The 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge
Day 1 Daily Report from Brathay

Welcome to the Daily Report. A longish Day 1 report but afterwards they’ll be shorter. The 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge has officially begun, much to the satisfaction of the runners who have been preparing for this for months. Each report will provide a summary of the day’s activities, in particular, the latest from the marathons each day.   

At 10am on Friday morning (9th May 2008) the 11 runners headed off for the first of their ten marathons from outside the main Brathay Hall. With the spectacular vista of rolling fields and a glass-like Lake Windermere behind them, and with media in front, with the blast from the shotgun the Challengers – 3 women and 8 men – headed into the Lakes District countryside to run around Lake Windermere and back to Brathay Hall – running what is the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42.2 km).

They will do this nine more times, for a grand total of 262 miles over the ten days. The course runs from Brathay Hall just out of Ambleside, along old English roads, through the small village of Hawkshead and down to Newby Bridge. From there the course runs up the Lake to Windermere and then along the shore to Ambleside before returning back to Brathay Hall. It’s a beautiful scenic drive for tourists, with something to always look at. When you actually run the course you see so much more. By the end of 10 marathons each runner will be able to describe in intimate detail every corner, fork in the road, tourist spot, spectacular view and, most likely, the Hills.   

The Hills. If someone tells you that the Lake Windermere Marathon is run on a flat course they are obviously on another planet. For the most part, you are either going up a hill, going down a hill, seeing a hill looming up, or wondering how long before the next one arrives. Simply, it’s challenging course. Today the runners took on the hills, as well as the heat and humidity, with temperatures into the mid 20s.  

With the sun beating down it was a tough day today, but we all finished. A good day to get over with because we have been anxiously waiting to get going, as we all commented on the night before. It was with great relief that we finally started running. First to disappear in the distance was Steve Edwards; most of us saw him briefly in the first few hundred yards and then again at the finish line. Steve ran a time of 3:26, a great time given the heat. Steve, along with Jim Mundy, one of the other challengers, ran the very first 10 marathons in 10 days challenge last year. In second place was George Russell in 4:03, with Jim Mundy close behind in 4:09 and Phil Roberts in 4:16.

The real story though is not the times on this first day. The real story is that this is the beginning of 10 marathons in a row.  The main thing for each of us was to have a good first day – to get a feel for the course, to stay injury free, and to re-focus in light of the experience of this first 26.2.  There are nine more to go, and knocking ourselves around on the first day will not help in several days time. For these reasons we took a cautious approach to the day, running within ourselves knowing there are other days ahead that may require more to be given of us.   

The things we need to remember, over the next few days at least, is the heat – to drink frequently and be careful to not push ourselves unnecessarily. The hills are unrelenting and if we push hard on them in the early days it will likely affect our running and our times in the latter runs. Hydration is critical. We had 12 pre-arranged “Stations” for picking up fluids and food along the way. This was based on last year’s experience and confirmed by us driving around the course the day before the first day.   

Before and after the run we each had an opportunity to get some physiotherapy or massage from Amy and John of Active-Physio, who are here to offer such services every day. It’s a tremendous piece of support, as is the ongoing course and logistic support from Teresa Edwards, who, among other things, drives around the course ensuring that our fluid needs are met by dropping off each runners bottles in the relevant locations.

The other resource that we have already come to appreciate is the River nearby. The advice has been to sit in the river for 10-15 minutes as this will do wonders for our muscles. It really does, although the ducks and ducklings must wonder what we’re doing. As do the passersby, who often ask if we are either “alright” or what is it we are doing. Which usually gets a conversation going. Presumably people sitting in the River is not a typical scene here. Sitting in the river was also reinforced and emphasized at the Start line today by the legendary Fell Runner Joss Naylor. When Joss Naylor offers advice you listen.

There is a routine emerging. Breakfast, Massage, Run 26.2 miles, Sit in a River (for some of us), Massage, Late Lunch, Rest, Dinner, Get ready for the next day, Relax, Sleep. All along the way we are constantly drinking and eating. Replenishing as best we can, so we can be as ready as possible for the next day. The camaraderie is wonderful. We talk and laugh a lot. We are in this together, one common goal. We are off to a great start at the end of Day 1. Although we sleep with tired bodies tonight, the souls sleep well and the mental focus is attuned to the next day. Today has put the reality into the Challenge, and we are grateful for Day 1 to be over in such a positive way.  It will be hot again tomorrow, but we’ve learned much from today.   

  
Day 1 Finish Times

1. Steve Edwards – 3:26
2. George Russell – 4:03
3. Jim Mundy – 4:09
4. Phil Roberts – 4:16
5. Matthew Evans – 4:45
6. Ray O’Connor – 4:50
7. Malcolm Anderson – 4:50
8. Selina Da Silva – 5:24
9. Sue Adams – 5:32
10. Paul Adams – 5:33
11. Michelle Atkins – 5:59