CHALLENGES
Where it all began
Just weeks after getting sober, I found myself watching the London Marathon on TV. A wave of emotion came over me, watching tens of thousands of people pushing their limits and overcoming hardship on the streets of the capital, and I knew it was the start of something.
The next day I signed up to the following year’s event, setting myself a structured training programme that would become the bedrock of my continued sobriety.
On 23rd April 2017, in just under four hours and having run every single step, I crossed the London Marathon finish line, crouched down and kissed the tarmac, and burst into tears at the sense of achievement.
But I wasn’t finished there…
The first ultra
A year later, I added the Paris Marathon to my ‘belt’ and prepared to take on The Wall.
‘The UK's most iconic ultramarathon’ and ‘the perfect first step into ultramarathon territory for those new to the world beyond 26.2’, The Wall is an undulating 70-miler, from Carlisle to Newcastle, along historic stretches of what remains of Hadrian’s Wall.
Having set off from Carlisle at 7am, I crossed Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge and stumbled across the finish line just before 9pm. I was broken but there was still light in the sky and I had completed 70 miles in a not unrespectable time of 13:52:48, coming in the top 10% in my first ever competitive ultra.
Yes, Staff!
I count myself very lucky to have been one of the 25 ‘recruits’ that, in September 2018, were flown out to Chile to film series four of Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins. I spent two weeks at altitude, high up into the Andes being pushed further than I thought possible by the Directing Staff, and was one of eight to survive through to ‘escape and evasion’, followed by the infamous interrogation stage. It was a phenomenal experience that I only have fond memories of, I met some incredible people and I learned a lot about what the human body is capable of – a lot, in case you want to know.
5 ultra in 5 days
In March 2020 I was due to fly to Sri Lanka to run 250 km over five days through the Udawalawe National Park, in the process raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. But, with flights grounded and borders closed due to COVID, the event was cancelled.
Rather than allow 1,000s of miles of training to go to waste, I resolved to complete the distance on the streets of London, including a giant 50 km Stegosaurus-shaped loop of Streatham, Dulwich and Crystal Palace.
100 miles
Taking on SAS: Who Dares Wins taught me that limits are only in our minds and the next milestone I was desperate to tick off was the magic three-figure mile distance; 100 miles.
The Thames Path 100 is an organised annual race from London to Oxford along the River Thames; I completed the 2020 edition in 21:38:25 – well clear of my 24 hour goal – and finished in the top 50 of 230 starters, many of whom were exceptionally talented and experienced endurance athletes.
On ultrarunning, comedian Michelle Wolf once said, ‘You know, it does kind of make you feel like a badass.’
And I felt like a badass.
Half the height of Everest
Running along a river is flat. The Cotswold Way is not.
A designated National Trail that weaves through six counties and following the Cotswold Edge escarpment, it stretches 102 miles and boasts a total elevation of half the height of Mount Everest.
In May 2021, I became the first person to run the full length of the Cotswold Way solo and unsupported, a record recognised by fastestknowntime.com.
The big one
Six days after getting married, thanks to my extremely accommodating wife, I was one of 75 people that congregated on the canal towpath in London’s Little Venice to take on the 145-mile Kennet & Avon Canal Race. Following the Grand Union Canal to Slough, the Jubilee River and Thames Paths to Reading, the Kennet & Avon Canal to Bath, and finally the River Avon Path to the centre of Bristol, would be hard enough, without having to do so in the middle of a heatwave, with temperatures topping 30°C.
I came second, in a time of 31 hours, 9 minutes.
And now?
I’ve not quite hung up my running shoes – you’ll still find me out pounding the pavements of Wiltshire a couple of times a week – but at the beginning of 2023, I wanted a new challenge.
That came in the form of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I have completely fallen in love with the sport’s beautiful brutality and its ability to humble even the fittest, strongest athletes.
As my coach says, “You never complete jiu jitsu.” But that’s fine by me, because we should all, no matter our chosen pursuit, be prepared to keep showing up, week in week out, and humble ourselves in the pursuit.
Along the way, if can collect a few medals at BJJ competitions, then that’ll be a nice extra.
