Wow what a crazy two days!
I woke feeling fairly refreshed, we had stayed at Lane end conference centre (I’ve recently discovered this is no longer open)
I prepared my usual Mountain Fuel breakfast with a cup of tea whilst I gathered my things together and got dressed. I remember feeling very calm which is unusual for me on a race day.
I set off at 7.10am thank fully they’d allowed me to start earlier.
The atmosphere at the start was amazing lots of people all hyped up raring to go, mixture of runners, walkers and Jeffers each with their own goal.
I collected my tracking device, which I would recommend anyone who’s running particularly straight through it meant Stu could track me.
It was cloudy to start with but after an hour the sun began to come out.
Within the first 20km I’d tackled 2 hills one that appeared almost upright through wooded area with lots of tree roots and another that was also steep and went on for 3km. (I’m not kidding you) I was beginning to wonder what I’d signed up for.
The up side was the view when we came out of one of the wooded areas into what I now know as the fields of dreams. It was amazing the picture I’ve got just doesn’t do it justice. Watching all the runners in front running through the golden corn made the prior hills all forgotten about.
Pit stop one was about 8km in so fairly early quick water refill / refresh grabbed a few bits including a bag of crisp (this became my thing inbetween stops crisp nibbling)
By Pit stop 2 I had psyched myself up to eat a sandwich even if I didn’t want one, till I saw it was all vegan no offence but I don’t want to eat chic pea sandwiches. I was expecting vegetarian but not vegan. So I made myself a chocolate spread sandwich, grabbed another bag of crisp and replenished my liquids this time one flat Coke and one elctrolite drink. Quick toilet stop, Again didn’t sit down and off I was in 10 minutes.
In the early hours several people thought my interval timer was a bird 😂😂 others asked me what it was for or thought I was beeping them out of the way.
I Met a lovely old gent at about 30km in a village we ran through he was wartering his garden and offered to hose me down at this point it was starting to get really hot and I was so greatful. The locals and supporters so far were amazing.
Shortly after I made the decision to stop Jeffing and walk the heat was just too much and I felt like I wasn’t covering any more distance than what I would walking. With so many km left to cover, I’m pleased I did. I came to cover 100km how I did it, it didn’t matter.
I came into half way Pit Stop 5, there was straight on finish line and base camp for two day people which we could enter and get hot food or a right turn to carry on and grab snacks. I turned right for a number of reasons
1. It was lively and buzzing and people were celebrating finishing 50km or day one (and rightly so) but I wasn’t finished I was half way and had a long way to go. I wasn’t going through a finish sign. My celebrations would come later.
2.I’d only spent 10 minutes at any pit stop up to now so I didn’t get comfy. If I stopped I risked seizing up, I also didn’t really feel like facing a full meal.
Pit stop 6 was where things started to go wrong for me, I walked into the pitstop went to replace my liquids and started shaking. Stomach felt off colour. I thought this was it for me😢.
The lovely medic at the medic tent was amazing. She fixed me with a 30 minute rest -(something I’d not had since starting) tomato soup which she insisted I drink even though the thought of it turned my stomach, but oh my it was like rocket fuel, cup of tea and a sugar (I’d have normally spat this out with sugar in) and I went from fearing a DNF to being back on track with snacks she’d made me take with me and a bag of… You guessed it crisp 😂😂.
I could Hardley eat anything at this point my mouth was so dry no matter what I drunk and everything tasted same but I ate a couple of crisp every half km.
I’d made myself promise that id sit for awhile at every pit stop now have a cup of tea and something to eat, my body was what was going to get me through the miles so I needed to treat it right.
I ploughed on towards Pit stop 7 Stu met me about 200m away from here in an Indian car park, I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see him.
I was starting to feel it on the outside of left leg but surprisingly my knees and feet felt OK.
I changed into my night gear as it was just starting to dark, put my body torch and head torch on, he’d Brough me a shandy something I’d been craving since 30km and asked him to bring. I took one swig and couldn’t drink any more 😂.
Whilst preparing for the night I had another wobble I thought it was 19km to Pit Stop 8, no idea why since I had a list of pitstops strapped to me, when stu told me it was only 15km I knew if I coukd get to that pit stop there’d be no stopping me so I left Stu pulled up a chair at Pitstop 7, they’d ran out of Tomato soup and there was no way I was drinking vegetable so porridge it was as much as I could get down a cup of tea with sugar, liquids replenished snacks grabbed and my bag of crisp. (just for the record I came home with all the snacks 😂 as didn’t eat them.
It took some standing after this stop my muscles in legs had started to tighten and stiffen up and I remember shouting at them telling them to come on, a few minutes of being back on route and they miraculously got back into rhythm.
It was dark now and this was the bit I’d been worried out turns out I didn’t need to be. People passed me and chatted for a short while I could always see a light ahead and always hear voices behinde for most of the stretch.
I did scare my self with my own shadow at point 😂😂 thinking someone was stood there. Most of the terrain was wide tracks so not too bad for night time.
I hit a field which just went on and on I’m not going to lie I considered at one point just sitting down but then thought how stupid it was and how no one was getting a car into a field in the ridgeway to pick me up 🙈 so I continued 😂.
After what seemed like hours a gent caught up and asked about km to next pitstop last time I’d seen a marker it was 84km the gent thought we’d have about 2km left but then as if by magic we came out of a gate and there they were pit stop 8 tents.
They were amazing here especialy the gent medic who was talking to us he made my tea and soup he refilled my bottles for me.
I did get very cold sat here but knew I needed to give myself time 11.9km to go this is when I think it really hit home that I was finishing a 100km event no matter what!
Walking past the turning for the finish line to go up and come back round felt like the longest 3km ever but seeing the finish as I came over the hill was amazing. I didn’t really hang around the stones I had one mission and that was to cross that finish line.
As I came into full view of the finish line I felt the tears, happy tears I had done it! I came in just before 6am as the sun was really starting to rise, 22 hours 38 minutes and 23 seconds!
As always Stu was waiting for me at the finish.
The question everyone is really asking is would I do it again?
Hell yeah! 😁 without hesitating!
I’d do things different but I always do with every race, I’d train more especially hills (but I knew my training had lapsed these last 6 weeks)
I’d look at fueling better earlier on there’s only so many gels and cake bars you can eat and to be honest I stopped using them and elctrolite at pit stop 4.
I’d have tomotoe soup at every stop 😂😂 cup a soups are going in my back pack!
It wasn’t until I was back at the hotel (Alexandra House Hotel, Swindon, which was about 15 minutes from finish line) and had fell into bed after a painful shower cause I knew I wouldn’t get out of the bath that my muscles tensed up, I’m not going to lie I couldn’t get comfy or sleep every position hurt but it was so worth it and after 24 hours the aches and pains had subsided.
If your thinking I could never do that, you can!
If your thinking I can’t even run 5km, so did I
Believe in yourself, set those goals!
My plans for 2023 involve lots more adventures, keep following!
