Every year hundreds of yachts and thousands of yachtsmen and women gather in Cowes on the Isle of Wight for the Round Island Yacht Race. A few years back Neil Thurbon, the race director at Extreme Energy, had the idea of organising a foot race on the island over the same weekend. He thought the spectacle of the yacht race would be a great distraction for the runners who’d, no doubt, be experiencing great pain in their legs whilst running up and over the cliff tops. And so the Round Island Ultra Marathon was born, with the objective of running the entire 69 miles of coastal path over two days. It all started three years ago and I was one of the 50 people who took part in the inaugural event. I loved it so much that I went back for more this year.
On Saturday 30 June some 1000 yachts set off from Cowes to race anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight. That same morning about 120 runners also set off from Cowes to run around the Island in the opposite direction. The runners set off in three waves. The first group of mostly walkers started at 8am, then a second group departed at 9am, and I was in the so called ‘elite’ group of 13 that started at 10am.
The previous night almost all competitors bunked down in the sports hall at Cowes High School. This was our first chance to get to know a few other runners. However, group dynamics being what they are, most people were very reserved the first night and kept themselves to themselves. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d put my sleeping mat down right next to a former member of the Sweaty Betty running club that I coach. I didn’t recognise her until breakfast the next day.
We didn’t exactly have a peaceful night on the Friday. With about 100 or so people sleeping in one place there was bound to be a few snorers. I swear I didn’t get more than a few minutes sleep. The whole hall reverberated to the sound of snorers and the loudest seemed to be sleeping right by my head. However, this gave the majority of us the first piece of shared experience to comment on over breakfast, as we tried to find out who had slept and who hadn’t. Anyone who admitted to getting a good night’s sleep was eyed with suspicion. This is how I started taking to Faye, and we both did a double take as we recognised each other.
The worst thing about being in the ‘elite’ group was that we had so long to hang around and wait for our starting time. We all found ourselves sat in distant parts of the sports hall at 9am, which suddenly seemed to get a lot bigger. Then one or two started to introduce themselves and I started to get to know a few of my competitors. I was the only one in the group who had run this race before, so was questioned on what each day was like. My memory of the previous event was surprising sketchy, but I definitely remembered that the second day was easier to run and to navigate. Most people had got lost at some point on day 1, and it was my intention not to go wrong at the same points this time around.
It felt like a great relief when it was our time to leave the school hall and jog down to the Cowes chain ferry. We boarded the ferry in West Cowes. The race would start as soon as the ferry touched dry land in East Cowes. Everyone suddenly leapt from the ferry and ran up the road at what I thought was a fast pace given we had 38 miles ahead of us. I found myself at the back of the pack and decided to move up to the front to keep an eye on the lead runners. My goal was to try and finish in the top 5.
I found myself running next to Chris, who was from the Island and who knew the route well. I thought he’d be a great guy to keep with, so I struck up a conversation with the intention of getting to know him better.
For the first mile or so the 13 runners in the ‘elite’ group kept reasonably close together. But after a few miles it started to open up and I was in a lead group of five runners. I was happy with the pace and fairly confident that I could keep with the other runners in the group for most of the way and see my top 5 finishing position come to fruition. Chris was in this group and proved to be a valuable tour guide. He led us around the route so that we didn’t need to refer to the map or route description. He even pointed out a few landmarks. By the time we reached the first check point at about the 10 mile point our group had dwindled to four.
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| With the leaders at Bembridge Bay (I'm on the right) |
Two of the runners went through the check point without even stopping. Chris and I had a quick bite to eat and took a drink of squash and then set off in pursuit of the two leaders. We were soon back as a group of four, mainly because the two at the front almost took a wrong turn, but Chris shouted at them and in having to double back a few yards they were back alongside Chris and me.
At about mile 17 we reached the first real climb of the day going up from Whitecliff Bay to the top of Culver Down. It might only be 104m above sea level, but it was a steep climb which had me walking for the first time. The front two runners managed to put a sizeable gap between me and Chris at this point, and I wouldn’t see them again until the finish. Once at the top of Culver Down I took a brief moment to admire the view of the yacht race. The sea was littered with 100s of boats with brilliant white sails billowing in the very strong wind, which had just started to become a head wind for us runners, adding to our test of endurance.
