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From Wallingford to Clifton Hampden is billed as 7.5 miles, but I had my GPS<br />
with me so I knew it wasn’t. On all the race reports I’d read, there was a<br />
suggestion that this leg of the race felt longer than it should have been, and I<br />
can confirm that’s true. Things started to drag (even more) during this<br />
stretch, feeling like it was taking forever to knock off each mile. The sky<br />
started to lighten, but the temperature seemed to drop even more,<br />
especially as we got back close to the river. My whole left arm (the one on<br />
the river side) seemed to be frozen, and I was running along in “bandit<br />
mode” with my buff over most of my face until my glasses steamed up so<br />
much I couldn’t see, when I’d have to then drop it until I see again and then<br />
repeat. I don’t think it would matter how tired you were at this point, it felt<br />
dangerous to slow let alone stop. To think it was 1st May, and my shoes<br />
were iced over on the back and the top from all the frost on the grass.<br />
Eventually after about 90 minutes of slowly lightening sky we arrived at<br />
Clifton Hampden – 85 miles in. I tried to eat some more food here, but my<br />
appetite was just shot and quite frankly I just wanted this bloody thing over<br />
with. Every aid station involved a cup of sugary tea now (and a the need to<br />
pee about 15 minutes later without fail), and I was hoping I’d get through on<br />
that. 2 more aid stations to go – just 15 miles, not much more than a half<br />
marathon. It was just after 6am, so we had to go a little faster than 16<br />
minute mile average to get in under 24 hours. That’s moderately fast<br />
walking, but it’s also no time at all at aid stations, and no slowing down. I’d<br />
been awake for over 24 hours and covered 85 miles on foot. Could I make<br />
it? I had absolutely no idea.<br />
We got going, back down to a bridge and then alongside the river again. The<br />
sun was above the horizon now, and within 20 minutes or so it was starting<br />
to warm up. The path was a bit rutted like the last 10+ miles which made<br />
footing a little awkward, but we were keeping up a good pace. Dave couldn’t<br />
run because of his hamstrings, but was pretty adept at fast power walking, so<br />
I’d run on at about 13 min/mile pace for a few hundred metres, then walk a<br />
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