Rambling About Running: Way of Legends

So I've made it to the last day and my story is nearly over. however I have neglected to mention some very important people, both groups of women. Firstly I've not really said anything about the leaders in the women's category. This is not because I don't care or I think they are less important, I've been beaten many times by women and I have the utmost respect for female ultra runners - I have to, my wife is one. The only story I can tell in my blogs is mine, it's never the most interesting or exciting one but it's the only one I feel qualified to tell. In this particular race the first women were very close behind me so I didn't see first hand how the race unfolded each day. In fact it wasn't too dissimilar to the men's race. Christina Khinast dominated the women's category from start to finish, and Lori Ligouri was second throughout, generally, I have to say, a slightly more comfortable second than I ever managed throughout the race. This was even more impressive as it was her first ever multi-day ultra! Third place swapped from Darshana to Sharon to finally Carmen Lambert. Carmen ran the entire race with her husband Martin. In my experience it is very unusual to find a couple that can run together and perform so well but they certainly did.

The second group of women I have neglected to mention are possibly the most important people involved in the race - Maria and her amazing team, Nuria the chef with her assistants Iciar and Emi. I will be amazed if I ever run a race which is better catered than the Way of Legends. Simply amazing food including the best guacamole ever and of course this is the only race I have ever entered with an official race wine. The best bit about running 50 kilometres a day as far as I was concerned was that I could eat as much of the delicious food as I wanted each day with no real worry about putting on weight. I should also give a mention to the unofficial (I think) third kitchen assistant. Stan Lee has done all three editions of the Way of Legends and is now so much part of the event he was usually to be found helping out in the kitchen each evening or doing the washing up.

The Dream Team (Photo Credit: Sam Guo)

Maria was pretty much responsible for everything to do with how we were looked after and to be honest I have no idea how she could do so much and still be always smiling - I'm fairly sure she covered more distance each day than we did. She would greet me with a smile at the end of every stage. If we had a room she would direct me to it and my bag would already be there, when we were in dormitories she even carried my bag upstairs for me! I wanted a massage? No problem, she would put my name on the list and come and find me when it was my turn. WiFi password? Maria sorted it. Basically whatever I needed or wanted at the end of the day, Maria would have it sorted and if it wasn't it would be within minutes.

Today was the last stage of what had been an amazing adventure. I had done better than I could ever have expected or even hoped but much more importantly I had had a fantastic week with a wonderful bunch of people.

At he start of the last day (Photo Credit: Sam Guo)

The last day really was quite straightforward so we could enjoy the last day and have fun. It was still a timed stage but Jean and myself had kind of agreed the night before that rather than race to the finish and arrive within a minute or two of each other hot, sweaty and not having been able to enjoy the last stage, we would just run at a steady pace and have fun.

Sam on the other hand fancied a couple more bottles of wine and so after yesterday no one was surprised when he took off like Mo Farah running for the last bus home. I wasn't intending to run particularly quickly but I think Day Five had conditioned me to try and follow Warny. Fourth and fifth were very, very close between Tristan and Warny so they were still racing. After a while I stopped worrying that I would get lost - the course was very well marked and once we reached the river the route was basically keep the water on your right until you see a cathedral - and I allowed myself to slow down and let Warny out of my sight.

The run through Burgos was made more special by the support from locals out running and the local school children. Soon I could see the cathedral and decided a selfie would be in order with the cathedral in the background. Unfortunately the sun completely washed out the cathedral and so the picture is just me, hence I've not included it. At this point Pit caught me up which seemed kind of appropriate as we had been together at the end of the first day too. He stopped for some better photos than I managed and I continued until I was directed to turn away from the river and up onto the bridge to the cathedral. The finish was slightly amusing in that I had to politely weave my way through a group of school children on a trip to see the cathedral as I crossed the bridge. Then I could see the finish banner and the end of the 2018 Way of Legends.

Even I can't get lost from here

I'd done it! Second place in the 2018 Way of Legends! It was terribly dusty at the finish and some grit got into my eyes - that's my story and I'm sticking to it, emotion had nothing to do with it...

Sharon finished not long after me and we went to a little shop, she had an ice cream and I had beer, a slightly understated celebration but the big party would be later...

We did it!

Not only did Sam take a second stage record, Lori also set a new women's record! Not a bad result for her first multi-day, second woman and Stage Six course record holder. We all waited for everyone to finish in glorious sunshine. Hugues Jacquemin was last to finish, he was suffering terribly with blisters and Achilles problems but still managed to be smiling as he crossed the finish line.

Once we had all finished and taken photos we were directed to our hotel. check-in was very quick and Sharon and me found our bags and went to the room to do showering and changing type things. Those done we could get on with the important stuff, like wine and tapas.

