URCCoaching

Written by Brie Hemingway - http://briehemingway.com

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It was less than three months ago but it seems like another lifetime. Did I really do THAT? It feels like a dream … a really, really crazy dream.

On our Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian), I descended into the Grand Canyon with seven friends to traverse approximately 80 km from the south rim to the north rim and back again, known as the “Rim2Rim2Rim.”

We drove down to Bellingham and flew Allegiant to Las Vegas. From there we rented two matching cars and drove to the Grand Canyon village, where we would begin our run early the next day. I don’t do well with lack of sleep (understatement) so I took every opportunity to nap.

I was seated on the plane next to a young guy going on a typical Vegas trip with friends. Every time I woke up he’d laugh and call me a “fly trap” because when I sleep sitting up, my head tilts back and my mouth hangs open. I admit, I’m not the most attractive sleeper. We chatted a bit and he hoped we didn’t die in the canyon.

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After we landed in Vegas, we picked up our rental cars, stopped at a grocery store, and loaded up on food. Then we hit the road and I hit the hay again. Kyle amused himself by taking weird photos of me sleeping.

We stopped in Williams, just outside of the Grand Canyon Village for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Honestly, I don’t know if that was the greatest idea before a huge run but at least they had vegetarian options!

That night we checked into our motel rooms, loaded up our hydration packs, and laid out our clothes in nervous excitement. There was a lot of “how much food do we need?” and “is this enough food??” being asked. About half of our group had done the one-way trip across the canyon last year and knew what they were getting into, but I had never even been to the Grand Canyon so I had no idea what to expect … except a lot of down, a lot of up, a lot of down again, and then a lot of up.

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Everyone slept surprisingly well that night and woke up bright and early for our 3am alarm. After taking a group selfie (of course), we departed at 4am and ran/walked to the South Kaibob trailhead (where we took another group selfie) and began on dark descent into the canyon. At first it was a little slow going in the dark with the mule trench and the sudden switchbacks in the trail.

That sunrise was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I took a couple photos knowing that it would never do it justice. Everything was beautiful and exciting at that moment which helped ease my anxiousness about how the hell I was ever going to finish the 80 km journey. We took a few group shots knowing that we would not be so smiley on the way back.

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At the bottom of the canyon is a river and Phantom Ranch, a popular camping spot with cabins, a dining hall, and best of all, a flush toilet! Such luxury! I was pleasantly surprised at the facilities along the main trails. There were quite a few well-maintained outhouses and water stations.

I was also surprised by how many people were on the trails despite the many signs stating that going down to the river was not a day hike. Most of the people were prepared and fit and seemed to know what they were doing, but we did see some that were under-prepared and struggling. There were people backpacking, people doing the Rim2Rim, and even a few of the crazier types doing the Rim2Rim2Rim like us. We came across people from all over the world with interesting accents and friendly dispositions.

After we stopped to eat one of our PB&Js at Phantom Ranch, we headed towards the north rim. There was a long stretch of very gradual up and then some serious climbing. It was around noon and getting hot at this point. The canyon radiated heat. I found a small piece of shade and held my face and hands against the cool rocks for a moment then carried on. As we continued our ascent, we could see the canyon edge hovering above us at what seems like an impossibly high altitude. Would we ever get there??

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We reached at the last water station before the Rim and talked to a nice park ranger who asked if we were doing the Rim2Rim2Rim. We said yes and I had expected him to give us a hard time but he didn’t. I think he could tell we were prepared and we were doing alright. He wished us well and told us it wasn’t much farther now.

Finally I reached the top, where a few speedier friends had been waiting for about 20 minutes. They headed back down while I waited for the rest of our group to catch up. I was pleasantly surprised with how I was feeling at that point. Tired, obviously, but not done. I had been really doubtful about whether I would be able to make the two-way trip and was worried about what my options were if I couldn’t. I had heard there is a bus you can take back to the south rim. It’s expensive and I didn’t know the schedule but there was an out at least. Luckily it wasn’t an issue!

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There were another couple groups that were getting ready to go back across and a some other people who had done Rim2Rim and were amazed that anyone would turn around and go back. One guy was dying for a Coke and a random person offered him one of theirs – I was a little jealous.

The other caught up and the five of us descended into the canyon for a second time. The sun had moved enough that most of the trail was in shade, although still pretty warm. I am tentative on downhill by default plus I knew that I had to save my legs for the climb out so I wasn’t exactly sprinting down.

We came across a couple hiking up the north rim and the guy asked us how far it was to the top. We told him an approximate distance and time it would take and looking very concerned he pointed way up and asked if THAT was the top. We told him yes, much to his disappointment. He still had a LOT of climbing to go. They lady assured us that they would be fine and that they had food and water.

The return trip felt even longer despite being mostly downhill. Once the route had flattened out a bit. I kept thinking Phantom Ranch would be around the next corner … wait no, it must be the next one … nope! It was dark by the time we finally got there. And I felt like my heart was pounding – I may have drank too much caffeinated eBoost. We sat down for 10-15 minutes and Courtney and I shared my last PB&J sandwich. Despite being super smushed and having been warmed by the hot sun earlier, it was a lifesaver!

A couple hikers we had passed caught up during our break and told us they coincidentally had five extra permits to camp for the night and that the five of us were welcome to have them. It was pretty tempting but we didn’t have tents or sleeping bags – just a flimsy emergency blanket. We declined his generous offer and plodded on, knowing that the hardest was yet to come … the climb out of the canyon.

Despite the south rim being lower in elevation that the north rim, the climb out TOOK FOREVER. I had my lowest low of ultrarunning ever, and basically the only one of note so far. How were we EVER going to make it OUT of here!? But I kept going, and maybe half an hour later I looked at my watch and saw the distance progress we had made. My brain rallied and I knew I had to just keep moving.

I pulled a bit ahead of the others and Courtney later caught up to me. We took short breaks here and there but I knew if I stayed still too long I wouldn’t be able to get going again. It felt like we were doing a never-ending Grouse Grind. I could see two lights up high and I wondered for a long time whether that was the end.

In the light of my headlamp I saw a tarantula on the ground up ahead. It seemed rather still and there was enough room to go around but Courtney wouldn’t pass. I threw a couple rocks towards it to scare it off the trail. At this time a random guy who was doing the Rim2Rim2Rim by himself came up the trail to us. Courtney asked if she could use him as a human shield as she passed by the tarantula, and he agreed. I was dying laughing. We talked to him a bit and he had hiked in the Grand Canyon before. I asked him about the lights and he said that they were in fact the top. Yay!

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Meanwhile, slightly farther behind, Kyle was ready to lay down on the trail and wait for daylight. Dayna had the fun job of keeping him moving. At some point Chris realized that he had Courtney’s jacket and caught up to us because it was getting cold.

When we were finally getting close to the top, we heard yelling. Chris, Courtney and I were concerned that Dayna and Kyle were having problems behind us. They weren’t far behind but we didn’t exactly want to lose altitude to go down and see if they were okay. At this point we had some cell coverage and I managed to call Kyle. They were fine and it wasn’t them that yelled. He seemed to be in weirdly good spirits.

