Wold Rangers Way Ultra 2023

 Wold Rangers Way Ultra

As I sit here typing, it has now been one week since I was back in my hometown of Driffield, taking part in the Wold Rangers Way Ultra.

As with most trail routes there is always some history behind the chosen route you are following and in this case it is no different. I didn't actually know much about the trail and until I started reading more about it in the weeks building up to the event. I guess you could almost call it an ignorance, to live in an area for a big part of your life but not actually realising the riches of history that it holds. 

So to provide a little bit of background, The Wolds Rangers Way Ultra follows the Wold Rangers Way a circular route that stretches across 44 miles through the wonderful chalk landscapes and valleys that the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds beholds. It was the 19th century that saw the first arrival of the Wold Rangers, settlers who worked and lived mainly in the nomadic way. As many signed up for the The Great War in 1914, they returned to no work and so many left the towns to rural countryside. Farmers began to open their doors and provide support and shelter wherever possible and from there they would receive a special place in the history and folklore of East Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Wolds is still one of the main agricultural areas within the UK. 

Moving onto the event itself, we arrived at the Driffield Community Centre for registration and made our way to the start line a short walk away. As the clock hit 8am myself and 90 other runners made our start. I made my way to the front of the pack along two other runners however I started to feel uncomfortable within the first few minutes as we made our way out and through Little Driffield. 

I began to feel a tightness at a certain point at the top of my right glute and lower back, just underneath my hip. I hoped that it would just be a little niggle that would soon disappear however the pain increased with each step. Fortunately the two runners I were with was a welcome distraction as we talked all things running. They were experienced Hardmoors 110 runners - so pretty extreme! 

It was the first checkpoint that I really felt it as I stopped to strip off a layer and replenish my water. The pain had really settled in after 9 miles. It took me longer than I had hoped to move on from here and the other two runners quickly went ahead of me.

After a couple more miles running through the vast farmland the pain began to ease and I began to close the difference on the two in front of me. Bypassing Huggate, one of the highest villages in the Yorkshire Wolds, we dipped down into the valleys and back up again experience the dry chalk landscape. I passed them and continued to make my way towards Fridaythorpe, the next checkpoint at 21 miles in.

Getting some much needed liquid down me and some easy carbohydrates, I continued on through further farmlands and valleys passing dew ponds which was once such a distinctive feature in the area, and made my way to Thixendale. At this point I had slowed down slightly however stubbornness and perseverance kept me going as I reached Fimber.

With 30 miles clocked up I was seriously starting to question how much more I could tolerate. The wave of adrenaline I was running on had evaporated. I plodded along for an extra couple of miles until the pain was unbearable and I decided to call it a day. I trudged along to the nearest road just outside Wetwang and called the Race Director.

I felt conflicted with my decision. With another race in Scotland looming next weekend I should in hindsight have stopped much earlier and prevent any further exaggeration. At the same time I had ran 53km and was 18km from finishing. I spent about 30mins from making my way to the collection point and being picked up, and within that time only two other runners had passed me. Not only had I been first by a fair distance, I was also on track for a new course record. 

After getting back to the community centre, I was greeted by my oldest friend and after a short while we headed to a craft ale bar a short distance away for a catch up and watch some of the fellow runners head to the finish line. 

Looking back one week on it was definitely the right decision to not continue and should have done so earlier. I am still in a lot of pain and cannot walk properly. The most likely issue is deep gluteal syndrome, and causing sciatica. So it may be a while before I can run again. A runners nightmare being injured and having to rest and recover- something I am terrible at.

I shall definitely be back to do this course again though and to check out further events from Ultra Trails. The route is very runnable, great for both beginners and seasoned pros. Both Grant and Mel organised the event wonderfully and hold a great ethos in supporting the local community, from local handmade wooden trophies to providing local food bank collection and unwanted sport clothing collection back at the community centre. 

Let’s see next weekend brings…