Pilgrims Ultra Marathon

"Run an ultra," he said... and that planted the seed.

On Saturday 1st February I, along with Bob, Glen, and Robyn, set out to take on the Pilgrim Challenge – a one-day (33-mile) or two-day (66-mile) ultra marathon along the North Downs Way in Surrey. The course starts in Farnham and finishes in Redhill, with one-day elevation gain of 3,612 feet. NDW is known for its rolling hills, dense woodlands, picturesque villages and of course, plenty of mud, this challenge promised to be an adventure from the start.

All of us opted for the one-day option, and what an adventure it turned out to be. The route offered a tough mix of hills, stunning views, and rewarding landscapes, and of course lots of mud.

As Bob and I both picked up injuries training during our attempts to outrun Storm Darragh, it became clear that running was off the table. So, we made the decision to start with the walking group at 8 am, while Glen and Robyn would begin about an hour and a half later.

There are four checkpoints on the course where you must tap your tracker to register your progress.  Pilgrims way at 7.7 miles, Ranmore common at 13.6 miles, Betchworth Station at 23 miles, and Reigate Hill Station at mile 28. Each offered a variety of goodies – from Haribo to sausages – all of which were very welcome.

The first 10 miles flew by already passing Newlands corner and our run/walk strategy was working well with each step offering something new to look at. One of the highlights was striding up to St Martha’s Church, perched on a hill with sweeping views of the landscape, a little further along we passed several historical pillboxes from WWII and then onto Ranmore common.

Next come a fairly flattish section through woods and more mud that brought us to the next checkpoint on the edge of Dorking. Then along the top of Denbies vineyard down to the A24, which you have to cross via the underpass where we were greeted by Jude and Darwin, quick photo shoot and off we headed towards Boxhill. Due to the River Mole being in flood we avoided the stepping stones across the river so onto the dreaded staircase leading up Box Hill  which was particularly challenging. Trail was very muddy in places and after 268 steps my legs were trashed. It was a  great morale boost seeing our families and Jude and Tony at the lookout post at the top. After a quick chat off we went heading towards the next check point. 

With the final climb up Reigate Hill proving to be a long slog I was pleased to reach the top. The next section is fairly flat that heads towards the final CP at Reigate Hill car park, where  again we received a friendly wave from Jude. Now onto the finish at Redhill but not before passing through Gatton Park and the final downhill section to the finish in The Carrington School where once again our families clapped and cheered us over the finish line. 

Bob, Glen, Robyn, and I all made it to the finish line in one piece. Robyn and Glen finishing in an amazing time of 5hrs 49 minutes in an incredibly one day finish position of 9th and 10th respectively.  Bob and I both finished in a time of 8hrs 44 minutes, happy with that after injuries.

I would like to thank all the people I bugged for information on "how to run an Ultra" their advice on everything from pacing to salt tabs and peanut butter and honey sandwiches really helped and it's safe to say that the seed of running another ultra has truly taken root so watch this space.