About
The Ridgeway Ramblers is a team of four ladies, all under 40, who will be participating in the UK Oxfam Trailwalker 2008. It takes place on 19/20 July across the South Downs Way. It isn't a stroll - the route isn't flat, we'll be walking through the night and we have to complete the route as a team, passing through each checkpoint together, in under 30 hours.
The aim is to raise an awful lot of money for both Oxfam and for the Gurkha Welfare Trust. The blog is an account of how we're doing, in terms of both training and fundraising.
Blog
What happens next?
A month on from Trailwalker (to the day, please note), it all seems like a very long time ago. We put so much preparation in, the actual event itself was, comparatively, a small proportion of the whole project. So, a quick update.
- Rachael is still waiting for three toenails to drop off, but is planning to run a marathon next year.
- Anna is spending most of August on holiday, reclaiming time with her two kids and enjoying the weather. She also plans to run a marathon next year.
- Stephanie has started her new job in Canary Wharf and her nose is firmly to the grindstone. When she comes up for air, she'll doubtless have a new challenge in mind.
- Me? I'm back to the Red Sea next week for some more diving. Next year, I hope to do the Fastnet Race. Dry land is fun, but the sea holds a lot of appeal too.
That said, Anna and I have been throwing around the idea of doing the Three Peaks. We just need to get a team together...
Sunday 20th July - Stages 10 and 11 - to the Finish Line, and beyond?
The final two legs of the walk combined come to about 11.5km, but each felt as long as each individual leg we’d done before. Stage 10 has a vicious hill, but sleep deprivation ensured that the “one-leg-in-front-of-another” routine was more than adequate to get us through. We had a close encounter with a field of cows, which at just gone 5am were hoping to be milked, before a very brief sojourn at CP10. And then it was the final leg.
Stage 11 purports to be 5.8km long, however, it felt as though we’d walked for miles and miles before the object of our hearts’ desire, the “1km to go” sign appeared. We caught glimpses of the grandstand at Brighton Racecourse, the finish line, all along this stage, appearing tantalisingly close at one moment, then disappearing from view the next. And finally, we were there – quite literally on the home straight. A quick debate as to whether we should sprint across the line was terminated when we realised we simply couldn’t run. And finally, we did it. We crossed the line together as a team in 24 hours and 42 minutes.
Stages 8 and 9 - the hours of darkness and insanity
CP7 has a reputation with Trailwalkers – although the Gurkhas lay on a hot meal (more pasta!) this is also the stage at which a large proportion of those who withdraw from the event do so. With this in mind, we focused our efforts on eating, putting on warm clothes, sorting out torches and hi-vis vests and getting back on our way before we could succumb to any moments of weakness. Stage 8 felt quite swift, probably due to the novelty of walking in the dark. Stage 9, however, had been our bête noire since a training walk on the route in early June, when we had covered much of the ground but found ourselves going in circles round the Old Racecourse. It had subsequently become apparent that poorly written directions were to blame, and indeed, the route had been altered slightly for the event. This alteration made the stage 12.5km long and these were, for the Ridgeway team, the longest hours of the entire event. Tiredness gave way to disorientation. Disorientation was displaced by (mild) hysteria, which was in turn replaced by straightforward exhaustion. We couldn’t sing songs, because we couldn’t remember the words (imagine if you will, four weedy voices singing “Always look on the bright side of life” and trailing away after that single line); jokes weren’t an option, however dark the humour. My enduring memory of this stage is of concentrating on “left foot, right foot” and repeating the process on and on. Finally, over three hours after setting off on the stage, we arrived at CP9. This was the final checkpoint at which we were able to meet up with the Support Crew, so we made the most of hot soup, new socks and the opportunity to ditch our head torches as dawn was just about breaking.
Saturday 19th July - Trailwalker Stage 7 - From Dusk to CP7
Fortunately, we were greeted not just by the Support Crew at CP6 but by some people who boosted our morale by miles – René and Dan turned up with all four of Anna and Rachael’s children, and Mark and Oliver were there to cheer on Katya. (It should be pointed out that Mark had walked Trailwalker 2007 and was the inspiration for the Ridgeway team signing up – rather surprisingly, everyone was polite to him inspite of their weary limbs). Before we knew it, we were back on the trail, once again along the riverbank before a brief stint through the suburban streets of Upper Beeding. We were all rather taken aback to witness another Trailwalker team coming out of a pub called the Rising Sun – not one of the scheduled rest breaks, but each to their own! Knowing that the sun would set during this stage we were keen to make good speed, and took the long and steep Beeding Hill in our stride. Light was fading as we continued on our way and by the time we arrived at CP7, just after 10pm, darkness had taken over.
