A weekend holiday to Dover and the (surprisingly sunny) Samphire Hoe, for the SVN Hootifuls 100 event. This was a 36 hour event, where you could run as far as you liked to within that time, up to 200km. It was a HOOT!
I'd been looking forward to this event, and I really wanted to do 100 miles, or even try for 200km which I've never done before. But then got Covid for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it really knocked me back more than I thought it would, and I wasn't sure if I could/should do a long event so soon after. But I figured, it was a super flexible event, so I could start and see how I felt, be careful, and do what I could, although I needed to do at least a marathon, so as to stay on track for my 300th in a few weeks time. I was full of angst about the whole thing.
Although abandoned by Sarah and Andrew (as if you'd rather go on holiday than spend a weekend at Samphire Hoe), Jon and I braved it alone, and left to our own devices fuelled up at the Dover Nando's the evening before, and tried to take photos of the full moon.
Thanks for the lift to Samphire in the morning, Jon!
The event was made of two different routes. The day time was 15 km laps around Samphire Hoe then up the tunnel and along the cliffs (my favourite part), then once it got dark the laps switched to 5km laps, all inside Samphire Hoe.
The weather was unusually spectacular for Samphire! I even got sunburnt. Imagine! Beautiful bright blue skies and sunshine in the day, and nice and mild with a cool breeze overnight. For once, I can't think of anything to complain about at all about the weather. Other than I suppose it was really too hot in the day time, which is not something I ever thought I would say about Samphire Hoe.
I ran about the first 60 miles with Gavin and Dominique, and then another 20 with Gavin. It was such good fun, running along in the sunshine, having random ultra chats, lots of laughs, and the hours ticked along quickly. Much time was spent discussing: food, our favourite ultra foods, what we would have if we could only have one meal for evermore, if crumble can be the best dessert as it doesn't contain chocolate (I voted yes, for the record), our favourite race, tartan tutus, wedding venues, why we each started running, markers along the course (including the dirt piles - IT'S A LANDMARK!), our night time routines to prepare for glamourous nights of running (just because you're running doesn't mean your standards should slip), and the tropical looking nature of Samphire on this day.
Thank you, Gav and Dom, for the fabulous company and also taking my mind completely off what we were doing - this really helped me so much! I stopped worrying and started enjoying it, thanks to you. We also saw Baywatch up on the cliff path, who is looking fabulous, and like he's had a recent haircut.
And we also saw an adder! Moments from peril!
The sheep and cows were also out enjoying the sunshine.
And the sunset was beautiful.
I am struggling lately with the night time sections of hundred milers, and getting really nauseous in the early hours of the morning, lasting until the sun rises. I had also been feeling sick the whole evening, I think from the heat and being off foods a bit in the day, and also my weird food/ nausea/ sneeze cycle had a flare up (every time I sneeze I feel sick, and often when I eat it makes me sneeze - weird, but a fact). So for 10 miles anything I ate (even a tiny salt tablet) set this off, which was so annoying! Eventually it all seemed to settle down. All I could eat from the evening time was crisps and Percy Pigs...so that was that, and that's what I did. I kept my hydration and electrolytes on track, and my wee was a lovely pale colour throughout. I never would have thought this would be a fact to be excited by, but literally, at 4am in the luxury loos, I actually could not have been more proud of myself.
The night seemed to be very very long, and the bright full moon seemed suspended and still in the sky, and not making much progress over it. I love on long ultras that you start in the morning, see the whole day, watch the sunset, the moon glide across the sky, and the sun rise again. It's so magical. I loved running in the dark, listening to the water and the waves. My sister messaged me in the night, and told me that the Full Moon was in Aries, so it was an extra special night for both of us. Just before dawn, I also saw a shooting star! My first! It was beautiful with a green tail, and was there only for a few seconds. I had been feeling more positive as the miles went by that maybe I could do 200km, and when I saw the star, I knew that I could do it.
And as the sun came up, the nausea buggered off as if on cue, to be replaced immediately by my feet starting to hurt horribly. I changed into a new pair of socks and Hokas, and the relief was just immense - a mid-ultra equivalent of a foot spa.
I had a moment of confusion in the early morning where my watch and my phone both randomly switched over into French time. This would have been confusing anyway, but having done more than 100 miles by now and missed a night's sleep, I literally had no clue what had happened.
I finished just before lunch (always a good time to finish anything), and did my furthest distance ever- 200 km in 27:41, which was made up of 5 x 15 km laps up on the cliffs, and 25 x 5 km laps down in Samphire Hoe. I never ever ever thought that I would be able to do that, and I am so happy! It was really hard, but I also loved it!
Thank you so much to everyone who was out on course. It was such a lovely bunch of people, all encouraging each other, and buoying each other along, it was just fantastic to be a part of. Huge well done to everyone on each of your individual and epic performances!
Thank you so much Rachel and Tills and Team SVN and marshals for looking after us all, and for the most magical of events! And for my new 1500 mile SVN number! And for the nicest cup of tea (Two sugars! Thanks Karen!) and cup-a-soup (Rachel!) afterwards!
And thank you Rob for making sure I was OK afterwards, and the taxi to Dover!
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