The Holly Challenge marathon 2012

This is one of those events which I was lucky enough to have been invited to by my fellow running friend Denzil Martin.
So what's the challenge element I hear you all ask, Well it's 26.2 miles offroad & it's undulating , ( I think that sums it up) & throw in lots of mud & the fact u have to run the same course 31 times then a little bit at the end. There u have it the Holly Challenge.
Saturday 16th June 2012 I will remember this date as I think it's one of the only marathons I have ever done on a Saturday, off we set to Sunny Telford ( no that should read cold & wet Telford) to find the race , after a slight problem finding it we eventually found the start down a lovely lane in the middle of a nature reserve.
I was liking the look of the course straight away as I always seem to run better on undulating courses :)
We were set of at 11.am & straight away Charlie Sharpe went into the lead , a place he stayed for the whole race & he finished in 3.34.
When I mentioned earlier that the course was undulating I wasn't lying, 1st lap u went down a little hill then up a longish steady climb, then down again, & then up again u can see how this went on, I honestly don't recall any flat bits at all :)
I was very lucky to have my mom & dad at the event as my hubby was working in Denmark, and they made for a great support team, passing me drinks & sweets when I needed them.
I was passed quite early on by the leading lady who was running very strong!! I continued on & kept plugging the laps out & me been me chatting to fellow runners as I passed/lapped them ( thank you to all the runners who spoke to me as I passed) especially the chap who kept calling me speedy Gonzales . You all did really well on a demanding course.
I finished in 2nd position in the ladies & I was really pleased with my performance as I was catching the leading lady with every lap ( if only it had been a ultra lol)
My time was 3.57 pleased to get under 4 on such a tough course & more importantly I felt fine & could of continued, which was my main aim of me doing this race, for some good training for the 24hour Thunder run at the end of July & the good news is it also gave me chance to test my Team buff kit out, which of course was very comfortable!! My new Hoka shoes were awesome & I am really pleased to have spent the money on them now!!
A big well done to Sarah Turner & Karl Randall who both got injured quite early in the race but grit & determination got them both to the finish.
Last but not least a massive thank you to Denzil & Lucy & of course my new best friend Meg the marathon running springer spaniel for organising a lovely event & we will be back maybe in December ;)

The 2012 Buff Lightning run

The buff lightning run,
Saturday me & my dad were dropped of at eastnor (malvern) to pitch our tent ready for the following days 12hour Buff lightning run,
You would not believe how much stuff u can fit in a small car & we were only going to be there for a weekend!!!
Tent up,kit sorted and a lovely gentle run around the course with my Dad & our welsh buddy Carl Maus , to check out what we had let ourselves in for!
A lovely course with a great first 2k straight up hill ( good job i like hills) & mostly off road.
I was really looking forward to this event & this course looked like it would suit me down to the ground.
Bring it on!!

Sunday 25th March,
Race day.
Alarm clocks were set for a 4 a.m start to give me & my dad time to have some porridge before the race briefing at 5.30.
Kit on, food eaten , table set out , trackside for quick food & drink retrieval !
The race started At 6.am in pitch darkness , so we all needed our headtorches on for the 1st lap.
& we were off , i had decided to run the 1st few laps with my music on to concentrate & not got to fast, this worked perfectly and i got into a nice steady rythmn, which i kept going,
5 hours into the race & my support team turned up.
Unless you run a ultra u really dont realise how important support crews are, mine once again were superb, passing me sweets, drinks, my hat when it went really hot & they also kept me informed on how the other women were getting on.
They also give u a kick up the arse when u are knackered & i rememember my hubby Ben & sis Rosie telling me after my 9th lap to go on u still have time to reach your goal and get 10 laps in !! The exact words from Rosie were grab your hat and do another lap!!
At this point in the race i was 2nd female , not knowing how far the 1st female was in front i was determined to keep my 2nd place as i knew the 3rd place female was a strong runner(louise Clements),
So off i set , at this point there were not many runners left on the course, so i went for it ( well as much as anybody can after 50+ miles) & i didnt feel to bad ,determined not to be caught by Louise,
Its amazing how adrenline kicks in and after about 8 & 1/2 k of the last lap i looked in front and in the distance i good see a female who i reconised from her pink nike trainers & i knew i could catch her the runner was Brigid Browne who was in 1st place & she was walking , i really dont think she realised it was me when i past her , but i wasnt stopping & went for it , with shouts from my hubby , dad , sis , i knew i had won & i was loving every last step.
So i thank once again my amazing family for been the best support crew & my dad for been the best training partner & getting up at all hours for our training & not forgeting my mom for her famous secret recipe flapjacks which kept me & my dad going :)
my dad also had a great race & completed 7 laps .
The race was sponsored by Buff www.buffwear.co.uk & the prizes were brilliant , this was a great organised race by Patrick & his team ( the guys behind the 24hr Thunder run) & i would recomend this race to everyone.