So on Friday at 9pm I tackled a local ultra challenge, a 75 mile unmarked route with 20,000ft of elevation. The course is a mixture of peat bogs, fells and footpaths and you have 24 hours to complete it.
So I had a 22h 40m schedule. The first mistake I made was setting off at 9pm, This one gave me 1h 30 mins of daylight running before tackling the toughest and highest section in the dark. The mist came in and with visibility down to around 2 metres, this made running nearly impossible and I stumbled from one bog to the next.
By the time the sun rose I was an 1 hour behind schedule.
The second problem with starting at 9pm was stomach issues. To lead your day as normal and eat as normal and then starting running 75 miles, is just stupid. However that is what I did and from 3 miles, the stomach issues began (never had wind like it). This conitnued throughout the night and Into the daylight.
Once the sun rose I was began on the schedule but still 1 hour behind. So as I reached the 37 mile point, I stopped for a toilet break and hoped that it would relieve the stomach issues. Again I lost time (20 mins) and this left me right on the cutoff.
I persevered until 14 hours 45 miles and 9000ft of climbing but the stomach cramps just wouldn’t ease. So I decided to abandoned the attempt and will go back next year in June and start at 2am.
Lessons learned and 45 miles in the bank
Michael wants 2 run further 