Thames Path Ultra - another event, another challenge

Now some days you just wake up and every thing seems to not be going quite your way. Saturday was a great example the 6am arrival at the train station where I was greeted with the trains aren’t running but there is a replacement bus service. Great not so bad – I then find out its heading 10 miles in the opposite direction to get a connecting train on a different line taking much longer than I needed to get me to the start line on time. I get an early warm up with a short jog to the next nearest train station to get a train heading in the right direction.

So far the days not going so bad – it's not raining hard and I make it to the start on time for a quick registration process and time to catch-up with a lot of regular ultra runners I’ve meet during the year.

We where advised that the race would continue even with the flood warnings and the visibly overflowing banks of the Thames. Common sense, safety and a faster time meant people where also advised that the roads and other routes would be a better option.

With a good 150 plus people at registration I was impressed by the number of competitors for the event – although saying that this is the first ultra distance event of the New Year and everyone’s first opportunity to do a long organised event.

Shortly into the event I found myself with a few die hard nutter’s (no offence obviously) who knew the set route for the course and wanted to stick to it (having done this event before). As such I found myself going from the mad to the ridiculous as we firstly ran through the ankle deep water – which to say the least was freezing!

…Then we reached the knee deep water

We where all glad to find that of the 50 miles it was only really the first 10 miles that was under water. Over the next 40 miles the worst was knee deep water every 5 miles which gave your running shoes time to just about dry out before getting soaked again. A few runners where even glad to see the next flooded area as the early part of the race had meant a lot of silt and stones from the flood water getting into their shoes and causing blisters which the freezing cold water helped to relieve the pain.

During the event I ran with three first timers to ultra events. One of them asked which sort of events I prefer to do. Personally I’d have to say longer events as you get to meet more people (as you can end up running with someone for several hours), see more of the country side and each event is always very unique, memorable and challenging. Meanwhile the shorter events up to marathon length are much more orientated to bringing the family along as you can include them as part of a weekend or day away and everyone gets to enjoy getting out for the event without the whole family enduring the exhaustion involved!

In smaller events the straight forward course layouts mean water stops are just that a point to get water while on route. In these type of longer ultra events the checkpoints are there for multiple reasons – obviously to check-off competitors to ensure everyone completes the full course and that all the competitors are not injured if they have not already phoned to confirm they have left the race. Meanwhile the main purpose for me is the top up of energy in the form of sweets and drinks and good support from the volunteers manning the stations which can help to spur you on when your 40 miles through and have a two minute walk to the nearest train station or 10 miles to the finish all encouragement is greatly received at this point, even if it is the regular untruth of "your looking great" while you just feel like passing out.

Of the other 169 competitors starting the race 15 did not complete the event and I have to admit you wouldn’t blame them but the reception as you reach the finish makes it all worth while with lots of other runners and the volunteer helpers there to cheer and support what has been a long day for most competitors and obviously the volunteers themselves who stand around in the cold and rain at these type of events.

Another thoroughly enjoyable event – obviously much easier to say now than during the event!!!! As with all the other types of event I’ve done this year this is definitely a completely new and more challenging event, due to the elements, than I was expecting.