Where do I begin? A race tagged ‘Beautiful beyond belief. Savage beyond reason’ proved exactly as the name suggests. 90+ starters, with only 32 finishers, to be one of those 32-souls to cross the finish line after the most technical and mountainous 105-miles with 34,700+ ft elevation fills me with immense pride.
There were highs, there were lows, there were hallucinations… many hallucinations, but most importantly there was shared experience. Collective energy that drove me on.
I ran with a gentleman named Gareth from around 20-miles and later at the half way point joined by a top chap called Rob.
We fought hard, always with the same mindset… continuous forward motion, no matter what.
We helped one another during low points and never once did we even entertain the idea of dropping out.
Later on three became four as we were joined by the ever enthusiastic Martin with 15-miles or so to go.
I could talk about the incredible scenery, the technical terrain, or the heinous weather up high on the mountains during the first night. But ultimately what stands out above all else is the power of shared experience, and the strength of spirit when strangers join together and unite to overcome every obstacle imaginable to finish victorious. By the end I truly felt part of a brotherhood.
The spirit was always high, even when the energy felt low.
Thanks to the volunteers, you helped us far beyond restocking our nutrition and providing sarnies, soups and what not… although make no bones about it, cheese and pickle rolls are life.
Now to recover and reflect on quite simply the toughest but proudest couple of days of my life in the realm of ultra endurance endeavours.
An absolutely huge thanks to everyone for their generosity with the fundraising efforts for Samaritans for this challenge. To know this challenge was far bigger than myself gave me tremendous strength during the darkest of moments. So thank you!
At the time of writing we have surpassed our initial fundraising goal and sit at £1,430. The donation page (link below) will be open for another month or so if you would like to donate a pound or two. Thank you.
Fundraising link 👉 https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/UTS165
Steps 👣 + Smiles 🤗
Keep #Smilinggg 💛