Nestled between Wareham, Corfe Castle and the Purbecks is Burnbake Campsite. A secluded haven adjoining the beautiful area of Rempstone Heath and the host for a weekend of racing.
With a marathon, a half and a 12 hour Frolic on offer, organisers White Star Running promise a flattish course. Flat? White Star? Yes you did hear those 2 phrases in the same sentence! Normally unmerciful in their elevation, White Star races are not for the faint hearted. Not the case here though, as planate woodland track, bridle paths and open fields constituted the course.
Distance was the name of the game for 2 Roadrunners as they endeavoured to run further than they ever had before, to test themselves, to see just how far they could go in the 12 hour Frolic event.
For those not familiar with the term Frolic… it’s an event run over a set period of time and around a lapped course. Participants run as many or as few laps over the timeframe as they can or indeed want to.
Daring duo Tarnia Eldridge and George Butler lined up for the freezing early 7.30am start, not really knowing how many miles lay ahead of them.
“I had cramp before I even started” said George
Not the best start, especially as George has been plagued by this condition. But plenty of electrolyte and salt tablets solved the problem.
“I managed to keep it at bay for the entire race!”
Good news George! And off they went….taking each 4.4 mile lap at a time
“Lap 1 was freezing!” Said Tarnia “I had to run it by lap and not look at the miles clocking up on my watch or I would have panicked!”
“The laps actually went by really quickly” said George
“We just messed about to take our mind off our tiredness… we laughed all the way round” said T
6 laps went by… marathon distance…. done!
Our plucky pair didn’t stop there. They embarked into unknown territory as the 7th and 8th laps ticked by.
“I didn’t want to get to the stage where we were walking the laps. So at the end of the 8th lap (that’s a mere 35 miles peeps!), we decided we’d do one more and call it a day. That would take us to 40 miles. It was the hardest 4 and a half miles I’ve ever run. But the Marshalls were amazing and really encouraged us” said Tarnia
“We really had to work together to get each other to the finish. I can honestly say I’ve never felt so proud” said George
And proud they should be! Two brand new ultra runners emerged victorious across the line.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m very proud and it was an experience that I’ll never forget” said Tarnia
Despite finishing their quest with 4 hours to spare, our tenacious twosome still finished in 11th and 12th place overall and both took 1st in their age categories.
Great running guys
T.Eldridge – 7.56.36
G.Butler – 7.56.38
