Race Report – T184 August 2014
The T184 is a self-supported non-stop race covering the full length of the Thames path. 184 miles starting at the Thames Barrier in central London and finishing at the source of the River Thames in the Cotswolds.
August 22nd 2014 was the first time runners would set of on this epic journey, and I was really excited to be one of them.
Looking back I had wanted to be part of this race as soon as I read about it, it was the unsupported aspect and the sheer scale of the event which did it for me, I didn’t realise at the time, but this was to be one of my most proudest moments, and one which I almost didn’t start.
Like a lot of people, pre-race preparations did not go to plan, having run well earlier in the year I was frustrated to fall unwell in the lead up to race day, had this been a training weekend there was no way I would have run, but this was the race I’d been looking forward to for months, the race where friends and family could track us and feel a part of, the race which had introduced me to bivvy bags and different styles/sizes of rucksacks, the brilliant guys at Activ8 Rehab had worked hard on getting me new orthotics which I’d requested in a last minute pre-race panic, realising my old pair wouldn’t last the course, I’d spent weeks reccing the latter stages of the route, and I really wanted to see how far I could go, in summary there was no way I was going to miss this.
The evening before the race the kind people of the Thames Head pub were happy for me to leave my car there, deal sealed, I was running and I was going to get to the finish.
Traffic into London was pretty good Friday morning, I arrived in plenty of time to check in, get sorted, and spot a fellow racer Andy Saville, who I’d met in a previous race. I wasn’t selected for a random bag search, but I knew the contents inside and out, I’d checked it myself so many times:
8000 calories, Bivvy Bag, Full waterproofs, Compass, Maps, First aid kit, electrolytes, silver foil blanket, Head torch, batteries, long sleeve, leggings, hat, gloves, and glasses.
The briefing Shane gave was great, there were 7 checkpoints, we could take additional water from lock taps which were marked on the provided maps, we should expect a few diversions off the path, and our GPS trackers where all good to go, all that was left to do was walk down to the Thames Path, and a countdown to get us started.
The first 5 miles were brilliant, it was the furthest I’d run in weeks, I took that as a good sign, and carried on chatting with Andy who I’d found myself running alongside, the second 5 miles however were pretty grim, I felt ill, uncomfortable, and having to work hard just to run at a steady pace. We were walking for 5 mins on the hour which was a relief and I enjoyed the break, I was worried I was slowing Andy down, and told him to go on, but he was happy to keep it slow and steady, with 174 miles ahead of you slow and steady sounded a good idea.
The first checkpoint was a welcome sight, and to be told we were high up in the field was encouraging, we stayed long enough to take on more water and refill the waist pockets with food, Andy was giving me a guided tour of the city, which was a nice distraction, I was focusing too much on how my body felt rather than being part of the race, and when we met up with some other runners I was really not in a happy place. At 13 miles we were cheered on by who I thought a rather enthusiastic random chap, who was in fact a friend of Andys who worked close by, it was a nice reminder this was a race, and was good to hear the tracking was picking us up, as his pocket bleeped with our live progress.
Mile 13, photo taken by ‘random enthusiastic chap’
I could happily bore you with the next 60 miles, in terms of scenery it was incredible, we left London, passed through Hampton, Windsor, Henley, then coming into Goring I was now into familiar territory, we’d gone through a night, I’d used way more batteries than planned due to a faulty batch, I was struggling with bruised shoulders from my rucksack and having to pad them out with my extra layers, but in terms of how I felt , I was actually now feeling stronger than ever.
I had been on this part of the course before and race mode kicked in, we were about to reach the Goring Checkpoint which is 100 miles, and it was looking possible to reach it just under the 24hr mark, but I mean just, we sped up for a mile or two, but accepted in the grand scheme of things, it was a nice idea, but realistically it wasn’t our main goal. We ran into the Checkpoint, and stayed a little longer than the others ones to make sure we were fully stocked, this was a sleeping checkpoint, but neither me nor Andy really wanted to rest here, we ran out of the checkpoint then promptly walked to finishing adjusting packs and finish eating my homemade flapjack.
Goring checkpoint, shoulders getting some relief
The ground was different now, the tow path turned to grass, things were progressing a little slower than intended, especially when a diversion took us into a farm, and we had to back track to get back on the route, this frustration hit us hard and got us quite down about things, so we decided we needed a pep talk and took 5 mins to actually sit down and sort our heads out.
