The day of the walk had finally arrived and with my gear packed in my mates borrowed and very handy Osprey bag, I set of on the tube in the wee hours of the morning with my walking buddy to Sullivan Primary School in Putney, South West London for the starting line. There were over 200 people taking part in this year’s walk and there were a good a mix of veterans, current members of the armed forces, some who had taken part in last year’s walk, and newbies like me.
I was quite excited and anxious as you can imagine. It was a gorgeous day: sunny, but not baking hot with a cool breeze behind us. It really was an incredible day for walking. We arrived in good time, registered and even found time to strap our feet up – early foot care! With maps given, tracking devices tagged, to ourselves bib number issued and all formalities and announcements completed , we were off.
Time Flew
Truth be told, I can’t recall much of the first 40km simply because it was rather enjoyable and time flew! My feet were taking a pounding and my leg muscles were beginning to tighten as early as the 20km but so far, so good. My blisters from my last walking session had healed in time and my earlier foot padding and blister plasters were working a treat. I was glad I was recommended to do so by my walking buddy before we started.
The scenery was phenomenal. We passed hamlets and towns, climbed up hills and got a great view of the towns below us. Checkpoint 1 at Tooting and Mitcham Community Sports Club (postcode: SM4 6BF), checkpoint 2 at the Poppy Cafe (CR5 2HE) and checkpoint 3 at the White Hart Barn in Godstone (RH9 8DT) came and went. We were starting to tire but still in good spirits. We were hydrating ourselves on the go and keeping our sugar levels topped up thanks to the Snicker Bars and packets of Haribo were munching during our walk.
Each checkpoints were manned helpfully by local volunteers and well-stocked with high energy food and I can’t stress enough how important it was to get as much food and sugar as you can as well attend to foot care in those times. We would typically stay for around 20-30 minutes. But those minutes flew by. You wouldn’t even notice. Everything I did was with military precision. There was no time for faffing around. it was all about preparing yourself for the next 10-15 km you had next as soon as you walked into the checkpoint venue.
Halfway
By the time we reached the 50km mark at Imberhorne School (RH19 1QY) around 20:00, roughly under 12 hours after we started, we were starting to get pretty knackered. Our feet were sore and the leg muscles were tight. But things were still positive: we had reached the halfway stage, a great achievement/milestone in itself and we can finally begin to countdown the kilometers till we reach Brighton. But it was also the point at which the challenge got really tough and would continue to get progressively harder. The sun was beginning to set which meant for the next 6 hours, we would be trekking under the cloak of darkness with only our head torches for guidance. Honestly, you could see sod all.
Admittedly, I was looking forward to the night walk. Perhaps bizarrely, I thought the walk was going to be easier . Of course it wasn’t – walking in complete darkness is a big challenge in itself. But surely it would be cooler and they wouldn’t make us climb up hills, through forests and mud would they? Of course they did.
We climbed up hills and ploughed through forests in complete darkness. A big ask when you’ve already been walking for 12 hours and covered 50km. The cold didn’t help either. It was freezing and you could be forgiven for thinking it was the middle of winter. The drop in temperature between day and night took me completely by surprise. I was aware of it of course but I was still taken aback by it all. It was like a horror film. Trekking through a forest with low visibility with the moonlight shining at night with only our head lamps to guide us, casting eerie shadows every where we looked. I am grateful I had a walking companion alongside me. Without his companionship and company, I would normally freak in such circumstances – being in the middle of the forest at night and all – and my head torch was just about adequate but without my buddies stronger beam, my task would have been a whole lot harder.
We reached our next checkpoint (CP 5) at Sharpthorne Club (RH19 4NS) at roughly around midnight virtually in the middle of nowhere. My phone battery was dying and I was getting no signal so it was hard to figure where we were. We had done 14 hours of walking by this point and by some miracle, my left foot still remained largely blister free but a blister had begin to form on my right foot. Needless to say, they were sore and aching. I went about my usual food, water and foot care procedure with military efficiency and seconds later, we were away again. Back into the darkness with mountains, and more forests to plug through.
Still some left in the tank
We finally arrived at checkpoint 6 (after roughly 75km between 3-4am) at Scaynes Hill Millennium Centre (RH17 7PG) after what felt like forever. Needless to say, I was shattered. But not yet completely spent. Sharp pains shot through every sinew in my legs and every km felt endless. We hadn’t slept. My legs and feet were screaming for me to stop. I was worried about the state of my toes too. But we still had to keep going. At the time, I thought that was the toughest leg of the walk. I was also shivering uncontrollably. I had only a shirt on and hadn’t bothered to put on any extra layer – I was so focussed and numb from all the pain I didn’t realise how cold it had become. I went about my personal foot and leg care. I didn’t bother with the food. I was well fed and hydrated whilst walking. I packed on all the layers of clothes as I had and after about 30 minutes (which felt more like seconds)we were off again. By this time, I was focussed on finishing – sod the 24 hour goal! The sun was also starting to rise, signaling the end of the night walk…finally!
