The highest fundraiser this year will also receive a Satmap Active 10 GPS unit worth £300 so there is even more reason to set up a fundraising page or hand out some sponsorship forms. The winner will need to show evidence of their fundraising and will be sent the prize and trophy about a month after the event.

Download the Macmillan sponsorship form

The Centurion Thames Path 100

My preparation had been short but reasonably successful. March 3rd was the day I was going to find out whether I could run 100 miles with only 7 weeks preparation. Those 7 weeks included time to taper so it was always going to be a big ask!

Having taken part in many Ironman races before I know that it is easy to set off on a mental back foot when you see super fit athletes walking around town the evening before an event. Why they have to wear their tri-gear for dinner I will never know! But on entering the registration room in Richmond town hall things were slightly different and that wasn’t purely down to the temperature. Runners sat around the edge of the hall, some in an almost meditative state, saving their energy for what was to come.

I was shaking with cold before the start at 10am but I was looking forward to what was to come. I had a plan. I didn’t know if it was a good one, but it was a plan none-the-less. I would run slowly for 40 minutes and then walk for 5, eating in my walking periods. Then repeat knowing that over time the 5 minutes breaks would extend and the 40 minutes of running would decrease. I chatted to a few people on the way round finding out what their plan was. Some were doing 55 minutes/ 5 minutes others running 100 metres and then taking a few walking strides. I would never get a chance to chat to the winners, perhaps they don’t bother with the rest periods.

The first 28 miles of the course brought back many memories having lived along the route for most of my life. Richmond – sledging down the hill with my Dad and brother. Kingston – my marathon PB of 2.58.28 involved running three laps from Hampton Court to Kingston Bridge. I knew it well and had run that section of tow path hundreds of times. Walton – the turn around point for my long runs; Chertsey to Windsor – marathon preparation for London 2005.

At around 22 miles I started talking to a runner by the name of Jay. It was his first 100 but unlike me he had done a couple of 50+ races in preparation including the London to Brighton and the Thames Trot. We were both running at the same speed so ran together for the next 8 or 9 hours. We reached Henley (51 miles) in good time and enjoyed hot soup and a hot dog. I also treated myself to my first cup of tea in 15 months, now was the time for hot caffeine. We’d left Henley by 8pm and I was concerned that I had started too quickly. I was over an hour ahead of schedule and we were well on track to run a sub-24 hour 100. That would have been the icing on the cake, but my main goal was just to finish. I was already thinking by that point that I could probably walk the rest and still finish within the 30 hour cut-off.

The night section was hard, very hard, both physically and mentally. Each aid station seemed further than it appeared on the map. Once past Reading I asked Jay to go ahead. It had been great to run with him but I was slowing him down needing longer and longer walking periods and suffering with stomach cramp and blisters on both heals. The shoes I was wearing were the same shoes I used in the 2008 London Marathon which goes to show my mileage is on the low side especially for ultra. I knew they would give me blisters but I had done all my preparation in them so thought it best to go with them on the day rather than trying something new.

Soon after Reading on entering a boat yard I came across a strange sight. Batman and Robin eating take-away pizza off the bonnet of a friend’s car. Batman and Robin were taking part in the 100 and not only that, they had also run a 5km race in Richmond Park before hand! They kindly invited me to joined them for a slice of pizza and then I pushed on.

I slowed down worried that I had over done it earlier in the day but I was still walking at a good pace. To my surprise coming on to the bridge at Whitchurch (67 miles) I was told by a marshal that I was 30 minutes off the pace for 24 hours. This was a mental blow as I had 24 hours in my mind as a goal within a goal. I disagreed, but the seed of doubt had been sewn. I remember at the Whitchurch aid station the marshal saying that it was only 33 miles to go. Only one marathon and a 10k still to go. I was trying not to think of the big picture and just taking each aid station at a time. It was only 4 miles to the next one. It seemed like 6.

I had decided to take longer at the next check point to give myself a chance to warm up and recover a bit. Perhaps that was a mistake as I never got up to speed after that. There was frost on the ground and I wasn’t able to get moving fast enough to keep warm. The mental battle had started now and part of me was asking “what am I doing here? – maybe they’ll be a B&B soon and I could have a little sleep?” and the other half of me was saying “just keep moving forward, you can walk to the finish and still make the cutoff”. It was 9 miles between aid stations but it seemed to go on forever.

