Sharon Gayter's Race Report

By Garga Chamberlain

6 October

After my disaster in Canada I just knew that I had to run another 24 hour race this year. This race at the Tooting Bec track in London was the perfect set up. A race I had run in before, very well organised, no travelling abroad and Bill by my side. I didn't have time to put a structured training program into action due to commitments and time available. I had used a 19 week program in the lead up to Canada and just peaked at the right time. I did very little for several weeks after, had one complete week off, a week of light training, a week walking the West Highland Way and then a week leading up to a 12 hour race at Boston which I did at short notice. This was the confidence booster I needed and after achieving my goal of 120km for 12 hours there was just 6 weeks left until Tooting. I had an easy week after the 12 hours, then 3 weeks of reasonable training including the Welsh International 4 Days (4 x 25 miles), 2 easy weeks then 24 hours. My fitness was not as good as it was for Canada but had several goals to achieve:

* The bare minimum was 200km for B standard selection criteria

* Next was running far enough to be GB number 1 for the 11th year (estimated 210km should be good enough, present best was 191km).

* Then was 214km for A standard selection criteria.

*Followed by 217km, which would be a new pb.

We left home at 10:15am on Friday morning, collecting some new kit with Darlington Building Society logo on the way down. We reached Huntingdon just before the M11 at 14:15 and then sat stationary for nearly an hour. We arrived at the Crystal Palace campsite around 18:15 after an 8 hour journey, but he campsite was excellent and very quiet considering where we were in London, surrounded by greenery and trees and just a few minutes down the road from Tooting Bec. After dinner we had a walk and were in bed by 21:00. Up at 7:30 and Bill made me porridge for breakfast. Went for a shower and was pleased to see blue sky overhead and the prospect of a dry 24 hours. We got to the track for 9:30 to pick the spot to camp on the edge of the track and put up the awning on the van. It was nice to register, relax and have casual conversation with the athletes arriving. Briefing was at 11:15am and then changed for the race.

The race started at midday and had been a mixture of clouds and sun most of the morning; in the shade the temperature was 16 degrees. I had an excellent lap recorder who remembered me from previous events, so just knew I could rely on her to do a good job. My planned start was to run how I feel but no faster than 2 mins 15 secs per lap (9 minute miling). If I went slower this was ok. The gun sounded and first lap 2 min 05 secs, second lap 2 mins 10 secs, third lap 2 mins 15 secs, bang on, keep it like that. Settled in now as several athletes started overtaking me. By the end of the first hour I was very comfortable, happy with being dressed in long tights and long sleeved top and leader board came up with 12th overall, 2nd lady. There were 41 starters (limited due to track). The first 4 hours ticked away steadily, my 10km splits were 56:42, 56:19, 55:09, 55:28. Then we changed direction so quick check over my body in my head, no problems, feet comfortable, legs in good shape, breathing easy, stomach comfortable, just a bit of rubbing on my neck from new shirt but nothing to worry about, dressed correctly, weather still intermittent sun and clouds.

Leader board at 4 hours now read 5th place overall, 1st lady and 26 miles. Next 4 hours, progressed very similar to the first 4 hours, no problems just steady running as the light faded and flood lights were lit. The odd comment coming my way about Darlington Building Society that was emblazoned on the back of my shirt, pleased to see new sponsor was getting noticed. The splits were 56:23, 57:07, 58:05 and 64:21. The slower lap was due to having to stop to walk to eat some soup with pasta added, but also marks the start of a more slowing down period due to having to eat more now. I generally eat nothing for the first 4 hours, then eat a few bits that I can run with but have to stop to eat things like custard and pasta. 8 hours done the leader board was reading 51 miles and 3rd overall. Quick body check, neck was still rubbing and was now beginning to get sore, would wait until 100km reached then change, had felt better at Boston 12 Hours but not feeling too bad, felt a slight niggle in my right glute but nothing serious. On to the next 4 hours to reach the half way mark, stopped to change kit, off with long sleeve shirt and on with old long sleeve comfortable thermal and new t-shirt on top, two layers now as temperature dropping rapidly and down to 9 degrees. Suddenly a loud shout from the railings for me, head up who is that? Focus a bit and its Ian Thompson with Carys (family of Tanni Grey Thompson), I had seen Ian last week and knew he was in Aylesbury for the weekend and said he might visit, didn't really expect him to but pleased to feel someone had made an effort to see me - had forewarned him though I can't stop running. I gave a quick wave for a few laps as Ian chatted with Bill for a while and then went on his way. Feeling slightly fatigued but nothing more than expected, still progressing steadily with 10km splits being 65:04, 62:40, 71:10 and 62:30, the slow split being the change of kit and toilet stop.

