Eden Valley Ultra 50k

Running is just like life. You can't give up!

"Running is the ultimate metaphor for life. The more we run, the more we feel like the lessons we learn in running are lessons for life."

Eden Valley Ultra (Sept 11th, 2021), a scenic 50km ultra marathon set in the beautiful Kent countryside starting from Wilderness Farm (a single loop starting and finishing in Hever, Kent).

The route was on mixture of dirt tracks, woodland footpaths and country lanes. The course was predominately off road on public footpaths and wasn't particularly technical. Most of the course was undulating but with very few prolonged climbs, (Elevation 946m) making the course tough but very runnable.

After a relatively flat start to the first checkpoint at 10.6km, the following leg to CP2 at 26.5km was where elevation was found. 

I started feeling the fatigue after all that climbs and a bit of the heat (even though we had an overall cloudy day with a bit of sunshine here and thete with average temperature of 17 degree), and mostly due to not running /training properly for a such race.

Leaving Ide Hill, there was a faster section, with plenty of descent and a series of country lanes and flat sections which helped but I knew it would be a challenge after 30km as I felt under-prepared for such a race. Nevertheless, I was the 50th finisher out of 132 runners,  finishing in 5 hours 53 minutes. 

Thankfully, the final stretch of the race via Penshurst Place, had no major challenges 😀. The route was very well marked and the race was very well orgainsed with three aid stations/checkpoints for refuelling and we were required to record a time at each checkpoint using our timing wristband. The third checkpoint was in 40km.

Thanks to Runaway Racing for organising such a great race and thanks to all the wonderful volunteers for looking after us all day.

(I cannot forget running through a field where was this strong yucky smell of cow dung and all the bugs were crash landing on my head/neck. I just wanted to hold my breath and escape that field quickly but I was just so tired and couldn't run any faster! 😂)

Dartmoor Wild Camping & Swimming 🏕️ 🏊️

Day 1: Bellever Forest and Foggintor Quarry

Whatever is going on around the world, life is just pretty amazing! Yes, that's true! We just need to look deep into nature to understand everything better. There is nothing more exciting than exploring a spectacular natural environment and Dartmoor is definitely a magical place to visit.

We left home early Friday morning for our long drive to Dartmoor (200miles) and went for a first long walk in the Bellever area and around Foggintor Quarry to see the abandoned pits and ruins, set within beautiful rural Dartmoor countryside where we stayed overnight as well.

Foggintor Quarry provided the stone for famous landmarks such as Nelson’s Column. It operated from the early 1800s until being decommissioned in 1938. The scarred pit has transformed into a lake with the surrounding landscape betraying clues to its former life.

We absolutely enjoyed wild swimming in this small lake. It’s deep in parts but very shallow in others, with large rocks just below the surface. It isn’t ideal for anything too enthusiastic but it’s great for the sheer atmosphere and offers a different perspective on the imposing faces of the quarry.

It’s an incredibly scenic spot to pitch up a tent, and we were also very lucky with the weather to witness a pretty fantastic sunset and sunrise. After we had a great time exploring and swimming, we settled in to have our dinner and tea under a clear sky (witnessed a shooting star too) and a good night's sleep thinking about a next-day adventure.

Please note, great care must be taken when exploring the site with no official paths and steep drops around many of its edges too. It is worth noting here that the Dartmoor wild camping map does not allow for wild camping within the bounds of the quarry.

Day 2: Lydford Gorge/Brat Tor

Saturday morning, we woke up before the sunrise, had our early breakfast and went for a short stroll around King's Tor. Then, we packed up our tents/backpacks to go for a walk in Lydford area which lies on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

On the way to Lydford Gorge, we passed through Lydford Castle, a medieval courtroom and prison. The River Lyd flows through a narrow steep-sided gorge which is 1.5 miles long. One of the main features of the gorge is the 100-foot high White Lady Waterfall running down the gorge’s face like a skein of silk.

There is plenty of outdoor fun and adventure for all at Lydford Gorge but do need to be careful walking through narrow paths with high drops above fast-flowing water, steep slopes, and long flights of rugged steps and uneven surfaces which can be slippery even when dry.

As we started our walk from the Dartmoor Inn pub, we managed to come back in time for our lunch as planned. It was really nice to sit out in the sun and enjoy the good food. Then we headed towards Brat Tor looking for a wild camping spot. After some hard time looking around, we managed to find a dry flat area up in the hill but just below the Tor and very close to the stream, just perfect to pitch our tents that late afternoon.

We had our Tea/Cakes and jumped into a little natural pool that we found, perfect for wild swimming. Water was so cold, it soothed our soul and invigorated our senses. Later, we had our dinner, enjoyed our hot tea while watching the sunset, and had a good night's sleep under a starry sky.

