On July the 7 at 09:30 I embarked on my first Ultra Marathon, not just any old Ultra, Ham Hill to Lyme Regis. A growling 31 miles of trail, roads and hills through the stunning countryside with spectacular views. It wasn’t till you reached the top of Lambert’s Castle did you see the sea, only to find out later the sea you saw was not where you were heading, in fact it was ten miles further up the coast.
I started off with a plan of action as this was my first ultra, unfortunately by the time I got to check point one (9 miles in) I know I wasn’t going to keep to it, from that point on it was all about completing it.
From the start, one thing I tried to do was keep a line of sight of the runners in front, or at least keep people behind me in ear shot, even that proved to be a difficult task with the terrain. The idea behind it was run when they run, walk when they walked and try not to get lost along the way.
The other runners were very supportive along the way, always making sure before they passed you that you were in good order and had plenty to drink and the ones who have done this before would let you know how far the next check point was.
I have always had respect for other runners who push themselves to a point their body didn’t intend for it to go and push on through and complete the task in hand. Today was no different after getting up at 6 and having something to eat (bowl of cereal) and then again when I parked the car up (Blueberry Muffin), ensuring I had everything I needed with me before I started, which included fruit and nut mix, water and malt loaf.
With only four check points along the way where you would be able to find food and more water I knew this was going to push me further then I had gone before (5 miles further).
With the beating of the sun and only eating what normal people would call a snack for the day of running and walking, I completed it; my first Ultra; in 7 hours.