By this time, there wasn’t left of me in the tank. I could hardly speak and when I did, it was reduced to whispers. This was the challenge at it’s hardest. The challenge was about endurance, physically and mentally and this leg of the walk was going to require all my mental strength. It was all about sheer willpower rather than physical fitness that was going to see me through. This was were the real challenge lay.
As I walked, thought about this challenge was only a tiny part of my life. For those Blind Veterans, they had to live with their injuries for life. No matter how much pain I was going through, it paled into insignificance in comparison to others.
Miraculously, we reached the 7th and final checkpoint after 87km just before 6am at Plumpton College (BN7 3AE). The sun was back in full force. We walked through even more forests and even farmers patch. to get to this checkpoint and our pace had slowed dramatically. Moving any part of my body was incredibly painful. But we were so nearly there. I was going to finish this no matter what. I’ll crawl if I had to.
In terms of scenery, the final 13km was the most pleasant walk. But we had very little energy or time to enjoy it which was a shame. 13 km and roughly 3 hours left of walking. Doesn’t sound much but when you’ve walked 87km for 21 hours, that is asking a lot. The guys at the last checkpoint were very encouraging. All we have to do now is climb Mount Olympus and through brighton to reach the Brighton office of Blind Veterans UK.
It was around the 95 km did injury finally took hold of my walking buddy. It was at this point panic started to creep in. Now we were walking at an even slower pace and the sickening thought of falling at the final hurdle was heartbreaking. For one horrific moment I thought we weren’y going to make it. But huge credit to my buddy who kept on going and virtually walked on one foot the rest of the course. Up on the hill we could see the sea coastline and smell the sea water but could not see the finish line. We were beingg trolled or perhaps after 95km without sleep, we were beginning to hallucinate?
We Made It!
Finally, Blind Veterans UK HQ was in sight and we were cheered on and congratulated as we finished the last few meters. Crossing the finishing line was them most incredible feeling. A wave of exhaustion greeted me but also one of extreme joy, achievement and pride and being awarded my medal by Norman, a Blind Veteran himself made it all so worthwhile. Rather unsurprisingly, I was spent and crashed out on the freshly lawned grass beside the finish line for some well earned snooze. I was spent and had nothing left the tank and if there were further distance to cover, I don’t think I could have done it. I was spent and sadly, I wasn’t able to enjoy the view or seaside Brighton had to offer as I had planned.
I am massively thankful to the Snicker bars and packets of Haribos we carried on the trek. It was much needed sugar to give me those much needed sugary boosts when the going got tough. The importance of keeping your body topped up with water and sugar was crucial.I had never peed so much in my life! It was very much military efficiency, precision and maintenance. It’s the closest thing I’ll get to experiencing the military.
Massive Thank You!
I am also massively thankful to everyone who encouraged us and wished us well along the way. One lady even stopped her car as she was driving to wish us well. Amazing gestures. They were much needed boosts especially when the challenge got really tough.
I am also massively thankful to everyone at Blind Veterans UK and Adventure Explore. Everything was well organised, organisers were really helpful and kind and the directions were mostly clear and easy to follow. It was a really enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend anyone taking up the challenge
What I loved most about this whole challenge is seeing the bond that is formed between myself, my companion and other walkers along the way.Unbreakable bonds are formed in the face of adversity and it is incredibly heart-warming when others go out there own way to help you when you’re struggling. Thank you to that kind man who offered my walking buddy his hiking sticks when my buddy got himself injured in the last few kilometers.
What I’ll remember is the amazing people that took part in the challenge. There were amazing people out there and I admire those who completely smashed the 24 hour challenge. I believe the first person to cross the finish line did so in 16 hours and 30 minutes which is insane!
I’ve had rotten luck in recent times what with careers and studies and I was pretty down. My self-esteem and confidence had taken a battering. But this challenge was the greatest I had ever undertaken and I’ve completed it and lasted all the way to the end. It’s given me a massive lift. I am worth so much more no matter what people think of me and there are other things I am good at. I will never forget this experience.
It’s taken a whole week for me to recover before I could do anything (including writing this!) and yet my legs are still rather sore and I won’t be able on the running trail until another few more days of rest.
Finally…I did it! And hopefully I will be back next year!
To see more pictures at the event, click here. Great photographer whoever he is!
Kritt Normsaskul 