Saturday 19th July - Stages 4 and 5 - no longer footloose and blister free...
Stage 4 was a rather nice walk in the afternoon sun; stage 5, however, was where things began to come unstuck. Stephanie had been struggling with the hills from the outset, but has huge amounts of stamina. The loan of a set of walking poles from Katya ensured that the hills became more manageable, but halfway through the stage, her pace slowed still further even on the flat. A quick inspection of feet revealed that Stephanie had somehow developed a huge blister on her left heel which had then burst – too late for Compeed! With a similar blister emerging on her other foot, the only possible course of action was to get the team to CP5 as quickly as possible and to hand Stephanie over to the first aiders of St John’s Ambulance. Whilst poor Stephanie spent 45 minutes having her feet tended to and strapped up, the rest of the team feasted on more goodies from the cool bags. Finally we were able to get back on our way. Stage 6 begins with a long, steep hill, testing everyone’s resolve, before relenting into a beautiful meander across some beautiful countryside. Fortunately, the heat of the day was beginning to abate meaning that we were finally able to enjoy the scenery. Notwithstanding the gentle downhill incline of this stage, we were all starting to tire as we walked into CP6 at Botolphs.
Saturday 19th July - Trailwalker - Stages 1,2 and 3
Stage one was remarkably easy – the crowds of people meant that most walkers were trundling along at a similar pace and the topography of the stage is fairly gentle. We had previously decided that Support weren’t needed at CP1, so Richard enjoyed a proper breakfast back at the B&B whilst we had a quick cereal bar and a five minute break before setting off on Stage 2. This stage is notable for “Beacon Hill” a relatively short but nonetheless vicious ascent towards the beginning of the stage. Oxfam had generously posted a photographer there in order to immortalise all the teams whilst they were red of face and sore of limb for the first, but certainly not the last time in the event. As we walked along, the weather became ever muggier, and the overcast skies grew darker. Only 200 yards from CP2, the evitable happened and the heavens opened. A brief pause was taken to put on waterproofs, and as soon as they had been donned, the weather abated. Such is the British summer… Again, we entered CP2 well ahead of the 24 hour pace we’d set ourselves. Quick cup of coffee to celebrate and the first of many sock changes for the team. As we left CP2, the sun began to peek out and within half an hour we were all putting on sunblock. Our main focus in stage 3 was the food that was awaiting us at CP3 – we knew that Val and Vey had been shopping and cooking to ensure we kept our blood sugar at an appropriate level and we couldn’t wait. Just under two hours later and we weren’t disappointed – cold pizza, pork pies, homemade flapjacks. It isn’t just an army that marches on its stomach – it’s the Ridgeway girls as well!
Saturday 19th July - the Starting Line
The alarms went off all too soon, just before 5am on Saturday. We were all heartened to see that it was more-or-less daylight at this time, which augured well for walking 24 hours hence. A quick breakfast and final kit check, then we crammed ourselves into the car and drove to the start line.
There was something rather surreal about the huddle of people at the start line. Groups of Gurkhas in identical kit were everywhere; there were some serious types who were obviously going to be running the entire course; then there was the majority of the “field” – slightly nervous, not sure whether it was really a good idea, sleep deprived and unable (already!) to face another cereal bar. Before anyone could devote too much time or attention to thinking about it, the countdown began and we were off.
For those who are unfamiliar with Trailwalker, perhaps this would be the time to explain the practicalities. Entry is as a team of four. The route is 100km along the South Downs Way, divided into 11 stages, with 10 checkpoints (CP1 to CP10) and the Finish, which is at Brighton Racecourse. Teams need to check in at each checkpoint (to ensure that they’re not jumping into cars and driving from start to finish) and all four team members must complete the event for the team to be considered to have “done” Trailwalker. Support Crew are able to meet their teams at each of CPs 1 to 9, to provide them with tea, sympathy and, in Ridgeway’s case, the contents of two branches of Waitrose. As will become apparent, teams view their Support Crews as a cross between guardian angels, Florence Nightingale and the A-team, often simultaneously.