Monday 2 June 2014

Transvulcania report

I thought it was time to put pen to paper, well fingers to keys in today's modern times! A lot has happened since my last blog but the biggest event has been a trip to this little Island called La Palma. The trip was due to a not so little race called Transvulcania! It had been almost a year in the planning. We entered the race back in July 2013 and we booked the hotel in Nov 2013. So with nearly a year to get ready for it you would expect me to have been prepared but that really wasn't the case. The last two days before the trip were a little bit hectic to say the least. With all the kit packed off we went to the airport to catch our flight, the adventure had begun! As we flew nearer to the Island we started to get the first stunning views of the Island but what the view also did was show us how crazy high and how super steep the Island really is.

After a heavy landing (and I mean a really heavy landing!) we boarded the coach and made our way to the hotel. As we drove away from the airport all we could see was this road winding its way up to the top of this very steep hill and it wasn't too long before we were right in the cloud line. Having made it to the hotel on a pretty epic road, we checked into our rooms and went for a look round the hotel. As we walked through the hotel and into the reception area I couldn't believe my eyes, sitting there have a chat were two of trail running's biggest super stars (Anna Frost & Timothy Olsen). Being to good an opportunity to miss I passed my phone to Liga and got her to take a picture of me with two of my trail running heroes.



I know I can waffle on in some of my blogs so this time I'm going to get straight to the good stuff! The alarm went off at 02:45am and up we jumped, the hotel had been amazing and they had opened the restaurant at 02:30am for anyone staying there doing the race that wanted some breakfast. Last minute kit check and off we went to get something to eat before the bus turned up to take us to the iconic start. Myself and Liga were pretty nervous but we still managed to eat a small breakfast before we left. We went and joined all the other nervous looking people in reception and then boarded the bus for a short trip to the start. The nerves were ok as we sat on the bus, it was more excitement than nerves. All I wanted to do was get started and get running. The bus crested the hill and there it was the famous lighthouse (Faro De Fuencalente), the start of Transvulcania! I had been warned by people who had done the race before that the start can get a bit crazy, what they didn't mention was that you get dropped off by the buses at the top of the hill and you have to make your own way down. So there we all were trying to make our way down to the starting area without falling over and injuring ourselves. The wind was really howling and all the volcanic sand was being blown up in our faces. So walking down a steep hill of soft sand and sharp rock, with hundreds of people all over the place, sand getting blown in your eyes and this was just to get to the starting line. That's what I call a TOUGH race!

With the wind getting stronger we thought we would try and find some shelter so we made our way down to the toilets (all 7 of them!) yes 7 toilets for 2300 people!! I'll leave the condition of the toilets to your imagination :( The holding area was filling up quickly and race time was fast approaching. Liga's race, the Half marathon (well 14.5miles!) started half an hour after the ultra so I waited with her till there was 10 mins till the start and then made my way into the masses. Pushing my way through I managed to get about 5 rows from the front. Having run the first 7km of the route a week before I knew the race route went really narrow quite soon after the start and I didn't want to get stuck behind slower runners! Time was flying and we only had a few minutes to go, a couple of Mexican waves later and it was 3,2,1 GO! we were off.

What followed next can only be described as total and utter chaos - no room to run, runners pushing, running poles hitting you in the shins, trying not to trip and then we got to the narrower path! It seemed like so many of the slower runners had made their way to the front of the start line for some strange reason, so when we got to the narrow path the whole race just slowed to a walk. I know we were going up hill but my legs where fresh and the hill wasn't that bad. It was just too slow so I came off the path and decided to run up the side to try and get some space and get away from all the hordes of runners. The plan was working and I was flying past hundreds of runners and just trying not to trip on the odd random rock as I went. Once up on the wider path I grabbed a chance to have a look behind and the view was mind blowing, just one massive long snake of head torch lights winding its way towards me. The path got wider as you went up and the field had really thinned out by then so running was much easier by now. Knowing that there was a super steep hill coming up at about 6km, I decided to push on because I would get a bit of recovery walking the steep hill.

