The Aftermath

Gurkha Curry!

Once we'd crossed that finish line, life suddenly got a whole lot easier again. It was such an enormous sense of relief that we didn't have to walk any more and that we could TAKE OUR BOOTS OFF!! Actually we didn't take our boots off straight away but it was lovely to know that we could, if we'd wanted to. In a bit of a stupor we accepted our certificates and timings sheets then listened to the Gurkha briefing about what happens on the podium. Then we were up there, with 'prop' medals as they had run out, having our photos taken... first just the walkers, then with the support crew as well. Our next stop was the dining area for giant plates full of Gurkha curry and cup after cup of sugary tea.

Rachel recovering

Next priority was to get out of our wet, muddy boots and waterproof trousers and get into some clean, dry gear. We made our way gingerly to the minibus (muscles having stiffened up considerably in the short time it took to devour the Gurkha curry). The first thing which greeted us back at the bus was Rachel, already deep into recovery mode (aka sleep!). Something which did surprise me about this ere Trailwalker thing was that we didn't particularly notice the 'staying up all night' and actually didn't at any point feel sleepy tired. Rachel proved conclusively that it all hits you when you stop!

Removing wet kit... bliss!

We carefully removed our footwear, taking care not to disturb any blisters too much, and wet weather gear. The mud had got up as far as my knees on the INSIDE of my waterproof trousers... how did that happen?! Boots were thrown into a bin bag along with pairs discarded earlier in the weekend due to being soaked through. With dry, warm clothes on (I was starting to feel very cold, despite the warmth of the sun... some kind of shock I imagine) we all piled into the muddy minibus and Kirsty headed home. We followed a lorry load of portaloos about half the way home, prompting some speculation about whether anyone had made use of those particular units at any time over the weekend.

Muddy boots.

The unloading of the minibus occurred in something of a blur and baths, food and drink followed in quick succession as we headed rapidly for bedtime on Sunday night. After a good long sleep I tried to get out of bed on Monday morning... big mistake! Calves were solid, couldn't straighten my legs, could barely walk. We couldn't face cleaning the boots immediately so laid them out on a bin bag to dry out a little first. 2 of Blister Sisters had managed to muddy up 7 pairs of boots/shoes. When we eventually got around to cleaning them on Tuesday, it took us 2 hours!

On Sunday after we finished, the pre-walk certainty that we would be doing this again had become a little more uncertain. However, by the next day the desire was back, as long as it wasn't in those conditions again. 2 members of Blister Sisters have already said that they will not be repeating the experience so for the remaining 2 (Sam & I) we need to find 2 more mugs teammates for next year. Hoping for dry conditions, we would like to finish within 24 hours next time. It's definitely possible.

Until then, I'll love you and leave you. xxx

The Big Day - Part 4

Gelly looking chirpy once again

Gelly was better on stage 8 and we made fairly good time to CP8 at Jack and Jill windmills. We dibbed in here at 8:19 and finally the weather was looking like brightening up!

A huge surprise at this checkpoint was the arrival of some family and friends for moral support. The dreaded stage 9, the longest on the course, was coming up next so we all tucked into some food, topped up our camelbaks and stripped off our warm night-time layers. Rachel had a big wobble here. She wanted to stop following the injury sustained in her fall at the bottom of Beacon Hill, all those hours ago, the pain had been getting steadily worse. We persuaded her to keep trying, given how close we were to completing, and she agreed to start the next stage knowing that there was the option of a pick up at Ditchling Beacon car park should it prove to be the wrong decision.


Once again we were stopped for quite a while at this checkpoint, mainly due to the family and friends this time, and it was tough getting the stiff muscles going again as we set off.


