The Black Beacon Mountain Ultra 100 Miles
This event is labelled as one of the world’s toughest marathons and now I know why!
Following the successful completion of a 100 mile challenge previously, in around 21 hours, during 2022, I believed that I would be fine taking on the Black Beacon Ultra Marathon. I understood that it had more ascent, a lot more, but thought I’d be more than capable of completing it. It turned out that I very possibly underestimated the challenge!
Barring brain injury recovery, this is the hardest challenge I’ve ever undertaken both physically and mentally.
Was it the relentless mountain terrain? The rocky paths through forests? The horrendous weather, slippy trails and running through bogs that took you down to your knees? The foggy dark nights impacting visibility? The unclear routes or the 25,000ft of ascent? Who knows, but mix all these together and it was a challenge like nothing I had ever previously experienced.
There were times when I wasn’t sure if I could carry on, especially during the second night of no sleep. I was struggling with hallucinations and confusion😵💫It was extremely difficult to stay in-touch with reality which affected my ability to navigate and stay on track.
Below I share my insights and experiences of the arduous journey…
My amazing team, Lee, Rich, Josh, Jez and I were all excited as we arrived in Wales on Friday. We were full of energy and motivation to complete the challenge for the charity.
The start time was at 6pm which is something I’ve not tried previously. I was concerned about not sleeping and how I’d respond going into the second day and night. Despite this I remained positive.
It was a great start and we were blown away as we approached a beautiful waterfall. The route took us behind the waterfall which was surreal. Moments like this are exhilarating and I was full of gratitude.
Unfortunately Lee rolled his ankle at 2 miles. He was hurt but able to carry on. We adjusted and went slower on the descents to deal with his pain. He’s a tough lad, totally committed to the cause.
The first seven miles were relatively steady with some winding county roads. We were enjoying it.
After this we reached the ascents. Steep ones with no real paths, just open fields, marsh land, bogs, long thick grass, rocks and plenty of mud. This type of terrain is tricky to navigate.
Lee, Rich and I soon realised this was going to be a challenge like no other. As it got darker we turned on our head torches and put on our jackets. Having the right equipment for these types of challenges is crucial and a key learning for me.
We climbed higher and experienced a horrible mist that distorted our field of vision. This, along with harsh wind conditions, made things really difficult. It was a harsh environment.
Josh and Jez were on hand at the feed stations. Their energy was amazing, full of encouragement and everything we needed. It was also lovely to meet Dan who was a great bloke and was really helpful.
The marshals at the stations were superb too! To fuel the challenge I was eating a mixture of pasta, chai bars, jam sandwiches, nuts, flapjacks, cakes, soup, bread, Huel meal replacement drinks, Efectiv protein shakes and torq gels. I made sure to keep hydrated with water and electrolytes.
It was a tough first night but after 30 miles the sun had risen and we had a renewed sense of hope. We enjoyed the scenery as we continued to climb up and down mountains, across ridges, along canals and over rivers.
The weather took a turn for the worst and started to hailstone. This was a gruesome stage for us and we had to dig deep, plodding on, as best we could.
Lee had rolled his ankle a few more times and was struggling. At 50 miles, the mid-way point, he was checked by a medic and was advised to go to hospital. Obviously disappointed, he knew it was the right decision to stop. His partner, Kayleigh was there to support which meant so much to him.
Rich made a sensible decision to stop just after that too.
The lads had given it their all. I have the utmost respect for them both, The first 50 miles had been the hardest 50 of my life. We had climbed over 13,000 feet and
the thought of doing it all again on the return leg, on my own, was grim to say the least. I doubted whether I could do it but knew I had to try for the charity. The rain was bouncing off the floor as I turned around and started the home leg.
During this difficult period, I focused on “my why” at P • A • U • L For Brain Recovery and the
kind sponsors who were supporting the challenge, as well as my family and friends. Thinking of those I love and admire boosts my resilience and gives me extra strength when the going gets tough. My son, Reece, lives with a disability and has never taken a backwards step. He is a constant source of inspiration. Thinking about the challenges service users and their families face on a daily basis always puts things into perspective. I was powered by passion and was determined to complete the challenge for my team and P.A.U.L For Brain Recovery.
