Sat 11 Sept – Sunday 12 Sept

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

And so I found myself on the start line of the Robin Hood 100 for the 4th time (and I suspect it won’t be my last). This time however, I was joined by Robert Bishop (who ran the Northern Relays a week later!), so maybe the result would be different.

It wasn’t – let’s not mess about, it was pain, and suffering, and joy, and blissful peace, in equal measure. Oasis once said “the highs are higher than the lows”, and I know exactly what they mean – Who wouldn’t want to run all day and all night, and see the Sun come up? But getting to that endpoint left me doubting my ability as a runner, as it does every time, but friendships and memories are made along the way, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. It wasn’t my fastest time, and it wasn’t my slowest, but I love this race, and I will definitely do it again.

The 100 mile distance is simply magical – yes, it’s hard on body and mind, but so, so good for the soul. I find myself sitting here, a week and a half after the event, still buzzing from the memory of it (whilst very obviously forgetting that I nearly packed it all in at mile 47).

I know that I always bang on about it, but I genuinely think that any one of you could complete this distance, it just takes a bit of mental strength. I’ll happily talk to anyone about what’s required, so if you think you might want to give it a go, just get in touch.

Kallum Pritchard, of the Royal Marines Running Association set a new course record of 15 hours, 39 minutes, beating the course record by a staggering 55 minutes. First Female (and 9th overall) was Isobel Cairns, of Hunters Bog Trotter, in a time of 22 hours 04 minutes.

Congratulations to Robert Bishop, who despite pacing possibly the worst positive splits in history, still managed to bring it home. Sometimes it’s just about putting one foot in front of the other! Much kudos for grinding it out.