I wasn't expecting to write a report for this race. It's one of my favourites, it was the first ultra I ever did and I've written about it before. This is why I wasn't planning to write about it this time, although every year is different I don't feel I have enough writing talent to make my reports different every year. So why have I changed my mind? Well there are a number of reasons but one is that it has been a few years since my last report and also this race did unfold somewhat differently to previous ones...
As is traditional with my race reports I'll ramble on a bit before actually getting to the race. There have been four previous Saltmarsh 75 events and I am part of a select group of seven that have completed all four. The only woman to have completed all four, Tracey Harrington, was only doing the first day and Steve Gresham had usher duties at a wedding apparently so our little group would be reduced to five this year. As I've said this is one of my favourite races, so much so that I believe I was the first person to sign up for the 2017 event.
There were a number of entrants from my running club this year and one of these, Rob Haldane, gave me a lift to the start. The start was reassuringly familiar - which does beg the question as to why we headed towards the wrong building for registration. I was hoping this would be the only navigational mishap of the weekend but based on previous events this was likely to be a forlorn hope. Registration was the usual smooth process, the only difference being that I was given a coloured tag for my overnight bag. I never quite worked out what the purpose of the colour coding was, it also didn't help that I had two pieces of luggage (one was a tent) so one of my bags had a yellow tag and the other a standard brown label. Anyway my luggage was always where it was meant to be so I guess the process (whatever it was) worked. I also picked up a nice purple beanie hat and the 2017 Saltmarsh pin badge.
After some Little Baddow Ridge Runners team photos, some concentrated beetroot juice and the inevitable last minute toilet visit I was on the start line with my fellow competitors. Andy Layley is another of the 'ever presents' and it was his 50th birthday. I assume we sang 'Happy Birthday' but after having to do this on the start line of the MDS every day in 2014 and 2016 my mind now shuts out such events. At fairly much dead on 9 'o' clock we were released into the wilds of Essex.
I had, fairly accidentally, started very near the front. Damian was leading and I was following - partly because I wasn't expecting to be ahead of him but mainly because I wasn't totally sure of the route through the farm out to the sea wall...
Things fairly quickly settled and I found myself running with some very quick runners in a small group at the front. This is somewhere I usually try and avoid being as once there I'm always reluctant to do the smart thing and drop back to a more sensible pace, and sure enough I stayed with the pack. There was much friendly banter accompanied by comments from everyone about the pace being far too quick, however no one slowed down... I felt I was definitely running too quickly, however when I was training for my first marathon I remember being told that the way to avoid running too quickly was to keep my pace down to that at which I could hold a conversation. As I said there was a lot of general chat going on and I found I could join in without too much difficulty so I carried on at the front-running pace. At one point I even put a little spurt on just so I could say I had lead the Saltmarsh because obviously that would never happen again, would it?
Last year was the first year that Saltmarsh had used the Racetek timing system, each runner has a timing chip which is scanned at each checkpoint. Ian Brazier - 'tent man' at my first ever Saltmarsh and the first new friend I made ultra running - only seems to do odd number Saltmarshes and so hadn't used the timing system before. His concern was the first checkpoint as the runners can still be quite bunched up at this point and so it was possible there might be a bottle neck in the tag scanning department. My not-very-serious answer to his question as to how to avoid this was to get there first. Ian obviously took my advice seriously and raced off ahead of the rest of us to CP1 and beyond! The rest of us went through fairly quickly and set off after the orange dot in the distance that was Mr Ian Brazier.
The pace didn't slacken even a little bit up to CP 2 and Ian still had a healthy lead at Burnham - a fact he has mentioned quite often since the event. It was at this point that the front group reduced in size as a some of the runners in it decided to take a short break at the checkpoint. By this time I appeared to have abandoned any sort of strategy or sensible race plan and set of with Damian and Peter, who was running his first two day ultra, in pursuit of Ian.
Gradually we started to catch Ian. I think Damian overtook him first, then Peter, them myself. I think Ian would appreciate me mentioning that he was first to Burnham though, in case anyone had forgotten. the section from Burnham (where Ian was first) to the Orthona Community at check point 3 (where he wasn't) goes round the Dengie Marshes and is the bleakest and longest stage of the race. Damian was suffering a little by now, not terribly surprising as he had completed a very hilly 100 mile race only two weeks before, and I found myself very much at the front with Peter. Peter is a 3 hour marathon runner and Damian is generally quicker than me so I was hopeful of a top three finish at least for Day One at this point.
