Well we both did it, 70 miles in a total time of 18 hours and 49 minutes. We didn't win it but then we didn't ever think we would, our main aim was to complete the challenge and hopefully not come last. We did complete it and came 209th and 210th with more than 700 competitors starting the event. There was almost 50 people who did not finish which doesn't surprise me at all. I shall give some details below about the event and the awful conditions encountered.
Registration and Start Day 1:
We had to register for the event the day before in Carlisle so we decided to stay overnight in the dormitory accomodation at Carlisle Castle, as Mick and myself are both ex-forces this was not really a hardship, however due to some incredibly ignorant people who did not know how to share the accomodation quietly it proved to be a somewhat uncomfortable night. The morning of the start saw some incredibly bad weather with a huge amount of flooding everywhere. It was cold wet and very windy, but fortunately the wind was at our backs virtually the whole distance. From the start at Carlisle Castle we headed towards Lanercost Priory about 15 miles away, we was running through flood water up to our knees so our feet were soaked right from the start which isn't good considering the distances involved. We ran virtually all the way to Lanercost Priory and had a very brief toilet break and took on some food and fluids, we also decided at this point to get into our waterproofs. The weather did not improve but we had started climbing and heading into the countryside where we got our first glimpse at Hadrians Wall. We were now running and walking and trying to pace ourselves knowing full well that a greater distance had to be travelled the next day. The scenery was spectacular but the weather was shocking, the competitors had spread out quite a bit by now and we was more or less on our own. We was able to refill our hydration bladders and stock up on sweets and food to keep us going at several pit stops along the route. By the time we approached the overnight stop at Vindolanda we were quite cold and exhausted. We got the tents up but realised how cold we were, we also realised that due to the adverse weather a lot of competitors had booked into local B+B accomodation, we went one better and contacted Sharon who came along to pick us up and take us to Micks Mums in Newcastle, we both got in our sleeping bags fully clothed and tried to get warm. The only proviso we had was to be back at Vindolanda by 08.00 the next morning for the start of day 2.
Start Day 2:
Having had our wounds and aches tended by Sharon (its handy having a Registered Nurse as your Wife) overnight we was feeling sore but confident as we stood on the start line at 08.00. Remarkably the sun was out and the rain had stopped, we departed promptly at 08.15 after having our digital chips swiped and headed to the ridge overlooking Vindolanda, this was some climb but very enjoyable and at times we were almost on all fours due to the steepness. At the top we had reached the highest point of the challenge at almost 1000ft above sea level - we still had 37 miles to travel though. Everything was now downhill so we were able to run for the next 15 miles to the checkpoint and pit stop at Hexham. It was a lovely morning and so much different to the day before, we was also travelling through really beautiful countryside which boosted our spirits. A brief stop at Hexham for food and toilets and we then started following the River Tyne to Newcastle. We had slowed considerably and knew that running was not an option anymore so we was walking as fast as we could. we picked up an old tramway and followed that for many miles until we reched the final checkpoint before the finish. With only 7 miles to go I contacted Sharon who was going to meet us at the finish line with Maureen (Micks Mum) and Alan her husband. We was suffering now, Micks feet weren't good and I was exhausted, to make matters worse the weather had turned again and it was raining and very windy. We made a bit of an error by not getting into our waterproofs as we just wanted to get on with finishing the challenge. We were slow and by the time we had reached sight of the Tyne bridges and the finish line we had taken the same time to travel 7 miles as it took us earlier in the day to travel 15. The end was in sight and we came across the Millenium Bridge with a slow run to the finish line. Sharon, Maureen and Alan was cheering us on and so was the other spectators which was really encouraging. We went through the finish line together with a total time of 18hours 49 minutes and 21 seconds. We were given the obligatory space blanket and recieved our finishers medal and official photograph. Sharon and Maureen got us home and she realised that we was suffering badly at this point, I had hypothermia and couldn't get warm and micks legs and feet were done for. She stripped us both of to our pants and wrapped us up in quilts and got hot drinks inside us and an hour later we was starting to recover. Sharon spent the next couple of days draining the blisters on Micks feet and ensuring that they didn't get infected. My feet were really good with a small blister on my left heel - nothing compared to Micks.
Recovery
I am glad that I had trained for this as I recovered quite quickly and was quite functional within a day or two. Micks feet gave cause for concern but Sharon sorted them out and Mick was back at work by the end of the week. I managed a 4 mile run on the Thursday after the event which was a steady affair and also a 10km run on the Sunday. So everything seems to be working and nothing is tight or broken, not bad for a 49 year old.
Thanks
A huge thank you needs to go to Sharon who drove us to Newcastle and back again, tended our wounds and recognised and was able to correctly treat the symptoms when we were suffering from hypothermia. She supported us and encouraged us when we needed it most. Also Micks Mum Maureen and her Husband Alan who ran around after both of us and looked after Sharon whilst we were on the challenge. Lastly but by no means least my thanks go to my best mate Mick who kept me going the whole way - I could not have done this without him - cheers mate. Here's looking forward to the next mad-cap scheme.
Sponsorship
Thanks also go to Trevaunance Lodge for their encouragement and financial assistance and to everyone who sponsored us - thank you very much.