Passed the 100km mark at 9 hrs 47 mins 20 sec, a fraction faster than at Boston and my 12 hour target of 120km was reached nearly 1 minute late, so not far off target. I had now hoped to run 100km for the second half to achieve the biggest goal of a pb, but this is the half of the race where things happen, more food stops, change of kit, toilet stops and other unpredicted stops. Quick 4 hour body check, neck was now comfortable in change of kit, slight niggle in glute was stable, feet comfortable. 12 hours to 16 hours - that's midnight to 4am, splits 69:00, 70:15 and 74:45, gradually slowing up as expected but still maintaining running pace and only really stopping to walk to eat or for toilet, I was aware of getting colder and stopped to change kit again to take off t-shirt and replace with long sleeved shirt. Still got colder and temperature was now down to 6 degrees and getting misty.

4 hour body check, still not completely warm, breathing ok but not happy at the damp conditions, still on course for pb if everything maintained, left shin above ankle now beginning to feel a bit tender. 16 hours to 20 hours, needed more kit, just not warm enough, quite shivery after toilet stop, extra jacket added and hat. Just about keeping warm now. Went through 100 miles in 16 hours 57 mins and 11 seconds, 4th place overall, splits getting slower 76:00, 83:15 and 74:45 (the slow split being toilet stop and extra kit and shivery). Another surprise, Stephen Partridge has turned up, I last saw him while running the Libyan Challenge, he knew several of the athletes running so came to give us his support at our lowest ebb, how thoughtful, he stayed for several hours and was great to see him again, he was trying to twist my arm into running the Thames Meander next February - expecting me to break course record, the offer of a free entry might just tempt me to try, it's a race I have not run before and do like new challenges. Beginning to struggle now as dawn breaks, hoping this will perk me up to maintain pace for remaining 4 hours.

Body check, right glute still stable, feet getting a little tender but can't feel any blisters, left shin definitely feeling very bruised now. Very little conversation with Bill now as too tired and have to concentrate harder on keeping running. Last 4 hours. As the flood lights are taken off the mist is still evident across the track and the pole that the far end flood light is on is beginning to smoke quite heavily. Gains some attraction from officials and fire extinguisher used to stop smoking, quite relieved as breathing is becoming very laboured, hoping it won't turn to asthma so keeping pace down to be in control, smoke has been on the track for nearly half an hour now and still lingering. Now the smoke has ceased the blue lights of a fire engine can be seen entering the track, they are unable to open the pole and start prodding around only for smoke to start bellowing out again. I thought with the fire engine on scene it would be out in a flash but they seemed to just watch it unable to gain access to do something, very frustrating as did not like the smoke on the track again - even Bill was commenting now that it was getting on his chest.

