Thunder Run
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Official Results |
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Last year i ran
this 24 hour endurance event in a pair with my good friend Larrissa
Clarke, This year i decided to give it a miss....until i saw posts
about this years event appearing on my timeline - i had Thunder
Envy. It wasnt long before i found myself posting on the Thunder
Run Facebook page asking if anyone was short of a team member and
offering up my totally untrained legs. Soon i was contacted by a
lady from Sheffield called Mel, shes was happy for me to make up
her team of five mixed ability runners. Soon it was Friday and i
was making the 2.5 hour journey up to Derby in the Back at camp later
we made a loose plan of who ran when - with a view to being
flexible. My first run was at 2pm and this went off hitch free, i
recalled the course from the last two years and there were some fond
and not so fond memories i can tell you! The weather was glorious
and the With a four hour
break ahead of me i wandered around the site, had a beer and
chatted to friends old and new. Lap two was at 8pm and it was
beginning to turn dusky, i took my headtorch and ran again. My feet
took off at a good rate and almost 'remembered' the previous run, i
felt comfortable and finished in an ever faster time than
previously, strange as it seems. Lap 3 was planned around 2 am so i
tried to get some sleep but found myself chilly and ended up just
trying to relax. In hindsight i need a better sleeping bag and
maybe i should take some trackpants along - i only had shorts! .
The 2 am lap was quite alot more challenging, running on such
uneven ground in the dark really concentrates the mind! I tripped
and fell once but no damage sustained. This lap was a good ten
minutes slower. Its eerie arriving at the changeover point in the
dark and hearing the bleep of the timing mat and the runners
calling teammates names as they search for each other to hand
over the baton.. I tried again to retire to my tent but sleep was
not forthcoming. I lay there going over the course, wondering how
my team mates were doing and constantly checking the time. Soon
daylight appeared and the campsite began to come alive once more.
My final lap was at 6 am and strangely my legs felt fine, i ran
carefully and not too fast as there wasnt a hurry - wed calculated
we would finish almost exactly at noon. I think this was the most
enjoyable lap. I handed over to our super speedy team mate Helen
and went back to camp. After a shower and change of clothes i took
my tent down as rain was forecast. The last lap was run by our team
manager Mel, we all met her for the final run across the line in
the rain and then went and collected our medals.
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