Sunday, we again woke up early. It was still dark but we could see ponies running around as we crawled out of our sleeping bag. But within a few minutes the suns first warm rays lit up the landscape and it just looked beautiful under a clear blue sky. We had our tea/boiled eggs, packed up our tents/backpacks and walked back to the car park. On our way back home, we went to see the beautiful Meldon reservoir in the north west section of Dartmoor National Park.

I spent considerable time planning/organising this trip/routes etc and it was a fantastic experience to wild camp with friends (Sushil, Sulav and Ajay) in this huge national park. Everyone had almost 16kg of backpack carrying a tent, sleeping bag, single burner camping stove and cartridge, 48hrs worth of food/water and spare clothing and other essentials. Thanks to Ajaya for driving us in his big car and thanks to Sushil for managing all our expenses (हिसाबकिताब). Overall a very successful weekend – a tiring but memorable trip.

Please note: you can wild camp only one or two nights max in Dartmoor. While wild camping, we must also make sure not to spoil our beautiful landscape by lighting fires or leaving waste behind. If you worry about carrying rubbish and toilet, there are always formal campsites you could book and stay and still enjoy Dartmoor's peace and tranquillity.

You can backpack camp on some parts of Dartmoor. This is by carrying your own equipment as part of your walk and staying one or two nights max. You can only do this in certain areas, check the (https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/.../outdoor-activities/camping) camping map to find out where.

The wild camping code:

* Leave no trace

* Don’t light any fires!

* Arrive late and leave early

* Stay just the one night – and then move on

* Keep group numbers small

* Source clean water

* Find a remote spot – but tell someone where you’re going

* Ensure you’ve got the correct equipment

100KM challenge 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

To help buy essential medical equipment for remote hospitals in Nepal, we decided to take on 100km walking challenge on our 16th Wedding Anniversary.

We started walking at 5:30am on Saturday 3rd July from Lake Fark County Park, Hayes, and 37hrs later, we crossed the finish line at Reading Station. To give this further perspective, there were only two of us started out on the challenge without any extra support as you would expect in an organised event, and with some determination, both of us did manage to finish this epic challenge.

The initial plan was to finish at Oxford but we finished at Reading instead for a bit of convenience of traveling back home. So I decided to change the route from Nettlebed. After walking 58kms that took us more than 15 hours, we arrived at Nettlebed just after 9pm. We decided to take a break as we were super tired. Sunday early morning, we had a quick breakfast and followed the Thames Path to finish at Reading Station.

We have never walked so long before and it was very tough physically and mentally. It has been said that the only training for long-distance walking is long-distance walking and we only had a few weeks of training but that's life! We never have enough time😀.

As best as we could, we tried to learn how fast/slow we could walk, how to tackle hills, manage fuelling and hydration, learn when to take a break and rest, and build up mileage. It helped us to be realistic with our plan and what we can achieve rather than just trying to finish within a fast time and struggle. It definitely required planning route/pace/navigation, preparing, and get ready for the walk in any weather. To pack as light as possible wasn't an option for us! We had to carry everything we needed from enough water to a first-aid kit and everything else.

With your contribution, we were able to buy two Oxygen Concentrator machines for Aruchanaute Primary Health Care Center in Aarughat Rural Municipality. We also helped to buy a Concentrator for Gorkha District Hospital in Gorkha Municipality and ECG machine for Baghauda Hospital in Madi, Chitwan. 

Your support has been overwhelming and without a doubt, your donations and support motivated and inspired us to complete this challenge successfully.

Thanks to Ashmina (Mathura dai) bhauju and Sumina didi for joining us for the last 6 hours walk and for keeping us busy/distracted from our pain and the struggle with all the good conversations and the company. 

Thank you very much Bharat venjau for picking us up from Reading Station. We were back in Hayes just after 9pm and able to celebrate our memorable Wedding Anniversary with a family. Thank you Chandra venaju for organising the dinner for all of us.

I cannot stress enough how much planning, preparation, and effort you have to put into an endurance challenge like this but certainly, it can be done. 

For Raphi, it was probably the hardest thing she has ever done. Was it the worst or the best ever challenge - that's for her to comment (honestly), but it is not something I can just recommend to do to everyone.

However difficult you think walking 100km would be, it was definitely harder. But pain is temporary, while the joy of completing a challenge will last forever! I certainly would like to take on 100 miles challenge next!

If you’ve got any spare change and would like to recognise our achievement and encourage us to go far and beyond, our *fundraising page is still open. All the rest of donations we have and will raise, we would like to pledge to a non-profit sharing organisation, **National Innovation Centre which is actively working on different projects to meet current and future needs with technology and developing the culture of research, technology, and innovation in Nepal.

Thank you.

*https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/oxygenforgorkha

**https://nicnepal.org/ (https://www.facebook.com/mahabir.pun)