Still Running (weakly). Issue 43

PAST – inspiration – On 14th/15th October 1960, Hugh Neilson race-walked 133 miles and 21 yards round a 400-metre track in Walton-on-Thames in 24 hours, setting world records for all distances and times from 80 miles to 24 hours. (In working backwards to find something worthy of comparison with our “Present” extraordinary effort, my mind caught on this.)

In later years, Hughie continued competing regularly and was an ever-present in supporting others with their own long-distance trials. When I started to struggle badly 60 miles into my tilt at becoming a Centurion (walking 100 miles in 24 hours) in 1983, he walked alongside me for a while, offering encouragement and – his remedy for any long-distance problem – a glass of Tizer!

PRESENT – perspiration – This week’s extraordinary performance – and perhaps this year’s, this decade’s or even this century’s – is that of Jasmin Paris, who became the first female finisher of the Barkley Marathons, a race so fiendishly difficult that only 20 people have ever finished it since its inception in 1986. The first finisher was Mark Wood (UK) in 1995. You have 60 hours to cover 5 loops of 20 miles each. Paris took 59:58:21! One look at a picture of her at the finish line will tell you most of what you need to know about the effort she gave. If you want to dig deeper, there are films – The Race That Eats Its Young, Where Dreams Go To Die, which kinda sum it up too!

Paris of course has form here. In January 2019, she won the 268-mile Montane Spine Race along the Pennine Way, beating all of the men, and shattering the previous (either sex) record by 12 hours. She made headlines because she expressed breast milk for her baby at the aid stations along the route.

Of her most recent effort, she said, “I did it for me, and I'm super happy that I achieved what I set out to do after the three years of trying. But I'm glad that I kind of did it for women worldwide as well – not just runners – but any woman that wants to take on a challenge and maybe doesn't have the confidence.”

FUTURE – suggestion – To run an extraordinary time, you don’t have to be extraordinary. It doesn’t have to be anything that means anything to anyone else in the world.

Even now, decades past all personal bests, I occasionally run “one for the ages.” Maybe I’ve trained a bit better recently, and I set off with intent on a regular loop. My splits are good, encouraging me to press harder. A glance at my watch suggests I could bring that course record of 39:32 down under 39,….. no, wait, well under 39,….. possibly sub-38?

Each few minutes bring greater confidence, pressure and suffering. I am in the pain box now. One last slog up this hill then sprint for all you’re worth. 36:52.

Oh-ho. One for the ages indeed.