Two years after deciding to take on the Dukeries 40 and seeing the Hobo Pace 100 mile race and thinking there was no way I could complete a 100 mile run. Then a year after completing 15 laps at Equinox and realising that I did need a bit more time, I booked myself onto the Robin Hood 100 miles which meant I needed to complete the course in 30 hours (which is the cut-off time).
It starts at South Wheatley village hall, which is the start of the Waterways 30, and then traverses fields and tracks to get to the Chesterfield Canal. The route then takes you onto the canal, that goes through Retford before heading off towards Manton Pit Wood. There is then the 30 mile loop through Clumber Park including a couple of sections of the Worksop half, Sherwood Forest including the Major Oak, which you then do twice before heading back to Manton Pit Wood and the canal to the finish line. The canal did remind me of running down Grantham canal – the bridges are just the same.
All the aid stations had fantastic volunteers who wanted to know how you were feeling and if there was anything to get for you. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they were a welcome sight every 3 to 10 miles. When I was feeling really rough, they made sure I had a sit down and kept an eye on me to see how I was getting on. The finish is amazing as fellow crews are cheering you on and when you get in the hall everybody shouts out well done to each finisher. I’ve never had that response to finishing a race.
A big thank you goes to Ros and Julie who took time out of their Saturday evening to give me a big boost on the 10 mile loop through Sherwood Forest. Unfortunately, it coincided with me losing time due to the usual stomach issues that I experience every time I do long runs. They did give me the boost I needed to get me back to the car for a short rest and then I was able to move much better again.
I also need to give a massive thank you to Paul (and the dogs) who had an awful long time to wait for me to arrive at various points around the course for a very short period of time. Especially as each mile got longer and longer. He just about had a harder time than I was having, just on the boredom stakes. Bizarrely he found sleeping in the boot through to the back seat of the car quite comfortable.
To try to keep all of my technology ticking over, I thought I was well prepared with power packs. Little did I know that the connectors are all different, so that was a pain. Then at 65 miles in I found out that my watch does download maps and there was my route. I’ve only had the watch about 3 to 4 years. Lol, as my girls would say.
The results are now through and Menna Evans came first in 18:10:05, about 40 minutes ahead of the first male back. A male was on course to beat the 17:05 record but blew up at 70 miles. I recorded 27:37:30 which gave me 49th place out of 83 finishers and 14th female home. Amusingly, the results give the year of birth, so I was the oldest female finisher by about 9 years. Typical they don’t offer age prizes. 53 starters did not finish, so there is a high attritional rate.
I’ve told Ros and Julie not to let me do this length of run again as my stomach just can’t take it. Running on water for 60 miles is really hard work, never mind about the after-effects of getting the legs moving each time I get up. However, if you do fancy a challenge that is local with lovely scenery, great organisation (look-up Ronnie Staton as he is an ultra-marathoner) and great support , the next race is set for 12th to 13th September 2026, so plenty of time to get you ready and prepared.
