Andy Morley - 3rd Place Montane Summer Spine Challenger
The Montane Spine Summer Challenger 2022, a 108 mile jog on the Pennine Way - by Andy Morley (Team HP3)
Now that the dust has settled a bit and I can use the stairs again, I thought I’d pen a few lines on my adventure. Forgive me if I do waffle on a bit!
Firstly, I’ll add a little context to the essay.
I am a 40 something long distance trail/fell or Ultra Marathon runner who lives in sunny Manchester. I have served in the British Army for several years and now I’m currently a HGV Driver. I have been running competitively for around 15 years ish. Did the usual thing, started road running but gradually got bored with that and moved onto trail running, after reading several books and listening to Podcasts, I learned about the trail running scene and then the crazy but very intriguing ultra marathon scene.
This is me on my very first trail marathon, don’t laugh at the legs!
I have competed in various ultras over the years and sometimes I do question my sanity during some of my adventures, but as they say, life Is for living!
Earlier this year (2022) I entered the inaugural Montane Spine Challenger North, a 160 mile ultramarathon along the Pennine Way in the UK from the village of Hardraw in the Yorkshire Dales right up to the Scottish borders to a place called Kirk Yetholm. I sadly had to withdraw from the race through injury around the 100 mile mark. I was devastated to say the least after all the hard work I had put in and to DNF really hit me hard. I had to do some soul searching after it and considered packing it all in. I was also going through some personal issues at the time which didn’t help either. But with some support form my ever patient wife Natalie and my good friend and cracking coach Tim Pigott, I stopped sulking and snapped out of my low point.
Me and Tim had a chat and the seed was set. Re focus, recover and get ready for my next big race, the Montane Spine Summer Challenger in June 2022 and do you know what, I was gonna give it everything I had. The heartbreak of January really made me knuckle down and I was gonna make amends for the disappointment. I guess it’s true, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
This was me on Hadrian’s Wall on the Challenger North, just before my DNF
So basically, I spent the six months from January until June 2022 getting myself as fit as possible with the fantastic and ever knowledgeable help from Tim. We built up gradually, did loads of reccie runs on the actual course, built me up strength wise so that my body would hopefully hold up to the battering of the race and generally left no stone unturned.
I entered one of my favourite ultras in the Lake District, the Lakes 40 in April 2022 as a tune up race to see how my fitness was coming along and was very pleased to achieve a new PB of just under 9 hours! Boom 😊
This gave me a good confidence boost as June was fast approaching…
I even managed to stop and take some pictures during the Lakes 40!
The weekend of the race was finally upon me and I was getting the usual butterflies but I was cautiously confident as my training had gone very well and I was feeling very determined and strong. I had a game plan in place and felt confident of at least achieving my sub 30 hours target, Tim my coach had even loftier targets for me. Turns out he was spot on! But never once did I think, I could actually podium place this one….could I?
I arrived in the picturesque village of Edale in the Peak District on Friday 17th of June, the official start of the Pennine Way and the start of the Challenger race. We had to register for the race and go through a kit check on this day. The event HQ was the usual buzz of people, racers, marshals and the usual millers about (Mike Churchyard et al) 😉
I completed all the formalities, got my kit checked and received my race number and even though I’ve done loads of kit checks, I still get nervous even though I know I’ve got all the correct kit. Strange! Afterwards I called In at the Rambler Inn drinking establishment for some lunch and sadly a pint of Lemonade then went for a quick walk just to have a little think about what was to come.
The morning of the big day was here, this was what all the training and hard work was for. I arrived at 07:30 half an hour before the start at 08:00 deliberately as I didn’t want to be pacing about for too long before the race, eyeing up the competition and thinking, they look fast! I hadn’t slept very well the night before but that was just par for the course. Not even another check of my pack would relax me, not surprisingly after how many other times I went through my stuff, it seems mandatory to pack and re pack your kit several times before a race.
Making a statement from the off and putting my plan into place, I stood on the start line at the front along side my mate and coach Tim Pigott and the countdown commenced. We were off!
The front pack going up Jacobs Ladder
Me and Tim were at the front going through Edale towards the start of the Pennine Way just through the village along a small road section, there was a group of about six of us steadily running along. I felt good but wanted to stick to my plan and not get carried away especially on the first mile or so up to the foot of the first big climb, Jacobs Ladder which would take us up to Kinder Scout. By the time we had got to the bottom of Jacobs Ladder, me and the front pack had already opened up a small gap from the rest. I could sense it more than anything else as I tried not to look back to see where others were. Going up Jacobs Ladder, I got my poles out and hiked up steadily while trying not to go too hard. Once at the top, I did have a cheeky look round to see where others were, we had still a decent gap over the rest of the field. There was me, Tim, Joe Horne and another chap who was running called Adam Critchley and lurking a bit behind us was the eventual 2nd place finisher, Tim Bradley. That’s the way it stayed pretty much until around the Torside intermediate checkpoint. We just trotted along, talking rubbish as you do! I was eating and drinking regularly and all was well.
