Kay K The Okay Runner: Thunder Run round two

After the last time I took part in Thunder Run, I swore I’d never do it again. A horrific two-and-a-half hour 10km through the mud and through the woods in the dark, struggling (and failing at one point) to stay on my feet was quite enough of an experience, thank you very much.

So back in October 2019 when the bookings were made for what should have been the July 2020 event, I was still firmly in the ‘never again’ camp. But as time has progressed, my running has progressed and the memories of that awful lap faded somewhat, I started to feel a bit of FOMO around not running this time.

So naturally, when a spot became available a couple of weeks before the event, I jumped at the chance (after checking the long-range weather forecast, of course!)

As the event approached and the arrangements were made – who’d be in which team, how we’d be getting there and who would take pity on the camping novices and look after Des and I, the excitement definitely built.

Here's how it all unfolded!

Friday evening

Due to clashing with other plans in previous years, me and Des have always arrived at the campsite on Saturday so it was really nice this year to be able to take in the whole weekend and enjoy the nice relaxed atmosphere of the Friday evening. Catching up with friends I’d not seen in a while (and those I see several times a week!) was lovely and there was a fantastic feel about the place.

This was made so much better when I was absolutely delighted to be named the DOrunning Female Runner of the Year for 2020 at our mini awards ceremony! It’s something I would never have expected and I’m really proud of myself for! It absolutely set the weekend up for me and gave me an excellent sense of confidence ready for the challenge ahead.

Team talk

All that was left before bed was to plan our method of attack! With 17 runners in total, we were in three teams – I’d found myself in a team of six along with Des, Ian, Dave, Barry and Craig. Still somewhat scarred from my awful experience two years ago and unashamedly afraid of the dark, we managed to draw up a schedule which would give me the last lap in the light at night and the first in the light in the morning.

My personal target at this point was to complete a minimum of three laps – and push to four if I felt alright and time allowed.

Lap one – 12:00hrs, Saturday

Taking on the first lap is always going to be exciting, but in the long absence of mass events, this year it felt extra special! Being penned in (socially distanced, of course) with the familiar hum of excited runners and the smell of deep heat felt brilliant and made me really keen to get going, plastering over any pre-race nerves I’d had building.

The clock ticked on to 12:00 and the crowd started to shuffle forwards, slowly at first with the pace picking up as our feet hit the timing mat to officially start lap one. Running through the tunnel of spectators felt amazing! I got a little emotional and settled into my run absolutely beaming.

I couldn’t remember the course perfectly, but I knew there was a nice flat start before heading up into the woods for a climb. Last time, I never even attempted to run the ascent but this year I really enjoyed jumping and diving around under the cool shade of the trees – it felt like an adventure!

In great spirits for the whole 10km route, I made bits of conversation with fellow runners, swapping small talk about how nice it was to be an event, how testing the hills were and how the tall grass was a bit tricky. Swept up in the fantastic atmosphere, the miles melted away.

Before I knew it, I was doing the last few twists and turns and heading back into the race village to pass on the baton – in the very respectable time of around 1hr 3 minutes, I was absolutely buzzing!

Time for lunch and a nap ready for lap number two.

Lap two – 7.30pm, Saturday

By the time my second lap rolled around, I was ready and raring to go! More than seven hours into the challenge now, the atmosphere hadn’t faltered and everyone was still in great spirits. I knew I had plenty of time to complete my lap before it would be dark, which was a comfort, so I set off feeling good and looking forward to another spin around the scenic and undulating route.

As time goes on, you can really start to tell the difference between those of us working in teams and those battling through solo efforts. I think that’s part of what makes the 24 hour events so special – more so than in any other event. Everyone has their own challenges, game plans and reasons for being out there.

On the whole, it was quite an uneventful but enjoyable lap. I did walk a few little patches this time, conscious of saving my legs for future efforts as much as anything. By around 8km I was getting really hungry and this was starting to make my running feel a bit difficult – the thought of a nice curry waiting for me back at camp definitely spurred me on and got me over the finish line in comfortably under 1:10, another really pleasing time!

Lap three – 4.42am, Sunday

Getting started was always going to be the hardest part of this lap, for a couple of reasons: I don’t do dark and I don’t do lack of sleep.

In the weeks leading up to the event, I’d made it clear to everyone that running in the dark was going to be a hard no for me – I just knew it wasn’t worth the worrying I’d spend doing about it all weekend.

We had our plan which meant I'd be doing the last light lap and the first light lap, but as Saturday went on, everyone on the team really smashed their laps and we ended up running over an hour ahead of our scheduled times.

Luckily, the rest of my team weren’t too worried about having someone on the course at all times and put absolutely no pressure on me, but I wanted to do my very best (the Girl Guide in me!) and I knew that if there was going to be any chance of fitting a fourth lap in, I couldn’t let too much time lapse before I went back out to get number three in.

I compromised with myself. Get to the start line in the last of the dark, knowing it would be light enough to not be scary by the time I reached the thick wooded section of the route. So off I went for a third time, crossing the start line and heading off again.

As the kilometres ticked by this time everything started to hurt. Muscles fatigued from the two previous laps, body feeling the effects of two nights (well a night and a half) on an airbed, it took some serious will-power to keep running through the grass and tracks. I willed myself on, stopping to walk on the up-hills but churning as best I could the rest of the time.

I don’t think it would be a full Kay running story without tears at some point, and these came just after the half way point on this lap. As I passed through the water station, one of the volunteers asked if this was my last lap – he must have been able to see how knackered I was! I told him I’d squeeze a fourth in if my turn came around in time to which he responded “That’s it, team player I love it!”. Naturally the vague compliment from a stranger made me burst into tears as I dragged myself up the hill reflecting on how proud I was of myself!

At the top of the final big hill my legs were really aching but I still managed a smile for the couple of selfies I took to send to my Mum. I’d all but decided by now that this would be my last trip around the course and the thought of a can of dark fruits and a shower when I got back to camp really spurred my on to complete it. I crossed the line in 1:18 which I was absolutely fine with.

The rest of the morning

True to my promise to myself, I enjoyed a 6am can of slightly warm cider while I decided what to do next. I knew that if I really pushed, I could squeeze another lap in. But that would have meant putting pressure on my team to get their next laps done and it would have risked tarnishing my really nice experience with what was likely to be a really uncomfortable 10km and probably extra time after the event to recover.

Time for a shower it was then! Followed by a couple more breakfast cans and a couple of sausage cobs – what a way to spend Sunday morning!

It’s tradition at Thunder Run for every member of the team to run the final few hundred metres with their teammate completing the last lap. Wearing our new souvenir t-shirts and with the DOrunning flag flying between us, we marched over the line all smiles and pride – it really is a fantastic feeling all coming over the line together!

We managed 19 laps between the six of us, beating one of our fellow DOrunning teams by exactly one second. Of course where all friends and not competitive at all, but when you put runners in teams we’re always going to want the bragging rights!

My second experience of Thunder Run was something I swore would never happen! At the time of writing (it’s taken me almost two months to get this post finished!) the organisers have announced the dates for next year’s race. Will there be a Thunder Run round three? Let’s wait and see!