Thursday 23 April 2015

World 24 hour Championships - take three

My third visit to the World 24 Hour Championships.  Always an honour and a privilege to be part of the amazing British team and compete in such a fantastic event - even if the outcome is generally catastrophic.

Cutting the trailers, I finished 12th female (61 overall) with a distance of 221.714km.  A PB by a whopping 1677km!  But hey, a PB is a PB.  I was also the second counter on the team, which took European bronze.  



So, my fourth 24 hour and my fourth consecutive PB.  I shouldn't complain, should I?  You bet I can! I'm my own worse critic after all.  

If I was told prior to the race I was going to run 221, I would have been bitterly disappointed. But as I type, I'm satisfied-ish  Not by the distance, but it was a more dignified performance.  I didn't have the car crash last four hours, I wasn't rendered to a death march, I didn't will it to end, my stomach didn't fall apart and I wasn't tormented with negative thoughts.

I did, however, struggle with the heat for the first eight hours, felt sick for most of it and - shock, horror - take on very little fuel in the last 12 hours.  Standard practice then.


What I lost in the first eight hours I may have gained in the latter stages (maybe), as I was 70th lady at three hours and 12th when the hooter went.

Huge congratulations to the guys team who GOLD!  And to Centurion team mate Robbie Britton who  took home bronze for the World and European.  That's an impressive collection of medals.


More to follow....but, firstly, a HUGE thank you to my Brother-in-law Paul who put up with my diva demands.  And even burst my blisters!  Thank you!

Full results here

The sprint finish...OK, in my head I was sprinting...