I have been looking forward to running this one for a while 😁 I’m not going to do a full write up as Iain covers lots about course details etc in his race report from 2021 and Eleanor Gallon has also written a great race report on Facebook so I will just write a short one! In March while running the Rasselbock Backyard Ultra I got chatting to Eleanor about point to point races and asked if she would like to run one with me. She was really keen so a plan was made to run LLCR together. I have only run KACR before but knew the canal races are a great introduction to longer point to point events with a great low key atmosphere and awesome medals. In the run up Eleanor had suffered with some injuries/niggles that had impacted the amount of training she could do. I was unsure how this would impact race day but we still put together an optimistic pacing plan to see us finish in about 29hrs.
Everything started well on race day and we easily stuck to our planned pace and enjoyed chatting through the afternoon and seeing Iain (our crew) at different points along the way. It was humid and warm so when Iain provided ice cold buffs and lollies it was a massive boost. Unfortunately the warm weather and miles led to the start of Eleanor’s GI issues. I was hopeful that once we got to evening and it cooled down this would settle down. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be and the Canal & Rivers Trust Key was well used to access the canal side toilets! The downside of this was a slower pace and I began adjusting my expectations thinking we would only finish late afternoon/evening at the pace we were going. If only I had known the solution was music! When Eleanor started listen to music at around 5am it was enough of a distraction that the GI issues settled down and we were back running at a better pace again. Unfortunately I had just swapped into a long sleeve top as I had been getting cold – I was now roasting until we saw Iain at the next checkpoint!
Of all the canals I have run on, LLCR has been the most scenic and I loved the route. It was far more rural than I expected which I really enjoyed. Burnley was a bit rough but we were soon through this section! We got to see lots of herons and loads of toads overnight (they seemed to find the path a comfy place to sit!) and a rat gave me a massive fright when it ran across the path in front of me. Both Eleanor and I enjoyed passing other runners, we mainly just said a quick hi but did run a few miles with Kole into CP5.
I needn’t have worried about Eleanor’s niggles as she was able to keep good running form until the finished and even squatted at the back of the car to sort her bags (note to self: I must do more strength training). We both enjoyed heading into Leeds and although the last 30 miles felt like they were taking forever to pass friends popping up to surprise us was massive boost. We decided on a new goal of finishing in under 32hrs and we were able to do this with about 15mins to spare. The finish as always was lovely, receiving the great medal from Dick and being cheered in by family, friends, runners and volunteers. I even got a cup of tea 😁
I was always going to run this race at Eleanor’s pace and was pleased with how well it went. It was lovely to run with her and have a good chat. Although my knees were slightly achey most of the race (I am sure it is hormonal) my legs generally felt good, I had no nutritional problems and ate and drank really well. I tried caffeine gum for the second time and found it worked really well – I should have just used it sooner as I had a few hours where I was very sleepy. Recovery has been really quick and my legs felt fine by Monday, lost sleep always need to be caught up on and I am taking it easy on the running this week. Back to training next week for the Ochil 100 in September 😁
Iain as always was amazing crew and it was nice for us to have the weekend away together. Big thanks to everyone that came out and supported us, to the race organisers and volunteers – I highly recommend the canal races to everyone 😁