With Endure 24 being an endurance event you might need some of that endurance to get through this report but here goes!!
With TR24 clashing with Olympics this year it was looking as though we may not have been attending a 24 hour endurance event in 2012, until that is Derick Wilkie found Endure 24. In it’s inaugural year this was a great opportunity to not only enter a similar event but also be part of something new. With Thunder Run proving to be a great sucess over the past couple of years, Endure 24 held the same appeal which was evident in the take up from within the club as we enetered three teams this year.
The weekend started with a number of us heading off to Wasing Park in Reading to get the 26.2 base camp ready for those arriving on Saturday morning. By 10pm Friday evening tents were up, the club HQ, a huge Marque provided by Rick Emery had finally been assembled amid a lot of hilarity as poles popped out to taunt us as we attempted to assemble to roof and put the side coverings on with me performing a balancing act on a tiny camping stall worthy of the circus to reassemble the roof as it fell apart around us. Undetered the intrepid 7, Derick Wilkie, Natalie Warren, Chris & John Wilson, Rick Emery, Sam and I were finally sat having a beer as Rick did his best Jim Davison impression cracking joke after joke which set the scene for a great weekend ahead.
As with TR24 this event followed the same format of either solo competitors or teams completing continuous laps of a 5 mile course through Wasing Park. Each lap was an undulating loop of a mostly off road trail course with the majority passing along woodland trails which made the night run extremely interesting. Heading off from the start line the course ran along a tarmac road as it steadily climbed along a tree lined avenue, the climb continued as the tarmac changed to a dusty, stoney trail where at 3/4 of a mile we entered a tree lined grass path and continued the climb. After an ascent of around 50 meters we entered the woodland proper and continued to climb along the gravel trails that were mainly dry but punctuated with a number of large muddy puddles that the organisers had taped off to ensure no one went swimming during the dark hours (Supposedly!!!) At around 2 miles the course descended by around 40 meters and passed a couple of beautiful lakes which I have to confess whilst blatantly obvious I completed missed on my first lap, as I must have been working to hard to notice them. Although windy and overcast the woods proved to be extremely warm as the heat of the day became trapped so the water station at the approach of 3 miles was extremely welcome. The course continued along the side of the woodland before heading back into the trees for a 1/2 mile, 40 meter climb up a hill from hell. The trail was extremely uneven at this point which made the ascent hard going and the descent just a difficult as the temptation to increase speed was hindered by the uneven footing. The descent back towards the campsite was along a field path before turning back into the last 3/4 mile which ran up and back along the edge of the camp site through the grass which on tired legs made the final stage of the lap really hard going. Once the camp site had been navigated there was a small loop around the back of the site to head back into the finish where the next team member was waiting in the changeover pen to start it all over again, and so the process went on for 24 hours.
With 3 teams entered this year we decided to field a strong team and 2 fun teams to see if we could push for a top spot. In the A Team captained by Grant Davison were, Kevin Parker, Neil Parker, James Thurston, Jack Holland, Steve Ramek, Ann Bath and Libby Marchant. The B team was captained by myelf with David Pearce, Natalie Warren, Kevin Furlong, Krystal Newbury, Zoe Wingfield and Chris Wilson. The C Team was captained by Javier Fuentes with Rick Emery, Maria Cenalmor, Nikki DeSousa, John Wilson, Derick Wilkie and Linda Grossmann. The race got underway a few minutes late as the organisors were busy removing a fallen tree from the course caused by the extremely windy conditions that were not only putting parts of the course under threat but also the team HQ, as the marque was by now being blown about and had already been tethered down again. Starting us off for each team were Grant, David and Javier and at few minutes past 12 o’clock the race began as 106 runners headed off for their first of many laps over the 24 hours.
For me the challenge with an event like Endure 24 is that it’s just not just about who can run the fastest lap times, but keeping up the pace throughout the 24 hours, to keep going when sleep depreavtion kicks in and all you want to do is stop. With a number of us having already experienced an event such as this there were many of our number that hadn’t and from the start there were those who wondered wether they could complete more then a couple of laps. However this soon proved not to be the case and everyone completed at least 3 with the majority finishing 4 or 5 in the alloted time. There we some truely outstanding performances from all concerned as everyone returned after each lap with a smile on thier face and a story to tell. The one exception to this being the after night lap for Maria as she showed her fiery spanish temprement when she returned to find no one to hand over to. She directed her frustration in the direction of poor old Rick who forgot to wake Nikki after his lap meaning Maria had to head back to wake Nikki herself, who at being woken late and having to rush around to get to the start line was none to impressed either. Not to worry Rick, you’re not the first person to do this as exactly the same thing happened at TR24 in 2010. This in itself showed the competitve spirit within the teams as Maria was more upset about the C Team losing a big chunk of the lead they had managed to gain over the B Team which in true friendly spirit we in the B Team allowed them to regain as we slowed down a little in the latter stages of the event. However the turbulent change over was soon forgotten as morning arrived and everyones spirits were still running high.