My water proof certainly wasn’t the most breathable on the market which is why I hadn’t put it on but I was getting colder so when on Benson Bridge at 77 miles I decided to sit on the stone bench and put it on in an effort to keep warm. I soon realised that was as far as I was going to get. For a reason still unknown to me my right hip flexor had just stopped working, it was as if it wasn’t there any more. I literally couldn’t lift my foot off the ground. Hitting it and shouting at it didn’t work, so I tried to get it moving again by using both hands to lift my right leg forward but progress was painfully slow and when I reached the other side of the bridge I decided to call it a night. I waited 30 minutes until 4am when I waved down a cab who took me to the Benson aid station.

I spilt half of my soup as I was shaking so much but at least I got some warmth inside me. There was an ambulance at that aid station who was heading off so I got a lift to the finish in Oxford with another runner who had hypothermia. The paramedic helped me in to the finish tent where I sat waiting for my lift back. I was sitting in among the elite of the ultra running community included Mimi Anderson who had won the women’s race and was 8th overall. I didn’t deserve to be in the finish tent and especially not at 5am but I couldn’t move so there I stayed until my lift arrived.

Strangely for me I wasn’t too disappointed to have given up at 77 miles as I didn’t really have any choice. I had still managed nearly 3 marathons which was a whole marathon further than my previous longest run. I had enjoyed the experience and knew that I would return having done more than 7 weeks preparation. The organisation of the event was fantastic, all the crew were so helpful, and the River Thames, beautiful as ever, provided a constant mental diversion.

Xpedition offers quick and easy-to-use route planning and the option to share routes and tracks with other users. It is one of the most highly featured planners, bringing powerful and unique functions to global users. Xpedition can be used on almost any computer with internet access – simply register and start planning your next adventure! Cloud based technology guarantees the super-fast rendering of maps anywhere and anytime.

Howard Dyson, CEO of Satmap Systems Ltd, commented: “Access to digital mapping anywhere and at no, or low, cost is today key. Xpedition will give users expert tools for easy planning, analysis and sharing”.

Functions & Features
Key features of Xpedition include a ground breaking split screen view allowing users to plan on different style maps and zoom levels, side by side, showing both the whole mountain and the detail of a craggy hill at the same time. A full screen mode stays true to its definition and fills every inch of the monitor. The practical snap-to-road function offers routing by keeping planned routes automatically on the road network.

Files can be saved online and are always available. The GPX file download format enables file sharing and use on most GPS units currently available. GPX tracks and routes from other sources can also be uploaded and edited. In addition to routes, points of interest (POIs), lines and areas can be marked on the maps to highlight property borders, temporary obstacles or danger zones. A search function quickly locates places, postcodes, or particular shops and helps finding the starting point of a new route. The option to print relevant statistics, such as elevation profile, route card as well as map tiles gives an extra advantage when planning and reviewing. Mobile and collapsible toolbars are overlaid on the map window and offer quick access to all these functions while giving optimal and unrestricted visibility.

Xpedition Free & Xpedition Premium
Satmap Xpedition is available in a free and a premium version. Xpedition Premium offers full functionality and access to the international topographical mapping for just £30 per year. All registered customers of the existing Satmap Online Route Planner will receive one year free access to Xpedition Premium from this launch date. New customers who purchase the Active 10 Plus or the Active 10 Bike will receive a 3 months free trial subscription.

Satmap Xpedition Mapping
Xpedition is based on the Microsoft Bing Map platform and provides full global road mapping and detailed aerial imagery. The additional map layers consist of Ordnance Survey 1:25k Explorer and 1:50k Landranger mapping for the whole of Great Britain, as well as a growing range of high quality international maps including the Alpine regions.
To find out more, please go to Satmap Xpedition

Me, well I have mountain experience now – 7 to be exact. Yes the 7 that we conquered at last year’s event!

This year’s team was one of fine athletic ability, consisting of ABH, Buggered, Rambo and myself. I was of course oozing with confidence after improving my time for many races this year, losing approx. 1/2 stone in weight and successfully completing three 30 mile plus training runs in the build up.

We set off up Hellvelyn. This felt quite slow going although I was particularly making sure that I didn’t over push too early. The weather was fine and we enjoyed the sunrise over the mountains to the east of us. We reached the summit 1 hour 10 minutes in, some 2,300ft climbed – not bad going! We flew down Hellvelyn back to Thirlmere lake and to the first check point. We took on some energy gels and plenty of water as the next opportunity for energy or water was many hours away.