We were passed whilst sitting down by another racer Kieron; this was going to have to be some pep talk to bring back up our spirits now! Back on our feet we needed to walk a little more, and it took a little while to get back up to pace once running again, my legs preferred to run than walk, and definitely did not enjoy the change between the two, after 110 miles I was going to have to make an awful decision, I tried again with a pep talk, “this is our challenge, it’s how we deal with this now that counts, we chose to do this race so we need to do something” I left it as long as I could, but I was running away from him without meaning to, logically I knew I would have to leave him, I didn’t want to upset him, and had it been the other way round I would have made him run his own race, however I still felt pretty awful.
I ran on.
I was now in 3rd, and was hoping that as I caught Kieron so would Andy. No offense intended to Kieron, I just really wanted Andy to do well, I owed him such massive thanks.
Kieron caught me up, he had been sheltering from some pretty heavy rain, and was now back up to speed, and we both headed towards the next checkpoint, we were running together at times, but also a bit of cat and mouse and trading positions, I was now focusing on what I needed to do, how far was left, and that this was now just a 50 mile race, no more negativity, I could feel my energy building up, I felt refreshed and eager to reach the next checkpoint and cross another off my list.
Kieron had said he was thinking of resting at the next checkpoint, and I hoped Andy would have ploughed on and would gain strength from getting to the checkpoint and running himself into 3rd.
At the checkpoint as I was told I was now an hour away from the leader, I felt great, nothing mattered now except catching him, I sorted my bag, and left, it wasn’t long before I had to stop and get a head torch out ready, which Id wished I’d done at the checkpoint and saved myself the additional stop, every minute mattered, I was full on racing, but still cautious I made sure navigation was monitored and I stayed on the right path.
I was then stopped and asked if I had time for a quick chat, it was a chap from the race organisers, who I’m very glad I stopped for when he told me I was now in the lead! Sadly the leader had to pull out, I was winning overall, just keep moving forward as quick as I can now, and don’t go wrong!.
In the dark the path was hard to spot, I was now completely out in the open, the river I was pretty sure was on the correct side, but trees marking field crossings could also have been a river, and for a moment I was a little worried I’d gone wrong, I climbed far enough down the grass verge to be sure it was in fact the river which I was following, the fog was now really thick, and making the head torch fairly useless.
I was cold, wet, and concerned my head torch would run out of battery, on the bright side it was keeping me pushing onwards, I was down to the last battery, I swapped to my spare hand torch which was actually better in the fog.
The route now veered away from the river and instead crossed fields on the diagonal, I had to hope there was a gate with a Thames path marker on it, I thought I was on the right bearing but when you are not sure its a nervous place to be in, I really did not want to back track, I actually wasn’t sure I could.
The only walking I was doing now was on the inclines, which on the Thames path are not that many, though this far into the race what is classed as an incline is pretty generous.
The section was now marked with tape, which I was grateful for, the way markers are good, but easier to spot red tape then double check it’s still a Thames Path sign, especially when having been up since very early Friday morning. It was now a rather damp and misty Sunday morning. It didn’t quite dawn on me until afterwards that I had manage to get through the whole race with no rest, I’d had a few caffeine tablets, and had cut out all caffeine months before the race in the hope they would have more effect than normal, which seemed to have worked well, but what really kept me going was the all encompassing urge to just keep moving, I had nothing in my head except get to the next gate, round the next corner, to the end of the road turn right, and so on, total focus, clear the mind of any doubt, there is nothing that can stop you.
In my mind’s eye I tried to see what I looked like, check I still had a running form (I’ve got so many photos of me at the end of a race where in my head I’m still ‘running’, but in reality it’s a shuffle barely worth calling that) I was already visualising the finish, I was adamant on the drive home I would look back on every part of this last 20 miles and know I could not have done any more.
In the lead and the sun coming up, It really did feel like I was flying, I hit the last checkpoint at a sprint, I was so excited, and with 16 miles to go, the feeling was unbelievable, I left all the food I wasn’t going to eat, having carried it this far I found food in my bag I’d forgotten about, I readjusted my shoulder pads, and left for the last stretch of 16 miles.
I remember this leg the best, probably because I had covered this part on a training run in both directions. I had dreamed of being here, I was told I was safely going to win it, but now I wanted to be under 48hours, I thought I could go under 47 I tried, but I did just a little too much walking to make that time.
One section which I walked (looking back is now comical, at the time not so much) was due to cows. I am not great at running through fields of cows, kind of silly , but in this instance it wasn’t just giving a few a wide berth, the entire herd were blocking my path.
The only way to go was through a gap between trees which they were inconveniently blocking, I stopped, approached slowly, they didn’t even budge, I got nearer then realised I would just have to go through them, they allowed me to passed, but then closed ranks and followed me up the hill towards the gate, I walked faster, and thought for a moment I would have to sprint for the gate, they weren’t that far behind at all when I fumbled the lock and got through.
