Well, I did it.
It hurt.
More than I thought it would.
We went up to Lewknor on Friday 15th July, 2016 – all excited and apprehensive for the challenge to come. Thanks to the trusty satnav, we avoided any real traffic and made decent time to the hotel. Checked in, then a little walk down the village and a nice meal and a couple of pints of San Miguel in the spit and sawdust pub.
Slept reasonably well, up and about at 5:30 – quick shower and down for a bacon sandwich and a pint of water just after six, then left the hotel at 7:15 to queue all the way down to the start. Traffic was pretty bad, and quite a few people were walking down the road – but we made it, and I checked in, saw the massive queue for the toilets and strolled past the start line to the bushes for a much needed weewee.
No time to fool around, got my race number pinned, and walked to the start, 5 minutes later and the Race to the Stones had started.
It was mentioned that 2500 people were on course, 957 of those were the fools signed up for the non-stop 100K. The start was crowded, and within 500m we all squeezed through a gate and seemingly onto the route proper. I was feeling great, no twinges, and was checking the timing to make sure I wasn’t going too fast. With the crowds it was easy to keep a 10.5 min mile, and the world was grand – just an easy 11K to the first pit stop. After about 5 miles of running on a nice hard surface, we turned left and up through the woods – this was steep, and at the top of the hill was a gate, which meant that there was a considerable queue – not made any better by some of the runners insisting they didn’t have to queue and ran around us to the top. After a while we were out into the open and another little run to another gate, after that queue it was a nice tree lined run all the way to pit stop 1.
Pit1.
I had a plan for my stops, which would mean that I would be taking at least 2hrs of breaks, which seemed a little excessive to me whilst planning, but ended up being around an hour less than I actual took! Pit one was a quick toilet break, water filled, cap soaked, and a horrible bar picked up, slightly chewed, then binned. I had thought of having at least a gel an hour, so that went down also. As soon as possible I was off.
The track continued through a couple of fields, but was mostly hard surface, after a while we emerged through a farm, and we started on, what was to prove the norm, soft grass/farm track. After a while we were back in the woods, and a bit of a hill – the advice was walk the hills, run the flats and downs, so even at this stage a little bit of hiking was in order. Was still feeling great at this point, but thought of the next 50 miles meant I followed the herd and strolled for a while.
After the hill we crossed the road, and was met by some considerable cheering then through a small lane and onto the golf course. Flat and grassy for a while until we popped out at Nuffield.
I met the support staff at Nuffield, and as I had only been running for about 9 miles and just over an hour and a half, I just had a bit of a drink, and was keen to get on. I felt a bit bad as they had been hanging about for me and I only stopped for 5 minutes, but I felt good and wanted to get some miles in.
We ran on along rutted, small paths – a mixture of grassy farm roads and narrow paths. It was single file here, and a number of people fell – both onto the track and off it! Even now I was starting to feel less comfortable as the terrain meant that I had to run with a different style to what I am comfortable with. At the end of this section we hit the main road, and I was surprised to see the team at an unscheduled pit stop.
It was good to see them here, it was starting to get quite warm, so it was good to replenish fluids, and take in a little food. With a cheery wave, and a peach I set off again towards Streatley.
We had a decent surface here for a while, mostly tarmac or good hard road way, but after a couple of miles we met the river and the going went downhill – and not in a vertical way. The scheduled pit 2 was here, I topped my water and grabbed a sausage roll, but didn’t really stop too much I knew the gang were a few miles away. We were into fields now, not great – I had never trained on grass, and you would think that it would be great – it wasn’t, my knee was already starting to ache, and I could feel my feet moving more than they should in my shoes – but only a couple of miles more and we arrived into the tarmac in Goring then over the Bridge into Streatley. I walked the hill in Streatley all the way up to the golf club – this was the first time I met a his n her running team who I saw for the majority of the rest of the course. At the golf club I met the support staff.