Unlike many of the stages there is no big hill at the start of stage 9 so we fairly beetled along at the start. When we got to Ditchling Beacon car park Rachel decided once and for all that she would drop out, not wanting to do further damage to her knee nor prevent the team completing in under 30 hours (which was starting to look a bit touch and go after all of our delays). We rang the support crew to come and collect her and reported her withdrawal to the Gurkha guarding the road then the remaining 3 continued, a little subdued. Stage 9 was long, but the first 6 or 7 miles are fairly harmless, gently undulating and not particularly muddy. The final bit however is a different matter... the muddy, narrow path by the Lewes gallops seems to go on for ever. Gelly fell for a second time here, and a Gurkha came rushing to her rescue, but she just got up and kept walking... Terminator! At this point we were just heads down and get on with it... slightly confused by the signs which didn't tie in with the instructions but we followed them blindly and ended up in the right place. As we trudged across the CP9 field we had mixed feelings... ONLY 2 more hours of walking on the plus side but STILL 2 more hours of walking on the downside.

Still smiling after 57 miles

At CP9 we all tucked into veggie fajitas cooked by Alex (SC) which were delicious. Some of the family and friends who'd met us at Jack and Jill were still with the crew at CP9 and Gary (Gelly's husband) walked with us from there to the finish, which was a welcome distraction.

We were now on a new schedule, trying to get in within the 30 hour limit, so we departed the checkpoint after only 30 minutes and set off up hill (always uphill!). Despite everything we were still smiling as we reached the top! By this stage it was one foot in front of the other. Blisters were hurting and muscles were tight but we knew we were nearly there. CP 10 was a toilet and tea stop and an opportunity to poke fun at another (male) participant who was showing off doing press ups near the CP exit... I said "so what, you haven't been using your arms", His friend chuckled and the macho man slunk away looking sheepish.

The final half mile

The final few miles felt like hundreds and there was a lovely muddy path with about a mile and a half to go... just to remind us of what we'd been through over the last 62 miles, as if we needed it! After what seemed like hours, we were at last walking along the track of Brighton Racecourse, we could see the finish and the banners and people cheering and waving. We managed 'hands aloft' as we approached the line and the feeling of having completed the challenge was amazing. We completed in 29 hours and 32 minutes, just inside the 30 hour limit.

It was a real shame the conditions were so awful, but we are so proud of having completed the challenge in the year which will be remembered as the worst since the event began in the UK in 1997.

3 remaining team plus support crew on the podium

Next year... who knows!

To be continued... ?

The Big Day - Part 3

Halfway Cake!

After a surprise 'Halfway Cake' from the support crew we departed checkpoint 5 with darkness on the outside and inside... we knew these next 2 stages, overnight, were going to be tough going, and so it proved. The first mile after CP5 is mostly tarmac so we had dry feet for a short time, an unbelievably amazing sensation! Soon though we were onto a chalky, muddy, uphill track towards Chanctonbury Ring. Our headtorches really didn't enable us to see the mud well enough and we slowed down noticeably during the hours of darkness.

Stage 6 should have taken about 2 hours, it actually took 3 hours. CP6 is right next to a river and, just like CP4, was under several inches of water. We'd taken so long to get there that we really needed something... despite not having the support crew meet us we all took the opportunity to down some of the Tomato soup on offer and have a 5 minute sit down on the Gurkha campbeds inside a tent. This was a very low point, at our current pace we knew that we had about another 3 hours until we saw the crew again, our feet were drenched and we were cold and miserable.

There was no point prolonging the agony so we struck out again, wading through the water towards the river footpath which was ankle deep in mud and there was a real danger of slipping down the bank in the darkness. Finally the path came to an end and we emerged into a housing estate, onto a short stretch of tarmac... bliss! The bliss soon turned to despair as we began a long uphill section on a muddy but stony track. Gelly was really struggling at this point, regularly dropping to her knees on the ground, feeling nauseous and entirely lacking in energy. She took an anti-sickness pill, downed an energy gel and plodded on stoically to the top of the hill, but all at a slow pace. Once at the top we were onto a mile of flat tarmac and this gave her enough time to recover a bit.

CP7 shrouded in mist

We began the final approach to CP7 in the early morning light but we were not to be rewarded with a dramatic sunrise as everywhere was blanketed in mist. It had rained for most of the night and we didn't arrive at CP7 until 05:33... 2 hours behind schedule. There was Gurkha food available at CP7 but we elected to go straight to our crew and get the maximum amount of relaxation time and tlc as possible. We had rung ahead to inform the crew of Gelly's situation and they made sure she ate some proper food to help her recover.