Looks like I’ve had a few pints there!
Crossing the road at Torside just before the Dam wall, me and Tim made a small balls up with the navigation and took a wrong turning, thankfully we realised or Tim realised quickly and we turned back and re joined the correct path. This gave Adam and Tim Bradley the opportunity to get ahead of us (knackers) but it was still very early on in the race and I still had my race plan firmly imprinted in my mind and didn’t panic. Me and Tim Pigott (the tale of two Tim’s) soon caught up again so all was well. The next climb was upon us, the run up to Black Hill and Tim Bradley had managed to pull away, again I wasn’t really bothered and just focused on myself. Coming off Black Hill, there is a very convenient butty van on the main road before the reservoirs at Wessenden where me and Tim P stopped for a can of full fat Coke, rocket fuel for ultras but I don’t touch it with a bargepole normally, Tim B had disappeared ahead by now. Didn’t think I’d see him again to be honest as he did look strong and looked like he was on a mission too. By this time, me and Tim P were on our own and so we were the top three from there onwards. A battle for podium place, but which order? I was thinking, I’m in the top three here…don’t eff this up!
The next bit was a decent runnable downhill section alongside Wessenden Reservior but I didn’t hammer it as I wanted to save my quads from any unnecessary bashing, I just relaxed and listened to my breathing. Then there’s a short, sharp and steep climb up out of the valley which warranted the use of my poles again. Then a more gradual slope and eventually we reached Standedge cutting near the village of Diggle. I was hoping for another intermediate CP at the car park there so I could hopefully top up with water, but it wasn’t to be, nothing there and I was getting a bit concerned about my fluid situation but remembered that the delightful Nicky’s Food Bar was not far away, situated at a lay-by on the Pennine Way right next to the M62 Motorway. I was moving along nicely though and still feeling good, our spirits were still high. Like a mirage or Oasis in the desert, we could now see Nicky’s Food Bar tucked in it’s usual spot just before the M62. Once there, I was surprised to see Tim Bradley at the doorway of Nicky’s filling his bottles and just about to set off, I think maybe me and Tim P surprised him too as he sped off into the distance. I was very pleased to see Nicky and requested my butty, brew and a top up of my water. Like an F1 pit stop, Nicky sorted our requests out, we got ourselves together and sped off ourselves, saying our thanks and goodbyes to Nicky, (I’ll be back soon Nicky for a butty and a chat when I’m running again) this was the first time I’ve ran along a trail while trying to drink and not spill a cup of tea and eat a bacon butty. It felt like some kind of a re hash of an egg and spoon race 😆
We hiked up the steady climb to Blackstone Edge, while I stuffed my face with bacon butty, the brew had been drunk by now, nearly all of it anyway! By the time we got to the White House Pub, I was feeling some effects of the efforts of the day, which made me a little concerned so I had some more food and drink and again kept calm. At this point we could see Tim Bradley in the not too far distance and that was when Tim Pigott started to pull away from me, clearly on a mission of his own. I was impressed with how he drifted away from me and thought, you go for it mate, I’m happy to carry on doing what I’m doing. So for the next few miles, I was just watching the two Tim’s and Tim P was getting closer to Tim B (I’m sorry if it’s a bit confusing, why did they both had to be called Tim!?) as we approached Stoodley Pike, Tim P took the lead, I think it was there anyway from what I could see. It was actually quite interesting to watch them go at it and I thought, sod it, remember your plan Andy. Do your own thing. So I was running on my own and honestly, I think I prefer it that way. I generally train on my own and like my own company so it’s something I’m used to. I was very confident of the navigation and my ability so again, I didn’t panic. Eventually, I was descending off the hill to Charlestown which is just West ish of Hebden Bridge where the major checkpoint of the race is, where I could get something to eat, drink and have access to my drop bag. One small issue was that there was a steep climb back out of the valley to do first before reaching the road which I would turn onto to reach the checkpoint itself. Crossing over the 200 year old stone bridge over a stream before the final field climb to the road, I noticed some rather dodgy looking middle aged blokes in their Budgie smugglers, sat in the stream and stood along the bank. I felt rather nauseous and decided to increase my pace somewhat! Thankfully, I reached the road which was an out and back from the Pennine Way to the checkpoint at Hebden Hey Scout Centre, then turned off the road and followed a path down to the CP itself for a quick pitstop. I wanted to sort myself out with minimal faff, I’m not keen on faffing about!
