Of the 35 athletes who completed the race, 25 of them ran over 100 miles. The icing on the cake was the fourth place finish, I believe that John secretly hoped for a top 10 finish, but was still more interested in getting the distance. Despite the difficulties over the last hour, John still managed to deliver 7.6 km, the last 3laps of which Steve and I walked with him. Or were the experienced runners going to eat him up in the last eight hours when John faded towards the end?
Sankara saw his government as part of a wider process of the liberation of his people. In the years following Sankara’s assassination, by his once trusted friend Blaise Compaoré who runs Burkina Faso to this day, his revolution was overturned and the country became just another African fiefdom of the International Monetary Fund. The IMF also unusually allowed capital controls to be brought in to help prevent money rushing out of the country. Iceland The country with the largest financial boom in the years before 2007 was the Atlantic island of Iceland. The commission concluded that the biggest part of the debt was a result of corruption, lack of transparency and ‘shady’ deals that did not benefit the people of Ecuador. Many examples of predatory lending were found including loans which violated international law and domestic laws in both the borrowing and the lending country.

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Ross reached the 50km mark (31.1miles) in 4 hours 50 minutes with fellow Scot Noanie Heffron in 5 hours 02 min and Wykes some 20 minutes behind in 5 hours 20 minutes. In the early hours of the race Ross, using the experience gained in last years race, started steadily. Debbie Martin-Consani won the 144 mile Grand Union Canal Race outright in 2012 and British ultra legends Hilary Walker and Eleanor Robinson managed it several times in 24 and 48 hour races.

• I was pacing myself on 14 miles per hour on the bike, so finally I finished the bike just before the cut off time in 10 hours 24 minutes.
• It gave me so much joy to see my very slow times gradually improve over the weeks and I will never forget the feeling of absolute euphoria and gratitude when I completed my first 4 mile race.
• The last surprise of the day was the announcement of John’s fourth position and official distance.
• As the party was on Friday afternoon I did not feel like going anywhere.
• The shots above show the run through the streets and some of the faster runners as well as the race start.
• Probably the current was the reason for my even slower swim in the open water.
• It was an amazing and emotional feeling to be on the track as the final siren sounded and 26 competitors stopped dead on their feet.

All of this involved a huge mobilisation of Burkina Faso’s people, who began to build their country with their own Sankra Casino hands, something Sankara saw as essential. In 1984, Sankara renamed the country Burkina Faso (land of people of integrity). In 1981, he was appointed to the military government in Upper Volta, but his outspoken support for the liberation of ordinary people in his country and outside eventually led to his arrest. Though Sankara’s flesh body is dead, the manifestation of his vision replicates towards infinity through these countrymen. I may not have run a step but I have been part of the support group and feel I can fully share in the runners’ achievements.

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It was an amazing and emotional feeling to be on the track as the final siren sounded and 26 competitors stopped dead on their feet. Not only were we looking at a possible 3rd place finish, but 215 km was a near definite and 220km a distinct possibility. Up to this point it was not about the other runners at all, we monitored and measured their pace and observed their routines purely out of passing interest. Well not completely, but he certainly helped.

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I have never run a 24 Hour race but I have helped at many over the years and each time the race draws to an end, I feel such happiness and pride in the runners. Then the rest of the hour was free, so I could check out how things were going in the counting area, chat to the refreshment people, or just watch the runners (quite hypnotic, you can do it for hours!). Bhauliya had a good run but went a little further than planned when the runners ahead of her took a wrong turn and she was led down an « alternative route » – still she looked very happy at the finish. They were all so happy to see me smiling in the first picture of the second bike lap. Finally on my bike, everything went along very well in the first lap. I experience how does it feel being surrounded with healthy, fit bodies, focussed minds and determined vitals.
Was it too early to hope for a finish position like that? At 3am John donned his hat and gloves to counteract the affects of the cold and walked his second lap of the race. The walking lap is a great opportunity to eat some solids (energy bar, bagels or pancakes) and a chance to really assess how he was doing in terms of HR, effort and any potential injuries that were starting to emerge. This steady progress meant John finished the 8 hour mark in 7th place.

