Sophie has known me since we were kids and she is very right! Even a year ago, I would have told you no way. I didn't even know what an ultra marathon was... September last year that all changed. My friend Matt Keddilty ran something called the Cumbria Way Ultra, a 75 mile race from Ulverston to Carlisle. Rowan and I were his support crew and what a day it was. Watching Matt undertake his mammoth run inspired me to get on my trainers and just make it out the door!
Rowan took me for my first run in October last year ... just to see what I could do. It ended up being 7 miles over fells and I got to the end and felt amazing. Rowan then encouraged me to simply train for something and just see how it went.
The first few runs were awful, starting to run in the autumn/winter was not a good idea. My lungs were burning and my heart was pounding so hard, every effort up Hoad Hill after work felt like an ordeal. Gradually over time things got better and the distances got bigger. Soon I was churning out 10 milers and everything became much easier and more natural. Around Christmas I found the UT55K, and I thought, "This is my kind of race!" Yes, I know, I had been running for two months and not run a marathon and I'm contemplating an ultra... I loved the sound of the race and thought that it was a challenge worth aiming for. With a goal in mind I set to! I broke the 20 mile barrier and felt really good. I'd got into a really good pattern of training and things were looking good until I had to have a small procedure on my back which left me with 16 stitches in my back. 4 weeks of no running ... I was seriously concerned. But as soon as I could put my pack on my back I was back out there.
With two months to go I hit training hard. Most weekends I'd be out on the fells and regularly doing 15/20 mile runs. But, the furthest distance I'd ever done was 21.5 miles ... not even a marathon. I was just going to have to go for it. A fair few people doubted/questioned me because of my lack of experience and distance and rightly so! However, I felt amazing! In the weeks leading up to the race I felt great and thought "what will be will be". I was determined to do it and do it well.
In ultra running there are lots of things to contemplate like, how am I feeling? How are my legs? Am I eating enough? Have I drunk enough? How is my head? What's my pace like? Am I on course? What obstacles have I got coming up? And I was about to do this all for the first time!
I wanted to run for charity and raise money for a good cause. Sadly a friend and mentor of mine, Paul, died of a brain tumour this year so I wanted to raise money in his memory. This played a huge part in the head game, having such a good cause to run for made me even more determined to smash it. Paul was such an inspiration to me so I wanted to do this in memory of him.
I wanted to run with a friend and my good friend Kristian agreed to come along for the ride! I was really nervous running with Kristian as he was far more experienced than I but after a training run I felt that he was a good match, again another tick for the head game.
Rowan agreed to be my support team and my mum and Sophie joined him as the support team so we were all set. All I had to do was do my part. Get out on course and go for it!
Rowan and I met the week before the race to plan where we'd meet and "what happens if?" and the nerves began to set in. What on earth was I doing? I am not a runner. 10 months ago you'd done nothing... You'll never complete it. I just had to do what I could.
The weather preceding the race had been scorching and a real game changer. As a ginger I really feel the heat so I'd been doing my best to get out there in the heat and train as much as I could. The forecast for race day was 25C not ideal but cooler than it had been.
I registered at Rothay Park in Ambleside on Saturday and went back to base camp to do final gear checks, eat and then sleep before getting up at 5:15 on race day.
Race Day
The alarm goes. Shower, get kit on, eat, get shoes on and try not to freak out because you're about to run an ultra marathon. Rowan arrives and kit goes into cars. We arrive at the start, much suncream is applied. Poses are made and pictures are taken all the while my head is churning through scenario after scenario - keep it together boy. We are all ushered into the pen for a safety briefing which no-one could hear and suddenly it's lights out and away we go!
7am - GPS watch locked and loaded and Kristian and I and the 600 other runners file out of Ambleside. We jogged out of Rothay Park only to stop a could of hundred metres up the road to cross through the town and up towards the fells and Kirkstone pass. Running where possible and walking where not we slowly made our way up the 1300ft climb to the top of the pass. We made it to the top in just under an hour and the first four miles were done. Rowan, Mum and Sophie checked on us but we'd hardly touched our supplies and we gave our numbers to the lady with the clipboard and squeezed through the gate down the other side of the pass.
