Bexhill Runners' Seafront Series 5K

Bexhill Runners' Seafront Series 5K, 27th July 2011, 7pm

Review by Stephanie Burton

Having thoroughly enjoyed my first ever race, a 5K fun run organised by Bexhill Runners to celebrate the Royal Wedding in April, I excitedly anticipated returning to the town to relive my first triumph.

Despite there being no other runners getting off my (delayed) train that I could follow, the Start was very easy to find with its bright red gantry straddling the promenade, banners and marquees, and a Pied Piper on a PA system calling in the athletic and the enthusiastic. Three efficient marshalls behind clearly labelled tables in the marquees swiftly found my name on the pre-booked list, and issued my number, time-chip and safety pins. I was pleased to see that I had a lower race number this time - a good omen which nearly helped to settle my nerves! This race would be a more serious affair - club vests rather than wedding veils - but I was confident of finishing well-for-me.

Cheering on the three children’s' races before the 5K lifted the atmosphere and I was surprised to see over 80 children taking part. Then the 240-odd adults gathered for the 5K Start. Watches & gadgets were checked & beeped, Boyfriend disappeared to find himself a good vantage point and, following a very quick '3 2 1 Go', we were off! 

The two-lap course along Bexhill promenade was as flat as the mill-pond sea and, with the evening sun just dipping behind the rooftops, perfect for fast running. Conscious of not setting off like a whippet this time, I started near the back of the field and so had a wonderful view of the other runners streaming away along the seafront. Perhaps a good photo opportunity if taken from the height of the gantry! Having spotted & waved to Boyfriend, I found my pace & noticed my nerves had vanished.

Towards the end of my first lap, I was suddenly aware of a much faster runner passing us and witnessed the winner dashing over the Finish line just a few moments before I reached the same point and turned to start again. I am not sure whether the leading runners appreciated having slower runners in front of them as they finished, but I found it inspiring to see their achievements. Boyfriend also commented that he found the event more interesting as there was practically always someone to watch & cheer. The energy from supporters was invaluable and I would particularly like to thank all the marshalls around the course for being wonderful in this respect. Every marshall encouraged every runner, returning smiles/grimaces and willing us on. I certainly ran as much on their words as my own legs.

And then there it was. The red gantry, the Pied Piper, the banners and the clock - The Finish!

Swept between barricades by yet more marshalls, my time-chip was off, medal on and drink & cake offered in seconds. I'm still kicking myself for declining the cake because it looked delicious. Boyfriend beamed his way through the crowd for a sweaty hug and me-with-gorgeous-medal photo. 

My final chip time was slightly disappointingly 12 seconds slower than my first race. Even though I'm probably twice the age of the winners, I'm sure I can do better than twice their time. Perhaps I'll just pop onto RunningDiary and see what else might be coming up in the Autumn ...

Review by Stephanie Burton (Twitter follower and U&R friend).

Pics by Dave Greene

A runners thoughts - Flies

Running at this time of year brings to all runners an amazing array of wonderful things.  Sun, warmth, long evenings (and mornings) as well as opportunity to get out in nature.  It also brings for me one thing that I can't stand.

Flies!

Running out in the sun, through fantastic countryside and colourful overgrowth is, for me, only marred by that constant curse of flies.  Flies in the eyes, flies up the nose and flies down the throat.  All buzzing and swooping round my sweaty head and hair receding hairline.  Why now and Why me?

I can't explain the reason biologically why I must be seen as attractive (some may have explanations), and I can't explain it chemically (I am sure there is a reason),  but I can define it in 3 words.  Its blooming annoying.  And I can't be the only one afflicted by it.

I have over the years found ways of curbing the effects of these cursed Diptera attacks.  Firstly a good set of sunglasses can help.  They can be used to deflect the swooping attackers as they dive for your eyes.  I've over the years got used to wearing them and they also have other effects as well in terms of focus and performance (more on that some other time).