Really struggling to run again now and intermittently walking to gain breath back. Stopped to get patch put on right shin as was really beginning to hurt and taking focus off running. Eventually went through 200km in 22 hours 20 mins, I had fallen off target in the last couple of hours and putting on patch probably wasted another 10 minutes. Firemen had now extinguished the smoke from the lower pole only for it to continue higher up the pole and just got the electrics turned off so it fizzled out, could still smell the smoke the track until the finish. Was still desperately trying to keep going to reach 214km goal but running was difficult and eventually finished with 212km, so just goal number 2 achieve and not up to goal 4. It was a satisfying run, nothing special, I knew my fitness was down from Canada but had just hoped to at least get 214km. Overall I ran well, this is just 5km short of my pb and the Monaco 6 Day Race is weighing heavily on my mind not to pick up an injury or run to my limits that may impair my recovery to attempt my second world record. Looking at Bill's record of my eating strategy I am not sure if Bill had not recorded everything as the rule for me is to eat a minimum of one item of food per hour and there appears several occasions when this has not happened. I stayed well hydrated as usual, my salt intake was increased again from Boston 12 hours and no effects from this.

Nuun was the new mineral drink added to my strategy courtesy of Carolyn Hunter-Rowe and went down very well. I achieved B standard selection criteria, a distance of 212km that puts me at the top of this years UK rankings for the 11th consecutive year and unofficially 10th in the World. It was also a new course record for the Tooting Bec event. We travelled back to Cambridge on Sunday afternoon to have dinner and spend the evening with my sister, but I went to bed at 8pm. Didn't sleep well at all as usual and travelled back home on Monday morning. It is now Tuesday evening and pleased to report I am now walking up and down stairs normally again and left shin is recovering well.

Results 1st John Pares 236km

2nd Ken Fancett 231km

3rd Stephen Mason 220km

4th Sharon Gayter 212km 1st lady

7th Vicky Skelton 201km 2nd lady

9th Marie Doke 189km 3rd lady
Self Transcendence 24 Hour Race 2007

By Garga Chamberlain

22 January

Full details on our 2007 24 hour track race at Tooting Bec.

Please check out the results and reports of our 2007 race through the links below. If you have any questions please contact the race director, Shankara Smith, at Run and Become (0207 222 1314).

Race Reports from 2007:
Full results of the Self-Transcendence 24 Hour Race 2007.
Shankara's race report.
Jane Riley's Race Report

By Garga Chamberlain

1 November

Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Track Race 6th- 7th October 2007

12 noon on Saturday 6 October 2007, and I stood on the start line of Tooting Bec athletics track about to embark upon 24 hours of running round the track.

Was I mad? Some may think so!

Changing direction every 4 hours competitors run/ walk/ crawl round the track, the aim being to run as far as possible in the allocated time. Each lap is meticulously noted by a personal 'human' lap recorder. Breaks from the track are permitted, maybe to stretch, have blisters repaired or visit the toilet. However, 'time is distance' and the more time that can be spent moving round the track, the greater the finishing distance. Part of the challenge is working out your race strategy!

The line up comprised World Record holders, the ladies GB track racing champion, elite ultra-distance runners and many others with very frightening credentials! All the more reason to ignore everyone else and stick to my own plan.

Easy - just keep moving in a forward direction for 24 hours!

With just one previous experience of this event IÃƒ ¢Ã‚ €Ã‚ ™m still very much a novice. July 2007 and Hull's 24 hour track race had promised so much. Placed 1st lady after 12 hours I was running like a steam train. It was only then I discovered that the race doesn't start in earnest until the second twelve hours are upon you.

Magic rapidly turned to misery as the nighttime demons struck with a vengeance. Engulfed by nausea and disorientation, violent vomiting was to follow. Rest was my only option. Although I was sure I was the dying the doctor remained unphased Apparently this is 'normal' in distance events! I was assured I'd be back running in a couple of hours - yeah, right!!! Nobody told me about this when I signed up! However, Doc Emma was right! I made it back for the last couple of hours completing 72 miles in total. An achievement but not quite what I'd envisaged.

Rest and recovery followed and then gradually back in training for Tooting Bec. Local overnight runs instilled the confidence that I could survive the night. An altogether bigger problem was that Asda in West Bridgford was closed for refurbishment thus robbing us of a valuable watering hole and toilet stop!