Shell-shocked at CP7

Checkpoint 7 marked two thirds distance and felt like a real milestone after such a difficult night. Once again we spent much longer here than planned and this was the first time that Rachel's problems began to surface. She took a very long time to get going again after the stop. We didn't really notice as we were so tired, but the support crew did. Some proper food and a bit of a rest perked Gelly up enough to carry on and eventually we all set off again, heading for the Jack and Jill windmills, just over 4 miles away, a nice short stage.


To be continued...

The Big Day - Part 2

CP3

Checkpoint 3 was closed to support crews because it was a bog, in keeping with most of the course.

Stages 3 and 4 are relatively short so not seeing our support crew at CP3 was not too bad. We wasted little time at the checkpoint, just dibbing in and getting on our way again. Traipsing through mud was becoming rather old hat by this time, it was a rare and welcome surprise to get a dry bit of track or road. Also it was raining on and off (but mostly on) for the whole of this part of the walk.

Particularly muddy section

We were generally comfortable in our wet weather clothes but keeping feet dry was just about impossible, the mud was over the tops of our boots in places. CP 4 was in a field by a river, and getting in and out of it involved wading through ankle deep water. So we changed our socks and boots but 5 minutes into stage 5 they were soaked through again. The majority of the walk was done with wet feet and it's a miracle we didn't get more blisters between us.  We knew it would be muddy, but we thought there would also be dry sections.. in reality about 80% of the course was muddy to a greater or lesser extent.

Rachel in the mud near CP4

We dibbed into CP4 at 7 minutes past 7 and set off again about 30 minutes later. Our plans for 20 minute stops went right out of the window because we needed the extra time to tend to our feet in the wet conditions. The support crew were superb but even they could not really make the checkpoints relaxing... it was frantic foot repair every time. Stage 5 is the second longest single stage on the course, it starts off alongside the river so, of course, it was very muddy! Then we had a welcome stretch of road up, up and away onto the Downs again... why are they called Downs, when there is so much Up? Walking stage 5 was very rewarding because we knew that when we reached CP5 we would be at the halfway point of the challenge.

The final approach to checkpoint 5 was bad. It was dark (dib in time 22:39) and there is a 400m stretch of footpath which was ankle deep in thick mud. In normal circumstances it would take about 5 minutes to walk, but in the mud it took about 20 minutes and we all nearly fell so many times. We collapsed into the gazebo in relief when we finally got there and, once we'd removed footwear, tucked into some hot pasta with chilli... just what the doctor ordered! Due to the weather-enforced closure of checkpoint 6 we would not be seeing the support crew again until CP7... according to the schedule that was over 4 hours away... a depressing thought.

To be continued...

The Big Day - Part 1

It finally arrived. The day we had been thinking about, planning and training for over the last 6 months. Friday evening the four walkers (Gelly, Rachel, Sam & I) drove over to Queen Elizabeth Country Park to register with the organisers, get fitted with our tracking bracelets and sign the equipment disclaimer forms. We also took the opportunity to sample some Gurkha tucker, in the shape of pasta bolognaise, and chat to a few other participants.

Despite an early night, none of us got much sleep and we were all up early for a 07:30 departure in the minibus. Due to illness Pauline was unable to be a part of the support crew on the day, so Kirsty stepped in at the last minute.. I wonder if she knew what she was letting herself in for!?  Everyone was in high spirits on the drive to Petersfield, the sun was shining and we were keen to get going. On arrival at QECP we helped ourselves to an athlete's breakfast of sausages, bacon & beans provided once again by the Gurkha chefs.

The start

Our start time was 10am (which we chose on the basis of getting as much sleep the night before as possible, the other options being 6,7,8 or 9am) so the majority of participants had already set off when we were getting ready. We all 'dibbed*' into the start area and stripped off our coats as it was getting quite warm already. At 10am the Gurkha pipers sprang to life and the klaxon sounded, sending us on our way.

*dibbing involves sticking the bit of electronics around each of our wrists into a bigger bit of electronics held by a Gurkha, at the start, every checkpoint and finally at the finish... it is this which allows the individuals and teams progress to be tracked.

