Rory Campbell, Ultra Runner

The Northern Traverse 2025 - The end continues, by Rory Campbell

This was a biggie. It felt like a long road to get to the start line, and that’s not the bus ride from Robin Hoods Bay! The training block began in earnest in February which coincided with a couple of concerns. I might as well get them out of the way just now rather than weave them through the race narrative. So, the early headlines were: knee pain (left, osteoarthritis) - dealt with by Hyalluronic Acid injection = success; back pain (lower) - persistent, worse in the morning before running - continued throughout training block, didn’t get worse and didn’t impact hugely on running. X-ray taken prior to event showed mild degeneration in a couple of areas (not the sore areas). Right. So. Carry on, then!

Anya and I headed over to Robin Hoods Bay (RHB) on the Friday to leave the car and get on the shuttle bus over to St Bees. Quite a big travel day really but also meant that any last minute kit faffing was pretty much out of the way as we needed to take only what was necessary for the race. Seacote Hotel was booked in St Bees, literally right next to the race start. Picnic tea in the hotel and a decent night’s sleep.

St Bees - Patterdale

After selecting a pebble and catching up with a couple of runners I know from previous events, including David who lives not too far from me, we set off from St Bees and headed up and along the coastline on a beautiful morning. The weather remained like this for the duration - clear sky, occasional breeze. Temperature was cool initially but soon warmed up. Arm warmers were stuffed in a pocket, buff went round a wrist, cap on rather than beanie. No winter kit required for the event. 

I spent the first section to Rosthwaite around and about some runners who became familiar and we kept each other ticking along at a reasonable pace, conscious early on not to burn matches in anticipation of a decent day out in the Lakes and knowing that putting too much into this leg would make things difficult later. 

We soon found ourselves coming across some Lakes Traverse runners and this continued throughout the day. Water stop just before Ennerdale water was welcome having gone through a fair bit already. The lakeside itself was lovely, rocky and technical but I moved efficiently over it. Rosthwaite was a nice stop with the familiar face of Jen O’Neil (who was supposed to be running but unfortunately injury got in the way. Jen is the kind of person not to let this get her down, though and threw herself into volunteering) who tempted me with rice pudding. I was already feeling the effect of heat and exertion on my digestion, finding myself not too excited by any of the food options - a real shame given that on any other day I would have devoured anything they had. I was carrying a lot of my own nutrition (home made gels and selection of savouries) with a 30 minute alarm on my watch to remind/prompt me to stuff something in my gob. 

Coming in to Rosthwaite I had ran past a wee left turn and had to double-back, on the way out I took a left when I should have taken a right, doubling-back again! These were reminders to pay attention! This happened a few times during the race. 

On the next section over to Patterdale I encountered some familiar ground having covered some of this with Anya in a recce. I also came across a familiar face, Ian Stewart from Kelso who I shared a few miles with. We took the climb up to Grisedale Tarn together but I pulled away a bit towards the top and just kept cruising on. Something inside me felt bad about moving away from Ian after having a good blether but I had decided beforehand that this was going to be my own race and I had to do my own thing. I think he understood, most people were doing there own thing, enjoying the trail chats when they occur, taking and giving energy and craic.

Cruising down to Patterdale I was feeling pretty good but also knowing that I had to make the best of the stop there, be efficient but thorough. Eat some food (salty chips), check feet (dry, re-tape, clean socks, different shoes), change clothing (prep for nighttime leg and colder temps), restock pack with food.

Some familiar faces were already there (Lianne, Dean) and others soon arrived (David, Lloyd).

I did what I needed to do, and left.

Patterdale to Kirkby Stephen

Heading for the biggest climb now and a nighttime stint I headed off in good fettle, the feet benefitting immediately from the change in shoes.

I had decided to do most of the Lakes in my inov8 Trailfly thinking they would be good over some of the hilly and lakeside technical stuff with a plan to change into the more cushioned Altra Olympus for the rest of the race. This worked out well, feet felt good and loved being in the comfy armchair shoes. The climb up Kidsty Pike was long but went pretty well, a wee bit of kit faff as I got higher to put on my OMM mid-layer, gloves and buff. I also think I had to adjust my laces on and may well have added my Loomi hat at this point to replace the cap I had been wearing. 