The all night Co-op did us proud on the drinks front, even providing hot beverages. Toilets? Don't ask!

So, Tooting Bec was looking altogether more promising. No stress, no pressure, just get through the night. And it worked a treat! Niggles were treated before they took hold and anything of substance eaten seated to aid digestion and stave off nausea.

What would I have done without Lesley ministering to my every need? A constant source of encouragement, 'fuel', first aid, tact and gentle persuasion!

With the first 12 hours going to plan, now was the time to really get the brain in gear. Like everyone else I slowed during the night but managed to keep moving. Would dawn ever break?

7am arrived and with it a hint of daylight. A mouthful of cereal fuelled a few more laps, but the toast, egg and beans that followed provided me with a new lease of life. Filled with breakfast and renewed enthusiasm the future looked bright.

However, following essential blister maintenance there was no way those shoes were going back on - my feet were massive! A quick consultation with the referee and Plan B was initiated (although I think we'd used that long ago!). Nothing in the rules to say you had to wear running shoes, so I donned my trusty flip flops for the last 1 hour 40 minutes! Don't know where it came from, but I found a second wind and just 'legged it'. Round and round I went passing lots of very tired people - over and over and over again. As my lap counter started to shout out every completed mile so the realisation dawned that I could make 85 miles. Then 86 miles became a real possibility. 88 sounded better than 87, and 89 miles sounded wicked. It was then I knew I could round it up to a cool 90 miles. I slipped into cruise control and nailed it. I was delighted.

My goal of surviving the night had been achieved with a massive 90 mile PB to boot. The support and camaraderie was phenomenal and a huge contributor to my success.

Apart from stiff legs, swollen feet and a single blister I seem to have survived unscathed. Plenty of rest, some swimming, a massage and seven days later I'm almost back to normal. NORMAL?!!! That's until I try anything even remotely active. Guess a few more weeks recovery are called for!

So, what next?

Well.. Gotta get toughened up! Looking at short speed and hill sessions, long off road runs, lots of quality 'fuel', plenty of rest and who knows Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ €Ã‚ ¦..?

122 miles in 24 hours would qualify me for the GB 24 hour track racing team. Sounds good, eh?

I'm not knocking on the door just yet - lurking at the end of the street more like! But, you never know...
Race report by John Pares

By Garga Chamberlain

26 October

Self-Transcendence 24 Hour Race 2007 Tooting Bec 6th & 7th October 2007 by John Pares

Whatever the reasons, whatever had been said, agreed and done, I was disappointed with my own performance at the World Challenge in Canada in July. The physical breakdown at 16 hours I could live with, and learn from, but the fact that I'd given up, mentally, was praying on my mind. Immediately after Canada I'd decided to enter Tooting Bec to prove to myself that I could do better. Andy Smith, one of the GB handlers at Drummondville had offered to support me during the race and I kindly accepted his offer. I set myself a series of targets for the race:

* To go further than Canada (>131 miles)

* To record a decent distance for this year's rankings (>140 miles)

* A PB (>143 miles) o This was important as I had heard of several people who set a PB on their first 24 hour and never improved

* British and Commonwealth Number 1 (>147 miles) o Technically I didn't need to do this much for this year but I felt I had to pass Jim Rogers's distance from Verona 2006 to really make this claim.

* >150 miles

I also had three qualitative targets: to see whether I was the sort of ultra runner who could do a good race off a fairly quick turnaround; to gain more experience, especially in over-coming fatigue; and to finish strong. Training for this race had been interesting as I'd only had 9 weeks since Canada. In effect I'd had 2 weeks recovery, 4 weeks training covering 400 miles in total, then a 3 week taper. While this training had gone well the rest of my preparation hadn't been ideal: my diet had been poor (I'd put on weight) and all my strength training and conditioning had fallen by the wayside. On the day conditions seemed ideal: bright, cloudy and cool and, although my preparation hadn't been brilliant, I felt ready.