Off up the valley known as “The Bog” it was wet under foot but felt as though it was a bit easier going than last year. There was a small pond that I discovered when I disappeared into the ground and was waist deep in water. Going by the smell the water was nutrient rich !! We climbed up High Raise, which although is not one of the 10 peaks, is a large mountain in it’s own right. We’d climbed 2,000ft to get to it so it felt like a decent mountain to us. We were 4 hours in and feeling OK. We could see angle tarn and Bowfell ahead, part of the Scafell Range, where many of our peaks were. The route to Bowfell was not too bad and we made the summit after 6 hours 20 minutes.

We then climbed another mountain, Esk Pike. This again was not one of the 10 peaks but felt like it should have been ! We could see all of our peaks – Great End next, Ill Crag, Broad Crag, Scafell Pike, Scafell, The awesome looking Great Gable, the very far away looking Pillar and the farthest point on the horizon Skiddaw. Hellvelyn looked far away behind us so a bit of comfort there! Great end was OK although felt a bit out of the way. Ill Crag and Broad Crag were basically boulder mountains but I felt ok on these boulders this year. They’re much grippier in the dry ! Then the climb up to Scafell Pike – the highest point in England and where we would be able to top up on desperately needed water and some more energy bars, and meet my colleagues from Aqua who were manning the Scafell Pike check point. We reached the summit at 12:20. Unfortunately there was no water and also no Aqua team except Josh’s wife as the rest had gone back to Wasdale to top up on water!

Next was Scafell, probably the most tricky of ascents. We were asked by the mountain rescue teams to wait while an injured runner was being airlifted away. As we descended down towards Lords Rake we passed another person being treated by Mountain rescue. This was not good when you see the number of casualties and then Lords Rake ahead of you and the boulder at the top, waiting for it’s moment to come crashing down the Rake! We climbed up Lords Rake without too much difficulty. It is a narrow slope of loose rock and scree. The main trouble is every step you take you send some lose rock onto the people behind you. We got around the boulder at the top which was a relief at the time and then climbed up another rake to get around to the main body of the mountain.

We climbed up to the summit and after 9 hours and 36 minutes we had conquered 7 peaks. Not bad for a day’s work, so far !! Next was the change in plan for this year – drop all the way down to Wasdale, spend an hour or so on normal flattish land and then climb up to Pillar. Although more climb, after last year’s terrible weather it would have been quite a relief to get to low altitude for a bit. The descent was not easy, we boiled at high temperatures down at Wasdale, had an interesting “mountain of poo” experience in the public toilets and then the steepest, horriblist climb up that I’ve ever done in my short mountaineering experience. Once we’d got to Wasdale a look at the time did not convey good news. We’d used up all of our buffer and the only way we could make it to Honister before it closed was to speed up. There was no chance of that. The climb was steep, the rocks were loose, it was hard, hard work and we had to stop on occasions to rest and take on water and food. I felt as though I had completely drained of energy and I was only half way up the mountain. The others seemed to be able to ascend more quickly than I so I now felt as though I was holding the team up. It took at least 2 hours to get up Pillar. When we eventually reached the summit the team was low. We knew we were not going to make it and were just going through the motions. We’d all put in lots of effort and we felt really good at various moments throughout the day but it was just not enough in the end.

Rambo was insistent that we all climbed the 9th Peak, Great Gable. Buggered and I weren’t that fussed but if Rambo was going up then so was I ! We got to Beck Head but there was no check point. It had closed long ago. We climbed up Great Gable – a most awesome mountain. Certainly one of my favourites to see from miles around with it’s distinctive shape, like an upside down cupcake. Reaching the summit felt as though we had achieved today, not failed. 9 of the highest 10 peaks in the lake district is beyond the capability of many.

The sun was starting to set and we had booked a cab to pick up up from Honister Pass so we had to get a move on. With us managing various walk / crawl motions, Rambo took it upon himself to run to Honister to make sure the cab didn’t go without us. We achieved another summit on the way, Green Gable, but no time to waste!! There’s no phone signal for about an hour around Honister and we didn’t fancy going back up Great Gable in the dark just for a phone signal! I was able to run for a bit which was good and showed that although I had drained of energy, there was still something there. We arrived at Honister and only waited 5 minutes for the cab to show up. Back to the Hotel and the finish. We sipped Champagne to celebrate our 9 peaks.

