In effect, from 55km onwards I ran the entire race on my own, not seeing another runner for the duration. I would descri
Just for
One day Words: Photos:
John Melbourne Heroes Ultra Marathon
On the night of April 26th 1944 British agents of the Special Operations Executive, assisted by local resistance fighters, executed one of the most audacious missions of the Second World War by kidnapping General Kreipe, Commander of the occupying Nazi forces. Through the publication of the book Ill Met by Moonlight and film of the same name starring Richard Bogarde, the mission is assured a place in Cretan folklore. The abduction culminated in an evacuation of the General to Cairo, a 20-day march across the Cretan mountains. The distance covered totalled 156km and is the inspiration behind the Heroes Ultra. Endless switchbacks at the descent from Mt Kryoneritis towards the finish. The idea was a fantastic one. Recreating the route of the heroes’ mission would honour their feat and accomplishment, and simultaneously create a new race to rival some of the more prestigious 100-milers on the continent. Technically the race isn’t 100 miles, a fact not lost on my various running ‘friends’ who are happy to remind me I still have yet to complete this landmark distance. However given the historical significance of the route it really doesn’t matter. I stumbled across the race while scouring running websites a few months ago, looking for inspiration and planning away every holiday for the next three years. Ninety-seven miles across the island of Crete, just over 5,500m of elevation, I liked the sound of that; the level of climbing suited me. Having bombed out of the UTMB in 2014 due to setting off at a suicidal pace, this was my next attempt to go past the 100K mark and seemed like a sensible race to enter. My only concern was the heat, which proved well-founded as temperatures reached the high 20s on the afternoon of the race. Yet, as I completed the online entry, I would have no idea of the time, effort and vision of race director Panos Gonos in pulling this race together. I met up with him at registration the day before the race, where he talked me through all the work involved in setting this great race up from scratch. He had complemented the excellent course marking with a police escort to cross a ‘busy road’ (which really wasn’t busy by south-east England standards), and contacting numerous shepherds to ensure farm dogs were tied up and out of harm’s way. From start to finish the organisation was
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first class, and I am sure what small niggles there were will be ironed-out for next year. When your biggest moan at a brandnew race is that Coca-Cola wasn’t present at the aid stations then you know the team have done an amazing job.
All smiles as athletes set off from Vosakou Monastery.
Belgian Spartathlon hopeful Olivier Verhaege crossing the Nida Plateau.
The race started at Vosakou monastery, where runners received a warm welcome and a warm cup of tea from the local monks who, while curious, seemed genuinely pleased to be hosting us. The race set off at 8am and 27 hearty souls from as far afield as Japan, Israel, Holland and the UK set off into the mountains. Present among the field were two other British runners, Graham Harraway from Kent and adventure journalist Tobias Mews. The first 50km of the race involved a steady climb of 1,500m with numerous smaller descents and climbs built in. With the small numbers involved the field quickly spread, and I spent this first section running with a Spanish chap, Eusebio Bochons. In one of those annoying situations where I would gain distance on the ups and he would claw back on the downs, creating a five-hour back-and-forth battle to lead the race. This would only be broken on the descent from the peak of Mount Ida at 1,900m when Eusebio flew past me and unfortunately missed a clearly signed right turn. I had missed the same turn but recovered my error due to the new Suunto watch to which I had uploaded the course. For a navigational liability like myself such a device is a welcome addition to my ultra race kit.
the majority of the course as runnable trail/road, but mixed in were some very technical incredibly challenging rocky sections. I’d initially set my sights on running the race in sub-18 hours, but during these sections I lowered my expectations, especially as I started to suffer in the mid-afternoon heat. As the sun got stronger I started to cramp and developed a headache. I was struggling to eat and feeling sick, with liquid washing around in my stomach. The feeling of isolation was difficult to manage, and the race became a mental challenge with the constant fear that my lead would be eroded.
