Wild West 40 miles 2023 – Race Report

Date: Saturday 17th June 2023

Official miles: 40 miles

Elevation: 3,688 ft /  1,124 m

Weather: Rain to start, then hot sunshine

Start: Stack Rocks, Castlemartin Range

Route type: Circular

Conditions: Soft and mostly dry

Website link: Wild West Ultra by Narberth Nobbler

Describe the route in three words: impressive coastal scenery

Wild West Ultra – Race Report

As soon as I saw this race advertised I knew I wanted to do it. Firstly it was in Pembrokeshire which from running club training camp I knew was a beautiful part of the world. Secondly it took us over-out-of-bounds MOD land, the organisers had gained special permission, and thirdly it was an event by Narbeth Nobbler. They are a fantastic group and I had previously done The Dirty Dozen with them as well as a virtual 4x4x48 event. They are a wonderful group of people.

The fact that this would be run exactly a week after the Lake District 100km and immediately after a cheese and gin fuelled girls’ holiday to France, didn’t bother me. I had an epic Friday which involved travelling home from France, spending 3 hours at home and then heading to Pembroke Dock on a 4 hour journey (luckily no traffic!). I arrived at the Dolphin Hotel, was warmly greeted by the hosts and fell into bed. 

Race day dawned and I had a longer-than-it-should-have-been drive as the postcode I used wasn’t the right one! I finally found my way to Stack Rocks car park and it started chucking it down with rain. I hid in my car for as long as possible and then headed over to the start.

I introduced myself to Sanna Duthie who had also run in The Dirty Dozen. Sanna is the chosen athlete by Mountain Rescue to run Dragon’s Back this year. She is an awesome runner and I would imagine will do very well indeed on Dragon’s Back. Today though, her role was back runner. We briefly chatted but then it was time for me to go.

Once started, I was relieved that everything felt normal, I’d really suffered in the heat the week before, not being able to breath properly, having a tight chest and other issues. In fact it was such a relief that I then found myself running way too fast.

I was right at the front, within the top 6 or 7 runners (so fast in fact, the professional photographer apologised for not getting photos of the first seven people, I was one of them!) I was so happy to be running through this beautiful area where we’d not normally be able to run (the MOD section was first and we had Narberth Nobbler crew lead the way through). I knew that my pace was not sustainable but I also didn’t care. This race was purely for fun, no pressure to do a specific time and I could do what I want, even if that meant burning out at the start and walking there rest of the way!

It wasn’t long until Tash overtook me and I could see she was a much stronger runner, I knew I would not be seeing her again. The route follows the coast and we were on the most fabulous undulating coastal paths with the sea to our left. A couple of guys (David and Will) edged up behind me and I listened in on their conversation, they apologised for their banter and I said it was really interesting and of course I had to add my thoughts. They were wondering if miles counted more than elevation. I feel that if one is to do ultra racing on trails, then elevation counts more as it is more time on feet. An example of this is when I went into the South Downs Way 100. I certainly had not put the distance in but I had done a lot of elevation as the months beforehand had been my preparations for the Gwynne-Harris Round. I got a sub 24 on the SDW100 and found the route relatively easy due to it being so flat compared to what I had been used to. 

After a bit of time the boys passed me and it was around about here I think that Clara caught up with me. She ran behind me for a bit then passed me. I passed her again on a beach section, feeling pleased that I’d practised running on the beach at training camp. Clara overtook me again and then gradually pulled away. Clara went on to overtake Tash to claim first place!

I had run through the first checkpoint not needing anything and at the second I picked up a couple of sandwiches and a cupcake. As I was walking down the lane eating my goodies, a car driver stopped to ask me if there was a cafe nearby, I told him that I had no idea as I wasn’t from here. Of course as he drove away I realised he had probably been eying up my sandwich and cake! 

In between checkpoints two and three, Alastair Bowen caught up with me in a field and we ran together for a bit. We had met on The Dirty Dozen and he would have won it although he ended up making a silly mistake and going the wrong way on the final lap. I was feeling the effects from my too speedy start so it was really nice to have the company. I had been jeffing but having Alistair with me meant I continued to run. We came into the third checkpoint and we both filled our water bladders, he kindly gave me a SiS tablet to put in my water as I hadn’t brought any.

