The Longmynd Hike October 09 Photos taken by Colin Williamson of The Shropshire Shufflers HERE
Full results at bottom of page.

Jos story
I've done a handful of ultra distances but never felt complacent. The Longmynd is not for the fainthearted, do not be taken in by the rolling hills of Shropshire because they don't roll, they appear out of the earth like a childs version of a hill, straight up and down, totally unforgiving and full of history and stories, this is a very special part of the countryside. We were surrounded at the start by 500 people, most seemed to have started this journey before, some not having made it to the end and others completing in a very fast time. To John and I,, getting round in one piece having put our all into it was the aim. I have to say John was a fantastic companion, excellent navigator, and team leader...over that distance we had dark moments...and I have to admit for me there were several. I set myself control points to pull out at if I felt I was comprimising the group, 30 miles was the first. When we teamed up with the 3 from the Shropsire Shufflers I started to struggle, mainly phsycologically at first and asthma second. After 30 miles I seemed to rally and each check point ticked off, 35 miles and second wind! It was amazing, full moon (after the gales and rain of earlier). We hardly used our head torches, it was a bit like being in a volume of Tolkien at one point, our group of travellers on a quest, forest and moonlight...sorry to sound a bit mushy but it really was like that.
There was a sting in the tail to finish us off and I have never moved so slowly up any hill. 2 miles to the finsih, cold and tired and slightly damp. I feel really lucky to have shared this experience with John and Shropsire Shufflers, Hazel, Louise and Mark. Thank you.

Johns story

Having never previously walked (let alone run) over 30 miles before I had serious misgivings before we started. You can be as fit as you are ever going to be – but you simply do not know what might go wrong (sprains, blisters etc) or how your body might just let you down when you ask it to go where you have never been before. That said, I was determined not to drop out – Jo needed all the practice she can get before the MdS! Also, I thought that it was essential to start out with the right ”mind set” (ie. I am going to finish come what may) – otherwise it might be all too easy to give up when the going got hard. This event takes up your entire week-end – Saturday morning getting to Church Stretton and registering (with a fairly rigorous “kit check”) – then the event itself (Jo and I were on our feet for 15 ½ hours – finishing at 4.30am on Sunday morning) – then travelling home – and, believe me, you are then not much good for anything else for the rest of the weekend! There were apparently 503 starters – a mixture of hardened fell runners (this was the last “counter” event in the FRA “extreme” series for 2009) and long distance hikers. The final results are not yet in – but Jo and I reckoned that we finished in the 170s – some 200 dropped out last year along the way (so I think that Jo and I can be pretty proud of ourselves).


We jog-trotted the downhill and (where we could) along the level parts (at least during the daylight hours) and walked the rest (at a fairly brisk walking pace throughout – apart from the really steep bits where it was all I could do to keep moving forward and upward). The first 20 (!) odd miles are a succession of ups and downs; whilst the hills are not particularly high (c 1,600 feet) they do start on the valley floors and tend to go up pretty steeply (and most of the checkpoints are at the very highest points!). To those who know the area, a very brief run through the 50 miles (with 16 compulsory check points) - Caradoc and The Lawley are lovely; then there is a long drag up to Pole Bank, a descent into the valley and a long road march up to the top of Stiperstones. The two mile section along the top of the


Stiperstones is a truly dreadful path (all sharp “sticky up” stones); Earl’s Hill is steep but rewarding – and then it starts getting dark. The Hike organisers insist that after dark you travel in groups of at least three and at the Bank farm check point (just under half way) we were press ganged upon a group of three Shropshire Shuffler club members (Hazel, Louise and Mark). Louise and Mark were initially somewhat concerned at having two people whom they did not know foisted upon them – apparently they had had a “bad experience” in last year’s event when their night group had had different ambitions and different travelling speeds. I can see that this enforced “grouping” really could be a problem – when you are cold, tired, hungry and wet (and maybe lost!) with over 25 miles to go you are not always “at your best” and it could be very easy for friction to develop within a group so that the whole experience becomes nightmarish. Jo and I were fortunate - our group got along very well together – we more or less shared the same ambitions (ie. keep going as best we could and to finish – but without necessarily going for a PB). Also (and again this is very important for good “night group harmony”) we had no disagreements about the route choices – fortunately Mark and Louise knew those sections that I had not been able to research very well and led us through them with (so it seemed to me) 100% accuracy – and they were good enough to go along with my suggestions where I thought I was able to suggest one or two “short cuts” which they did not know. During the night our group struggled up Corndon, Black Radley Hill, over the Stiperstones and Pole Bank – and finally over Ragleth Hill back into Church Stretton to the finish. To me the night section was just fantastic – the weather had greatly improved and the sky was clear with a bright moon. Apart from some wooded sections we hardly needed our head torches; we could see the silvery outlines of the hills dotted with the town/village lights for miles around (and the head torches of the competitors in front and behind us). It is a long time since I last did a night walk - and I can thoroughly recommend it (with good weather!). The hills and the check points came and went as the hours went on – until we were finally at the bottom of the last major obstacle (Ragleth Hill) – which is a severely steep “sting in the tail”. I will not go into how I felt struggling up this one with 48 miles down and at 4.00am – just to say that there was a feeling of immense personal satisfaction when we got over the top and could see the street lights of Church Stretton just a mile or so away. One of the check point marshals here said “well done” as though he truly meant it – and at that point this really did mean something (to me anyway!). The actual finish was in truth a bit of an anticlimax – no cheering crowds and no finishing line – just a group of scattered school buildings with gentle snoring from the early finishers laid out in sleeping bags on gymnasium and class room floors, the finish marshals taking our precious completed check point “tallies” and cheerful tea ladies handing out hot drinks. My only injuries were two badly aching ankles – which recovered in less than 24 hours – so I think I got away with things fairly lightly. I can well imagine that bad blisters or a sprain on this type of event could turn it into a hellish experience. Personally this event gave me more personal satisfaction that any other I have taken part in; the organisation was superb (the check points were calm havens of light, warmth, efficiency and cheerfulness – and hot drinks!). If you are in any way tempted to do an “extreme” event then I can wholeheartedly recommend this one to you (but do make sure that you have done copious “hills” training in preparation – you cannot avoid them!). Finally - a few words about Jo – just to say that I could not have wished for a better companion to share the experience with. The race was long and hard, the climbs were steep and (at times) the weather was dire – and, although Jo suffered from her asthma at some stages, she never once complained and was utterly resolute, determined and unfailingly cheerful. I have absolutely no doubt at all that she will successfully complete the MdS – she is one determined lady!
Full results Click here
Overall 136 / 413 Jo and John
Overall ladies 27 / 79 Jo
Novices all 52 / 173 Jo and John
Novies ladies 7 / 30 Jo
Over 50's 28 / 84 John