Moyleman Day
It was couple of years ago … I just happened to go to the pub to meet Sweder after a hard days biking over the hills around Lewes – 28 miles of brutal trails. After a couple of pints and none stop wittering from me, a little light bulb went on in the big man’s head. The Moyleman was born.
We now shoot forward a couple of years and its 5am on Sunday 15th March 2015. I am lying in bed fretting about the lack of signs at the underpass – what if the marshals don’t get there in time – what if runners get lost - so after an hour of fretting I was up… in the car heading out with some more signs.
I had only been out a few minutes when I receive a text from Sweder: “where is the farm track to the top of the Yellow Brick Road” he asks. That’s an easy one to answer. But ten minutes after that I receive another text, a photo of his 4X4 with a puncture. Arse. But hey, we've still got two hours to go and the list of jobs is now into the hundreds rather than the thousands.
I head home, get changed, strap my bike to the roof of the car, and tear the kids and wife out of the house to head up to Wallands School where we are registering the runners and marshals.
It’s now 8am and we are setting up tables and the lovely Patina Cantina. Marshals are starting to arrive. It is getting exciting. The support bikers turn up – three fantastic volunteers who led and swept the field all day, smiling all the way. Then Rear Gunner Porter arrives – having worked all night, again with a smile on his face.
Before we knew it, it was 8:45 and time for the marshal’s briefing … we now had a hall full of marshal’s runners and other volunteers. The only problem was that we didn’t have a Sweder. I wasn’t bothered about the man himself, it was the fact he had the route map, tabards, radios and runners numbers that was causing me some angst. True to form, he turned up just in time.
At this point I stood quietly and just looked around. There were about 150 people in the room, the place was buzzing with excitement… it was a cauldron of organised chaos. I had runners shaking my hand thanking me for a race that hadn’t even started yet. It was all I could do to hold back the tears. I couldn’t believe we had done this. And the day hadn’t even started.
Time for me to go. I am the route man, the route is my baby. I have toiled for two years, running, biking, walking every inch of it. I feel very precious about it so wanted to be out there ahead of the runners to make sure that everything was in place. So 20 minutes before the runners lined up on the start line, I was on my bike heading into the hills.
It was amazing. I was held up time after time by people stopping me (runners, walkers and even horse riders) who wanted to know when it was due to start, were they standing in the right place, what a great thing it was that we were doing. By the time I made it to the first corner I was only 10 minutes ahead of the runners!
Heading down, full speed towards heart attack hill, I looked back to Blackcap, and there they were… the runners, running the Moyleman, our Moyleman.
Down to Housedean Farm where we had the first water stop. Great, brilliant, fabulous marshals all ready and waiting with big smiles on their faces. On, on, over the A27 and up the relentless bastard. Half way up I looked behind me… strike a light (or words to that effect) the lead runners were only 200 yards behind me! Digging in, I made it to the top before they did… a quick chat to the marshals and then it was the turn for Castle Hill Nature Reserve and the Valley of Death, saluting Moyleman himself as I sped past – wiping a little tear away as I tried to make some distance on the lead runners.
At the bottom I chatted to the marshal, part of Team Moyleman, Cam’s running team, who had put a great Team Moyleman sigh up. Then it was over the fields to the flint hill. They got me. Two runners and one of the lead bikes took me half way up. So bloody fast and so casual. They just chatted to each other as they left me in their dust.
On, on, on… I got them back on the Yellow Brick Road just as the radio call came from Sweder “I am on the C7 do we have any runners”. “Yes” I called back “they will be in sight in two minutes” as they overtook me again.
Southease, the halfway point, and I made it first, to be told by the chief timing man, that I looked very tired (he didn’t quite put it like that). No time to stop, I had the five miles to Firle Beacon to climb. Six runners overtook me on that stretch; I pulled back two by the time I made it to Bo Peep… but boy I was struggling now. Back along the coach road, through Firle, under the underpass and across the field to Glynde. As I passed Rob who was marshalling the underpass I mentioned that I might skip Caburn… there was nothing left in the tank now.
But, when I got to Ramscombe lane and stared upwards toward Caburn, I knew that there was no way in the world I was going to miss any part of the route. I did walk a section of it (I know), I did have to stop to let the leg cramps abate but I made it to the top. I then discovered a big fat thorn in my tyre. Choices, choices… I could fix it… or see how it went… the tyre was still holding up. I made it half way down Chapel Hill before I had to get off, pick up my bike and run to the finish line!
It was just fantastic… a big hug from the big man greeted me as I crossed the line. We had done it… I had done it.
Harveys yard was buzzing and continued to buzz for the next 3 hours. We had beer, we had food, we had massages, and we had the most amazing atmosphere as runner after runner came over the finish line, all so proud of what they had achieved and singing with praises over what we had achieved. The feedback was just awesome.
When Cam and the Moyleman team came over the line, shouting and whooping it was all I could do not to blub. Then my good friend and fellow organiser Brian crossed the line which was just lovely, big hugs and big tears.
Before we knew it, it was all over. Just a few of us left, drinking a last pint, clearing up with mighty grins on our faces.
The next Moyleman will be on the 13th March next year. BRING IT ON!
