last sunday was the day of the coventry way challenge (or it was when i started writing this). being local and having done it last year, it went straight on the calendar for this autumn’s ultra build up.
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overview road map
(route logged on garmin forerunner 301, image generated using SportTracks maps from Google)
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satellite view
(using SportTracks export function to GoogleEarth)
with the walkers starting from 6am, and the runners offically between 9 & 10 i recalled being a bit hurried when we arrived last year, so i made a point of getting there in good time for 8. the weather was forecast to be roasting and sunny, i was hoping the thin cloud that was covering the sky would hang about for a bit but even as i drove there i could see patches being burnt off.
after a leisurely preparation, kitting up and plenty of sun lotion it was still only 8:30 so i wandered to the start and set off with a couple of others a few minutes later. up the stairs, across the road and a gentle climb to the church, i soon left them behind. having done the full route last year these less familiar sections were much easier. after only a few miles the sun was out in force, tho’ being early in the day there was still plenty of shade, coming to the first exposed section across i field i donned my new legionaires style cap.
what a magic device, the neck protection provided shade and funnelled any cooling wind down the back of my neck. it took a bit of getting hold of last week (having seen the forecast) but well worth the hunt.
within a few miles i caught sight of a character off to the right peering at a route book, he looked up so i waved in the direction of the corner of the field i was heading for, checked to see he was coming this way and carried on. almost immediately after i diverted a little so whilst i was puzzling that out he caught me and was none the wiser about which way to go. that was already the second time he’d been lost so he tagged along. i headed to the edge of the field where as i expected a well trampled trail led the way, we’d only clipped off a corner.
soon i was back on more familiar territory and heading for the disused rail line that runs all the way to kenilworth. it was good to have company and we chatted away, soon enough checkpoint 1 (13km/8miles – 1hr28mins) arrived where we paused briefly for drink & cake.
i discovered this was one john slinn who had a long history in triathlon, ironman & ultra running. he’d run 40miles already on friday and had just turned up here to ‘pootle’ round. he was expecting to get round in 10 or 11 hours… not if he was coming with me he wasn’t! but since he didn’t want to navigate he didnt have much choice. he was at the end of his training for the spartathlon a ridiculously tough 150 or so miles in greece. apparently he did the first ever modern race of the route, this would be his 9th attempt having finished 4 out of the previous 8 times. awesome stuff.
walking up the hill we shighted our first gurkha awaiting his relay team-mate, a possible attempt at the record it was rumoured. onward dodging golfballs and alongside the a46 not terribly far from my house, passed by a couple of runners along this section and occasionally coming across a lone walker. onto the road and across the a46 takes us down a footpath to the low point of the course in stoneleigh. the short sharp climb back out again we walk, probably the most severe in the route, i need my legs for later. passed by a handful more runners the road takes us toward bubenhall, albeit indirectly via some fields when we could just stick to the road. we pass a gaggle of red t-shirts and another two walkers before the gurkha catches us on another small climb, we encourage him toward the top corner of the field. a short while later and after a little wiggle on the road he passes us again, obvously having missed the sharp turn off the road. as we cross the field toward the church we can see his team-mates shouting abuse/encouragement.
shortly after was checkpoint 2 (22km/14miles – 2hr42mins) and a whole minibus of gurkhas, this was the last we’d see of them for some time! 22km or about a half marathon into the route having been going for 2 & 3/4 hours i was feeling ok and the legs were in good shape. was doing well working my way through the energy drink in my bumbag and alternating it with the smaller bottle of water.
after a few cups of water/squash and the essential swiss roll we set off again with the main heat of the day still to come, the sky was clear with few clouds… ouch.
towards ryton passing a few more walkers through the less than scenic car park of the peugeout plant bumper to bumper with new 307s awaiting someone to buy them. a lady we’d seen at the previous checkpoint was paused to check the route book, i remember having to do the same last year, we say hi and she tags along behind us. the subway under the a45 takes us to a new roundabout and some new concrete steps take us up to the footpath. the next field is something like rapeseed or linseed that has been harvested, the remains laying scorched on the ground, no obvious path across but i remember it being rightish so we set off until i spot the wooden bridge we are heading for. the next set of paths across to wolston are easy to follow, well trampled wheat stubble followed by footprints across a harrowed field.
i must have been looking down as i follwed the path across this field as i was surprised to find the tracks suddenly stopped, not only that but they stopped with a couple of half footprints. not thinking i looked up and saw the footprints continue, so carried on, only then to look to my left and see the tractor that had just harrowed that bit of the field!
another clump of walkers just before checkpoint 3 in wolston (30km/19miles – 3hrs35mins) which was awash with people stocking up on drink and cake. we did likewise and headed off again. the lady we’d said hi to earlier had caught us again and asked if we were doing the whole thing, she was doing half and half with har husband and looked to be flagging a little toward the end of her 20mile stint.
