In December 2023 I signed up for Run Britannia 2025 and in May 2024 left my job at Blackrock to give myself a full year to train, unencumbered from the obligations of doing a full-time job.
The Run Brit challenge is to complete a 1,030 mile running journey, leaving Land's End on 31/5/25 and arriving at John O'Groats on 4/7/25. In total it will be 31 days of running and four rest days in the five week period. This is not the most direct route between the two ends of the country, rather it is intended to be more scenic by taking in some of the national trails eg South West Coastal Path, Offas Dyke, Wye Valley Way, West Highland Way etc. About half of the route will be on trails and half on roads of some form.
Week 2 is Bristol to Preston - 217 miles in 6 days (ave 36 miles a day)
Week 3 is Preston to Abington - 165 in 6 days (ave 27.5 miles a day)
Week 4 is Abington to Fort Augustus - 182 in 6 days (ave 30 miles a day)
Week 5 is Fort Augustus to John O'Groats - 203 miles in 6 days (ave 34 miles a day)
For context 1030 miles is 39.3 marathons in 31 running days plus 4 rest days.
Why am I doing this?
For the personal challenge. It is a selfish indulgence. By some standards this may seem "extreme" but with the right training & support it is entirely "doable". Back in my youth I completed the Munros as well as the English and Welsh 3,000ft mountains. So I thought it would make a nice "lifetime double" to have climbed all the 3,000ft peaks in Great Britain and also to have run the length of it.
What's the set-up?
The event is organised by Rat Race. There are expected to be 25 runners, attempting the whole route. We are supported by an Event Director and crew who will deal with all the logistics including moving kit from one set of accommodation (hostels and small hotels) to the next, pit stops etc. In addition there will be a medic and a couple of physios on hand to try and keep our bodies functioning. All meals are provided for us including lunch & snacks at the various checkpoints.
Probability of success?
Over the 2022 "Test Pilot" and the 2023 & 2024 events the odd of "success" (defined by me as completing all 1030 miles) were pretty much 50%. Through focussed training and preparation, I hope I have tilted the odds slightly in my favour, but make no mistake, this is a very challenging run. An interesting stat from the 2023 cohort is that 14 out of 27 completed all of the first week - those 14 went on to complete all of the run successfully. Hence their guidance is that if you can handle the milage of the first week, then there is a good chance of completing the entire run (major injury aside).
How do you train for this?
There is not really a playbook for how to train for this, although there is much wisdom and guidance from Rat Race and previous participants. The way I have trained for this goes something like this:
- Find a great coach who knows the demands of ultra challenges and can guide you
- Quit your job so work doesn't get in the way of preparation!😉 I've had the luxury of 12 months not working in the lead up to the event. [That said my father passed away shortly before I stopped work and so dealing with clearing a house and estate matters was probably the equivalent of a half-time job for the first 6 months]
- Address imbalances with posture & running style before building scale.
- Lots of gym work & flexibility including yoga & pilates to build leg & core strength.
- Build a foundation of running high volume on a variety of different terrains with lots of hills. I've been averaging just over 100km a week for the last 9 months, with around 1,500m of climbing each week.
- Do a number of multi-day and week long events (see Training Runs)
- Swimming, saunas & walks for recovery.
How do you navigate?
See: Navigation
Am I doing this for charity?
In short - "No". Many of my fellow runners will be and I applaud them for that. My own logic is this: If I seek sponsorship for a simple road marathon, and I have a bad day, well I simply walk the last hour and I've still "earned" my sponsor money. With RunBrit if one has a problem and has to use the bus for a day or more then one has to recalibrate what "success" looks like. At a personal level that is huge (having invested 18 months of ones life in this project) but to have, on top of that, the emotional overlay of dealing with sponsors is something I did not want. [I'd feel guilty for taking sponsor money for something I didn't complete].
If however, the run is a success, I may perhaps do some form of low-key talk and use that to raise a few quid for a local charity.
A variety of reasons:
- I wanted a way to capture the trip for myself.
- Documenting the learning through the training period has been very helpful to me and if it can be of some marginal use to others then great.
- To be able to share the journey with friends and family who are interested, without the plethora of "look at me" type posts on social media.
Martin- I’m very excited for you and your run journey ! This is an incredible achievement and I believe success has already been achieved when you took the decision to sign up for this great journey. I wish you a safe and a fun full-filled run!
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