High Peak Marathon

This is just a quick post to get this out of my head, and to work out where my apprehension is coming from.

In October a couple of friends were putting together a High Peak Marathon team. Its open by ballot, so we entered the ballot. Subsequently we didn't get in. It was over subscribed, we just weren't lucky in the draw. Ok, so I don't need to be worried about reccying bits of bogtastic moor in the cold over the winter in preparation for a 42 mile mud-fest.

Spent the winter bumbling around having a nice time, ran a fair amount, and generally chilled.
5 weeks ago there was a shout out for replacements for a HPM team, I thought as I had a relatively good base, I'd put my name forward, and if I got in, I'd go and stroll over the places that I didn't really know all that well. As it happened, the team managed to pick up 2 runners who had previously completed the race, and my services were not needed.

Wednesday evening I got an email saying another person from the team was dropping out because of illness, would I still want the place.
Right.
Yep, I'll help them out of a fix. No reccying done, no really long days in preparation, just get my kit together and tonight 48 hours later, go off on a bit of a race with 3 people that I've never met before, let alone run with.

I've written the route in on a map, had a quick look around on Google Earth at the bits I really don't know, (as opposed to the bits I vaguely know) and I reckon with a bit of luck and a following wind, I might not get too ridiculously lost.

Now, if it was just me that was running around, yes, I'd probably get lost, but I wouldn't be too worried. I can get myself out of it. If I was running around with people I knew, that wouldn't be a problem, as proved by the 15 trigs escapade.
Its not the fact I've never run bits of the route, its not whether the weather will be nice or nasty (I think its going to be ok-ish), and I'm pretty sure I can get round it- its just a case of one foot in front of the other, and keeping food going in your mouth. I think I am concerned simply because of the unknown aspect of the other people in the team. Do they have a particular route in mind? How fast are they planning on running? Are any of them recovering from injury? Are they any good at map reading, and on previous runs, were they the team leaders, or were they just following someone who knew where they were going?
I don't even know their names.

Ah well, all will be revealed at 10pm this evening when I meet them. Then, at 2303 we'll be on our way.
Nice. Should be an amusing evening out. I'd better stock up on bad jokes.