No more dramas thankfully, it was a just case now of focusing on getting to the finish, my shoulders were sore but manageable, I had a large blister on the side of my heel which had popped ages ago, but was not bothering me enough to do anything about it, certainly not this close to the finish, I felt like I was running on empty, I was still working hard on the sections which were runnable and marching out the parts which were not, every single step was getting me closer to the finish.
Even though I knew this section, parts went on a little longer than ideal, but I was getting there and that’s all that mattered.
There was no way I was going to finish this race dressed like an 80s reject, call me vain, but I stopped and the shoulder pads were removed, the river was now reassuringly reduced in stature, I knew I had missed the sub 47 hour goal, but was now working on getting in under 48.
when I saw I had just a couple more fields to go it was overwhelming, a few more gates, a large dog to avoid, and then I was met by one of the organisers on a bike who rode alongside me until I entered the final field.
I could see the T184 banners, Race Director Shane Benzie, supporters, and most importantly the stone signifying the start of the Thames, but our finish. A final push and I was there, 184 miles, the outright winner in 47:18 I couldn’t believe it, absolutely over the moon, it had been every part the epic journey in the most fantastic cliché of ways.
The Finish.
And the finish from my daughter Jordan’s perspective, the actual video she took apparently involved singing and dancing , so a screenshot had to do.
The tracker was great, not once did I feel alone, when you know that know that friends, family, team mates are all following you it was a huge boost, definitely made the night sections easier, it was only afterwards was I able to see just how much support there was for the race, the comments , race reports, and shared experiences from everyone has made this an unforgettable event, one that I am very proud to have been a part of.
To be fair, it was touch and go I would be starting the T184 at all, I owe massive thanks as always to Les Flitcroft and Pranic Healing, (a complimentary therapy, similar to how the Chinese use Qigong, which uses the energy around us, and has changed the way I approach every challenge) It’s helped me deal with failures, and successes, and see them for what they are. Now for me each race is a lesson, and this was certainly no exception.
This race was tough, the finishing statistics prove that, but looking at how many people are wanting to give it another go, it was a race that gave so much, and one I will definitely come back to, everyone involved from the organisers, volunteers, and competitors help make it an experience like non other, a massive thank you to everyone, and congratulations to all those who competed, in the truly fantastic T184.
To find out more information about the T184 and T-series events go to www.tseriesracing.com
August 22nd 2014 was the first time runners would set of on this epic journey, and I was really excited to be one of them.
Looking back I had wanted to be part of this race as soon as I read about it, it was the unsupported aspect and the sheer scale of the event which did it for me, I didn’t realise at the time, but this was to be one of my most proudest moments, and one which I almost didn’t start.
Like a lot of people, pre-race preparations did not go to plan, having run well earlier in the year I was frustrated to fall unwell in the lead up to race day, had this been a training weekend there was no way I would have run, but this was the race I’d been looking forward to for months, the race where friends and family could track us and feel a part of, the race which had introduced me to bivvy bags and different styles/sizes of rucksacks, the brilliant guys at Activ8 Rehab had worked hard on getting me new orthotics which I’d requested in a last minute pre-race panic, realising my old pair wouldn’t last the course, I’d spent weeks reccing the latter stages of the route, and I really wanted to see how far I could go, in summary there was no way I was going to miss this.
The evening before the race the kind people of the Thames Head pub were happy for me to leave my car there, deal sealed, I was running and I was going to get to the finish.
Traffic into London was pretty good Friday morning, I arrived in plenty of time to check in, get sorted, and spot a fellow racer Andy Saville, who I’d met in a previous race. I wasn’t selected for a random bag search, but I knew the contents inside and out, I’d checked it myself so many times:
8000 calories, Bivvy Bag, Full waterproofs, Compass, Maps, First aid kit, electrolytes, silver foil blanket, Head torch, batteries, long sleeve, leggings, hat, gloves, and glasses.
The briefing Shane gave was great, there were 7 checkpoints, we could take additional water from lock taps which were marked on the provided maps, we should expect a few diversions off the path, and our GPS trackers where all good to go, all that was left to do was walk down to the Thames Path, and a countdown to get us started.
The first 5 miles were brilliant, it was the furthest I’d run in weeks, I took that as a good sign, and carried on chatting with Andy who I’d found myself running alongside, the second 5 miles however were pretty grim, I felt ill, uncomfortable, and having to work hard just to run at a steady pace. We were walking for 5 mins on the hour which was a relief and I enjoyed the break, I was worried I was slowing Andy down, and told him to go on, but he was happy to keep it slow and steady, with 174 miles ahead of you slow and steady sounded a good idea.
