Saturday 29 September 2012

Day Support Crew




Day Support Crew - Lyn's Story




Charlies Angels!

Having agreed to do the easier part of this mammoth trial i.e. Support crew with Emma and Karen- I decided some help was needed to keep the girls spirits up during their epic trail.   Having ascertained Sue, Sandra, Becky and Vicky’s ‘male’ preferences and searched the internet for suitable pinup material of Morten Harket, Will I Am,  Ben Fogle , Steve Backshall and  not forgetting  Bruce Forsyth! (just for Sue) -   fun pictures and daft hats were made in preparation.  The car was loaded up at Sue’s house so I had no idea until I opened the boot later that there was no room left!!   Too many cakes!
Having gone down on the Friday night to see the girls sign in and get tagged up, I was glad I wasn’t going to be sleeping in the tents over night!  The ‘Vale ventures’ were a bit wise here, having booked into the Premier Inn – Smart move.  We had Ghurkha pasta and mince Bolognese washed down with  a bottle of fizz for Sandra’s 40th After a walk up the hill with Sandra and Paul, as if she wasn’t going to walk enough in the next 24 hours!    , we were then treated to a Ghurkha military show after which I said goodbye to Sue, Sandra, Becky and Vicky, who were in high spirits even though a few nerves were jingling .   The next time I would see them all would be at check point 2
Emma taking shelter!
The weather didn’t look too bad as I set off to pick Emma up first, along with 3 more bags full of stuff to fit in the car.  Bad, bad and more bad weather had been forecast so along with team kit boxes X 4, food, cookers, first aid kit box, cake, chairs x 4, a gazebo, cake, brollies, spare walking boots, cake, plasters and I may have mentioned it already MORE CAKE!  we also had to fit in our own wet gear and spare clothes.   I then picked Karen up who was waiting with just one bag!  And no cake! =  result .  We squeezed her into the tiny space that was left as the back seat of my 4 x 4 Mitsubishi, not normally thought of as a small car and off we went.  
Check point 2 was just horrendous;   MUD that’s all I’m saying - we were in for a very mucky day!  The good ‘ol  Mitzi came into its own and whilst watching a lot of cars sliding past I was very glad that we had a 4 X 4.  We dutifully set up our gazebo, found the kit boxes from under the mountain of cake and awaited the girls.  They finally arrived in high spirits, no signs of flagging at this point, although their feet and boots had merged into one under the mud!    The rain suddenly decided to pour and After the first lot of Sandra’s presents – of which we had one for each check point we said farewell to them and Karen , who in her madness had decided to walk with them.     The devastation that was our   now rain soaked, muddy check point stared back us.  Emma and I gave each other a look of OMG how the hell is this lot going to fit back into the car!!  No one had eaten enough cake!!    After a hug of despair we went in a search of bacon sandwiches!    Sold out : ((
Checkpoint 2

We already knew at this point that check points 3 & 6 were closed, but now,  as a very soggy gazebo was shoved back into the car we were told that check point 4 was no longer accessible.   We managed to fit in a sneaky stop at the exit of check point 3 under the pretext of picking up Karen, who by this point had not only got a blister but also managed to lose the sole of her boot!    So with very  hastily, wet rolls made for the girls and quick attention to their feet we said our goodbyes again hoping they would keep each other going through to checkpoint 5,  which seemed miles and hours away ….
Lyn in the mud near CP5
With a car full of soggy wet coats, boots, clothes, a gazebo, chairs and food that we didn’t have a hope in hell of finding we went to the nearest pub for some much needed subsidence .    Whilst eating in a nice warm pub, which we had turn’t into widow Twanky’s laundry room, we realised we didn’t have a phone signal between us.  Whoops !  
By check point 5 the rain had just stopped long enough for us to set up the agreed 80’s Check point complete with a blow up Zimmer frame for Sandra 40th and comedy hats for all.   Although the tutu’s were abandoned - lost in the depths of what was once the large boot of my car and which was probably a good job as ‘sense of humour failure’ was not far away!  Me and Emma left Karen in charge of the pasta and slipped and sloshed through the mud to meet the girls.   I was anxious to see that they were ok by this point, as we saw a lot of people in pain hobbling past us  -  They looked remarkably well and still in fine spirits,  even Becky at this stage who despite a massive blister was still able to be talked out of quitting.   I feel we did manage to give them a decent check point here as this was our last sight of them now as we handed over to the night shift who was the dynamic Steve and Paul.   Who made amazing scones - thank you.    Having off loaded all the kit including some still remaining cake, we headed home, which by the miracle of Emma’s sat nav we got to about 11 o’clock.    After checking the laptop every time I woke up through the night it was brilliant to hear that 3 out of the 4 Vale Venturers made it all the way through the mud, rain and hell that was Trail Walker..    Well done  and thank you for letting me be a part of it.  So proud of you all xx

