By: Steve Blake

Race Date: 4^th May 2024

Venue: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

On Saturday May the 4th (also know as Star Wars Day) was the beginning of my fifth ultra, The Steel City 30.

Starting in Totley, finishing in High Green and covering a total of 48.94 km with 1,219 meters of elevation. This was not my first rodeo when it came to ultras as I successfully completed three last year and a brutal 27 miles on Saddleworth Moor on my birthday in March.

I had a very simple running strategy for this race……Stay with Cara.

After receiving an excellent activation massage from the main sponsor Katie Bell Massage company, we set off to the start line and before you knew it, we were on our way through Totley past the cricket club to Moss Hill and then on to Burbage.

This is where Cara Hanson realised that if we maintained good pace with not too many stops, she could go for second lady. This sounded like a good plan as I was talking to her main competition earlier, which comprised of a very friendly personal trainer and her good friend.

The race was on and after a relatively quick stop after 10 miles with Aid Station 1, we were off to Stanage Edge and skipping over rocks and mini bogs. Fuelling on dried mango and dates, it wasn’t long before we were at Dale Dyke reservoir, heading towards Low Bradfield and up to High Bradfield. Having recce’d most of the way in chunks with Coach Cara over the last few months, it was comforting and reassuring at the same time. Running over the hill and dropping down into the Worrall to Aid Station 2 we were greeted by one of Cara’s close friends: Jemma Anderson who recently completed London Marathon.  I managed to wolf down a small bowl of pasta and sausage with a few cups of fake coca-cola……so good!

Now came the tricky bit as you have to run through my neighbourhood of Foxhill and head up to Grenoside, this is mentally quite taxing but with the help of my best mate to keep me positive we climbed our way up Warncliffe to Gosling Moor Wood and kept going till we hit Wortley which Cara pronounced WARTLEY which I found hilarious. Sipping on Lucozade to give us hope and strength to finish and snacking at given opportunity we tackled the technical Thorncliffe Wood and crossed the finish line at Thorncliffe Sports Centre.

After completion I was given a cool down massage from the Katie Bell massage company and this time it was carried out by a young man who stuck his elbows straight into my glutes and heavy thumbed my hamstrings with the experience being very uncomfortable and after 15 minutes he said “stand up and walk” He had pushed all the toxins and aching out of my legs, I was ever so grateful and thanked him.

After receiving my medal made from real steel and an excellent t-shirt, my partner Sarah had driven up to collect me, and I was cream-crackered.

Don’t think I’ve mentioned her enough in this report but, thank you coach you’re the best, and, congratulations on being second lady in the Steel City 30.

The race was won by Jess Ross (of no identified club) in 04:53:53 and Samuel Hill (of no identified club) in 05:09:54

Striders’ Results: