HIGHS & LOWS ON RACE DAY! - Thames Path Challenge 100km Ultra Marathon 2022

[@MarkLewisfitness]

Nice job 👍🏼 Have me flash backs 😂

[@RyanCondon]

Amazing video Phil. Great achievement. This is your best video yet! Welldone.

[@trailrunningphil]

High praise indeed! :) Thanks for your continued support mate

[@MihaiGoRunning]

Beautiful race footage, Phil! Congrats for the race and on the filming and editing! Best wishes!

[@trailrunningphil]

Thankyou Mihai I appreciate you taking a look. :)

[@tworunningbrooms]

Great achievement Phil. You seemed to be going deep into your soul in the second half of that race.

[@trailrunningphil]

That is a very good description of exactly where I was! Lessons learnt. Overall I enjoyed the experience a great deal. Its so hard WANTING to eat when you need to. Its obvious afterwards that I needed more food and I wasted time on things that weren't important.

[@tworunningbrooms]

@@trailrunningphil John is blessed with never finding eating a chore. Dawn gets where you're coming from though...

[@BenNotley]

Amazing job Phil! Huge kudos to you buddy! 100k is no joke! Incredible achievement! 👏👏👏 Strong finish too mate. Great effort! 😎🤘

[@trailrunningphil]

Appreciate that mate :)

[@thibaultplaysguitar2163]

Congratulations Phil! Well done! 100k is a massive achievement.I was there running on the Thames Path last Saturday too. Whatever your time was we all had our ups and downs. Thanks for sharing your experience and your journey. It was great to see the landscapes and the route on your footage. We all went through some difficult patches, and we're nowhere near the level of Courtney Dauwalter. Despite the difficulties you kept running and going forward. I hope you still had a good experience and keep a great memory of the day. well done on completing these 100k, that's a massive achievement! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@trailrunningphil]

Thanks so much for the positive words my man. Better nutrition management would have seen a stronger finish I’m sure. I did enjoy the day though and I’m glad you appreciated the video to see the course :)

[@drbleachers]

Well done! Thanks for showing us the highs and lows.

[@trailrunningphil]

Cheers. I learnt alot, enjoyed alot and was miserable just a little!

[@GillFisherRunningMySpace]

I don't know how I missed this! Way to go Phil!! what an accomplishment! Loved going on the race with you. Beautiful sites with sunset and river shots. Congratulations on such a journey from training to the finish line.🏅👏👏👏

[@trailrunningphil]

Hey Gill. Thanks for taking a look 😊 I did change my channel name awhile back and I think I’ve lost a few regular commentators! How’s it all going with you?

[@GillFisherRunningMySpace]

@@trailrunningphil things are going pretty good. I’m training for an unofficial 50K in a months time. Excited for that 😊

[@StevoRuns]

That was awesome phil, well done mate. Felt all the emotions with you there.

[@trailrunningphil]

It certainly is a test on the emotions Stevo that’s for sure! No issues with the ankle either which was good 👍

[@heathera5938]

Well done, Phil.. that looked like hard work.. brilliant effort!

[@trailrunningphil]

Thanks Heather. Yeah it was real tough towards the end there! I appreciate your support :)

[@TheBramptonValleyRunner]

Congrats watching your video brought back many memories from last year 🙂

[@trailrunningphil]

Thank you for the inspiration of signing up for it mate! :) Hope your keeping well!

[@dhevans6]

Congrats brings back memories when I walked it in 2019. Brilliant video showing your strategies for getting through that barrier. Great job!

[@trailrunningphil]

Ah thanks so much Diane. I hope they were good memories from 2019? :)

[@dhevans6]

Yes, took partner and did the first 50 last year. Working up to him trying the full in 2024!

[@trailrunningphil]

@@dhevans6 That last 5 miles is rather sole destroying if your out of energy!

[@dhevans6]

@@trailrunningphil I had to sit on a bench at 95k and shout at myself to finish! The things we do to get through it!

[@trailrunningphil]

@@dhevans6 Yeah totally with you on that Diane!

[@marcobach]

Im about your age and I’m considering doing this race in the next year or two, so was good to see your experience. Thanks for putting it up!

[@trailrunningphil]

Sign up, and go for it. Maybe start with the 50k if you’re new to Ultra running and then train for the 100k the year after.

[@DevRunner]

Way to go Phil! Awesome performance - I really enjoyed coming along! The route seemed very friendly for an ultra - perhaps something more approachable for a road guy like me! Keep pushing!

[@trailrunningphil]

Yeah it was super flat Paul. There' was at least one American in the field and you would always be welcome over here I'm sure. Tough going in the dark with no light but the glow sticks showing you the way towards the end, but if you didn't waste time like I did at a few of those aid stations, you would probably get in before it got dark! Thanks for watching my man :)

[@liverrot]

Mate that was epic! Well done 👍 So glad I found your video!

[@trailrunningphil]

You watching the video was epic!! :) Do you run on trails?

[@liverrot]

@@trailrunningphil Yes I do when I can. I'm based in Singapore and we have the hash house harriers here. It's more like bush swamp runs but it's the closest we get to trails. Thanks for your reply, I'll try and make my way through your videos!

[@trailrunningphil]

@@liverrot Great to have a viewer from Singapore! :)

[@MariaBeatrix972]

beautiful video.. gread upload,, thank you my dear friend for sharing

[@trailrunningphil]

Thank you for watching!! :)

[@markg99]

I'm so pleased for you mate! What a fantastic effort. It sounds like you got a lot of things right and learned a few things for the future as well. Mission accomplished 👍🏻 Pity the Apple watch went pear shaped. Amazing how you found the energy to run it in for the finish. I laughed at Did I Win? 😂👍🏻🏃‍♂️

[@trailrunningphil]

I didn’t honestly know what to expect but yes another good lesson learnt mate and now a few days later I’m coming to terms that I did achieve my goal of crossing that finish line.

[@AppByDesign]

Well done mate. Doing it this year and already got the excitement/nerves kicking in despite it being a month away

[@trailrunningphil]

Ah great. Look after your feet and keep the food going in.. You will be fine :)

[@trailrunningphil]

How did it go?

[@AppByDesign]

​@@trailrunningphiltook me a lot longer than it did you but got there in the end mate 😁 so impressive doing it in the time you did it!

[@trailrunningphil]

@@AppByDesign its finish lines not finish times and anyways, the longer your out there, the harder it is! Huge congrats on getting to that finish line. Even though I said I wouldn't, im going to do it again next year!

[@wallyevans4228]

Great job!!!!!👏🏿 Did u just run out of calories?

[@trailrunningphil]

Yeah I definitely did! I thought enough were going on but clearly not.

[@all-out-quotes]

Hello friend. This is a great distance, 100km. You did a great job. 👍

[@trailrunningphil]

Thank you 😊

[@jackb1228]

Great video Phil and a good insight as I'm doing it this year, does the course better suit trail shoes or road shoes in the dry?

[@trailrunningphil]

Cheers Jack B! Wear what ever feels comfortable to you for running that distance.

[@OlgasBritishFells]

Weldone Phil! What a mammoth distance! You've done it beautifully. I like your 5 k run and 5 mins walk strategy. I noticed a lot of it was on quite a hard surface. That must have made it even more difficult for your feet. The sites you were passing were cool. Take you time and recovery well. Gentle swimming or just moving in the water is the best for recovering the muscles. Great achievement 👏

[@trailrunningphil]

Thanks Olga 😊 I’m taking a whole week off running and will do some yoga or Pilates. The legs are starting to feel normal again today 4 days after!

[@lysettecherry6076]

Massive well done! Such an achievement. I’ve been watching all your training videos, been keeping a eye out for this. And you did win, you conquered your own race 🙌🏻

[@trailrunningphil]

Hey Lysette. That made me smile knowing you had watched all the training videos! Many thanks for watching my journey. Are you a runner yourself?

[@lysettecherry6076]

@@trailrunningphil i do run, but nearly as far as you. I have walked the L2B and Peaks 50km my knee can’t seem to take much more so trying to build it up. My aim at the moment is to ‘run’ the 50km easter. I have picked up lots of tips from you so thank you

[@trailrunningphil]

@@lysettecherry6076 oh I fancy doing London to Brighton :) I have found core and glute strengthening helps take the pressure off the knees. You can literally lay on the floor in front of the TV and do "clam shells" and they really help. It literally feels like someone else is pushing you from behind when you have strong glutes! :)

[@lysettecherry6076]

@@trailrunningphil if you do decide to do it, let us know. What’s the furthest you did this time round in training?

[@trailrunningphil]

@@lysettecherry6076 Hey sorry I missed this question Lysette. Looking at Strava, the longest single run I did on the build up to the Thames path was 23 miles. I also did a few back to back long run weekends of 12 & 16 miles or 12 & 12 miles. Probably not far enough but we do what we can right?

[@KobGoodJourney]

Great Job 👍 Congratulations 🎉❤

[@trailrunningphil]

Thanks for checking out my videos 📹 😘 🙂

[@KobGoodJourney]

@@trailrunningphil "checking out" What does it mean? It's mean "scan" ? Positive or Negative? Please tell me for understand with you think 😘

[@trailrunningphil]

checking out means watching@@KobGoodJourney

[@KobGoodJourney]

@@trailrunningphil Thank you for kind word, I will following your new video 😀

[@trailrunningphil]

I appreciate that

[@IRunDaily]

Well done, Phil! That's an awesome achievement! Love the ending - great to have such a sense of humour when your toenails are probably hanging off 😂 cool you saw Mark Lewis too. I was wondering what 100k he did.

[@trailrunningphil]

Thank you my man 💪 You know, I never saw him pass me, and I know I was ahead of him at the major checkpoints so I'm a bit baffled as to how he got in 20 mins ahead of me on the day!

[@tugzzcouncil485]

you are really fit sir jogging , talking and holding a go pro .. damn

[@trailrunningphil]

I held that camera for 15 hours!!

[@e1pbsed]

i've done half marathons and a couple of marathons and four Half Iron man triathlons I've also done a few 12 & 14k river swim event But this year I'm doing my first Ultra 100k in Derbyshire but doing it over the two days, hopefully my next will be the continues 100k

[@trailrunningphil]

I'm sure you will enjoy it. Keep the food going in and look after your feet :)

[@essextrails]

Of course you won Phil! What an experience to treasure. Nicely filmed video and you really got across how you were feeling at various stages. Are you still into the barefoot running shoes or some other sort of flat shoe? I didn't recognise what you changed in to half way through. Thanks for sharing and well done.

[@trailrunningphil]

Thank you for the kind words on the video. Yeah it turned out great :) I wear barefoot shoes for work and casually but haven't ran in them for awhile. What they have taught me is the importance of foot shaped shoes so I now run in Altra shoes. I ran that Ultra in the Altra Olympus 4's. They were good if not a bit bulky at the back. I have my eye on the brand new Altra Mont Blanc Boas. Thanks for watching! :)

[@NorthernFellRunning]

Top effort Phil. Some beautiful footage until it got dark.. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 We have our first 100k in 2 weeks time so hope we can do it justice like you! 👏👏👏👏👏👏💖👍

[@trailrunningphil]

Thanks mate. Keep forcing that food down. Something I didn't do and paid the price!

[@na-dk9vm]

Serious running!! Do you remember how many litres of water you took on during the whole 100k ?? Did you use salt tabs each time you drank??

[@trailrunningphil]

I had 2 500ml soft flasks of water which I filled up at each aid station along the way. There's also opportunities to stop at shops to buy additional drinks etc. I think I did a salt tablet every 90 mins or perhaps 2 hours. That will fluctuate depending on the weather you get.

[@welcometomathy]

Running 5 and walking 5 is a very good Idea 😮 got my 1st 100k same Thames path will be fun! Any extra advices ?

[@trailrunningphil]

Just accept at some point your going to feel like crap, but you will probably start to feel better again later on!! Also deal with issues with feet or kit straight away. Being comfortable is important. Hope you enjoy your day!

[@trailrunningphil]

How did you get on? That heat must of been brutal!

[@johnghent5946]

Well done mate! Incredibly close to Mark’s time as well, that’s very weird…..

[@trailrunningphil]

You know, I’m trying not to let it bug me, but I never saw him pass me in the late stages. I saw him coming into the 78k checkpoint but I left before him. I was suffering quite badly towards the end but I’m sure I would have noticed him come past me. You can’t really miss him!!

[@johnghent5946]

@@trailrunningphil Yeah it must be difficult when you’re shattered, and it’s dark. Could have take a. Slightly different path through a field or something. Even just 20 foot away, if he wasn’t speaking you wouldn’t know who it was.

[@trailrunningphil]

@@johnghent5946 I wasted so much time in the check points. Over 90 mins! In the grand scale of things, it doesn't really matter! Thanks for watching John

[@johnghent5946]

@@trailrunningphil Hey mate, thanks for doing the video, the best thing about Ultra running is the ability for anybody to do it! And seeing non-elite videos is way better than anything the top guys do for me personally as it is real. I’ve got a 24 hour event next week and then I’m doing the Thames Trot next month. Just trying to get my head around how to pace them, what to do at aid stations, how to start etc etc etc and watching stuff like this and what Mark does is wicked

[@trailrunningphil]

Cheers John. I kept saying “Honey Jar” to myself through the first few hours on the day. I imagined my energy supply as Honey in a jar that I didn’t want to use up too soon. Even if everyone had run off the line, I still would have walked 5 minutes off it. Looking back, I could of maybe ran two miles and walked 5 mins and then perhaps had more running in me later. Either that or ate more food! Can’t say enough how important forcing the food down is mate.

[@timeonfeet]

Congrats Phil, great achievement! Loved hearing your strategies for getting through it all as you were going along particularly in the more grueling miles in the second half. Great to see the various sights you came across along the way too, the parkrun, big Mickey and the pianist on the bridge by Eton! Recover well 👍

[@trailrunningphil]

Cheers Ben. I’m going to do a follow up video about the event and I’m sure there’s a few things I would have done better in hindsight. I just don’t race enough I guess to learn from mistakes. Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@timeonfeet]

@@trailrunningphil Look forward to seeing that - there's always things we learn from every race so good to reflect.

[@trailrunningphil]

@@timeonfeet Yes that's what I'm now coming to terms with!