With 297 runners at the start we are off ... I start off slowly towards the back and soon got into my running style and as the course seems to be no more than uphill slopes I move steadily through the field. Constantly checking my Garmin I'm running at 6 mph - I won't be able to sustain that pace through 100 miles but feeling good so I decide to stick with it rather than taking what I should be doing adopting a jog, walk technique. Coming through the first checkpoint at 11 miles (Walton On Thames) my pace has dropped slightly to 5.84 mph. I eat a selction of food that's available (fruit, crisps, chocolate, peanuts, sweets and sandwiches) and get a top-up of Tailwind drink. Although I'm only at the aid station for a few minutes I'm playing catch-up with some other runners that I passed previously. I soon get back to my pace and begin overtaking those runners that overtook me during the first checkpoint. Come the second checkpoint at 22 miles (Wraysbury) I've managed to maintain a pace average of 5.88 mph. I take on a selection of food again but no Gu energy gels or salt tablets to work with. I keep on plodding and still feeling good so try to maintain 6 mph. Come the third checkpoint at 30.5 miles (Dorney) I've dropped slightly to 5.67 mph but I'm ranked 103rd out of 297 (no drop outs).
I managed to get hold of a couple of Gu Energy gels, take on some food and Tailwaind drink and crack on again. I move once again through the field past checkpoint 4 (Cookham) and checkpoint 5 (Hurley) at 44 miles and then move onto checkpoint 6 at 51 miles (Henley). My time at the half way stage was 09:10:40 not that far behind my 50 mile PB pace. I've moved up the rankings to 62nd out of 258 runners (39 drop outs). At this checkpoint runners can collect their drop bags for extra foodstuffs. I decided against having a drop bag instead hoping to save some time. I've instead carried some extra food (Expedition food high in calories - 1000k) a mistake instead of eating some food at the checkpoint. I've managed to move up the rankings to 62nd out of 287 runners with 10 drop outs. I end up loosing some time walking and eating and putting on my waterproof ready for some night running. My headtorch is starting to give me grief by working for about 10 mins and then switching it off. This happens a few more times and in the end I loose patience with it so end up using my back-up which happens to be a bicycle light which isn't hands free. By the time I've come to checkpoint 7 (Reading) at 58 miles my average pace has dropped to 5.45 mph. I've moved up the rankings slightly to 56th out of 245 (52 drop outs). Having finally eaten and ditched some Expedition food I decide to increase the pace to try and maintain an average 5.5 mph.
By the time I reach checkpoint 8 (Whitchurch - 67 miles) my Garmin needs recharging which plays havoc trying to keep the data going and instead the Garmin decides to constantly switch itself off and on again so I'm having to periodically save the data as I go along. Having my bicyle light in one hand with my Garmin and charger is not helping. I end up losing valuable time and my average pace has now dropped down to 5.16 mph. By the time I reach Streatley (71 miles - 62nd out of 229 runners and 68 drop outs) I'm now at the final drop-bag aid station but once again I've decided against a drop bag to save time. Despite this my average pace has slipped to 5.02 mph. Realisation has set in and I'm looking at the possibility of not getting a PB. I've gone from racing to jogging and now to walking, disinteorated and tired I try in vain in the middle of the night to crack on. I'm loosing more time by (despite following the markings) not carrying on and instead go back the way I came to pick up the marker going through Moulsford. Elmar catches up with me and reassures me I was going in the right direction after all. Unable to keep up with his pace I end up jogging slowly and walking.
I now reach checkpoint 10 (Wallingford - 77.5 miles) in a bad way - due to the amount of pounding on tarmac and solid trail ground my feet hurt with every step. I could have opted for a change of trainers at one of the drop bag aid stations but I decided against it as it had no benefit in the past. I'm taking longer at the checkpoints and with my Garmin no longer giving me an accurate reflection of my mph I'm asking at each checkpoint how many miles to the next checkpoint and how many miles have we done so far. My average mph has now worringly dropped down to 4.83 mph. It's now borderline as to whether I can beat my PB - it dawns on me that to achieve a new PB I've just got to keep jooging more and less walking. Easier said than done.
On the way to checkpoint 11 (Clifton Hampden) Bryon (from Moab, Utah, USA) sees me struggling - I tell him my feet have taken a pounding and he advises me to rest my feet even at the next aid station for 10 mins or so as it worked wonders with his feet. I wish him all the best but I don't see him again. My average mph has now worringly dropped down to 4.64 mph. I plod onto the Clifton Hampden aid station, take my running shoes off and take on some extra foodstuffs - mainly peanut butter sandwiches and Gu energy gels.
Bryon's advice, the peanut butter sanndwiches, the gels, sheer determination - who knows but I'm now buzzing and having a little cry to myself to complete the race with a new PB in sight. I feel like I'm running like a gazelle - passing fellow runners that I'd thought I'd never catch - overtaking runners, runners overtaking me and then me overtaking them again (notably James and Ryan). Reaching checkpoint 12 (Abingdon - 91 miles - 61st out of 209 runners with 88 drop outs) the end is in sight and my average mph is now being maintained at 4.62. As always seems the case I take longer at the aid stations than those that I'm running against but with this in mind I stick with the plan again - peanut butter sandwiches and Gu energy gels - especially the Caramel one's - high in Sodium (helps with the cramps). I pass James and Ryan again - commenting that I've got my mojo back - a compliment indeed from James whom was ranked 6th at the 30 mile mark and 18th at the 71 mile mark.
Realising that the PB is now in the bag (as long as I keep on moving) I start to take it easy. I reach the final checkpoint (95 miles - Lower Radley) in good spirits passing Tim and Elmar for what seems the uptinth time. My average mph has now increased again to 4.67 mph. Once again I take longer than expected at the final checkpoint and Elmar passes me but not stopping at the checkpoint; Tim stops but leaves the final checkpoint before me. I pass both of these shortly after and I keep checking me behind and Tim is catching me up - bouyed by this I don't walk and jog anymore and keep on jogging to the finish in a time of 21:59:45 (HH:MM:SS) beating my PB by 39 minutes with an average pace of 4.55 mph.
Finishing 53rd out of 209 runners (50th Male and 22nd in my age category - 88 drop outs) I was bouyed again by one of the volunteers mentioning that when I first did my Centurion 100 a few years ago that my PB's just keep on coming down ... another 24 hour finisher medal and as James (the race organiser) mentioned as I was leaving "see you in two weeks for the 50 mile North Downs Way." Just hope I can recover in time - spoke to one of the paramedics and I've got a slight tendon injury at the back of my right knee - hopefully an ice pack and rest should fix it ...
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