Monarchs Way Day 7

What a difference a day makes……….

So weather wise we were in for another warm day with temperatures around the 22° mark and lots of sunshine meaning the hottest day so far. It was unlikely Alan would wear any sun cream as he is working on his tan but Chris was taking no chances. 

Alan and Chris were out on leg 7 and moving well albeit a little tired. 

Lee however was starting to feel the pinch. He was slowing down and needed to have more breaks and the heat was bothering him a little. He was still walking in his pants to help keep cool but be was still losing time against the cut offs. He had only had a few hours spare at the last checkpoint and was eating into this rapidly. We keep a good eye on him and a few text conversations went back and forwards ref his pace and how he was feeling. We had asked him to consider his pace when he was planning to stop and that he would struggle to make cutoff at the next cp if he did not keep moving. Late evening and into the morning be was very tired and needed to take a bit of time to rest properly and sleep. This pretty much evaporated his buffer and meant it would be all but impossible for him to arrive at the next CP in time for the cut off. We agreed we would allow him to go as far as we can with being safe and having a possibility of making cut off but now it was clear that there was just no way he could make the time back. We don’t want anyone out there so tired and knackered with no realistic chance of finishing. It’s too much of a risk to accept for no reward. I tried to call him and message him but his phone was ringing out. Either no signal or he was just too tired to wake up and hear it. We popped out in the truck and using the tracker data and grid reference provided by it we went straight to where he was still resting and picked him up. He was happy to be collected and taken back to the CP where we fed and watered him and helped him sort his kit. Then we got Brian one of our support crew to drive him all the way home to Godalming and to the comfort of his own bed. 

He had put in a sterling effort and in almost any other race in the UK such an effort would be rewarded with a finish. I include Thames Ring 250 and Spine in this! He was not disapointed as you can see from the photo. He had gone a bloody long way and yes was beaten by the race but I think he still took away an awful lot of and succeeded in many ways. Just under 250 miles done is not too shabby. Well done Lee enjoy the rest. 

However Chris and Allan were still hugging and walking and fist bumping their way around the countryside. Here they are arriving at the Checkpoint in the evening. Still in great spirits with over 270 miles in the bag they have done more distance than any other non stop race in the UK. Pretty awesome. 

They rested for their customary 3-4 hours sleep and a bit of time added for sorting kit and for Alan to strip off an wash in a bowl! Then they were off again into the dark. As aways they started with a shake of the hand for Alan and a double high five for Chris and a little fist bump between them. 

They headed off in search of Bristol. Along the way they seemed to have found a great little catering van at an industrial estate and smashed in a great looking bacon breakfast butty. 

You can see how pleased Alan is to be eating it! 

They posed for a little picture when Alan’s watch ticked over onto 300 miles and almost half way! This was at Templemeads station in Bristol. Chris still looking immaculate and like he is Tony Hawks brother! 

The route then took them by the Clifton Suspension bridge and SS Great Britain. With Alan being a big Isambard Kingdom Brunel fan he had to grab a couple of photos and tell Chris all about it for the next few hours. 

A little while after the bridge Bruce again met them and set up a little impromptu checkpoint for the guys with some very welcome support. Bruce was to meet them one more time after that as well. Thanks Bruce the guys really appreciated the additional support especially the fruit and ice in the heat. Maybe they have also sown a seed in your head for the future…….  

The guys kept plodding throughout the night and into the Mendips and arrived at the next Cp at Stockhill around midnight looking tired but still in great spirits. We fed them some fresh food and tucked them into their beds for a much needed few more hours sleep. At around 4am or so it absolutely chucked it down with rain and the most mental thunderstorm occurred for an hour or so. Thousands of lightning strikes and flashes, rain so heavy we could not actually hear the thunder. Literally several flashes every second for ages. Eventually the weather died down to just a drizzle and light rain. We woke the guys up just before 5am and again fed them and got them ready for the day ahead. 

I did repairs on Alan’s feet which seem to be getting better again as he walks though with a very wet start to today it may actually cause some problems later. Chris’s blister he had had also healed up well and was no longer an issue. Again the customary 3 kg of butter on pancakes and bacon butties to go washed down with a gallon of tea and coffee and off they went in full waterproofs into the wet wilds of the Mendips. 

The next stage is the last really long one at 53 miles and will take them a fair amount of time though we will check in on them from time to time. They are mega tired and stiff but moving well and if anyone is around that is following in the area feel free to pop out and meet them and have a chat it’s great for their morale. These are two very  tough guys pushing hard to try to achieve a pretty tall challenge. 

It’s going to be another epic day.