Atlantic Coast Challenge 2011 - DAY ONE

30th September -

2nd October 2011.

A Marathon a day for 3 days along the 'South West Coast Path' from Padstow to Lands End. Taking in the beautiful yet rugged North West Atlantic Coast of Cornwall.

Event Organisers: 
www.votwo.co.uk

DAY ONE

After a long wet cold summer and with the weather forecasters predicting a heatwave, "it's going to be the hottest October since records began". I prepared for my 3rd VOTWO's Atlantic Coast Challenge. An excellant 3 day multi-stage run along the South West Coast Path from Trevose Lighthouse near Padstow to Lands End.  www.votwo.co.uk/events.htm



Early morning mist and off in trepidation to sign in.

We travelled down on Thursday the day before the event started and settled into our chalet at votwo's temporary HQ at St Ives Bay Holiday Park which was to be basecamp for the next 4 days.



Race Briefing/Breakfast Hall/Bus Stop.

The following morning after obligatory kit check and race briefing we were despatched via mini bus in two waves to the start at Round Hole near Trevose Lighthouse over forty miles away.

Race Kit has to include: waterproofs, full warm bodycover, hat, gloves, torch, whistle, compass, maps, 500mls of water, emergency food and a mobile phone with contact details.

Trevose Lighthouse

All participants carry a 'Timing Chip' which is attached to the wrist so your starting postion isn't important, you essentially 'clock on' and begin running and 'clock off ' at the finish of each day, there are also three check points/feed stations along the route which you also electronically 'dib' in at. As this race is classed as self-navigation these check points, in the event of an emergency, allow the organisers to check which section of the course each runner is on.



With the lighthouse to the rear this is the view of the start.

   

Finally after a quick pose for the camera I'm off! along with a string of other runners. Ah well only 78 & a bit miles to go!

Runners making the most of the gentle descent towards Booby's Bay

The first day saw temperatures rise to 23C. This made it hot when at sea level but on the cliff top paths a strong headwind blew keeping us cool but making for hard going.

Looking back across Booby's Bay towards the start at Round Hole. 

Booby

A Booby is a seabird closely related to the Gannet, these birds can often be seen diving for food off-shore in stormy weather. Their fishing technique is spectacular, they have a 6 ft wingspan and they fold their wings back to form a dart and plummet into the sea from heights of up to 100 ft.  and at speeds of up to 60mph.

I pondered if Booby's Bay got its name from the Gannets which are frequently seen off the Cornish Coast.  The Booby apparently got its name from Spanish Sailors that called them Bubie or Bobo which means dunce or fool or clown because they were clumsy on land and easily captured and killed for food after landing on their ships.

In action I don't think they deserve that name because they look like a very efficient stealth-like raptor and certainly not a clown.

Constantine Bay

A stunning beach at Constantine Bay, you have to get used to these views and keep resisting the urge to just go and have a paddle but with 23 miles still to go I will have to save the paddling till later.

Treyarnon Bay and 'The Start' in the distance.

I tend to be a bit single minded about running and with 78 miles and 3 days of it you have to remain focused, I knew it was going to get tough so did I want the distraction of carrying a camera? I would never have considered it, but once Barbara suggested it it seemed like a good idea, and having done the event before I knew how beautiful the scenery was so it was worth the small sacrifice of race time.

After the gentle start we climbed up onto the cliff tops, quickly passing the three small coves of Pepper,Warren & Fox and then on to a series of small rocky outcrops known as Minnows Islands.

Minnows Islands

From the view of Minnows Islands I could still see the start point, Trevose Lighthouse, h'mm may be too much time sight-seeing & photographing, time to press on and get to Check Point 1 at Mawgan Porth before the cut-off time. But there was still some spectacular scenery to come.

Time to drop down off the cliff tops and into Porthcothan Bay with Trescore Islands clearly visible.

Across the beach and back up on to the cliff tops  for a couple of miles before arriving at one of the   many famous views along the Cornish Coastline.  

Bedruthan Steps



Bedruthan Steps from Whitestone Cove

A final look back at Bedruthan Steps from Whitestone Cove then time to press on again and find the first Checkpoint (CP1) at Mawgan Porth before all the butties have gone. The location of the checkpoint is dictated by the access the organisers have to the coastline, car parks at coves or beaches are a favorite because food & water have to be transported there. Each checkpoint is very well serviced with water, cola, energy drinks, home-made soup, cheese & pickle butties (which have become the de rigueur of this event) crisps, chocolate & of course the all-time favorite energy source, Jelly Babies.

