Andy's Training Stuff 2

The last bit of cyclocross madness, ankle fun and games and keeping the lid on. Read here...

Are our young people slowing down?

 I write periodically for www.tribesports.com Here's an article (not mine) about young people slowing down and a thread which is stimulating some discussionhttp://tribesports.com/topics/the-slowest-generation

Completely contrasts what we saw at Kirkby Malham primary school this week.
They asked me for my take and took a short version - here's the full one:

'I'd state three things at the outset on this one:
Beware generalisations; there are always exceptions - and we tend to get what we focus on.
So if you're writing a piece bemoaning the slowing down of youngsters then you would focus on evidence that supports your case. Wouldn't you?
I certainly would.
And if you're concerned about that very trend then you'd tend to notice stuff around you that is consistent with that - and that doesn't mean other stuff ain't happening, that's just how our brains work - especially the editing suite bit. Look up 'Reticular Activating System' and you'll see what I mean...
So 'slowing down' is certainly a part of a bigger picture - but how representative of that big picture is that part?

There's no doubt that our society has changed in many ways over the last 30 years. Most of us are more comfortable and enjoy more choice in our lives and our own hardwiring is both part of the problem and part of the solution: We are efficiency-orientated organisms programmed to achieve a desired emotional state with the least amount of effort.
Wanna feel proud? The you can crack a new gaming level on yer X-Box.
Wanna feel part of something? Join a Facebook group.
30 years ago joining your local footie team would have got you to the same state - only there was physical activity involved too.

So where am I going with this? Dunno really.
Are we slowing down? Some of us certainly are - and some of us certainly are not. Take my sport of ultra running for example and at the top of the sport there are plenty of young guns ripping up the trails in what is supposed to be a game for old guys and gals. I think we have more polarisation now than we did - that's certainly a feature of wider society so it's entirely reasonable to expect it to show in sub-cultures. So if there's less of a homogenised middle maybe it's just easier to notice the differences because differences there certainly are. One of the things we can say about the growth in 'extreme' outdoor/endurance sports is that there are clearly folks out there who are highly motivated challenge-monsters and the folks at the top end are seriously pushing boundaries.

With the degree of relative comfort most of us enjoy in our lives now you have to be really motivated to choose to break out of that. And that stands out.
And then there's the other side…'

The schools part of Cracking The Spine is all about getting 'em young, giving 'em a transformational experience and the skills to use and repeat that. No doubt a healthy % will go 'off piste' at some point through teens and 20s, but I believe they'll notice the difference eventually and if so there's a fighting chance they'll return to the fold -and that's got benefits way beyond their own lives. For me that's part of the answer to the 'Why?' bit of all this.
So let's make it happen.

Do more sports with Tribesports !

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Gym Knickers and Rain

So, Kirkby Malham was a resounding success all round, and we are all buoyed up and ready to head off to Edale primary school next.   It's not just for the younger generations of pupils though, we are in talks with getting some secondary schools involved too.

I distinctly remember being a teenager at a school near Casterton and being told to run up and down the Cumbrian fells in torrential rain in horrific P.E knickers (at this point i'll just point out that it's Ellie writing not Matt or Andy,  i don't think they have ever worn gym knickers...!), I'm sure it was character building or something similar.
Either way I don't remember being all too enthused about the idea.  It would be fantastic to get teenagers hooked on running, and turning it from something you dread to something you look forward to and you never know where it will take you.
One of the most inspiring points of Andy's presentation yesterday at Kirkby Malham was when he brought out his 'Beginners' swimming certificate, which he was awarded when he was 8, for swimming  10 yards.  Everybody starts somewhere and Andy went on to swim the English Channel, at this point I heard jaws hit the floor.

Dreams can happen if you work hard enough at them and want them badly enough, and I think it's so important to make young people believe that.  We should be out there encouraging them  to think big and exciting.  And here the lecture endeth ;)

1st Milestone!

Yesterday  was a bit of a milestone for us.  Some of you may know that we were up at Kirkby Malham school with Andy. Kirkby Malham is the first school to accept Andy's challenge to run the 268 miles between now and March 2014.

Andy gave a presentation on Doing Big and Scary to 48 rapt youngsters, ranging in age from only 4 up to 10.  Matt, John Bamber and I were (also rapt) standing at the back and marveling at how we had never seen so many children completely transfixed by what Andy was telling them.

Andy made a massive scroll, which was all tied up and two girls stood at the front, unwrapped it with excitement and read out the challenge to the whole school.  As they read it out you could feel the anticipation of adventure in the room! All the pupils signed the scroll and it is now hanging up in their school hall.