Wednesday 26 September 2012

The Big Day Part 3 - How the Captain Saw It...



This is Sue's story....

So Friday 13th July arrived – we were all set!! The morning was spent packing up the support vehicle and ensuring all of Sandra’s cake was onboard and all our kit boxes! As the day wore on my sense of responsibility was ensuring that I was fully aware that I got everyone into this and I had to ensure that the team & the support crew made it safely through the weekend. The weather forecast was mixed – we would see rain but how much was anyone’s guess. It was Sandra’s 40th birthday weekend, it was 1 week before Becky’s holiday and Vicky had to be at work on Monday night! If anything happened to any of the team it would be on my shoulders – I felt like we had covered every eventuality and anything else we would compromise with our truck load of kit. It was just a walk – keep calm and just walk became my mantra in my head!

Friday evening was great – meeting other teams, Gurkha pasta meal, sparkly for Sandra’s 40th toast and Gurkha dancing!!! Back at the Hotel, Sandra and I laid out our clothes ready for the morning…… I slept like a log until dawn, when a strange dream about Becky’s Crocs woke me in a cold sweat – My walking shoes were at home on top of the dryer after I waterproofed them! After 3 tries my Dad finally answered the phone at 4.55am and Sandra’s Husband whizzed them down to us by 6.15am! My dad had even labeled my shoes left and right for me! Then Sandra declared she couldn’t find her pants – what else had we forgotten!!

We got to the start line about 7.50, ready for the off at 8am. The Gurkhas and Team Jersey were all there ready to run the course despite all the warning of deep mud and 3 checkpoints closed! A Big Birthday cheer for Sandra’s 40th Birthday and off we set – Vale Venturers to the finish!

Stage 1 was good – fantastic pace – was 7 minutes ahead of my husbands team (1 and only time!!). The cyclists coming in the opposite direction showed us there was plenty of mud to come!! CP1 – quick refuel and off we went. Vicky applied her first compeed here so we knew Vicky was going to have a record number of Compeeds in 100km! Stage 2 – Beacon Hill – it is hard but we had done before so knew we could do it! CP2 was the first time we saw our support crew and it was great to see them! Cue rumble of thunder and the rain started! Sandra’s 40th Birthday cake – complete with Trailwalker course on – ruined! We had soup and headed off again with a member of our support  crew Karen! I felt very guilty leaving Emma & Lyn to clear up – we had rolled in and out and caused lots of mud!

Stage 3 – We had walked this stage before so knew it wasn’t too bad. It was during this stage we heard CP4 was now closed as well. So officially the next time we could meet our support crew was CP5 – 30km away! Normally this would be fine, but then rain & mud meant our boots and socks were sodden and therefore blisters would come….. Karen chatted away to each of us, lifting our spirits. About halfway through this stage Karen declared she had a blister! We administered Compeed and set off only for the sole of her boot to drop off in the squelchy mud!  We managed to get to our support crew on the side of a road
. Becky’s feet were really starting to rub and more Compeeds were given to both Becky & Vicky. We all changed socks, boots and grabbed food to eat on the trail.  Stage 4 was fine, very muddy and the rain came down! Just as we were approaching CP4, I was just thinking this is really sh1t and we’ve got another 20 hours of this! Then coming down the hill there was my best friend Ange & her 2 children!! Lots of hugs and nearly tears and again lovely to have someone smiling and chatty! Now Ryan & Emily are very accident prone – so inevitably they ended up covered in mud and had to go back in the car in their pants! CP4 was horrendous mud everywhere so we didn’t hang about!! I said goodbye to Ange and really did feel boosted by her support – coming out and standing in rain and mud just to cheer Vale Venturers on!!