bretford saw an additional water stop this year which we skipped, spotted what we assumed was the other half of the husband & wife team waiting there. plenty more walkers on the way over to brinklow and the detour round the castle mounds, john was feeling pleased with himself having estimated when we should start catching the walkers and he was spot on.
onward and onto a track which makes part of one of my regular long routes and the probably closest point to home. also a site of some trauma a while ago when i stubbed my toe on one of several small tree stumps along the way. partly because of this and partly just cause i was in the lead i spotted this one coming and dropped a hand to indicate it. i probably should have said something as john was in a trance behind and tripped over it to roll down the trail.
fortunately no damage done and we were able to continue.
into brinklow and still a regular stream of walkers ahead, a loop round the fairly impressive castle mound (although i wasn’t as impressed this year) took us to checkpoint 4 (36km/22.5miles – 4hr21mins). more cake and juice and a bit of banter.
the next leg takes us across some grassy fields and up a lane to the oxford canal which we join for a while. the sun is getting strong and i fully expect to go through a low patch around this distance, conversation has dried up a little. no way i’m stopping in the sun so i set myself incremental targets of getting to the next patch of shade be it a tree, or a motorway bridge(m6). a little way on the towpath gets a little sketchy and at one point just stops dead with about a foot of water to hop over! i spot it and come to a full stop saying ‘whoooah’ and putting my arms out, given johns stump incident earlier i think he/we’d have been straight in if i hadn’t.
we come off the canal and tip toe down the steep bank alongside a bridge and head toward ansty, another temporary water stop is welcome and we chase some more walkers across a field to cross the canal we were just on. over the road and we join the opposite side of the canal, its fairly uneven here and a bit risky to run. under the m6 and climbing up toward shilton.
more fields (once you’ve seen one…) and into barnacle where another water stop is welcome. i down the drink and enjoy rubbing the ice cubes down my arms as they refill my water bottle. out of barnacle we have to persuade some cows out of the way as they’re all congregating round the style we need to cross. a little further on and bedworth is almost in sight, looking right down the road we spot one half of the couple who had obviously gone off route at some stage.
over the coventry canal the rote gets urban taking a disused rail line and alleyways to checkpoint 5 (50km/31miles – 6hr20mins). again more drink and cake and a handful of ghurkas who we have a dig at. on the way out of bedworth we pass some more walkers, crikey thats good going, and through a depressing new housing estate with unimaginatively floral road names, daisy lane, clover way… etc at least these road stretches help increase the pace a little.
off road again and to the scene of jasons suffering last year, at least we’d be making up time on that! a figure in the distance haunts us, sometimes we seem to be closing fast, other times he’s dissappeared. what last year was a wheat stubble field dotted with round hay bales this year was tall sweetcorn which concentrated the sun and blocked any wind. i made the best progress i could along here, walking some, running some. john faithfully shadowed me as i led the way, when i walked he walked, when i ran he ran.
checkpoint 6 (55km/34miles – 7hr16mins) and onto a road stretch, this was starting to be hard work! after this things get a bit sketchy in my memory, field field road field etc mostly navigating from memory with only a token check in the rotue book.john had to check i knew where i was going a few occasions as i’d look at the route book, grunt and stumble off at random across the next field!
corley was the next and final checkpoint (no. 7 60km/37.5miles – 8hr01mins) where despite their best efforts to load us up with food and drink all we really needed was to get to the finish a few miles away. one big success there was a damp tea towel, it felt great to wipe the salty sweat off my face and feel the cool water evaporating off me.
so close to the finish and yet so far, only a few miles to go and suddenly i felt to feel nauseous. any amount of running was too much exertion and co-ordinating my legs on the rough ground just didn’t seem to be happening. so i walked determinedly (is that a word?), after about 5 or 10minutes john asked ‘is that you done then?’ which got a definite yes! a while earlier 8hrs 30 had seemed a possible finishing time but it was now obvious that had required 5mph average, at the moment we would be doing well to manage 4mph.
eventually we were back onto the final road section down toward the pub at meriden, john for the first time checked the map and persuaded me to jog down here, keeping up the encouragement all the way. i recall this section feeling longer than it should last year, its only just over half a mile in reality, in the mind its much further of course. the road winds a little but eventually i could make out the tail end of meriden tucked in the crease of the valley and knew that just round the next corner the pub would suddenly be upon us.
and sure enough it was.
i think my walking had lost us the 20minutes needed for 8hrs30 but i was happy enough with 8hrs51, nearly 70minutes up on last year.
my thanks to john for shadowing me round and finally making himself useful by getting me the last couple of miles.
greatest thanks of course to the cov way association and all the helpers at the feed stations along the way.
well done to all finishers, respect to the walkers who were out there even longer than us, commiserations to the gurkhas who managed to only be 1hr50 faster than me…. and there was lots of them!
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route profile (GPS based elevation) – distance in km, height in metres
5 mile average pace splits (mins/km)
5 mile average heart rate (bpm)