Mawgan Porth

With no time to dawdle at CP1 just 3 cups of water then one over the head (it was a hot day) and with a very big handfull of jelly babies I was off running again, time to get some serious distance in after just one more quick photo. A good stretch of cliff top running followed and despite the headwind I made good. The incentive was knowing there is an estuary to cross just after Newquay and I prefered to do this while the tide was still out.

Next stop was CP2 on the outskirts of Newquay and though its only roughly 5 miles to the next checkpoint at Crantock Beach it's through Newquay surprisingly the most difficult stage to navigate and negotiate. Fortunately having done the event twice before I knew the route through the complex maze of streets, shops, cafes, beaches & harbours that make-up Newquay. However the final tricky bit is a descent through a non-descript housing estate and on into the estuary that goes out to Crantock Bay.

The Footbridge that crosses 'The Gannel' at Crantock Bay Estuary

You need to find a footbridge that crosses this estuary that is only visible at low tide, I recall on my first year the stories of people who had been late arriving at CP2  and had then got hopelessly lost in Newquay, finally finding the path down to the bridge only to discover that it was under 3 feet of water and they had to wade across with their rucksacks over their heads.

CP3 is hidden, not deliberately they assure me, in the sand dunes of Crantock Bay and despite a big flag on top of the nearest sand dune runners seem to arrive here from all directions.

Looking Back at The Flag clearly marking CP3

From CP3 it's about 10 miles to the finish at Perranporth but this includes a variey of running terrain with three headlands to climb, beaches & sand dunes to cross.

Into the sand dunes at Crantock Bay

At the far end of Crantock Bay looking back at Pentire Point East.

After Crantock Beach & the headland of Pentire Point West you pass a small beach with the unusual name of Porth Joke or an even stranger local name of Polly Joke, the name possibly/probably coming from the word chough. The cove was once the haunt of the Cornish Chough a medium sized bird related to the Jackdaw, Choughs have been re-introduced to this area and have recently been seen at Porth Joke.

Porth Joke

The next headland is Kelsey Head with a view of an island known as The Chick.

Kelsey Head & The Chick

After Kelsey Head it's the beach & sand dunes of Holywell Bay with Carter's or Gull Rocks in view. Not surprisingly with a name like Holywell there are Springs to be found, one in a cave which is only accessable at low tide and one inland that reputedly has medicinal  properties .

Gull Rocks and Sand Dunes at Holywell Bay

Every long distance runner will tell you about the highs & lows that you go through and the next stretch over Penhale Head always catches me out, it could just be that it's the point that marathon runners call 'hitting the wall' it's this slump in energy levels that usually leads to the question "why I'm I doing this?"

Penhale Head is yet another tough climb it feels remote and desolate and this does not help psychologically so out comes the chocolate & cheese and washed down with large quantities of energy drink, then head down, dig deep and push on. May be I should have tried the spring water at Holywell.

Penhale Head is a Minsistry of Defence Training Camp also remote, desolate and seemingly deserted, apparently its seasonal! However it is used by the Army, Navy and RAF and has been since 1939. The Camp was established in World War 2 as an emergency measure to train Anti-Aircraft gunners. There still remains evidence of the gun sites, searchlight batteries and defensive positions such as ‘Pill-boxes’ and trenches. On 7th June 1940 the camp was bombed by a single German aircraft, probably looking for the nearby St Eval airfield; sadly 23 British soldiers were killed in the raid. In 1943 the camp was occupied by the American Army Combat Engineer Corps as part of the build up to Operation Overlord, the D Day landings. After reading the MOD signs about unexploded bombs and no photography its hardly surprising there are no photographs.

Hoblyn Cove, Penhale Head

Finally Perran Bay comes into view taking its name from St Piran (or Perran), who legend says was thrown into the Atlantic off the coast of Ireland with a millstone tied around his neck by people jealous of his power to heal and work miracles.
It is said that as he was thrown off the cliff, there was a bolt of lightning and a terrible crash of thunder, but as he reached the sea the storm suddenly abated, the sun came out and St Piran could be seen seated peacefully on the millstone which was now bouyant and floating on the surface of the water, he came ashore at Perran Beach to which he gave his name.
St. Pirran built a small chapel in Penhale sands and his first disciples were said to be a badger, a fox and a bear. He is also said to have tapped the earth with his staff and this revealed tin against the black rock . This is commemorated in the colours of the Cornish national flag known as the 'Flag of St Piran'. and he became the patron saint of the Cornish Tin Miners. St. Pirran is reputed to have lived to the ripe old age of 206. It's claimed a giants grave containing a huge skeleton unearthed nearby could be his.