Stage 5 we had walked just before Trailwalker, so we knew what was coming. Becky was really starting to suffer with her blisters and our team objective to finish as a 4 was slipping away. We all boosted her up and said lets just take it 10KM at a time. At CP5 there was our day & night support crew to cheer us in! It was such a relief – we were halfway and we finally got to have a proper stop! This was also the moment for the first comedy fall! Coming into to CP5 was a rather steep slope and Sandra did end up on her bum! At this point I decided to forget the clock as I couldn’t face being told we were behind our 30 hour schedule – we were actually still on for 24-25 hours, but timing was irrelevant we just had to finish! We had a great stop – we all got changed, fresh clothes, socks and more Compeed required. The Nurofen was being popped aplenty too! The support crew gave us a fantastic pasta meal as well as some presents and morale boosting treats! We said goodbye to our day crew – they had worked tirelessly in horrid conditions. This was when I really did start to feel emotional – hopefully we would see Lyn & Emma in a few hours at the finish….

Off we went again – we hadn’t done this stage but everything after CP6 we had! Becky’s feet were really hurting now as was her neck. Vicky’s feet were covered in Compeeds and plasters and Sandra & I were just plain tired! The darkness came and the line of headtorches really was amazing! We walked and walked and finally Becky declared enough was enough – CP6 was going to be her finish point. We all tried to convince her that we could rest, go slower, apply more Compeeds but Becky had had enough! The conditions were horrendous – the rain and mud just kept coming! CP6 was ridiculously muddy, Becky retired and more roadside support was given by our night crew! Vicky had more Compeeds put on and more sock changes. The night crew, Paul & Steve, were very brave men  and actually touched our feet and tendered to our whims!

Vale Venturers set out again as a 3. The first few minutes were strange as we adapted to being a 3 and trying to ensure we were all ok for the next 40km. We were all determined to finish – no matter what – so we steamed ahead! Sandra & I had walked through Upper Beading before so knew a bugger of a hill was coming! Vicky stormed up the hill while I struggled up the hill! The beacon of light that was Cp7 beamed high in the sky – but we knew it wasn’t a direct route! It was soul destroying for Vicky as it felt so near but never got closer! Finally we got onto the final ascent into CP7! I steamed up this hill – hot food ahead and the Gurkhas banging pots and water holders as we struggled up! Tears flowed as it was so emotional to get to this point, the well dones and occasion getting all too much! Off for hot food – Sandra & Vicky hoovered theirs up in no time – I however felt sick at the smell of it! I knew I had to eat so forced something down, but this was the start of 4 queasy hours! More compeed and socks – Vicky was now up to 10 Compeeds and her hips were hurting too! Stage 8 we knew was relatively short , but clearly Sandra was delirious when she declared the ground “a bit uneven!” It had been uneven, squelchy, skiddy all day & night!! We found the boys in the local golf club car park – hard standing area meant NO MUD!!! Porridge was forced down and I was very jealous of Vicky’s pancake!! This was a fantastic CP but it was before the official CP so our stage 9 was now even longer! We whizzed through CP8 with more tears as the cheering from the volunteers as the sun came up was a brilliant morale boost! Stage 9 went on and on and on and on and on and on! We all hit the wall, our pace slowed considerably and at times we just had to stop to eat, drink and rest! Vicky’s feet were shot to bits now and getting her to CP9 was our goal. We had walked this stage before, but it still seemed to go on forever! At the National Trust car park there was a guy cheering us on and clapping away – then we realized we had been walking with him earlier in the day. He had collapsed going into CP7 and told no more! The conditions were tough and we really did need to look after ourselves and each other if we were to get to the end. My queasiness was passing so I took on more food and the glucose tablets were handed round – none of us were collapsing on my watch! Steve & Paul had left Becky to make bacon sandwiches and had walked to meet us! We all clearly looked as bad as we felt as rucksacks were taken from us, chocolate stuffed down us and they got us to the CP by promising no more hills on this stretch – liars!! There was a steep(but short!) hill going into CP9 – it nearly finished us off but bacon sandwiches were waiting!