It was pretty inspiring stuff, but that's exactly what the plan is.  When they went out to do their first mile with Andy, all of them gave every ounce of effort whether they were at the front of the back.

The Headmaster and the staff were so supportive and are completely behind the whole project.  It was awesome to hear what a positive school it is.  They are passionate about giving the children every opportunity they can.

We are excited about going back up there once the project has been funded and hearing how they are getting on.  We will be doing some interviewing with the children to hear about the progress they are making with their challenge.

The PROJECT is LIVE!

So finally the day has come, we have had the green light from Kickstarter and it's now time to turn our ramblings into a reality!

Please have a look at our proposal and we hope you like the film we have put together.   Our aim is to submit this documentary to all Adventure Film festivals in 2015.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR KICKSTARTER PAGE!!

I thought it would be useful for anyone tuning in late in the day to refresh you guys on what exactly we are going to be getting up to, and the purpose of Cracking The Spine.

Back in June, ultra runner, coach and author Andy Mouncey approached us here at Summit Fever Outdoor Sports Media with an immense idea, this idea is Cracking The Spine Film.  

Andy wants to return to finish what he started, with a little bit of help from local schools and youth groups.  

Let me explain a little more...

In January 2013 he took part in The Spine Race, the most brutal winter non-stop 268 mile foot race the UK has to offer. After just over 100 miles Andy had to stop. In January 2014 Andy will be back, more prepared, fitter and ready to face a challenge of epic proportions.

Part of the project is to get kids moving too, as a father, Andy knows the importance of ensuring the people of tomorrow have the skills to make it a bright, shiny place. Schools and youth groups all the way along the UK’s Pennine Way will be running and walking the 268 miles as classes and teams over winter to raise money for Sports Relief and to show them that impossible is just a made up word grown-ups use when they think they can't.  

They will be keeping video diaries to document the ups and downs they encounter and to show how they overcome these challenges.  This footage will be put into the documentary.

Andy’s aim?  To inspire and motivate children through running, to show them the benefits of a life full of exercise, to teach them to think and act like athletes, to show them the importance of making and sticking to a pledge, and how all these skills can be applied to each aspect of their lives.

We, here at Summit Fever, are going to be making a film of Andy's progress, and medical stats, in the lead up to the race, and during the race, as well as the progress that is made in the schools and how running is changing the lives of the children who are taking part.  We need to get them all to the finish!

Cracking The Spine project is designed to engage YOU. Everyone's lives would be a little brighter, a little more fun if they took the courage to take that step so we're giving you the shoes and the push to get you out there and face the impossible. Funded via Kickstarter (our page is now live!) which is a crowd funding website you will be able to contribute to the creation of the film, in return there will be a whole host of things on offer! 

Everyone that watches this film will walk away feeling empowered to try the thing they never thought they could. It's time to show the world what running can do, so please, if you can, join Summit Fever and Andy Mouncey on a journey of a lifetime.

Ghostly goings on... A mini selection of ghost stories we have dug out

The Pennine Way and a few ghostly goings on!

After lots of talking about the route we have realised that for those who aren't maybe as familiar with the UK - You might be thinking - what on earth is The Pennine Way?!  

The Pennine Way as you can see below is a route that winds it way up the 'Spine' of England, taking in the bleakest moors and most beautiful if remote areas of the UK.   It starts at our local 'The Nags Head' pub in Edale (good pint and blazing fires) and heads North, up and over the Peak District national park, the Yorkshire Dales, the Northumberland National Park and finishes in the small Scottish Hamlet of Kirk Yetholm (in the pub - British obsession).

Pennine Way Route

We have done a bit of digging around and have come up with a few ghost stories and myths and legends, which surround sections of The Pennine Way... 

Not that you should still be on the Kinder Scout section of the The Spine Race route come Easter (unless you really have gone the wrong way!),  watch out for the water spirit of Mermaid's Pool, which can be seen far below you as you pass Kinder Downfall waterfall early on the route.  This little critter manifests itself on the Eve of Easter and either promises long life or drags you down into the watery depths.  Take your pick!

Kinder Downfall, geography.org.uk

When you cross Bleaklow in the Peak District, watch out for ghostly legionnaires.  In 1932 four climbers near Hope Cross saw an entire Roman legion go by (was this post pub or pre pub?! - referring to the climbers not the ghosts!).  Apparently it has such renown for ghostly goings on that it is speculated that an undiscovered Roman road once cut over Bleaklow linking Snake's Pass with Longdendale.  Legend has it that an entire Roman legion were attacked and buried in the bogs on Bleaklow by local tribes.  The area was certainly well used by Roman legions and a Roman fort stands at Castleshaw.

