What a way for Simon to celebrate his 60th birthday weekend, walking around in this heat. However, his much younger wife Jane keeps him young and youthful and, if truth be told, I didn’t really ever doubt that he would get round. Simon can be very stubborn, which in normal life can be occasionally inconvenient, but over 100 miles definitely becomes a recognised endurance strategy.
And here he is, at the very reasonable time of just over 34 hours, making Simon the 24th fastest* completion of the event. Given that he’s a walker and not a runner, this was a really quite impressive pace.
Simon and I think that there need to be more pies at checkpoints and he very much deserved this one.
I hope that he enjoys his birthday cake, but completing an event like this shows some considerable style. *-Simon reminds me that he was joint 23rd with Kim…
Simon kindly answered a few questions after the event:
Q. What are your main memories of the Hunnypot 100?
A. The heat! The temperature, mixed with the challenges of the route, especially the later parts, made for a brutal event at times. That said, the marshals at each checkpoint did a brilliant job in trying to keep us all hydrated, fed and motivated.
Q. You completed the event and came in 23rd place, which I mention as that is a very fast pace for a walker. What strategies did you use to get around what appears to have been the hottest ever 100?
A. Set a sensible pace that reflects the conditions, keep hydrated and put one foot in front of the other.
Q. Which part of the walk did you enjoy the most?
A. The last 100 metres! All joking aside, I enjoyed all the route, but given the heat I was more focused on making sure I kept on moving.
Q. Will you be doing it again? Or is it too early to say?
A. Absolutely. It’s an addiction!
Q. Do you have any suggestions for organisers of future LDWA 100s?
A. The value of making sure there are sufficient checkpoints along the route cannot be overstated. Keeping walkers hydrated, fed and motivated is a critical part of the event’s success.