Ollie and Vickie's Arch to Arc 2015: Cheltenham Challenge 50m Ultra Marathon

What is the Arch to Arc?

The Arch to Arc is a mega-triathlon from Marble Arch in London to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It involves an 87 mile ultra-marathon run from London to Dover, a 21mile swim across the English Channel and then a 181mile bike ride from Calais to Paris. When it is raced in a relay format it is classically done by 6 individuals doing an hour of exercise and then 5 hours off. Vickie and I will be the first 2 person team to attempt the Arch to Arc and we intend to break the 40hour barrier which will challenge some of the fastest 6-person relay teams. To make it even more unique Vickie will do the entire 87mile run, I will do the Channel swim and we will relay the bike ride (got to play to our strengths, plus I don't like running).

Monday 22 June 2015

Cheltenham Challenge 50m Ultra Marathon

Organised by Cheltenham Community Projects (CCP) the Cheltenham Challenge was a great fun race all around my home training ground of Cheltenham Racecourse and the surrounding fields and up over Cleeve Hill. It was made even better because of the support I had on the day. I ran the first 14 miles with Rach and we stuck to the pace plan perfectly. I saw Ollie, mum, dad, Tim, Amanda and Hector as I crossed the Burgage in Prestbury towards the end of each lap (thanks for making it out of the Royal Oak to cheer Tim!) and I ran the last 9 miles with Nicki and her encouragement and pacing was awesome when my tired legs really wanted to stop for a rest! I’m thrilled to have been able to keep my target pace going for 50miles, which gave me a time of 8:14hours and 5^th overall. It was not too tricky to scoop the 1^st lady prize as it seems there was only one female in Cheltenham daft enough to enter! This was a brilliant community event to have been a part of and I would recommend it to runners of all abilities. Have a look at the report from the Gloucestershire Echo for details of results, charities and all of the different distances that are available.