50 Mile Thames Trot Ultra Marathon

50 Mile Thames Trot Ultra Marathon

I have recently embarked on the biggest challenge of my running life, in preparation for the endurance slog that the Iron Man will bring. The event took place on the banks and towpaths of England's largest river as well as footpaths and bridleways covering 50 miles; this is known as an Ultra distance course, the event organisers are called Go Beyond Ultra, which says it all! The run started at Oxford and followed the River Thames, by the first few miles I was questioning why I had packed so much, and the extra weight of my rucksack certainly increased the difficulty of the event. However the scenery was great and inspiration was gained within the first half from seeing a vast amount of rowers training hard on the water. During the second half of the race we decided to make a tactical change in our approach to the check points, which resulted in spending less time taken at check points and walking while we fuelled up. Entering Reading, motivation was increased as a thought that Mr. Harrison once said to me kept going through my head “every step taken is a step closer to home”. Shortly after we were joined by a fellow Iron Man Mr. Ballard, who offered inspirational words and encouragement, the sound track to Karate Kid helped enormously. The final stages were somewhat challenging as we made our way down to Henley in the dark, Knowing that we had finished was a great feeling and hearing the joy of happiness from my wife was special.
A big thanks goes out to my Ultra-Marathon buddy Gary Clarke, who made the event very enjoyable! I look forward to running the Great Welsh Marathon with you in April.