2019: Equinox 24; Druids Challenge;

The Druids Challenge, November 2019

November saw me heading back to the Chilterns to take part in the three day 84mile (135km) Druids Challenge, this time with Wendy who had broken her ankle just before the event last year. This time we had opted for the luxury option and we stayed with Wendy’s friends in Wendover the first night and a hotel the second night, rather than the gym floor option I had taken last year! As well as being very much more comfortable, this also meant we could celebrate Wendy’s birthday in nice surroundings and with friends.

It was grey, damp and foggy as we were dropped off at the start of the run on Ivinghoe Beacon – I wasn’t feeling ready for this at all and by Wendover, just a few miles in I was feeling completely worn out, no energy in my legs and a niggle in my thigh that had been there since summer was really bothering me. Despite this I kept going, spirits lifted when Wendy’s friend appeared in Wendover to cheer us on. Towards the end of the run Wendy started getting cramp in her calf and despite trying various things to resolve it, eventually is seized and sent her flat to the floor, her head-torch hitting the ground and saving her face. Luckily, she was able to get moving again and eventually we made it to the finish where her husband met us and took us back to Wendover for a very welcome meal and rest.
Day two was long and hard for me and I was disappointed not to be enjoying it more than I was, it started raining as we climbed back up on to the ridge and the rain became torrential – Wendy reached the last checkpoint before me and I told her not to wait as it was now cold and wet, I would see her at the overnight base. As it turned out, I finished just three minutes behind Wendy, but as she finished a minibus was waiting to go to base, I had a very long wait for the next minibus and then a very very cold journey as the driver insisted on having the windows open despite us being soaked to the skin. At base we gathered our things and were very quickly taken to the overnight hotel… I opened my room door, dropped everything, took all my wet clothes off and stood under the hot shower for ages getting warmed through. It was certainly more luxurious than the leisure centre showers back at base!
The third day I again found tough, this time with 10 miles to go I asked Wendy to go on and I would see her at the end. I was struggling to keep running and so spent some sections doing ‘scouts pace’ just to keep moving faster than a walk. Again, at the finish I wasn’t many minutes behind Wendy and I was pleased to finish and sit down with a drink and sandwich! We had a shower and a photo at the finish before we got in the car and headed home. Surprisingly, despite struggling from the start, I completed each day faster than I had last year and I was very pleased to have kept going and made it to the end of the challenge.

Equinox 24, September 2019

24 Hour Race - 10k off road lap 

This was to be my third time taking part in Equinox, first time completely unsupported. Having had mixed weather previously and having read about how wet it had been last year, I decided to upgrade my camping gear and I invested in a larger tent with enough room to stand and hang wet gear. In the event I needn’t have worried, the bigger problem for me was that it was way too sunny and hot!  
I eventually got my tent pitched, after having to ask neighbouring campers to help and got all my gear set out ready, and got to bed in the hope of maximising sleep before the race started at midday the next day. I had pitched my tent as close to the start/finish as possible to allow me to return to it during the race without adding too much extra mileage… this also meant I was very close to the arena and the music and noise that went on late, however, this was a small price to pay for the convenience the during the race.
The race started with the sun blazing down and the midday temperature soaring – I struggled through the first lap forcing myself to take it steady and all the time thinking I should pack up and go home. At the end of the lap I filled up my drink and headed back out again battling with the heat, part way through the lap I lay down on the grass under a tree to try to cool down a bit. By 30km I decided I would give up, so I lay down and went to sleep. 3 hours later I woke up and decided that, as I couldn’t get my tent down to go home (I was blocked in by other campers) I would get back out and carry on until I’d done 70km, then I would call it a day as that seemed like it would have been worth turning out for.
The temperature started to drop as night fell and after 70km I decided I would do ‘just one more lap’, then again next time round… as I approached 90km I decided that I would definitely do another lap as this would equal the 100km I had done on my last two attempts at this race… then I decided I would do another so that I had beaten my previous… during this lap there was a sudden heavy downpour and I arrived back at the start/finish soaked, but thinking I had plenty of time for another lap and as my PT Phil never goes for odd numbers, I changed my t-shirt, put on my waterproof and headed out on my 12th and final lap.
After a very difficult start to the race, I was very pleased to have beaten my previous attempts and completed 120km (74.6miles).