A peaked running cap also helps as it means that there is less angle of attack.  They can't dive from top, left or right as easily as they can without a hat being worn.  The other thing is that it also stops them sticking to your sweaty brow.

The swallowing of the little blighters is less easy to solve.  Unless you want to look like someone visiting a polluted city by wearing a mask, the only way to sort this is by grinning and bearing it.  Literally.  The problem though is that your teeth can end up looking like a cars grill!!

Finally, and a little tip that really does work, is the 'running through low hanging foliage' trick.  I have noticed that if you are being pursued and you dodge and weave through low hanging leaves or bushes then they get shaken off.  They are probably confused for a moment and start to pursue other quarry.  Yes its a tree, but at least its not me.

So there you go, the curse of flies on summer run's.  You may suffer from the same problem or you may know of someone else who has, if you do and have any tips then please share.  I'm all for a fly free running experience especially when the weather is a wonderful as it has been of late.

JM

International Snowdon Race - Paul Wathan

Every year this race (Snowdon International Race) is in my calendar to do! The race its self is know as one of the toughest and most brutal mountain races in Europe, it always attracts runners from around the world. This years race also incorporated into the World Sky Running Series what made it even more competitive.

On the morning of the race I looked out of the window and saw it was going to be a hot day ! A couple of hours later we were down in Llanberis, and the event was in full swing. Athletes getting ready by warming up etc.... And lots of other things going on around in the field from stalls to fair rides. At this time I was getting very excited and in the zone (As they say) but more than that I was really looking forward to testing the new Salomon Fellcross on such an event, prior to the event I had only used them for training around the fells in the Lake District.

2pm soon came around and we were off! The sun was beaming down on the 500+ strong field of runners in the small village of Llanberis, as everyone headed out of the village towards Snowdon it self the field quickly opened out as we started to climb the hill before the mountain! Straight away my legs felt double the weight and I was in trouble.... I continued to climb towards the summit of Snowdon slowly going backwards and backwards. At this time I was really impressed at how the Fellcross had performed so far they were very light and responsive, very breathable.
25 minutes into the climb and legs had totally gone, I started to cramp up and feel dehydrated within my self. I managed to get to the half way house (where there was a water station) I was so glad to be there knowing I was bit closer to the summit. After a cup of water I found a second wind and began to climb stronger and picked of a few runners who had pasted me early on in the race. 54 minutes later I finally had reached the summit in the thick mist and fog but this was only half way in the race. Slightly disheartened by seeing the leaders already half way down the decent I started to decend as quickly as I could and putting all my faith in the Fellcross and its grip to keep me up right, and again the Fellcross came up trumps they fitted around my foot like a glove what made the descend easier as I didn't have to worry about slipping, down side to it all after descending for 15mins my feet started to burn up as the weather was so hot what made the ground even harder underfoot. I had no option but to slow down and descend at a slower pace what lost me a few minutes on my time I should of posted.
Over all time and position : ‎54:54 up, 29:59 down. Total 1:24:53, Chip 1:24:52 69th O/A

Quick summary on the Fellcross : Another great product from the Salomon team. Very light and responsive, great grip and feel to the shoe. Serious about fellrunning? Then the Fellcross should be your next purchase

Paul (Keswick Manager)
 

100 Marathons in 100 weeks

Some of you who follow U&R on Twitter will have seen no doubt tweets between 100mara100weeks and ourselves.  Simon FYI is doing just that 100 marathons in a 100 weeks, below is a little about him and his challenge.

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I am Simon Buckden (see pic below), I am 39 and from Leeds and I am currently running 100 Marathons in 100 weeks to raise awareness of PTSD and funds for Help for Heroes. I was in the Army for 12 years and retired in 2001 due to injury and was diagnised with PTSD is 2005, and since that time I have tried to do something good and show that even though you may have a serious condition, that you cans still do something postive. I started the challenge in early Feb 2011 and I am due to finish on the 2nd week of January 2013 and I will have completed nearly 2700 miles of Marathons and Ultra races around the UK and Europe. It is worth noting that until this challenge started, I had never ran a Marathon. For further information please see http://www.bmycharity.com/100marathons

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We at Up and Running wish Simon all the best on this amazing undertaking and we'll keep you updated on news as we get it.  

