Image of Whitby Abbey
So just to put this one in perspective, I knew I wanted to do the Hardmoors 110, which then led me to enter the Hardmoors 55 to prepare for it, which led me to do the Hardmoors 30 to kick start the year, which led to adding the Hardmoors 60 to hopefully get some kudos and a nice hoodie. What transpired was much more than I’d bargained for.
Hardmoors 30 – Grand Slam kicks off and I find myself in 2nd place…. I’d wrongly assumed that I’d not really have a chance to get anywhere near any placings, but then started to play it out and look into previous year’s results and thought I might want to push a little to hold my position.
Hardmoors 55 – Well maybe I need a rethink. I’d completed a Backyard ultra a few weeks prior and just didn’t have the legs to get the time I wanted here and subsequently took a hit to my position and found myself now in 3rd place. Maybe I should just focus on the finish and receiving that hoodie as originally planned.
Hardmoors 110 – So having completed the UTS50k the week before, this was very much a get around and through all the cut offs in time, cross the finish line and pick my medal up. I’d pushed all hopes of placing in the top 3 as A. I didn’t want the pressure B. I’d just come back from a tough 34 miles in the Welsh mountains. There was plenty of bumps along the way in completing this one, but ultimately, I’d done fairly well up until just before The White Horse when lack of foot care which resulted in blisters turning my run/walk to a walk/trudge.
I manage to hold on to my 3rd place position in the Slam, but conscious I’ve got another Tough Ultra before the Hardmoors 60, that could scupper that, so I again push the thought aside.
Hardmoors 60
Unfortunately, I’m writing this on 13th December and working from memory with regards to how the day went, so this maybe be short and a little disjointed. Leading up to the event I’d took a little time off running due to being pretty beat up from Europe’s Toughest Mudder Ultra, it was only 40 miles, but add the climbing, crawling, swinging, climbing, in and out of water, while getting electrocuted and penalties for any failed obstacle attempts the countless burpee’s etc. etc. the list goes on. The long and short of it is, I was knackered and needed a little more recovery.
I took most of August off and that continued into September and as I got my kit prepared the night before, felt a little less prepared than I’d have liked to have been. Although still believed I could finish the race and ultimately get the hoodie and the kudos from my 3 or so Strava followers….
Race Day
So, the plan was to drive the ~2 hours to Filey, catch the bus back to Guisborough and hopefully catch some sleep/rest on the bus before the long day ahead. Upon arriving at the car park, quickly paying as it looked like the bus was packed and ready to leave, I walked over to be told the bus is full and the other bus had broken down….. Ah s&*te…. Ermm, right no time to waste as I want to race, I’m driving back to Guisborough, I’ve got space for 4, who’s coming with me? So, the guys seemed to be a bit confused by the question and what if the bus did eventually turn up…. I wasn’t prepared to get into negotiations, so bluntly asked who wants to race? I have space decide amongst yourselves.
Luck had it that with the 2 spaces left on the bus including the crew seat and the 4 spaces I had in the car meant that everyone was on their way to Guisborough and would be able start. Not the start I’d planned, but what’s the difference another hour in the car going to make….. So was good to have a good natter with everyone in the car about races, which soon past the time and we were at Guisborough in no time.
Off We Go
I quick faff getting ready, through kit check and with my tracker attached, I head outside to hear the end of Jon’s prerace brief. Down the drive to the start and off we went, I’m not going to lie, it was at this point I was questioning why I’d signed up for this one after what was already a busy running year, but I pushed that thought aside and pushed on. Tactic for the day was push at the start and once the wheels started to fall off, walk the rest of the way.
The ”wheels” didn’t come off until around Whitby abbey, so this is when I started to contemplate my position for the day and what that would mean to my position in the Grand Slam. So I’d worked out that I just needed to stay ahead of Gary Talbot by 44 places, I knew what Gary looked like and funnily enough he’d no doubt knew what I looked like as he’d added me on Strava. So I think I can probably just walk this in from here now and some what enjoy the race and maybe Gary will come past me in the later stages, but no biggy…..
No sooner had I thought this, the man himself comes running up behind me, no introductions required we greet each other and have a good natter with a walk/run up until Hornblower. I’d already confessed to Gary I was pretty fatigue and likely not doing much running beyond this point. I’m not sure Gary’s thoughts at this point, but after a quick pit at Hornblower Gary wished me luck and off he went. This is where I complained to the Hardshalls that he probably doesn’t know it, but he’s made this race a whole lot more unpleasant for me.
I pick myself up and tried to put the work in to keep Gary in view for a long as possible, with Gary falling out of view somewhere between Hornblower and Ravenscar. I get to Ravenscar and Gary is nowhere to be seen so I could have quickly refuelled and pushed on but chose to take time to refuel and head out when I was ready. This was definitely the right choice as it enabled me to get some good running in for the next 5 miles and after this point, I’d took note of Gary’s position via the tracker and hoped I had enough energy and cushion in the bank to carry on with a run/walk and keep within reach of that 3rd place placing in the Grand Slam.
Closing in on the Finish
Although not fully confident in that, I continued to make good progress towards the finish line. It was at some point before Scarborough front, that I got talking intermittently with David Wall. We shared a few stories and David manage to push on from Scarborough towards the finish, until I caught him up on our way to Filey. A small nav error before Filey could have cost us some time, but thankfully we quickly got back on route and in doing so past 4-6 people along the way. Although at the time this section on the way towards Filey felt endless, in reality it was over fairly quickly, and we were soon heading up the road to the finish.
David was a true gent and let me finish ahead of him to give me an extra point, although I’d manage to keep Gary within 20 or so places from Ravenscar. I was glad the long day was over and after confirming my placing with Shirley, I was confident I’d done enough to claim 3rd in the Grand Slam. Obviously very happy with this outcome as I was only looking for the Grand Slam completion and a hoodie and as a bonus got my first bit of “bronzeware”.
Thanks to all the Slammers’
I’ve not managed to talk face to face with any of the other Grand Slammers’ other than Gary who’s a great guy, so just like to congratulate all the competitors in the Gran Slam and other Slams as these races aren’t easy to complete on their own, never mind doing 3-6 in one year so well done everybody! Also really sad not to be able to attend the presentation night due to a clash with the Arc of Attrition. It would have been great to talk to some of the other Hardmoor’s runners, while picking up my prize.
Reflections
Very glad I entered the Grand Slam and continue to meet new runners through the Hardmoors community. I’ve already touched upon this in a previous post, but truly a great community that emphasis’s Jon and Shirley’s passion and support to get the best out of people, either running or supporting. I’m taking a break from the Slams in 2025, with a potential return in 2026. For 2025 the HM30 and HW80 will keep me ticking over.
This may come a little too late as the due date to enter the Slams is today, if you’re considering it, get yourself in the mix of one of the Slams, you’ll not regret it!
P.S. I’ll look to add some more photo’s and update the blog as things come to mind and once I get my hands on that hoodie!
Author: Justin Bramall
Passionate about all things ultra running, from tackling epic distances to embracing adventurous challenges. I thrive on pushing limits, exploring new terrain, and sharing the grit and glory of the ultra world.