Bleaklow - geograph.org.uk

And if you fancy partaking in a well earned beverage at the highest pub in England, the renowned Tan Hill inn, double check who is propping up the bar.  Ghost sightings have led to a team of ghost investigators making a film at the pub.  Don't panic unduly though sounds like a harmless ghosty who likes a puff on his pipe, however if you are thinking of taking an hour's kip in the bunkhouse watch out for a ghost of a boy who pops up to say hello to weary travellers. 

Tan Hill Inn, picture by The Observer

Cauldron Snout the wonderfully named waterfall is said to haunted by a ghost called 'The Singing lady', and on cold moonlit nights she can be seen sitting on a rock near the falls, where she laments the loss of her loved one.

Cauldron Snout

Cross Fell is the highest point on the Pennine Way at 2930ft.  Back in the mists of time this was called Fiend's Fell and devil's were said to inhabit the fell.  The name 'Cross Fell' is said (depending on your source!) to originate from the 7th century and given it by Paulinus an early Christian missionary, or the more dramatic version is that it refers to the 'cross' or 'angry' fiends that lived there.

Cross Fell

And on that note...Good Night!

What Karmas around goes around #dotheimpossible

Picture the scene, you're running or walking along a single track path in an overgrown forest, bluebells flittering in a gentle breeze. Despite feeling like the only person in 100 miles you find when you reach a gate that there is someone else behind you, I'm sure you would all hold the gate open for them. Positive actions towards others, be it holding open a gate, chasing after someone with their dropped Buff or helping someone to do something they never thought they could.

That is what I want to drill down to - helping someone do achieve something that they never thought they could. You may be thinking, errr okay well what could that something be? There are a whole host of things that are now available to do - many of them to raise money for charity - which are classic things 'which people don't do'. Here's a list of a few:

• Skydive
• Bungee Jump
• Marathon
• Abseil

Some of you might look at these thinking, I do ten skydives before breakfast or run a marathon just as a training run. For some these are some of the most daunting things there are, for 'other people', something that they might not think they could or would achieve. Think how cool you feel when you do them, that rush you feel. Times that by a million and your getting close to what it feels like to help someone achieve one of those things. Even Andy had his first marathon, his first 10km - everyone starts somewhere.

The sun setting over Mam Tor in the Peak District

Cracking the Spine is the tidal wave, the rising sun that will help carry you beyond the edge of impossible - You will see Andy weathering the harsh winter elements (if the long term weather forecasts are to be believed!), managing his training with his family life and hearing from medical professionals of how his body copes with this challenge of challenges. You will see that to achieve your impossible there is only a series of steps, there may be few there may be many but by taking each one you can get there.

Perhaps you know someone who always says 'I could never run a marathon' - offer to take them out for a run, it doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be difficult - this could be the start of making it happen for them. There was a day when you found the strength to face your challenge, it's time to pass that on.

We want to know your story - tell us what your Cracking The Spine moment was, perhaps it was a person that inspired you, or maybe you heard of an event - like The Spine Race.

Facebook/Tweet it with #dotheimpossible!

Running simplifies things...

We are now playing the waiting game with Kickstarter - as we are sat twiddling our thumbs.  Only joking we aren't twiddling our thumbs, we are as busy as ever.  Andy has certainly been busy and has already set up the first school to join in with our Cracking The Spine project...

Kirkby Malham School is the first to join up and already 48 pupils have agreed to take part - that's incredible! Next week they will start to tick off their cumulative 268 miles ending with the Sports Relief mile in march 2014.

The beautiful Kirkby Malham - 72 miles along the Pennine Way South to North

I don't know about you lot but when I was at school the thought of running 3 miles around the cross country course seemed daunting enough - the idea of being physically able to run 268 miles just would not have even crossed my mind!

Humour me for a moment and think back to when you took your first tentative step towards the world of running - how did you feel? terrified?  Exhilarated? Freed? I think i can definitely remember a lot of pain!  What is it that makes us push through that pain and carry on - one step after another faster and faster?

FREEEEEEEEEEDOMMMMMMM!!!

We have just asked this question on Facebook and from your replies it looks like everyone agrees that running brings everything into more focus, everything that is going on in your world starts to make more sense, the mind clears, and there is nothing to worry about apart from getting to the next tree or hedge.
Running simplifies things (or when you are running up Parkin Clough, a local nasty hill, - pain starts to simplify things!).

So as we are waiting for our Kickstarter project to be confirmed, we are going to be putting together lots of stuff for the schools - if you could take a minute to scribble a sentence of support to help keep the kids motivated and send it to us at crackingthespine@gmail.com (with the country you are from) that would be much appreciated.