As I arrived at Hebden CP, I noticed Tim Pigott already there and I was greeted by some of the fabulous marshals of the event who tirelessly operate the checkpoints during the whole event, as a former marshal myself on another event I can appreciate just how hard you have to work, often with no sleep at all for a couple of days. I stepped into the porch of the building and was greeted to my drop bag and i asked for a nice bowl of soup and a cup of tea. Be slick now Andy no faffing, I thought. I changed my top, dug out and prepped my head torch for the night section ate some soup, replenished my food and fluids and was just about to leave but had to have a quick kit check by one of the marshals, fair enough I thought. Just then, Tim Bradley came trotting into the CP….must have taken a wrong turn or something? He did seem a bit rushed, let’s get out of here I thought. I said my thanks to the marshals, gave the gorgeous Nikki Knappett a big hug who was one of the event marshals at the CP (I did warn her I was minging) and made my way out hoping to put a bit of distance between me and Tim B, Tim P had already left.
Pulling away from the CP onto the road and back on the PW, I said to myself, just keep ticking over Andy that’s it. The next section was a open moorland section, which eventually goes past a reservoir and up to and over Top Withens, the site and inspiration for the Bronte novels. Quite runnable and the weather was cooling off now so I trotted along. Looking behind, I could see Tim B catching up to me by now, he mustn’t have stopped at the CP for long. He was on a mission! I carried on with my pace and was expecting Tim B to pass me anytime soon, but it wasn’t until climbing out of Ponden did Tim B catch up. We chatted for a bit as we went along, but he pushed on and was back in 2nd place just before the marvellous checkpoint manned by the very friendly Gary Chapman. Again, I knew I couldn’t keep up so I just let him go and I was lifted by the fact that the fourth place runner was now quite a distance behind me, that made me relax. After a quick refill of water and some rice pud and jam, I again said my thanks to Gary and his helpers and set off to Cowling via the first official diversion of the course.
Going through this section of the course always reminds me of the time I raced the Winter Challenger in 2018, I was having a wobble at this point and feeling rather shite! The endless Farmers fields really we’re getting on my nipple ends. This time though, I was feeling pretty good, eating and drinking well and the sun was still up and it was feeling warm still. I was now completely on my own again and was enjoying the views. The Village of Thornton in Craven soon was upon me and I was looking forward to another pit stop that one of the very kind locals set up on the PW, it was just outside Thornton on a farm track. It was a little wooden shed with a tuck shop inside, full of cans of pop and choccy 😋 I took a can of Coke and a couple of other bits, left a £5 note and went on my way. The pop and treats were most welcome, thanks to the proprietors 👍
It was just after here that I made another slight balls up with my navigation and took a track off to the left. As I went along, I was checking my watch gpx and something wasn’t right, didn’t feel right either. In my slightly fatigued and frazzled state, I started to panic a bit. Where the feck was I? Where should I be going? Luckily though, my experience and I guess Military background kicked in as it had before when I’ve been in dodgy situations. I stopped, stood still and just thought it though before making anything worse. Just re trace your steps, check the map and gpx and you’ll be fine, sure enough I made the correction and was back on track. In my frazzled state, I realised that I was getting confused as to where the next diversion was. I wasn’t upon it yet, it was just a bit further on, PHEW!
While jogging along the diversion on the way to the town of Gargrave, it was at last getting dark. I still didn’t need my head torch so left if off to conserve the battery. The evening was a very nice summers evening, the night is gonna be nice i thought as the sky looked pretty clear. I love running during the night, it’s very atmospheric and magical running along the trails on your own. I could hear Owls beginning their evening conversations and there were lots of Bats flitting about around my head. A perfect setting! I ran through Gargrave, which was pretty much deserted apart from the occasional pub goer stumbling along on their way home. Just outside the town, you cross a canal and from my previous reccie runs I knew where there was a water tap where I could refill my bottles, sorted. I still felt good, kept looking after myself and telling myself, your doing good pal. Keep it up. I was looking forward to reaching Malham Cove a few miles away too. I’ll bet it’s amazing on the top of the cove in the dark, I thought. That was the place that was used in a scene on one of the Harry Potter movies….apparently!
I followed the final diversion up to the village of Airton and rejoined the PW, as I was jogging along, I noticed a load of eyes staring back at me being reflected by the light of my head torch, right in the middle of the path. It was a herd of cows! Shit, I hope none of them have calves with them…I decided to be cautious and gave them a wide berth. Perhaps they were scared of me too? Or more like, “who’s this burke!” Once safely past the blockade, I settled back down and ticked off the village of Hanlith, shortly afterwards, at the summit of a hill I could see the lights of the next village and the scene of a Harry Potter movie, Malham was next up.