One thing I've never had to contend with on the Dengie before was the flies. Not little midge like things either but huge black beasties that felt a bit like someone was pelting you with rice. They were also a protein supplement I was keen to avoid, something which I was almost completely successful at but I did ingest a couple of the critters.
Although the Dengie stage is officially over 13 miles long, it has always been punctuated by a water stop manned by the Dengie 100 Running club. This year was no exception and, having not really stopped at the first two checkpoints, I took the opportunity to restock my water supplies. As ever thanks to the guys that man this extra stop, its not the first time I've been grateful of it.
Peter was adopting a run/walk strategy whereas I was going for my usual steady plod. The net result was that we variously ran together, I ran ahead, Peter caught up, we ran together for a bit, Peter went ahead, I caught up... you get the general idea I'm sure. This continued to checkpoint 4 until we reached the penultimate leg. For most of the race up until now the wind had been behind us or across. As we started up the Blackwater estuary we turned into the wind. This slowed us both down, Peter slightly more so than me. As a result Peter was a couple of minutes behind me at the last checkpoint. I knew I was only a few miles from the finish and got a new lease of life as I surged towards Steeple. 'Surged' is something of an exaggeration but in my head surging was definitely occurring. The last little amusement on Day One of Saltmarsh is supplied by the need to find a slightly hidden gap in a hedge to the final path into Steeple. I was so intent not missing it by following the GPS course on my watch that I overshot by about 10 metres and was called back by one of the relay runners who had caught me up. Well, it wouldn't be me if I managed an ultra with absolutely no errors would it?
I knew I was almost at the finish because I had been there before but even if I hadn't the massive shouts of encouragement from Sharon would have given it away. I arrived as the first solo runner into Steeple - something I would never have predicted at the start of the day. However Peter was only 5 minutes behind and Damian less than 10 minutes behind him so whilst it was obviously nice to be in first place I wasn't confident that I would still be there when it mattered, 37 miles further on in Salcott-cum-Virley.
I did make the most of finishing first by getting a massage and a shower before any queues developed. After waiting for a few more Ridge Runners to finish I took my bag and tent over to the camp site at the Star pub. I'd bought a pop-up tent specially for the event and was quite glad I had as it started to rain.
This seems like a good point for a short digression about those that walk the event. I've seen one or two comments, even from walkers themselves, that suggest that walking is somehow 'easier'. I will accept it is different but easier? The distance is the same, the calorie expenditure is about the same but walkers spend anything up to twice as long on their feet as me. Also for the last two years I've been in a warm dry pub while they have finished in heavy rain on the Saturday. Obviously runners take all the glory but I feel that everyone that completes the Saltmarsh 75 at whatever pace deserves equal credit. Runners exert themselves more but for less time and have a longer recovery at the end of the day. Walkers don't have the same level of exertion but the have it for longer, they have a shorter recovery and they have a greater chance of getting wet. Please note I don't want to put anyone off walking the event, if walking is your strength rather than running please join us next year, I just don't think there is an 'easy' way to do the Saltmarsh 75.
Anyway back to events. The evening was spent in the pub with shandy, beer and a glass of wine. Oh and I ate some stuff too, fish and chips and cheese cake I think - probably not together. Rob went all middle class and asked for cinnamon for his apple crumble. We kind of expected him to get abuse from a burly chef with a big knife but what he actually got was cinnamon - customer service par excellence on the part of the Star pub. Eventually we went to our slightly damp tents and, after the usual childish ribald banter you expect from a group of blokes on this sort of event, I went to sleep - and then realised the shandy and beer might not have been the best idea. Oh well, better than being dehydrated I suppose...
After night punctuated with toilet trips I got up, got dressed, got as organised as I get and went in search of breakfast. I usually have porridge but the lure of the bacon roll was too much so I had a couple of those instead. Everyone had to re-register so that the organisers knew who was still in the event and so there was a slight delay which meant the 8 'o' clock start became ten past eight. Not really an issue, and short enough a delay that I wasn't tempted by a third bacon roll.
Whilst I hadn't wanted to be in the lead group on Day One, as the overnight leader I felt I kind of had to be on Day Two. The race quickly settled with Peter and myself being pulled along at a fair old pace by the eventual first lady Jackie Stretton. Jackie had started with us on Day One and stayed with the lead group up until Burnham (where Ian was leading). Today her mission was to get to Maldon as quickly as possible to see her dog which would be waiting there with some humans. Checkpoint One was swiftly dispatched and we were speeding toward Checkpoint Two. This leg is always quite grassy and the overnight dew means wet feet are fairly inevitable. It also starts of with a lot of twists and turns which means it is quite a while before you feel you are getting anywhere.
