From Petra Bijsterveld…
Photo credit Punk Panther Endurance Events
The Wharfedale Skyline by local ultra event organisers Punk Panther is a largely off-road 35 mile loop from Otley with approximately 4500 ft of elevation. Starting with a steep climb straight up the Chevin the route goes to Bramhope, touches the top of Cookridge before taking you round the perimeter fence of the airport and to Yeadon Tarn and the first checkpoint. From Yeadon you run to Esholt before climbing steeply through Hollins Hall and Bradford golf courses, arriving at Tranmere Park and tackling the Odda, then descending into Menston for the next checkpoint. Onwards via Burley Woodhead and the moor to the Cow and Calf, descending to Ben Rhydding and along the road to Denton, with another welcome checkpoint before climbing again to Ellercar Pike, followed by a downhill section to Timble. Turning south and homeward you run through fields along the Washburn, another climb onto Lower Norwood Rd which leads to the last checkpoint, before climbing again and following the high route above Lindley Wood Reservoir, eventually coming to Farnley and the final 2 mile descent into Otley.
I have run this race twice before, both times with much better underfoot conditions. Last year I finished in 7 hours 29 minutes, and I had hoped to improve on that, but by the time we were nearing halfway, in Menston, I knew I was actually slightly behind despite making considerable effort. The recent heavy rain had left much of the course very muddy and in many places completely waterlogged. The path along the perimeter fence around the airport would have been more suited to flippers and a snorkel than to running shoes, the water was so deep at times that it splashed up as high as my face as I ran through it. The section after Denton on the moor up to Ellercar Pike was similarly waterlogged and possibly the wettest I have ever seen it. It didn’t bother me much, I was wearing my knee length Dexshell waterproof socks and my feet felt cosy and warm, but it definitely slowed my pace down and made it very hard work for the legs in general and glutes in particular. With these conditions I decided to stop worrying about my finish time and focus more on position, like in a cross country race. At the Denton checkpoint (22 miles) I was told I was in 3rd female position, and 1st female vet over 50. The latter I had expected by then, though I was by no means sure how far behind me the next vet might be. There were a few younger women right behind me though. I pressed on, and in the fields coming down from Timble towards Dob Park I spotted the 2nd woman ahead of me. I overtook her but my joy didn’t last very long as I couldn’t hold on. Another woman then overtook both of us. We kept yoyoing like this all the way to Otley, 3 of us fighting for 2nd and 3rd place, I fell behind both but kept trying right until the end, I finished 4th (out of 13 women; 34/60 overall) just 1 minute behind 3rd, in 7 hours 39 minutes.
Other options for this event were the 20 mile and half marathon distances. As far as I can see from the results there were two other Harriers: James Dobbing ran the 20 mile race to finish in an excellent 7th place (out of 46), and Steve Ladhams ran the half marathon coming 12th (out of 45).
All in all a grand day out, we started in rainy and misty conditions (it was quite disconcerting to hear the planes on the runway taking off but not be able to see them) but by the time we had crossed the Wharfe it was intermittently sunny and we got some splendid views. I worked my socks off, only stopping very briefly at checkpoints to take on some coke. It helped that with the lowish temperatures I didn’t need to refill my bottles so that saved time. Not sure why I felt in such a competitive mood all day, but I did have a few nice chats along the way too. Sitting down at the finish talking to my fellow Punk Panthers, having tea, a cheese toastie and a bowl of pasta, as well as receiving my FV plaque, made it all worthwhile!