We ran together until just before checkpoint 4 where Alastair pulled away from me. As I arrived into the checkpoint he was still there chatting, “C’mon, get a wiggle on! You are good enough to win this thing!” I took a couple more sandwiches and a cupcake and set off once more.

The sun was out and it was really warming up now. The route certainly delivered on interest and beauty. It seems that the majority of the climbing had been done on the first part.

Having headed inland for a bit the territory started to become familiar and I knew I was arriving in Stackpole, this is where running club had hosted the winter training camp. I ran along the river and crossed over the beautiful eight arched bridge which was just a stone’s throw away from our accommodation.

Up a hill, in a field and then a right turn to run along the sandy dunes, chatting a bit with a guy who caught up with me, then slowed again and then overtook me. He was a bit annoyed as he’d been running with two friends who had both decided to DNF and I think he had been running slower than his usual pace to stay with them. I crossed another bridge I recognised. I then made a number of terrible nav errors, criss-crossing my way back and forth over a beach until I finally found the correct line. It felt like I had just wasted a lot of time. I then came to a fence and wasn’t sure which side to be on, I ran down to nearly the bottom, back tracked the way I had come as I could see the path on the other side but not a way over. I then saw some walkers near where I had just come from so re-traced my steps again as it had turned out there was a way through, I just hadn’t gone down far enough. I came into that final aid station really frustrated at my silly mistakes but the marshals there were so supportive, telling me I was third lady and doing a fantastic job, and not to worry as I was here now and in the right place. I took some food and carried on for the final stretch to the finish. This involved grassy cliff tops and a coastal gravel path which took me through to the end. There was a gate just before the finish and someone ran down to open it to let me through. 

What a super enjoyable event and such a beautiful and interesting route. I was handed my medal, a cold can and a piece of carrot cake, these guys know how to look after you! Clara and Tash were there so we did a podium photo and had a bit of a chat.

When the RD realised I had a four hour drive home she pushed more cake onto me and another cold can, to keep me sustained for the journey!

Alastair was there, he’d won his age category and come in 8th overall which was an excellent result. David and Will had got third and fourth so they had an ace race too!

A great YouTube video of the route can be viewed here (contains strong language):

What’s in the snack pack?

Natural Bar

Hula Hoops

Sugar coated stemmed ginger

Caffeine chews

2x 500ml bladders water – 1 plain, 1 with Hi 5

Inov 8 Trailshell waterproof jacket

Vasaline

Spare hair band

Safety pins

Compeed, plasters, surgical tape, spare socks

Whistle

Survival blanket

OMM Halo waterproof trousers

OMM ultra flexi cup

Fully charged mobile phone

Map (provided at registration)

What I wore: Saucony Peregrine 12 ST, Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire, buff, Sweaty Betty power leggings, Sweaty Betty vest, baseball cap, sunglasses, Stance socks, Dirty Girl gaiters, Salomon Adv Skin 12 running vest.

Lead up: This was a race I certainly didn’t spend as much care and attention as I would usually, simply because I was just doing it for fun. I’d completed the Lake District Challenge 100km a week prior then had a girls holiday so I certainly didn’t go to the effort of being alcohol free and watching what I ate beforehand! It was quite liberating actually.

Morning preparations: I had a Porridge Pot, banana and a cup of tea for breakfast. I had time to do some stretches before leaving for the race start.

Summary

Absolute cracker of a route, really delivered on scenery and had a nice mixture of trails and a few lanes. The aid stations were really well stocked, the marshals were super supportive, friendly and brilliant and all in all, this really was a special route. To top it off, I did a really respectable time too!

Lessons learned

I was a bit blasé about this run as I was doing it for fun rather than a specific time. This meant that I had not paid enough care when packing my bag, I really should have had sun cream and spare SiS tablets with me which I did not.

Results

Chip time: 7hr 25m 32s

Overall: 10 / 82

Lady: 3 / 22

Wild West 40 2023 – click here for results

Professional race photos by iLmio Photography can be viewed here