I was going well and enjoying my surroundings. I’d managed to reach third place until my navigation device lost battery life! This was a school-boy error on my part and certainly something I’ll learn from. I called my brother, Mark, to let him know and he was able to guide me using the event tracker.
This was a slow method but ensured my safety and kept me going in the right direction. That was until the event tracker lost its signal in a dense forest. Unfortunately I became lost and darkness was drawing in for the second night. This was a scary experience, but I was soon delighted to spot the charity van in the distance, or so I thought. I had experienced my first hallucination – the charity van was in fact, a bush.
Although disappointed and alarmed, I didn’t panic as I knew this may happen during the challenge. Thankfully I was able to contact my support team and they got help from marshalls at a near-by feed station. They came to rescue me and I was reunited with my support team. They gave me some food and restocked my supplies. The team was fantastic!
Upon reflection I should have had a power nap. Just 20 mins would have helped to prevent hallucinations. This is something I’ll take forward in the future.
It’s during the next stage of the course when things took a turn for the worse. After a steep ascent and running about 3 miles across a mountain in the dark I became confused and started to hallucinate again. Trees and rocks were turning into faces or animals. The grass was glowing and there seemed to be another level of offices underground. In other areas there was an abyss of space and darkness. I was in trouble but I didn’t realise how much at the time. When you lose sense of reality, your insight and understanding is obviously poor. Despite this, I knew I needed to stay calm. I had a drink and some food.
In the distance, I could see some headlamps coming towards me again. I wondered if they were real. Thankfully they were! Three men who were taking part in the event came running up. I’m a big advocate for reaching out for support when you need it and so I asked if I could join them. I told the lads that I was hallucinating. They kindly took me under their wing. We marched on falling into bogs and slipping on wet grass. My body and mind were truly exhausted but I was able to keep moving, one step at a time until we reached a feed station.
My support team were concerned for my safety as they could tell I wasn’t quite with it. They sat me down and I was fed and watered. We had a discussion and I shared my determination to finish the challenge. We agreed that the best course of action was for me to stay with the other runners.
We set off for the last leg. As we stomped up and down the last mountain, my legs were shaking. Jeez, they were fatigued after covering over 150,000 steps! I dug deep again and found hidden depths of strength I never knew I had. We always have more in the tank, always. Our bodies and minds are incredibly resilient. Onwards.
It was foggy and raining. The wet weather had made the ground slippery and there were lots of deep bogs in the area. I don’t usually use walking poles but Lee had lent me his. I’m so glad he did as without them I’m not sure I would have been able to carry on. This was another lesson I’ll take forward. Although I slipped and fell over a few times I was able to get back up and carry on. I don’t think my trail trainers were sufficient for this type of mountainous terrain which was another lesson for the future. I was learning plenty which is what life is all about!
After a while, the group split up. This was the result of poor visibility and everyone being incoherent. I was left with a Welsh lad called Liam. Time was ticking to the cut off point and we were worried we wouldn’t make it. The thought of not completing after everything I had put myself and our support team through was frightening! Liam and I stuck together, encouraging each other. We ran the best we could once we were back on the road to the finish. The last miles are a blur to be honest.
I was running on empty, just a man who was motivated by a deep purpose to help others.
When my body and brain were struggling, my spirit was leading the charge, not giving up.
I could see my support team as I came around the corner to the finish line at 6 a.m. They were cheering me on, full of positivity and goodwill. This was so special. We had achieved this together enduring 36 hours of ups and downs, injuries, disappointments, hardships and deep concerns for welfare…..we had been to hell and back, but we had completed our mission. As I ran across the finish line, I thought about my team, everyone at the charity, all those who had sponsored and supported me along the way. My heart was full of gratitude.
Thank you for reading. My blog demonstrates that anything is possible when you set goals, push yourself, persevere and reach out for support when you need it. This is what I’ve constantly done since my brain injury back in 2012. Whilst it isn’t my intention to encourage you to run ultra marathons (this was my goal). My hope is to inspire you to push yourself. I’m achieving more than I ever imagined. If I can do it, so can you. Go for it.
Best wishes,
Paul
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