I was fast approaching the first aid station at Los Canarios at 7.5km and 705m. I could hear people clapping and cheering, but when I got there I couldn't believe the amount of support in this small village. There were people lining the street the whole way through the village, everyone was cheering and giving you high fives and for some reason all the amazing support made me really emotional and I was fitting back the tears! I stopped at the aid station and filled both my bottles up and gave my face a good wash to get all the dust off my face from when the sand was blowing up at the start. A quick stop and I was off running again, from here on wards was uncharted territory so I was a little bit apprehensive. As I push up to 1922m on really soft volcanic sand the sun started to show its face. I was feeling great and fast marching the steep bits and running the rest, trying to get as high up before the sun got hot. Reaching the top of the first big climb at Las Desadas (sea level to 1922m) I started to see the totally stunning views that everyone had been telling me about, I was up high looking down on a big blanket of fluffy white cloud, it really did give you the feel of sky running! And even though I was racing I just had to stop and have a good look and take it all in.

Still in good spirits and feeling strong I started to make the descent down to the half Marathon point and the next aid station at Del Pilar. The descent was about 5km and quite steep and technical, the terrain had changed from soft volcanic sand to hard compact trail with big rocky step downs. It was great to get off the sand but the big step downs were pretty tough on the quads! Once again like when I was coming into the last aid station I could hear the massive crowd that had gathered to cheer every runner on. The aid station at Del Pilar is quite simply one of the most amazing aid stations I have ever been through and probably ever will! It was like a little village, lots of tents with all kinds of goodies for us to drink and eat, lots and lots of tasty fresh water melon! My race plan was to go through the aid stations quite quickly so I didn't waste too much time. I got my two bottles filled up and mixed another bottle of electrolyte and shoved several juicy wedges of water melon in my mouth and I was off, full speed ahead! I was bang on race schedule and past through Del Pilar at 3hrs 25mins which I was really happy with, the legs still felt good and it was onwards and upwards, or so I thought?

Del Pilar was at 1400m so as I left the aid station I thought I would start to climb steadily back up to the highest point at Roque De Los Muchachos 2426m but this was definitely not the case! Leaving Del Pilar I started to drop down and I couldn't stop thinking that the further we drop, the further we will have to climb back up. Having just climbed 1900m, dropping down to give us more to climb wasn't really what I wanted :) Having dropped down another 200m from Del Pilar it was time to climb again and climb we did. The climbs were different than before, no volcanic soft sand but lots of rocks and lots of very high step ups. Up and up we went, hands on knees just trying to grind it out to the top. The sun was quite high by this point and the higher we went, the less shade there was so the temperature was starting to go up quite quickly. Sticking with the race plan I kept pushing hard to make it to the highest point as fast as I could. 1000m of climb later I had made back up to 2200m and the first of the summits that lead us around the crater to the highest point. The view was very deceptive from this peak because you could see the highest point and you could also see the town of Tazacorte which was only 4.85km from the finish! Unfortunately I wasn't 4.85km from the finish and there was still a long way to go and I had just started to feel the first twinges of cramp coming on! Telling myself to stay calm I pulled out my bottle of electrolyte and had a really good drink hoping that this would settle down the twinges and stop the onset of cramp.


As the twinges got worse I couldn't help thinking how stupid it was to forget my salt tablets! Oh yeah, I've forgotten to mention that, the one race that I would really, really need salt tablets I left them at home, what a MUPPET! As we dropped down and climbed up, dropped down and climbed up, the cramp just got worse and worse to the point where I was having to stop every 5-10 mins to stretch it out, never mind, only another 25 miles to go! Every runner who has suffered with cramps will know it's not the most pleasurable experience in the world but there was no way I was stopping because of a bit of cramp. Pushing on to Los Muchachos the cramps got stronger and I got slower - run, stretch, run, stretch and so on, very frustrating because apart from the cramps I felt quite good, plenty of energy in the tank but my bloody muscles wouldn't let me use it!