As I arrived in Malham, it was around mid night. The night was calm, clear and the village was very quiet. I quickly looked behind me to see if there were any head torches nearby, I noticed a couple in the distance, they seemed close…was it other racers catching up on me or was it just walkers? I started to flap a bit and decided not to hang around and get going. I was looking forward to Malham Cove, it’s a stunning place in the daylight. What will it be like at midnight under the moonlight? As I jogged along, I took onboard some more food and drink to prep myself for the steep stone steps which you have to climb to go up and over Malham Cove. As I drew near, I noticed a head torch on the path ahead. Was it Tim B? Sadly no, it was someone just walking towards me. As we passed each other we said hello. I looked up and saw another head torch at the top of the Cove. That must be Tim B I thought, he didn’t seem too far away but I still had a big climb coming up.
Theses are the sodding steps up to the top, but in the daylight!
Going up the stone steps, I used my poles and just slugged it out. Halfway up, I was sweating and breathing heavily. These steps are a pain in the arse and Harry feckin Potter can get stuffed too!! I finally got to the top and managed to get my breath back while admiring the view. I was that knackered, I couldn’t be arsed to get my phone out to take a picture. Shame because the view was stunning. Clear sky, the moon was out and there were stars twinkling. I’ve always been amazed at the countryside we have in this country. It can be breathtaking and sometimes I find myself just stood still for ages just looking. Not today though I still had a race to run.
Next up was Malham Tarn, i couldn’t see any head torches in front any more, but I was relieved to not be able to see any behind me either. Just after the Tarn was the next checkpoint manned by a really cracking chap, John Bamber. A regular on this event and a very well known guy in the trail running scene. He’s also a crackin photographer. He took a photo of me just as I arrived and we said hi.
I stopped for a bit of a chat and a brew with John and another friendly chap manning the CP. Also on the safe side, I changed the battery in my head torch, just in case. I knew what was coming up next, Fountains Fell and the mighty Pen y Ghent. Two big bumps to get over and the weather on those summits can catch you out. I decided not to put anymore layers on as I was feeling fine, but at least I knew I had stuff in my pack just in case. Rather reassuring and exactly the reason why the great Lindley Chambers insists on the mandatory kit list. After my brew and a quick faff, I said my goodbyes and headed out into the dark.
Approaching the foot of the climb for Fountains Fell, I took on some more fuel and again got my poles ready. It’s a steady grind up the fell side to the summit cairn but it does go on for a bit. On the way up, I noticed it was getting light and the sunlight was just colouring the sky to the East. Also the wind was getting stronger and I was suddenly shrouded in mist. Luckily, I was prepared, I knew the course and just enjoyed the eerie atmosphere. Looking back once again after the mist cleared, I was chuffed that I couldn’t see any head torches behind me and i could see quite a distance now as I was near the summit and it was a bit clearer. It was pretty chilly on the summit, I thought about stopping and getting a layer on but thought balls to it. Just don’t hang about and you’ll be descending off the hill on the other side soon. Sure enough, I passed the summit cairn to my right. It stood there like a figure in the gloomy in the atmosphere and I was beginning the decent down to the valley. I could see Pen y Ghent summit on the other side of the valley, it too was surrounded in mist and looked quite menacing. That’s all I need I thought, a steep scramble up the side of that 🤬
Along the tarmac road section between Fountains Fell and Pen y Ghent, I did a bit of walking and eating as I was getting tired now and decided to just have a walk break. After all, It looked like no one was behind me so I had a bit of a buffer. It was getting lighter and lighter now but I could still see a head torch going up towards the steep bit of Pen y Ghent. I decided to turn mine off as I had sufficient light now to see where I was going. This next climb is gonna hurt!
This is the view from near the top of the scrambly bit of Pen y Ghent, in the daylight again
The climb up Pen y Ghent from this side is very steep, especially towards the top where you are scrambling up the rocks! It hurt all the more owing to the fact that I had about 90 miles already in my legs. Again as before in Malham, I slogged it up to the summit breathing heavily and giving out the occasional obscenity! Near the top, the wind was strong and I was shrouded in mist once again. But as before, I didn’t faff about on the top and made a bee line for the stone steps which lead you off the hill along the PW and down into Horton in Ribblesdale. One more hill I thought, CAM FELL…..
