Brathay 10in10 2020 Day 10

It’s never done until you have crossed the finish line on day 10 but if you can get up and move around ok on the morning of day 10 then you are pretty much there. We call day 10 the lap of honour.

On a normal 10in10 , which coincides with the mass event, I have very mixed emotions about the day. Part of me looks forward to seeing family, friends and hundreds of spectators to share the celebration of completing this tough challenge. On the other side, I get very emotional about finishing it and would prefer not to have all the fuss. I’m not one for getting tearful and showing emotions but every time I have previously done it, coming out of the front door of Brathay Hall onto the lawn with hundreds of people watching is too much for me. I long to just slope off to the start line and set off without anyone seeing. Finishing is a little different, there are crowds at the finish but this is just like any normal mass marathon event so it doesn’t feel like the focus is on me and it isn’t so emotional.

Usually I get up very early on the last day to take in the atmosphere by walking around the grounds of Brathay Hall watching things being set up in the early morning sunshine. The site is a beautiful place to walk around in May with the Bluebells and newly leafed trees. This year as it was October, raining and still fairly dark it wasn’t the same and I didn’t bother walking about. Also, with my sore left achilles It wasn’t something I was fit to do. Instead I had to focus on simply stretching to loosen up my legs so I would be able to run the last marathon.

The format for the day was still similar to our normal routine, with us all walking out of the Hall’s grand front door onto the lawn. It was still an emotional moment with lots of family and friends out on the lawn to cheer us but without the mass race there were hundreds fewer which for me was nice. It made it less emotional for me and more intimate.

Normally the runners gather in a huddle where one of the more seasoned runners says a little speech before we set off down the drive to the start of our lap of honour. This year, it was my privilege to be the one to make a little speech to the team. As the most experienced 10in10er I suppose it was right for me to do this but I was well out of my comfort zone and I longed to be simply setting off running out on the course. I must thank Yuk-Lam for helping me write the speech the evening before, without her input I dread to think how I would have done it.

Finally, the formalities were over, time to march down to the start at the bottom of the drive, dib out chips and get running. My left achilles was tight and sore, I knew I would get around one way or another but I didn’t want to take ages and longed to be able to run the last day and give it some real effort. I hoped to be able to enjoy the run and not be suffering with pain. There is always the option to take some pain killers or anti-inflammatory tables but part of the challenge for me is not to do this. I wanted to complete the 10 days without taking any form of table and I’m pleased to report I succeeded in this.

I set off carefully and fairly reservedly so my legs and my achilles could loosen. The first few miles seemed to go fairly well. Even with a walk up Devils Gallop, the largest hill on course at mile 8, I was still averaging 10 minute miles. Going down the other side of Devils Gallop I saw four fully grown deer cross the road only 10 yards in front of me. It was sheer poetry in motion watching them float and bounce across the road at incredible speed and disappear into the hillside to my right. I was at the point they crossed within seconds but they had already completely disappeared. The hill side was incredibly steep and over grown, I found it amazing that they could scale it so effortless and quickly, it was completely magical and a wonder of nature. In all the 79 laps of the lake I’ve run, I have never seen the like before and I felt so privileged to have witnessed it on this occasion.

On day 9, there had been a storm which had made the run very tough going in the strong winds and heavy rain. There had been some trees that had come down across the road along the course which had got in the way of some of the runners. Luckily I wasn’t affected. We had been advised the trees had been removed by the council and we would be able to run the normal course. My favourite part of the course is the second quarter, as it has quiet roads and is lined by lots of beautiful trees. It was in this section of the course where the trees had come down. I was curious to see which trees had been affected. There are number of trees out on the course that over the years have caught my attention for their size, shape or particular beauty. There is one at 9.5 miles which is a massive old oak, right at the edge of the road, it’s huge trunk was the shape of a ladies trailing long dress and for many years I have named her the Old Lady of the Lake. As I got closer to her I started to worry one of the trees that had fallen was her. I got to the bend before where she stood to see the signs saying road closed and my heart started to worry. I rounded the curve in the road to see her immense stump pulled out of the ground, her massive branches on the other side of the road and in a nearby layby her trunk in sections which had been dragged there by a tractor and chains. So sad to see the Old Lady of the Lake hadn’t survived the storm. It was like the end of an era. This 7^th 10in10 has been exceptionally hard for me and I wondered whether it was also the end of an era for me too. I had only taken a photo of her two days earlier in a rare moment of sunshine during this 10in10. It showed her off in her full colourful Autumn glory, a memory I will keep for ever.

I managed to keep this reasonable pace going all the way to the bottom of the lake at Newby Bridge and on to halfway at just over 10 minute miling. Far from my best but still reasonable, all things considered. Halfway came up in 2 hours 8 minutes.

I could feel my left achilles as I landed every step but it was manageable. Shortly after halfway I thought, lets push it a bit and see if I could produce a good time for the final day. I covered the next 2 miles at just over 9 minute mile pace, which initially was very pleasing but then the pain in my achilles started to build. By mile 16 I realised all my hopes of a strong finish were over, I could run for a while but this made the pain build up to a point where I had to walk to allow it ease. This meant I had to run, walk and repeat. I was always moving forward and had no worries about finishing but knew time was slipping away and it wouldn’t be the finishing time I had hoped nor the way I would have liked to finish. Again, the weather wasn’t great which didn’t help but there were lots of previous 10in10ers out to support and encourage all of us which was great. There was also a welcome surprise to see my brother out on the course at Ice Cream Mountain.

Finally, I got around the Lake and back to Clappersgate where my physio Zak was waiting for me all on his own, how wonderful to see him. I was hurting but didn’t care with only a third of a mile to go so I ran up the drive, onto the lawn and through the finish as fast as I could with Zak along my side. I’ve never ran with my physio before and it was great to share the moment with him. I didn’t have to worry about Zak keeping up as I knew he is a much faster runner than I.

As I finished, I dibbed to get my time then sat on Martin’s bench in the rain while Yuk-Lam and friends put 10 medals around my neck. It was an incredibly emotional moment for me, I had run my most difficult 10in10 ever and completed it.  I had created history by being the first person ever to complete seven 10in10’s and a record of 79 laps of the lake. As I sat on the bench for the first time ever I thought about Martin, the camera man and friend who had encouraged me in previous 10in10s over the years, I would have loved to have him there to share the moment.

It’s now day 12, my left achilles and shin are swollen and sore. I’m slowly walking around today and definitely not running. Time to rest and take in what I have achieved. Thanks to everyone that helped me accomplish this, Brathay for the opportunity, the support team Scott, Chris, Michelle, Graham and Aly, the physios from Cumbria University lead by Katie and especially Zak my physio, the Brathay staff and chefs who looked after us, Zoom for the great hydration and recovery drinks, all the class of 2020 10in10er’s and the support of Yuk-Lam, family and friends, without you all it simply wouldn’t have been the same. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

It’s two days on and it already seems so long ago, what a tough experience but I don’t regret a minute of it.

Would I do it again……

……that’s a question for another day.