25 miles over Blubberhouses Moor, Beamsley Beacon and Rocking Moor, North Yorkshire, organised by L. Taylor and A. Bottomley (LDWA)
The "Blubberhouses" is one of those events that takes its kit check seriously. Naturally I would not expect to enter an Egg and Spoon Race without the specified egg and spoon, so I should not really pass comment on an event which, as part of the "challenge", requires the entrants to carry a minimum set of kit – and why shouldnt it? However, Im sure that a kit check can, in some cases, put an additional and quite unnecessary burden on the organisers. No two kit lists are exactly the same; the Blubberhouses, for example, does not require you to carry a first aid kit although it does require you to take "5p/10p coins for the telephone". There’s no indication of who you are supposed to telephone, unlike one event where a mobile phone number was usefully printed on the tally card.
So, having gathered my kit together I turned up at the civilised hour of 10.30 – the Blubberhouses being one of the few events with a later start for runners. Around 50 runners set off – 25% of the total turnout of just over 200, which was low this year on what is usually a very popular event. The weather was perfect; cool with bright sunny intervals, and unmarred by the occasional tendency to try to snow.
Despite the climb up to Beamsley Beacon and the long trudge up to Rocking Hall, this is one of the fastest 25 mile routes on my schedule. For a while I was convinced that it could not possibly be that far, but detailed measurement showed that it is. So either all the other 25-milers are longer, or the ascent in the Blubberhouses is not as great as it appears. I suspect the latter but, even so, the view from Beamsley Beacon is well worth the slog.
After Beamsley Beacon the route goes down to the A59 and a refreshment stop. I was surprised to find that the refreshments consisted only of liquid – there werent the usual pile of jam butties. The lack of food meant that there was no reason to linger here, and this could explain my faster time this year. We were warned of a route change applicable to runners, after crossing the A59. I wondered if this was to avoid congestion along the riverside path by Bolton Abbey but, in fact, it was a concession by the organisers to the fact that some runners habitually cheat by running along the road here anyway. I saw a runner cheating earlier on, near the start, by taking a short cut at the end of the Fewston reservoir dam wall. I’ll bet he didnt have 5p/10p coins on him either.
From Bolton Abbey and the Cavendish Pavilion the route is uphill onto Rocking Moor. From there it is downhill for nine miles to the finish. At Thruscross Reservoir there were, once again, no jam butties. My expectations were unjustified, since I had not read my route description in detail. This year there were to be only liquid refreshments until the finish. Apparently it was either this, or increase the entry fee. There was nothing for it but to start eating my "sufficient food for the day" which was half a Mars bar. Then I ate my "emergency food" which was the other half of a Mars bar. Strictly speaking, I suppose, your emergency food should remain untouched and be checked at the finish. I hoped there wasnt a surprise kit check. Perhaps I should use my 5p/10p coins to phone for a take-away – or would that count as receiving outside assistance?
The last section of the route is a long plod around Fewston Reservoir. This was actually slightly easier than in previous years because it is now a cinder track rather than pools of liquid mud. Cruelly, the route finishes with a steep climb up the road from the reservoir to the Bland Hill community hall, and food!
Well done to Laurie Turner and Alex Bottomley for organising the fifteenth Blubberhouses challenge.