So we are close to the end now. As I write this we are 288 hours into the race.
A lot has happened since the last update.
We are down to 4 runners from the 10 runners we still had 6 days ago.
A lot has happened since the last update.
We are down to 4 runners from the 10 runners we still had 6 days ago.
The race and distance started to take its toll after the first six days with days 8 and 9 heading towards and along the South Coast and Charmouth and Bridport were always going to be the crux of the race due to two very long legs and trickier navigation.
Then after that the race would really start when we hit 420 miles race distance and the fatigue and tiredness really kick in.
This is the section that finished off Chris and Alan a last year.
This is the section that finished off Chris and Alan a last year.
Alan Cormack made a serious but easy to make nav error at Sandford Orcas turning left and heading towards Brighton and after he did not realise I popped out and met him as his phone was not answering. We put him right and back on track and it was simply a matter of tiredness and a misread of his GPS. His mobile phone had stopped working so we ran out and grabbed him a new phone so he could continue and still have emergency communication. Later that day he made the decision to pull out and retire. It was a cracking effort and only 1 leg less than last year.
After some food and rest he arranged a train ticket back home and we took him to the station.
After some food and rest he arranged a train ticket back home and we took him to the station.
Peter Bengtsson had been ill one day and lost a few hours resting and was always playing catch up from there. On the south coast from Charmouth to Bridport he was pushing hard to catch up but decided in the end to retire just north of Bridport and we went and collected him.
He has decided to stay with the race and help me out till the finish which is very useful.
He has decided to stay with the race and help me out till the finish which is very useful.
Rick Clark was going great and just started to get really sore feet through the south coast section and back up through Pilsdon he called me out to have a look and have a chat. He decided to carry on but then retired shortly afterwards and I collected him off the course.
Anne Green was suffering with her feet too and in particular and injury to one of them that may have been from before the race which was getting much worse. She decided to walk into the CP at Winyards Gap under her own steam and then retire. After a rest and some time with with us at the checkpoint she went to a local hotel before travelling home the next day.
Jon Rowles was suffering with tiredness and his feet all through the few sections before Winyards Gap and finally just found it too hard to concentrate and decide to call it a a day just south of the CP so we went and picked him up and his GF collected him later.
John Stocker who had been leading the race since leg 1 and looking strong from the start had started to suffer with his feet early in the race and the accumulative effect eventually caught up with him. Slowly he lost time until he lost 1st place and then second and slowly succumbed. Fatigue and the pain meant he could not move well at all and he was forced to stop. A massive decision for such a strong man.
Since then there have been only epic performances all the way from the remaining 4 runners.
Oriol has been consistently smashing out the miles and he is as I write this through the last checkpoint and looking at a 6pm finish potentially. That would be a fantastic end to a stunning performance.
Chris Yeo (Joon Kiat Yeo) has been pushing hard behind Oriol and is very tired and right on the edge of his sleep management he is currently on leg 13 and still moving well. He is looking like a Friday finish during the day so far.
Stephen Brown has played a brilliant strategy so far and moved well and rested well all the way through. He is starting to feel the work now and for the first time is starting to really need to work hard to move well. But he has the time in the bank to complete on this strategy.
Ellen, well what do you say. She has been right up against the cutoffs for 2 days now with less than 15 minutes inside cut off at the last CP(11).
She is one tough lady and although her feet are battered and the body is a bit broken she is still strong of mind and focused. She will have to leave everything out on the trail on almost no sleep for the next 2 days to stand a chance of finishing. She is capable of it though and one of the strongest women I know. It will be an epic feat if she does.
She is one tough lady and although her feet are battered and the body is a bit broken she is still strong of mind and focused. She will have to leave everything out on the trail on almost no sleep for the next 2 days to stand a chance of finishing. She is capable of it though and one of the strongest women I know. It will be an epic feat if she does.
This event is as exciting at the front as it is at the back and everyone had has to work hard for every inch of the trail whether they have got this far or not.
The trackers are http://live.opentracking.co.uk/monarchs_way_2018/
please feel free if you are nearby to pop out and see runners at the end or towards the finish sections and give them your support. It will be most appreciated.
please feel free if you are nearby to pop out and see runners at the end or towards the finish sections and give them your support. It will be most appreciated.
Updates are on the Challenge Running Fb page and twitter feeds. Feel free to join in..
Below are some pictures for the last few days