With my last big push I had made it to the top, Roque De Los Muchachos at 2426m, the heat was pretty intense by now so I made my way to the big tent to seek some shade. Once again this race amazed me, I was at 2426m and the aid station was awesome. Lots of drinks and food, even a big bowl of pasta if you wanted it! The guys at the aid station couldn't have been more helpful, running around helping to fill your bottles, getting you food, but the best bit was when they came over and tipped a liter jug of nice cold water over your head. Who would've thought that something so simple could feel so good :) It was at this point that I remembered I had put a small bag of salted peanuts in my bag just in case I need something savory and salty. Two handfuls of peanuts later I was up and back into the heat of the mid day sun! After having a bit of a rest at the aid station I realized how stunning and strange this place was. Even though you're high up and the sun is really hot, the top of the mountain is really green with vegetation and wild flowers. It's also dotted with some of the biggest observatories in the world!

The sky is so clear in La Palma because of the low levels of light pollution, so a lot of countries have built observatories at the highest point on the Island. It wasn't long before I stopped taking in my stunning surroundings because I noticed I was about to come of the trail and hit a nasty ROAD SECTION! You would think that after all that tough steep trail I would look forward to a nice smooth road section :) That's not the case, anyone who has run trail ultras knows that if you hit a section of road well into the race, it's not that pleasant and pretty hard on your body! What made this section even worse was it was super steep and there was lots of people cheering you on. I'm not being negative about people supporting us while we were running and I really appreciated their support but when you hit a steep road section it's very, very painful to run down when your legs are battered. With all the support you feel you need to run, so as the crowd cheered  "ANIMAL, ANIMAL!" ( I'm not sure what it meant but I think it was encouraging) I gritted my teeth and ran down the road trying to smile at the same time and show no pain.

The road section wasn't too long and we were soon back on the trail and it was all down hill from here, the only problem was it was all down, very steep, technical hill from here! Soon realizing that it wasn't going to be the lovely, soft, smooth, flowing descent I had imaged, I settled in for a bumpy ride! The best way I can describe it is, if you take the most technical parts of the Cornish coast path and make them a 1/10 descent for 20km then you are somewhere close! As I tried to make my way down with a combination of running, walking and hobbling, the pain in my quads just got worse and worse and it was becoming hard just to walk down the descent. All the way through this race I had re-valuated my race plan, to start with it was push hard to the top and then enjoy the long descent and finish in sub 10 hrs. Then once the cramps kicked in it was to keep pushing up the best I could and when I get to the descent make the most of it and run hard all the way to the finish and break 11hrs. At this point of the descent it changed again, it was now just hang on and try to get to the finish in one piece!


One painful step after another I made my way down to Tazacorte. The sun was really starting to heat up now and it was the first time I had felt a little bit too HOT! Once again the Island and its supporters came to our aid. Every now and again there would be some old farmers or a family outside their house with buckets of water, either to fill up empty bottles or just pour it over our very hot heads to cool you down :) This was a massive help to me and if they weren't there it would have felt a lot longer coming down! Finally reaching the last steep part of the descent to Tazacorte, lots of short switch backs down a near vertical rock face. As I started the descent, all I could hear was the party atmosphere coming from the bottom in Tazacorte which gave me a very much needed boost of energy. The volume was getting louder with every foot step and as I rounded the corner at the bottom of the descent the party was in full swing. The music was at full volume and there were hundreds of people clapping and cheering you on, a pretty special moment in the race! As I ran into the aid station tent the sign hanging above said 4.85km to go, it was a very welcomed sight. Not sure I was that impressed with the positioning of the aid station right next to the stage and its loud speakers! With the music banging in my ears and only 4.85km to go I filled up my bottles and grabbed a couple of  bits of watermelon and off I went on the final push.