From the top of Culver Down we had a long down hill run to Sandown, where the second check point was located at mile 19. At this point in the race we started to overtake many runners who had set off an hour earlier than us. We’d already passed the majority of walkers from the 8am group. Chris left the check point before I was ready to leave, meaning I’d be running the remaining 18 miles by myself and without my trusty guide. I met up with Faye and her boyfriend, Matt, at check point 2 and asked how they were doing. I was surprised to have caught them so early.
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| Arriving at the second check point |
The next two miles or so were pretty flat and very easy to follow, given that it just followed the continuous promenade through Sandown and Shanklin. The biggest hazard was meandering holiday makers who were understandably oblivious to our race. Once we’d reached the end of Shanklin we had 156 steps to climb, which was hard work for tired legs.
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| A view of the Round Island Yacht Race. |
From the top of the cliff the coastal path wound its way through woodland where the path was very muddy from the recent heavy rain. I wished I’d chosen trail shoes at this point. In road shoes I was reduced to a walk in many places. It was a relief to be back on concrete and running on the flat again through Ventnor and then reaching the third check point at about mile 25.
I had told myself that I had to at least reach marathon distance feeling reasonably o.k. So far, so good. The real test would come over the next 13 miles. I fully expected to have to walk more and more as I got closer to the finish. However, I also told myself that I wouldn’t walk if the terrain was flat or downhill. At times I started to wish for an uphill section so that I had an excuse to walk.
The next serious uphill came soon enough at mile 28, where the coastal path turns inland and up through the village of St Lawrence. The next mile was mostly on road and all uphill, and I walked almost all of it. I had just caught up with a female runner at this point and we walked together and chatted as we made our way up through the village and on up the hill that overlooks it. Fortunately for me she was pleasant company, but I didn’t get round to asking her name. I continued on my own once we’d got over the steepest part of the climb and turned due west again. The path continued to go mostly up for the next 3 miles, which brought us to the final check point and the highest point of the route at 164m.
I left the check point hoping to be able to continuously run the remaining 7 miles to the finish. From a distance it looked like the route would be either downhill or at least flat all the way. However, the last stretch of coastal path was completely exposed to the westerly winds, so even running on the flat was hard work. The slightest incline was an almighty test. I was reduced to a brief walk on several occasions. But I was encouraged by the fact that I was constantly catching and overtaking runners from the 9 o’clock group. Some would try to keep up with me, but none were able to.
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| Final few yards to the finish |
I reached the finish line having taken 6 hours and 9 minutes to run the 38 miles. Two years ago it had taken me 7 hours 25 minutes, but I did get lost on that occasion and had run an extra 3 miles. To my amazement I was also told that I was in second place overall. This I could not believe and was convinced that someone had made a mistake. But it turned out that one of the first two runners had withdrawn due to a pain in his knee, and I had overtaken Chris when he nipped into a public toilet. He later told me he saw me ahead of him when he came out of the loo but couldn’t catch up with me. Chris found the second half really tough and eventually finished 21st overall on the day.
In first place at the end of day 1 was Justin Montague. He was 37 minutes ahead of me. David Ross was third and just 6 minutes behind me. Fourth was 13 minutes back. The last person took over 13 hours to complete day 1.
Saturday night was spent at the Brightstone Holiday Camp. Most runners opted to sleep in tents, but several sensibly individuals had booked one of the chalets for the chance to sleep in a comfortable bed. But the few that I spoke to Sunday morning didn’t seem to have slept any longer than I had. Although I was exhausted when I turned in for the night, I got very little sleep. I was kept awake by a combination of adrenaline and aching legs. I couldn’t switch my brain off and kept analysing the day’s run and thinking about the 31 miles that were to follow the next day.
By Sunday morning several of the runners felt like good friends. This is the beauty of a multi-day event. You very quickly bond with the people around you as a result of the shared experience. Once again I had to watch the walkers depart at 7am, then the first wave of runners at 8am and then wait around a now quiet camp site for my start time at 9am with the remaining handful of runners.
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| The 8am runners set off on day 2 |
As soon as our run was underway Justin, David and myself immediately went to the front of the pack. David was definitely making it clear that he was going to challenge me for 2nd place. I was happy to follow the two of them, knowing that David would need to build up a lead of at least three quarters of a mile if he was to beat me by more than 6 minutes.
