Hardwolds80 - 26/27 November 2022

This is an 80 mile race going from Hessle, just outside of Hull, following a circuitous route through the Yorkshire Wolds to Filey.  On the Wednesday before the race, John Boothman did not look too good and he had not been right for a little while.  Many wondered if he would indeed take part in this race.  But, he seemed keen to do so and said that he would take it steady.  Over the years, we have all heard that on many occasions, but when your toe is on the line, adrenalin takes over and common sense flies out of the window.  It therefore did not surprise anyone when John set off at a fair pace.  The question was, "how long could he keep that pace going"?  The answer was; pretty much throughout the whole of the race.  He settled down early on within the top twenty and never lost that place.  The race is effectively three consecutive marathons all in one day and this took its toll on many who had entered and they dropped out.  But John was relentless and he kept going from the start of the race at 8:00 am on Saturday morning until the finish in the wee small hours of Sunday morning and coming through some horrendous running conditions in the last four hours.  His reward was not only to get a finish, but also to finish first V60.  A good performance in itself but given how he looked on the Wednesday before the race, it was a brilliant performance.