From Ritchie Williamson…
Very much a last-minute decision, last Wednesday I signed up for the Punk Panther 6 Dales Trail Ultra, an out and back from Otley to Lofthouse taking in the Swinsty, Fewston, Thruscross and Gouthwaite reservoirs. Punk Panther offers a number of distances in their race format (half marathon, 20 miles, 32 mile and 50 mile). I opted for the 50-mile course (which ended up being 51.6 miles) reasoning that I could do with getting some volume on the legs with the 13 Valleys ultra approaching at the end of September. Both the 50 mile and 32-mile race started together at Garnets Field at 07:30 am. Three runners made a fast start, and I knew one of them was in the 50-mile race and they were out of sight before we left Garnets Field. As we moved up and through Otley, I quickly fell into pace with a MV50 on the 50-mile race, this I thought, would be the person I would be racing for the MV50 cat. We ran together through the outskirt of Otley and then through the fields to Clifton, after a steep down-hill track (noting I’d be coming back up this) we reached the Dob Park Packhorse Bridge and a mile later through a wood to Timble Beck Gill. We had picked up another runner (who would go onto finish 3rd in the 32-mile course) and we checked routes with each other as it was easy to go off route through the woods.
As we climbed up from the beck, I put some distance between myself and the other 2 runners and made a small break. Down through the woods to Swinsty Hall and along the track to Swinsty car park. After a quick toilet stop it was back onto the track alongside Fewston reservoir, I had dropped behind the MV50 and 32-mile runner. While I had them in my sights, I didn’t catch them again until CP1 (11 miles, St Andrews church at Blubberhouses). Petra was on support at the checkpoint, so it was good to have a brief hello, refill flasks and head out. All 3 of us left together and started the next section, past what must be one of the most idyllic cricket clubs (Blubberhouses CC) and keeping the Washburn River to our left, we then crossed Thruscross Dam and took the road up Thruscross. As it was a hill, I again decided to try and make a break for it and leave the 2 runners behind. Once at the top of the hill there was more crossing of fields and moors, I was a bit ahead but also struggling to keep on route as the trace was difficult to follow as times. I met the 2 leaders of the 32-mile race as they were heading back from their turning point (CP2) so I reasoned that the next CP could not be that far away. Once out the fields it was another uphill effort to CP2 (Heyshaw, 16 miles). Again, it was a very quick refill of flasks and onto the next section, Heyshaw to Lofthouse. As I left CP2 I could see the MV50 runner coming into the CP.
The next section takes you from Heyshaw to Lofthouse vis Pateley Bridge (about 10/11 miles). The distance I put between myself and the runner behind was lost as soon as I made a nav error had had to retrace my steps for about 100 meters. We then ran together, crossing more fields and farmland and hitting the 600 m trail down through Guisecliff Wood. This was a bit of a gnarly path which eventually bought me onto a track and down to Glasshouses bridge. From here it was flattish all the way to Pateley Bridge following the path alongside the river Nidd. While at Pateley Bridge, there was a brief thought of stopping at the Pancake House for lunch, but instead pressed on to Gouthwaite reservoir over undulating paths. I had been running with the other MV50 runner since the nav error shortly after CP2, we alternated the lead and kept close for many miles. About 2 miles past Pateley Bridge the MV50 runner stopped for a toilet break. I kept moving and tried to put some distance between us by upping the pace a notch. But to no avail, I could usually see him behind me when the terrain allowed. Just shy of the CP3 Lofthouse, I met the lead runner on his return leg. He was about half a mile from CP3 and so we exchanged a few words, and I covered the remaining distance into CP3, arriving after 4hrs and 5 mins. I had up to this point been fuelling with High 5 gels every 30 mins. I picked up my drop bag, replaced the gels I had consumed on the way out, drank a bottle of Lucozade and munched a bag of salt and vinegar squares. As I left the checkpoint the MV50 runner behind came in.
The return route is the route out but obviously in reverse, knowing what was coming made it more manageable to break down into chunks, I had also got a few lines wrong on the way out, so it was an opportunity to get these correct on the way back and hopefully shave a bit of time off. Again, I wanted to put more distance and reasoned that the MV50 runner would also be accessing his drop bag and replenishing, so I put an effort into running the flattish section back to Guisecliffe Wood. It was then the 600m climb back up through the woods and back on to open moor and track. As I climbed out of the wood and reached the high ground I spied the silhouette of the lead runner, but my focus was on putting distance between myself and the MV50 runner. A quick refill at CP4 (Heyshaw return) and a quicker look over my shoulder saw that the MV50 was not far behind. The return to CP5 (Blubberhouses) was a mix of road and trail with most of the road sections being downhill so it was a good opportunity to stretch the legs and hopefully maintain the distance between myself and the MV50. As I came off the moor and started the road section down to Thruscross Dam, I could see the lead runner on the road. By the time I had reached the dam he was at the other end of the dam and starting his descent towards Blubberhouses. I managed to pass the lead runner as we approached Blubberhouses CC and arrived at CP5 ahead for the first time in the race.
It was now a flat-out race for the last 11 miles, I left CP5 ahead of the second place runner (after exchanging a fist bump and a few words) and hoping it would be the last I saw of him. The first section was along Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs, followed by the trail to Timble Gill. Just prior to Timble Gill I saw the 2nd place runner was catching me. I made a quick descent towards the Gill, taking the wrong line and having to cut back across at the bottom to get back on course. I then arrived at Dob Park Packhorse bridge and started the long climb up to the final checkpoint of the race (CP 6, Dob Park Road). I made good time on the ascent and by the time I was leaving CP6, I could see no one behind. It was now just 4 and half miles downhill back into Otley. Never knowing how close the chasing runners were, I pushed onto the finish at Bridge Street Church in Otley moving as fast as I could at that stage of the race. My official finish time was 8hr 21m 40s, a new course record by over 20 minutes and in first place. I was only 90 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Close enough to make this feel like a race from start to finish. After that, it was a short hop to the Otley Tap House for a pint and a bite to eat.