Unnervingly the race organiser had given me number 1, as last year's winner, and I felt like a target. As it was I set-off into the lead from the very start which also didn't suit me. I liked being the underdog! I found the first 4 hours quite tough. Running in a clockwise direction just didn't seem right and all the niggles of the last year started to show themselves, including some pain in my hips which was concerning me. Ian Champion, the race referee had decided that runners should run on the outside of the inner lane to allow overtaking on the inside. Faster runners had to shout "track" to ensure there was space to pass. I started doing this, and it worked quite well, apart from a few people who were reluctant to move over. It probably contributed quite a bit of distance to the overall race. Towards the end of this segment the result of the England victory over Australia, in the Rugby World Cup, also filtered through and was quite a morale booster.

Splits for the first 40km were: 49.45, 51.47, 53.42 and 51.54. We changed direction after 4 hours and I started to feel much better. I noticed during this time that Andy's awning was attracting a lot of visitors - Chris Finnill, Norman and Ann Wilson, Walter Hill - at one point I thought he was having a tea party and I wasn't invited! During this spell I took my first and only 'major' toilet stop and conceded the lead to Stephen Mason. This was Stephen's first 24 hour and he looked comfortable, moving at a steady pace but also moving quickly during his walk breaks. My food intake was going well - mostly cheesy mash and jelly babies. I thought my fluid intake was OK, and I didn't feel dehydrated, but was a little concerned at the time between toilet stops. I slowed to a more sustainable pace and splits for 10km in this segment were: 54.13, 58.31, 59.55, 60.30.

We were now into the evening with the overnight section ahead. The air started to feel much cooler and damper and I changed into long-sleeves and, a bit later, a lightweight windproof top, hat and gloves. I also started drinking some tea to help keep me warm. After my Canada experience I decided to deal with any problems early in the race and introduced some stretching around this time to keep loose as well as taking a couple of Ibuprofen (I hope this never gets on the banned list - that'll be the end of my ultra career!). However, after stopping for only a few moments I felt quite cold and realised I needed to keep moving. It was also at this point that my taste buds rebelled against the mash potato - I just couldn't eat it anymore and needed to find some alternatives. Custard, rice pudding, muesli bars and tinned fruit all seemed to do the job. 10km splits were: 60.22, 60.28, 56.58 and 59.51. This pace was still good although I was only at about 78 miles (125km) at half-way and my target had been >80 miles. I took stock at this point in the race as it was midnight and I was halfway through. The second clockwise segment hadn't seemed to cause too many problems. I felt in good shape, my hamstrings were a bit tight and my glutes slightly sore but otherwise no niggles, and mentally I was doing fine. Andy gave me some gentle massage and I can remember Ramona commenting as she ran past while Andy had his hands on my backside - I think she was just jealous! I found that the best stretch for my hips and glutes was lying on my back and pulling my knees up to my chest and outwards - a bit like the "dying fly" which didn't seem too far from the truth at times. I also took a look around and was pleased to see Stephen Mason still going strong and Ken Fancett also progressing well. I was particularly pleased to see Sharon Gaytor performing close to her best after her withdrawal in Canada. She had that look of determination about her that made it clear that she was going to finish well today. Ramona Thevenet-Smith, Andy's wife, was struggling with some lower back problems and had already been in for physio treatment. I hoped that she would come through it OK. During the next segment I started to feel sleepy. While most normal people would say, "John, it's 2am, of course you feel sleepy" it was strange to me as I hadn't experienced this before. It actually got to the stage where I was weaving a bit, even kicking the inside kerb a few times. Every few laps I kept saying, "Andy I feel so sleepy what can I do?" It actually got to the stage where I just wanted to lie down and sleep. All I could do was increase my caffeine intake (sweet coffee and coke) and keep going. At one point I noticed a bemused looking fox by the side of the track - just sat there watching the runners go round. Clearly he was having a surreal night as well. During this segment I passed 100 miles in 15.48.05, about 20 minutes behind target, and my 10km splits were: 71.15, 64.35, 63.20, 66.30.