CP9 was just a great feeling – 10 little km to the end – yeah!! As we had taken so much time on stage 9, Emma & Lyn were no longer able to come to the finish which left us with logistical issues getting the team back to Ash Vale. At this point I really didn’t care as I just had to get Vale Venturers to the finish – so I left Becky to sort that one. Bacon Sandwiches and coffee were heaven sent and with now 11 Compeeds on each of Vicky’s feet we were all going to get to the finish! As I passed through the check-in tent at CP9 I met Paul Roberts (too many Pauls!) who I had met through a friend and we had been swapping Trailwalker tips over the last few months! More hugs – He said we were all looking quite perky – clearly the caffeine had kicked in!!

Steve joined us for the final 2 stages – lots of chatter and distraction form our aches and pains! The sun was finally shining and we were on the home straight! We marched through CP10 with Sandra administering 1st Aid to a guy who was contemplating dropping out at 95km – never!! We just kept on walking through mud, puddles – we didn’t care how wet our feet got now – we were nearly there!! Sandra’s husband Paul  D met us about 98km and then my husband Paul G at 99km!! Paul G had completed Trailwalker in 22 ½ hours, had a rest and curry and then come and met us! I was so pleased to see him, have a hug and the sense of achievement was starting to kick in!  We were so close to the end now! Becky joined us for the last 500m of the trail on the racecourse. The finish line was there with friends & family all waiting for us!  My friend Sian has dragged her family out for a day on Brighton beach – but only after she had cheered us home! It was the most amazing feeling to cross that line with Sandra & Vicky – we had done it 100km – BOOOMMM!!!

The last 12 months have been so much fun. The training, fundraising, planning and then the actual walk! I have made friends for life in my team mates and support crew. I had never done a challenge event before and really didn’t know if I could do it. However, with the support, friendship, generosity and goodwill of many of our friends, & families there was no way I was going to let you all down.

Sandra – I hope you’re 40th was memorable. Thank you for your enthusiasm, humour, contacts and support! You may have been the veteran on the team but you never waivered. Training walks were so much fun and I’m sure most of our injuries were caused by laughter!

Vicky -  What a trooper!! Your feet were a mess, we lost your sister (not literally!) and yet you never talked about stopping. You are very gutsy and I applaud your determination.

Becky – 60km, 40 miles!! It is still a long way! We tried to get you round – maybe next time!!!???!!! Thank you for all your commitment to training and fundraising as well as juggling work & family! We’ve had plenty of fun!

Emma, Lyn & Karen – Thank you for all your help, support and motivation during the last 12 months and a huge Thank you for your support crew duties. The weather worked against you all day, but you kept smiling and did everything we asked of you! There certainly wasn’t any sunbathing or time to read the papers!

Paul & Steve - Thank you for all your help, support and fundraising during the last 12 months and a huge Thank you for your support crew duties overnight. You touched our very rank feet, massaged sweaty necks & shoulders and put up with 4 women at their worst without complaint! The walks you did with us really lifted us and got us through.

 Would I do it again?  Absolutely!!!

Sunday 16 September 2012

The Big Day Part 2 - The Big Blister



The Big Blister - This is Becky's Story...

