Tough GUCR only half completed !!!!

Well Friday 28^th came and after a hard week at work I was already tired but excited at the weekend adventure ahead. Arriving in Birmingham about 7 pm I registered for the event and went to my hotel. Right in the middle of Birmingham Centre I hardly slept, about 3 hours to be honest. Clubbers and Party goers at all hours running about I was glad to have gotten the 3 hours I did.

So 4am I was wide awake, kit checked and started the mile walk to the start, still passing the pubs and clubs full of people still drinking.

91 people made the start line and at 6am we all set off. I had planned to keep to a 5mph for the first 50 mile. It started raining about 7am and didn’t stop for the next 7 hours. I was drenched and a little low, very tired and at mile 38 my knee felt a hot pain. I had suffered from this before last October in a race at 40 mile. So more or less the same distance and it went again. Gutted I took some pain killers and strapped up my knee and carried on.

The surface of the canal was so uneven and my feet never landed in the same position once, causing blisters and more discomfort to my knee.

I nearly stopped at 40 mile but met up with a guy called Jeremy and we continued together to 70 mile. I was so pleased, in pain and suffering but made 70 mile in 14 hours, still bang on my 5 mph target. However my knee was in a lot of pain now and the race paramedic checked it strongly advising me to stop for fear of permanent damage. I wanted to carry on, so sitting there at 10 pm with my jacket potato and beans I finished it and contemplated what to do.

I was half way, confident I could reach100 miles but could I finish 145 with how my knee was. Again the paramedic came over and again asked me not to continue, she was quite concerned so I decided to say “ok”.

I was soon sat at Milton Keynes station awaiting my wife to pick me up.

A great tough, very tough event and one I will be back to do again. This time with a support crew and better preparation and training.

JOGLE is still on for Nov and I’m looking forward to the next 6 months.