Round Rotherham 50 Miler 10/12/05What an event the Rotherham 50 miler is. I have been dreading writing this report because it is so long and I am unsure if I have the ability in writing to give you even a partial view of what it was like. Here goes and no apologies as it was a take no prisoners event. This is a truly fantastic route and I have never experienced anything like it where you are in such an urban environment but somehow only run on a busy road for a couple of miles. Started at 0800hrs from Brampton Leisure Centre which is a 1960’s building. Soon we are running along a canal and I am starting to have a good time as the weather is warm and the sun is coming out. We hit an even bigger canal and you can feel the industrial use it once had. I remember watching a TV series, it was a drama and it was called I think “The Canal Children”. Some of it was sad and tragic with young children having to work all day with a horse to pull the boat along.
I then got a stroke of luck when starting to lose my way on the unmarked course with a guy behind shouting at me what direction. I spotted a Scottish accent and as he joined me I saw the Rotherham Vest. So I asked him where he was from originally and he replied Haddington. Took a second look and it was Bill Watson from HELP. I said have you got dual nationality and his reply was “I left my passport at the border”. Bill and me are about the same level and we have done battle on the Speyside Way, I think it is 2 each or 2 - 1 for him. Anyway turns out he used to work in Darlington (the home of that English Bird who beat Alan Aitchison at Dundee recently). Alan thought Sally was posh “I didnae realise she was English,” - well Alan hails from Whitburn so I suppose everybody is posh to our Alan. This is a long race be warned.
It was great running with Bill as he pointed out the points of interest and explained the terrain to expect. Bill had the experience of the course from his Darlington days and decided to join the Rotherham club and has kept up membership and returns every year to do the race. Next point of interest was an old pit. Bill said to me do you recognise this place? I said no but then he said the words Orgreave and I started to remember some of it. The TV cameras wereon the road we were running down for months. I felt I could hear the chant of Arthur Scargill we’ll support you ever more. This was Scargill’s powerbase - South Yorkshire. My favourite story from the Miners Strike (I know people died and there was a lot of violence) was a Sheriff Officer and the NUM Scottish President the late Mick McGahey. Mick had been banned from secondary picket sites etc and a Court Order issued but it had to be served. The problem the Sheriff Officer had was that Arthur Scargill was not popular across the whole geographic area of the strike ie Wales, Nottingham and the like, but Mick was and he was here, there and everywhere with HQ moving him around. Eventually after days of chasing the Sheriff Officer caught up with Mick. “Mr McGahey, Mr McGahey I have got a message for you.” Mick’s response was immediate not giving the Sheriff Officer any time to say anything else. “I’ve got a message for you - get out of my bloody way”
I am still running by the way. 7 hours to go. I will cut this short but still had to run past a couple of lakes. There was an Abbey ruined by Henry VIII, more canals and many a muddy field with lots of stiles. A big thank you to the other runners who got Andrew and myself back to Brampton in 9 hours 18 mins and 56 sec. We finished equal 20th with another runner from the Lake District. This race is well organised and at 27 miles the drinks station is in a cricket pavilion and you can send a bag out from the start for a change of clothes; or it is a good point to retire, as it is the best drinks station I have ever experienced. What a spread as Chippy Young would say. Sandwiches, cake, biscuits, tea, coffee and yes, homemade soup. Time to retire - well the weather was so sunny Andrew and I decided the show had to go on. At the end there was a 3 course meal if you wanted. Soup, shepherds pie and the mandatory mushy peas (there was a choice) and my favourite (same as La Rochelle) rice pudding. Plenty of tea, coffee cake etc. £9 to enter for 9 hours of fun, they even gave me a bottle of Red Wine as a Spot Prize since I had travelled so far. Great people, great hospitality, great course and a t shirt and certificate which I will cherish. I will be doing it next year and so will Andrew.What can I say about my running partner. Obviously we are both under psychiatric orders but this boy is on Pluto. A 50 mile race with plenty of drink stations, so what does Andrew do? Put a 70 litre rucksack on his back and sticks 6 bottles of juice in it. So the rucksack is swinging more than a 60’s night out. He then says to me I think I will dump this at the first drinks s
tation. Rucksack is duly dumped off. Then he does his Bambi stunt and cuts his knee in the mud. I am 2 ½ stone heavier and like a Clydesdale going through it but stay on my feet. Anyway I lose Bambi at this point but he catches me up later and turns out he is running with the British 24 hr female champ. She shouts at me “Your mate’s lost his map.” I offer Andrew my map as he was looking strong but he thankfully declines and we regroup at the next drinks station. Found the map in the boot of my car. 70 litre rucksack and no map. Nae, we got on great and Andrew was a great help and I am sure in years to come on the Ultra circuit on firm ground he is going to get a top 3 place. He has most of the qualities of a distance runner (brainless) but could improve his power over heavy ground. Next Ultra that I would recommend to any marathon runner is the 50k Speyside Way on 16th April. See me if you want a form.
Get in There!
Full results here
Report Graham Henry
Composites Peter Buchanan
