This winter race at 268 miles and ascent of nearly 33,000 feet,  covering the length of the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholme in the Scottish Borders is certainly Britain’s most brutal endurance race.  It is a challenge that tests the physical resilience and mental strength of all competitors as they face snow, extreme cold, storm force winds and driving rain.

John Boothman is a vet 60, but once again, he took to the fells to test himself in this most challenging race.

This year, he started off rather well.  His steady pace was a little bit quicker than last year and by Tan Hill, he was in 24th place and over 6 hours quicker than his time last year.  At that point, he looked to be on for a top twenty finish and a personal best time. 

But as well as physical resilience, luck and fate can play their part in this race and when John reached the check point at Langdon, fate intervened.  John did not intend to stop long at Langdon, but to continue overnight over High Cup Nick to Dufton.  However, upon arrival he was told that the race was being put on hold and that he could not leave Langdon.  It seemed that the rescue services were under pressure from runners ahead.  

Not knowing the length of the stop, John chose to catch up on some sleep, asking the marshals to wake him should the race be allowed to continue.  They did so, but leaving him little time to get ready and as a result, so many runners who were previously behind John were now in front of him.  He made it safely to Dufton and then set off over Cross Fell to get to the next stop at Alston.  On Cross Fell, it was extremely cold and the wind chill factor made it even colder.  At the summit John was feeling very cold, but as it was only a short distance to Greg’s Hut where there is some support, John pressed on.  When he arrive, he was checked over and was already displaying the signs of suffering from hypothermiia.  He was warmed up and then he continued to the next check point in Alston.

From there John went along Hadrian’s Wall before once more turning North towards Bellingham.  Just before Bellingham is Horneystead Farm and once more luck intervened. He slipped on the ice, hurting his back and his leg.  However, he doggedly continued, but as he approached the next check point at Byrness, the pain he was suffering began to take its toll.  He told the group he was running with that he could not keep up and whilst they pressed on, he continued to make his own painfully slow way to the check point.  

To the dot watchers who were following the live tracking of the race, it looked like John’s race had come to an end.  But John is nothing if not tough, resilient and perhaps foolhardy.  A lesser man would have, not unreasonably, dropped out, but John took the opportunity to get some rest in the local church which had been set aside for use by the runners.  It was like sleeping in a fridge and was very cold, but he managed to get 3 hours sleep and when he got up, he felt much better.  

So, he decided to attempt the last leg over the Cheviots to Kirk Yetholme and the finish.  There is a steep ascent from Byrness towards the Cheviot Hills and once more the pain returned.  His pace was slow, but slowly he was inching his way to Hut 2, the last check point before the finish.  He eventually made it there and after having a medical check up and some pain killers, he made his way up The Schil, the last big hill before the steady descent to the finish.  Again, John’s progress was painfully slow, but he was very gradually getting there.  However, when he had around two miles to go, he felt that he could not longer carry on.  How ironic to go over some of Britain’s highest hills, in the roughest of weather, only not to be able to meander along a relatively benign walk to the finish.  But once more fate intervened.  A group of supporters were walking out to meet their friend who was in the race when they came across John.  Luckily, one of them was a physio.  He helped John by massaging his ears.  It is remarkable than ear massage can alleviate back pain.  John already felt much better and the physio told him that he could do no more with John wearing all his warm clothing.  Despite the cold, John removed some of his clothing and let the physio apply a further message.  The relief that it gave him was enough to allow him to complete the last two miles to the finish.  Far from being a pb, it was a much slower time than last year, but at least he had finished in 47th place out of 75 finisher, most of them younger men than John.

47 John Boothman 136:25:35

4 Robert Cranham 19:37
6 Lucas Payne 20:09
55 Dave Halliday 25:53