Lying in my sleeping bag on Friday night listening to the rain bouncing off the tent I mentally prepared myself for a very wet Brahman Park, Leeds, for this years Endure24. However, by the time of race start at 12 noon Saturday, the sun was out, the temperature was rising and a stiff breeze blew across the park.
This was my second attempt to run this 24 hour race solo, after having ran it twice previously in a mixed pairs team with my sister Catherine. Who was also, once again, running solo again this year.
Last year I pulled out after 50 mile due to a knee injury. So this year’s target was to at least beat that total, along with the obvious secondary target of 100 mile.
The plan was to run each 8km lap between 50 and 60 minutes per lap. With a rest break after each 25 mile. Sounds simple but alas ‘best laid plans’ and all that…….
After 25 mile it was a case of so far, so good with lap times of 54.18, 54.54, 56.27, 58.36 and 62.00 minutes. I then took an hour’s rest as planned and then set off again with another lap of 62 minutes.
Conditions were warm and windy and the undulating trail course was in perfect condition. After the first three laps my heart rate had rocketed up to 200bpm despite the gentle pace I was running and I was ‘sweating up’ despite taking on fluid regularly. But it looks as though it had not been regularly enough as just after 31 mile my left hamstring went into cramp forcing me to stop and stretch/ work it out. Setting off again and 2 mile further on, and I was back on the side of the track with cramp again. This became a regular feature as I tried to take on more fluid and work the cramp out of my hamstring,
With the grand plan of running 100 mile now ‘out of the window’ it was now a case of ensuring that I beat last year’s total of 50 mile and then push on to see what I could manage,
I finished the day on 14 laps (69.13 mile) which I am happy with but it’s clear that if I am going to do more of these events that I am going to have to improve my food and fluid intake. It’s definitely been a case of more lessons learned
My sister Catherine, despite minimal training this year also had a good run.
The race was won by Joseph Baker with 30 laps, while Karen Wickens took the ladies honours with 22 laps.
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