What I learnt running 100km non-stop along Britain’s oldest road
In July 2019 I ran the Race to the Stones, a 100km ultramarathon along the Ridgeway, non-stop in a single day — and raised over £12,000 for the Royal Berkshire Charity. This is the story of that day, and the year of training that got me to the start line.
100km
Run non-stop
11:26
Finish time
105K+
Steps in a day
£12k+
Raised for charity
Two weeks on, and still buzzing
Two weeks have now passed since the epic Race to the Stones 100km ultramarathon, and I have had time to sit and reflect on the past year or so, since I decided to step well out of my comfort zone and challenge myself by entering this slightly crazy event.
Firstly, I am still full of emotion thanks to the overwhelming wave of support behind my quest to raise money for the Royal Berkshire Charity (COAT fund). Friends, family, colleagues, patients and their families have all been so generous in their sponsorship that I knew I absolutely had to nail this challenge and not let any of them down. My JustGiving page went a little nuts and pushed past £10,000, doubling my original target, before climbing beyond £12,000 in total.
Special thanks go to my good friend Fiona Raybold, who put on an incredible summer BBQ and party for her friends and neighbours and raised a staggering £3,000 towards the fund on her own.
Overcoming injury
"It was time to get fit, but my training was hampered ironically by a niggling left knee injury that wouldn't settle. After 4 months of attempted non-operative treatments, I went under the knife on New Year's Eve 2018. Richard Dodds, my senior colleague at RBH, performed a keyhole arthroscopy and trimmed back a tear of flipped meniscal cartilage. The operation was a real success (phew!) and within a week I was back operating on my own patients. Within 2 weeks I had my trainers back on and the hard work started building up to the Race to the Stones 100km Ultramarathon in the summer."
"Setting a goal, however big or small, focuses you completely on the task in hand."
The week before
Taper, carbs and a little publicity
The week before the race was a training taper, so I ran only a few short, easy runs. Bizarrely it felt quite odd not to be running regularly, which told me my body had become properly conditioned to it. From Tuesday evening onwards it was a big carbo load, loads of pasta every night, and I tried to stay as hydrated as possible.
I must thank Barry Keane from Meglio (a local Reading company that makes and supplies fitness and rehabilitation equipment) who invited me to be one of their athlete ambassadors. Knowing I might be on the move for the best part of a day, getting hold of really high quality kit so I would be as comfortable as possible was a genuine privilege.
A media release from the comms team at RBH caught the interest of BBC Radio Berkshire, and I was delighted to do a phone interview with Phil Kennedy on his Thursday drive time show, explaining the reasons behind the challenge and promoting the JustGiving page. It was really well received. Massive thanks too to Emma at the RBH and to our CEO Steve McManus, whose support throughout was incredible.
Hobbit toes and a midnight buzz
On the Thursday I prepped all my kit and double checked it. The last job before bed on the Friday was to tape my toes, where my day job dressing toes post-operatively definitely came in handy. As expected I was buzzing on the Friday night and, despite an early night, did not drift off until well after midnight.
Race day
Saturday 13th July 2019
I set my alarm for 5.30am and crept downstairs to avoid waking the boys. Nutrition is one of the key components of any long distance running, so I had thought hard about the day and started off with a big bowl of porridge. Steve, our close friend and support crew member number one, arrived to pick me up and we set off towards Watlington for the start.
It was a cracking day and the excited pre-start buzz was obvious as soon as we parked up and made our way to the pen. I was in Wave A with around 200 eager runners. Steve had brought his SLR camera, hence the fantastic photos through the day. We set off at 7.30am from the farm, joined the Ridgeway and headed in a south-westerly direction.
A little history
The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway National Trail is a walking route through a surprisingly remote part of southern central England, travelling north-easterly for 87 miles (139km) from its start in the World Heritage Site of Avebury. As Britain's oldest road, it still follows the same high ground used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers.
For at least 5,000 years, drovers, traders and invaders have walked or ridden it. We, on the other hand, were going to run it backwards, and only 100km of it. There is a trail running challenge every year along the whole 139km route, the record being an impressive 12 hrs 7 mins.