I made it up to the top without headtorch, taking a moment or two to look back and all around at the sunset view over the tops. Aware that this is the highest point on the route it felt good to enjoy that space. As I headed over and down I could see some head torches ahead and, once over with the wind dropping I could hear their voices. Headtorch on and then skipping down the hillside I was feeling pretty good. I came across a group of 3 runners, one of them Ian, on a technical descent. We exchanged quick “hello’s” and “all the best’s” before I trotted on to the Haweswater lakeside ramble. I don’t mind this type of running, it can be hard to find flow but it also helps to keep your mind focussed. As long as you can keep fuelling and pay attention to signs of tiring or fatigue then things should be ok. I knew that frustration could grip me at anytime so held on to the “have an adventure, keep moving forwards and keep making good decisions” mind-set.

I’m struggling to remember Haweswater to Shap but I do remember coming into the Shap checkpoint and having a short stop to refuel (I think I had veg chilli with rice and cheese, which I didn’t finish), have some coffee and top up bottles before a visit to the loo and then back on the road. Also had the great joy of running past the Lakes Traverse finish.

Proper nighttime now I was eager to get going as I heard at least one other runner come in while I was in the loo, I think it was David, I pushed on. Unfortunately I didn’t know this section but had looked at it on the map, everything seemed groovy until I became aware of a flicker from my headtorch. This sent me into a mild panic as my spare battery was in my drop bag which I wouldn’t see until Kirkby Stephen. It was a bright moonlit night so I dropped my torch onto it’s lowest setting (it was on the mid setting) and settled into a gentler pace to accommodate the reduced vision. After a few miles of this I was actually a bit pissed off and could almost feel the runner behind approaching so decided to go back on to the mid setting and see what happened. Turns out the battery was fine, I think it was just the bouncing of the light that caused the perceived flicker. Anyway, seems like I must have been moving reasonable well as I arrived in Kirkby Stephen to find Dean and Lianne there, finishing up their final preps to get back out. David came in not too long behind me having had a bit of a faff trying to find his way into the building!

Reunited with drop bag I didn’t change much in the way of kit but I did prepare my tiny iPod shuffle and ear buds for some tunes on the Nine Standards ramble. I also took the opportunity at this point to put my watch and headtorch on charge while I ate.

I headed out again with some tunes in this time, headtorch on, ready for the climb up Nine Standards.

Kirkby Stephen to Richmond

David soon caught me up on the climb up to Nine Standards, not long after I had switched the headtorch off. It was a wee while yet before I could enjoy daybreak as visibility remained poor for a while. Ground conditions were great, though so all the worrying about miles of bogs wasn’t necessary. There’s also a lot of work underway up there to pave huge sections. Dave soon drifted ahead and, once the skies cleared, I took the time to de-layer as the morning was beginning to warm up. As I rack my brains to remember the next few hours what sticks is the steep climbs around the old lead mines. Very Lord of the Rings. Last year I spent some weekends recceing sections of the Charlie Ramsay Round in Glen Nevis, these climbs reminded me of this as my legs were beginning to feel the elevation. I could see Dean, Lianne and David ahead of me which gave me some motivation to keep pushing and on the long descent towards Reeth I found my running legs, ticking along nicely on some gravel track for a while, short sections of road and some trail. Food was still going in and I got it into my head that once I reached Dales Bike Centre I would be having a flat white and a slice of cake! I don’t normally do cake but thought I could make an exception this time. 

Dales was a wee shock to the system with actual normal people milling about having a pretty normal Sunday late morning. I wandered into the coffee shop and immediately felt that I shouldn’t be there however I did manage to get an order in for a flat white and a piece of rocky road.

Scoffed outside I also topped up bottles and carried the rocky road with me as I left. 

