Words by Andy Heller.
Saturday 14th September at 0621, I and 3 others, James Nicholson, Paul Southernwood & Bas Kuiper embarked on the toughest, most brutal & gruelling race combined with some dark mental moments.
We and several other teams had to navigate our way from the start in pitch black across 30 miles of Dartmoor's bleakest areas some infested with never ending, genetically modified 'babies heads' but we trusted 'Saint' James's nav to get us round. Ours was the fourth to set off with our bergans weighing 35 - 40lbs. On top of that food & fluids had to be added, the amount of which was up to each individual. My final weight was 44lbs.
From the start we had to work hard. There were long, seemingly never ending inclines followed by some grateful flats & declines. As the morning moved on the sun rose higher and got hotter and hotter & it was at this point you had to be aware of your fluid intake. If you took your eye off the ball you could quite quickly suffer the consequences; fluid and food, fluid and food.
At RV1 there was a quick stop for some general replenishment, then quickly off to RV2. From about 8 miles in Bas started to suffer from cramp. He managed to gradually shake it off and continue on but you could tell he was suffering. Everyone that has experienced it knows how painful & debilitating it can be. As we gradually made our way to RV2 Bas apologised for the pace but we said from the off we would start and finish as a team and wouldn't just 'p*** off'. A short while later the sweepers, Ian Ford & Josh Ford jnr caught us up staying with us into RV2.
A short break later having scoffed pasties, sausage rolls, sweets & re filled bladders RV3 beckoned. With route checked & heading given by Saint James we moved off.
Onwards we strode and periodically I could hear Stuart (previous teammate) hassling me with the words 'have you stuffed all that food down you yet, if not why not? Sometimes it's the little things that keep going.
By now it was nearly scorching across the fairly baron, desolate but beautiful landscape with nowhere really to take shelter or find shade. By now Bas was not only still cramping up but he was possibly edging towards heat stroke. After a few words Ian mentioned there was a small brook not far from where we were. There it was decided Bas was going in, clothes boots and all. Have to admit, seeing that cold, cool, clear water, nearly threw myself in as well it was that tempting. After his cooling off the team moved towards RV3. During that journey I kept thinking of tasting that cold, crisp can of Coke & demolishing a 99 Mr Whippy from the ice cream van. It would definitely be there, wouldn't it? 2 years on the trot AWOL, couldn't possibly happen, could it? Once we could see the car park the pace & heart rate quickened, ever eager to get there. On arriving the ba****d was nowhere to be seen. No ice cream, no coke. Gutted. Another replenish and then onto RV4. I dare say at this point we were all suffering in some way or other, aches, pains, cramps, feet like larva, tiredness and then to sling that Bergen on again meant you had to 'want it'. James's feet were by now making him hobble causing obvious pain but he kept going saying that at the end he was going to 'retire' his boots. To be fair they have seen some mileage The 100 Peaks Challenge included.
The brutality of Dartmoor sometimes makes you question yourself and ability but a certainty was VW was not an option no matter the pains, tiredness or the weight of 44lbs. We all pushed on eating and drinking as much as we could and mile by mile we got closer to RV4. As we walked down part of a tarmac road we turned a bend & would you believe a glorious sight beheld us. An ice cream van. A joint whoop went up & that ice cream (cheers Ian) was inhaled. With moral back on the up we headed to RV4 and eventually onward to the finish. The last 6 miles to the centre were simply bloody awful. Really can't describe how unpleasant that last section of the shuffle was. Continual baby heads as high as my waist making it feel like a jungle, aches everywhere, parts of my feet on fire and when the end was in sight it seemed to get further away with each step forward we took.
After 14hrs 04 mins of trudging over the bleakness and at the same time the beauty that is Dartmoor we arrived at the finish.
Tests like these test you physically and mentally and allow you to see truly what you're capable of.
Till next year.
Tony Ryan you continue to maintain a beast of an event, for that thank you & for the after party. Some of the funniest parts ever were seeing people shuffle to & from the medal table at a snails pace......ha ha ha.......