CaniX Team UK - Update

CaniX Team UK met up for their training camp in the Forest of Dean a few weeks ago. The team (see pic below) which includes runner and dog or bikejorer and dog, will be undertaking some 3,000 km to Poland and back in October to compete against 14 European countries. This year the CaniX championships will be held in St Anne's Mountain, in the centre of the beautiful Góra Sw. Anny Landscape Park. The event will be based at St Anne's Amphitheatre and hour or so from Krakow.

CaniX are confident that there will be medals on the table in the female 40-49 bikejor class, the male 7-10 cub class and the over 60 class and wouldn't be surprised to see more in the team achieving great times.

The training camp was for the team building exercises, to promote the sponsors, press photograpsh and put the team through their paces. It was a great weekend and as the temperatures were high the canines had their paws up while the runners underwent their grueling training.

CaniX UK will be hosting the 2012 European Championships in Cirencester and look forward to welcoming 14 - 18 European countires with their athletes and canine partners.

NSPCC Milton Keynes

As you know Up and Running is committed to not only provide excellent service and product  for the running community but to involve the running community in many of its decisions.  Be it through feedback on product, service and/or contribution to the many social sites employed by the company (Facebook, Twitter etc).  The piece below is no exception.  It is from U&R Twitter follower Paul Malpass and it is his review of his first Half Marathon.  The Milton Keynes Half.  Enjoy.

My First Half Marathon - NSPCC Milton Keynes 

Having run a few 10k's now and broken the 1 hour mark I thought I would try and run a half marathon. I chose the NSPCC Half in Milton Keynes. My daughter ran this last year and it looked a nice fun run.

We arrived at 09:00, plenty of parking and just a 5 minute walk to the start which was at 10:00. The weather was perfect for me. 15 degrees with a threat of rain.  The main problem then being the 200meter queue for the toilets! 

The dedicated few took part in the warm up while we connected up our Garmins and iPhones. I find the music takes my mind off the effort of running ;-) Being first timers we lined up with the sub 3 hour marker. It wasn’t long and we were off. There were 1285 starters and so it was a gentle walk to the line before we set off at a gentle pace. The first 500 yards was along a housing estate road but then we turned onto pathway’s. This was quite crowded and until 3 miles it was a little bit challenging for us less experienced runners. I would have liked another mile of running on a road for space. I was trying not to go too fast but I was consistently under 10 minute miles for the first 5 miles. By about 6 miles the first shower came and I was feeling pretty good still, managing 10 minute miles. But by mile 9 my quads were cramping and it began to get tough. Another shower and it was mile 11. I was having to walk A few yards every half mile and it was sheer will power and crowd support pushing me on now. With a mile to go my daughter appeared to jog home with me. She couldn't run due to injury and so was there to take the pictures. The last 500 yards was very hard but I was determined to finish running and managed 2:18:23. Not bad for a first half marathon at age 51.

Overall it was a well organised race, I think it is in its 13th year after all! The only criticism would be the narrow path at the beginning. There is a small uphill part at the end and a few up and downs around the course but would still be classed as flat.

