Trailwalker Special!

This week I have mainly... been recovering from one of the most rewarding but difficult challenges I have ever taken part in.

Now if you are friends with me on facebook, happen to be in my phone book, see me regularly at work/socially or even if you are a complete stranger who happened to sit still for too long you will have heard all about Trailwalker from me! For those people who endured almost daily updates, pleas and anecdotes about how things were going, let me first apologise and then say thank you for tolerating me!
In truth, the 6 months prior to the event were more stressful for me than the actual weekend itself; finding time to put in the miles in training, ensuring that we all had the correct kit, and especially ensuring that we reached the minimum level of sponsorship required to take part.

Looking mildly manic after only 3 hours sleep on my way to the start line

For those of you who have somehow escaped my torrent of information regarding the event, Trailwalker is a test of mind and body that pits teams of 4 people against a 100km course with a time limit of 30 hours. All 4 team members walk side by side, not in a relay fashion. 

The money raised through sponsorship for the event goes to support 2 charities; Oxfam - for their global relief work, and the Gurkha Welfare Trust - who provide pensions for retired soldiers and work to repair and maintain Gurkha villages in Nepal. Coming into the event knowing that we had already raised over £1600 for these charities was a big boost to our motivation, knowing all of the people who would benefit from the discomfort we were about to endure!

The course it set along the South Downs Way between Petersfield and Brighton. The route is not only beautiful, but it is also blessed with some fairly big hills too! In perspective, the course is equivalent to 2 and a quarter marathons, with enough hills to equal an ascent of both Ben Nevis and Snowdon combined.

Hills... Many many hills...

Spirits on the start line were high. We had unfortunately seen the weather forecast, and knew that we had to make the first few hours of dry weather count as the weather for the best part of the event would not be kind to us.

All smiles at the start, ready and raring to go

We managed to complete most of the opening 3 checkpoints in the dry, but the rain started to set in around half an hour before we actually clocked in at checkpoint 3. By that stage we had made excellent time, and were over 2 hours ahead of schedule. The footing wasn't too bad at this stage; a little muddy in places, though the areas of bare chalk presented more of a challenge due to their lack of grip. 

Coats on by the time we reached checkpoint 3. Big smiles from the drumming Gurkhas in the background

It was en route to checkpoint 4 that Vicky had the misfortune of slipping and twisting her knee. Fortunately our friend and team member Stuart was wearing a knee brace as a precaution, and was happy to lend it to Vicky. A quick call to the support team to order some extra strength painkillers was in order, and with that we got on our way again. A little slower than before, our pace was actually still very good and we made a little time on our target again despite all that had happened.

Literally as this photo was taken came Vicky's slip

From this point onward it was the weather that became our main enemy. We knew from the forecast that we were due to get hours and hours of rain, and by the time we set off for checkpoint 6 it had well and truly arrived. Visibility became incredibly poor (making spotting signposts pretty tricky) and naturally over 1500 walkers in the heavy rain were generating more than their fair share of mud!

There's some beautiful scenery out there... Somewhere! 

The mist was just starting to arrive at this point along with the rain

By the time darkness had fallen the rain had become even heavier, and combined with the wind whipping up all non-essential conversation between the 4 of us had pretty much ceased. The rain hammering on the side of our hoods did for our ability to hear pretty much anything else, and all we could do was to continue taking step after step into the tiny patch of light generated by our head torches. 

It was becoming increasingly difficult to pick our way through the mud, and at points I was aware that both myself and walkers from other teams around us were precariously close to slipping completely over. The chalk and flint sections of path had even less grip than they had in the dry, and all said and done we were aware that the time cushion we had made for ourselves during the early stages was steadily being eaten away.

Checkpoint 7. I really wish this photo showed what the conditions were really like. A brief respite from the rain meant I could take my hood down, but we are in full waterproofs. My trousers are covered in mud up to my knees, and the patch of ground I am standing on seems to have the consistency of custard.