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| A view of the first 9 miles of day 2 - exposed cliff tops into a head wind |
The first six miles were along exposed cliff tops all the way to Freshwater. Fortunately, the wind had abated slightly overnight. There were some steep climbs over the first few miles. David and Justin ploughed on up them at a reasonable pace. I felt that I wasn’t prepared to put in such a hard effort so early on, so allowed them to both build up a lead. If David really wanted to beat me that much he was welcome to it, I’d settle for third place overall. However, in Freshwater I witnessed the two runners ahead of me take a wrong turn. They were too far ahead for me to shout out to them. I followed the correct route and made my way up Tennyson Down which leads to the Needles at the far western end of the island. On my way up the steepest part of the climb I saw David and Justin emerge onto a path that approached the hill from a different point. They were now just slightly behind me, but soon caught up with me again. When we reached the first check point at the Needles Battery at mile 9 they were both a few minutes ahead of me again.
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| Approaching the second check point |
The next check point was just after Yarmouth at mile 15.5. I’d started to overtake some of the 8am walkers/runners. As I passed one group of runners I got a big cheer and I was told that I was the first of the ‘elite’ group to pass them. This I couldn’t believe, but another group I passed later on also confirmed this. I could only conclude that David and Justin had taken another wrong turn. Navigation was very much a part of the challenge and I suspected that David was so keen to beat me that he wasn’t paying close enough attention to either the map or route description. Maybe he was relying on Justin to guide him around. It was possible that having run the event before I had a good advantage over them both. I reached the second check point and it was confirmed that I was the current leader. This news spurred me on to try and put as much distance between me and David as possible.
The next check point wasn’t until just after mile 26. This was the greatest distance between check points. The terrain was mostly flat and was a combination of woodland trails, coastal promenades, quiet country lanes, and one section of wooden boardwalks over swamp. Justin managed to catch me again just after the second check point, but I kept him in my sights for the entire run to the third. He never managed to get any further than 400m ahead of me. On long straight sections I’d look over my shoulder expecting to see David gaining on me, but he never came into sight.
Justin ran straight through the final check point, but I had to stop to fill my Camelbak and to have some food. The finish was just over 5 miles, but I knew that there were a few challenging hills on the last stretch. After leaving the final check point the route first followed a footpath over farmland. One section of path was muddy and completely churned up by cow hooves. The mud was sticky and deep. I later heard that several runners had their shoes pulled off their feet by trying to run through the mud. I tip toed through the least muddy part of the path, which happened to be right alongside an electric fence that was humming and cracking centimetres from my bare, wet legs.
I continued on through Thorness Holiday Park, down to Thorness Bay and along the sandy beach. Two years ago my legs were completely dead at this stage, but this time I was actually feeling pretty good. I could remember having to walk up the hill that leads over the headland to Gunard Bay. This time I managed to run all the way up the hill and down the other side at a fair pace. The idea that David might catch me on the last stretch kept me pressing on to the finish.
Before I knew it I’d reached the sea front in Cowes. I ran along the esplanade at what felt like great speed, considering the distance I’d run over the previous 2-days. I then reached the final climb that would lead me up to Cowes High School and the end of the epic run. As I turned the corner into the school entrance I could hear clappers and symbols and people cheering. What a welcoming committee. I ran the final few yards as fast as I was able and gave out a loud whoop. I couldn’t believe that I had actually finished in 2nd place and had taken about two hours off my overall time from two years ago. Justin was the first person to congratulate me. Ten minutes later David arrived at the finish. The three of us then exchanged notes about the run whilst drinking sugary tea and eating cake.
After a shower I hung around the finish line with more tea to welcome in other runners. About an hour and half after I’d finished my run, Neil, the race organiser, decided to have the first prize given ceremony. I’ve never won any trophies before in the ten years that I have been entering races, but this weekend I came away with two, one as runner up and one for first man over 40. I was feeling rather pleased with myself.
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| First three men - Justin, centre, and David, right. |
I should mention my wonderful support crew, which consisted of Ruth on a hire bike. Whilst I ran around, Ruth cycled on the round the Island cycle path, which is mostly inland from the coastal path, but at times the two join. Ruth would try to beat me to the points where the two paths would meet to cheer me on. On one occasion she didn’t get to the meeting point in time, but she mostly just made it in time to see me run past. She made it to the finish of day 1 just 30 seconds before I arrived. I’m now under strict instructions to not run any faster if I enter this race again. My reply to this was that maybe Ruth should undergo some training in order to cycle a little faster. This comment didn’t seem to go down too well.