We arrived at Maldon where my friends Marie and Steve had come to cheer me on as they had in several previous years. Unfortunately I couldn't stop and chat as with Jackie stopping to see her dog (and the accompanying humans I assume) it looked like it was a straight race between me and Peter. This is not a 100m race, it's not even 10km, we still had a marathon distance (literally) between us and the finish. Trying to 'race' at this point would have been stupid and possibly lead to neither of us finishing first - or possibly at all. We decided we would run together and see how things unfolded. Peter was potentially quicker but I had much more experience of multi-day racing, not difficult as this was Peter's first ever multi-day.
We navigated our way through Maldon with no issues and headed for the next checkpoint. This had moved a mile and half further along the course which meant it was followed by a very short run to Goldhanger and the penultimate checkpoint. Although this is the penultimate checkpoint, there is still half the race to go in terms of distance. The Goldhanger to Tollesbury leg is the second longest and possibly my favourite. The sun usually shines on this leg and this year was no exception. This does make it slightly warm but with a nice bit of blue sky it is a great landscape to run through.
At Tollesbury Peter and myself were still together and Peter had told me that he was more than happy with second place for his first two day event so it really was mine to lose now. By the time we entered the Old Hall Marshes we were both slowing. We seemed to have reasonable lead and as we were slowing down I suggested to Peter it was good time to look around and really enjoy the amazing scenery we were passing through. It's very easy on an ultra to see nothing but the ground in front of you but on many events and the Saltmarsh 75 in particular you are really missing out if you don't look up occasionally. As with Day One, Peter started to slow in the last few miles and I got a slight new lease of life so I ran ahead. I felt slightly guilty after we had run so far together but I knew he couldn't get lost so I turned off the sea wall, across the field on onto the road into Salcott-cum-Virley to be the first solo finisher of the 2017 Saltmarsh 75!
As I understand it the Saltmarsh 75 is not technically a race, it is a challenge event so although I was first to finish I didn't actually 'win' and there is no trophy. I was however presented with a truly excellent hoodie for being part of the 'Saltmarsh 75 5' as we are now. Rebecca, one of the Ridge Runners had also made a fantastic cake with the Saltmarsh logo on top, half of which was consumed by runners and half of which was apparently consumed by her dog later...
Peter again finished about 5 minutes behind me, Damian arrived about 25 minutes later for third place, Jackie was next and Ian (who was first at Burnham) was fourth male.
So was I happy with my first place? Of course I was, it was the first time I'd gone under 12 hours for the event so it was a PB as well. I'm under no illusions, if Damian hadn't done such a big race so recently I would be second. If some of the really fast guys that have run in previous years had been there I would have been even further back. However very, very, occasionally real life does go according to the Hollywood script and so the man that ran the first ever Saltmarsh 75 as his first ever ultra and has run them all since, is the man that finishes first on the fifth event.
As always I have to thank everyone involved in making Saltmarsh 75 happen. Councils get a lot of stick so I think we should acknowledge when they get it very right so huge thanks to Maldon District Council for conceiving and making this event happen. Thanks to Raynet, Essex Rover Rescue and the medical team for keeping us safe. I'm happy to say that so far I've never needed any of you but its good to know you are there if things ever do go wrong. Thanks too to all the volunteers that man the check points and do all the things that have to happen behind the scenes to make this event happen. Finally big thanks to everyone that takes part and also to my wife Sharon - who I'm hoping will be running it with me next year!
Finally to anyone considering entering in 2018 - do it! No, it isn't easy but that is kind of the point of a challenge event. However you will find a great atmosphere, loads of support and some great scenery. You will also find an old bloke in a Little Baddow Ridge Runners t-shirt trying to make it six out of six...
As is traditional with my race reports I'll ramble on a bit before actually getting to the race. There have been four previous Saltmarsh 75 events and I am part of a select group of seven that have completed all four. The only woman to have completed all four, Tracey Harrington, was only doing the first day and Steve Gresham had usher duties at a wedding apparently so our little group would be reduced to five this year. As I've said this is one of my favourite races, so much so that I believe I was the first person to sign up for the 2017 event.