Around 4am in the morning came our lowest point. With our time cushion all but gone we realise that if we cannot speed up we will not make it to the finish in under 30 hours. We know we are only just over an hour away from sunrise, but Vicky's knee was causing her considerable pain and the weather has caused our spirits to wane. By this stage we have been walking for 22 hours, our emotions are running high and we all sit at checkpoint 8 for a heart to heart as to whether we can go on as a whole team. I can't begin to describe how horrible this half an hour felt for me. We had all put so much into this venture, and for a good while it felt like we would have to make a choice between completing the challenge within 30 hours or staying together as a team to the bitter end, however long it took. Ultimately none of us wanted to compromise on either of these things, and so we made the decision to press on with the next stage and see how we fared...

Daylight is the best medicine. The rain stops, the sun rises and the smiles are back!

Seemingly from nowhere we were back with a bang. We knew we had to push ourselves during the last 8 hours, but where we found the pace that we did after sunrise I honestly don't know. Seeing where you are going definitely helped, and the terrain changed for the better (more grass and less mud). At points you would be forgiven for forgetting Vicky had even hurt her knee. That said, stage 9 (quick as we were), seemed to go on for an eternity! By the time we reached checkpoint 9 though we had still gained 45 minutes on the target time. The spirit was back, and deep down I think we all knew at this point that we could make it. The only major hurdle between us and the finish line was the 3rd and final big hill the course has to offer (and it kindly waits until you are 91km in before you reach it!).

The path ahead looking out from checkpoint 9. The photo really does not do the size of this hill justice!

Somehow only 39mins later! On top of said hill!

 If you pull out your magnifying glass you can see where the last photo was taken from (a group of cars just above and left of Vicky's head)

Now that the final uphill sections were out of the way, we knew that we had enough time in hand to reach the finish and complete the challenge. The 5km to go sign was a welcome relief, knowing that in just over an hour we would be crossing the finish line. 

Arriving at the finish was an incredible feeling. People lined the sides of Brighton Racecourse and clapped and cheered us along the last couple of hundred metres. We could hear the Gurkhas playing bagpipes and see all of the people who had come to see us over the line with a banner that mum and Anne had made for our arrival. Those last 500metres were like walking on air. The fact that you were tired, aching, emotional etc just seemed to disappear as you got swept up in the atmosphere. 

Posing with our banner. Thanks to Mum and Anne for the creation!

We were so proud to get the whole team over the finish line in a time of 29hours and 22minutes and complete the challenge. To this moment I have no idea how Vicky managed to cover over 60km on a twisted knee as quickly as she did (especially in those last 8 hours). I also have no idea how Stuart was suddenly finding energy to jump and dance toward the end! His encouragement and determination throughout the event was so important to the team. Considering that Emma had a hip injury to contend with during our training, you wouldn't have known it during the weekend. Her pace, positivity and team ethic were so constant all the way through that it helped to keep others going when we were struggling.

One of the best feelings ever... Seeing all of the team receive their medals knowing that we completed it together

The one thing I don't think you can overestimate how important the support crew are to the team during this event. Just seeing a familiar face waiting for you as you arrive at a checkpoint is a welcome boost, but when you factor in all of the spare food, water and clothing they carry for you, and all of the running to shops to buy things you never thought you would need, you realise just how much harder this would be without them (and it's already pretty hard as it is). So a special mention needs to go out to Danny (Emma's husband), Jess (Emma's friend) and my dad, who in shifts all did a sterling job of looking out for us that weekend. They are all the hidden heroes in this tale.

Then of course there are all of you who took time to sponsor us and send us messages of support before, during and after the event. As it stands we have raised over £1800 for these charities which is an incredible feeling in itself. A few weeks ago I would never have dreamed it possible to raise over £400 more than our target, so a massive thank you to each and every one of you who have made that possible.  

So the big question...Would we ever do it again?

On the day I think all of us said probably not. However as the week has gone on since the event there have been a few murmurings of "if we were to do it again, how could we be even better". It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain! I guess time will tell!