After what felt like forever I reached the top with Courtney and Chris slightly behind me, and Kyle and Dayna just behind them. We did it! At some point we had got in touch with the other three faster members of our group who finished a few hours before us. Hailey was waiting at the top with a car stocked with snacks and beer! Thank goodness because it was about 12:30am by this point and really cold up there!

Apparently when Hailey, Alley, and Devin finished they had just missed the bus that would take them close to Yavapai Lodge and it would be another half an hour before the next one. It was so cold and everything was closed by then so they hitchhiked realizing that they couldn’t remember what cabin we were in (there are a lot of them). They got out of the car and walked around trying to figure it out when another person offered to drive them around the grounds. Eventually they found the building with our cars parked outside!

Needless to say, we all went to sleep quickly upon arriving back at the lodge at around 1am. The weird thing is, we all woke up early! We were starving so we went to the nearby restaurant for breakfast and ate a TON of food. We then showered and went back to the south rim to take some photos and see the Grand Canyon from above in daylight. It was breathtaking.

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Courtney gave us all custom medals she had made for us! Chris surprised us (especially me) by pulling out custom Rim2Rim2Rim Grand Canyon 2015 patches that Jesse had made for all of us and sneakily given to Chris for the trip. Did I mention that Jesse is the best!?!? These were such an awesome mementos to have of an amazing, surreal accomplishment. I was so nervous about going on this trip but I’m so glad I did (after much reassurance from Dayna). It was truly life changing.

We drove back to Vegas that day and stayed the night at the New York, New York hotel. We went for dinner, a couple drinks, and then hit the hay – not your typical wild and crazy Vegas trip. The next morning we flew home. Despite it being a wonderful trip, I was so excited to get home and give Jesse and Hadley a big hug!

Written by Owain Thomas - http://www.ultrarunningmatelot.co.uk

It's been 4 days since I finished this epic journey and as I still recover it's best to jot down some words whilst it is still fresh in the mind although I doubt I will ever forget each and every mile.

Last year whilst at work, I received the news from one of my best friends that he was diagnosed with Oesophaegal cancer and that they were going to operate on him. Not long afterward he had the op, however he then informed us of the worse news anyone can hear. It was terminal and continueing with the op wouldn't help. It hit home, he was at the time only 32 with a young wife and a 1 year old. Not too much difference to my self. Now he continues his fight and has passed the 12 months he was given and even has a little baby girl addition to the family. So if he is still pushing his limits it only meant that I should too.

Knowing I couldn't help him personally by curing him or find operating on him as I wasn't that talented, I decided to use the only skill I had and that was run. By running, I could raise awareness and some money so that maybe I could make a difference to others in the future. I chose a small charity as they always get over looked by the bigger ones such as Cancer Research. The charity was Ochre http://www.ochrecharity.org.uk/ which is a small Oesophaegal cancer charity.

So I sat down and thought what could I do? I thought about doing the JOGLE race, but I didn't have time with work and I also didn't want the chance of failure due to cut of times etc. So I looked at however far I could go in a day allowing me enough time for some recovery, eating etc. I always wanted to finish something at Land's End and being raised most of my life in Cornwall this was fitting for me. I worked out roughly 7 days of running and looked at a map. Phil, who this is all about moved from Cornwall where he grew up to the New Forest nr Southampton to set up his family home as he left the Army. So that was it I was basically running from Phil's new home to his old home. 14/15 months ago the event was created I was going to run from the New Forest to Land's End via Phil's childhood home on the last day.

Event 26 of 37 - #YOLO7dayUltra - New Forest (Southampton) to Land's End

We arrive at our hotel the night before the start of the event which was about 30 mins from my starting point. I couldn't get any closer due to the busy period of summer and every where cheap enough was booked out. I was accompanied by my support crew which was made up of my wife and 4 year old son and Les who will be the medic. My sports masseuse will be joining me later during the week. Also joining me is a good friend Luke Elliott, who recently won the Ham to Lyme 100k event. He has given up his time to support run the first and second day with me.

Pre Event beers with Luke

We gathered in the pub that evening, discussed the first day of runnings route and timings. I discussed what I wanted from my support crew, wife using her vehicle for the Check Point (CP) food and drink stations, and Les's truck for the kit. Having never done anything to this extent before none of us knew exactly what or how to do things. It was going to be a learning curve over the next few days. Each day was going to be an early start of 7am and I had a time of 12 hours planned to finish each day to allow for as much recovery time as possible. The earlier I can finish the better of course, but with out knowing how each day will be I didn't want to take too many chances. The aim was to run/walk/shuffle/crawl to each day's finish line if needs be!

Day 1 - New Forest (nr Fritham) to Dorchester 

 We left the hotel early doors and made our way to the start line in the New Forest. We soon arrived, and I got my sorted to go. 7am Luke and myself checked the first part of where we were heading to and off we went. Both of being off road runners, tarmac didn't exactly excite us, however the first part of the tarmac took us through the beautiful scenic parts of the New Forest. If only the rest of the route was going to be like this. Unfortunately it wasn't to be, and we soon hit Ringwood area heading towards the A31. Having driven the A31 many times before I was in no doubt how busy the route will be for traffic. As we made in to the town we hit our first CP. Now I decided that I wanted each CP to be approximately every 5 miles. I could then treat them like laps of a 24 hour endurance race and tick them off. We quickly took on some snacks like pork pies and crisps check the next part of the route and said good bye to the support crew.

The very start with the support crew

We made our way through the town and soon after took the wrong turn and heading the wrong way. Luckily this mis direction took us down a trail much to Luke's delight and continued until we could hear the busy A31 traffic.

Goodbye Hampshire hello Dorset

As we hit the A31 it was as expected very busy. Unfortunately the first couple of days was going to have to be on the busy A31/35 as going off this route would add further miles and it wasn't something I could afford to do time wise. This was already the longest day out of all 7 and needed to make sure it was nailed. The route took me down duel carriageways which despite being busy weren't that bad due to having a fair bit of space on the side of the road to run on. When we got to the single lane roads of the A31 and ones with out pavements which was pretty much most of we ran with the flow of the traffic. Now we did try and run on the correct side of the road towards the on coming traffic but we found we almost got hit more times on the correct side than when we were going with the traffic. Despite some members of the public trying to tell us which side we should be on, we stuck to our guns and made our way to Dorchester.

At one point as we made it down the single lane A31 there was stand still traffic in the opposite direction. Luke being a much faster runner would run a head for a bit and stretch his legs out. Knowing I still had 6 more days to go I wouldn't be stretching my legs out that fast. Walking the hills and running as much of the rest as much as possible was my plan and it seemed to be going well enough.

Luke at one point spoke to one of the drivers who asked him what was going on casuing the traffic jam. As I caught up with said driver he soon started cheering me and beeping his horn which lead to a couple other cars starting beeping for me. Luke told them what I was up to and it was the kind of moral boost I needed.

It was a warm day on the roads I was definitely feeling the heat. We were making good time though and hitting the CP's and I was ticking each one off. It was during the first day that I had a great idea of having a Callipo ice lollipop. God, it was so refreshing it was like a cold cuddle that was definitely needed. Luke still by side, kept me going as we took the mick out of other and when I started to flag he helped pick smaller goals to run/walk to. Lamp posts, signs, trees whatever we could.