100 kilometres, told in milestones
As expected, my excitability meant I probably started a touch too quick and had to be calmed down by Steve at our first meet up, just past Huntercombe golf club. From there it became a story of holding it together, milestone by milestone.
42 km · first marathon
A boost at Goring
4 hrs 7 mins in. Quick going, but on the easier and flatter first section. Seeing the kids at Goring was a massive psychological lift and made me run a little faster.
Halfway · East Hendred
A ten minute stop, high on the Ridgeway
I kept upright and ate as much precooked pasta as I could manage before pressing on.
67 km · the wall
A jam sandwich saves the day
My pace dropped and I came pretty close to that dreaded feeling of hitting the wall. Luckily Lauren made me eat a jam sandwich at the next pit stop. It went down far better, I felt re-energised, and got back into a decent rhythm. The collapsible lightweight running poles I had bought only a few weeks earlier were a godsend on the steeper inclines.
84 km · double marathon
Breaking the rest into bite-sized runs
Passing the 84km mark, a double marathon, felt pretty cool. In my head I broke the remainder into two easy 8km runs, the sort of distance I would smash out in training. Suddenly the end was getting closer and my pace quickened again.
100 km · the finish
Race to the Stones
The chief marshal had explained that reaching the famous Avebury Stone Circle still left a further 2km to run. Lauren had organised my three boys and their cousin to run that last stretch with me, so the moment I saw them I knew I had done it. The final 500m was a lovely slope down into the farm and I even managed what felt like a sprint across the line.
"Truly amazing to finish. I was absolutely chuffed with 11 hrs 26 mins, a Strava moving time of 10 hrs 40 mins, and a brand new steps-in-a-day record of 105,666."
The support crew
I must thank Steve and Kim, my sister Viv, our kids and lastly my wife Lauren, who looked after me throughout the day. In the second half, Steve and Lauren both ran sections alongside me to keep me plodding along and made sure I was topped up with fluids and as much solid food as I could stomach. It is incredible how quickly you burn through your energy supplies.
Why I run
From a midlife wobble to 100km
Just over two years ago I passed a significant birthday and had a bit of a typical midlife fitness crisis. Crazy busy with work and home life, the only time I found for exercise was the odd jog in the summer holidays, before hanging up my trainers until the next one.
Returning from a family holiday in Wales in 2017, I made a conscious, determined effort to keep my running going. I started running to work, or at least splitting my commute into a short drive, a park up, and a run across town past all the traffic. It did not take long for me to see the light. The personal benefits of regular running, not 100km but any regular short distances, have been incredible.
I have steadily lost my excess tummy, over a stone and a half in 20 months.
No more sitting in traffic, as I happily trot past all the stationary cars stuck on the IDR.
I get to think through the day and de-stress before the challenge of getting three boys bathed, teeth brushed, stories read and into bed.
It gave me the confidence to enter the famous Reading Half Marathon, find my competitive edge again, and somehow beat Lauren.
Occasionally I get to train with Lauren, who is also a consultant at the Royal Berkshire. We have even run to work together in the snow.
I feel like a positive role model to my boys, staying active and healthy.
It got me fit enough to conquer the Three Peaks Challenge and then this 100km ultra, raising over £12,000 for the Royal Berkshire Charity.
My life expectancy has almost certainly increased.
My bone and joint health is improved, which the orthopaedic surgeon in me rather likes.
My psychological state is far more positive.
One of the great days
The day after the race, by a stroke of luck, I had chosen the perfect day to rest on the sofa, with the Cricket World Cup and the Wimbledon finals to watch. It was difficult knowing which to concentrate on, as both were thrilling. A fitting way to recover after a very long day on my feet.
Reading this back now, some seven years on, the Race to the Stones remains one of the best things I have ever done. It is a reminder that a single goal, a lot of training, and a huge amount of support from family and friends can carry you a remarkably long way. Quite literally.
It always starts with one short run
Whether it is a 100km ultra or a gentle jog round the block, the hardest step is the first one out of the door. If a knee injury is holding you back, that is exactly what I help my patients with.