The final total for 2008

Good news this week as the Northern Rock Foundation have rubber stamped the final application for matching in respect of this year's Pennine Challenge cycle ride and run.  This leaves the final total for the event at an impressive £2601.

This year's team was made up of  cyclists Michael Dunn, Ian Glasgow and Jim Patterson and runners Steven Moore (pictured left), Jonathan Dixon (pictured right), Mark Cass, Carlton Fletcher and cycling and running was yours truly, Mark Allison.

And of course, none of this would have been possible without the roadside support team of Mandy Baker, John Brettell and Katy Allison.

There is already talk in the office of putting on the event again next year.  Watch this space!

And they're off!

Two of the Pennine Challenge runners, Steven Moore and Jonathan Dixon, set off from Castleside at 08:00 this morning.  They plan to run at a slower pace than the main group and with a 2 hour head start they should get to Middleton-in-Teesdale in plenty of time.

Jonathan had quite a hefty back pack at the start.  Amongst other things, he said it contained his comics, a catapult, some tuna sandwiches and a load of energy gels.

They started off in bright sunshine with virtually no breeze at all.  Let's hope the conditions stay like that.

The main group of runners are due to set off at 10:00.  I'll update the blog tonight, hopefully with tales of a safe and successful 22 mile run in the North Pennines.

A cold, windy, wet and miserable 7.8 miles.

It was very cold, wet, windy and miserable on Waskerley Way today as I reacquainted myself with the Northern Pennines.  

The last time I was on this route was on day 16 of the Big Run last year.   Thankfully, the shin pain I was experiencing back then is long gone.

The run started off quite slowly and due to the wind (and probably Friday's Prawn Madras!) I never managed to post a sub 10 minute mile with an average 10:36 today.  Oh well.  At least it's a start.   In contrast, I managed an average 09:17 per mile over 8.4 miles last Wednesday in near  perfect running conditions.

I plan to spend the next 9 weekends doing different variations of the Pennine Challenge route.  I do hope that the weather gets better!  As I've said many times, there is no more miserable a place on this planet than Waskerley Way when the weather is bad.

2008 event confirmed - AT LAST!

After much negotiation and deliberating, I've finally managed to put together a team to tackle what I think is a very difficult and challenging event.  

The original plan was to run 84 miles in 3 days over the Hadrian's Wall path.  The logistics of organising this run / cycle ride have proved very difficult and I don't think we yet have the experience in the team to tackle such an event over 3 days.  That's not to say it won't be done in the future!

This year, June 29th will see a mixed team run and cycle the PENNINE CHALLENGE route undertaken by 15 Northern Rock staff last year.  All funds raised will be in aid of The Children's Foundation.

This gruelling 22 mile run claimed the running career's of 2 participants last year.  It can't be overstated, just how difficult this course is!   It has been carefully selected for difficulty and should, once again, prove quite a test. It's certainly worthy of sponsorship!

Starting at Castleside in County Durham, the first 10 miles are on the C2C route, ending with a difficult 17% downhill drop into Stanhope. This alone should be enough to sap the energy of any decent runner. However, the nightmare is just about to start! Once the ford in Stanhope has been navigated (let's hope the tide is out!), it's a sheer 17% climb for 1 mile. This will leave the runner gasping for air and heart rates in even the fittest runner's anaerobic zone. The gradient lessens slightly (not by much!) for the next 2 miles and eventually a nice 1 mile downhill stretch is reached.

Once into the valley, the morale of the runner should be pushed to the limits as a 3 mile climb up to 1650 ft will now be clearly visible. 

This climb, at any time is difficult, however it should prove quite a test considering it runs from mile 13 - 16 on the route. Imagine doing a hilly Great North Run, then having to run 3 miles up hill to 1650 ft. I'm sure you get the idea!

Once the summit has been reached the runner will think it's Christmas when they see that the next 2.5 miles are all downhill. The valley at the end of this descent is the start of the final climb on the run. Compared to the other climbs, it's fairly easy. It's just as well as this will take the runner to an impressive mile 21 on the route and the upper outskirts of Middleton in Teesdale. The final glorious mile down into Middleton in Teesdale should be straightforward. Hopefully, the runners will have enough energy left for a decent finish and will not look too ill in front of the tourists.

So, there are 2 things you should know about the Pennine Challenge. 1 - It's in the Pennines and 2 - it almost certainly is a challenge!

Day 16 - The most enjoyable day so far.

Today, I was joined by nearly 20 Northern Rock staff who ran or cycled the 22 mile "Pennine Challenge" route with me from Rowley (near Castleside) to Middleton in Teesdale.

The banter was first class all day and I must give special thanks to Paul "Action" Jackson, Chris "Chopper" Cowan, John Mallon and the one and only Jimmy Bell (all pictured) who were with me every step of the way.

I'm so tired after 2 difficult days running so I will be posting the review of yesterday and today hopefully tomorrow.

For now though, I'm pleased to report that my shin pain is not getting worse and I'm able to control it, for sustained periods, on the run. I'm so pleased to remain on track with over 400 miles now in the bag and 400 and something left to run.

Thanks to all the Northern Rock Pennine Challenge Team for making this a most enjoyable day.