Striding out in stage 1

At the start we were walking in a big crowd. It was difficult for the 4 of us to stay together and also to go at our pace. Within 10 minutes of setting off the rain started and the coats we'd hastily stowed in our rucksacks not 15 minutes earlier were quickly retrieved and donned. Other people stopping to sort out their wet weather gear caused a natural thinning out of the crowd and, despite the rain, it was a bit more pleasant. The terrain on Stage 1 was mostly stony tracks and tarmac so not too much mud to contend with (although there was one track which was grim) and we made good time to CP1... 1h47m (5m ahead of schedule).

Pit stop at CP1

We stopped for 20 minutes at CP1 for food, drinks, toilet (portaloos - the less said about those the better!) and changes of boots/shoes. Most other teams strategies seemed to not involve much of a stop at Checkpoint 1 and we found ourselves right at the back of the pack as we set out again (although we had completed stage 1 half an hour quicker than some teams, obviously none of them were in the 10am start group OR they didn't stop at CP1), and we had the Gurkha 'sweeper team' a few hundred metres behind us for the whole of stage 2... disconcerting!

Scrambling up Beacon Hill

Talking of stage 2... this is where it started to get muddy. Not dreadful yet, but quite bad. This is when the 10am start time began to look like a mistake... nearly 2000 pairs of feet had already been along the paths churning it up before we got there. The approach to Beacon Hill was a steep downhill muddy path which claimed 2 victims.. both Gelly and Rachel slipped and fell. Both got up again and ploughed on towards and then up the hill, which itself was extremely slippery as it is so steep. We pulled into CP2 4 and a half hours after leaving QECP, still on 24 hour schedule. Once again we had excellent support from our crew, providing us with enough food, drinks & cheeriness to see us through until CP4... this would be the next time we would meet them due to the weather-enforced closure of CP3.

To be continued...

7 days

7 days from now it will all be over. We will have walked 100km across the South Downs from Petersfield to Brighton, straight through the night, in the company of more than 2000 other people.  We are very much looking forward to it but also anticipate that it will be an even harder challenge than it might have been due to the unseasonably wet weather this year. The ground is saturated and even if we have a dry week (not forecast) it will still be extremely muddy, not only for the walkers but also for the Support Crew getting the minibus through field gateways at each checkpoint. Completing this challenge will be a huge achievement.

During the last 7 days we have passed our fundraising target of £2000, which is also an amazing achievement. We would like to thank everyone who has helped to make this possible.

Salisbury Saunter

Today we were still missing Gelly due to her ongoing (but slowly improving) injury situation. However, Rachel was back in training after some intensive physio on her calf muscle.

Ruins of the 11th Century Cathedral

For a change of scenery we headed off to Salisbury today, planning on using Rachel's house as a base for 3 loops of approximately 5 miles each... just a little 'tapering' walk with only 2 weeks to go until Trailwalker. The first challenge was finding a parking space on a busy Salisbury Saturday Market Day! We finally set off walking about half past 9, heading out of Salisbury in a northwesterly direction towards Old Sarum. We had a mooch around Old Sarum for 10 minutes before heading back to Rachel's house via a different route.

The Old Mill, lunch venue 

After a change of boots and handfuls of chocolate covered raisins (yum!) we set off again, this time towards the southeast, to do 2 mini loops around the 'suburb' of Harnham. The second time around we stopped at the Old Mill for a pub lunch... luxury!  They must have known we were coming because they had laid on some entertainment in the form of Morris dancers!


The chip butty went down very well...we're carb-loading, it's allowed!!

Carbs with carbs!

Suitably refuelled we embarked on our 3rd and final loop of the day, to the northeast of Salisbury this time. Our guide for this loop was Rachel's friend Gus who we met up with just after 2 and set off immediately out of town. This part of the walk was the hilliest and actually turned out to be the longest section of the day. It was nearly full sunshine by this time so we were starting to feel pretty hot. At the top of the biggest hill we were treated to some cracking views back over Salisbury so it was well worth the effort getting up there.


By the end of the day we'd covered 17.33 miles, at a cracking pace... average moving pace of 16.25 minutes per mile. The (slightly confused) route is here.