Penhale Sand Dunes & Perran Beach

The Dunes at Penhale Sands are the highest in Britain rising up to 300 feet above sea level, and so extensive that it is easy to get lost so I am pleased to arrive in the daylight and at low tide and can take the option of running on the beach rather than face the soft sand in the confusing dunes, others later won't be as lucky but apparently St. Pirran manages to guide them all through the dunes in the dark!. The dunes are thought to have been formed over 5,000 years ago when sand began to build up on an exposed rocky plateau and have gradually developed ever since. They are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

I drop down on to the beach, it's 2 miles long but the finish is at the other end, so with a combination of elation and energy drink I am running hard trying to chase down a guy approx. 200 yards in front. I pursue him along the endless beach constantly trying to keep the pace high, its hot, windy and we are both tired. I watch him carefully hoping he will waver, a first sign that he is in trouble and might crack, but he is an experienced runner and he knows he is being chased, the beach goes on and on and I can't make any impression on the gap. We clear the beach and the run into Perranporth is on very soft sand before tarmac and a steep 1/4 mile climb up to the finish. He hesitates slightly not quite sure which way to go in the village and all of a sudden I'm closing, confident of the direction we are heading in and then we are on the steep 1 in 4 climb to the finish, I dig as deep as I can and now he is only 25 yards in front but the finish line is in-sight only 50 yards away and I am out of time and distance, but all of a sudden he cracks and starts walking up the last little bit to the finish and I pip him to the flag. Mixed emotions follow, elation at having finished and guilt for stealing a position at this stage, after all it's supposed to be about the challenge, the camaraderie, the spirit of the thing, the scenery but it's not a race. Ah well cest la vie. 

Day One Finish - Perranporth

The Best View of Perran Beach - From The Finish!

Post Race Recovery (1 of 3)

Its a 20 mile mini-bus ride from Perranporth back to St. Ives Holiday Park, and when you get back and try to get off the bus with legs that are now very stiff and sore you know you have been running along the Cornish Coastline for 5 hours.

However I have a few tricks to aid recovery which are essential if you have to get back on the bus tomorrow and run another marathon. One of these tricks is a Hot Bath but we only had a shower and Barbara sneakily took this photo.


The second good trick and one that is easy to execute at St.Ives Bay, and is also quite pleasant, is the evening sea paddle. A combination of the cool water and the lapping waves after the 'hot bath' I think helps to ease tired muscles.

Post Race Recovery (2 of 3)

The last and best trick (3 of 3) will be illustrated in the next Blog for 'Day Two'.

So after various treatments and a high carbohydrate and protein rich dinner, without the red wine for once, it was off to bed and boy did I sleep some!



Atlantic Coast Challenge 2011 - DAY TWO

30th September - 2nd October 2011.

A Marathon a day for 3 days along the 'South West Coast Path' from Padstow to Lands End. Taking in the beautiful yet rugged North West Atlantic Coast of Cornwall.

Event Organisers: 
www.votwo.co.uk

DAY TWO

   

New Day, New Man.

After a good nights sleep, a good breakfast (Porridge with Honey for carbohydrates, Two Bacon butties for protein and 3 cups of Italian Coffee to jump-start the old engine) the day dawned bright and sunny and with renewed vigour and enthusiasm I set off for the Day Two challenge.Today's start was back at yesterday's finish, so after race briefing it was back on the mini-buses to Perranporth.





Today's transport catered for three group options:

Group 1: Walkers & Slow Joggers departing 7:45am
Group 2: Joggers & Slow Runners departing 8:55am
Group 3: Runners departing 10:05am


 

Confident I could make the cut-off times for the checkpoints and to get in a group with the fewest participants, I opted for the last group. (it also to allowed more time for coffee).

This is today's start above Perran Beach.  Looking back at yesterdays run-in.

I remembered from previous years that the first half of Day Two was tough with some severe ascents & descents, but in the second half the route improved  with good running along the cliff tops. With the temperature already at 23C I was beginning to wonder if an earlier start would have been more sensible. So with a small group of runners I 'dibbed-in' and off we set up the first hill and onto the cliffs.

On the first climb out of Perranporth

The first few miles out of Perranporth we passed through several disused mines and quarries the spoil from these gave an almost lunar like quality to the landscape.

Lunar Landscape

On the fields above is Perranporth Airfield which during World War II was an RAF base used by 21 different squadrons, all of which flew Spitfires.  It must have been inpressive to see and hear them taking-off.

