A Sporting Life

I recently read a book by the former England cricketer Ed Smith about what sport can teach us about life in general and there is no doubt that sport can open the door to many different aspects of our world beyond the activity itself. Recent sporting events and competitions involving our KIS students have encouraged me to reflect on the benefits of sport, not just in relation to a healthy lifestyle, but also to look at the potential wider impact on our lives as those encouraging early interests in school turn into life-time habits and even passions as we get older. Just as we encourage our students at KIS to participate in physical activity and try different sports, I too benefitted from an enthusiastic approach in my own far off school days. It is an interest that remains with me to this day and I’ve been fortunate to reap the rewards of my involvement in a wide range of sporting activities. Sport and life do sometimes come together to produce challenges and generate emotions that can provide life-long memories too. Below I’ve reproduced an article I wrote for a running magazine about my first ultra-marathon experience a couple of years ago that I trained for whilst living and working in El Salvador in Central America. For me it was an experience that went beyond sport.........

“When you sign-up for a trail race that is double the length of a traditional marathon, (54 miles) over a course that is generally accepted as one of the toughest in the United States, albeit through the stunning autumn scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the obvious question is ‘Why?’ In my case, the potential of such a challenge was sown when browsing in a bookshop and happening upon the best-selling book by Dean Karnazes entitled ‘Ultramarathon Man’ The book tells the story of a directionless executive whose life is forever changed by his decision to rekindle a youthful passion to run and run……and run. At first it is a means of mental and physical release, but in time it becomes an obsession that sees him compete in and regularly triumph in major long distance foot races and adventure races across America and beyond. Karnazes remains to this day an iconic figure in the ultra running community for his achievements and dedication, but for me the appeal was the opportunity to do something new, to push beyond previous physical and mental boundaries – to basically see how far I could go within and potentially beyond my own assumed capabilities.

Six months later I had an entry for ‘The Mountain Masochist 54 Mile Trail Run’ in Virginia, in the United States. The race website described a course that was anything but easy –conditions underfoot could be difficult because of the rocky nature of the trails and the route would ascend a combined total of over 9000 feet, with over 7000 feet of descents. I had a focused 8 week build-up in El Salvador, during which time I averaged 105 miles a week and built my long run up to a maximum of 31 miles, which I completed some three weeks before heading off to the States for the race. I was running twice a day most days, beginning with a 4am start on the roads before work, followed by laps of the 320m school field in the early evening.

We arrived in the US a few days before the race that was to take place on the Saturday morning. On the Friday evening we attended the Pre-Race briefing and pasta buffet and needless to say with thoughts of the run ahead, most people were taking on board a fair amount of carbohydrates. Runners were also picking up their race numbers and ‘goody-bags’ Race numbers coincided with your seeding and my number - 274 out of a likely 300 runners – was no doubt a reflection of my novice status and a clear message that expectations were low! I can’t pretend it was the best nights’ sleep I’ve ever had, especially as I had to get up at 3am to have a couple of bagels for breakfast, before we drove the 30 miles to the James River Visitor Centre for the start of the race. The Visitor Centre also marks the lowest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it was always likely to be uphill thereafter! Apart from the last half a mile, the only part of the race on roads is the first 6 miles and this is not necessarily a bad thing as at the race start time of 6.30am it is still very dark! After a rendition of the National Anthem around 280 runners started the race in temperatures that were close to freezing.

It was definitely hat and gloves weather for the first few hours – putting these on basically constituted my ‘warm-up’ as with such a long distance to run, anything else may have eaten into my much needed energy stores! About half the field had head torches for the first bit, so I was able to follow their lights and just focus on trying to run well within myself. Saving energy and taking on board ‘fuel’ are key parts of long distance running and I was working on a strategy of drinking water over the first few miles, before switching to an electrolyte mixture, together with raisins and jelly beans for the rest of the race. Trial and error in the lead up to the race had suggested that my stomach wasn’t really capable of coping with much more, nonetheless, everyone is different in this respect and many of the runners took on board a variety of liquids and solid foods during the course of the run.

As we left the road and headed for the trails, dawn was just breaking and at this early stage I calculated that I was well outside the top 50 runners after my necessarily conservative start. Because of the underfoot conditions, you really have to be careful and as a novice I stumbled many times and actually fell twice during the second half of the race, fortunately only picking up cuts and bruises – in retrospect I was probably lucky to get away with nothing more serious than I did – sadly each year injuries from falls do account for some of the runners who have to drop out from the race. Many of the paths were covered in fallen leaves and it was not always easy to see the rocks and consequently I was very glad I had bought some proper trail shoes in the UK in the summer which allowed a better grip on the terrain, otherwise I would have really struggled in ordinary running shoes. The route is literally mountainous and some of the uphill stretches were incredibly long and steep – many runners ‘power-walked’ them including some of the leaders, as on occasions I’m told it’s actually quicker to do so – my inexperience meant of course that I tried to run them all…..

Aid Stations dotted the route every few miles. They are all manned by volunteers, most have music, strategically place placards with messages designed to inspire and what I can only describe as long benches of buffet-style food featuring just about everything a runner could want or desire – water, sodas, electrolyte beverages, fruit, cookies, jelly beans, sandwiches, soup etc, The aid stations themselves quickly become real ‘highlights’ when you are on your feet for such a long time. Running for the most part on my own, I quickly began to look forward to each and the promise of some fleeting company and encouragement. You can often hear the music and the cheers for each runner in the distance as you approach and as you get there yourself, the noise and support are a real boost.