The weekend of TrailWalker had finally dawned.  All those hours of training and fundraising were all about to come to a head.  It was no longer months or weeks away…and I was slightly nervous to say the least.  The Monday before, I had been in a ringo on a school field day (an activity which had not been approved by our team leader, Sue) and pulled a muscle in my neck, also compressing some vertebrae.  Perhaps not the best thing to have done just before attempting a 100k walk!  I could not move my neck from side to side or up and down – but my legs were still working, fortunately! 
We all had a fun evening together before the walk and enjoyed the entertainment provided by the Ghurkas.  None of us could quite believe the officer who merrily stood up and told us that he had run the course the previous evening and it was a “bit” muddy underfoot.  How on earth could he RUN 100k and then be standing and walking normally that soon afterwards?!?
With rain forecast, I was very glad to be sleeping in a hotel the night before and not in a tent like my poor husband!  Goodbyes said, we headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest… and I managed to sleep for all of half an hour due to a very painful neck and nerves.  Needless to say, I did not wake up bright and breezy but did giggle when I found out that Sue had forgotten her boots!  The Ghurka breakfast also put a smile on our faces, especially the way that Sandra arranged hers!  Having waved off the men’s team, it was time to put our best feet forward and head off ourselves.  The atmosphere at the start line was brilliant and it was inspiring to see the Ghurka teams who would be running the course.  We were all decked up in full weather gear and they only had on singlets and shorts!  After singing a loud “Happy Birhtday” to Sandra, we were finally off, setting a good pace.
The first stage of the course passed relatively smoothly, despite some drizzle.  We were all in good spirits and I enjoyed hearing the chatter of other teams as we walked along.  Many people wished Sandra a Happy Birthday as they walked past, and we made it to Check Point One in very good time.  Check points two to four merge into a bit of a blur for me as the tracks underfoot got very muddy and the going was tough from quite an early stage.  The support crew were fantastic at the check points they could get to, and it was great to have Karen to join us for one stage.  I think my favourite part of the walk was getting in to checkpoint five to have warm soup and chocolate provided by Emma, Karen and Lyn.  The baseball caps with our “idols” hanging from them also gave us some light relief!
Going back to the mud and rain, I honestly think that this was my downfall.  Despite never having had a blister through training walks, I was the first to develop one on my left heel, only about ten km in.  I did dress it early on, and change socks too, but the conditions meant that clean socks were saturated shortly after changing them and boots were soaked through as well.  One of the checkpoints was more like a war zone than a welcoming sight, with mud up to our shins and nowhere dry to administer attention to our feet.  At around Check Point four, the blister turned from being a nagging pain to real agony with every step.  However, despite hearing that Rich had pulled out from his team due to severe blisters, I was determined to keep going as long as I could.   
 
At Check Point Five, I did nearly give up, but the team spirit and support crew kept me plodding (or hobbling on!).  However, halfway between CP 5 and 6, I knew that I could not continue any further and told the others in my team.  I could tell they were upset and they did try to keep me going, but I knew that that was my lot.  It was not a tough decision to make as I still feel that walking 60km in those conditions, having not slept the night before either, was an achievement.  I am also incredibly proud of the amount of money we managed to raise as a team, and the support that we gave each other.  Therefore, at CP6, I handed over my electronic tag and squeezed into the back of the support crew van, surrounded by delicious cakes and other paraphernalia!   

Steve and Paul had now taken over as crew, and they lovingly prepared pancakes for the others as they came through the Jack and Jill Windmills.  At CP9, Vicky really seemed to be struggling with blisters, but Steve and Paul had gone to walk with them, providing moral support, whilst I prepared tea and bacon sandwiches for all.  They had completed the longest stage of the course and there were now only 10km left.  The support crew headed down to Brighton, and, having been reunited with my husband, I walked the last kilometre back to join them as they crossed the finish line.  Admittedly, I was wearing Paul’s flip flops as I didn’t want to see my walking boots again for a long, long time.   

Even though I didn’t walk the full 100km with my team, I still feel a huge sense of pride for what we accomplished and am amazed and their willpower for powering on in such difficult conditions.  I am also very grateful to all the members of our support crew for keeping us going and to Steve and Paul for putting up with me for the final stages!  Sue was a fantastic team leader and was incredibly organised for both walks and fundraising.  Sandra certainly had a memorable 40th birthday and I couldn’t believe that my younger sister made it to work the very next day and completed a thirteen hour shift.  At one point, I really thought she would stop too, and am delighted she found the strength to continue.  As a team, we enjoyed several giggles together and never ran out of things to talk about, also managing to raise a huge amount for charity.

Saturday 15 September 2012

The Big Day Part One - The Veteran's Story

So here we are folks. It has taken a while for us to get our thoughts together after the event itself and we all had well-deserved breaks afterwards.


This is Sandra's story...

On the eve of the event we all found ourselves at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, electronically tagged, carbon and fizz fuelled and thoroughly entertained by the wonderful Gurkha bandsmen. The down side was the news that Checkpoints 4 and 6 were closed to support crews due to the muddy conditions! After a pep talk by the Commanding Officer who had run the course (allegedly) the night before we said goodbye to Lynda and Paul (our support crew team leaders) and headed for the Premier Inn for a decent night's sleep!