As I ran off down the sea front I couldn't help but think how nice it was to have some flat running :) However, that thought didn't last long because it wasn't long before we were directed on to the beach and then on to a dry rocky river bed! The river bed was awful to run on, it was made up of big pebbles which weren't big enough to run on but small enough to smash your feet to pieces. I hobbled my way along the river bed with each step feeling like my feet were being hit with hammers. Finally we were off that terrible river bed, but the elation was short lived as I climbed the steps to start the 320m climb to the finish! My legs and energy levels were both in a bad way by this point and it was taking all my efforts just to walk up the climb. It looked like I wasn't the only one really suffering at this stage because everybody around me was moving very slow. With my hands on my knees all I could do was try to summon up the energy to put one foot in front of the other. After several good talking's to myself I made it to the top of the 320m climb and it was one of the best feelings I have had since I started ultra running. From this point it was only 3/4 kilometer to go and no more bloody hills to climb! Turning on to the long high street that lead to the finish I was amazed at the support that was still there waiting for the runners to finish, I thought they might have all left after all the super stars had finished :) All the way down the street there was people cheering and clapping, I lost count of how many 'high fives' I did. All the little kids where holding their hands out and I think I 'high fived' all of them. With each meter I got closer to the finish the crowds just got bigger and bigger and by the time I made it on to the red carpet the support was unbelievable. As I slowly moved down the red carpet I was fighting back the emotions, every runner reading this blog will relate to this. When you have had a hard race and really dug deep to get to the finish, emotions can go sky high! I had seen the amazing finish of Transvulcania on the TV many times and it wasn't a let down. It looked awesome on TV but to be there in person was breathtaking. I had DONE IT! 73.3km, 4,400m of elevation, 13hrs 12mins of running (well sort of running!) and temperatures of 30+, it was over and the medal was round my neck and no one could take it away from me.


I must finish this blog on a positive note, well lots of positive notes actually. I know I had some really low moments in this race and the cramps that I suffered where the worst to date. I had to dig super deep just to make it to the end and I was a bit (a lot!) disappointed with the time that I did. All this aside, I had had one of the most amazing race experiences of my life so far! The Island, the people, the race, the views, the support, everything about this trip was brilliant. If you are involved in the ultra running scene and you are looking for a really special race then look no further, Transvulcania is a one off! It should be on every aspiring ultra runner's bucket list, so put this date in your diaries 6th June 2014 (11am) that's when registration opens for next year! Thanks for the memories, La Palma! :)

Watch my short film from Transvulcania 2014

Saturday 11 January 2014

At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge

Hi everyone,
So where do I start with this one? I think I'll start at the end? Over the course of the weekend of the 29th Nov 2013 I witnessed one of the most amazing feats of human endurance I have ever seen - my close friend and training partner, Steve Wyatt, smashing the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge. The Challenge consists of 142.2 miles of stunning Cornish coast path, 25'000ft of brutal ascent and 41hrs of continuous running (no sleep stops!).

What started as a crazy idea because we didn't get in the 'Piece of string' race, had quickly evolved into the 'At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge'! The first plan was to run the whole of the North coast unsupported! Once Andy Jukes came on-board as Challenge manager, we soon realized that it was a ridiculous idea. Andy had just spent 10 days running the entire Cornish coast path (310 miles) for charity, so he was the perfect man for the job. After several meetings we had hatched a plan together, we would start on Fri 29th Nov at 22:00hrs at the Cornish/Devon border. As we made our way down the county, we would be followed by two support crews, this would allow us to have CP's (check points) every 7-8 miles during the daylight hours and every 5-6 miles when darkness came. Andy's organizing skills took over (thanks very much, mate!) He soon had support crews sorted, spread sheets for everything and I mean EVERYTHING!

Off we go to the border!

The Challenge machine was full steam ahead and D-day was fast approaching. The 29th Nov arrived, I collected the bus, sorry, the 'BUS' is my good friend Martyn's camper van. The bus has been on many adventures, or should I say got us through many adventures! Martyn had taken 2 days off work to help out with our support (forever thankful:)) and would be with us for the whole of the challenge (all 41hrs!!) The bus was loaded with all the kit and supplies, Steve Wyatt finally stopped working (yes, he did a full days work before the Challenge) and off we went to the Cornish/Devon border. The spirits were high and the adrenerline was pumping, all we wanted to do was get running and start this amazing Challenge. Stepping out of the car at the begining of the foot path that led to the border, we soon realized that the wind was blowing a lot harder than it was meant to be. Also, this is going to sound stupid, but it was really, really DARK! So a quick check we had everything we needed for the first section and off down the path we went. Andy led us down to the foot bridge where the Cornish coast path starts. It was quite a long way down so I was really glad Andy was there because it wouldn't have looked good if we had got lost trying to find the start! A check of the watches and 3, 2, l we're off! That 'OFF!' didn't last long, we went straight into one of the many big climbs that we had to tackle in the first 40 miles.

