Womens_Running_UK_Issue_86_March_2017

womensrunninguk.co.uk

USUAL SUSPECTS CHALLENGE

MARCH 2017 97

© TRISHA RANDALL / PAUL JOHNSTON / JAMIE BUBBLES

JOIN IN THE FUN

SAXONS, VIKINGS AND NORMANS (SAXON-SHORE.COM) HOSTS

EVENTS IN KENT AND NORTHAMPTONSHIRE THROUGHOUT THE

YEAR. THE NEXT USUAL SUSPECTS CHALLENGE TAKES PLACE ON

16 AND 17 DECEMBER 2017.

“I entered this year’s

event knowing that ‘the

usual suspects’ would

probably turn out for it.

As it’s an out-and-back

route those of us at the

back aren’t ever lonely.”

Maryanne Aitken, 54, Broadstairs, Kent

“My goal this year was to

reach 50 marathons, so

I decided to do my 50th

here as I knew a few of my

friends would be there to

celebrate with me and the

medal with all our names on it was epic!”

Janine Simpson, 45, Colchester

“I chose the Usual

Suspects Challenge as

my 100th marathon as

I’ve done lots of SVN

events and I knew I’d

have many running

friends to share it with. It was a fab day.”

Laura Penny, 36, Buckingham

WE RACED IT!

killers we have known’ (not personally, I

should add). Davos (as I fondly call him),

I soon learned, had secretly set about

surpassing the 200 marathon mark which

is what happens behind your back when

you’re off The Circuit for a few months.

My friend Mel Sturman was there too,

celebrating an amazing year where she’d

done 43 marathons, her first 100-miler – and

her third 10 in 10 (10 marathons in 10 days).

At the pre-race briefing, I learned of a few

other amazing achievements: two runners

had run 52 marathons in 52 weeks, one was

doing his 194th marathon... that year (yes,

really – he now holds the UK record for the

most marathons run in a year), and one,

Laura Penny, was due to run her 100th that

very day.

CATCHUPS AND CAKE

The course, a 3.85-mile loop, consisted of

a gently rolling trail followed by a scenic

stretch along the sea wall in the shadow

of the White Cliffs of Dover. As this was

a six-hour challenge event, if you turned

up you simply couldn’t DNF. Even one lap

would earn you the coveted paperback-sized

souvenir medal, so several people, like Rik

‘Elf ’ Vercoe and his smiley baby daughter,

Pippa, only came along for a few laps and to

catch up with friends.

Saxons, Vikings and Normans events

are known for two things: their friendliness

(not smiling at your fellow runners on every

single lap, would, I’m sure, result in instant

disqualification!) and... wait for it, their

cake. Or rather the bounteous abundance

of their groaning refreshment tables. All of

us marathon runners sadly have noticed

that it’s entirely possible to take on board

more calories than you can possibly burn

during six hours of running. And we haven’t

mentioned the goody bags, dubbed ‘baddy

bags,’ groaning with about a kilogram of

chocolate, cider and crisps – all the naughty

stuff that tastes more scrumptious after

countless 3.85-mile laps.

As I set off, the cliffs slowly brightened

up as the sun rose higher in the sky, and

I couldn’t help but chuckle at all the

incredible fancy dress outfits that would’ve

put most Santa’s grottoes to shame. On

my final lap I came across Kat McVicar

and learned that she suffers from joint

hypermobility syndrome. She’d been

told she’d be in a wheelchair by the age

of 35 and, after several years of deep

despondency, had set about proving her

doctors wrong. Not only had she recently

completed 10 marathons in 10 days, but she

was en route to reaching 50 by the end of

the year. What a woman, what a story, and

just another reason why I’m bursting with

pride at being able to call myself one the

Usual Suspects!

Coffee o’Clock!

Lisa with

her hefty

medal

Partners in crime

Santa’s little

helpers