So will I do another one... well I survived with no real injuries but it was a struggle. I'll reserve judgement until i've run some more 10k's ;-) 

Author: Paul Malpass

Otley AC's Washburn Valley Relays

Otley AC's Washburn Valley Relays always show how much fun informal summer evening relays can be.  Up & Running shops help out with lots of events like this (next up is Abbey Runners' Golden Acre Park Relays on 27 July).  Some 60 teams raced it out around the beautiful Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs with short 3-4 mile legs that kept the excitement high all night with constant comings and goings.  A motley Up & Running crew from HO and the Leeds Central store even managed to finish in the top 10 - well done guys!  And there were 10 teams in the junior relays, now in their 2nd year.  Full results and lots of photos on otleyac.co.uk

Start of the race

Team Up & Running (a motley crew!! Michael, Steve and Sam - R to L)

A Runners thoughts

I've been working at Up and Running now for over 12 years.  Through this time I have seen a lot of changes.  Changes in product, changes in customer type, changes in techniques of running and changes in my own running fortune.  Throughout all of this time, one thing has been constant.  My 'passion' for running - warts and all.

For a long time now running seems to have been a major part of my life. As a  teen I ran at school, I was quite good apparently.  In my early 20's I abandoned running, gained weight and lost direction.  In my late 20's I found it again and found some good form (a few good races and pb's).  I then became a father and for 6 years let it slip a little.  I am now  'nearly' a 40 year old man, who has found running again but who's form is something of the past and who's best running is a memory often verbalised as 'my running PB is...', but is only a faded memory that gets further away as time passes by.

So why am I writing this piece now and where does it lead?

Well.  I was thinking as I was sat at my desk one day last week.  I have lived and breathed running for some time.  For 12 years at Up and Running and if you take into account my total running history, more than 1/4 of a century.  I think you will agree that this is a fair amount of running, and as a result I hold not just physical but mental experience/ knowledge of this /running thing.  At this point may I add that  it's not all good!!

One thing however stood out to me.  It's not just my own running experience that I have but everyone else that I have ever come in contact with.  Customers, staff members, suppliers, personal trainers, etc.  In fact anyone who has ever placed one foot in front of the other faster than a walk and with which I have had the pleasure to talk to.

I therefore thought that it would be good from time to time to put this 'experience' down in writing, for any runner (new or old) to read, just in case it may help resolve any issue they have or simply to laugh at.  That was it - the thinking behind a series of blog posts.

Some provisos though need to be made at this point......

Some of the thoughts will be personal and not directly linked to Up and Running's
Some of the thoughts will be commercially based, and will be linked to current thinking on running in its widest sense.
Some of the posts will be purely anecdotal and therefore based on what others have said and therefore difficult to corroborate
Some of them will be light-hearted and not to be taken too seriously.
All of them need to be read with an open mind.
But above all, they are expressed by a runner, from a running perspective and based on running experience.

Anyway there you go.  It may be a regular post, it may be infrequent, but when they come do have a read.  You may pick up something that you have never known that helps you keep on doing the thing that you and I all love.

Running.

JM

Harrogate Road League

For more years than anyone can remember, Up & Running's Harrogate shop has supported the local Race League, indeed U&R owner Gillian's name is on at least one of the trophies! The League is real grass roots, shoe-string running. For the grand total of £5, members of local Clubs are able to compete in 6 summer evening races, with a free supper put on by the organising Club to make it a great social night out. Yet there's no stinting on the quality of the race organisation, or the competition. Up & Running plays an important part from race support to the prizes awarded at the end of the season. Last night, local Up & Running staff were there to cheer in the finishers at the traditional end of League Handicap Race, distribute spot prizes, and help with the prize presentation.

Photo: they're off, some later starters set off to chase others down in the Handicap



Photo: rising star Marc Scott receives the Elite team trophy.

Race Result from the North

Race Result from the North - British Milers Club 800M Mens A Result

Hi Sports Fan,

Up&Running Darlingtons very own Andy Wiles took part in the latest BMC 800m Mens A race at Trafford on Tuesday 12th July in the early evening.

Facing a first class field of athletes Andrew had come down from his normal 1500m distance with the idea of trying to break his 800m PB of 1.51.37 -
New Marske Harriers team mate Ricky Stevenson {1:49.09} and Warren Fay {1:49.43} from Birchfield Harriers were in attendance and were sure to make the race competative, with 4 other athletes all holding 1:51's as 800 PB's, so Andrew knew that he had to keep in the first 3 to give himself any chance of PB'ing and finishing well.