The first checkpoint was a welcome sight, and to be told we were high up in the field was encouraging, we stayed long enough to take on more water and refill the waist pockets with food, Andy was giving me a guided tour of the city, which was a nice distraction, I was focusing too much on how my body felt rather than being part of the race, and when we met up with some other runners I was really not in a happy place. At 13 miles we were cheered on by who I thought a rather enthusiastic random chap, who was in fact a friend of Andys who worked close by, it was a nice reminder this was a race, and was good to hear the tracking was picking us up, as his pocket bleeped with our live progress.
Mile 13, photo taken by ‘random enthusiastic chap’
I could happily bore you with the next 60 miles, in terms of scenery it was incredible, we left London, passed through Hampton, Windsor, Henley, then coming into Goring I was now into familiar territory, we’d gone through a night, I’d used way more batteries than planned due to a faulty batch, I was struggling with bruised shoulders from my rucksack and having to pad them out with my extra layers, but in terms of how I felt , I was actually now feeling stronger than ever.
I had been on this part of the course before and race mode kicked in, we were about to reach the Goring Checkpoint which is 100 miles, and it was looking possible to reach it just under the 24hr mark, but I mean just, we sped up for a mile or two, but accepted in the grand scheme of things, it was a nice idea, but realistically it wasn’t our main goal. We ran into the Checkpoint, and stayed a little longer than the others ones to make sure we were fully stocked, this was a sleeping checkpoint, but neither me nor Andy really wanted to rest here, we ran out of the checkpoint then promptly walked to finishing adjusting packs and finish eating my homemade flapjack.
Goring checkpoint, shoulders getting some relief
The ground was different now, the tow path turned to grass, things were progressing a little slower than intended, especially when a diversion took us into a farm, and we had to back track to get back on the route, this frustration hit us hard and got us quite down about things, so we decided we needed a pep talk and took 5 mins to actually sit down and sort our heads out.
We were passed whilst sitting down by another racer Kieron; this was going to have to be some pep talk to bring back up our spirits now! Back on our feet we needed to walk a little more, and it took a little while to get back up to pace once running again, my legs preferred to run than walk, and definitely did not enjoy the change between the two, after 110 miles I was going to have to make an awful decision, I tried again with a pep talk, “this is our challenge, it’s how we deal with this now that counts, we chose to do this race so we need to do something” I left it as long as I could, but I was running away from him without meaning to, logically I knew I would have to leave him, I didn’t want to upset him, and had it been the other way round I would have made him run his own race, however I still felt pretty awful.
I ran on.
I was now in 3rd, and was hoping that as I caught Kieron so would Andy. No offense intended to Kieron, I just really wanted Andy to do well, I owed him such massive thanks.
Kieron caught me up, he had been sheltering from some pretty heavy rain, and was now back up to speed, and we both headed towards the next checkpoint, we were running together at times, but also a bit of cat and mouse and trading positions, I was now focusing on what I needed to do, how far was left, and that this was now just a 50 mile race, no more negativity, I could feel my energy building up, I felt refreshed and eager to reach the next checkpoint and cross another off my list.
Kieron had said he was thinking of resting at the next checkpoint, and I hoped Andy would have ploughed on and would gain strength from getting to the checkpoint and running himself into 3rd.
At the checkpoint as I was told I was now an hour away from the leader, I felt great, nothing mattered now except catching him, I sorted my bag, and left, it wasn’t long before I had to stop and get a head torch out ready, which Id wished I’d done at the checkpoint and saved myself the additional stop, every minute mattered, I was full on racing, but still cautious I made sure navigation was monitored and I stayed on the right path.
I was then stopped and asked if I had time for a quick chat, it was a chap from the race organisers, who I’m very glad I stopped for when he told me I was now in the lead! Sadly the leader had to pull out, I was winning overall, just keep moving forward as quick as I can now, and don’t go wrong!.
In the dark the path was hard to spot, I was now completely out in the open, the river I was pretty sure was on the correct side, but trees marking field crossings could also have been a river, and for a moment I was a little worried I’d gone wrong, I climbed far enough down the grass verge to be sure it was in fact the river which I was following, the fog was now really thick, and making the head torch fairly useless.
I was cold, wet, and concerned my head torch would run out of battery, on the bright side it was keeping me pushing onwards, I was down to the last battery, I swapped to my spare hand torch which was actually better in the fog.
The route now veered away from the river and instead crossed fields on the diagonal, I had to hope there was a gate with a Thames path marker on it, I thought I was on the right bearing but when you are not sure its a nervous place to be in, I really did not want to back track, I actually wasn’t sure I could.