It was getting pretty warm now and getting to Richmond felt like a bit of a slog - flat road sections were getting harder and I was feeling tired. Having left the sleep plan pretty open I wanted to assess things when I arrived in Richmond but also knew that I did not want to take on the leg after Richmond feeling low on energy and unable to run. I wanted to move pretty well through this bit, knowing that it was going to be a trial. 

Arriving in Richmond I saw David and Dean again and we all reached the conclusion that a sleep was probably a good idea, settling on 90 mins. Some food, feet admin, pack sorting etc then tent with mat and sleeping bag. It was quiet enough at that point and warm during the day. I set my timer for 90 mins and had some fitful rest, getting up after 80 mins and finding that both David and Dean had already left. Getting myself sorted I headed out without too much faff - leaving a squished flower behind for Jen O’Neil (who had now transitioned to Richmond support) to pass on to Anya. Spoiler - the flower didn’t make it.

Richmond to Lordstones

Oh my flipping feckin Lordy Lordy slog nightmare. One of the reasons I felt the need for a nap before taking on this section is because I had heard how flat and runnable it is, and that to have to walk this would take an age. It took me a while to get going after a wee sleep - legs felt fatigued and a bit loaded with ultra ache. I also became aware of the lower back pain that had been present for most of my training - although this was previously a morning issue that had not affected my actual running before. Now it did. I popped a couple of paracetamol and kept moving but it was painful and hard, this was when the first doubts crawled into my head. Feet were good, stomach was ok, I was eating and moving forwards but it was painful as the lower back pain radiated out towards my right hip and glute. I kept wondering where Anya was and imagined her heading out across the Yorkshire no man’s land that leads to Ingleby, hoping she was moving well and staying positive.

To state the obvious, running these kind of events is weird but sometimes a niggle can present itself, maybe even develop into a bit of an injury, and cause a bit of panic among the management team (in my head). Some rational thought and problem solving is usually helpful rather than throwing all the toys out of the pram. I did throw a few toys, though and felt quite sorry for myself, until I didn’t anymore, things loosened off, pain dissipated and the running legs came back - with a little less enthusiasm than before albeit.

Tunes went back on to help with motivation through a horrible road section. I set an alarm off going through a farm at one point which was…alarming. I also came across Lianne at the roadside who was not doing too well. She was struggling to stay warm and stopped to put on all her layers top and bottom. I checked she was ok and she said she would at least make to to the road crossing with service station and reassess when there, not fancying heading out over the Moors at nighttime feeling unwell. I could see the hilly Moors ahead which was encouraging! The night came and the head torch came back on but that road crossing took a while to get to with my pace slowing. How I longed for a hill!

The hill inevitably arrived eventually and I settled into a climb, determined to keep an eye on my watch and not make any mistakes. Then I made a mistake and had to double-back. I had recced this part of the route with Anya and Kim Cavill but this was definitely a longer climb! I remember seeing a shooting star at one point and can’t quite remember if it was the first or second night but held on to it as a wee reminder that my Mum was watching, probably wanting me to stop and have a wee lie down in a cosy bed. So I had a wee chat with her and said I could do with a bit of help, maybe a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th wind to give me a boost and carry me through the night. I became aware of a headtorch a bit behind me and that lit a fire in me, pushing me up the climbs and keeping me ticking along on any descents, although it did seem mostly climbing and Lordstones Check point seemed miles away. After a while I then became convinced there was no headtorch behind me at all and my Mum had made that happen to give me a push (actually it was a headtorch, with a person attached). 

Eventually I made it to Lordstones just as David was leaving and we exchanged a few words before he headed off into the night and I dropped into the marquee. Temperatures had dropped quite a bit from during the day, we were up higher and there was a wind. My plan to have a hot drink and 10-15min nap fell apart when the shivers hit very shortly after arriving. I took a corner spot and layered up - full winter tights with waterproof trousers on top, I kept my Loomi base layer on, OMM core fleece and added my OMM rotor jacket topped off with my Spine waterproof jacket. I also had a wee bowl of food (might have been a baked potato with chilli?), a cup of coffee followed by a hot chocolate and I restocked my bag for the final leg. I should have added a pair of shorts and maybe a t-shirt for daytime running as this was the last drop bag point, but I didn’t! I saw Dean here again who had tried to sleep (too cold) and met Fiona for the first time (the headtorch) who was planning a sleep.

