I’m running a 4/5 mile local route on repeat loop for 24 hours on 2.5.21. 

I saw Joe Wicks’ 24 Hour PE Challenge recently, then Kilian Jornet announced his 24 hour trial. It got me thinking about what I could do in 24 hours to challenge my mind and body, and of course, the only thing was to run! 

I’ve chosen to run for Samaritans because now more than ever, when mental health is at such a low and suicide is rising so rapidly, they need all the resource they can get to be able to support and save as many lives as possible. Raising awareness for mental health issues and helping to encourage conversation is a very important cause to me.

Running, for me, is far more of a mental challenge than it is physical. Those who know me will know how I put immense pressure on myself, especially in race environments, and talk myself out of things that I know physically I’m capable of.

When I ran the Newport Marathon in 2019, despite all the training, I got overwhelmed with the distance ahead when the water girls (who no doubt were volunteering their time and meaning well) at mile 3 sang “you’ve got 23 miles to go.” All I could think about was people tracking me via the app and how far I still had to go, and the next 23 miles were so much tougher mentally. The only perceived pressure was what I had put on myself, but I hated it.

This challenge will be all my own with no pressure of pace, distance travelled etc. There will be no chip time. The challenge will be to stay on my feet and keep moving forward for 24 hours, with scheduled stops for refuelling, kit changes and probably a massage! 

I’ll have some support along the way but would always appreciate any ultra running advice and tips between now and then, and of course some company on the day (or night 🙃). And more than this, would really appreciate any donations! Xx

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