Eventually surviving the first day we made it to Dorchester where we would be staying the first night. We eventually made our way through Dorchester town to the car park where my first finish line was. 11 hrs 4 mins and 40.3 miles I crossed the the finish line of Day 1 of 7. (All times each day include the rest stops at CP's and injury treament times) I was pretty pleased with the time although not quick, it was within the 12 hrs I set and I still had 6 more days to go. Never done multi staged event  like this before I didn't want to risk pushing my self that would break myself too much. I was sore, but nothing unusal at the end of an ultra.

Day 1 Ultra 1 done!

 We stayed at the Thornycoombe Farm which gave us a really great deal on the accommodation. We went out for something to eat, and I came across my first problem. I wasn't able to eat properly, food was starting to unfriend me and not a good sign for the forth coming days.

Day 2 - Dorchester to Honiton

Well I got about 6 hours of sleep, I say sleep my eyes were closed but I was only lightly sleeping and for a heavy sleeper that's not great but it was better than nothing. Starting at 7am again we're all up early packing everything up and getting ready for what will be the toughest route out of all 7. Why is tough 1000 metres of climb in total but the climbs aren't stupidly steep they are very long. Again, I knew the route and I know the A35 very well driving it a lot because of work.

Day 2 Ultra 2 start

I eat some food, took a couple painkillers and then went in front of the car and threw everything up. Not a start I wanted, my body was starting to react badly to wanting to go again. I stretched a bit to try and ease up my legs and off we went. Again with Luke at my side we started off with a little walk to try and ease my legs in. The back of my right knee, became very painful. We broke into a run and I had to stop immediately. I called the support crew to pull over so I could get to them. I hobbled to the truck, and I could barely move my right leg. We taped up the back of my right leg to see if that would help at all. It seemed to help slightly as although in pain, it let me get a run/walk on.

We made our way out of Dorchester and on to the A35 heading towards Honiton. As we got about 2-3 miles down the road, I hear a friendly voice I recognise shout out of one of the support vehicle windows as they over took. That voice belonged to Duane Roberts of Team Buff UK. He had traveled down from the South East after visiting his daughter and the birth of his first grandchild to Bridport the night before slept in his van. Got up early ran to 16 miles to Dorchester to meet me. He stopped in the McDonalds for a coffee and missed us go passed. So my support crew found him and brought him to us. He then joined me and Luke for my run. This man is on form at the moment, acquiring quite a few podium places. Recently securing 2nd place at Thunder Run 24 smashing in 125 miles only just over a week before.

That was it now, there was 3 of us on our way heading to Honiton. The weather was close in temp but over cast, with a tiny bit rain to start with. This soon changed as we made our way to Bridport, and it became very warm and sunny once more. With Duane and Luke pushing me, I was starting to feel it. We were hitting the check points, but I was struggling to take anything but fluids in. Everything felt very dry even when mixing it with water I struggled.

As we approached Bridport, I thought Duane would be stopping but no he was going all the way to Honiton, morale levels up now but pain levels increasing. My feet were getting painful as they were swelling. I had bought shoes a size bigger in anticipation of this but they were growing a size and half bigger in width. With the pain behind my knees I was struggling not including the heat.

Goodbye Dorset hello Devon with Luke and Duane

 As we got to Bridport there was a fatality accident closing one of the roads, so traffic was at stand still however despite the good feeling of passing the cars and going faster than them, my support crew was stuck in it. I made the decision to not have the next check point and to just crack on as it meant I could be waiting a long time for the crew to arrive. Eventually they made it through and set up at 18 miles at the top of a really long climb.

The day seemed to get longer and longer as we made our way to Honiton, knowing the route didn't help as I knew when the hills were coming and they just never ended. Duane and Luke were pushing me as best they could and with the final hill climb completed it left with a down hill finish in Honiton. I crossed the line a very broken man mentally and physically. 11 hours and 53 mins to cover 36 miles. Short route than day 1 but 3 times tougher!

A mutual friend of Phil's called Brendan Hooper lent us a student house he owns in Exeter which isn't far from Honiton and Torquay (Day 3's finish) so we were setting up HQ there for the next two nights. The wife took Duane back to his van in Bridport, and Luke and Les took me back to the house. They set up an ice bath (which the ice was kindly provided by Brendan for me as well as other stuff) and boiled me up a ration pack meal I had. I managed to eat 1 and a bit of spag bol ration packs before getting my head down. Luke was taken to the train station as he had work to do for his Masters to get on with and I went to bed. Day 3 was going to be difficult as I knew I was going to be alone for most of the day and because of how I was feeling I was starting even earlier.

Day 3 - Honiton to Torquay

 Welcome to hell! That's probably my best way to describe this day. So much so I've pretty much blanked the majority of the day from my memory. This section is going to be short because of that very reason, I don't want to relive it as much as possible.

Knowing I was going to be slow due to being by myself and in severe pain and with the weather turning to shit I took the decision to start at 5am not 7am.

Day 3 Ultra 3 start

I made a start again with a walk to try and get the first few bits to ease my legs off. However it turned ugly for me. With my feet in severe pain, the legs so stiff and my back of my right knee in a bad way I was struggling.

We only had one vehicle today as were returning to the same house and being by myself the medic jumped in the wife's car. This allowed him to jump out and walk with me for a bit. I got to 5k and my pace was so shocking I had to call a pit stop. 45 minute miles was happening! Physically and mentally I was broken. I sat on the boot of the car and went over everything in my head. I received a phone call from Duane who tried to pick me up. It was no good, I had to do something and quitting completely was the likely option.

I had a think and decided to get a couple hours sleep and see how I felt when I woke up. I woke up, smashed in some food and decided to crack on. I felt better for it. Weather was still poor, but I was making better head way than I was. The wife had been drumming up support via social media and seeing it all helped me mentally. I found out 3 runners were going to join me out side Torquay for the last 10K of the run. I had to get there.

Eventually I made it and they met up with me. A lady I met during Imrey's Trail Half marathon who I helped finish it, Mark Stockman and Steve Hookins who I met through the Hope24 event. Suddenly it was like a new lease of life! They got me to the finish line in Torquay and helped me end what was the lowest part of my life. The best way to describe how I felt during the 37 tough miles and 14 hours of hell was suicidal.

Day 3 Ultra 3 finish 2ith Mark, Steve and Chrissy

 A day I do not want to repeat ever again! My sports masseuse from Muscle Mechanic based in Hampshire was at the end to greet me. Despite being 8 months pregnant Amanda still came down and started right away as I tucked away into food (I had demolished a child's burger and chips) on my legs. She flossed my swollen joints which was my left ankle (an injury from Endure12/50 a couple of weekends prior) and my right knee. A painful procedure but worth the pain for the pain. When we got back to the house, she went to town my body. She was amazing!

We took the tape off my feet to try and let the feet breath a bit and to see damage caused it wasn't a pretty sight. With tape running out quickly, the crew rang MyRaceKit and spoke to friends Elisabet and Colin who swiftly dispatched more in time for our arrival in Plymouth. Those two have been a god send to me and I can't thank them enough.