There were many great moments throughout the weekend which i’m sure you’ll hear all about over the coming weeks but the highlights for me were:
The A Team finishing 2nd in their category and 3rd overall completing an amazing 37 laps – 185 miles in the 24 hours. They managed to hold off a concerted effort by Sweatshop who were hot on their heels throughout until the latter stages when they obviously tired and our guys pulled a full lap ahead of them. This was an inspiring result and one that the guys really deserved as they gave it everything they had thorughout the entire 24 hours. The C team finished on 30 laps – 150 miles and the B team on 28 laps – 140 miles.
Krystal Newbury outsprinting a Sweatshop lady into the finish on her last lap and David Pearce elbowing the next Sweatshop runner out of the way to beat him away at the start of their final lap, great competetive spirit shown by both.
Maria Cenalmor flying into the finish on day 2 racing another lady, arms pumping and face full of concentration as she tried her best to overtake her into the finish.
The noise made by all of our number at the finish line as one of our runners approached. The guy on the PA system made many mentions to us as we came in saying “You know a 26.2 runner is coming into the finish by the amount of noise being made by the other team members” I think they’ll remember us for a long time to come!!
Coming back to the camp site only to find that the club HQ was nowhere to be seen, it appears that despite the efforts off all in camp at the time to hold it down the wind was not to be beaten as it blew the Marque across the camp site almost taking out the tents around us the process, thankfully missing everything and everyone around it.
Ann Bath jigging up and down in the changeover area like an excited child on Christmas morning as she waiting to take the baton and head off on another lap.
But most of all the best part of the whole weekend was the camaraderie between all who attended. Everyone supported each other throughout the entire 24 hours and achieved something remarkable wether it be a quick time or number of laps run. Grant Davison took the responsibilty of captaining the A team by leading from the front to turn in some pretty impressive laps times throughout the 24 hours which shows just how much his running has come on of late. Javier likewise was always giving it his all and could always be found on the course somewhere cheering his teams mates along. Everyone gave it thier all and I would like to persoanlly thank each and everyone of you for making the weekend a great sucess and so much fun, roll on next year. Also a big thank you to Sam, Rafie and Ros for their support, I know from how tired Sam was last night that supporting is just as tiring as running the event itself, just kinder on the legs.
Individual laps and times as follows and full reslts can be download from the http://www.endure24.co.uk/
| Name | Lap | Lap Start | Lap Time | Name | Lap | Lap Start | Lap Time | Name | Lap | Lap Start | Lap Time | ||
| Grant Davidson | 1 | 12:00:00 | 00:42:58 | Javier Fuentes | 1 | 12:00:00 | 00:46:24 | David Pearce | 1 | 12:00:00 | 00:44:30 | ||
| Steve Ramek | 2 | 12:42:58 | 00:34:28 | Rick Emery | 2 | 12:46:24 | 00:40:42 | Kevin Stone | 2 | 12:44:30 | 00:43:49 | ||
| Kevin Parker | 3 | 13:17:26 | 00:34:55 | Maria Cenalmor | 3 | 13:27:06 | 00:48:17 | Natalie Warren | 3 | 13:28:19 | 00:48:02 | ||
| Libby Marchant | 4 | 13:52:21 | 00:41:35 | Nikki DeSousa | 4 | 14:15:23 | 00:44:22 | Kevin Furlong | 4 | 14:16:21 | 00:47:08 | ||
| James Thurston | 5 | 14:33:56 | 00:35:14 | John Wilson | 5 | 14:59:45 | 00:43:29 | Krystal Newbury | 5 | 15:03:29 | 00:52:28 | ||
