Knowing When To Stop - inside an ultramarathon DNF
Midhurst Milers Midhurst Milers

Knowing When To Stop - inside an ultramarathon DNF

Knowing When To Stop - inside an ultramarathon DNF

. . . The race started exactly according to plan: slow and steady. Gel every 30 minutes. Solid food every hour. Salt tablets. Constant hydration. Cooling down whenever possible. Everything was going smoothly until around 60 kilometres in, when I started feeling ill. At first I wasn’t too worried. Stomach problems are common in ultras, and usually I can manage them. I switched away from gels and moved onto my emergency fuelling plan: Coke, pretzels, biscuits, nuts, and my ultimate ultra fuel — custard. But then things escalated. At one point I was sick in a bush and my nose started bleeding. Annoyingly, this was also the exact moment Adam — another runner fundraising for the same charity and attempting the insane double-lap challenge — caught up with me looking fresh and cheerful. . . .

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