Blisters on blisters

 

Nasty!

 Day 4 - Torquay to Devonport (Plymouth)

 Starting at 7am again we were up early back into Torquay ready to go. Unexpectedly I was joined at the start by Brendan Hooper. The guy who lent me his house for two nights, had just finished a night shift and was now joining me for the start of the run. Amazing! He pledged to run for the first 4 hours so he still had time to get some sleep and get ready to go back for another night shift.

Day 4 Ultra 4 start

 Amanda had given a quick sort out prior to leaving the house, and although still stiff and sore I was able to go again. So because my feet suffered badly the day before I made alterations to my shoes I cut  into the side and this allowed the pressure to be released. My poor shoes, however a size bigger wasn't cutting it.


My feet felt so much better and I was making good picking small goals to run/walk through. I seemed to be getting stronger as the day went on as well making my way through South Hams district. Food was going down, I was doing well on crisps, Muller rice etc. Soon Brendan left me and I was on my own once more, but this time I felt better. I was in a positive place both mentally and physically.



I got CP3 where Amanda had her table out ready for me, she gave me another going over. Whilst there two elderly ladies asked what was going on. Soon they were off to their cars getting some money to donate. Both of them lost their fathers to Oesophaegal cancer. Another morale boost from this because strangers were donating!

I went on my way feeling good, sore, achy but good. Heading towards South Brent I could see the moors of Dartmoor in the distance. I was getting closer to where I live but more importantly the finish. I made my way towards Ivybridge, coming down a 20% incline wasn't good for my legs, but as at 1.5 miles outside of Ivybridge where the next CP was, I was joined by friend from my local running club the Plymouth Musketeers. He was going to run with me to the finish, the day was heating up and it was the morale boost once more I needed.

Gary kept me coming from Ivybridge

We made it through to Ivybridge and to the CP. I took on my snacks and liquid now consisting of Milk, Coconut water and flat coke as standard. We were given a Callipo and on my way to Plympton power station the next CP. Along the way my best mate Adam who had just finished work and caught me up for a bimble. I left him and off we ran on our route. This route had kept me off the A38 luckily and around the back roads. Although one part took us up a public footpath it was so muddy it had been recently used by 4x 4's for green laneing. I tried to keep out of it now, as by this point my feet had swelled in width and length a size and half and had now cut the toe box up to allow the ends of my toes more room. Last thing I needed was my feet to be wet and muddy.

With the next CP done and dusted I was no in Plympton where I was joined by another two Muskies, Stuart and Adrian and then making my way past my house I was joined by Amie who is a parkrunner at the parkrun I run direct at and a member of the Sweatshop Running community I go to. I now had 4 runners with me and still about 10 miles to go. As we approached Marsh Mills CP I was joined by more Muskies and Sweatshop Community runners (SRC) including Luke who took a couple hours of uni work. It was mad, I was now surrounded by runners and I felt like I was the PM out on a run. We made our way along the embankment towards the city centre where I was then joined by Pete Waumsley a Tamar Trotter and owner of Frank Elfords Sports shop. A good friend who has given me lots of support over the last year in my journey towards this event.

I made my way through Plymouth and I could feel the end was coming! I eventually came to the down hill to the ferry terminal finish line, I finished strongly and crossed the line with everyone behind me. It was so great to have my local running friends join me!

Day 4 Ultra 4 done!

 35.5 miles and in 11 hours 3 minutes I actually felt really positive about the last 3 days!

Day 5 - Devonport to Lanydrock House (nr Bodmin)

 Today started with a final sort out by Amanda before she had to shoot off back home to Hampshire. I can't thank her enough really for the work she did! It was truly appreciated and definitely needed! Thank you Amanda! After a night in my own bed, it was very difficult to get out of bed and I did not want to leave my house, however I knew I had to.

Day 5 Ultra 5 start

I got to the Ferry terminal in time to catch the 0645 ferry across to Torpoint to start Day 5 and soon enough I was across the other side. As I made my way through Torpoint I was met by a lady runner called Carole, who found out about the event through her news feed. Having never met her before this was amazing, she wanted to keep me company until the first CP. It was great, totally unexpected but great. We chatted along until she finally had to leave me. I made 3 more miles up until once more I was joined by another runner called Jane. She is one of the Mud Crew Event directors. Mud Crew put on events such as the Dark, Scrooge, ultras such R.A.T Plague and Arc of Attrition 100. Amazing events organised by ultra runners who know what runners want. Jane was wonderful she was going to keep me company til the end!

Carole joined me for a few miles

 

The lovely Jane

 We made away along the route dodging a lot of the A38 around the back roads. With some steep short climbs this would be another tough day and with the weather getting better as we ran along it wouldn't be long before it was hot. As we made our way I was soon joined by Ross, my next door neighbour who is a rugby player not a runner. He came out to keep me company for a few miles and managed to knock out 6 miles. It was great and I felt so humbled by this!

Next door neighbour Ross did some miles too!

Ross soon left us and myself and Jane made our way, eventually having to run a small part of the A38 heading down in to Glyn Valley or as I call it death valley. Luckily it wasn't for long and we again went off into the back roads, through more places I have never run before. Very scenic areas and having Jane as company made even more pleasurable. The hills still kept coming but I was in my stride and made our way closer and closer to the finish.

With Lanyhdrock House in close proximity I picked up the pace, and powered my way over the finish line once more. Another 33.3 miles smashed out and this time in 10 hours and 58 minutes. Jane was an angel on my shoulder at all times and I was so pleased we finished ahead of time. Great not only by my support crew but a friend Tammy from the Subaru owners club I belong to. It was so nice to see her at the end.

Day 5 Ultra 5finish with Jane.

 We arrived at our hotel and for the first time, I managed to smash in a proper adult's size meal. It was very good!

Day 6 - Lanhydrock House to Blackwater

 A late start today at 9am why? Well I decided I need to complete another event. Event 27 Lanhydrock parkrun. Jane once again met me as it was her local parkrun that she also run directs. Along with some fellow muskies who came down to support, this parkrun wasn't going to be easy deemed as the 2nd toughest in the UK due to it's elevation profile I was just going to continue in the same fashion I had for the last 5 days.

Event 27 of 37 start!

I soon made my way round the course to the finish line where I was greeted with cheers and claps from a lot of the other parkrunners. I didn't have time to hang around though I was back on event 26 and and making my way out of the House grounds and on towards Blackwater (nr Truro).

I was accompanied by Jon Anderson who is also a fellow Muskie and SRC runner like myself. His lovely wife let him keep me company all the way til the half way point at Indian Queens. Now during the time the temperature rose, it was in around 26 degrees and the route had very little shelter, being very open. I was catching the sun nicely and I was definitely feeling the heat. my thoughts then turned to all those I knew who completed the Marathon de Sables event. Thinking if they can endure hotter for 6 days I can endure this for today. At one point a random runner out on his training run, spotted us. He asked the crew what we were doing and then caught us up to wish us luck before going back on his way. Humbling!