Sleep wasn’t an issue that night. Out for the count is the best way to describe. I was up at 8am and went downstairs to let the B&B lady know that we’d all be down for breakfast in 45 minutes. My trouble then was attempting to go back up the stairs. My legs were completely shot ! Instead I stayed for a cuppa and chatted to Paul. As other team members hobbled to breakfast we chatted about what to do with our day.

We discussed going on a boat or sitting in a pub but the semi joke of conquering the 10th Peak Skiddaw soon became a reality. All in the room couldn’t believe we were stupid enough but we were. I used walking poles to get down the stairs and to aid our walk through Keswick and the long long climb to Skiddaw. We had plenty of entertainment on the way in the form of the annual Skiddaw Fell Race and Skater Dudes coming down the mountain on skate board type things. We climbed and we climbed and eventually we made it !

The ten highest summits in the Lake District and a real sense of achievement and respect for these mountains.

So on on until next year. Is it possible someone like me to get around within 24 hours?

To view Grom’s report with all the photos download the PDF here: 2011 10 peaks report

I gave up black tea at the beginning of January but promised myself I could have a cup when I reached CP4 to give me the much needed boost I would need. I arrived at the mine after the café had shut so I thought I would give the Activator a try. The caffeine hit combined with jacket potato and chilli was perfect to prepare me for the final stages of the event. As I headed up towards Dale Head Tarn my previous weakness was behind me and running across Maiden Moor and Catbells as the sun was setting was one of my highlights of the event.

The Activators can be bought from Team Nutrition. I won’t be doing an endurance event again without one.

Activator contains 160 mg of caffeine from guarana, green tea and mate in combination with pure natural caffeine. The combination of different sources of caffeine provides short and long lasting stimulating effects. Suitable for sports, where increased concentration and coordination skills are required, for example ball sports and martial arts. But Activator is also successfully used by endurance athletes. Runners, cyclists, and triathletes also use Activator as a caffeine booster on the last stages of endurance competitions.

You see I have entered the “10 Peaks Challenge”. A race around the 10 highest peaks in the Lake District. I have slept the night in my landrover, parked near the grounds of a posh Keswick hotel and the transfer coaches leave for the start in 15 minutes. This is the second year for the event. A charity event for Macmillan Cancer Research. Last year 52 people started and non finished!

The coaches leave on time and we arrive at Thirlmere. A pep talk from the organiser follows, I look around at my fellow competitors. There’s a good mix of long distance runners and walkers. Also a smattering of hard as nails fell runners, with their tatty and worn gear, obligatory holes in their Helly Hansen thermals and calf muscles shaped like spades. Contrasting with the road runners, well dressed in co-ordinated Ronhills, nattering about negative split times and mile markers.

Read more…

Also a huge thank you to Glenn Duffy from Care for Health who set up an aid station at Beck Head for the second year. This year he was joined by his dog, Tokay, who helped carry 120 bottles of water and 120 energy bars to the check point. Not only did Glenn have to carry all the check point supplies but he also carried his tent and food for himself. Glenn camped up on the mountain for two nights missing a VIP trip to the Ladies Wimbledon final to support the challenge once again.

Tokay enjoys a snack on the mountain

A massive thank you to all the marshals who made this year’s event possible. It really couldn’t happen without you.

The climb to Helvellyn from Thirlmere

The first signs of daylight greeted us and we could see that it was looking glorious as the forecast had shown. At 4am, after a short safety briefing, the runners set off on their way up to Helvellyn. The walkers followed immediately afterwards. In complete contrast to last years event, the summit could be seen in the early morning light and it was more apparent how far it was to reach Lower Man. It was an incredible sight to see the sun rising over the fells which provided a welcome distraction from the 10 peaks we were to climb that day!

On the other side of the A591, check point 1 gave competitors the chance to fill up their hydration packs, pick up some bananas, chocolate and a range of sports nutrition provided by Team Nutrition and GU Energy.

On route to The Bog in the early morning light

The long slog through The Bog began on route to High Raise. Conditions became pretty warm even before competitors reached peak 2 (Bowfell) and everyone was in good spirits. Once up on Bowfell, the route stayed on the high ground taking in Great End, Ill Crag, Broad Crag and on to the 2nd check point at Scafell Pike. Scafell Pike sponsors (Aqua Consultants) kindly set up the highest aid station in England, which meant competitors could pick up a much needed bottle of Lakeland Spring water and an energy bar each.

The summit of Bowfell busy with 10 Peakers

Lord's Rake - not for the faint hearted

After refuelling, the route split giving people the choice of taking either Foxes Tarn or Lord’s Rake up to Scafell. Those who didn’t fear the Rake saved a little time but both routes were tough going.

