soulchaser

 

  

 

Race Intro

The last one. The finale. So far I've run 131 miles and for over 30 hours over some of the biggest hills and toughest terrain in the South West; through driving winds, freezing rain and blinding snow; I've raced endurance athletes, fat amateurs, and Arnold Schwarzenegger; I've had fist clenching, teeth grinding injuries in both my knees; and I've eaten more pasta than I care to remember!

 

And so here we are, 24 weeks since I hobbled round Snowdon, gearing up for what is surely the hardest marathon in Britain - Exmoor!

 

My knee blew up round marathon #5 forcing me to walk for the first time, so I've had loads of physio in the hope of fixing it. But looking at the hills (below), I know the only way my body will hold up for this one last beasting will be if it's  drugged! I plan on popping 200mg of ibuprofin for every 2 hours I run, which will hopefully keep the pain at bay until the end, stopping my brain from seizing up the muscles and tendons in my knee forcing me to walk again.

 

 

 

Exmoor is what you would expect as a finale from the boys at Endurance Life. It's a loop along the coast and back taking in the most diverse and challenging terrain and topography the country has to offer. By their own words:

 

 

Whoop de doo! I've lost about a stone doing this challenge, my knees are now constantly sore, I feel fatigued, my body drained of nutrients and vitamins that, being a lazy amateur, I haven't been replacing properly after these gruelling events. I've been tired for a while now, the last two runs felt more like chores during the run up than something to be excited or even frightened by. But now I'm on edge. I feel like I'm going into battle, and although my body is well and truly broken, I feel mentally prepared. I wonder how long that will last!

 

 

Elevation Data

I don't think I need to say too much really. Cast your eyes back on the last few marathons to see how this compares. These are by far the biggest hills I'll have faced, and they are neverending. There are at least 5 ascents of 500ft or more.

 

There is no doubt that this will challenge me beyond anything I've faced before, but hopefully the fact that it's the last one will spur me on to the finish. The thought of having to do a replacement marathon stopped me quitting the last one, so I'm hoping that not ever having to do another one of these again will get me round this one!

 

Race Report

 

*Coming after the race*