Isle of Wight Challenge

Running 66 miles, it’s a long way…….it’s a flipping long way! It’s incomprehensible for 99.9% of the population. It’s no flat 66 miles either. It’s unrelenting undulation, on footpaths mostly. It’s hard. Very hard. But for our Ironman Nick Kenney, it was a challenge worth taking on, with Judy McCabe (quite unknowingly) taking on the ultra distance of 33 miles in the 1st half Challenge and Tanya Clifford opting for the full distance walk with partner Paul, both of whom had been putting in lots of practice miles on the run up to the event.

For Nick, one of the greatest obstacles already standing between him and the amazing feat he was about to take on, was the fact that he hadn’t even been able to run for two months before the event due to injury. An injury which had already resulted in him having to pull out of the Manchester Marathon at the beginning of April.

This Ultra test of endurance takes up to 2000 competitors around the coastal path of our beautiful Island. You can run, jog or walk, up and down some total 1747m (5731ft) of elevation, (just as a comparison for you Ben Nevis is 1345m). The course is divided into sections with a rest stop every 12.5km and major ones every 25km providing medical and welfare tents, catering services, seating areas for recovery, changing rooms and most importantly a friendly welcome. Each major stop taking competitors from one further most tip of our sunny diamond to the next.

Starting at Chale recreation ground, our superstars started out meaning business. Going in a clockwise direction the first section takes in the dramatic coastline along Compton, Freshwater and Tennyson to Nodewell Farm. It’s the hilliest section of the course with over 528m of elevation within the 13 mile distance but all of our competitors made it to the first major checkpoint. Waiting there for Nick was friend and training buddy Kev Winchcombe who would also go on to be there as support crew at every single checkpoint along the way.

Sadly for Tanya this would be the last checkpoint for her as she was suffering with terrible blisters that caused her to pull out of the challenge but despite her disappointment she still managed to cover an absolutely awesome 24 miles!

The next quarter of the route saw Nick and Judy work their way along the longest quarter from The Needles past Yarmouth Castle, Hampstead Farm, Cranmore, Shalfleet, Newtown, Porchfield, Parkhurst Forest and up the road to the IOW Showground. This checkpoint is the halfway marker and for our legend of a lady Judy it was mission accomplished. Despite being unaware that she was going to be running 33 miles until the day of the event, Judy finished in 9th position and amazingly as the second lady to finish the half distance.

It wasn’t quite mission accomplished for our Nick though. He had a little rest and was off on his way again with another 33 miles to go.

The 3rd leg saw the most tarmac, as Nick made his way to Newport along the cycle track, on to Fairlee Road up to Wootton and through to Ryde. Despite having now run over 40 miles and every step feeling harder than the last Nick was still going even though the pain had set in. Supported by so many people coming out to see him along the way, and of course Mr Winchcombe being there for him at every stop, his positive mental state was paying dividends despite the lack of training. Onward he went, concentrating on his every step until he made it to the 3/4 point at Culver Down where darkness and fatigue had now, well and truly set in. But was that going to stop him at this point?……….of course it wasn’t! He’d got this far, and despite knowing that virtually all of his club mates were in the pub celebrating James Shoulders 40th birthday, he soldiered on knowing that the reward for getting to the finish would absolutely be worth it.

The last few miles were testing, the hills of Blackgang are brutal at any time, but after such continued effort they are excruciating. But determined to hang on to the end and after being on his feet for an incredible near 20 hours he only went and bloody did it!

Safely home to a much needed welcome from Kev, Gill, Jane Andrew and her son in law Rich, Nick crossed the line in 20:31:59…………what a legend!

Later in a post on Facebook Nick said of his challenge ” Without doubt the hardest event I’ve ever done, and that includes two Ironmans. Probably not helped by not being able to run for two months”

He paid thanks to everyone who had been out and supported him en route and those who had also sent messages of congratulations, saying “Great to see so many people out and about on the course. And especially to Kev who was at every rest stop waiting for me and Gill, Jane and her son in law Rich who were waiting for me in the cold at 3am was incredible. Thank you so much!”