I was very hot at this point, and changed from my long sleeve into my T-shirt. I also changed my shoes, which in hindsight I am not sure was a good idea. I spent some time here more fluid, a little bit of food, peanuts and some crisps and tried a pork pie, which nearly made me sick. I was now 20 miles in, so a third of the journey and it was here that the pain started. My left knee, which I had had problems with some months ago, was starting to twinge. It was already at the sort of pain which, on a training run, I would be thinking of calling it a day – so I squirted some deep heat, took a paracetamol and after a decent stop was off again.
I was still on 10/11 min mile pace at this point, but just after my sat nav got confused and stayed at 22.73miles for a time, so I reset it and headed off towards checkpoint 3.
Just after the golf course was a long hill, where lots of people were walking – so I joined them, it was really quite warm at this point and as I headed towards marathon distance I was feeling a little worried that things were not going as well as I had hoped. Checkpoint 3 seemed a small one, I got some fluid, and a slice of orange, and nabbed a bag of skittles to munch on the continued climb. I felt sick.
After what felt like 10K of uphill, the fourth checkpoint was again on us, I was really hurting now. Running was okay, but both knees were very sore. Oddly I didn’t feel particularly tired just every step was painful. I got some fluid again here, and tried some stretching, to see if it would help my knees – it didn’t. I think I might of picked something up to eat here, but I cannot remember.
Left the checkpoint at 44K with eight to go until half way – I was really beginning to doubt whether I would make it. I knew that I had run 32 miles before, and it didn’t hurt, it was tiring – today it wasn’t so tiring, as the pace was slow, it just really hurt!
The track was pretty good now, but mostly uphill, you could see the half way point from miles away but it seemed to take ages and ages to get to it. Once there, it was very spread out, so I just grabbed a cup of water checked my sock as my feet were starting to hurt and set off again. At this point my running had stopped. I was still able to “jog”, but in an old man sort of way, every step jarred and was quite painful. I was very disappointed to be honest, I knew it was going to be hard – but I also knew I could run this far with no pain – it was not going to plan.
Third official pit stop with the crew, was only a couple of miles from the office half way point. When I got there they had the seats out and were trying to jump start a car. I was really feeling it now. Changed socks here, and tried to get some food down. Had a bit of a sandwich and a little bit of salmon. And yet more fluids. Had a sit down also. I was feeling pretty ruined by this point. It would have been very nice to have stopped – 50K is a decent run, it’s even an “ultra”. But I am stupid, and I had to carry on. It was also at this point when I realised it would be impossible to meet my initial target time of 15hrs. I had finished the first half in 7:35, over an hour and a half longer than my 32 mile training run, but with about an hour of stopping at the checkpoints. I knew that there was no way I would do the second half in the same time, with the hills I was walking almost as much as I was running, and the pain was getting worse.
With a peach in hand I was off, after a time I stumbled into the 60K checkpoint, I had some coke, filled my drinks bottle and really wanted a lie down here. They even had mats. I was starting to day dream at this point, and this check point really is a bit of a blur. After a bit of a stop I was off on good tracks again passing the “White Horse” without even realising it.
There was a quite severe climb around here, and then joy of joys a big downhill – only I realised at this point I couldn’t actually run downhill! My knees were very sore now, and running down was agony – loads of people seemed to have no problem jogging away, but I found this part really hard, each progressive step was a bundle of hurt, and my running had become a shuffle.
After the hills we had a really nice long flat bit, which was a godsend – although only really shuffling (13 min miles perhaps?) it was nice to be able to make progress – but then all of a sudden I felt that stab of heat on the side of my foot, and I knew the skin was gone. I pulled over and sat, just managing to take my shoe off I saw from the blood on my sock that a blister had ruptured. Got a few plasters on it, and away again, thankful in the fact that the blister hurt so much that I almost forgot the pain in my knees…
30K to go. Now I was in bits. Everything from my belly button down was hurting. I sat with the crew, they took my shoe off, taped my foot, changed my sock back to one I had already worn, strapped my knees and force fed me some drink and bits of food. I was so off schedule now, and with my brain with pain unable to really focus on anything I was cross that the time was going far quicker than I was. I still ridiculously thought that 11-11:30pm was doable, but at this point I picked up my headlight and torch for the next jaunt into the wilds.