Andy's Training Stuff

The clock is ticking! What have I been doing? Anything? You betcha! Read more here

Building blocks and the Countdown begins...

For those eagle-eyed out there, you may have noticed that our Cracking The Spine blog is now covered in biazrre little squares referring to themselves as ' Building Blocks'.

You might have noticed that we are trying to get people's attention at the moment - force feeding this blog to our friends, strangers, relatives....  This is all because tomorrow - Tuesday 17th September - our project appeal goes live on Kickstarter.  This gives you the opportunity to pledge money towards the making of the Cracking The Spine Film and Project.

We don't expect you to give us money out of the goodness of your hearts (well yes that would be nice but we are realistic!), so in return for your hard earned cash we have a variety of rewards on offer depending on how much you pledge.  The Building Block - is just one reward of many.

Our blog, in 5 days has received over 1000 unique pageviews from all corners of the world.  That is quite a lot for a new blog and for a new project, that was, until a week ago, unheard of.  This blog is going to be updated ever day for the next 6 months.
6 months = 24 weeks(ish), so 1000 pageviews a week = 24,000 pageviews over the next 6 months!

Obviously this is an estimated figure but the way things are going, the interest just seems to be snowballing.

So to get back to the Building Blocks - in return for a small pledge we are going to be giving away these Building Blocks - they are 300 pixels x 75.  You can use these to advertise your business or charity, to write a message, propose to someone (oh go on...), give a shout out to someone special,  shout about something exciting in your life - whatever you want (within reason - nothing nasty please!).  If you want it to link to another site just let us know.

These Building Blocks are going to be seen by thousands of people all over the world.

As of tomorrow, as soon as Kickstarter goes live if you click on a Block then you will be redirected to our Kickstarter page.

British Preoccupation with Weather

Well I don't know about what it's like where all you readers are based but here in the Peaks it's a little soggy.  As in torrential downpour soggy!  That probably comes as no surprise to everybody who is familiar with the UK, especially those in the North of the country.
In fact it is pretty much a worldwide joke that the UK is a very soggy place to live - we should have been born with gills,  I wonder if in thousands of years time, evolution will take control and we will begin to sprout gills... By the way interesting fact for those who aren't familiar with the start of the Pennine Way in the Peak District, over 350 million years ago the Peak District lay under a shallow subterranean sea as a coral reef - maybe I'm not quite so off the mark with my evolution theory!

It's not just the British preoccupation with the weather that is provoking this mini-rant - in a very round about way this brings me back to The Spine Race.  One of the huge difficulties with The Spine Race, in my mind (as a mere mortal working on the race), is the weather.
The problem is that you don't have the guarantee of snow like you do with Arctic ultras, or the scorching dry heat of the MdS, there is no way of knowing what you will have to contend with on the course.  How on earth do you prepare? It could be waist deep snow, or mild, raining and misty.

This makes packing your gear very complicated - do you want to travel light and fast?  Or heavy and prepared, or can you be light and just as fully prepared?.  This is one question I will be certainly putting to Andy Mouncey in his Q&A session tomorrow night.  This seems to be sparking quite a bit of debate at the moment, especially following the recent rescue of Kilian Journet and Emilie Forsberg by the MRT, who were caught out a little unprepared in the mountains.

Having the Peak District and the Lake District as our playgrounds here at Cracking The Spine it certainly makes us very aware of the dangers of the British weather, which I believe can be underestimated.

Photo kindly provided by John Bamber, photographer and helps with the running of The Spine Race  -
The Spine Race fount of knowledge.  The photo was taken of his checkpoint just below Pen-y-Ghent in January 2013

So what could the competitors be faced with ?  Here are the opinions from Matt Green, our tame ultra runner, from his experiences of Winter running in the UK:

1. It's very rarely a dry cold, it's mostly a wet cold so it will cut through the most fancy of technical jackets, gloves and covering that you choose to adorn yourself with.

2. When you're fighting your way over large expanses of peat and moorland a thin layer of ice is all that stops you from getting wet, muddy feet and legs.

3. If you're lucky it will snow, if you're not it will rain... heat sapping droplets will cling to you and your kit like a slug munching away at your energy.

4. If a freezing mist sets in you're in for a treat, not only will you get increasingly damp inexplicably quickly but every direction will look the same.  Moorland stretches out for miles in every direction, the path that was so clear a minute ago vanishes.  The exquisitely carved peaks that you've been using to navigate become a hallucination and the moss grows on each side of the trees. Even the most experienced of navigators struggles, as anyone that follows the Mountain Rescue Teams on Facebook will know!