The only walking I was doing now was on the inclines, which on the Thames path are not that many, though this far into the race what is classed as an incline is pretty generous.
The section was now marked with tape, which I was grateful for, the way markers are good, but easier to spot red tape then double check it’s still a Thames Path sign, especially when having been up since very early Friday morning. It was now a rather damp and misty Sunday morning. It didn’t quite dawn on me until afterwards that I had manage to get through the whole race with no rest, I’d had a few caffeine tablets, and had cut out all caffeine months before the race in the hope they would have more effect than normal, which seemed to have worked well, but what really kept me going was the all encompassing urge to just keep moving, I had nothing in my head except get to the next gate, round the next corner, to the end of the road turn right, and so on, total focus, clear the mind of any doubt, there is nothing that can stop you.
In my mind’s eye I tried to see what I looked like, check I still had a running form (I’ve got so many photos of me at the end of a race where in my head I’m still ‘running’, but in reality it’s a shuffle barely worth calling that) I was already visualising the finish, I was adamant on the drive home I would look back on every part of this last 20 miles and know I could not have done any more.
In the lead and the sun coming up, It really did feel like I was flying, I hit the last checkpoint at a sprint, I was so excited, and with 16 miles to go, the feeling was unbelievable, I left all the food I wasn’t going to eat, having carried it this far I found food in my bag I’d forgotten about, I readjusted my shoulder pads, and left for the last stretch of 16 miles.
I remember this leg the best, probably because I had covered this part on a training run in both directions. I had dreamed of being here, I was told I was safely going to win it, but now I wanted to be under 48hours, I thought I could go under 47 I tried, but I did just a little too much walking to make that time.
One section which I walked (looking back is now comical, at the time not so much) was due to cows. I am not great at running through fields of cows, kind of silly , but in this instance it wasn’t just giving a few a wide berth, the entire herd were blocking my path.
The only way to go was through a gap between trees which they were inconveniently blocking, I stopped, approached slowly, they didn’t even budge, I got nearer then realised I would just have to go through them, they allowed me to passed, but then closed ranks and followed me up the hill towards the gate, I walked faster, and thought for a moment I would have to sprint for the gate, they weren’t that far behind at all when I fumbled the lock and got through.
No more dramas thankfully, it was a just case now of focusing on getting to the finish, my shoulders were sore but manageable, I had a large blister on the side of my heel which had popped ages ago, but was not bothering me enough to do anything about it, certainly not this close to the finish, I felt like I was running on empty, I was still working hard on the sections which were runnable and marching out the parts which were not, every single step was getting me closer to the finish.
Even though I knew this section, parts went on a little longer than ideal, but I was getting there and that’s all that mattered.
There was no way I was going to finish this race dressed like an 80s reject, call me vain, but I stopped and the shoulder pads were removed, the river was now reassuringly reduced in stature, I knew I had missed the sub 47 hour goal, but was now working on getting in under 48.
when I saw I had just a couple more fields to go it was overwhelming, a few more gates, a large dog to avoid, and then I was met by one of the organisers on a bike who rode alongside me until I entered the final field.
I could see the T184 banners, Race Director Shane Benzie, supporters, and most importantly the stone signifying the start of the Thames, but our finish. A final push and I was there, 184 miles, the outright winner in 47:18 I couldn’t believe it, absolutely over the moon, it had been every part the epic journey in the most fantastic cliché of ways.
The Finish.
And the finish from my daughter Jordan’s perspective, the actual video she took apparently involved singing and dancing , so a screenshot had to do.
The tracker was great, not once did I feel alone, when you know that know that friends, family, team mates are all following you it was a huge boost, definitely made the night sections easier, it was only afterwards was I able to see just how much support there was for the race, the comments , race reports, and shared experiences from everyone has made this an unforgettable event, one that I am very proud to have been a part of.
To be fair, it was touch and go I would be starting the T184 at all, I owe massive thanks as always to Les Flitcroft and Pranic Healing, (a complimentary therapy, similar to how the Chinese use Qigong, which uses the energy around us, and has changed the way I approach every challenge) It’s helped me deal with failures, and successes, and see them for what they are. Now for me each race is a lesson, and this was certainly no exception.
This race was tough, the finishing statistics prove that, but looking at how many people are wanting to give it another go, it was a race that gave so much, and one I will definitely come back to, everyone involved from the organisers, volunteers, and competitors help make it an experience like non other, a massive thank you to everyone, and congratulations to all those who competed, in the truly fantastic T184.
To find out more information about the T184 and T-series events go to www.tseriesracing.com
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