Then came the decision… whether to descend 900m into Wasdale or go back down Lord’s Rake and take the Corridor Route towards Great Gable. Those who decided to head down into the valley and climb up to Pillar via Wind Gap probably cursed their decision. I know I did.

“Climbing up to Pillar after running out of water half way up in the heat of the day made me dig deep, but that was what I designed the course for!”

However the thought of heading from Beck Head to Pillar and back after Great Gable was equally hard. Whichever route people took, the thought of a hot meal at Honister Slate Mine motivated people to push on. I particularly welcomed a jacket potato with chilli after eating only energy bars and bananas throughout the day.

The view towards Pillar with Wind Gap just left of centre

Those not wishing to continue at this point took the minibus back to Keswick, but over half the starters pushed on to the final check point at Nichol End Marine. Last year it was a different story with only 5 people making it past Honister.

Then came the final hurdle – Skiddaw. A long days walk on its own for many, but for the remaining 10 Peakers a sign that the finish was in sight! For most, the climb was long and slow in the dark, with only a head torch to illuminate the uphill path infront and the lights of the surrounding towns in the distance. But after Carlside lay the top of the 10th peak and 4th highest mountain in England.

As I stood at the summit at 12.50am I was certain that I would make it to Keswick before the 24 hour cutoff. But my confidence lead to laziness. I headed down towards the lights of Keswick and unintentionally away from the main path. A stream of 10 Peakers’ head torches in the distance showed us how far off course we were but several steep valleys blocked our path towards them. The terrain was the worst so far with steep banks, rocks, and bracken. It was taking 30 minutes to travel a couple of hundred metres. To make matters worse the switch on my head torch was playing up and my light kept flickering off. In one of the dark moments I lost my footing slipping down the bank, twisting my ankle and tearing a ligament in my right foot. I borrowed a walking pole from Will and limped on. It was starting to get light again as we reached the road, but despite faultless navigation from that point, we didn’t reach the finish at the Keswick Country House Hotel until 4.12am, 12 minutes after my own cutoff. Next year I will have to bring a spare torch, not just spare batteries! My thanks to Will who I had only met a few hours before but who waited for my while I limped home.

Almost 10 hours before us, the first place man, Adam Jackson crossed the line in a time of 14.30 hours followed by Ozzy Kershaw – 14.57, and Joseph Gale – 15.31. The first female finisher was Rebecca Lounds in a time of 22.26. Both the winners recieved a pair of Newton Terra Momentus Trail shoes worth £120 kindly donated by Newton Running.

Of the 102 starters 48 finished all 10 peaks. An incredible achievement and twice as many as I predicted would finish. The last place person to finish came in to the hotel at 11.15am, 31 hours and 15 minutes after setting off from Swirls car park, which was equally as impressive as any other finisher, having completed most of the course completely unsupported.

Next year we'll go that way

A huge thank you to all involved in the event, to all the marshals, the sponsors, to Aqua Consultants for providing the highest aid station in England, to Glenn from Care for Health for carrying supplies single handed to Beck Head and camping there for 2 nights, to Honister Slate Mine for catering for us and hosting check point 4, to the Keswick Country House Hotel for providing a great base, Nichol End Marine for check point 5, United Utilities for allowing us to use their land, and to all the competitors who raised an incredible £47,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Paul Smith
Race Director

Adam Jackson

A huge well done to our 2011 winners. Adam Jackson became the first person to ever complete the course and he did so in a time of 14 hours 30 minutes. He was followed by Ozzy Kershaw (pictured below) who was 27 minutes behind and Joseph Gale (pictured below) who finished 61 minutes behind Adam in a time of 15 hours and 31 minutes.

Rebecca Lounds (pictured below) was the first female finisher in a time of 22 hours 26 minutes.

Both the male and female winners recieved a pair of Newton Terra Momentus Trail shoes worth £120 kindly donated by Newton Running.

Rebecca Lounds, Ozzy Kershaw and Joseph Gale

Winner, Adam Jackson, still had enough energy to answer a few questions once finished…

Q. What made you do this crazy event?
A. I saw an advertisement in the winter and I was looking for inspiration and thought it would be something to look forward to in the summer.

Q. What stage did you find the hardest?
A. The alternative route up Pillar.

Q. Have you attempted anything like this before?
A. I completed the Bob Graham Round in 2007.

Q. Would you come back?
A. Don’t know. Half way round – no. But you never know!