If you have similar questions for Andy, then please check in to Cracking The Spine Facebook tomorrow night at 2000hrs GMT.  The more the merrier!

Past and Present

With only 4 nights to go now until the Kickstarter project goes live, things are a little tense at Cracking The Spine.  We are emailing and posting and emailing and posting until our fingers cannae write no more!
However the support we have received so far is incredible.  It is really true that the ultra running world is one of the most close-knit and friendliest communities out there.

We have had encouragement flooding in from all corners of the world, but we have to say an extra special thank you to Trail Running Magazine UK and Marathon & Beyond US.

Charlotte has come up with a Cracking logo (couldn't resist) and we hope you like the little taster film we sent out - with over 200 views now lets hope it's spreading like wild fire out there.  There is still lots to come...Scott Gilmour, race director extraordinaire has agreed to do an interview with us, so we have sent across some (we think) probing questions, and we have a live Question and Answer session with the man himself - Andy Mouncey, on Monday 16th September at 8pm (uk time).

Unrelenting snow, but only 2 miles from the end and running strong!

It's now up to us here at Summit Fever to get filming our pitch.  We have desperately been waiting for a beautiful sunny day, to showcase the stunning scenery around here on the Pennine Way - however, it looks like summer has well and truly set, so we are just going to have to come up with something amusing instead to grab your interest....


Last year  we were lucky to be on the course photographing the event and here are a few images to give you a little more insight to the true nature of the Beast.

Scott Gilmour in a mountain hut somewhere high up the mountains at the border, sheltering from a blizzard, we had three candles, no food and Ian Corless' podcast.  It was cosy.


The shoes of winner Eugenie Sole, discovered 8 miles from the finish of the race, Summit Fever photographer Matt, gave him his own shoes (Salomon of course!) to wear.  It was an incredible and very emotional moment when he got to the finish line, there was certainly a few tears.  A few people asked why he hadn't take the ice of his shoe, but Eugenie was suffering at this point and I don't think he would mind me saying he probably wasn't thinking straight!


Heading off into the night, only 168 miles to go.


Finished.

Cracking The Spine Kickstarter Taster

Cracking The Spine Project In a Nutshell

We have given you a few teasers so here is the project in a nutshell:

Cracking The Spine is a film project with experienced Ultra Runner, Coach, Author and Father Andy Mouncey. In January 2013 he took part in The Spine Race, the most brutal winter non-stop 268 mile foot race the UK has to offer. After just over 100 miles Andy had to stop. In January 2014 Andy will be back, more prepared, fitter and ready to face a challenge of epic proportions.

Cracking The Spine is designed to engage YOU. Everyone's lives would be a little brighter, a little more fun if they took the courage to take that step so we're giving you the shoes and the push to get you out there and face the impossible. Funded via Kickstarter (our page will be live next Tuesday 16th September) which is a crowd funding website you will be able to contribute to the creation of the film, in return there will be a whole host of things on offer! 


Part of the project is to get kids moving too, as a Father, Andy knows the importance of ensuring the people of tomorrow have the skills to make it a bright, shiny place. Schools and youth groups all the way along the Pennine Way will be running and walking the 268miles as classes and teams to raise money for Sports Relief and to show them that impossible is just a made up word grown-ups use when they think they can't.

Everyone that watches this film will walk away feeling empowered to try the thing they never thought they could. It's time to show the world what running can do, so join Summit Fever and Andy Mouncey on a journey of a lifetime.

Follow us on facebook: Cracking The Spine

The Spine Race: What's that all about then? By Andy Mouncey

For those of you still struggling to get your head around the event description, allow me to assist. Here's how it felt for me back in January: 

 The Spine Race, 270 miles south to north along the Pennine Way in the middle of the English winter. The event first took place in 2011 and 3 people finished. This may be because there are only five checkpoints and you do it as continually as you can. You’ll also see most of it by the light of a headtorch and probably in pretty grim weather. Oh yeah, and did I mention it was nearly 300 miles? In January this year 11 people finished in the seven day window and I wasn’t one of them. Here’s why:

‘I’ve got hot ribena, sandwiches and sticky buns. What do you want to start with?’

My friend and training partner Andy B has run out to meet me as I descend like a giraffe off Fountains Fell in the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve been on the go for over 27 hours with one 25 minute stop before a very cold and long night and this, quite frankly, is the best news I’ve had for bloomin’ ages. It’s so good infact, that…’ I’d even have your children for that, fella!’.

