The 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge
Day 7 Daily Report from Brathay
A day with plenty of drama. In true groundhog day tradition the sky was its brilliant blue and the sun bright and hot. A slower pace over the first few hundred yards from the start line could have suggested a growing list of injuries and runners preferring to take it easier, which is partly true, but as it turned out there were personal best times recorded today.
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The pace picked up after the quiet beginning and early on Ray O’Connor, Steve Edwards, Jim Mundy, Phil Roberts and George Russell were setting a rhythm that was to see some great finishing times. Ray established the lead very early on and never lost it. His entire race was strong and he came home first in a blistering pace that gave him a personal best time of 3:26. Not just a PB for the 10 in 10 challenge but a PB for all his 47 marathons. On this course that’s a great achievement. To do it after having run 6 marathons on the previous 6 days is remarkable. It may be the corn flakes finally kicking in, which is why some of us are considering a switch for Race # 8.
In second place was Steve Edwards with another great run, finishing four minutes behind Ray in 3:30. Steve has consistently been in the 3:30s with all 7 races now. George Russell showed his continued fine form once more being just 2 minutes behind Steve in his PB time for the 10 in 10 of 3:32. Agonisingly, Jim Mundy came in for his PB here in 4:00.05. Not too far behind was Phil Roberts, who incurred a knee injury part way through the race today, in 4:20. Matt, Malcolm and Michelle followed in next, all weary of injuries received on previous days, and recognising they should not be pushing it too hard at this point. Paul Adams finished a good day coming in at 5:46 while Selina, with energy waning on this particular day, eased home in 6:52, speculating at one point that if she could herd the sheep together they’d be quite comfortable to sleep on.
In summary, it was a day of personal bests interlaced with concerns over injuries. The River Spa did its magic again as did Amy and John. We can’t thank them enough for the work they do with our bodies, and John’s presence throughout the day as he continuously drives around the course has proved vital many times. The mood remains optimistic and upbeat, and the fact that we enjoy one another’s company makes a big difference in helping us get through a challenge such as this.
We weighed ourselves at the start of the day. With the exception of two of us, we all weigh the same as when we arrived. The other two runners have either put on or lost a few pounds.
With seven marathons now over it seems we are “almost there” – on the homeward stretch. Still, we have 3 more marathons to complete in 3 days, and anything can happen. Some injuries, we know, won’t go away and there are likely to be more that emerge. We may see further PBs in the days that remain. There will be more drama no doubt on Day 8.
Day 7 Finish Times
- Ray O’Connor – 3:26 (average time for 7 marathons 4:24)
- Steve Edwards – 3:30 (ave 3:33)
- George Russell – 3:32 (ave 4:08)
- Jim Mundy – 4:00 (ave 4:24)
- Phil Roberts – 4:20 (ave 4:18)
- Matthew Evans – 4:37 (ave 4:41)
- Malcolm Anderson – 5:09 (ave 5:03)
- Michelle Atkins – 5:45 (ave 5:50)
- Paul Adams – 5:46 (ave 5:54)
- Selina Da Silva – 6:52 (ave 6:03)
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