Thetford Forest, the largest manmade forest in the U.K. Straddling 2 counties and some 18 730 hectares of land. A patchwork of pine, heathland and broadleaves.
This leafy enclave was the setting for The Monster Ambit, a 24 hour test of will, of endurance and of stamina. Dan Williams and Ian Russell our 2 Duracell Distance Dynamos took on this huge feat in an attempt to surpass their existing distance pbs.
It may not have felt quite so hot here on our little diamond isle last weekend, but add in the sort of airless humidity that a forest creates on a sunny day, and the air temperature in the forest was around 27c…… race started at noon…. ouch.
Despite this, our dashing duo set out on the 10k looped course on the challenge of a lifetime. Taking the course by the scruff of the neck and completing their first marathon distances with ease.
However as the miles ticked by and the air got ever hotter the two began to suffer in the heat
“It was so hot and we went off too quick. After 31miles the terrain started to take it’s toll. It was flat but stones paths and tree roots were a pain.The heat killed me” said Ian, who only completed his epic 66 mile Isle of Wight Challenge a few weeks previously.
“The heat was oppressive. My 1st marathon was done in 4:12 and was on target. 50km was fine too, but I was suffering from the heat by now. My first extended aid break of 30mins at the 40mile mark was very much needed” said Dan
Onward they went, willing the temperatures to drop, but only down to 17c overnight and not a breathe of air between the trees. The heat had done its damage and the pair struggled through the night. Dan suffered tummy cramps and dizziness, even taking to laying on the side on the course every so often.
“At 2am I was told I was in 4th position, this really picked me up as I really wanted to quit” said Dan “I ran another lap and then had a 30 minute break. We had been going for 14 hours at this point”
Ian ran/walked his night laps before he finally conceded and had a quick sleep in the car, but it wasn’t long before the sun came came up and our plucky pair, suffering sore feet, chaffing and exhaustion continued on putting more miles behind them. At 6.30am Dan had 3 more to go to complete his century.
“My breaks were just 2mins at end of laps now. I was really suffering and couldnt run! But I knew I needed to grind out 20miles in pain in just under 5.5hrs for the 100miles in the time I wanted”
Ian made it to a whooping 15 laps by 9am and decided to call it a day. He was more than happy with his efforts. After all he just exceeded his distance pb so that it now stands at a whopping 75 miles.
“I wasn’t planning on running a 100miles, I knew I wasn’t ready yet and I’d been ill the week before but what really stopped me was chaffing! It was agony! I did learn a lot and I’m planning my 1st 100miles end of year with good training”
Dan battled on moving ever forward, more and more exhausted. At last his final lap over the hard packed flint track commenced and he broke into a smile as he knew his goal was still within his grasp, but he had to keep moving as time was tight.
But he held on and completed the full 17 laps of the course, securing himself a fantastic 3rd place overall and dipped just under his target time and crossed the line in 23 hours and 57 minutes.
“It was the the toughest thing ive done, not through the lack of sleep etc, but having to grind out mile after mile when feeling weak, rough and in pain. It was a totally different animal to a 12hr race. In a weird way i enjoyed it, it was a crazy battle at times!”
A phenomenal achievement from both of these mileage moguls. And Yes!! Of course they are already planning their next amazing journey.