Jon kept me company from the park run for a few hours

Making good time, again I was ahead of schedule. Jon soon left me at Indian Queens where I was met by another good friend of mine Craig. we started running together when we both looked at losing weight and I got a place in the London Marathon 2010. Since then he's go on to smashing out ultras and marathons with good ease. He also support crewed Hope24 for me back in May.

Off we left the CP at Indian Queens and away we went but not along after I was surprised by Tony and Natalie Wallbank who were down on holiday. Natalie jumped out of their motor home with one of their dogs and joined me for about 4/5 miles, whilst Tony drove on and took some lovely photo's. You often find these two taking pics at various sporting events around the globe like the World Triathlon series. Randomly whilst also truly amazing, a guy called Pete (didn't get his surname) heard about me at the parkrun and caught up with me at Indian Queens and donated some money. I'm not sure if he went out of his own way or was on his way home either way it was great.



I was in a good place and we carried on smashing out the miles in the heat. I said my byes to Natalie and Tony, and continued on my way with Craig. Soon I was on the A30 getting closer and closer and when I finally got to the last check point I was met by Craig's wife Zoe (who is currently in training for her first ultra). Zoe had already been on a run this morning and as both had too go away for the last day they decided to support me today.

Tony and Natalie Wallbank top friends!

It was great two of my good friends keeping me company, pushing me on to the finish! No sooner said than done, we got on the downhill finish to Blackwater and we crossed the line! I was greeted by Phil's mum, my mum and dad and a few friends such a nice feeling.

Day 6 Ultra 6 finish with Craig and Zoe

31.3 miles in 9.52.03 and a parkrun nailed!

However feeling very broken I asked a friend for a favour, she allowed me to disturb her BBQ with runners from Carn Runners to give me an emergency massage. Alison from West Cornwall Massage Therapy worked her magic at short notice and it helped me start the final day! She saved me!

My 1 size bigger Hoka Flops shame my feet grow 1.5 sizes bigger!

Day 7 - Blackwater to Land's End via St Day (Phil's childhood home)

So here it is the final day, a day which at one point I didn't think I'd get to event though I didn't have a choice it did feel it could've been over early.

One final time getting up at 5am to prep myself for a 7am start, getting the vehicles ready and today I knew I was being joined by some other friends of Phil's who pledged their support be it for a short run or the whole day. At the start I was joined by Adam my best mate who doesn't run, Luke Collins another friend who is a second row 19 stone rugby player, Donna who is a casual runner but likes to keep fit, her friend Sharon, Wedge who is Phil's best friends since they were children and a friend of mine. He used to be a runner and a good one. Also joining us for a bit was Kathryn from Carn Runners who wanted to show support for a few miles as well as David who found out about the even through a post on his page.

Day 7 ultra 7 start

All their fresh faces surrounded me at the start line where I was definitely showing signs of being broken over the last 6 days. After a few photo's we started just after 7am and made our way to St Day to Phil's childhood house to quickly see his mum. The road to St Day from Scorrier is a bit hairy so we jumped on the trail which was a lot safer than the road way especially with such a large group.

We arrived at Phil's mum house for a couple of photo's and again made our way on to the first CP in Redruth. Kathryn left us and we made our way then on to Camborne to CP2, everyone still in high spirits, with Wedge providing the entertainment of bad jokes and bashing into every lamp post and sign along the way (nope he never got bored of it and did it till the end, we did however got bored of it hehe!)

Phil's mum Gill

 

Kathryn departed after a few miles

The miles were ticking off nicely and Adam was still going. I expecting him only to do a few miles as he never runs, but there he was still going. We made it to CP2 and 10 miles nailed. Next up was Hayle and we went via the old A30 slightly tougher route but not so busy with traffic. With the support vehicles warning other road users of us on the roads, we made our way through Connor Downs where I was then joined by local ultra runner who works in At Your Pace running shop in Helston, Loyd Purvis. I met Loyd during Arc of Attrition this year and became friends since. He came out to support me and get some time on feet prior to running UTMB in a couple of weeks.

Local legend Loyd from At Your Pace trail team

Not sure what he was expecting by the runners that were with me but he was soon being entertained by Wedge. We made our way through Hayle, to CP3 next to Philps Pasties. I didn't have one though sadly. I went through my usual routine now, and the crew are all over it having it ready. It all seems to be working very well now. Adam however was starting to feel it now with his IT band starting to give him pain.Convincing him to go on, because it was for our friend Phil he did and we left hayle making our way to St Erth. Where I met Pete Drummond who was on holiday. Pete anotehr ultra runner and MDS finisher in 2014 I met through Hope24. He along with friend Danny Slay organise the event, and I know if Danny wasn't in New Zealand on a well earned holiday he'd also be running with us.

Hope24 legend Pete

Finally we made it to CP4 which was 21 miles in and I finally said good bye to Adam. He was broken and in quite a lot of pain with his knee. The man who never runs, smashed out 21 miles for Phil supporting me. I was in awe! The others who started with me were still going and big Luke was still going however he was starting to feel it as well as Donna and her friend Sharon who are doing well and into a distance they have never ever been before.

Best mate Adam!

 Through into Penzance we finally came across signs for Land's End and I knew it won't be long. I ignored the Cornish miles signs as being raised in Cornwall I know how much they lie. We powered up the hills and the soon the ladies were feeling it too. We got to the next check point and it went from me being looked after to Luke, Donna and Sharon being treated for blisters, and sore joints. Making sure they took in snacks as well once they were sorted we made our way where two more of Donna's friends from the gym joined with 7 miles to go.

It suddenly was me encouraging those not used to the distance but it was great, seeing them push their limits made me continue to push mine. With support from Loyd and Pete the miles to the last CP flew by and we soon was in and out and on our way to the finish. As we got closer I was joined by other friends Stuart, Ben, Jackie and Luke Elliott (he had to finish with me). Then as we came through Sennen I was joined by 3 more runners who I never met before but have been following me via social media before eventually by my big Sis Rowann who has only just started running and my eldest nephew Jago.

We came toward the finishing straight and there is was Land's End! I picked up the pace a little more and with 200 yrds to go I was joined by my son and wife until the finish line! I did it I crossed the finish line!

 
Finally Day 7 ultra 7 done!

 

Relief!!


 248.2 miles from New Forest to Land's End and after 87 hours and 14 minutes (including all CP stops and injury treatment and day 3's 2 hours rest) I did it! 7 ultra marathons in 7 days via a route no one has done before and understandably so!

A feat I would not have completed if it wasn't for my support crew and all the support runners that came out from start to finish.

Day 7 support runners!

People asked how I felt when I finished, I felt relieved I had no more tarmac. It wasn't until 3 days later I woke finally realising what I had achieved and I felt legendary.

What a lot of people don't realise is how much work, the support crew did. Setting up the CP's ready for me, treating me, feeding me, getting fluids in me, answering my beckon calls. Then on top dealing with the social media sides of things, trying to keep people updated of timings, drumming up support, fundraising and then keeping my 4 year old occupied and happy. My boy considering still thinks it was a holiday and was good as gold. He had his moments but then if it was you in the same situation as my boy you'd have your moments too lol

One of the blisters at the end

My thanks goes out to once more

X-Bionic and Sunwise for the kit they provided me and the continued support.
All the support runners (so many to list)
Thornycoombe farm, Brendan Hooper, My parents for helping me out with accommodation and reducing costs.
All the support via social media.
Amanda from Muscle Mechanic (Sports Massage therapy)
Alison Campbell from West Cornwall Massage Therapy
Elisabet & Colin Barnes from MyRaceKit 
L &E Designs - Thank you medals for any runner that supported me.
Les my Medic
My Wife and Son who made all the rest possible!