We got stuck behind some slow people but it gave me a chance to chat to a guy about Brain Tumour Research as he commented on my pink vest. We got to the bottom of the pass and ran along a nice flat-ish section past Brothers Water in the morning sun. From here we headed towards Glenridding which was a nice run in. We got chatting to a couple of folk along the flat there before meeting Rowan at CP2.
We restocked with frozen bottles and electrolytes. I grabbed a handful of nuts and taped a dodgy toe and we were off to face "the big one". We all knew that the next climb would be make or break. We had a long climb to the highest point on the course which was just shy of 2,000ft. After a short, sharp ascent we bimbled along the valley bottom until the pull up to Grizedale Hause. Progress slowed but we kept chugging! Kristian was starting to feel it but I didn't want to leave him despite numerous calls to go on! Despite having only just restocked in Glenridding I went through both bottles of water/electrolyte before the top of the pass ... oh dear. The only hope before the next CP was a fast flowing stream, which was hard to find because of the hot weather. Thankfully we did and the two of us picked up the pace as we came off the fell going down towards Grasmere.
I was storming at this point - I felt incredible. The two of us went through CP3 and met up with Rowan, mum and Sophie just out the other side. 19 miles in I was in fine form. Kristian was struggling but keeping it together - he did an awesome job with that! After half a sausage roll and a top up of anything and everything we both went for the last "big" climb of the day which was Silver How which would be around 1000ft. Again I flew up and I kept Kristian in sight and made sure that he was ok to which he would insist I went ahead but again I didn't want to leave him. We made our way down to Chapel Stile and round to the Baysbrown Campsite where we did eventually agree to split. I was happy that the majority of the hard work had been done and that support wasn't too far away at all points now. So we both made it to Rowan and told him the situation which he dealt with as cool as a cucumber, baring in mind that he'd now have to crew for two people running separately.
We were around 23 miles in now and I was flying, I descended to Slater Bridge and was on a roll. So much so that I was a bit rude to a tourist posing for a picture on the bridge telling them I was not going to stop ... sorry! Then the randomist thing ever. I started to get emotional ... What?! I was about to cross marathon distance and 10 months earlier I'd never run at all. It all crept up on me ... looking back it was quite funny! I took a deep breath and then said "right 10 miles to go! Lets do this!"
We then climbed up to Blea Tarn which was hot but Rowan was waiting with water up by the tarn. We then walked together for a short section and I asked Rowan to check up on Kristian and I headed off towards the steep descent to Great Langdale. My knee didn't like that too much but it held together nicely. Walking up the small rises and jogging the flats and descents I made it to the arranged point when Rowan appeared. "Have you seen your mum and Sophie?" he said, and with that they appeared with a concerned look on their faces. I was now at mile 30 and very tired and in no mood for questions. What I didn't realise was that because of lack of signal Mum and Sophie hadn't seen us since Grasmere, 10 miles earlier and they had no idea about the split. In typical Mum fashion, I was bombarded by questions. "Where's Kristian? What's wrong? What's happening? Why have you taken so long?", To which I gave as best an explanation as I could. Rowan could see I was getting stressed by the questions and handled mother and Sophie gave me what food I needed. Whilst getting bombarded by questions I simply said, "Just get Kristian to the finish, just do what needs to be done. If it means leaving me just get him there." And the questions stopped. Thanks mum for caring. Rowan reassured her that Kristian was only about 15 mins behind. After restocking I went off to Langdale School which was a bit of a climb but I chatted with some great people and the time passed quickly.