Arriving in Horton, I made a quick pit stop at the public conveniences and also use the handy water tap on the side of the building to refill my water, as you do. I was moving a little slower now and my legs we’re getting tired. The sun was up fully by now and at least it looked like it was going to be a nice day. I only had around 15 miles to go.
The climb out of Horton up to Cam Fell is long, steady and the vehicle track section goes on for AGES! The only highlight is the great view of the Ribblehead Viaduct, a very impressive stone railway bridge spanning the valley. Going up the Cam High road, I was still moving fairly well but had regular walk breaks and just admired the view. It was a far cry from the last time I was up here in the winter of 2018 during the winter challenger race. It was dark, pissing it down with sideways rain and very foggy, so much so that I couldn’t see the path directly in front and bumped into the gates along the path! Typical spine race weather.
I took another glance at the gps trackers and there was a clear gap between me and fourth place, both Tim’s had finished, well done to them I thought and it was then that it started to sink In, I was gonna finish in 3rd place! All the hard work and dedication over the last months had worked, I started to well up. I remember shouting to the sheep at the side of the path “I’ve done it, I’ve finished 3rd”. They just looked at me, probably thinking “who’s this nob?” I eventually reached the summit of Cam Fell, I looked back and I swore I could see a figure running towards me…it wasn’t another racer wast it? I frantically fumbled with my phone to check the tracker..no no one was near but because I was knackered now and my head was very fuzzy, I picked up my pace as I was a bit paranoid. Then at last, I saw my destination, the village of Hardraw and just before it was the town of Hawes, the finish was in sight.
I tried to run down the last hill into Hawes but my legs were shot and my quads were properly trashed. With the fact that I had a very comfortable lead on the fourth place runner, I decided to just enjoy the last couple of miles through Hawes and into Hardraw, take it all in, savour the moment and walk across the finish line to a round of applause from the marshals and my coach and great friend, Tim Pigott. After a brief chat with the nice chap who gave me my medal, I went over and gave Tim a big hug! I shuffled into a large tent for a sit down, had some food and a brew and then fell into another small tent for a sleep, utterly spent but over the moon.
I had finished in 3rd place with a fantastic time of 24 hours and 36mins, well beyond my initial target over sub 30 hours. It was a testament to all my hard work in training and the fantastic coaching I’ve received from Tim Pigott, for that I’m truly grateful to you mate, I’ll always remember this achievement and always be grateful to you. You helped me when I was at a low point in my training and personal life after my big disappointment during my DNF on the Spine Challenger North in January. After that, I picked myself up and thought, I’m gonna make amends for that. It gave me the sheer determination I needed to keep focused during the coming months build up to this race.
If you’re thinking of getting some coaching and getting that extra few percent out of yourself that’s required to reach new heights, you won’t find much better that Tim Pigott in my humble opinion. Let’s just say, he knows his stuff and I can’t recommend him any more highly! Well done to you too mate on your fantastic result, richly deserved after all the things you have gone through too. Very inspiring!
Last but by no means least, I want to say thank you to all the messages of support from you all, it really does help me keep going and inspires me to keep going through training and racing and the crap weather!
And of course, thank you to my amazing and very patient and understanding wife Natalie Morley. I’m fully aware that this sport can be a very selfish one when it comes to your close family, many times i sod off out for training and leave my wife alone and I appreciate it can be upsetting, or sometimes I’m sure she is glad to have me out of the way as I can be very irritable when I’m not out training 😆
Here’s to new adventures…..
A quick kit list, apart from the standard stuff
Shoes were La Sportiva Mutants, very comfortable and good cushioning and my Scarpa spin infinity shoes as back up. Seeing as I had only recently discovered the Scarpas, I wasn’t 100% sure they’d be ok for the whole race. But a cracking shoe all the same.
My pack was the fantastic Montane Gecko vp 12, I have to say it’s an amazing bit of kit. Pockets everywhere and deep ones too. Loads of room for kit. Thanks to Simon Roberts for the review on that!
Black Diamond trekking poles, very lightweight but strong poles, perfect for the hilly bits or when your legs can’t be arsed anymore!
My watch was the new Garmin Fenix 7 solar, don’t ask how much! A fantastic piece of kit. Does just about everything you need, apart from making you a brew! It lasted the full course, without any top up charge and still had at least 50 % battery left. It charges itself up from the sunlight so that was one more thing less to worry about.
I used a good mix of my favourite Mountain Fuel products, as ever they worked a treat and if you don’t already use them…why not??
And also I used the fantastic fuel pouches from the guys at Supernatural Fuel, perfect race food for when you can’t get anything solid down and they taste great too. An added bonus too is the fact that you can recycle the empty pouches by returning them to SF. A fantastic idea 👍