The crew here (as at every CP) were brilliant and showed me some of my Traverse mail from the tracker. It was so encouraging to read these wee notes from pals who were following and offering support. I definitely took some energy from that, before putting on my winter mitts and heading out.

Lordstones to Robin Hoods Bay

Now, this section I had recced and so knew what was coming. As I missed out on  nap in Lordstones I waited until the trail dipped, wind dropped and temperature came up to find a lovely wee trail spot to lay down. I had already taken my Spine jacket off as I was too hot but I cosied up with my headtorch on low, hood up and alarm set for 15 mins. I woke after 10, picked myself up and got going up the next climb, reinvigorated. The night passed, I saw some cows, a couple of horses, some sheep and lambs, the grouse woke and we had a blether along the endless track towards the Lion Inn. That was a welcome sight and I was looking forward to the downhill to Glaisdale. I had been moving pretty well although did have to do a fair bit of jog-walk to get along that track. As soon as I hit the road at The Lion Inn things went wrong. The pain in my lower back returned suddenly, my left foot also became really sore (I had loosened the laces earlier as had felt a little pain and suspected swollen feet). Just putting my foot on the ground was painful, which is not handy when you’re trying to run, or even walk. I was waddling along like an injured penguin, unable to move efficiently over what should have been a relatively quick section. I took more paracetamol which did not seem to touch it and after a while I decided to call event control as I felt I could no longer move well enough due to the pain and would need to pull out. A ridiculous faff ensued as I negotiated gloves, glasses (my eyesight is pretty crap for reading), pack etc to find the phone number for event control. I looked up the trail to see if Fiona and Dean were coming behind in the hope they could help me find the phone number - I was really being quite useless at this point - until I realised it might be on the map, which it was. I was reminded afterwards that the contact number is also on my race number. Doh!

After a phone call with the very supportive Abby in event control I resumed forward movement with the vague intention of making it to Glaisdale where I could see a medic, or at least to a road crossing where I could phone for help again and wait for rescue. At some point my waddle turned to a proper upright stride and I tried a jog, then a wee run. Before I knew it I was heading down to Glaisdale like Seb Coe! Morning had broken by this point and it was getting warm. Arriving in Glaisdale I aimed to capitalise on my new found running form, fuel quickly and get on my way. As I was wearing winter kit I rolled up my winter running tights, said “Hello” to Fiona who had arrived, slapped on some (borrowed) suncream and headed off again, pausing for a minute before hitting the trail as pain returned to my back and hip. At that point I just thought I should keep going until it stops me again. The pain didn’t stop me but the fatigue took a grip and Seb Coe deserted me. The road climb out of Grosmont…well, the road climb out of Grosmont..(if you know it, insert you’re own description here).

Over the hill and approaching some runnable terrain I found that I can no longer run very well at all. Apart from various niggles the general fatigue was taking hold, retrospectively I can see that I wasn’t fuelling as well as I should be, psychologically “nearly finished” but still very much needing to fuel. Fiona caught me up, she was not descending well. Descending was the one thing I kind of could do so we shuffled on together towards the finish. I enjoyed having a bit of company, spirits were reasonably high given that the end was in sight. As we hit the coastal path Fiona drifted ahead a little to take her well earned 1st place while I let gravity pull me down that final descent. It was early afternoon on a beautifully sunny day (although with a chill - as well as fuelling I probably should have stuck on another layer) and Robin Hood’s Bay was busy. 

I saw Anya standing at the finish, smiling and cheering. That was wrong, she should be out on the route (unfortunately she was pulled out due to a chest infection), Jayson and Kim Cavill were there with Moss and of course the Ourea team.

I was so grateful to have finished! 5th place overall, 4th male, very happy with that. Tide was in so it wasn’t a long walk to throw my pebble in the sea before a couple of pics then heading off for some coffee (saving the pint for later).

It turns out my lower back pain might be originating in one of my sacroiliac joints. Time will tell.

X