Trevellas Porth

The beach of Trevellas Porth is situated in front of old mine workings and the surrounding hills are known as the Blue Hills due to the blueish slate found there. Tin ore that has been mined by the sea and made clean by the pounding of the waves is still gathered by the shoreline for the manufacture of jewellery. The early tin industry would have been based on these alluvial deposits washed out by streams or the sea, but as tin on the surface became scarce underground mining would have developed.

Trevaunance Cove soon comes into view and I am surprised that I have arrived at the location of the first checkpoint as it's just forty minutes since I set off.

Checkpoint One is located in the village, marked by the blue USN flag and opposite The Driftwood Spars pub, it's name is derived from the huge timber beams (spars) that are said to have come from ships wrecked along the coast. Unfortunately today there is no time to admire its construction over a pint.

Leaving Checkpoint 1 behind and climbing back up on the cliffs I know that it is the next stretch between CP1 and CP2 that is going to be tough on the legs.

  
       

The scenery becomes dramatic again as we head along the cliffs to possibly the most picturesque location for a tin mine in Cornwall. Towanroath Pumping Engine House of the Wheal Coates Copper and Tin Mine was constructed in 1872  to pump water from the 600 foot deep Towanroath Shaft . The shaft is still visible just to the east of the engine house with the main workings lying just below the low water mark. 

Runners descend along the dramatic coastline towards Towanroath Engine House

Arriving Chapel Porth



Departing Chapel Porth

Sally's Bottom

Spent all day keeping an eye open for Sally's Bottom and I eventually got to see it! It is a cove known as Sally's Bottom, apparently 'bottom' is a term commonly used in mining.

A view back along the coast path showing just how tough the going was getting with multiple steep descents into coves and killer climbs back up.
























 

Gooden Heane & Horse Rock

The day is starting to get really warm, the ups & downs are starting to take their toll but I know that beyond Horse Rock is CP2 at Portreath Beach and its morale boosting to be able to tick off the checkpoints. 

Dropping into Portreath there is a small harbour that was once very busy importing coal from Wales for the mines and exporting the copper ore back to Wales for smelting. Remains of a loading ramp and horse drawn tramway can still be seen. The entrance in and out of the harbour was quite hazardous especially for shipping laden with coal or ore and it is these conditions that now make the harbour wall a favorite with surfers when a combination of high tide and big swells create a vortex.



Portreath Beach, Western Hill and Gull Rock - View From Checkpoint Two

I stop at CP2 and its a bit chaotic as I have just caught a group of runners from the second start who have just caught up with a group of walkers from the first start and we have all descended on CP2 within a couple of minutes of each other. CP2 is supposed to be on the corner of a public car park overlooking the beach but apparently the owners of a cafe there have objected to them giving food & drink out to the runners as they feel they may lose out on business!  So the checkpoint has had to be squashed on to the boundary of the car park were the cafe has no jurisdiction, so volunteers who are tight for space and outnumbered by runners are overwhelmed dishing out food and drink.

Taking a drink and looking at the view out across the beach I think that maybe next year helping to man this checkpoint might be a better idea than running the 42 miles to get here!



Portreath Beach (Photo courtesy of votwo)

All fuelled up and raring to go I set of across the beach following some runners towards the climb for Western Hill.















Western Hill

The top of Western Hill revealed yet more dramatic cliffs & sea views and we were coming to the end of the tough climbs before the running starts to improve, but not yet! In Cornwall what goes DOWN must go UP and there were at least two more coves to descend down to and of course the climbs back up.




The 'undulations' of the South West Coast Path

From here on the running levels out, and I make my way along the Carvannel Downs, Reskajeage Downs & North Cliffs. (Down South they call uplands Downs! - Up North, the Downs are Down & the Ups are Up, simple!).

Below the cliffs there is a collapsed sea cave known as Ralphs Cupboard, where legend states that it was home to the fearsome Giant Wrath, who lay in wait for passing ships and attacked them for their treasure and crew. Wrath would then return to his 'cupboard' to store his bounty and devour the sailors for his meal. Seafarers began to avoid this area, but Wrath still attacked and destroyed the ships by hurling huge boulders at them.

At North cliff there is another story of a man who threw himself off the cliffs after he found his home burned to the ground and his sister missing, his screams supposedly bounce off the steep cliff sides as stormy weather approaches.

As I study the map I notice along this stretch that there are two 'Deadman's Coves' & a 'Hells Mouth', with legends and names like these, I'm glad to be a landlubber with both feet on dryland.

