An unofficial event
I’ve been ready for a marathon since September. My good friend and running buddy Sally has been too. In fact, I think she is ready for a multi-day event. Our friend Tom is always ready for a marathon, both genetically and from having a physical job rather than flying a desk. Our friends Steve and Helen are runners by default and they both love the occasional ultra marathon. We came together to run a November Trail Marathon 2020.
With races and events getting cancelled as COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and restrictions roll across the month, we are looking for a conclusion to our training efforts.
A window of opportunity
We picked a date whilst locked down during the October half term. The consensus was that o It was to be the first non-locked down weekend.
Plans are laid out
- Saturday, 14 November 2020
- 7.50 am at Penmaen car park behind Cefn Bryn
- Start running at 8 am
- Support stop at Rhosilli National Trust Car Park
- Welsh Cawl, homemade bread, cheese and ale at the finish!
- Whatever the weather, it’s on!
A route and a name
Gower Trig Point and Coast (GTPAC).
An acronym challenged produced the following names:
- Great Time Plodding and Collapse (very accurate!)
- Got The Post Run Arse Chaff (some get that I suppose)
- Got To Pack A Coat (most definitely in November!)
You can see the map and activity information on Strava.
The run
We set off as planned at 8am. The first half of the route took us past four trig points on four of the main hills on Gower. Weather conditions added to what would be a brutal physical challenge on a clear and windless day.
Trig points
We came to Cefn Bryn trig point less than 2 miles in and stopped for a quick photo. The views were almost visible. Ryer’s down trig point was at about 7 miles. The weather was wet and windy. As a result, there were no views and taking photos was tricky. Trig point three on Llanmadoc hill looked exactly the same as trig point two. Therefore, I didn’t bother to take more blurry photos after wrestling my hands out of sweaty gloves whilst being buffeted by horizontal rain.
We made our way down the Llanmadoc hill, through the village of Llangennith and then up the back of Rhossili Down. The deluge of rain had turned the rocky track out of the village into a stream. As we climbed higher the cloud cover opened up a bit and we could finally enjoy a view from the top of the hill.
Down the last big hill
Before we could stop for our much needed refreshments in Rhossili, we stopped to give assistance to a Gower pony. It had become trapped in barbed wire that was lying around. The wire was probably part of a decayed fence that was set up as a boundary. Maybe we believe, as humans that these are necessary and cannot be avoided.
The practice of borders and boundaries carries huge cost and potential risk. The entangled pony made me think of my own entanglement in the burocray of the UK immigration system. It was a stark reminder of why I was running this event.
The reason is to raise awareness of the lives entangled in a cruel and inefficient immigration system.
The ebook Kept Apart tells about the plight of families and couples separated by UK family immigration policies. Research shows that this causes significant trauma.
Coast
The coast line back is spectacular. My photos don’t do it justice. However, I was out to complete a tough running challenge, not to conduct a photo shoot.
Even though the hills and long ascents were all behind us, the terrain along the coast proved even tougher. It is characterised by deep mud, rocks, steep descents and steep ascents.
Sally and Tom pulled ahead in what looked like effortless running to me. Of course, I can only feel my own tiredness and aching limbs. Much to my relief, Steve could not keep up with their pace either. Our focus was to just keep moving forward, whilst remembering to keep an eye out for each other.
A finish of November marathon 2020 and a start for what lies ahead
All of us got there. Peter and Matthew were waiting for us in the camper van. The Welsh Cawl was already warming up. A slice of home made bread and a piece of mature cheddar cheese never tasted better.
I love trail running and endurance running. Running solo for running’s sake is already a rich experience. However, the added value of support and camaraderie, planning and preparation and a cause to campaign for is incalculable.
I was overwhelmed by the generosity and goodwill of my fellow runners, friends and colleagues. The participation and enthusiam of our small trail running group blew me away.
‘Got to pack a coat’ Gower Trig Point and Coast marathon became the inaugural running challenge of what is now ‘Running for charity in 2021‘ to support the Keeping Families Together Campaign of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
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