BANG! and their off... holding the inside line for the 1st 200m Andrew quickly established his position on Ricky's shoulder with Warren in contention and the other athletes all tightly bunched behind, 400m came and went in a 55 secs as planned and still in 3rd position and within 2 steps of the leader , the pace dropped slightly from 400, to 550m , breathing hard but feeling very comfortable Andrew changed gears to start his run for him, sensing this Stevenson and Fay also picked the pace up; running in lane 1 , Andy made the decision that coming off the last bend if he was blocked in lane two he would go thru on the inside... ...........70m to go and Stevenson is making his last effort with Fay just ahead, the gap opens and Wiles pushes through on the inside... 20meters to go and Fay cant hold onto the last kick of Wiles.. ............ and thru the line in... 1:50.61!! and new PB by nearly a second.. and 1st place.. happy days!!

Speaking after the race Andrew commented that he had never raced feeling so good, running a far better tactical race than his mile performance at Sunderland in June, Andrew was happy with the time and of course 1st position.

Andrew feels that his target of a sub 3:40.0 1500m is definataly on the cards this summer, the ankle injury that has been plagueing his training this spring/summer also seems to have settled down , making for more consistant training.

We look forward to watching Andrews progress over the next two months.

Thanks for watching and stay tuned to Darlington Up&Running Sports report with this intrepid reporter for more Road , Track, Trail, Fell and TRI racing action.

Kind regards,

Mic

Mic Doughty
Darlington Up&Running

Darlington Harriers Pitstop 10K report

The Darlington Harriers annual Pitstop 10K took place last Wednesday evening at the Croft Racing Circuit.

This event was ably supported by Darlington Building Sociaty and Darlington Up&Running.

A record 167 Runners made the effort to get to the race track for the 7:30pm start, the weather remained bright and clear for the race with a late burst of rain and thunder to signal a end to the race just as the last two runners crossed the line !

Very early racing from the eventual first and second placed men, James Askew and the evergreen Terry Wall opened a 3 minute gap on Scotland International Lady Rosie Smith , with the next group of men some 75 secs down on Rosie who was running a strong but lonely race in 3rd position.

James Askew is a junior man who's last 3 years running as a junior have placed him in the top 5 of all the local 10k events, this year will be very differant for the young man, as he demonstrated on lap-2 of the race by passing Terry Wall and pulling away steadly to open up a 10 second gap: great front running kept this gap until he crossed the line some 32mins and 35secs after the starters whistle.

Rosie had a lonely night of racing but finished 3rd overall in an excellant time of 35.08 some 70 seconds ahead of 4th man home Gareth Wilson from the North York Moors Posse'.

1st Ladies Team went to a very strong turn-out from the local Darlington Quakers, with the Mens team result seeing a keen North York Moors AC team take the honours.

Speaking with the event director Ian Barnes the Darlington Harriers Chairman, Ian expressed his pleasure at the number of athletes supporting the event, and the distance that some of the runners had traveled, with Sunderland and Whitby being the furthest locations that runner had a trip back home to.

Mic Doughty
Manager, Up&Running Darlington

Addingham Gala fell race

Up & Running once again supported the Addingham Gala fell race on Saturday. This is real grass roots race support. The Gala had not had a fell race for over 20 years, and when it was decided to revive the great tradition of racing up the local hill, Beamsley Beacon, Up & Running lent a hand with race numbers, tape, and a generous range of prizes. In that first year there were just 43 runners, but the reputation of the race has spread and this year 73 runners sprinted off round the Gala field to the cheering throngs.
All 73 finished the tough course, after 6 miles with 1000' of climb. Last year's race starter, MP Kris Hopkins, joined in this year (let's just say he was the first MP in the race). At the sharp end, there were new records set by Martin Gosling of Leeds City and Emma Barclay of Ilkley Harriers. Full results and photos http://ilkleyharriers.co.uk/index.php?page=adgala

Guisecliff Gallop Report

The 2nd Guisecliff Gallop Fell Races - report

The 2nd Guisecliff Gallop Fell Races took place on Sunday 3rd July with the following race categories catered for: - under 9, under 12, under 14, under 17 and seniors. The races took place in the Pateley Bridge/ Bewerley Showground in glorious sunny conditions although a little too warm for the runners.