The path to Godrevy Lighthouse

Its getting hot on the downs and I am being tormented by a plague of small flying somethings, I have to breathe through my teeth as I run in order to stop swallowing them, this is England in October for goodness sake it should be cold and with no insects! It's 6 or 7 miles of the heat and the flying-things to CP3, and it's along another down, 'Hudder Down'.  This stretch is popular for whale & seal watching but I have got my eyes peeled looking out for Godrevy Lighthouse which is CP3.


Godrevy Lighthouse was built on an island in 1859 to protect shipping from a dangerous reef called The Stones. Originally the light was manned by three men but in 1934 the lighthouse was automated and now it is solar powered and controlled by Trinity House. The range of the light is 12 miles and it flashes white/red every 10 seconds, the red sector however is only visible to shipping close to the reef. Trinity House, a charitable organisation, is the General Lighthouse Authority for the safety of shipping. The well being of seafarers has been its prime concern since it was granted a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1514.





Godrevy Lighthouse

Checkpoint 3

On arrival at CP3 I catch up with two guys, John & Henry, that I seem to have been playing cat & mouse with , or is it tortoise and the hare, all day.

After CP3 you have to navigate inland for a mile which is a bit tricky and then back to the coast again where there are three miles of golden sandy beach and hundreds of acres of open sand dunes. The choice then is to either tackle the dunes or if the tide is out run along the beach so John & Henry agree to team-up with me and run the final 6 miles together. We are all feeling fatigued and it's hot so a bit of camaraderie & moral support is welcome, so off we set! We succesfully negotiate the tricky bits and cut through the dunes and on to the beach.


John & Henry on the Beach

On the beach we exchange cameras and get some photos of each other, they explain that they are training for next years Marathon des Sables in April.

The 'Marathon of the Sands' is one of the most gruelling sporting events in the world, a six-day 155-mile ultramarathon, the longest stage being over 50 miles  across the Sahara desert in southern Morocco in temperatures of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm not sure if this event even qualifies as a training run for these guys. However, with envy, I wish them the best of luck! Photo-shoot completed and with more drink on-board we set off running again with me in the lead setting the pace & breaking the trail and confident that these guys are right on my heels. After a while I realise that the conversation has stopped and they are not behind me, on turning round I discover hat they have stopped to chat-up a couple of surfer-girls and they are impressing them with their tales of adventure and coming endeavours. It's this well-balanced approach and commitment to ultramarathons that makes me realise that they will probably be successful.



It's a long hot run along the beach with soft wet sand in places that tugs on your running shoes but then it's just round the headland and 2-3 miles through the town of Hayle to St.Ives Holiday Park and the finish. With just such a short distance to go trouble strikes and I get stomach cramps, I have to slow right down to a jog and now I am surviving to get to the end. John & Henry do the honourable thing and help pace and encourage me to the finish. Fortunately we do not lose any places and finish just outside of 5 hours. Despite the fact that it is my fault I take great delight in heckling them that if they had not have stopped to talk to half of the girls on the beach we probably would have done a sub 5 hour leg and finished inside the top ten. We finish 11th, 12th and 13th shake hands and agree to swap email addresses and hook-up together tomorrow for the last day.

The sweat stains on the shorts give some indication of the heat of the day and the rucksack rash on the hips is the result of two days of toil.
















For those too tired to cook after a hard days running Votwo put on a great spread all prepared by a professional chef who's instruction is simple. "Plenty of Good Quality Food with Seconds".

The menu reads:

Breakfast: Bacon, Egg, Potato Frittata, Cerals, Bread, Jam, Honey, Filter Coffee & Orange Juice.

Thursday Night: Lasagne alla Bolognese - Roast Veg. & Brie Lasagna - Salad - Garlic Bread.

Friday Night: Bolognese Sauce & Pasta Bake  - Chicken & Pea Risotto - Jam Sponge & Custard.

Saturday: BBQ (see blackboard below).

Sunday: Lamb, Chicken or Veg. Curry, Basmati Rice, Nan Bread & Chutney.

Skinners Brewery supply free beer and there is an 'honesty box' to cover the cost of any wine consumed.

(Next year I'm just doing the food, forget the run)

Votwo Catering - not to be missed!

As described in my 'Day 1' Blog there are 3 aids to recovery the first two are the 'hot shower' and 'cold water paddle' but probably the most effective and most painful is The Massage:




Is He Dead?                                                 No, We've Never Lost a Patient Yet!

So it's days end and back down to the beach for another paddle.

But what's in the flask?

St. Ives Bay beach with Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance.

"I just keep an eye open for him, he said he was only going for a quick run but I havn't seen him for two days!"

Days End