Coming into the last checkpoint, we received a hero's welcome and there was a huge crowd outside the checkpoint. I knew the end was close, there were varying reports of the distance to the finish 3k,5k,5miles - I didn't care I wanted the exact distance. It was getting hot. I grabbed some nuts and stuffed them unglamorously into my mouth and headed on my way. Rowan said he'd meet me at Red Bank one of two more climbs and sure and sure enough about a mile down the road Mum, Sophie and Rowan cheered me on to the second to last climb. Here lots of people remarked at how awesome my support team was and they were truly legendary. From here I got up Red Bank as quickly as I could and was relieved of the shade and flat of High Close.
I stuffed a gel in motored along to the last climb. 2 miles to go. I started to walk up the last climb and sure enough the course photographer was there waiting so I put on a little jog for him and promptly started walking again as soon as I passed him. 35 miles done and I meet a familiar face at the top of the climb. Rowan had come to meet me for the last section of the run. This really spurred me on that and the fact that my tracker was about to die (all for strava) and off we went. I bombed it down then hill into Ambleside and felt on top of the world. Rowan facebook lived the last section which you've probably seen and I was feeling great. Coming into Rothay Park was insane! People were cheering, kids were giving high fives and I was about to go from 0 - Ultra in the space of 10 months. I nearly missed the finish but thankfully Rowan pointed me in the right direction and there it was. The finish!
I had done it! And what a feeling it was. Then Rowan coined the phrase couch to 55k.
I very nearly had a little cry again but kept it together and to which Sophie and Rowan told me to stop getting emotional, another phrase that would be used a lot when I tried to explain something that happened in the race! After a little sit down we ventured to the end of the park to go and see Kristian come through. It was so great to see him again as I hadn't seen him for the last 12 or so miles. When he came over the bridge into the park I ran with him all the way along and in to the finish. We'd both done it!
After some food it was most definitely time for bed. I wasn't in any pain, I had some sunburn to my shoulder, one blister which was there before the race even started and then just a rub on my back from the pack - I was just tired.
The next morning I surprised everyone by getting up before my alarm went off and standing up with no issues at all. Mum asked if I was feeling alright but really tiredness was the only thing to mention. I thought the stairs would proved a challenge but no I sailed down them with no issues! I even had a little jog down the road to my car!
Overall it was a challenge and something that I am really glad I have done, however I do feel like there is unfinished business. I could go further, which I'm sure sounds bonkers to non runners. I am looking for new challenges and I'm strongly considering the Cumbria Way Ultra in September but I think I need a few more miles under my belt before I can totally commit to it. So in the meantime I will continue to train and get as many miles in as possible and make a decision in August.
To be honest I cannot believe I have made it this far. As I mentioned earlier this time last year I didn't even know what an ultra marathon was, I wasn't sporty, never run with any intention to compete and 10 months later I've completed an 36 mile ultra marathon which has ascent to the equivalent of climbing Scafell twice and a bit left over! I haven't just done it either, I've done it well - with no ill effects.
I was also running for a great cause, I would like to thank Brain Tumour Research for their intrest and support in my run. I was running in memory of Paul who was such an inspiration to me, he really invested in me as a young person and is the reason I am a Christian and a youth worker now. I am pleased to say that we have smashed the £500 target so a huge thank you to you all! You're amazing.
Also a mega thank you to the support crew - Rowan, for being an utter legend - being as cool as a cucumber whenever there was a flap and sorting out any needs we had out on course - and popping up in the most random of places! Sophie and Mum for the motivation, food and nagging ;) We couldn't have done it with out you. So many people commented on course how nice it was to see you out there so it wasn't just Kristian and I who really appreciated you!
And of course Kristian for being out there with me, grinding it out when things got tough for your support and encouragement throughout this ultra journey!
Thanks to everyone who I've managed to drag out on runs in the past few months - it's been a blast sharing this with you too! You're all amazing!
This certainly isn't the end of the road! I've got 400 miles to bag before the end of the year and potentially another ultra! You can still donate using this link and please do support the work of Brain Tumour Research:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CharlieDay1
