KIELDER DARK SKIES 2023
Signing up to do the 3 race series (10, 26,5 and 14 miles) seemed a good idea 3 years ago but as race weekend approached I was starting to doubt my sanity! I didn’t even have the excuse of not knowing what the course had in store – having already completed the Kielder marathon 3 times. Too late to back out now so here goes:-
17/3/23 10 miles (10.6 actual) 581ft ascent
First problem was at the car park – the bus company had sent a 12 seater by mistake and, with over 300 runners to transport, it was no surprise that we started 15 minutes late at 18:45. 5 Blyth runners contributed to the 389 trying to keep warm on the start line. Short briefing and off we set. Not long before the head torches went on and Dark Skies started to live up to its name. Quite a sight looking back at a long line of bright lights in the darkness. Original game plan was to walk all the hills to conserve energy for the next 2 nights. Only problem is that in the darkness, you can’t judge the severity of the climbs until you are half way up! Running through the woods in total darkness with just the nocturnal noises to keep you company is a strange but enjoyable experience. Eventually arrived back at the HQ and into the queue for transport back to the car (got a 30 seater by now so not too bad).
I got round in 1:44; Jocelyn Bolam 2:12; David Falkous 2:13; Lesley Falkous and Claire Stanton 2:18. The winner romped in at 1:07!
18/3/23 26.5 miles (26.6 actual) 2188ft ascent
The night I was dreading had arrived – a marathon round Kielder. Just Claire and myself from Blyth for this one along with 203 others with nothing better to do on a Saturday night. Earlier start (17:30) for a traditional clockwise circuit. After about 2 miles we rounded a corner and there was a fantastic view of the enormity of the reservoir – have we really got to run all the way round that! Once we got onto the north shore, the ‘undulations’ (and walking) started. Again, once it got dark and the head torches went on it became quite exciting seeing all the lights. At one point I saw what a thought was a shooting star in the sky but was disappointed to realise it was a head torch on top of a hill I had yet to face! Eventually reached the dam wall and a flat bit of running but, as those who have done the Kielder marathon know, there is a ‘sting in the tail’ waiting at about 20 miles – a steeping switchback climb in the woods to come. The beauty of doing it in the dark is that nobody can see you suffering. At last the Race HQ appeared in the darkness and a warm cup of tea awaits.
Managed 5:05 (quicker than I expected) and Claire Stanton 6:52. Somehow the winner managed it in 3:16.
19/3/23 14 miles (14.7 actual) 1768ft ascent
Woke up to find that my legs wanted to join the RMT and go on strike! Start time tonight was 18:00 with a weather forecast similar to the previous 2 nights – just light drizzle.4 Blyth runners setting off tonight on what was a revised out and back route along the early marathon route. Once the legs realised that I was ignoring their protests, running and walking plan was back on stream. The turn-round point was at the top of the longest climb on the north shore. Didn’t help being told by the faster runners that we were ‘nearly there’, knowing full well that there was another mile to go. Only good bit was doing the same on the way down to the rest of the field. Could have cried at the advertised distance of 14 miles realising that still had what seemed like an eternity to the finish. Getting to the end of the run and the series would have been an emotional moment if I’d got any energy left to be emotional! Would I do it again? NO! (although next year is a long time away and my memory’s not as good as it used to be)
Managed 2:32 with Danielle Cooper first Blyth in 2:25; Claire Stanton 3:35 and Rachel Carr DNF. The winner did it in 1:38.
Special congratulations to Claire for joining me in managing the Platinum award for doing all 3 races – only 41 hardy souls managing that feat. The benign weather helped a lot – would have hated to attempt it in high winds and/or heavy rain. It really is quite an experience running round Kielder reservoir in near total darkness – tough but memorable.
Dave Bradley