Sorry if I forgot anyone, or missing pictures there was a lot.

BIG THANK YOU TO THE CREATOR OF CALLIPO ICE POPS YOU WERE MY SAVIOUR!

During this time I reached and smashed my target for the whole year Just Giving Page reaching to date so far £2,255. I still have 10 events left to go so please don't stop following my journey.

Remember "You only reach your limits when you've tried something you can't do"

Thank you! A lot of lessons learnt but a lot achieved!
Owain

Written by Steve Birkinshaw - http://stevebirkinshaw-wainwright2014.blogspot.fr

This is the question I keep asking myself. Is my tiredness getting better or worse? Strangely I do not know the answer. I have some good days and some bad days. Sometimes I am really optimistic and then the next day my optimism vanishes.
 
Some symptoms are better than a couple of months ago and some worse. Looking at the good side first. My “brain fog” in the morning seems less bad. My mind seems a bit slow but at least I am capable of writing an email and doing some work. My resting pulse is a little lower than it was (but still higher than normal) and when I go for a gentle jog (I call it a jog not a run as it really is slow and my heart rate never gets above 120 beats a minute) it is easier than it was a couple of months ago. I am also sleeping better and have fewer headaches. Another good sign is that I sometimes feel anger again. For months if something was going wrong I would just get really sad and upset, now I sometimes get cross. I used to have a lot of anger, which I needed to keep a check on by going running and so to have it again is definitely a positive sign of returning to my old self.
 
The main symptom that is worse is that I quite often feel dizzy, really light-headed, sometimes as if I am about to faint. Another really nasty symptom is that sometimes my heartbeat is really erratic. It can have three or four little beats really close together followed by a normal beat. I also get these hot flushes, particularly when out jogging. This heat suddenly starts flowing through my body particularly my chest but sometimes my legs. 
 
The change of lifestyle I am finding to be reasonably easy. It is over two months since I had any alcohol, the long hard runs stopped a while ago. I am avoiding taking on any new things that will cause me stress and I feel much more on top of everything at work so much more relaxed. 
 
Overall, I knew it was going to take a long time to recover properly and I guess I just need to be patient but optimistic that I will fully recover.
 
The doctors are taking my problem seriously, which is good. My blood pressure and resting pulse are higher than normal so they know something is wrong but lots of test have shown no reasons for my fatigue and tiredness. It seems once they have ruled out everything else they are left with the only other thing matching my symptoms which is a mild form of Cronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Mild, because I can still function reasonably normally, including going for gentle jogs. It is nice to have a diagnosis (or will be when all the tests are finished) but it is not one I particularly like. It seems to me that the current state of medical knowledge is saying that we know there is something seriously wrong and there are other people with similar problems but at the moment we are not really sure what is causing it. This is why in my previous blog I liked the adrenal fatigue diagnosis (even if it is not a medically recognised condition). 
 
Thanks for all the comments from my previous blog and personal messages I have received. I really appreciate all of them and I am taking on-board everyone’s suggestions. It is great to hear from other people who have had similar tiredness and hear how they have recovered. 
 
To finish here are a couple of pictures when I have been out and enjoyed the occasional nice day we have had recently.
 

 

Written by Guy Mawson - https://guymawson.wordpress.com

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I’d decided to head off to Chamonix for a week after finding some last-minute flights to Geneva, a bit of Googling sorted me out with a week in the Alps – including transfers and a self-catering apartment in the middle of Chamonix for around £300. All I needed to add was food and drink…

A couple of weeks earlier there’s a little race called the UTMB based in Chamonix which includes another 4 races, the PTL, TDS, OCC and CCC – all of which roam around the Mont Blanc massif in various distances from 50k to around 300k or 200 miles. I’ve got lots of friends who’ve raved about the area and races. One of my pals had hiked the TMB – the 166km trail the UTMB is generally based on earlier in the year, I’d met-up with Haydn and chatted about options and the trails a couple of weeks before. I’d also talked to friends who’d done the shorter 100k CCC route from Courmayeur to Chamonix.

So – I arrived in a cold, wet and windy Chamonix on Saturday evening, the weather didn’t look good. After a quick orientation on Sunday and check of the weather forecast I decided to have a go at the CCC route, starting on Monday morning at around 09:30 so got up early, caught the bus from Chamonix through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur and headed off into the Alps on my adventure.

I’m not going to do a trip report – there’s thousands of those out there from the CCC, UTMB and TMB – but I did learn a few things during the 27.5 hours, 120km and nearly 7,000m of ascent that it took me to get back to Chamonix – so here they are…

Source: Garmin Connect

  • Pain is not French bread – the TMB trail is rocky and tough underfoot… The final few miles downhill into Chamonix were some of the most painful miles I have ever endured and my feet were in agony
  • Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints – I don’t think a saw a single bit of litter on the whole route, inspiring. 
  • Water Water Everywhere– there were places to fill-up with water every 5-10k which I used and was very appreciative of. I didn’t filter it and was OK short-term but suffered from some bad GI issues 24 hours later so next time, I’d filter it!
  • Food – there’s lots of water but precious few shops. I took enough to last me for the entire journey. There’s refuges on the way but if you’re heading through places in the middle of the night don’t expect 24-hour Tescos or garages. Take lots of food
  • Weather – living in Wales I’m used to random weather changes, the Alps take it to a new level. Within 30 minutes it was hot, cold, rain, hail, wind…
  • Take the Opportunity – as soon as I saw the window I went for it and it was just as well, after I got back to Cham the weather turned and got wetter and colder. By the end of the week I couldn’t have done the route with the clothing and equipment I’d bought with me.
  • Step out of your comfort zone – So it wasn’t as big or scary as some of the races I’ve done, but it was easily the longest, toughest self-supported event I’ve done. At times I was very much on my own and out of my comfort zone.
  • Eat more food – I didn’t take enough food and was expecting to be able to resupply
  • UTMB – I won’t be entering any of the UTMB series, the trails are too small for that volume of runners, 200-300 might be a good number, not 2,000. Would love to come for the week of build-up and excitement
  • Travel – it’s quick, cheap and easy to Chamonix / Mont Blanc
  • Selfies – You can never have enough selfies with a mountain in the background
  • Poco Loco – Burger + Beer = Satisfaction

And finally -Mont Blanc is incredible… the TMB trail is sublime but really I’d love to be higher up and on the 4,000m+ peaks. I’ll be back!

 

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Ultramarathons aren’t for beginners – training to go an ultra’s distance of at least 26.2 miles will take some serious commitment. A Healthline article details how it can take up to six months to prepare for these marathons. This is why it might surprise you to know that some celebrities, despite their busy schedules, have taken this challenge on successfully. Here are some of them:


Sophie Raworth

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Sophie Raworth is the main presenter of the BBC News at Six and the deputy presenter of the BBC News at Ten. Despite her fast-paced work in the field of journalism and broadcasting, she continues to be an impressive marathon runner.

