“Life is always either a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me
the tightrope.”
- Edith Wharton
44:24:00 43:13:00 38:25:00
Running down a canal for 145 miles (practically 147 miles in
reality) is always tough. This time around was my third GUCR adventure. I have
written a blog every year and you’d think I’d have run out of things to say
about it. After all, it’s a canal and it hasn’t really changed too much. They
haven’t suddenly landscaped any hills or built a theme park. It’s just a canal.
And yet, it always seems so captivating. There’s something about that stretch
of man-made water that keeps me coming back. It keeps many ‘regular’ faces
coming back. I admit that at around the 100ish mile mark this year that I
struggled to see why I had come back. I was in a ‘touch’ of pain and it was bringing
tears to my eyes. Yet, the pain is so easily forgotten and that is the danger.
So, you inevitably end up going back, because you convince yourself that there
wasn’t any pain. You forget the blisters and the mental torment.
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| 5am in the morning - feeling sleepy |
Now, I’d been looking forward to this year’s GUCR for many
reasons, although I was also pretty nervous. I didn’t want it to be 'third time
unlucky'. I’ve had a pretty good run of it so far and I don’t take finishing
this for granted. I know that it can be unpredictable. However, I was nonetheless
excited because this year George would be running it. Last year, he helped
man the 133 mile Checkpoint for the entire time that it was open and he emerged
just before the finish to walk/ run in with me. It felt really special and he
also gave me a lovely post-run bottle of Guinness and got me home safely
afterwards. This year we would both be running and that was both an exciting
and terrifying prospect. I was excited for him to see what all the fuss was
about and experience the full craziness of GUCR, after his taster in 2013.
However, I wanted us both to finish and not to get injured. There was more
pressure in some ways, because I wanted both of us to have a good time. We were
also running unsupported this year and it would be the first time I had run
GUCR without a crew.
Me and George had already decided that we would run our own
races. I knew George would be quicker than me and I didn’t want to hold him
back and stop him from getting the best time possible. However, I was also
going for a GUCR PB, as I’d never gotten sub-40 hours. I reasoned that no crew
would mean less stopping time and more pushing forward. This was a pretty
organised strategy for me. We were also organised in other ways regarding race
prep. We booked a Travelodge close to the start and packed our race bags full
of tasty goodies. I made a mental list of everything I knew I would crave. I
always crave coca cola. Always. So, we raided the Sainsbury’s close to the
start on the Friday night and stocked up on meal deals, sandwiches, crisps, pot
noodles, peanuts, M&Ms, coke.
I admit that I didn’t sleep the best with all the noise
outside, but the Travelodge close to the start was still our best option with
no crew and not having our own transport. Anyway, I have always said that you can’t
blame a lack of sleep the night before GUCR for not finishing. I can’t imagine
that many people sleep well the night before a big race. I never really do.
Start to Checkpoint 1 (10.7 Miles)
We wandered to the start and began to see some familiar
faces. We grabbed a quick coffee and had
a good chatter to some of the people we knew. The start of this race always
makes me nervous. Before you know it, everyone is off and running. Me and
George decided to run the first bit together and run our own race after the
first check point. We started at a steady pace, not too fast and not too slow.
I was pretty slow to wake up after only a few hours sleep. The Travelodge was
hellishly noisy, with lots of trashed people partying all night on the streets
of Brum and lots of beeping car horns. It was interesting. Nonetheless, we put
in a good effort to begin with and tried to get comfortable. We had our OMMs on
ready and near enough straight away, it began to rain. Upon reaching the first
CP, I slowed down to get some food and go for a pee. I think the key is to
start eating early. Start early and eat little and often.
‘The Middle bit’, also known as 10.7 miles to Checkpoint 4
(53 miles)
To be honest, this section is very much a blur to me still.
Like when you have a dream and you wake up and it’s all patchy and you don’t
quite remember what happened or who was in it. I remember that there were lots of ducks and
ducklings and swans and geese and goslings. There was also a lot of rain and
everything seemed soaked. The ground was wet underfoot and there were lots of
puddles. I just kept thinking that I was glad about my footwear choice of comfy
inov8 trail shoes. It was really pretty soggy and muddy out there. I was a bit
disappointed that the weather was so miserable. I remember running GUCR in 2012
when the weather was torrential and it really dampened people’s spirits
(literally!). It can really bash your confidence in your ability for finish the
race and stay optimistic. It’s not nice running a marathon or a small ultra in
lots of rain, so the prospect of running 145 miles in those conditions has the
potential to break your spirit. This mind-set made me think about George a lot.
How was he? How far ahead was he? How was he finding it? Then, just before CP 4
and the 53 mile point, I got a phone call on my back-up mobile. It was George
calling to say that he had only just left the CP which I was approaching. I was
so happy and also strangely emotional at this realisation. He had been on my
mind for a while. I was so happy when he said that he was going to walk a
little bit to eat some food and that he would wait for me to catch up with him.
I was longing for the company and it was a major high point to consider that I
wouldn’t have to run the night section alone.