We found a nice place opposite the cathedral. It was probably twice as expensive as it was opposite the cathedral but it's tapas menu included black pudding so I didn't care. We also accidentally ordered a bottle of wine so we passed some time eating, drinking and watching people take photos of themselves sat with a statue on a bench. I suspect the photos were slightly spoilt by the fact that someone had chained their bike to the bench but no one seemed to mind.

A bit battered but very happy to have finished

As there was still some time to kill before the wine tasting, meal and presentations in the evening we may have stopped off at another bar on the way back. When we decided to go back we passed another bar outside which were sat a large number of our fellow runners and volunteers. We decided it would be rude not to stop and talk, which made us thirsty so we had to get a drink. Then it was time to go - except that Jean bought us another drink. It is now about 7:45 pm and the meal starts at eight. The hotel is five minutes away which all sort of adds up apart from this glass of wine in front of me...

Anyway fortunately everything was now on 'Spanish time' which is like normal time except a bit more relaxed and so when we stepped out of the lift changed and ready to go everyone else was still in the hotel foyer and nothing had really happened. Shortly after we were all directed to the dining room where we all split into groups around large tables. We were on a table with a largely British flavour. Joey was there looking even more happy than usual as she had finished, Vivien provided entertainment with her unique take on eating bread rolls and we had Sharon's saviour on the mountain stage, Annie. Annie had helped Sharon when she fell over and given the amount of wine we had already consumed that looked quite likely to happen again. However when the owner of the vineyard that has supplied the wine you've been drinking all week brings some of his best wines for you to taste and to tell you about it would be rude not to try them. We also had Hugues and Gary on our table. Sharon had spent the entire week unable to tell one from the other to the extent that Hugues had started introducing himself to her as 'Not Gary'.

Do these two look alike?

David Sebastian (the viniculturalist) doesn't speak English so Manu was again translating. At least, unlike the Druids at the start, David spoke Spanish and not ancient Iberian so Manu didn't have to resort to Google Translate.

After translating Druids a wine producer was easy

After the wine came food (and wine) and then the bit we were all waiting for, the presentations. Firstly Manu thanked all the volunteers and reminded us what they had been doing for us all week which allowed us to acknowledge their efforts and show our appreciation with much applause.

Then it was our turn, everyone was called up individually to collect medals and t-shirts. Sam also collected quite a lot of wine as he and Lori had three course records between them. The medal presented to all the finishers wasn't so much a medal as a piece of art crafted by Oscar Martin, the artist previously mentioned performing the cleansing ceremony at the end of Day Four. not only had Oscar made all the medals and provided certificates of authenticity, he presented them all too.

Sharon getting her medal

Then it was my turn. As I'd finished on the podium I got a shield and two bottles on reserva wine in addition to the important medal and t-shirt. I was going to include a picture of my presentation but I look way too smug so here's a picture of the shield and medal instead:

The most unique medal and trophy I've ever been presented with

I was actually quite pleased I'd only come second as Rodrigo had to make a speech, I got a very cool trophy without having to say anything - and two bottles of wine, and a t-shirt.

After the presentations and meal were over we went to a club in Burgos to continue the celebrations. We left early at 3 am and returned to the hotel. The next day we said our goodbyes and all went our separate ways.

So what are my thoughts on the Way of Legends? Well the race isn't so much a legend as a masterpiece. Manu put together the strongest team of people you could want to help him stage the race and it went flawlessly (apart from when he nearly ran us over). It is a very tough race, four days of full-on ultras including one over a mountain and a fifth day still just over a marathon is a big challenge. Even the last day was timed and had to be completed to get the all important medal. However the food, the massages and the accommodation meant that this didn't feel like a race that was out to break people. Manu wants everyone to finish, this is not billed as 'the toughest race in the galaxy' or anything stupid like that, it's more billed as a gastronomic tour through Spain, which I like because it meant I got to spend my time running with incredibly nice people and not people just trying to prove they were tougher than the race. It will test you, it's not at all easy and it's not meant to be but I would recommend it to anyone absolutely without reservation, the scenery is breathtaking and the hospitality is even better.

I had a good run, I saw some great stuff and ate some amazing food but far more importantly to me I got to spend a week with some amazing people. I don't want to name them all but each and everyone of them made my race better in some way. I will just comment on the two people that joined me on the podium. Rodrigo, I met you in Bhutan, I thought you were a great guy with a fantastic beard. I now know that is also quite possibly the fastest beard in Spain. It was fun to try and keep up with you, you are a very deserving winner of the race, congratulations. Jean, you made me work so hard for my place, I suspect you could have pushed me even harder if you had wanted but you made me work sufficiently hard that I feel I earned my shield, thank you.

I will leave you with two pictures. The first one has me in it but apart from that it's pretty good. You will notice it is not necessary for me to run through the water, there is a perfectly good bridge. Even worse I was half way over the bridge when I saw the photographer and turned round to run through the water instead. Manu did ask what I thought I was doing, I'm not sure my answer of 'There's a photographer' did anything to make him view me as less of an idiot...