Approaching Mile 25

During the first part of the race I gradually worked my way through the field – I was doing well on the up hill stretches, but struggling on the down hills as the more experienced trail runners were skipping past me whilst I tip-toed between the rocks – consequently I passed and was then passed myself by a few familiar faces as the race went on. Whenever runners went past there were always encouraging words spoken, which I think is very much a part of the camaraderie of ultra running and not something that you find too often in the road and track races I run in other parts of the world.

When I went through an aid station at around 18 miles, Denise was able to tell me that I was in 18^th position, which was really encouraging as up to that point I had no real idea as to where I was. Feeling a little more confident, the next few miles passed by relatively smoothly, but by the time I got to the half way point at around 27 miles (in just under four hours….) my legs were starting to feel the strains of running over the rough terrain and the constant ascents and descents and I knew the major peaks were still to come in the second half of the race…..I think this is where the mental side of things comes in, as you physically begin to deteriorate – you really have to focus and stay positive, as limbs start to ache under the strain. In any race of this distance you also have to accept you will have ‘bad’ patches and I certainly had those over the second half, but you have to have the confidence in your own physical abilities that you will come through these and be alright on the other side. Just as importantly from my point of view, my stomach held together remarkably well, although I did begin to cut back a little on both the liquids and solids, as I started to feel a little nauseous over the last twenty miles.

I saw Denise for the last time at an aid station at 39 miles after a really rough 6-7 mile ‘loop’ around the base of one of the mountains. I had fallen once and got lost a couple of times in a densely wooded area that is recognised as one of the toughest sections of the race. (The trail was marked by white streamers in the trees, but there were alternative paths and sometimes you focus so much on where your feet are going you lose track of the streamers and suddenly find yourself off the course. Fortunately on the occasions it happened to me, I realised pretty quickly, re-traced my steps and found the course again, although you do have that momentary instant of panic….)

‘The Loop’ – Mile 35

At the race briefing on Friday night the race director had explained that the first 10 runners to finish would receive a specially-embroidered woollen jacket that Denise and I had both quite liked the idea of, but at 39 miles I was just thinking about hopefully finishing the race. Nonetheless, with 15 miles to go it seemed an outside possibility, as Denise had some encouraging words for me in that a jacket was in sight, with the news that I was up to 12^th. I should admit however, that having been on my feet for around 6 hours at that point (far beyond my longest run in training, so I was really into the unknown by this stage….) there was still a big part of me that would have happily accepted 12^th and a lift to the finish if it had been offered

I had another really bad patch just before 50 miles when most of my limbs seemed to be in a state of near shut down and it was a real effort to maintain my focus, picking my way through the trail, which remained technically quite difficult at this point with lots of rocks and boulders to negotiate. Still, there were others who were struggling just as much as me and by the time I went through the final aid station I was up to 10^th and the jacket was becoming a real possibility if I could keep body, mind and soul together for a little longer……I knew from the contour map that I had been given before the race that the final four miles were downhill and that knowledge allowed me to dredge up some energy to push on over this final stretch – it is amazing what the body will withstand and how the mind can conquer pain and negative emotions in these situations. Consequently, confident in the fact that I was now likely to finish, come what may, my final four miles proved to be my quickest of the race. (This is of course a relative comparison having already clocked up 50 miles, but I think I was probably running sub 7-minute miles over the final part of the course.) I was surprised to go past someone with two miles to go and then with one mile to go I caught the runner in 8^th. Thereafter, the route brought us out of the woods to the final stretch on tarmac and the finish which was outside a small community store in a tiny village.

There was still time for a final twist as I made the possibly understandable error of mentally relaxing at this point, which was a big mistake as I was so unsteady on my feet that I caught the kerb and fell over again on the road! Fortunately, I managed to quickly get back to my feet and to the finish line a few seconds before the runner behind. (I finished in 8 hours and 6 minutes – sub 9 minute miles for the 54 miles.

It’s difficult to put into words how I felt thereafter, but I managed to stay upright for long enough to have a few photos taken with the Race Director and other early finishers before I lay down on the grass behind the finish – although after a few minutes I realised that if didn’t get up soon, there was possibility that I might never get up! So, I did the sensible thing and had an ice cream and hobbled to the car and the long drive back to the hotel and a very welcome hot shower. I found out afterwards that 15% of the runners voluntarily dropped out during finish the race and a further 5% were ‘pulled’ for failing to make the aid station cut off times as they were running outside the 12 hour time limit.

I was very proud to receive my jacket for my 8^th place at the award ceremony on the Saturday night – as you can imagine there were several strong candidates for the ‘Ministry of Silly Walks’ on view, not the least of which was my own stiff-legged effort to get on to the stage. During the course of the run I lost two toenails, a few pounds in weight and a bit of blood after my falls, but I think I gained much more in creating a sense of achievement within myself, whilst realising just how far you push things under pressure. I certainly wouldn’t rule out another one in the future!”

By way of a postscript, a won a 100 mile race six months later, but I’m sticking to the shorter stuff these days!