The races were organised by Nidderdale High School teacher Mick Hawkins a former international runner himself, to try and encourage as many local children as possible to give fell racing a go with the hope that some may continue in the sport. The under 9’s and under 12’s were well supported by some of our local primary schools.

Although overall the fields were relatively small all the competitors thoroughly enjoyed the courses which were very scenic and quite challenging in places. The events culminated in a 3 mile senior race run to twos Stoops and back. There was a field of 30 runners for this race which was won by ex Nidderdale student Jack Simpson in a new record of 23.08 which was exactly 2 minutes faster than his 6th place of last year. Jack is taking his running more seriously now and is looking to compete in some of the classic fell races during the summer months. Trish Wardell from nearby Willsill also excelled in winning the ladies race in a new record time of 32.02. The Nidderdale High School cook is a relatively late starter to running but has made very good progress competing in a wide variety of events from marathons to short fell races.

As with most new races the Guisecliff Gallop has made a good start and hopefully over the coming years can become an event you must not miss.

There were over £250 in prizes and trophies so those that did enter did very well for themselves. A big thankyou must go to the event sponsors who were under 9, 12 and 14--- Stud Fold Adventure Lofthouse, Pateley Bridge. Under 17 and Seniors --- Up and Running ( Leeds Central) and Gilmoor Fishing Lake. The organisers would also like to thank The Showground committee for the use of the showfield which is ideal for the event to take place.

Finally a special mention must go to all the marshals and helpers who made the Guisecliff Gallop such a well-organised event.

Top results

under 9's 

1	Jack Muir		2.03
2	Antony Brockway		2.11
3	Herbert Antcliff		2.15

Under 12's

1	James Lund		6.08
2	Ben Speak		6.56
3	Toby Antcliff		7.03

Under 14's

1	Miles Blakey		10.55
2	Edward Burgess		11.03
3	Dom Ashfield		11.11

Seniors

1	Jack Simpson		23.08 NEW REC
2	Shaun Chew		24.31
3	Dave Mann	40	25.06

Blind Running by Simon Wheatcroft

Some of the regular followers of Twitter will have seen of of our followers @moochoo and his amazing attempt at running 100miles.  Here is his view of the run......

As a blind runner in the past year I had conquered an enormous challenge: learning to train alone outdoors. In order to find my next big running challenge I knew I had to aim big. I had never run a race, not even a 5k but I took on the challenge of running 100 miles.

I arrived at the start line with 4 seconds to spare and began my long journey. Despite being able to train alone running a 100 miles needed numerous pacers and guide runners. My first 10 miles I ran with 3 people, one of whom had never run further than a few miles. Keeping a steady pace and only questioning whether we had taken the right turn the first 10 miles went without issue. The pacer that had only previously run a few miles was so inspired by the challenge they beat their own personal best and hit 11 miles.

The second leg would see my first true challenge of steep hills. Due to this my plan was to reduce pace and save energy for the later portions of the race. But things rarely go to plan and I stormed through this section wiping off 30 minutes and catching a number of competitors. Arriving at the second checkpoint all was positive the last 20+ miles had flown by and I still felt incredibly fresh.

