Epic Ultra exploits including Rupert's Fantastic Finale
- brian17harris
- Jun 22
- 6 min read
This week’s newsletter is back to its normal Sunday evening slot – if you missed last week’s it went online on Wednesday. Before this week’s racing news, a reminder
***********************
If you’re a current or past member and want to come to the 40th anniversary celebration next Saturday 28th, just turn up for the Cirencester parkrun “takeover” (ready to run/walk at 09.00), but please let us know for catering purposes by the end of Wednesday if you’re coming to the afternoon/evening event. All current members had an email Friday 20th with details – please share with any former members you’re in touch with.
***********************
The biggest stories this week relate to two ultra events
Monday – Thursday Rupert Chesmore’s epic 160-mile (!!) Pennine Way “half-spine”
Saturday/Sunday - a very local ultra,the Cotswold Challenge 100k starting/finishing at RAU.
Here is Rupert's account of his adventure.
"Described as the most “brutal” Ultra in Britain, the Spine Race up the Penine Way tests all runners to their absolute physical, emotional and mental limits. With the various options from mere 45 mile sprints to the full 263 miles of the Spine, I chose the Northern Challenger, Hardraw near Hawes to the end of the Pennine Way in Kirk Yetholm – 160 miles.
With a daunting 36 page kit list, tight cut off times at controls up to 40 miles apart the emphasis is on total self sufficiency - physical and mental management with no external support. Navigational skills are also tested to extremes on many of the higher ground sections. Despite the summer label, conditions varied from 4 degrees in 40 mile an hour winds and shocking visibility in night time cloud to the inevitable hot humidity of the final section on Thursday.
We started at 8 am on Monday and I soon joined two more experienced lady runners whose advice, navigation and support enabled me to survive many dark times and to complete in 78 hours - well inside the 90 hour cut off.
We did this with a total of 5 hours sleep and I lost three toe nails and destroyed a pair of new shoes but I was able to kiss the wall at the Border Hotel.
Having finished totally trashed but satisfied after 25 years of Ultra running , that was my last, I am retiring."
Wow. Where to begin. "Congratulations" seems a bit lame for such a massive achievement - more than 3 days virtually non-stop, > 17,000 ft of elevation and over 250km. A huge amount of preparation too, and all by an athlete much nearer 70 than 60. Also well within a new cut off time that was 6hr shorter than 2024.
There will surely be opportunities for a more comprehensive appreciation of Rupert's ultra achievements later, by those much better qualified than your editor, but for now we just hope he recovers well and is suitably proud of going out on such a high.
16/19 June 2025, Pennine Way Half-spine, Hardraw to Kirk Yetholm, 160 miles trail
1 James Hargreaves (unknown) 40.17.55
57 Rupert Chesmore (Cirencester AC) 78.13.39
80-82 finished, DNF 36
********************
On the longest day of the year, but unfortunately also one of the hottest, several members/friends officially tackled the full 100k version of the Cotswold Challenge.
Martin Croucher has previously won the 2-day version of this event, but from some early solo photos seemed to be in less of a rush this time, ensuring no doubt he had plenty of time to properly enjoy the excellent range of food provided ;-)
“So yes, what a hot day, certainly up there with one of the hardest races I have ever run. The heat just made it intense and didn’t really cool down until late evening.Always well organised with signage and of course my favourite bit, the food was top notch at the aid stations!! Fi and Nadine and myself sort of flip flopped for the first half, we were never that far apart but I seemed to be always on my own. At halfway we decided to team up and run the second half together. It was always going to be lonelier so being together really helped. They certainly made the event so much more enjoyable for me, so thank you both for your brilliant company.It was lovely and felt honoured to see Fi and Nadine complete their 100k this morning and running through the night is always so much fun.And I even managed to eat the yummiest breakfast bap this morning, didn’t think I would be able to given the heat of the previous day!!!I’m sure Fi will give her account, certainly a challenging day but one she should be immensely proud of.”
Amongst the stream of congratulations on the Thursday runners whatsapp group, Fi confirmed it was indeed
"the hardest thing I have ever done – the heat and the insane hills – omg!"
She was running with Nadine Brown (RSE) throughout, and was very grateful for the support at various points along the way (including in the middle of the night in Tetbury) from Liza, Rupert (Yes - only hours after finishing his own Ultra !!), Caroline, Jo, Lara and Jenny {Ed. sorry if I missed anyone}.
Congratulations to all of them - here they are finishing together early on Sunday morning (photo Jenny Hill)
Members Alan and Rachel Macadam were also on support duty for their son Jacob, and between them ended up walking with him for most of the last 25km after he was unwell at around the 75km mark, but bravely pushed on. He still finished inside 15 hours which provisionally earned him 14th place out of >280 who finished (plus >180 DNF), quite an achievement.
21/22 June 2025, Cotswold Way Challenge, 100km trail
1 Nick Williams (unknown) 11.23.19
100 Martin Croucher (Cirencester AC) 20.53.08
101 Fi Collings 20.53.11
TBC finished www.ultrachallenge.com
OTHER RESULTS
James Widdowson started the week with a fast road 5km at Heddington, nr Calne. Whilst advertised as fast, the course has a steep downhill early on and a longish uphill drag at the end. It’s also part of the Wiltshire AAA road race series. The idea was test his fitness. The warm evening may not have helped, but his time of 22.38 to finish 64/114 was within his expected range.
Three members were in action on Sunday :-
Congratulations to James Thomas who won this year’s Buscot 10k in the extensive parkland of Buscot Park. His Strava time was 38:51 (official results tbc).
“It was hot and hilly but the grounds were stunning. Out on my own for most of it. Some welcome shady sections through the woods.”
Bradley Keene ran the Greystones trail 10km in Bourton-on-the-Water, finishing 67/121 in 57.34.
In his old stomping ground of Richmond, David Wright competed in the Ranelagh road 10k, which attracts a high-quality field being part of the Surrey county road champs (and also voted 3rd best road race in 2024 by Racecheck). David managed to trim more than a minute off his 10k time from last weekend, to finish in 42.46, which equates to almost 83% age-graded.
22 June 2025, Ranelagh 10km, Richmond, 10km road
1 Samuel Stevens (City of Norwich AC) 31.45
185 David Wright (Cirencester AC) 42.46 3rd MV65+
570 finished www.ranelagh-harriers.co.uk
PARKRUNS
With the RAU in use for the Cotswold Way Challenge Event (see above) there was no Parkrun at Cirencester this weekend – but there is next week and we’re hoping to see as many members there as possible for our anniversary weekend.
At Tetbury, Edward Knight, in his first season as U13, broke the 20-minute mark to set a new PB of 19:54, an improvement of more than 45s - congratulations!
Elsewhere, Tom Morgan was the furthest afield in Osaka, whilst in Vienna Paul Timms and buddy Phil Davey faced similar temperatures to the UK.
21 June 2025, parkruns, 5km trail
Cirencester AC finishers:
Tetbury: 3 Edward Knight (J) 19.54 PB, 29 Ben Hilditch 23.28, 220 finished.
Stonehouse: 23 Alan McAdam 24.44, 35 Rachel McAdam 26.55, 72 finished.
Stratford Park, Stroud: 16 Stephen Hale 25.58, 95 finished.
Marlborough Common: 107 David Moss 47.33, 120 finished.
Donaupark, Vienna, Austria: 41 Paul Timms 23.12, 46 Phil Davey 23.48, 153 finished.
Hattori Ryokuchi, Osaka, Japan: 27 Tom Morgan 29.40, 36 finished
Comments