Watching the sun seeping its way through the tiny gap in the hotel curtains during the early morning of the 29th April ,after napping a few hours of broken sleep through the insistent wondering have i really prepared enough for this run, have i covered every aspect and eventuality that could arise over the days ahead?
The hours quickly passed as we prepared for the 1pm start, packing the food was a stark reminder of what task we had ahead of ourselves. Going into the ten bags that would contain enough food for the ten running sections was a real eye opener!
32 Bovril sandwiches
22 peanut-butter / jam sandwiches
80 flapjacks
20 bars of chocolate
10 bananas
10 caffine jells
2 bags of jelly babies
14 pints of milk
2 pints of apple juice
10 doughnuts
1 box of teabags
Talking to Jo Pavey and her husband Gavin before the start of the run was a great reassurance to me as was watching the support vehicles and their crews prepare to leave, all the time and effort everyone was putting into this run was just amazing.
Eddie Farwell did the final countdown from ten, and then suddenly it was all very real, nine months of preparation had finally come to life. Jo and i were setting off through the gates and out of Littlebridge Hospice. I can remember seeing all the faces of the staff, children – families and spectators as we left -a huge sense of emotion came over the pair of us.
110 Miles of road lay ahead of me! – no time to worry now – just enjoy and focus on the run.
As we rounded the clocktower in Barnstaple we picked up the first group of support runners, Jo stayed with us for several extra miles, i was sorry to see her go ,but extremely grateful for her friendship and support that she had given to all of us.
Food and drink had to be taken at regular intervals whether i felt that i needed it or not, this was one crucial thing that i kept reminding myself about – if i didn’t get this part of the event right then there wouldn’t be a finish and all my training would have been for nothing!
Coming to the change over points for the support runners was of a great boost for me,
i was really grateful for the runners that had ran and encouraged me and also i was looking forward to what the new group would be like and see their reaction to the atmosphere that we were carrying along with us.
There was a change to the usual food intake at one stage as we passed Bampton, to my surprise bags of hot fresh chips were being passed around, this was the first time i had eaten hot chips whilst running – but as anyone who knows me- it didn’t proove to be to much of a problem!
The roads from Barnstaple to Milverton seemed to climb forever at times, this is where all the hard training on tired legs really started to pay off.
As we ran into the darkness of the night time i felt really comftable, the weather was good and i have always enjoyed running at night, some how night running has always taken on a special feeling for me, perhaps where it is dark you concentrate more on your natural senses rather than what you can just see around you.I can remember all the different smells like freshly mown grass- scents from flower blossoms and hearing different animal noises and calls as we passed through the country side.
The flashing beacons from the support vehicles prooved to be in some way a great distraction and almost of comfort as they guided us through the night hours, people now lined up outside some of the pubs in the cold night air and cheered as we went through – a warm welcome and a great boost to all taking part.
As we came up on the A361 towards West Lyng a car drew up and the drivers window quickly wound down, with my head torch i could see an elderly gentleman who excitably said ” ere mate there’s a steer running about in that there road up thur” then quickly winding up his window and ducking his head at the same time managed to say “and ese got big horns too!” before driving off hurridly into the night.
Smiling to myself i could imagine the run turning into a scene resembling the streets of Spain where all the runners get chased by a charging bull,knowing my luck i would probably get chased all the way back to Barnstaple!
The hours quickly passed as the daylight jently approached and calmly greeted us onto the moorlands approaching High Ham. It had now rained for a few hours and i had noticed that the laces on my left trainer had rubbed the top of my foot causing the tendons to become sore,quickly i slackened off the tension and thought if this is the only problem that i’ve got after 68 miles and 16.5 hours of running on road then iam not doing too bad!
As we approached Street,Glastonbury and Wells City i felt really confident about how the run was going, yes i began to hurt,but not in a negative way ,i had expected to hurt a lot more than i did at this stage, remembering the memories of when i had done a 71 mile trial run only 4 months earlier. I was now on a persoanal best record having run further than ever before. Now on home ground,as i ran up through Wells High street i remembered all the Wednesday evening training runs i had done with fellow team runners from Wells City Harriers.
Climbing the Mendip Hills,we passed Penn Hill television mast at the top,(my favourate landmark during the long training runs). I had just completed one of the toughest sections of the run, at 90 miles!
Through out the run i rewarded myself positively as i passed various landmarks and when things got really tough and sore i just had to think of the Children and their Families from the two hospices and also remember how lucky i was to get my own health and strength back compared to how i was 5 years ago.
My aches and pains on this event were now temporary and i can put up with that, but the families that i help by raising money for havn’t got that choice.
There was an incredable welcome as we passed the Hunters Inn and the Castle of Comfort with supporters that had gathered,and as we made the decent from the Mendips, East Harptree Primary school lined the village street and all tha aches and pains melted away.
Laying the flowers on the grave of my two cousins ,Steve and Phil Ashford, made the heart sink at the reminder of loosing both of them in just two years, but as i left i could recall one of Phils sarcastic remarks “call yourself a runner?” and the sadness disappeared with a comforting smile.
Passing a mini roundabout, in the middle i could see my little Godson along with his mother and friends holding a banner stating that i had just gone through the 100 mile zone, i had finally achieved my goal of a life time but there was still a few more miles to go.
The last change over point had taken place outside the Prince of Waterloo pub in Winford, at every change over i had been weighed to keep an eye on hydration levels,and i found that all the way through i had slightly gained weight – i personally blame the hot chips!
The last doughnut had now been broken in half and tasted to me as good as the first even though it had lasted 102 miles. My phone rang and to my delight it was Jo Pavey to wish me well, this was a huge boost to my morale and one of the memories that i shall never forget.
With the end in view, Tyntesfield Estate was a fabulous sight, it didn’t matter that it was pouring down with rain, we were nearly there. It was along climb up the hill but a really beautiful one upthrough the tree lined avenues, with their freshly formed leaves sheltering us from the storm.
I suddenly noticed that for the first time during the whole event, all the runners were silent as if we had all been overcome by some magical spell, it was the time to suddenly reflect on what we had actually achieved – 109 miles with only 1 mile to go!
With Charlton Farm in sight and Bob, Jane ,Pat ,Carol and Nicola to accompany me in, we headed for the finish line.
Passing through the tape to the welcome of all the supporters was truly an unforgettable experience, looking around i see amongst so many of the people three of the families from the hospice this to me was a very emotional experience ,to see their smiles was worth every step taken.
Having crossed the finish line i felt that it wasn’t just myself that had achieved this amazing goal, it was down to a perfect team – the support vehicle crews – support runners – the spectators that had turned out in all weathers – the poeple who had donated on the just giving site / collection buckets – the people at home who had silently wished me a safe journey back as they followed the progress from friends and on the local radio updates.
I can’t thank you enough for all your time ,help & support.
Best wishes John.