There were a number of entrants from my running club this year and one of these, Rob Haldane, gave me a lift to the start. The start was reassuringly familiar - which does beg the question as to why we headed towards the wrong building for registration. I was hoping this would be the only navigational mishap of the weekend but based on previous events this was likely to be a forlorn hope. Registration was the usual smooth process, the only difference being that I was given a coloured tag for my overnight bag. I never quite worked out what the purpose of the colour coding was, it also didn't help that I had two pieces of luggage (one was a tent) so one of my bags had a yellow tag and the other a standard brown label. Anyway my luggage was always where it was meant to be so I guess the process (whatever it was) worked. I also picked up a nice purple beanie hat and the 2017 Saltmarsh pin badge.
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| Badges and a hat - in case it isn't obvious |
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| What a handsome bunch (?) |
Things fairly quickly settled and I found myself running with some very quick runners in a small group at the front. This is somewhere I usually try and avoid being as once there I'm always reluctant to do the smart thing and drop back to a more sensible pace, and sure enough I stayed with the pack. There was much friendly banter accompanied by comments from everyone about the pace being far too quick, however no one slowed down... I felt I was definitely running too quickly, however when I was training for my first marathon I remember being told that the way to avoid running too quickly was to keep my pace down to that at which I could hold a conversation. As I said there was a lot of general chat going on and I found I could join in without too much difficulty so I carried on at the front-running pace. At one point I even put a little spurt on just so I could say I had lead the Saltmarsh because obviously that would never happen again, would it?
Last year was the first year that Saltmarsh had used the Racetek timing system, each runner has a timing chip which is scanned at each checkpoint. Ian Brazier - 'tent man' at my first ever Saltmarsh and the first new friend I made ultra running - only seems to do odd number Saltmarshes and so hadn't used the timing system before. His concern was the first checkpoint as the runners can still be quite bunched up at this point and so it was possible there might be a bottle neck in the tag scanning department. My not-very-serious answer to his question as to how to avoid this was to get there first. Ian obviously took my advice seriously and raced off ahead of the rest of us to CP1 and beyond! The rest of us went through fairly quickly and set off after the orange dot in the distance that was Mr Ian Brazier.
The pace didn't slacken even a little bit up to CP 2 and Ian still had a healthy lead at Burnham - a fact he has mentioned quite often since the event. It was at this point that the front group reduced in size as a some of the runners in it decided to take a short break at the checkpoint. By this time I appeared to have abandoned any sort of strategy or sensible race plan and set of with Damian and Peter, who was running his first two day ultra, in pursuit of Ian.
Gradually we started to catch Ian. I think Damian overtook him first, then Peter, them myself. I think Ian would appreciate me mentioning that he was first to Burnham though, in case anyone had forgotten. the section from Burnham (where Ian was first) to the Orthona Community at check point 3 (where he wasn't) goes round the Dengie Marshes and is the bleakest and longest stage of the race. Damian was suffering a little by now, not terribly surprising as he had completed a very hilly 100 mile race only two weeks before, and I found myself very much at the front with Peter. Peter is a 3 hour marathon runner and Damian is generally quicker than me so I was hopeful of a top three finish at least for Day One at this point.
One thing I've never had to contend with on the Dengie before was the flies. Not little midge like things either but huge black beasties that felt a bit like someone was pelting you with rice. They were also a protein supplement I was keen to avoid, something which I was almost completely successful at but I did ingest a couple of the critters.
Although the Dengie stage is officially over 13 miles long, it has always been punctuated by a water stop manned by the Dengie 100 Running club. This year was no exception and, having not really stopped at the first two checkpoints, I took the opportunity to restock my water supplies. As ever thanks to the guys that man this extra stop, its not the first time I've been grateful of it.
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| St Peter's Chapel is always a welcome sight as it means the longest, bleakest section is almost over! |
I knew I was almost at the finish because I had been there before but even if I hadn't the massive shouts of encouragement from Sharon would have given it away. I arrived as the first solo runner into Steeple - something I would never have predicted at the start of the day. However Peter was only 5 minutes behind and Damian less than 10 minutes behind him so whilst it was obviously nice to be in first place I wasn't confident that I would still be there when it mattered, 37 miles further on in Salcott-cum-Virley.
I did make the most of finishing first by getting a massage and a shower before any queues developed. After waiting for a few more Ridge Runners to finish I took my bag and tent over to the camp site at the Star pub. I'd bought a pop-up tent specially for the event and was quite glad I had as it started to rain.
