So near yet so far

With 45 minutes still to go before the 48 hour limit is reached, I write this from home having had night's sleep. Hwever, it did not complete my first 100, having returned to Checkpoint 10 at Chipping, with pain from a blister in my left little toe, making it difficult to progress. But that's only the effect that my certificate merely shows 70 miles, a distance PB for me. What really did for me was Pendle Hill.
My plan was to clear Pendle Hill before dark and I almost did, At ten to nine I was near the summit heading into cloud. I made it across the trig point to the ladder stile with little difficulty despite near zero visibility (although the high wind was a challenge and had probably cost me 10 to 15 minutes earlier from Nick of Pendle across Apronfull Hill and Spence Moor. As usual it was my descent that was my downfall. I was unable to find the path  and had about three goes trying to find it then returning to the stile. Eventually a group of four walkers came over and I was able to get their attention to tag along with them, albeit losing them but now being on the path. So what took me 25  minutes when I recce'd it last Monday, took nearly three hours and all the connected energy ( I slipped once and a had a few near misses).
Still if I could maintain 3mph, especially when the light came and the supposed weather improvement, I rckoned I could still finish by darkness on Sunday or not much later.
Heading in towards Chipping where it was suitable to run, I found I was unable to run due to pain in my ribs. Even walking wasn't great. I decided that at the Chipping checkpoint to take ibuprofen and by the time I had fed for 10 minutes and say another 10 minutes en route, I would know if they had worked. No pain in the ribs but then the blister, so I made the decision about mile into the next stage that it was not to be.
Once the deision had been made and I was heading back to the CP at Chipping, the pain eased off, but I knew other problems were likely to arise.
I now know I can do a 100 if the conditions are reasonable. Some people said the conditions on Pendle and Nick of Pendle section were worse than last year's Welsh Valleys event, which reputedly the toughest ever because of weather conditions (see report). I'd actually done 79 miles in total. If it had been the main event in three weeks time, I would have had 45 minutes more daylight over Pendle. I think for the main event they will mark the route from Pendle with reflective markers as despite recce, and compass bearing, you still can't see the path on the ground - they will also have 500 going over not 50 which should help.
So 70 miles of the route completed, which qualifies me for next year's (in Dorset) if I so wish - Julie thinks I should do it, as I would have less of a problem with descents than doing Joss Naylor Traverse.
At the about the same time as I reached my final checkpoint after 27hrs 34mins, the first runner was finishing. By the time I was back at the finish to get my meal, etc, he was still the only one to finish, the second and third arrived after 6pm, 32 hours plus. I was the 12th retirement of 51 starters (photo from Red Rose 100 site - I also think I was carrying too big a pack).

It is a great event and although at times was thinking never again, I just might.
Update - Monday evening
Results have been published on Red Rose 100 site. Of the 51 starters, 34 finished. At Barley, 36 miles into the event, I was in seventh place, arriving at 19:52. The leader had arrived 57 minutes earlier at 18:55 and got over in to Downham in 1 hr 27 minutes. Most were taking around 2 hours - I took 3:40 - the longest time of the those still going! Ideally if I could have caught Ken Falconer, who arrived a few minutes earlier and left the CP maybe 10 minutes before me, there may still been enough light to see the path. BTW, this bloke is an amazingly fast walker - I thought I was fairly quick walking but he just moves effortlessly and seems to be carrying very little pack, probably the secret to effortlessly completing over 30 Hundreds! And for TLoB's benefit, he also a Professor of Pure Mathematics at St. Andrews - maybe he has heard of him.