My 40th birthday dawned grey and gloomy and with the heart stopping declaration by Sue at 4.45am that she had "no shoes"! She meant "no shoes" too! None, nada, zilch.  So followed several attempts to rouse family and friends in Ash Vale to do a mercy mission and bring the shoes down before Sue's nightmare of starting in flip flops came true! Luckily Paul came to the rescue and disaster was averted! Sue also stole my pants but that's another story!!
Fresh faced and dry at the Start

After a Gurkha breakfast we were ready for the Start.  Becky had not slept well due to a neck injury but we were confident that the adrenalin and excitement would kick in and all would be well. The news that Checkpoint 3 was also closed was a blow but one that we could and would cope with. Thanks to Sue's illicit correspondence with Tom from Oxfam and to the massive "I am 40 Today" badge on my rucksack most of the other walkers were aware that I was a veteran!!! After the first tears of the day, with the Gurkhas piping us through the start line, we were on our way at last after all the months of training and preparation. The sense of camaraderie amongst all the walkers was amazing and lasted until the end.  After a thousand "Happy Birthdays" we arrived at Checkpoint 1 relatively unscathed.

A brief stop before tackling Beacon Hill ( the steepest b*gger on the trail) proved to be too brief as we almost immediately had to stop to tend to Becky's first blister. The hill was as bad as Sue and I remembered  but we made it to the top without incident.  As we approached Checkpoint 2 the heavens opened and we walked through pouring rain to meet the lovely Lyn, Emma and Karen who had given up their Saturday to tend to our every need.  Luckily they had soup, cake and birthday surprises for us.  We felt pretty rotten asking them for dry socks, plasters, water refills, etc.  Time was precious and there wasn't enough for the usual polite chitchat!
Vicky tries flying to the next checkpoint

Soon we were on our way again and four became five with Karen braving the elements to walk the next section with us.  We had trained on this bit so we were confident that it didn't hold any horrors...until Karen picked up a blister and then promptly lost the soul of her boot in one of the boggy puddles!!! Karen trooped on whilst we silently thanked the powers that be that it wasn't any of the "team" who had succumbed! Lyn had parked up in the road adjacent to the closed checkpoint so we grabbed a welcome cuppa from the Gurkhas and did some footcare roadside. The girls had made sarnies for the next stretch - right to checkpoint 5 and they headed for the nearest hostelry on the pretext of drying out some of our soaked "waterproofs" whilst having a well-deserved lunch.
Oh good...more rain coming in!

Section 4 is a bit of a blur, if I'm honest.  We had news that Becky's husband, Rich, had pulled out of his team at the next checkpoint.  The rain continued and our spirits dampened.  Close to the checkpoint we were heartened by the appearance of Sue's friend and her children who had come out especially to spur us on.  The checkpoint was like a scene from a First World War drama.  Farm buildings loomed in the murk whilst "survivors" of the first 40km huddled for shelter clutching tea and Compeeds.  Becky's feet were now becoming a problem and despite various protests she declined to treat them.  We soldiered on to the half way stage and it became more and more clear that we were unlikely to finish as a four.  As we got about a mile from the checkpoint Paul and Steve (our night support heroes) appeared to give us moral support.  They were sent to convince Becky that she could finish as we had all planned and that we would help her get through. After a comedy fall (mine of course!) we arrived in the mire of Checkpoint 5.  Cars were being pushed by Gurkhas and hauled out by tractors! Lyn's sturdy 4x4 sat oblivious next to the gazebo blaring out 80s music and full of more surprises (a zimmer frame for me!) and pasta for everyone.

Becky decided to continue so we said goodbye to the girls for the last time and headed out into the unknown territory of section 6 to Botolphs.  Again my recollections are a bit hazy.  The mud was relentless.  Boots, socks and legs were covered making each step harder than the last and it was difficult to stay upright. I know that Becky was unhappy and that it was almost inevitable that she wouldn't make it past the next checkpoint despite our encouragement and my protests that spending the night cooped up in a car with Paul and Steve would be a fate worse than the final stages of Trailwalker!! In the end self-preservation took over and I didn't feel I could use my energy on anything other than getting Vicky, Sue and me over the finishing line. So at CP6 we had to part company with Becky.  It was very distressing for all of us, particularly Vicky who was losing her sister and had very painful blisters. The boys played their part brilliantly and when they had exhausted all means of persuasion tended our disgusting feet without flinching, cutting the zinc oxide tape and applying Compeed like pros. Becky was installed in the car and we three set out again into the night....

