Phil's feat of endurance

I’ve written before about the remarkable things that some people do to raise money for us. Take Phil Semple, for example.

We could scarcely believe it when we heard how far Phil had run – 120km! That’s 75 miles, and all in twenty four hours.

Phil works for IOP Publishing, who have adopted BRACE as their charity of the year and are setting the pace when it comes to fundraising. He entered the Endure 24 race last weekend and dedicated his fundraising to BRACE.

Phil said of the run, “In my mind the Endure 24 race would be relatively straightforward, run a 5 mile lap, rest a few hours, run again, rest etc. In reality it was quite brutal, the rests weren’t as long as I’d hoped for, the course was very tough woodland trail, and my legs keep stiffening up after each lap.

“The race itself consisted of 10km laps (6.25 miles) through an undulating mixture of grass and woodland terrain, unlike the usual flat and smooth road surfaces that I am used to. The first lap was over quickly and as usual I was caught by the false sense of thinking that I was going to feel this fresh all night. Having completed a second lap I quickly realised that after 12.5 miles, my joints were showing the first signs of fatigue and that I was going to have to plan some kind of alternating walking/running strategy. Leading up to the end of my 8^th lap and 50^th mile at around midnight my blood sugar had gone down rapidly (as had the temperature) which triggered the usual dizziness and shaking so I was lucky to find someone with some spare energy gels which enabled me to finish the lap and get some much needed rest and food.”

Despite soreness, aches, cramp and blisters, Phil kept going. Falling over roots did not help, but he was able to take some refreshments during his short breaks. He even borrowed a walking stick to help him through the final few miles and an emotional crossing of the finishing line.

Well done, Phil. A remarkable achievement. I feel I ought to add a warning about not trying this at home, because not everyone’s body could stand the strain. If 75 mile runs aren’t for you, there are plenty of less arduous things that you could do to help us fight dementia.