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first: I did not complete the full 270 miles of the Pennine Way as stated on the entry form – I stopped at 105miles. The race is still in progress as I write this and yet I feel the best about me and my running I’ve felt for a very long time.

On Friday at the race briefing in the Peak District I sat there shaking. Thank the gods of signal  coverage I didn’t have one for my phone ‘cos talking to Charlotte my wife would probably have made it all very messy indeed as she was already worried enough as it was, thank you. The rest of the evening, the night, the first 40 miles or so the predominant emotion was fear and the predominant thoughts were negative.

Now I can do negatives to positives with the best of ‘em but for a very long time now I’ve become unconsciously skilled at not wanting to. The result? I’ve become very good at it. So good in fact that it needed a lever of outrageous proportions to shift it.

Welcome my friend, to The Spine Race.

So of course the fact that Checkpoint 2 at 105 miles was a 40 minute drive away from home helped. Would I have continued if that wasn’t the case? We’ll never know. What I do know is that as well as some long overdue internal re-modelling, I took a bundle of personal firsts away with me:

Just Getting On ( And On) With It

Longest single shift continuous outing on two feet now stands at a personal best of 34 hours thanks to The Spine. So I’m thinking I’d be good for a 48 hour no sleep stretch if I ever needed it. Maybe…

Doing Camel

I ate far more (and still less than I think I needed) than I would do on a ‘normal’ hundred, but I drank wayyyyyy less than I needed – and still held it together. How do I figure that? Well, when at around 90 miles I spilt my urine down my leg post-pee – I know but give me a break, fine motor control was seriously impaired in the latter stages(!) - it burned my skin like acid. Hmm, ph balance abit shot then?

The night section was done on one 0.5 ml flask of hot water because my normal bottle froze after two hours. (‘Coulda predicted that one, dontcha think?). That’s 10 hours ontop of 12 hours on the move – and I know I didn’t drink enough then either. So that ‘run when you’re depleted’ training I’ve been working on over the last couple of years? It really works.

And the race? It’s a monster and tactically fascinating. Here it is in bite-size chunks:

Meeting last year’s joint second place finisher on the train the Edale. Gary Morrison chats easily and it’s my first insight into the event. His ‘Spine FINISHER 2012’ T shirt is only one of three in existence and I decide then and there to watch him in the early stages to get an idea of pace and his movement discipline.

We’re briefed by mountain and polar specialists. I’m impressed with the balance they strike between risk, responsibility, challenge and safety. About 50 folks will be on the start line going for either the 105 mile or full distance and we really are all shapes and sizes. Two people come over and say hello and I recognise a few of my own, but mostly I sit on my own and try and look calm while the internal turmoil rages. The two young Spanish lads are said to be swift, last years’ winner Mark Caldwell is doing the ‘short’ 105 miles, quite a few of the class of 2012 are here with unfinished business, and of course Gary’s Back…Organiser Scott sums it up: ‘Look after each other out there.’

A few miles in and there’s a small group gone off the front as we approach the climb up Jacob’s Ladder. Ahead of me as planned is a loose group of three including Gary: I’ve already noted the poles in hand, bladder instead of bottles, easy travel over the level stuff, slow to a pole-assisted fast power walk on anything remotely uphill, and the smallest pack in the field. Hmm…

Traversing the Peak District it’s bitterly cold and misty on the tops and frozen solid. Dramatic stuff as we drop out of the clouds periodically but potentially lethal underfoot. I’m chugging along very comfortably on the outside while wrestling with demons on the inside: sometimes I even get a submission though the smackdown remains elusive. We drop down Kinder Scout and pass a couple of runners: ‘Hey – aren’t you Andy?’ ‘I am...’ ‘We ran together at the start of Lakeland 100…’ Yeah, yellow vest, dropping down from the copper mines in the first 3 miles, I remember…Small world, huh?

Climbing out of Torside Reservoir with Sheffield away to our right about a couple of hours in and I’ve eased ahead to be truly on my own. I don’t tend to do chatty anyway and I’m happy in my own space. It will stay this way till the early hours of Sunday morning.

Crossing the M62, the first real landmark deserving a text update to Charlotte and the start of the twisty up and down in and out Calderdale bit. I’ve reeled in a few more and wonder if I’ll hit the Stoodley Pike landmark monument above Hebden Bridge at about 40 miles before darkness falls.

The headtorch comes out just before Stoodley Pike. Familiar ground here from previous races brings a smile as does imminent arrival at the first checkpoint at 45 miles. My new Hope R1 headtorch is getting its first outing in anger and it’s like having Blackpool illuminations on my head. I play with the settings giggling like a kid at Christmas.

