So this is a race that takes place in the grounds of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire every September. You have 24 hours to complete as many 10k laps as you fancy. You can do it alone, in a pair or as part of a team. You can walk, run, crawl or hobble, it doesn’t matter so long as it only involves your feet + legs. The majority of people camp. There is always a bar, music and various food stalls so there is a really great festival vibe to the event.
About 60% of the course is on grass and the remainder is on asphalt. There is one long slow hill and one short steep one so the course is a really good and challenging mix of surfaces. I did 6 laps in 2019 and went this year with the goal of hitting 70k and using it as a bit of a training run for an ultra marathon I have got coming up in November.
Started off with doing 3 x 10k laps, stopping for 10-15 mins in-between each one to scoff some jaffa cakes and take on some Coke. After 30k i’d break for 90mins to have something more substantial (aka Supernoodles!) and have a massage.
Then repeated for another 30k before stopping for a tuna mayo jacket potato (This was the last thing I thought i’d fancy eating when I looked at what was on offer earlier on in the day but was the only thing I could think of after 60k!) I dragged myself out for 1 more 10k loop which I walked/jogged before calling it a day and having a shower. I thought that if I woke up the next morning unable to do anything else at least I would have hit my target. Had a shower and managed to sleep for 4-5 hours, in between being woken up by sore legs!
8:30am and armed with a coffee + bacon cob in hand I walked a loop in 1hr 40mins to hit 80k. By this point I was told that if I managed to get to 100k i’d get a special bronze badge. Well that was it, I figured even if I could only jog/walk I could manage another 20k before the bell rang signalling the end of the race.
Those last 2 laps I averaged about a 10-11 minute mile. I could feel every bone in my lower body creaking but at least i was well fuelled on bacon + coffee! It took all I had to not be sick or worse 😂 and when I finally crossed the finish line having completed 100k the sheer horror of how I had to dismantle my tent and pack up my car whilst in agony hit me like a truck!
Equinox24 I love you but next time i’m booking a bell tent.
Thanks as always to Garmin for supporting me and congratulating me on my achievements.
