It's midnight, it's cold, it's dark and I should be anywhere other than stood in a car park in the middle of Poole Park looking for a camper van! I'm not on my own, John is with me but he's going back to a nice warm bed whilst I'm heading out into the dark to run 26.2 miles to Dorchester.
The van turns up a few minutes later but no sign of my running buddy who now turns out to be named Graham and not Adam! There's a flurry of excitement as we hear that the incoming runner who has been completing the run from Lyndhurst as a 3 man relay squad (actually 2 men and one woman) is less than a mile away from us.
Health and insurance declaration signed, warm hoodie and leggings off and a (very!) quick briefing on how to use the Blackberry which is pre-set with my route map and a 'one push' emergency call button which will link me straight to the camper van acting as our support. Number pinned on, Blackberry strapped to my arm and headtorch switched on. Within a few minutes the incoming runner is storming towards us...this is it! Graham still hasn't arrived so I have no choice but to have ALL the pressure on my shoulders to get this baton to Dorchester within the 4 hour time slot.
I head off laden down with my phone, key to get into my car (vital!!), gels, 2 layers of techie tops plus a high viz jacket, buff (it IS cold), gloves, headtorch, Blackberry and the baton (didn't really get a chance to have a good look but it's a solid piece of plastic with a dog tag and some coloured ribbons by the look of it) - I'm carrying more with me than as a result of a weekly shop!
Out of Poole Park and heading over the lifting bridge then up towards Upton before taking a left towards Lytchett. First problem...I'd left the map copy they'd given me in the camper van in all the rush and I didn't ask how to unlock the Blackberry to check I'm going the right way....hmmm. I wasn't 100% sure I was actually heading towards Lytchett but luckily I was able to ask a couple out walking (who goes out walking at nearly 1am on a Sunday morning!?) for confirmation. Through Lytchett and then straight over at The Bakers Arms heading towards Wareham. First use of the head-torch as I was suddenly thrown completely into darkness but I didn't like it on my head as it kept slipping down so from then on I held it in my hand and it waved all over the place.
Whilst running along here I saw one police car suddenly pull over a speeding young driver, then another turned up and parked behind him, only for him to shoot off when a 4x4 pulling a trailer had his tail light board dragging along the road...all happens here. But the police weren't concerned about a single female out running in the middle of the night!
Up through Wareham town centre where I got a few 'who in their right mind runs this time of the morning' comments and then I hit the darkness which would be my companion for the next 10 miles or so until I got to Moreton....it really was dark. I ran along Puddletown Road which those who run in the Dorset Road League will recognise as the route for the Purbeck 10k only it's very different running it in the dark. You can't see any of the undulations so have no idea if you're coming up to an incline or decline nor can you see the small potholes in the road so you end up running a bit like a hackney pony!
I hadn't seen hide nor hair of a support van by this time and I was nearly at 13 miles and getting a little worried. I knew I was on the right route but where were they - I needed to see them before Moreton as I had no idea where to go other than taking a road on the right and without the Blackberry showing me the route, I'm stuffed!
There were animal noises all around - plenty of deer running away from the edges as I approached and pigeons roosting suddenly taking flight. Heard a few tawny owls which made me smile, the iconic 'twit-too-woo'.
Just before I reached the T-junction at Bovington, the camper van caught up with me...phew! Desperate for a drink and they also showed me the 'unlock' button on the Blackberry. Apparently Graham had turned up and started 15-20 minutes after I'd left : he was a 3hr marathoner but he hadn't caught me nor had the support crew actually seen him en-route...he was AWOL!
I carried on through the very dark woods of Bovington, past Clouds Hill (where Lawrence of Arabia used to live) and after 2-3 miles reached the next T-junction where I turned left and headed towards Moreton and unfamiliar roads. Just after the station, I started to really struggle and walked for a minute or two. I was even starting to imagine things....like a shape up ahead that looked uncanningly like a couple of road signs on top of one another but when I reached it, transformed into nothing more than trees over the road with the lights from the railway crossing! I desperately need sleep and to stop running!
It was then that I was spotted by the other support crew (and this definitely wasn't any sort of mirage thankfully!) who promised to stay with me till the end. Unfortunately I missed the road off to the right that I was meant to take, resulting in at least a half mile extra run back to where I should have turned....frustrating. Back into blackness but at least I didn't have to use the head torch as the car stayed right behind me, lighting up my route. The bad news was that this meant I could see the couple of uphills I had to negotiate until dropping down in Dorchester. Really glad of the support as I didn't need to worry about which way to run....I was simply directed from the car.
I was soooooo glad to see the camper van parked up in a car park and was greeted by a round of applause by the next leg runners who were off to the delights of Lyme Regis and I duly passed over the baton I had safely carried all the way from Poole.
A great medal, personalised with details of my particular leg, was hung around my neck. Turned out that Graham hadn't done his homework - he wasn't looking at the Blackberry nor had he reviewed his route before leaving home as when he reached The Bakers Arms, instead of going towards Wareham he had simply started following the signs to Dorchester and was finally found by the camper van support team running along the main A35 dual carriageway that runs from Bere Regis to Dorchester...miles off route! He might be a sub 3hr marathoner but I can read a map and get the all-important baton to the finish line quicker than he can :o)
Walked back to my car by which time I was shivering with cold. It was around 5.45am when I got home. I'd run 27.2 miles in just over 4hrs and very pleased with my contribution. As I write this, the RelayGB baton has traveled 345 miles and has another 1,578 to go to beat the current world record.....keep it going everyone!
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