Rising frustration in thick woods approaching the checkpoint. I can see the damn lights in the valley below a couple of hundred yards away but this path zigs zags, I’m positive there’s no other way, I’m now hungry and want to GET THERE but  ****!! I start to re-trace when a  headtorch comes bobbing towards me. ‘It’s OK, ‘ says Mark Caldwell, ‘It is down here, it just veers away a bit…’ Last time I saw Mark was heading off the front at the start which means he’s slowed and/or stuffed the nav…

The Spanish have arrived. Joel and Eugeni are shovelling hot food in as Mark and I enter the checkpoint – which puts us in 3^rd and 4^th and to my mind also means they’ve either slowed and/or got lost. Mark confirms his error to me around mouthfuls: ‘Which way did you come into Hebden then?’ ‘Er, the Pennine Way..?’ It’s about half past seven and we’ve been on the go for a little over 11 hours.

Mark heads out a couple of minutes ahead of me after about 25 mins break which puts us the first two folks out on the trail. My friend Pete has texted to say he will meet me at Widdop Reservoir about an hours romp away over Heptonstall Moor.

A familiar figure emerges under the glare of a headtorch as I make Widdop: Pete – and then another headtorch bobs past from the opposite direction: Mark – off piste again it would appear. A few precious minutes with Pete has me smiling on the inside and out but he’s smart enough to read between the lines. His text to Charlotte reads …looking good and moving well, but motivation could be a problem later.

Chasing Mark’s light over Wadsworth moor under a clear sky with a brief foray into the mist as we crest 400 meters then losing it completely as I make a monumental navigation error losing a chunk of time trying to get down to Ponden Reservoir – eventually going for the brutal direct line bulldozer-style.

It’s blinking freezing as Keighley slips by to my right. I know this ‘cos all my fluids and gels are solid and chocolate has taken on the properties of granite. I’m forced to stop and add more layers bringing it upto 5 including down jacket and 2 waterproofs.

Sometime in the early hours Eugeni, Joel and Frenchman Phillipe join me. I’m half glad of the company but conversation is limited as we are all gritting teeth against the cold and forcing concentration on the navigation. Eugeni lopes along breaking into an easy run at any opportunity but showing no sign of wanting to break away.

Daylight by the time we hit Malham at 75 miles and the halfway stage of this leg. I finally get to do something about my dehydration and we all shed layers and even start to talk to each other. We are rewarded by incredible golden light bathing the limestone scars as we head off the top of Malham Cove towards the tarn. My European contingent stop and stare and the cameras come out: breathtaking.

Pulling to a halt at the start of the 600m climb up Fountains Fell realising I’m starting to go down big-style. It’s either my animal magnetism of everyone else was feeling the same as wordlessly we all rummage in bags for food and inspiration.

We climb into a beautiful snowscape on the top where I momentarily lose my bearings and any rapport I have with my map. Phillipe ignores me and goes where GPS points.

Clubmate Alex and family arrive to swell the party as we approach the 700m climb of Penyghent. Charlotte tells me later that Alex had been enthusiastically hunting the race on his mountainbike from earlier this morning before belatedly realising he’d been a little optimistic in his timings. Once more food and drink flows magically from a rucksack and is shared around Spain and France as Alex does his United Nations bit.

Feeling vaguely embarrassed as Andy watches me reduced to a pathetic crawl up the steep southern flank of Penyghent followed by some vague parody of a smooth and speedy descent down the other side. ‘You’re looking better than my dad did on his Bob Graham Round!’ he tells me. He’s then most impressed when I remark on the passing beauty of a couple of lady hillwalkers. ‘You’re very lucky. ‘ I tell him. ‘I don’t usually get to do that – I’ve usually got small children or a wife in tow…’

And that’s it for the running. I walk the rest of the way to Hawes as the snow starts to fall in the afternoon. On the final climb of the stage up the Cam High Road Eugeni and Phillipe disappear into the clouds as the temperature plummets. Just short of the top I finally surrender, chuck some painkillers down my neck – and that’s a first for me - and bring the number of layers upto six. Hooking up with a badly shivering Joel, we make the descent as the flakes thicken, darkness falls again and the painkillers work their magic to arrive at the checkpoint just before 6pm.

In the early hours of Monday morning Charlotte’s Husband Radar has given her a nudge. She turns and opens one eye: ‘You OK?’

‘Yeah.’ I’ve been awake for a while.

Pause. Then a smile in the darkness.

‘Just planning going back next year.’ 

... and don't just take my word for it, here's a great collection of reports from the class of 2013 compiled by Anne Green.