53 miles to Checkpoint 5 (70.5 miles)
It took a little longer than anticipated to catch up with
George. He was like a moving target. I kept looking out for his red backpack
and was hugely excited when I spotted him. I had been running between ‘walking
food-breaks’, with a quickly-disintegrating sandwich in one hand and a Del
Monte fruit pot in the other. It was a little awkward. But, I needed to eat
some food, so it involved a bit of multi-tasking. We caught up with how each
other was doing and moaned about the rainy weather a little. It was so nice to
speak to someone familiar. Despite the rain we were both making good progress.
So much of this section is also a blur. I mainly remember Blisworth Tunnel
after the 63 mile mark (or thereabouts). I know this bit well and I’m always
glad I do, because I fear that if you’ve never done this bit before, then it
could be confusing to run, for what seems like ages, off-road. I also kind of
like this mile or so of running on the road, because it’s a nice variation from
the endless canal. Also, once this bit is done, it feels like you’re well and
truly on your way to the 70.5 mile mark and almost at the half way point.
I have never reached the 70.5 mile mark before – Navigation
Inn – in the daylight. I was so happy, I think I cried. In fact, I’m pretty
sure someone managed to capture a picture of me looking rather emotional...
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| I'm pretty sure I was actually crying here - 70ish miles in |
After this point, we got out our head torches and warmer
clothes and readied ourselves for the night section. This preparation also
included getting out our mp3 players – anything to keep yourself entertained
and wide awake during the night section is welcomed. As it turned out, we
didn’t really need the warmer clothes. Even though it continued to drizzle
during the night section, it never really got too chilly. In fact, I ended up
rolling up my sleeves and taking off layers, especially my sweaty fleecy hat.
The Night Bit
‘The Night Bit’ was tough. It was tough last year, as I
found myself nodding off and having to slap myself awake. It was tough this
year for similar reasons. I wanted to close my eyes ‘just for a second’. I was
run/walking in a meandering zig-zag and I looked like I was drunk, but I was
just falling asleep. However, I still managed to get food down and I even
brushed my teeth, so I wasn’t a complete wreck. Although, the sleepiness took a
long time to wear off this year and it continued past 8am in the morning.
Fortunately, we were a lot further ahead on our journey now.
The Next Day Bit
In complete contrast to the Saturday, Sunday was really warm
and incredibly sunny. It was nice not to have the threat of constant drizzle
and be able to dry out a bit, but I wasn’t prepared for the sun either and by
the end of the race I looked a bit lobster-fied. Luckily for me and George, we managed to seek
out any ice lolly suppliers along route and ultimately have two lollies at
different points. This was especially refreshing since we had run out of water
at one point earlier in the day. However, we did manage to track down a water
point and make the most of our waterways key at around the 117 mile marker.
The Painful Bits
My feet were in a whole lot of pain. It started quite early
on and just got worse. It was impossible not to get them soaked in the rain and
flooded bits of trail and the skin went all white and macerated. I also had a
few deep blisters under layers of shrivelled skin. At mile 100 I did manage to
dry my feet and Sudocrem them, before putting on some clean socks which helped
as much as it could. However, it was all about moving forward and clenching my
teeth (and swearing...and a little crying).We ran to the red narrow boat, the
black boat, the tree, the corner, the shadow on the path, the next bridge. We
legged it. We walked. We hobbled. We had a little sniffle. We kept on going.
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| The damage at the end |
We did it! (in daylight...)
Bits of the last bit that normally look so grim, that I
remember having looked so dodgy from previous years suddenly seemed pleasant
and friendly. We were nearing the end of the race, but the sun was still
shining and it was glorious daylight! This was such an amazing feeling. I kept
looking at my watch and checking the time against the distance to double check
that I wasn’t going crazy. We would make it in daylight. Me! I’d get to see
Little Venice in daylight. Bloody hell!
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| Pulling a weird face/ attempting a smile |
As we inched closer and closer to Little Venice I started to
notice familiar bits, although I always forget certain bridges and twists and
turns on this last section. This year, the finish line was quite unexpected. I
had experienced so many false ‘are we there yet’ moments in my mind that when
we finally approached the actual finish line, it took me by surprise. I quickly
grabbed George’s hand and made a run for it. I always like to run over the line
on this one. I may have had a few little cries because of my feet and wanting
to fall asleep, but I can run the finish. It didn’t beat me.
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| Results are in... |
And, there we go.
We were in. We made it and together. And because we made it over that line
together, I felt this extra sense of accomplishment and pride. I was and am so
proud of George. I’m so happy how we kept on going and pushing each other
forward. We didn’t have a specific time in mind, but the time we got exceeded
all expectations and was my course PB – 38hrs 25 mins.
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| 40 hours of being awake...Finish line wooo! |
I spent much of the race wanting it to be over and for my
feet to be dry and rested. I also spent a lot of time contemplating why I was
doing this race for a third time and if I was indeed crazy. I felt certain that
I would not be back next year and that ‘this was it’, no more, I’d been there, and
got several t-shirts and I was hanging up my smelly trainers. Well, that was
during. On crossing that finishing line the pain miraculously disappeared. It
does that with GUCR. It always happens. The truth is that crossing that
finishing line is so special. It’s such a great feeling. Who wouldn’t want to experience that? Never say never (in a good way, not a
Justin Bieber-esc way!)
In the meantime, GUCR adventures will have to wait...it’s
the Liverpool to Leeds 130 miler up next!
