The 2009 55-mile team: Tom Walters, Tom Le Gallais, Grant Little, Tom Dunham, Chris Morris and Charlie Marr
Day 2
27
Aluredian
Mile 55
After climbing the last valley the team are
feeling the pain return to their feet as they
lower the mental barriers which have sustained
them so far. Half the team have got severe
blisters and all are feeling dehydrated as the
sun decides to roast the valiant King's College
crusaders on their final hurdle. Yet, they are
within sight of the finish and as they hit the
crest of the final hill smiles are abundant as
the team see the 2000-strong crowd ready to
cheer them in, and they can almost smell the
sausage sandwiches waiting for them at the
finish. Finishing at 3.40 the team comfortably
came through with plenty of time to spare.
The medals that the team received at the end
of the event may seem feeble reward for such a
gargantuan task but the achievement itself as
any of the team will tell you was a 'thing that
has to be done' if you want to know how far
you, your mind and body will go in the pursuit
of a goal.
Thanks must go to all of the staff that helped
out with the event and, as always, I
recommend that any people toying with the
idea of doing any of the distances go for it, as
you won't regret the idea!
Mile 40
The team have woken up at 5.00am to get
ready for when the tors open at 6.00am. After
a quick breakfast they head up the hill to check
into Pupers Hill. After checking in at Pupers
they have a quick and short leg to Combestone
Tor, which is mostly flat and downhill and is
completed quickly. After checking into
Combestone they have the prospect of getting
to Sittaford in two and a half hours which is no
mean feat. After a painful walk through
Bellever Forest and through Postbridge the
team climb the hill up to Sittaford Tor and are
really feeling the last few days take their toll on
them as they leave the tor at 11.30 for the last
16 kilometres.
Mile 48
A long cross-country leg all the way to Sourton
Tor, the last tor of the course, leaves the team
feeling depleted but they get in half an hour
faster than the estimated split time of 1.00pm.
This gives them four hours to make the final
cut-off time in which they need to complete
five miles yet there are still two major valleys
between them and success.