| Neil Parker | 6 | 15:09:10 | 00:37:07 | Derick Wilkie | 6 | 15:43:14 | 00:48:50 | Zoe Wingfield | 6 | 15:55:57 | 00:45:36 | ||
| Ann Bath | 7 | 15:46:17 | 00:45:42 | Linda Grossmann | 7 | 16:32:04 | 00:44:09 | Chris Wilson | 7 | 16:41:33 | 00:46:33 | ||
| Jack Holland | 8 | 16:31:59 | 00:30:53 | Javier Fuentes | 8 | 17:16:13 | 00:46:11 | David Pearce | 8 | 17:28:06 | 00:42:42 | ||
| Grant Davidson | 9 | 17:02:52 | 00:41:53 | Rick Emery | 9 | 18:02:24 | 00:41:09 | Kevin Stone | 9 | 18:10:48 | 00:44:56 | ||
| Steve Ramek | 10 | 17:44:45 | 00:35:50 | Maria Cenalmor | 10 | 18:43:33 | 00:51:19 | Natalie Warren | 10 | 18:55:44 | 00:49:48 | ||
| Kevin Parker | 11 | 18:20:35 | 00:34:34 | Nikki DeSousa | 11 | 19:34:52 | 00:44:58 | Kevin Furlong | 11 | 19:45:32 | 00:46:13 | ||
| Libby Marchant | 12 | 18:55:09 | 00:41:17 | John Wilson | 12 | 20:19:50 | 00:43:27 | Krystal Newbury | 12 | 20:31:45 | 00:54:55 | ||
| James Thurston | 13 | 19:36:26 | 00:35:24 | Derick Wilkie | 13 | 21:03:17 | 00:51:11 | Zoe Wingfield | 13 | 21:26:40 | 00:47:18 | ||
| Neil Parker | 14 | 20:11:50 | 00:38:21 | Linda Grossmann | 14 | 21:54:28 | 00:48:05 | Chris Wilson | 14 | 22:13:58 | 00:56:52 | ||
| Ann Bath | 15 | 20:50:11 | 00:47:47 | Javier Fuentes | 15 | 22:42:33 | 00:49:00 | David Pearce | 15 | 23:10:50 | 00:48:54 | ||
| Jack Holland | 16 | 21:37:58 | 00:32:38 | Rick Emery | 16 | 23:31:33 | 00:44:12 | Kevin Stone | 16 | 23:59:44 | 00:48:07 | ||
| Grant Davidson | 17 | 22:10:36 | 00:45:18 | Maria Cenalmor | 17 | 00:15:45 | 00:50:37 | Natalie Warren | 17 | 00:47:51 | 00:55:20 | ||
| Steve Ramek | 18 | 22:55:54 | 00:38:42 | Nikki DeSousa | 18 | 01:06:22 | 01:20:48 | Kevin Furlong | 18 | 01:43:11 | 00:53:09 | ||
| Kevin Parker | 19 | 23:34:36 | 00:36:09 | John Wilson | 19 | 02:27:10 | 00:44:14 | Krystal Newbury | 19 | 02:36:20 | 01:00:02 | ||
| Libby Marchant | 20 | 00:10:45 | 00:45:57 | Derick Wilkie | 20 | 03:11:24 | 00:54:34 | Zoe Wingfield | 20 | 03:36:22 | 00:50:32 | ||
| James Thurston | 21 | 00:56:42 | 00:37:57 | Linda Grossmann | 21 | 04:05:58 | 00:54:03 | Chris Wilson | 21 | 04:26:54 | 01:12:38 | ||
| Neil Parker | 22 | 01:34:39 | 00:43:48 | Javier Fuentes | 22 | 05:00:01 | 00:52:37 | David Pearce | 22 | 05:39:32 | 00:51:54 | ||
| Ann Bath | 23 | 02:18:27 | 00:52:48 | Rick Emery | 23 | 05:52:38 | 00:49:22 | Kevin Stone | 23 | 06:31:26 | 00:49:20 | ||
| Jack Holland | 24 | 03:11:15 | 00:39:04 | Maria Cenalmor | 24 | 06:42:00 | 00:47:20 | Natalie Warren | 24 | 07:20:46 | 00:55:24 | ||
| Grant Davidson | 25 | 03:50:19 | 00:44:49 | Nikki DeSousa | 25 | 07:29:20 | 00:46:07 | Kevin Furlong | 25 | 08:16:10 | 00:54:50 | ||
| Steve Ramek | 26 | 04:35:08 | 00:37:14 | John Wilson | 26 | 08:15:27 | 00:49:04 | Krystal Newbury | 26 | 09:11:00 | 00:56:37 | ||
| Kevin Parker | 27 | 05:12:22 | 00:37:58 | Derick Wilkie | 27 | 09:04:31 | 00:57:40 | David Pearce | 27 | 10:07:37 | 00:46:04 | ||
| Libby Marchant | 28 | 05:50:20 | 00:42:25 | Linda Grossmann | 28 | 10:02:11 | 00:49:29 | Kevin Stone | 28 | 10:53:41 | 00:49:06 | ||
| James Thurston | 29 | 06:32:45 | 00:37:35 | Rick Emery | 29 | 10:51:40 | 00:44:38 | 11:42:47 | Finish | ||||
| Neil Parker | 30 | 07:10:20 | 00:40:51 | Javier Fuentes | 30 | 11:36:18 | 00:51:00 | ||||||
| Ann Bath | 31 | 07:51:11 | 00:48:16 | 12:27:18 | Finish | ||||||||
| Jack Holland | 32 | 08:39:27 | 00:36:12 | ||||||||||
| Grant Davidson | 33 | 09:15:39 | 00:42:40 | ||||||||||
| Steve Ramek | 34 | 09:58:19 | 00:36:46 | ||||||||||
| Kevin Parker | 35 | 10:35:05 | 00:36:04 | ||||||||||
| James Thurston | 36 | 11:11:09 | 00:37:47 | ||||||||||
| Neil Parker | 37 | 11:48:56 | 00:41:26 | ||||||||||
| 12:30:22 | Finish |