Things really get a little bleary now, the track was okay, it wasn’t dark yet and I was still running, well hobbling. After a while we came to another massive downhill, which I should have been delighted with, but I wasn’t – it was torture… After this there was some road, and again the support team came into view, sat outside and indian/pub. I really wasn’t with it here – I braced against the wall and felt lightheaded and sick. After some minutes i set off again up a long hill which I ran a little and walked the majority.
There were quite a few people at this point, and I started walking up the hill with a nice chap, then a gentle run for a few miles. I have no idea what we talked about, it all seemed a little surreal.
He left me, but after the next official check point I had a second wind, and really could run. I passed him after a while and he even commented that I was looking good, things were on the up, but then, after perhaps a mile or so my knee gave way. I stumbled, and just had to walk. I continued for about 10 minutes then found that I could run again, just with very short steps – anything longer and the leg just collapsed. I met the gang again here at Ogbourne St George, and deep heated my self. Off again on a climb, where I walked with a lady who I had seen a few times on the run, she had hurt her achilles and was running almost as badly as I was. I shuffled off and up the hill.
It was getting dark about now, and we entered some fields which went on for a very long time – I was pretty much running all of this I think, but it wasn’t pleasant. The uneven surface had caused my feet to start breaking down, it was about 9:30pm now I think and in the distance I could see checkpoint 9, everything switched off for me at this point, it was just one foot after another, pain, pain,pain,pain – no respite. After another climb/walk at at about 10:45 I finally got to checkpoint 9.
just 12K to go, 7.5 miles a simple jog around Redwick – nothing. I can’t really remember what happened here, I saw the team but don’t know if I ate, or drank or anything. It was now pitch black, and as I strolled off I knew it was the last hurrah – but 7 miles seemed like a lifetime away.
I followed someone out of the pit, using their light and ran for a while, but then we came to a hill again and I lost them. My headlamp was rubbish and I descended very carefully. After navigating a gate I ran along the road until a hill and fell into step behind someone and walked for ages. I was considering running again at this point, but I just couldn’t see enough and there was no way I was going to attempt a shuffle run on a surface I couldn’t see… After some time we got back to what seemed to be fields – I couldn’t keep my footing and I think I was starting to hallucinate, the guy in front disappeared and I used my torch to see if I could find the way. I was actually scared at this point. It was pitch black, I could just see some lights in the distance, but could barely make out the next step. I saw the 5K marker and was barely walking now. After some time I saw some maniac coming towards me, as the shape came past I thought I saw my wife – jeepers I really was hallucinating!
Well I wasn’t – it was her, and luckily I shouted as she couldn’t see me as I was shining the torch in her eyes! She had come to rescue me, and had run the 5K in pitch black with torches in her eyes on a ridiculous surface. She took my hand and dragged me home.
I could barely walk at this point, the pain was intensive – it really is quite difficult to explain what it feels like. I suppose if you have had a bad blister, then that shooting pain was a similar pain in about 20 parts of my legs and feet every time I took a step – it’s mental. Nearing the end, and as everyone knows you have to get to the stones then come back on your self, I am sure some people just turn right without realising, it’s pretty soul destroying to have to go to the top and then back, but my guardian angel got me though it. Had a nice picture taken at the stones, don’t know how you get it though, and then the sign says 1K left – it isn’t, its less than that. Final little run and that the end.
The end was a little disappointing, it’s in a farmyard, so no where to collapse, I even missed the medal guy (although I did find him). Then it’s just relief, my gps had died a couple of miles from the finish, and it was 12:59pm I think when I finally crossed the line.
So that’s an ultra. It hurt far more than I expected, and although I was disappointed with the time I am so very happy that I actually did it – sixty two miles is a serious distance.
50K split: 7hrs 35 mins
2nd 50K: 9hrs 33mins
Total: 16hrs 58mins
Places: 492 out of the 957 who did non stop, 383 of 670 males, 154 of 267 over 40’s.
According to the log, approx 3hrs of stops.
Massive thank you to all the donations: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/sixtytwoandabit