Raworth has completed all six World Marathon Majors, and has run fifteen other marathons as well. She has also finished three ultramarathons, including the Marathon des Sables. This is a 150-mile ultra in the Sahara desert and is known as the hardest foot race on Earth. Raworth wrote about her experience on the BBC, describing it as ‘the toughest – at times hellish – but most wonderful, rewarding experience’ she ever had. After all, this specific ultra requires runners to carry enough food and water for the week, as well as other supplies such as a sleeping bag, compass, venom pump, and whistle.

Gordon Ramsay

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Gordon Ramsay is a popular celebrity chef and restaurateur. He ranks high among Michelin star chefs, currently holding seven stars across four restaurants. He’s also well-known for his fiery personality on TV, as well as now being a travel presenter. Foxy Bingo details how he is part of Gordon, Gino & Fred: American Road Trip, a food and travel show where the three hosts, especially Ramsay, show off their competitive sides. The site highlights this by reporting on Ramsay’s annoyance that his fellow host one a competition.

Outside of entertainment and food, the celebrity chef has put this competitive nature to good use. Ramsay became a runner and triathlete in order to keep his health in check. He did his first marathon in 2001, and he struggled to finish. But with hard work and time, he has since greatly improved. In fact, he has run the Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa, even considering it as his best run as he was able to also see amazing parts of the country.

Jonny Lee Miller

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Jonny Lee Miller achieved early success as Simon ‘Sickboy’ Williamson in Trainspotting. He received a London Film Critics’ Circle nomination for Actor of the Year for his role as Graeme Obree in The Flying Scotsman. He received Satellite Award nominations for Best Actor for his roles in the BBC costume drama, Emma, and in the CBS crime drama, Elementary.

He has also run several marathons, including an ultra on behalf of Jonah’s Just Begun. This is a non-profit organisation that raises money and awareness for Sanfilippo – a disease affecting an estimated 1 in 250,000 people worldwide.

Ultramarathons can seem overwhelming. However, with enough preparation and a bit of dedication, you’ll surely be able to achieve what these celebrities have. James Young provides some tips for running your first ultra.

Written by Neil Turnbull - https://thefarsideofbeyond.wordpress.com

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My plan was to start the journey at Alderbury Police Station – the most southern Police Station in Wiltshire. I would then run in the general direction of  northwards, as I zig zagged my way accross the county and visited every Police Station in Wiltshire. The distance I would cover would be a minimum of 172 miles and I aimed to do this over the 7 day period of 05 Nov to 11 Nov 2014. The real challenge wasn’t the total overall distance. The real challenge was getting up every day for 7 days and running anything from 25 to 35 miles each day. Once I had reached the final destination at Royal Wootton Bassett Police Station, I would then lay a wreath at the Rememberance Day service being held at the War Memorial  by The Royal British Legion. A simple plan.

Pre event training went well, and I managed to only sustain one minor knee injury throughout all the training miles I logged. I also took part in the Salisbury 54321 Ultra (50K) as part of my training regime. This was a fun day out amongst like minded idiots – much better than slogging out silly miles by my lonesome – see the Events Page for a report.

I entered into talks with a local company – Prosec Consultancy regarding corporate sponsorship. Once again this felt very apt as they are the preffered choice of training providers to the MOD in respect of miltary personnel leaving the Armed Forces. I spoke to Andy and Brian from the company and they came up trumps for me. They purchased all the equipment and clothing that I requested, as well as providing me with a support vehicle and driver – Kieren – for the duration of the event. My work  colleague Gav also agreed to follow me around the Wiltshire countryside for the week……..support crew sorted. I also secured free accommodation, evening meals & breakfasts from several hotels on route. Everything was in place now. Red light. Green light. Go!

Day 1 – Alderbury to Tidworth

Nov 5th quickly arrived and set off from Alderbury Police Station on what turned out to be a glorious day weather wise. I made my way to Bourne Hill, Salisbury, somewhat quicker than I had anticipated and pushed straight off and onto Wilton. Everything was plain sailing and ahead of schedule as I arrived at Wilton (is this the smallest Police Station in the world?). Once again I didn’t linger and after a quick mouthful of flapjack (courtesy of Mrs Gav) and an application of Vaseline (I forgot earlier in my haste to get started) I ventured off towards Amesbury. A bit of a fast ball then presented itself in the shape of one section of the planned route for this leg actually being a private road. None the less an alternative (and longer!!) route was quickly worked out and off I set again. Approximately 5 miles up the road I saw a burger van and instantly had to have one. A quick word with Gav and Kieren to place my order and 30 mins later I was happily munching on a big fat beef burger as I plodded through Bulford. Happy days! I reached Amesbury, refilled my water bottles, ate a bag of beef jerkey, and plowed on with the last leg of the day. It was on this leg that I started to feel the efforts of my quicker than expected start (school boy error – I REALLY should of known better!!). Both my calf muscles were cramping up and my groin began to display it’s random and sudden tendency to shoot electric bolts into my nether region. Combined they managed to slow my pace towards Tidworth somewhat. But reach Tidworth I did some 29.33 miles and 5 hours 53 mins after I started. We then jumped into the support van and headed off to The Royal Tank Regiment who accommodated us in the WO & Sgts Mess.

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Day 2  – Tidworth to Tisbury

I awoke with a pain in my left foot and a large bruise covering the top of  the foot and the shin on my left leg. I was to later discover that this bruise was not infact a bruise at all…….. but something more sinister! Seperate to that issue I had sustained an injury to my right knee (Medial Cruciate Ligament strain) during the training process, and upon the doctors advise had been wearing a knee brace on that leg during exercise.  As I set off from Tidworth I had travelled no more than 20 metres when I began questioning the ongoing wisdom of continuing to wear the brace. It was annoying, it rubbed, it was sooooo sweaty underneath it, and I wasn’t actually fully convinced of it’s benefit. Needless to say the brace came off later that day, I haven’t worn it again since, and I haven’t had any reoccurences of issues with that knee. Of more concern to me was the pain in the top of my left foot and left shin. From the get go it slowed me down somewhat. I struggled for the entire day to find any respite from the increasingly growing pain in that foot and leg. It began to rain in the afternoon (which only added to my feeling sorry for myself – poor me eh!!) and I eventually reached Tisbury in the dark after 30.95 miles.

