Last weekend, Newport & District Running Club’s Elly Blake took part in the “Foxton Hound Ultra”, and won her age category, finishing 52nd overall in a time of 7 hours, 7 minutes, 29 seconds! Afterwards, she kindly sent us this report of how she got on:
On Saturday 17th August, I took part in the 50km Foxton Hound Ultra in Northamptonshire. Many runners opted for the 100km event which had a 17-hour cutoff time. The weather was perfect with the circular route starting at Winwick and utilising the public footpaths of Brampton Valley Way, Jurassic Way and Grand Union Canal, providing a scenic route with long stretches of good running surface. The Kelmarsh Tunnel was an interesting addition, requiring a head torch to travel through.
I finished the course in a little over seven hours, unusually for me, well within the nine-hour cutoff, my running time was just over five hours, the rest was walking or time at aid stations. I managed to use just one pair of shoes, collecting only one blister (which is typically my biggest problem!). I tested a larger capacity running vest to enable all the mandatory race requirements and the need to carry more water on longer runs, which was successful. The course had four Aid Stations with a lovely array of goodies and the opportunity to top up on liquids.
As is often the case with these longer events, the other runners help to keep you going, and it’s always interesting to find out the motivations behind people’s desire to run longer distances. I started this journey with my first parkrun in July 2022, and am motivated to see what this ‘older lady body’ can actually do after a lifetime of minimal exercise! I definitely enjoy the longer distances in the countryside at a slower pace than the faster shorter road races which totally kill me!
Newport & District Running Club 