Running on the coast path at night is a strange beast, the hills seem to be a lot easier to run because you can't see what's coming. All you can do is focus on the 5-6 meters in-front of you that's lit by your head torch. It wasn't long before we could see the lights from the bus at our first CP, the first 6.5 miles had gone by really quick and we were soon making our way down the steep steps to Martyn. Stepping out of the wind and into the shelter of the bus was a great feeling, Martyn had put the heating on so it was nice and cosy. From that moment on, the bus was known as the 'luxury CP!', no offense, Mr Jukes, your stops were just as nice! A quick top up of water and we were off again, we didn't want to stay too long at the CP's because it was all time wasted. The first night section went by pretty well, we kept a good pace going through the night making sure we quick marched the hills so we saved some energy for when the sun came up. Even though we are grown men, it was still a spooky place to be in the middle of a windy night. There are still quite a few sounds and movements that can't be explained from that first night and I'm pretty sure that there was a couple of times when we speeded up because we were a little bit scared!


Ticking off the CP's through the night was a great feeling, because we both knew that when the sun showed its face, our spirits would go through the roof and we weren't disappointed either. The sun started to show on the horizon and it looked like it was going to be a stunning day. We took it quite steady over the next hour as running in the dawn light on the coast path can be dangerous and we didn't want any accidents now. With the sun fully up now, jackets and head torches started to come off and it was time to up the tempo in the glorious Cornish sunshine! It was going to be a lovely day's running with lots of blue sky and fluffy white clouds, we couldn't have asked for better conditions. With some good mileage in the bag and still feeling strong, we pushed on thinking that most of the tough climbs were behind us. Having both raced on this section of coast path before, we were trying to work out if there were any more hilly sections to come. I think we must have been suffering with sleep deprivation, because we came to the conclusion that we had run all the really hard stuff!! Through Boscastle, through Tintagel, "that wasn't too bad" we said. We thought we must have run the hard hills by now.
So we were through Tintagel and on to Trebarwith strand, it starts to flatten out from here, we thought! Then we hit the section from hell, I remembered it well once we hit it. I raced this section in the UTSW 100 earlier in the year. It's a section with 5 or 6 really steep, rocky ascents and decents with only a very short section of flat coast path between each up and down, it's pretty EPIC! We pushed on to Trebarwith Strand, with just a few muttered swear words along the way. It wasn't all bad, we had Jayne Angilley and Deb Grills waiting to join us at Trebarwith for some very much needed support. Seeing the girls waiting at the support vehicle was a great boost for me and Steve, it's always good to be joined by fresh minds and fresh legs to push you along the way. The next 20 miles went really well, the girls had lifted our spirits and we were running strong.

Jayne Angilley and Deb Grills waiting to join us at Trebarwith Strand

That was until a little voice sprung up in my head! There comes a point in most ultras when you have to "Man Up" and push through the tough times and it's never been a problem before. The voices come and go and I normally just keep telling them to "Shut Up" and keep running, but this time it felt very different! Darkness started to come and my negative thoughts got stronger and stronger, my body was starting to tighten up, hips and lower back. The nearer I got to halfway (Watergate Bay) and the CP that Duncan Oakes was joining us, the worse it got. Having never felt like this I didn't really know what was happening! On reaching the CP, there was only one option, my mental strength just wasn't there. All the voices in my head where so negative, there was no positive thoughts to fight them. It was OVER! Myself, Steve and Martyn went into the bus for one last effort to get some positive thoughts in my head, but it really wasn't working. All the motivational speeches in the world wouldn't have made any difference (thanks for trying, guys!). I could see that my decision had come as quite a big shock to Steve and I didn't want it to effect his positive mind-set. He was looking really strong and still running well, I knew he could make it to Lands End. A quick chat with myself, Steve and Duncan and they were getting ready to run again. Steve couldn't have asked for a better guy to pair up with for the second half of the Challenge; Steve and Duncan had run together before in the UTSW 100, 2012. Duncan is the kind of runner who takes everything in his stride (if you'll excuse the PUN!), nothing seems to faze him, always smiling and always positive! Just what Steve needed.

