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| The 'end of the world' in Essex (Andreas-Photography). |
THIS could be the best, most uplifting run you’ve
ever done. On the other hand, if the weather turns grumpy, it could be the bleakest
horror show you’ve ever experienced in running shoes.
And not knowing which of these scenarios might play
out is what makes this event so intriguing!
So where is it? Well, strangely enough it’s tucked
away here in Essex, in a part of the county relatively few people know about.
It goes along a stretch of coastal path described thus in an award-winning book:
“As hostile and remote as it is unique and noteworthy.”
Once you’ve left the start area and covered a few
miles you’ll be about as far from T.O.W.I.E. as it’s possible to be – without actually
leaving the county of Essex!
The location and format is a brilliant idea. It’s a
75-mile foot-race that is apparently the brainchild of local runner Roy Read
and Maldon District Council. Ultra-runners can enter and have a crack at the
whole 75 miles, or you can club together in relay teams of anything between 2
and 12 people. It covers a 75-mile route northwards - beside river and sea all
the way - from South Woodham Ferrers to Salcott-cum-Virley, and will span the two
days of the first weekend in October.
Many lovers of wild places will already know the nature
of this territory, but it seems likely a large proportion of the field of
runners will be heading out into the great unknown.
People have been transfixed by the landscape
around the coastal edge of the Dengie Peninsula for many decades. Authors and
travel journalists have used the phrase “end-of-the-world landscape” time and
again. Apparently H.G. Wells was inspired to write War of the Worlds here and Alfred Hitchcock is said to have filmed
part of his horror film The Birds
here.
As well as a huge sky, there are surreal
juxtapositions of man and nature in the salt marsh: a loud generator, a cluster
of containers, a microwave transmitter, the wreck of Darwin’s Beagle and the oldest
intact Christian chapel in England dating back to AD 654. There’s an old World
War II fighter plane training area, and remains of artillery and aircraft
paraphenalia can be seen at low tide.
Starting at S.Woodham Ferrers, competitors will
follow the River Crouch until it meets the North Sea, before turning left
through the remote Dengie Marshes to Bradwell-on-Sea at the mouth of the
Blackwater Estuary. An overnight stop at Steeple will offer respite until morning,
when the remaining 37 miles along the River Blackwater, through Maldon, Heybridge
Basin, Tollesbury and Goldhanger will climax with a final challenge: five miles in Old Hall Marshes nature reserve,
ending up in the hamlet of Salcott-cum-Virley.
Race organizers warn: “This event is no stroll
along the river. Large swathes are uninhabited, isolated and raw, presenting a
psychological challenge as well as a physical one. A prevailing wind can make
the district a tough place to be. You’ll need both strength of mind and of legs
to conquer one of Britain’s true remaining wild places.”
Entries open on Monday June 3 to individuals,
relay teams or single-day runners. There is camping and breakfast provided at
the end of Day One in Steeple. More information is on the main website www.saltmarsh75.co.uk or via e-mail at saltmarsh75@maldon.gov.uk or you can follow ‘Saltmarsh 75’ on Twitter
or Facebook.
The route follows the public footpath along the
top of the sea wall coastal defences as much as possible, so is extremely flat and
navigation is straightforward, but participants
will be very exposed to the elements for most of the way. If it’s windy - and
it often is - you will know about it!
Less than five miles is on surfaced paths. The
rest is on grassed paths and across fields. Therefore, trail shoes would be ideal
although road shoes will be fine if the weather is dry leading up to the event.
There will be 12 manned checkpoints offering basic refreshments and medical
support.
The setting for the race was given high profile by
a recent BBC2 documentary based on Robert Macfarlane’s superb book The Wild Places. In this, Macfarlane wandered
around Essex “looking for wildness” and confessed to being astonished by what
he found on the Dengie Peninsula.
As he gazed out over the saltmarshes he said: “It’s
hard to find space like this in Britain – to be able to look out at the horizon
and find your eyeline unbroken. It’s like a paraphrase of infinity. Extraordinary.”
Macfarlane strolled along the path where Saltmarsh
75 will be run and somewhere between Burnham and Bradwell, on the lonely sea
wall, he sat down and spent the night - just for the hell of it! Just to taste the
remarkable isolation and tranquility. There was no artificial light for miles
and no other people or noise. He was amazed by this “eerily intricate region”
where the saltmarsh stretches out in an ocean of grass and seems likes Essex’s own
prairie.
Hopefully all the runners in Saltmarsh 75 will be
well past this spot by the time night falls on October 5th, because it truly was,
as Macfarlane noted, “The darkest, loneliest place in Essex.”
* Rob
Hadgraft’s five published books on running (plus 11 others on football) are now
also available as e-books for Kindle at just £4.99 each. Use this link:
Rob Hadgraft's
running books on Amazon or,
alternatively: www.robhadgraft.com