Day 3 – Tisbury to Westbury


It was quite apparent by now that my “bruise” was growing – and spreading! It had not only travelled further up my left shin but had also jumped legs too as I now had another bruise on the right foot and shin. Never the less I set off from Tisbury and slowly (pain induced pace) headed towards Mere. The journey was a very stop/start like affair, and upon arriving in the town I made my way to the chemist  prior to getting to the police station. I bought the strongest painkillers I could without a prescription and vowed to “dose myself up and continue”. A quick coffee, pain killers administered and I left Mere Police Station and ventured forward towards Warminster. This particular stretch was crippling for me and my support crew were now beginning to question my ability to continue. I had a very serious conversation with Gav in which he was advocating taking me straight to a doctor. I won that particular sabre rattling session and continued on my not-so-merry way. Along this route many of my work colleagues from the Warminster Sector Neighbourhood Policing Team came out to cheer me on. It was a real lift for my spirits (the first of several defining moments for me).I arrived at Warminster Police Station, stopped for photos and a hand shake with my Inspector, and immedietly set of for my last destination of the day – Westbury. This leg could of (and should of) weaved it’s way via the village of Upton Scudmore, however I was in so much discomfort that I elected to take the shorter-by -several-miles route along the A350. I arrived in Westbury, still later than originally planned, and was met by my supportive spouse to be Donna. Another 32.48 miles under my belt for the day. I stayed at home that night and Gav spent the night as my guest. I was still in denial regarding the concerns that others had for the state of both my legs and feet – they were both swollen, the left more than the right. The skin was stretched and exceptionally tight, and incredibly painfull to touch. My “bruising” had also crept further up my legs. After a chinese takeway for dinner I was berated with requests from both Donna and Gav to see a doctor. I eventually relinquished and Gav took me to see a doc at Shepton Mallet Hospital. I explained to the doc what I was in the process of attempting, and as luck would have it, he was also a runner himself. He looked at both my legs and quickly diagnosed a skin infection – Cellulitis. He drew with a green  felt tip pen around the bruising (which I now knew wasn’t bruising at all  – he informed me it was the wrong colour – it was the infection itself), and told me if it gets any bigger to go back and see a doc again. He also gave me a mountain of Penicillin to take and I left happy with the fact that (A) he hadn’t stopped me from continuing, and (B) I now had medication that would make be better…………..right?

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Day 4 – Westbury to Devizes

I set off from Westbury, still in a lot of pain, but none the less feeling optimistic after the previous evenings visit to the doc. My step daughter Megan accompanied me for this leg and together we slowly made our way in the pouring rain until we arrived in Trowbridge. Megan and I parted company as I left Trowbridge Police Station but I had only travelled about a mile when Meg and Donna drove past me. The car stopped, Meg got out and said to me “I can’t leave you to run on your own  so I will run a bit further with you” (next defining moment!). We plodded on (it REALLY was a plod due to the pain constantly shooting through both my feet and legs) until we arrived in Bradford-on-Avon. At this point a lady came up to me and said “Here is a fiver – I saw you both running along the common and am glad I found you here. Keep going”. I was also met by Donna again (another defining moment) who made sure I had a hot drink and a bite to eat before I set off  for Melksham. I eventually arrived in Melksham after what seemed like a lifetime, the obligitory photo was taken, and I proceeded onwards with the speed of a youg gazelle (not!!!!) towards Devizes. I have very litle recollection of this leg beyond the memory of intense pain with each and every step. I remember climbing up a big hill as we arrived in Devizes and being glad that the day was over This had been the longest day, not in distance – it had only been 27.09 miles, but in the length of time it had taken me – 9 hours and 5 mins!!. I shared a room that night with both Gav and Kieren at The Bear Hotel in Devizes. I learnt from that night to never ever  share a room with any future support crew again. The reason for this nuggett of wisdom  –  Kieren’s non stop snoring successfully managed to keep me awake all night!

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Day 5 – Devizes to Calne

Prior to getting under way I was met outside of Devizes Police Station by my daughter Stacey and her Fiance Jon, who were both going to run with me for the day. They weren’t meant to be meeting up with me until the last day, but after several conversations over the phone with Donna they all felt that I could do with a bit of lift (defining moment again).

Despite the sunshine it was a bitter cold morning as the three of set off on our way to Pewsey. I was in the worst pain that I had been in all week and even just walking was a struggle for me. On the few occassions that I did run I could only manage about 50 metres before I had to stop and walk again. We continued on with this Death March until just short of 11am. Today was Sun 9 Nov and as such was Rememberance Sunday. Myself, Stacey, Jon, Gav, and Kieren, gathered ourselves into a huddle in a field next to the road, and observed a 2 min silence at precisely 11am. It was all very surreal the say the least.

We plodded on (plod is actually an inaccurate description of the pace I was managing – plod is way too fast) and as such we were making atrocious time – I was struggling and it was apparent to everyone around me.  Gav and Donna (via phone) were attempting to arrange a visit from a doc to assess my Cellulitis. The pain and swelling in both my feet and legs had reduced me to a highly innefective shuffle that meant after 3 hrs 35 mins I had managed the grand distance of only 8.76 miles. We stopped at Pewsey for a coffee and as a team made the decision to call it a day – for that day at least.

We made our way, in the support vehicle I will add, to The White Hart Inn in Calne which was the location of our overnight accomodation for the evening. I was joined at the hotel by Donna and Summer (our youngest of 6 years) and a plan was set to have a meal before I went off to see the doc again. In my head the doc would then give me a magic pill to take. This magic cure would instantly and immedietly reduce all the swelling and completely eradicate any and all of the pain in both of my feet and legs. This in turn would enable me to continue with the run the following morning. Ta dah!!

After a lovely Sunday roast provided by David, the Landord of the White Hart, Donna loaded me into the car and took me to Chippenham Hospital. The doc looked at both of my feet and legs, commented on the fact that the infection had continued up into both knees as well, and stated very clearly to me ” No more running. You stop now.” “What!!!!…… “Where is my magic pill” I thought to myself. She then told me that at the rate the infection was spreading it would reach my groin  and I would end up with Septicemia – very quickly! “That is a life threatening condition that will see you hospitalised. I am considering that I might still admit you anyway” she added. I then convinced her that I would abide by her instruction to cease running and rest. She supplied with me a further batch of strong Penicillin to take in addition to the batch I already had……… and I left…………….. despondent and crest fallen.

I returned to the White Hart and had a pint with Gav and Kieren, both of whom had been fantastic throughout the entire event.They really did leave me to only concentrate on running as they dashed around and were my bitches for the week!……………………….Then I simply went home. My journey was over after just a shade less than 130 miles, or if I’m being pedantic –  128.61 miles.

I followed the doctors ordered and rested the next day with my feet up. However a plan to finish the event was being formulated as I relaxed. My journey was over but others stepped in to fill the void on my behalf. Several members of my family all volunteered to run the final leg in my place (The defining moment).

At 8am on Tue 11/11/2014, Stacey, Jon, Meg, Cameron, and Josh, all departed from Malmesbury Police Station and ran as a group to Royal Wooton Bassett Police Station. They were ably supported by myself, Donna, Summer, and Meg’s boyfriend Adam, as we escorted them in our own vehicles adorned with Help for Heroes banners flapping in the wind. We all arrived in Bassett just after 10 am and gathered ourselves inside the police station for a cuppa before making our way to The War Memorial in the town centre. I joined the Remeberance Service and duley layed a wreath on behalf of Wltshire Police. Finished.

I have written a lot about being in pain and a lot about defining moments. The reasons for that are simple really. When I look back now at the feelings and thoughts I had during the event then the over riding feeling was of pain. Incredible pain in both legs. The over riding thoughts I had are of how proud I was (and still am) of all my friends and family for the support and efforts they all made in supporting me on this amazing journey.

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