My intentions changed once the decision was made to pull out, I was staying to support Steve and Duncan to the end and help them in any way possible. Dealing with the disappointment was really hard at first. Martyn drove me to the next CP at Porth where Liga and Scott were waiting to take over the support duties till Andy came back out for his second night. Seeing Liga at Porth was tough and emotions were high, to be honest, I was just trying not to break down. It was Martyn's turn to get some rest so myself, Martyn and Liga left the support duties in Scott's capable hands and headed off to Trevaunance Cove. Scott had been a massive help, giving up his time over the weekend to cover for Andy during the day sections when he had to go home. As soon as we got settled and Martyn started driving, I was out like a light, I must have been a lot more tired than I realized. After an hours deep sleep I felt much better. This was also hard to deal with because now I thought that I had given up too easily and should have just pushed through! It's amazing what just an hour of sleep can do in these situations! I was feeling better, my knee pain had all but gone and I was much more positive about the whole thing. Duncan had made a big difference to Steve's running, believe it or not, Steve had speeded up and was setting an amazing pace! We saw them through a couple more CP's (Porthtowan and North cliffs) and then we were off to Hayle so Martyn could catch up with some sleep.
Andy was keeping us all updated on Facebook with pictures and messages. After 100 tough coast path miles and two long nights of running, Steve was starting to look really tired (surprise, surprise!) but still running strong and in good spirits. We got the kettle on and waited for their arrival in Hayle. Steve is quite partial to a nice warm cup of tea when he's doing his long runs so we wanted to make sure there was one ready for him and Duncan when they arrived. A few minutes later two head torches came bobbing round the corner. We quickly got Steve into the bus for a warm up. The next section was going to be super tough on Steve's tired legs, with long sections of tarmac running through Hayle to Lelant. You would think the guys would love some flat miles after all that tough, hilly coast path but it's actually the worst thing possible. Your legs and mind are so used to that type of terrain that when you get to the flat stuff it's really hard to handle, physically and mentally.

Looking pretty good after 112 miles!

As they left the warmth of the bus and hobbled off into the distance chatting as they went, we were all so in awe of what we were witnessing, a truly amazing spectacle. The plan now was to get over to St Ives for a quick sleep to recharge the batteries and get ready for the guys to have a bit of a longer stop. By the time they get to St Ives around 7am it would be getting a bit brighter so we wanted Steve to have a change of top and take on some porridge and a warm cup of tea! The section of coast path from St Ives to Lands End is some of the most technical running on the whole of the Challenge so we knew that this would be the most dangerous part of the run for Steve, specially with the condition he was in. Lots of wet rocks to slip and trip on and the added bonus of several sections of exposed path where a trip would mean game over. So it really was the fitting end to this EPIC challenge, shall we say it put the "CHALLENGE" into challenge!

The guys arrived at the St Ives CP, Steve RUNNING up the hill to the bus! They had been joined by Andrew Brenham in Lelant (thanks for your support, mate!), he was going to run with them for a few miles and then turn around and run back to his car. It was great to have him along for the next technical section, a fresh pair of legs and eyes was a big help. We got Steve and Duncan into the bus for their porridge and tea. I was a little bit worried at this point when Duncan started telling me stories about Steve hallucinating at the last check point. He said at one point Steve was bent over pointing at the ground, saying "there's a snake, Duncan!". I had heard many people who run ultras talk about similar things but because I have never gone through that experience it was pretty scary to hear. About twenty minutes had past and the guys were fed and ready to run again. Just before they left, I gave Steve the safety lecture "be really careful through this section, lots of walking and lots of concentration, GO STEADY!" I think he listened?? It was still dark when they left the bus so real care was to be taken over the first few miles till the sun came up.