• We will still put the time forward for ratification, as we believe it is the first time an 80 year old has run 100 miles in a continuous effort.
• I inform him, that it is possible, but as we are well aware of his age, just tell him to keep it steady, and no need to push it harder, and at any rate he is on course to set a new record for the 24 hour distance for an 80 year old.
• In perspective, only 4 of GB’s outstanding ultra runners of recent years, Emily Gelder, Hilary Walker, Eleanor Robinson and Lizzy Hawker have run further in 24 hours.
• Tejvan Pettinger of Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team finished 7th, in a time of 1.06.
• At the post race prize giving, after race winner Fionna Ross, Geoff probably receives the loudest cheers and applause of anybody, and asks to say a few words.

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It certainly wasn’t hard to feel inspired as this course has to be the most perfect marathon course in the world. What with two infections, an upset back and stress at work, I arrived in New York with a maximum of 7 miles achieved on any single run. Even then I had to be very careful, sticking to short runs a couple of times a week.
Hopefully more runners from Sri Chinmoy A.C. Running into the sunlight, and feeling the rays on your face with the light breeze and the smell of the sea reminded me so much of running back in Cornwall. Then I had to remind myself that this was a race and not one of my leisurely runs, and from first gear I stepped up to third gear and quickened my cadence across the somewhat soft sand. I made the short distance to the start on the beach under the pier where those in fancy dress were being judged. As you would expect there were plenty of runners wearing Father Christmas hats.
The whole crossing felt protected; later that day, when we were half way across the Channel, Boris commented that it felt like being in a dream. He jumped off the boat into the water (“Oooh, it’s cold!”) and swam to the shore from which his swim must begin. Angikar, freshly greased up to help protect against the cold water, was clearly in the mood for a successful channel swim. But today was about swimming, and soon we arrived in Dover and met a very joyful Angikar, clearly ready for his journey across to France. He was, and it wasn’t long before I found out that he had rowed for Oxford in the Boat Race (3 times—that’s quite special) and won once! Boris had swum the Channel four times already and he was training to be an official observer for the Channel Swimming Association, which means he will have the authority to ratify a successful Channel swim.
Ross, and the other runners were no doubt having similar feelings, but relentlessly she, Wykes and Heffron were circling the track, edging closer to that 100mile mark. Here are Geoff’s respective times and distances for 2013 and 2014. The hooter duly sounds and shattered runners come to a standstill, all relieved they can now finally stop. Whereas, most running events are the classic set distance like 800m or a marathon, and completed in a certain variable time, in this case the time is set, and the distance is the variable result.

Sometimes you accept it and say to yourself, “I gave it my best shot, lets move on”. Like all experienced athletes who have been running for many years, in Geoff’s case over 60, he prepared as best he could, and came with a goal and a plan. All we could see was their small green lights, until, suddenly the lights rose about six feet off the water. Soon he was in the water and, together, they swam off into the dark.

However, I came to realise that although these were difficult experiences, they were not the hardest thing to overcome. Self-transcendence in the ultra-running world took the form of multi-day races which over time would increase in length from 6-day to 10-day, 700 miles to 1000 miles and then 1300 miles. I felt a real sense of achievement because I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to complete it. Of course it did get more and more difficult, but we all pulled together and everyone finished. I had no idea if I would be able to do it or what I would experience.
On the next aid station I wasked for water, they said « it’s water ». I was fascinated with Chris Lieto’s speed – Bryan Rhodes and Jason were far behind him on the bike. Probably the current was the reason for my even slower swim in the open water.
My longest training ride was very easy – forty three miles along the race course on Sunday a week before the race. I could not feel even one moment of the hard work in my legs any more. Believe me, your body will be grateful to you! The weather was sunny and warm, the park is beautiful, the water station came just in time at around half way, and the course is fairly flat with just a couple of minor slopes. Of course everyone took off across the start line at a cracking pace.
Karen (GB 24 hour international Karen Hathaway) was just outstanding and I was so grateful for all her experience” For hour after hour, all the runners in their own way have had to summon up something almost beyond physical capacity, as they strive to achieve their respective goals. Indeed she is actually lapping the track faster than anyone. Wykes, like many of the other runners, seems galvanized that there is now under an hour to go and looks the stronger of the two.
Heffron, now certainly feeling the effects of 20 hours on a track at 196km, is closing in on 200km. Ross now has to refocus and set her sights on another 16 miles ahead to achieve that. For our leading 3 runners, there is no let up. As the day gets brighter some runners, who have left the track for wee breaks start reappearing. With dawn, as always, comes hope, or in the runners case, the knowledge that the race end is in sight and achievable, albeit a few hours away still. Taking a wee break is the last thing on these three ladies minds, they have all come into the race with their own personal goals, and slowly, lap by lap, they are edging closer to them.