A change of clothes and a new team of pacers we headed out to break the marathon distance. The course became undulating with many small hills but my energy and spirits were still high. So we knew where to run small arrows on lampposts highlighted the course, being blind I relied on my pacers to navigate. My pacers seemed anxious, as we hadn’t seen an arrow in quite a while. “if in doubt keep moving forward” the race director had told us. This perhaps turned out to be our downfall. We had gone the wrong way.

I tried to stay positive but the heavens had opened and the rain was starting to pour, by the 30-mile mark I was feeling low. I rang my wife as I couldn’t shake the thought of getting lost, we had lost time and position. I wasn’t remotely fatigued but my mind was convincing me I was.

As the rain continued to poor my mood continued to sink. There were momentary highs met with intense lows. I was struggling the devil on my shoulder was telling me to quit. I had come a long way for my first ever run after I had just covered easily over the marathon distance, instead of being wet I could be warm back at the hotel.

These negative thoughts were destroying my pace, which was having an effect on my body temperature. With the rain pouring I couldn’t run fast enough to keep warm. I decided to have a quick rest in the van to warm up and head back out. After numerous pacer changes and lows I had reached the 50 mile mark.

Emotionally I was done, I had come as far as I could. The race directory Rory Coleman had come by to see me. He gave me a pep talk and told me to rest. I took a tiny nap in the van and ate some
chicken soup. I decided if I quit now I would regret it. While I was emotionally low I felt I could push my body further, I decided to continue just as the rain began to fall harder.

I stepped out of the van; resting had taken its toll. I couldn’t walk, it took half a mile before I could get my legs working and another half mile before I could run. This leg of the race was a true mental shift.

I had begun the section mentally drained but over the next 10 miles my mood was lifted, thanks in part to the pacer who talked at me non stop. I had moved from my negative thinking into positivity, I know thought I could finish the race.

With the sun rising and a new day beginning I was back running, my pace was slow but I was moving forward. The blisters on my feet were beginning to hurt but I was determined to keep moving.

With a new set of pacers we took a look at our GPS distance and we knew the next checkpoint would mark the 80-mile point. We arrived in great spirits, only to be told we were at checkpoint 7. One less than we had thought, we had forgotten to take into account getting lost the previous day. While slightly demotivated it was in fact just over one marathon. Not that far really.

Over the next section the side effects of my earlier mood were starting to take effect. While I was negative earlier on my food intake has slipped, I had forgotten to take on board essential carbs and I was now feeling the effects. My legs were incredibly painful, the inclines were taking the toll on my fatigue levels while the declines were punishing my muscles.

I began to force small amounts of food down and continued to make steady progress. At mile 80 we were due for another pacer change and I decided to stop briefly to have my blisters checked out. My left foot was in a bit of a state and was taped up and I rested briefly.

Resting however is a careful balance, rest to long and my legs would cease, don’t rest enough and fatigue hit hard. I began to move again but I simply couldn’t get a walking gait going. It took a mile or more before I could walk. My legs were beginning to fail.

My pace had dropped heavily and I was fatiguing, it was time to rest. We decided it would be a good time to stop have a small nap and try again. This unfortunately would be my downfall. After waking my team asked me If I wanted to stop. I was in a far worse condition that I had thought. The lack of carbs had resulted in marked weight loss, highly noticeable. My legs were incredibly painful and the painkillers were having no effect.

At this point my legs simply didn’t work, I could no longer support my own weight and I couldn’t move them unaided. It was time to call it a day, at mile 83 my race ended, a mere 17 miles short of the finish line.

At first I was devastated I had failed my first ultra. But as we drove back to the finish line I thought back on what I had achieved not only today but in the last few months.

I had learnt to train alone outdoors and taken on this massive challenge. From never competing before I had run 83 miles non stop. In the end I may have failed the race but I saw it as a great step
forward.

I had found my physical limit at mile 83, but the great thing about limits is they are there to be broken. I will continue to compete in ultra events this year and will return next year fitter, faster and stronger to smash my old limit and not only finish the ultra but finish strong.  

Simon Wheatcroft

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What a guy!!