The shop's ('At-Your-Pace') owner Kay had turned up to join the support crew at St Ives, she couldn't sleep and wanted to know how the challenge was going, so she got up at 3.30am and came over to meet us at St Ives. It was great to have her on-board. I was still feeling pretty rubbish about dropping out and her positive words were a big help to me. With Andy covering the next CP at Zennor, we made our way to Pendeen Watch to wait for them there. My legs and head had recovered quite a bit by now, so I was wondering whether I should run with Steve again. Scott Abraham had come back out and was waiting at Zennor head to run with Steve and Duncan to the finish. It was quite a long wait at Pendeen, with the section from St Ives to Pendeen being super technical and Steve's body really starting to suffer, it was slow going. We were joined by Steve's wife and kids, and Kay was going to run with the guys from Pendeen. It was a great feeling when we saw the guys come over the head land as it had been some time since we saw them last. I ran down to the corner to meet them but as Steve made his way down the step rocky descent, I could see he was struggling with his foot! It turned out that he had got his foot wet and this made a big blister on the ball of his foot split. However this didn't stop him running up the hill to the support bus. With Steve's family being at the CP to see him, emotions were sky high. I think it was at this point that Steve let his defences down. With only 11.5 miles to go to Lands End, he knew he had made it, he could crawl on his hands and knees to the finish from here! We got Steve into the bus so we could have a good look at the damage to his foot, believe me it wasn't very pleasant! I don't mean the blister, I mean the SMELL!!! I know he had run 131 miles in the same socks and shoes but they did stink, sorry, Steve :)

With the foot cleaned and taped and a nice fresh pair of socks he was raring to go. At Cape Cornwall I was going to lace up my running shoes and join Steve to the finish, I thought it was the least I could do after pulling out at halfway. Watching Steve push though so many mental barriers along the way and keep smiling was truly inspirational! With my trail shoes back on, it was great to be back out on the coast path with Steve. I could soon see that he was having to dig deeper, way deeper than he had ever dug before. When you are this close to the end after running 130 odd miles you would think it would get easier but the nearer you get to the finish, the harder it gets. You start to relax and your focus drops, so everything starts to really hurt and mentally you are very weak. The sight of Lands End as we approached Sennen was one of pure delight and with only 2 miles to go to the finish, Steve started to realize what he had achieved. He had run the whole of the north coast path of Cornwall in one go, covering 142.2 miles, 25'000ft elevation, NO SLEEP and 41.5hrs of running! As we got closer and closer to Lands End, I was desperately trying to keep my emotions under control, I was so proud of Steve and what he was achieving. Having run the first 72 miles with him and then staying on to support him in the second half of the challenge, I probably knew better than anyone there how hard this had been on Steve. It was truly, truly EPIC! One final push up the steps out of Sennen was needed and we could see the bright white walls of the Lands End Hotel shining in the sunshine, this was a wicked sight for Steve and his battered body and shattered mind.

I must be honest, I was still gutted that I had pulled out at halfway and wished I could turn back the clock, but it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't my time! What started out as a bit of a mad idea had turned into this incredible journey for myself and Steve. We had both massively underestimated the scale of the challenge but this didn't stop Steve from reaching the end of the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge. As we ran up the slope to the iconic Lands End sign we were greeted with rapturous applause from the support runners and support crews, but in true Steve Wyatt style, no fuss, no drama, he had FINISHED! I know the challenge had evolved into the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge but Steve would have turned up at the Devon/Cornwall boarder and run the 142.2 miles to Lands End and then gone home and not told anyone. He runs because he loves to run, not because he wants to impress anyone, but what he had just achieved needed to be talked about and people needed to know! Steve had definitely set a super tough challenge but it has been SET! The At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge is open to any other runners crazy enough to take it on but don't take it on lightly! This challenge will push you to your limits in so many ways.

I must finish this long blog, REALLY LONG BLOG, by saying thank you, thanks to all the people, friends and family who supported us in our challenge because without your help none of this would've been possible. So many people gave up their time to help us along the way and we are both very thankful. My final words must be, that I will be back to tame the beast. I will not let the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge beat me! Watch this space! :)
If anyone is interested in taking on the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge, please get in touch. We are currently putting together a Challenge pack, it will include all the information you need to have an official attempt at the North Coast Challenge. Contact by emailing me at loydpurvis@gmail.com.


Steve Wyatt (first official finisher of the At-Your-Pace North Coast Challenge)
29th Nov - 1st Dec 2013
142.2 miles
25,000ft elevation
41hrs 30mins and always smiling!
 
THE CHALLENGE IS ON!

Watch Steve become the first official challenge finisher:


A massive thank you to Liga Lacekle for putting together this amazing film!