An Important Lesson

Time flies when you are having fun, or when you have a life-changing looming deadline dangling in your face!  It's now only 6 days until the Kickstarter appeal goes live (more about this closer to the time) and all you lovely lot at home have the opportunity to help us get Andy to the finish of The Spine Race 2014..

However, you are not just helping Andy get to the finish in this film, but also hundreds of school children along the Pennine Way.

Let me explain.....

As you have probably guessed Andy is pretty passionate about the huge impact sport can have on everybody's life, and we tend to be most susceptible to influence when we are green behind the ears, wet behind the knees etc. 

 As youngsters we have excitement and passion for learning and experimenting (sometimes to the despair of our parents).  Andy's plan is to harness this enthusiasm and has set a challenge to selected schools along the Pennine Way to run alongside his Spine Race attempt.

The challenge:

Between September and March 2014, Andy, with the backing of Sport's Relief, will be visiting schools along the Pennine Way to inspire and motivate the children through the medium of sport. He is challenging each school to run 270 miles between September and March.  These 270 miles will be an accumulative effort of a class or a team of children.

The aim for the children is to raise as much money for Sports Relief and to stick to their promise.

Andy's hope for this challenge?  To inspire and motivate children through running, to show them the benefits of a life full of exercise, to teach them to think and act like athletes, to show them the importance of making and sticking to a pledge, and how all these skills can be applied to each aspect of their lives.

Get 'em whilst they're young!

The children will keep video diaries to document their progress, to let us know how they are getting on, the challenges that they, like Andy, will face and how they overcome them.  This footage will add an extra dimension to our film. 

Promises are hard to keep but it's one of the earliest lessons we are taught and which we try to stick to throughout our lives.  

This is one big promise!

www.summitfever.co.uk 

The First Step

Filming for Cracking The Spine officially began on Monday 9th September.
Here at Summit Fever we met up with Andy and Charlotte in the iconic Pen-y-Ghent cafe to do an interview with the husband and wife team.  If you have never been go and check it out.  We inadvertently managed to take over half the cafe, but the owners couldn't have been kinder and more welcoming, and the locals looked on at us with bemusement as they sign languaged their order over the  counter.

To me Pen-y-Ghent is one of the greatest mountains in the area.  It may not have the height of it's Alpine counterparts but in every way it charms the pants off people.  I am not digressing into a travelogue expounding the rural attractions of northern England, it is on The Pennine Way and quite a significant landmark on the route being at around the 90 miles mark.

The Spine Race 2013 -Pen-y-Ghent in the background

With England, the big danger of the outdoors and our national parks is to underestimate them.  Oh it's only England you may say, what the worst that can happen?! We quite easily forget that out there we still have wildernesses untouched by phone signal, uninhabited moorland stretching for miles in every direction, treacherous peat bogs and mist that can descend in seconds leaving you  blind on a featureless landscape - and this is the Summer! Bring Winter along and it adds a completely different and very scary dimension.  Oh, and it does snow properly, as everyone who lives North of the M25 can testify following the antics of the weather gods March 2013.

It seemed an apt place to begin filming Cracking The Spine, as it was close to the place that Andy called it a day earlier this year, when he attempted the Spine Race 2013.  Not that we are mean or provocative, but with Pen-Y-Ghent looming in the distance it was hard to forget the challenge that lies ahead for Andy. (Yes we are mean)

It became evident as the interview progressed that not only and obviously do you have to be incredibly fit to even contemplate loading the race website onto your browser, you have to be mentally strong, maybe more so than physically.  There are not many people out there who can cope with putting their bodies through hours and days of pain, but being the social creatures we are, to be alone in the cold and the dark and in the wild takes a very different type of mentality.   This is not only Andy we are talking about - when you take in Charlotte's extraordinary support and wall of strength you see an unbeatable team before you.

One aspect we will explore in the making of the Cracking The Spine film will be the effects that this kind of extreme undertaking has on the body but more interestingly and perhaps more difficult to pinpoint, the mental effects it has on the brain.  What is it that Andy has up there that pushes him on when everything should be telling him to stop?

One person who is familiar with this kind of punishing behaviour is the race director and brainchild behind The Spine Race - Scott Gilmour.   Scott practices what he preaches and took part in the Yukon Arctic Ultra before he began organising the Spine Race.  He is certainly no stranger to the risks and obstacles that lie ahead.

Scott Gilmour - www.weatherised.com

Scott is, as well as being a race director of extreme events, a film maker.  Here is a link to the film he made of The Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra

It is with huge thanks to Scott Gilmour and Phil Hayday-Brown that we are able to start this project.