Not one to follow the rules, Marathon supremeo Steve Hickman began his tapering for next weekend’s Brighton marathon by running this 44 mile ultra.
Self navigating, the course follows the River Test from Combe Gibbet in Berkshire via trails and footpaths through Hurstbourne Tarrent, Longparish, Chilbolton and Mottisfont before reaching the finish at Totton.
Unfortunately the recent wet weather made the already challenging course all the more difficult with mile upon mile of thick mud.
“The first 30 miles were hilly, but lovely trails” Steve tells me “then the mud started!”
Our Steve is no stranger to running in mud, in fact he quite likes it! But it was so bad that he swore that he will not return to this event… and he never says that!
“It was miles on end of ankle deep boggy and smelly mud. My legs were already tired and I lost the will to live at times”
But he dug deep and got his head down and got the job done.
44 miles – 10.05.44