This seems like a good point for a short digression about those that walk the event. I've seen one or two comments, even from walkers themselves, that suggest that walking is somehow 'easier'. I will accept it is different but easier? The distance is the same, the calorie expenditure is about the same but walkers spend anything up to twice as long on their feet as me. Also for the last two years I've been in a warm dry pub while they have finished in heavy rain on the Saturday. Obviously runners take all the glory but I feel that everyone that completes the Saltmarsh 75 at whatever pace deserves equal credit. Runners exert themselves more but for less time and have a longer recovery at the end of the day. Walkers don't have the same level of exertion but the have it for longer, they have a shorter recovery and they have a greater chance of getting wet. Please note I don't want to put anyone off walking the event, if walking is your strength rather than running please join us next year, I just don't think there is an 'easy' way to do the Saltmarsh 75.
Anyway back to events. The evening was spent in the pub with shandy, beer and a glass of wine. Oh and I ate some stuff too, fish and chips and cheese cake I think - probably not together. Rob went all middle class and asked for cinnamon for his apple crumble. We kind of expected him to get abuse from a burly chef with a big knife but what he actually got was cinnamon - customer service par excellence on the part of the Star pub. Eventually we went to our slightly damp tents and, after the usual childish ribald banter you expect from a group of blokes on this sort of event, I went to sleep - and then realised the shandy and beer might not have been the best idea. Oh well, better than being dehydrated I suppose...
After night punctuated with toilet trips I got up, got dressed, got as organised as I get and went in search of breakfast. I usually have porridge but the lure of the bacon roll was too much so I had a couple of those instead. Everyone had to re-register so that the organisers knew who was still in the event and so there was a slight delay which meant the 8 'o' clock start became ten past eight. Not really an issue, and short enough a delay that I wasn't tempted by a third bacon roll.
Whilst I hadn't wanted to be in the lead group on Day One, as the overnight leader I felt I kind of had to be on Day Two. The race quickly settled with Peter and myself being pulled along at a fair old pace by the eventual first lady Jackie Stretton. Jackie had started with us on Day One and stayed with the lead group up until Burnham (where Ian was leading). Today her mission was to get to Maldon as quickly as possible to see her dog which would be waiting there with some humans. Checkpoint One was swiftly dispatched and we were speeding toward Checkpoint Two. This leg is always quite grassy and the overnight dew means wet feet are fairly inevitable. It also starts of with a lot of twists and turns which means it is quite a while before you feel you are getting anywhere.
We arrived at Maldon where my friends Marie and Steve had come to cheer me on as they had in several previous years. Unfortunately I couldn't stop and chat as with Jackie stopping to see her dog (and the accompanying humans I assume) it looked like it was a straight race between me and Peter. This is not a 100m race, it's not even 10km, we still had a marathon distance (literally) between us and the finish. Trying to 'race' at this point would have been stupid and possibly lead to neither of us finishing first - or possibly at all. We decided we would run together and see how things unfolded. Peter was potentially quicker but I had much more experience of multi-day racing, not difficult as this was Peter's first ever multi-day.
We navigated our way through Maldon with no issues and headed for the next checkpoint. This had moved a mile and half further along the course which meant it was followed by a very short run to Goldhanger and the penultimate checkpoint. Although this is the penultimate checkpoint, there is still half the race to go in terms of distance. The Goldhanger to Tollesbury leg is the second longest and possibly my favourite. The sun usually shines on this leg and this year was no exception. This does make it slightly warm but with a nice bit of blue sky it is a great landscape to run through.
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| OK so I was bit busy this year and this picture is from 2014 but it is a glorious landscape every year |
At Tollesbury Peter and myself were still together and Peter had told me that he was more than happy with second place for his first two day event so it really was mine to lose now. By the time we entered the Old Hall Marshes we were both slowing. We seemed to have reasonable lead and as we were slowing down I suggested to Peter it was good time to look around and really enjoy the amazing scenery we were passing through. It's very easy on an ultra to see nothing but the ground in front of you but on many events and the Saltmarsh 75 in particular you are really missing out if you don't look up occasionally. As with Day One, Peter started to slow in the last few miles and I got a slight new lease of life so I ran ahead. I felt slightly guilty after we had run so far together but I knew he couldn't get lost so I turned off the sea wall, across the field on onto the road into Salcott-cum-Virley to be the first solo finisher of the 2017 Saltmarsh 75!
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| Winner! Thinking about smiling... |
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| Cake! |
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| All happy to have finished! |
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| Five Times Finisher Hoodie! |
Finally to anyone considering entering in 2018 - do it! No, it isn't easy but that is kind of the point of a challenge event. However you will find a great atmosphere, loads of support and some great scenery. You will also find an old bloke in a Little Baddow Ridge Runners t-shirt trying to make it six out of six...
