly preferable to the 30-degree heat of the previous weekend. My performance was also very encouraging. Whilst I missed out on my arbitrary 13-hour target, my time of 13:17 placed me 14th overall out of 532 starters and 384 finishers, although to be fair many of those were “hikers” rather than “runners”. I was also the oldest runner in the top 20, and second in a hypothetical over 50’s category. To those that know about ITRA’s scores, at 509 this was my highest ever, and together with the Tsunami 60k result last month leaves me feeling I must be in decent shape for the Dragons Back Race in September… Not that I could have got up the next morning and done it all over again for another 5 days!
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