The path along the river towards Upper Beeding was treacherous and it was a massive relief to feel tarmac under our feet as we reached the village.  Lots of support crews had pulled up here, giving their teams some respite from the mud.  It was the first real taste of civilisation we had had since we left the start line but soon we were ascending the steep, narrow path back onto the South Downs Way.  Sue and I struggled and had to take several breathers. Vicky had found a second wind and stomped up to the top.  We all took glucose tablets when we finally made it and headed for the hot food and bright lights of Devil's Dyke which we could see for miles but never seemed to get closer. This is where the swearing started and I think I may have broken out the "c" word. Vicky's normally polite self was also taken over by a dirty mouthed stranger as the pain and fatigue set in.  I will never forget the final climb into the checkpoint with the Oxfam volunteers and Gurkhas banging their cooking pots in welcome as we struggled in.  The boys tried valiantly to make us force down the pasta meal provided but it was 2am and all we wanted to do was curl up and sleep.  We had hoped to be able to relax here and our schedule had allowed us half an hour but in the end we were there for much longer - changing socks, dressing blisters and taking painkillers.

Onwards and downward, briefly, before tackling New Timber Hill - a slog in the best conditions. Despite it being very "uneven" - a comment I am not likely to forget we managed to make it and look back on the trail of headtorches following us.  A bit more civilisation crossing  a dual carriageway and passing through the village of Pyecombe with all its residents tucked safely up in bed! The boys had done good this time and had set up with a few other support crews at Pyecombe Golf Club.  We were able to sit down out of the mud and the boys rustled up a pancake for Vicky and porridge for Sue and I whilst also tending to our poor, mangled feet.  If there is a world record for the number of Compeeds on one foot Vicky might have broken it with her outstanding 11!!!!! Our spirits were somewhat lifted but the next section was the longest and we weren't at checkpoint 8 yet! The sun was starting to rise and the volunteers at the checkpoint greeted us warmly.  The massage tent was tempting but if we laid down we might never get up again so we ploughed on!

The sunrise was soon overwhelmed with cloud and a shower or two!! The slog to checkpoint 9 was never ending.  We were all feeling the pain and fatigue now and not to mention the need to pee every ten minutes!!!  We made it to the Gallops eventually and Paul and Steve came into view having left Becky in charge of our breakfast. They had been confident that we would be almost at Checkpoint 9 by now but the conditions had got the better of us and our pace had slowed considerably.  With the boys to spur us on we made it to the 90km mark.  There were lots of tears - so near and yet so far.  The bacon butties and cups of tea provided the fuel we needed for the last stretch and Steve gallantly agreed to walk to the end with us.

Hurray -the sun finally appeared after 25 hours in hiding and we set off with renewed vigour up the last steep hill and through stunning cornfields dotted with poppies.  The crying this time came from Steve's story about running in wet swimming trunks (ouch) and certainly took our minds off our own chafing!!! We were welcomed to checkpoint 10 by the lovely Gurkhas and helped a man who looked like he wasn't going to make it to the finish with the trusty freeze spray. No one was getting this far and giving up!! The last stretch seemed a breeze in comparison to what he had been through. We sloshed through the puddles knowing that the end was in sight.  Paul walked up from the finish to meet us as did Sue's Paul who had already walked 62.5 miles with his team.
Nearly there!!


The Finish line came into view and Becky managed to walk the final 1km with us.  As my children and nephews ran out of the crowd to hug me I realised the enormity of what we had achieved and sobbed like a baby.  We had walked 100km in the worst conditions the event has ever seen and we raised over £6000.  We had been through all kinds of  physical and mental challenges and we had done it!!!

 The sense of achievement is amazing but we couldn't accomplished it without our wonderful families and friends who supported us through all the months of training and fundraising, not to mention the event itself.  Special thanks to Paul, Steve, Lyn, Emma and Karen who gave up their weekend to stand around in the mud and rain, touch our feet and sort our dirty clothes! Thank you to all of you!