In effect, from 55km onwards I ran the entire race on my own, not seeing another runner for the duration. I would describe
Thankfully those dreaded footsteps didn’t come, and I was delighted to discover at the 95km checkpoint that I had
extended my lead to just under two hours. The welcome at the Gerakari CP is one I will never forget. It felt like the entire village was out cheering as I entered the hall where my drop bag would be waiting. I was really struggling at this point. The day after the race I received an email from an English couple wishing me well after talking to me here. I still to this day cannot remember the conversation or meeting these guys at all! A photo of me here looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost also makes me chuckle. After the ‘heroes’ welcome at Gerakari the temperatures cooled and I started to recover and push on. Save for a 700m vertical climb at 130km the hardest part of the race was over, and it felt like I was in the home straight. Another minor navigational
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The first few kilometres of the race through the Talaia Mountains.
error on descent to the CP at Velonado didn’t really matter, as I was told I still had a comfortable lead. The positional updates throughout the race were made possible by live GPS tracking of all competitors, a fantastic innovation that allowed my army of followers back home – OK, a couple of insomniacs; even my wife had gone to sleep long before the finish – to stay up and track the race to its conclusion. The night section was tough because of the isolation, but the course marking meant I would make no more errors to the finish. This tracking information helped raise my spirits as again I was feeling rather sickly and sorry for myself. Despite heading towards a rare race win I was still listening to demons in my head such as “even if I walk it from here I can get in under the cut-off” to visions of the UTMB and “I’m not cut out for ultras and should stick to parkrun.” I battled on, reaching the final summit when all that was left was Kryoneritis and then a descent down to the sea and the finish line. From seemingly nowhere I found something in reserve, and I actually enjoyed the push up the final mountain. Knowing it was too steep to run offered a welcome respite, and again at the top I was told the race was won. Like a boxer up on points in round 12, all I had to do was stay on my feet. On the long descent down the mountain road to the finish I could hear the waves crashing against the beach and my thoughts turned to those daring resistance fighters, and Stanley Moss their lieutenant. I was about to complete their 20-days mission in just over 21 hours and it felt like I was really part of something special. One can only imagine their journey over 70
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Violetta Domaradzka, overwhelmed, sits at the abduction monument at Peristeres Beach.
Tobias Mews and Pantelis Kampaxis ran most of the early race shoulder-to-shoulder.
Writer and winner, John Melbourne.
8am on race day, and first steps into the unknown out of Vosakou Monastery.
years ago, being pursued by Nazis in all directions with certain death around every corner. As ultramarathon runners we are often described as ‘heroes’ or ‘supermen’, but there is simply no comparison. These guys, 70 years ago, were the real heroes and it was a privilege to be honouring their journey.
and after a sip of beer I curled up on a sun lounger waiting for my fellow runners to finish. In second and third place were local Greek athletes who looked in a far better condition than I, with Tobias finishing in joint 4th with Eusebio, who had faded badly after his major wrong turn.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I approached the finish line on the beach, the feeling of jubilation mixed with sheer relief that I had done it. 21 hours and 31 minutes after leaving Vosakou monastery, and I was the winner of the inaugural Heroes Ultra. In keeping with the rest of the race, the reception at Peristteres Beach was truly humbling and I was greeted by an array of well-wishers. A huge banquet awaited, of which I ate nothing,
I can’t give Panos and his team enough credit for creating the Heroes Ultra and delivering an amazing product in year one. I am convinced this race will grow and may ultimately rival some of the more established races out there. What makes this race unique is the support and buy-in from the community. The local people treated all the runners like minor celebrities and cheered everyone on as we ran through the small isolated villages in
Spaniard Eusebio Bochons receives a hero’s welcome at the 100km Patsos checkpoint.
the mountains. The course was tough, yet long sections were runnable and there were no ‘death march’ ascents that seemingly go on for ever. I would describe the course as somewhere in between a UTMB/Gran Raid De Pyrenees and the North Downs 100; it has a bit of something for the speedsters and climbers alike. I wish Panos all the best as he builds this race, and I’ll be back on the start line next year to defend my title. John Melbourne lives in Surrey with wife Nellie, rescue cats Kalikala and Honu, and four chickens. He runs for Tadworth AC where Nellie is fondly referred to as ‘the Running Widow’. John races everything from parkrun up to ultras, with the odd Tough Guy or Spartan race thrown in for good measure.
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