Shires and Spires Ultra Race Report
In the winter of 2023, I started trail running ‘proper’ with a couple of ~12km fell races navigating the dales and edges of the Peak District. Having survived these events, I naturally decided that I was fit enough to sign up for a 35 mile ultra around the comparably less intimidating rolling hills of Northamptonshire. What follows is a summary of that race and my experience of it as a rookie ultra runner.
With 5 friendly aid stations, 600m of ascent, and a beautiful course exploring the quiet country lanes and thatch-roofed villages surrounding Naseby village, Go Beyond’s Shires and Spires Ultra is the perfect race choice for ultra-newbies like myself! The route is a mixture of road and hard trail, with some self-navigation required. A challenge, of course, but an achievable one.
My training for the event had been minimal, with illness and holidays getting in the way. A steady outing around the Yorkshire Three Peaks and a few longer runs around local Sheffield trails were the extent of my distance training in the lead up to the event. Fortunately, I received some excellent short-term training and fueling advice from some experienced ultra running colleagues and got in a few good sessions in the approach to race weekend. With all this in mind, I was feeling quietly confident as Sunday 12th May came around.
Happily for my wonderful support crew, but not so much for myself, the sun decided to turn up on race day, resulting in difficult running conditions – 28°C without cloud cover – and the renaming of said support crew to ‘super salt crew’. As someone who prefers cold and mizzly conditions, I knew I had to throw all time expectations out the window, hoping instead just to enjoy some beautiful countryside views and the company of my fellow ultra runners. And so to the race…
2024 saw a clockwise run of the circuit which, as I was reliably informed by a Northampton Road Runners S&S veteran, is the slightly preferred route due to the large, steep hill coming into the east of Naseby. We were fortunate enough to travel down this hill as we left the village, and continued to enjoy some gentle downhill running along tarmacked country lanes for the first 5 miles.
Following the lead of those around me, I started walking the ups early on in the race, meaning the initial ‘easy’ miles were very steady. CP1 was a welcome sight at mile 5, providing an opportunity to top up water bottles and try the infamous Shires and Spires fruit cake before heading out onto the first trail section. Due to a lack of parking space at the first three checkpoints, supporters are only allowed to be present at CP4 and CP5, so I had arranged alternative meet points for my support team. The first of these was at Brampton Valley car park, 8 miles into the race, where I was told off by the salt crew for not taking on enough food or water and sent on my way with a full electrolyte bottle and some extra gels.
It was at this point that I started to buddy up with Josh, a fellow first-time ultra-runner from Cambridge, who became an on-and-off companion throughout the race. We chatted through to CP2, where I grabbed a few sausage rolls and continued on to meet my support team at Creaton. With the full heat of the day yet to come, these early stages of the race, winding through crop fields and along flower-filled hedges, were a real pleasure to run. Having fuelled up on half a cheese and pickle sandwich and some salty potatoes at my second support stop, I reunited with Josh to run up and out of Creaton, heading back out to the fields.
It’s funny how quickly you can form a team mentality with complete strangers when sharing a challenge like an ultra marathon. There were definitely times during the first half of the race that Josh pulled me up hills, and I hope there were moments when I did the same for him. As the day progressed, I became more and more aware of how integral we, as competitors, are to each other’s experience and success.
At moments when the GPX route led some off course, we would group together to redirect ourselves. When a runner was walking downhill, someone would stop to check on them, offering a pat on the back and encouragement to continue. At the end of the race, a guy I’d found bent over and huffing a few miles out from the finish let me know that the few words of motivation I threw out whilst passing by gave him the push he needed to get to the finish line, at a time he may have bowed out. I was by no means the only person offering support at times of struggle. Whilst you enter a race as an individual, running an ultra feels, at times, much more like a team effort.
As we approached the midway point of the race, the sun reached its peak and my irresponsible lack of nutrition started to have an effect. From CP3 onwards, I started to suffer from stomach cramps and back pain. It was tough. Always one to find silver linings however, this new pain did mean that I wasn’t so aware of how sore my legs were, and having an unsettled tummy drove me up the very long hill into Long Buckby, where I knew there was a public loo! Great memories of shouting “I’m just running to get to the toilet” in response to disbelieving fellow ultra runners trudging up the incline to reach CP4.
Five hours in at this point, my mood was pretty low. I was feeling that my reliance on ultra processed nutrition like gels and energy bars had led to having an upset stomach and the heat of the day was starting to take its toll. I had now also pulled away from the support network of fellow newbies I had been running with, so was having to dig deep into some self-motivation. Thankfully, I was saved at the fourth aid station by my mum’s unreal homemade flapjacks, a frozen neck towel, and the wonderful cheer of race volunteers. Throughout the day, it was a total pleasure to be supported by some really lovely, upbeat, engaged Spires & Shires team members. A little bit of belief from a stranger can make a huge difference when you start to doubt yourself!
The final 12 miles were a solo mission and, whilst incredibly challenging, offered an opportunity to see how much grit I really have. The terrain continued to be undulating, with beautiful scenes and good ground to make up some easy miles. Having taken it easy in the first third of the race, my ‘tired legs’ training came into effect running out of CP5 in West Haddon, leading to a comparatively speedy sixth section. I’m particularly grateful to the guy who saw me running past him and his mate, ran to catch up and then overtook me approaching Naseby, instilling a good bit of competition for the very last, seemingly never-ending final miles.
Ultimately, I came in 66th out of a field of 122, grabbing ninth female and third in my age category (of which we were four but third sounds more impressive than second last!) As we were getting back to the cars at Naseby Village Hall, we got chatting to a seasoned ultra runner who said that this race was one of the hardest he’s ever done due to the heat of the day, so I’ll happily take those stats.
It’s great to feel proud of a result, especially as 35 miles is by far the furthest I’ve ever run, but more than anything I came away with a feeling of immense pride at the mental strength I discovered and gratitude for my wonderful partner and mum for plying me with snacks, words of encouragement and much-needed hugs all day. I am in awe of runners like Josh, who come alone to races like Spires and Shires and drive themselves home afterwards, sharing the feeling of completing such a huge challenge with only themselves. Before running in the event, I just wouldn’t have considered coming without a team, but luckily for Josh and the numerous other solo runners, the team at Spires and Shires have created a race that is so friendly and welcoming, that you never really feel alone anyway. As you cross the finish line, race director Simon is there until the bitter end to cheer every runner across the line. That’s the image I have of this lovely race. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard, but as a first-time ultra runner, I could not have chosen a better race to begin my ultra journey.