It felt like I'd gone off the boil and my race plan showed that I was tailing away. The fifth segment, from 4am to 8am, was the most eventful of the race. One of the floodlights went off like a giant firework and started leaking smoke over the track. Combined with the morning mist this was quite a heady cocktail to be breathing after running for so long! The fire brigade arrived and failed to deal with it, deciding instead to just hang around and wait for it to stop smoking. I was concerned that they were going to stop the race and I was preparing my, "You'll have to kill me first" speech, but it didn't come to that thankfully. It was also in this segment that Ken Fancett, running very steadily, passed Stephen Mason and took a mile out of my lead in just one hour. Suddenly I didn't feel so sleepy any more. I was aware that I'd backed off a bit as I wanted to save something for the strong finish that had been one of my objectives. It was now about eighteen-and-a-half hours in and I hadn't planned to push on until about twenty. However, Ken's progress had shaken me and I started to feel a bit down about the race. The way he was going, and the way I felt mentally, he could be ahead by twenty hours and it might be too late for me to do anything about it. I needed to draw on my reserves, find some mental resources and win the race. I actually went through the mental process of identifying resources that I could use. My competitive instinct was one - I was not going to let Ken beat me. Secondly; my need to achieve my targets, and to be successful. Thirdly; I hate myself when I give up, it's so lame and I didn't want to feel like that again. Fourthly; I thought about the Lance Armstrong book that I had read recently and remembered, "use the pain, embrace the pain". Well, I had some pain I could use! Fifthly, I remembered a book called, "The Monk who sold his Ferrarri" and the author had talked about the power of mantras - repeated phrases that focus the mind and can drive performance. Well, I had one, "I am strong, I can do this". Finally, Andy walked onto the track and quietly, confidently and forcefully said, "Remember what we discussed yesterday". It was like one of those triggers that you see on hypnotist shows - that one sentence seemed to engage me back into my race plan and access all of the other resources I needed. I took off. The lap counters immediately spotted my increase in pace and started yelling encouragement, I was on my way. 10km plits for this segment were: 67.25, 77.10, 63.35 and 53.50 (the last one took me just over twenty hours).

I had thought that 150 miles was beyond me in this race but, just after the final change of direction, my lap counter announced, "200km" which meant that a 3.55 marathon would get me there. Challenging, but not impossible. I pushed on, chanting my mantra (interestingly it changed to "I am strong, I will do it"), completely focussed and feeling like the energy was just flowing through my body. The added bonus was that the sun was up and I could take off my windproof jacket and start to feel some warmth from it. I was alive. My next splits were: 55.03, 59.39 and 59.59. I had only been able to sustain the very high pace for a couple of hours but was still going well and had passed my PB (143 miles/ 230km) at 23 hours. This meant I had to cover about 7 miles in the last hour - that was a stretch but not impossible and I intended to give it a go. Then it all fell apart. I was suddenly aware of this deep, deep fatigue in my legs. I decided to walk a lap, regroup, and then push on. I walked but, when I tried to push on, the communication between my brain and legs just didn't seem to be functioning. I tried a few times and then resigned myself to walking. The race was effectively over and I just tried to clock up as many laps as I could in the last hour. In the end I covered about 4 miles for a total of 147 miles 357 yards (236.889km). A PB, GB and Commonwealth number 1 and a likely top 20 world-ranking. I was happy. This year, as well as receiving the winner's trophy, I was also the recipient of the Ongkar Tony Smith memorial trophy for the highest-placed Road Runners Club member. This was a very nice touch and a great tribute to Tony who had contributed so much to the running community in the UK. The after effects? I had some of the worst chafing ever - do not wear briefs under skins, it doesn't work! Apart from that two blisters and sore legs but I recovered very quickly. What next? Well, the Commonwealth 24 hour in 2009 is my main target so I want to double my experience and complete three more 24 hour races during 2008. Hopefully UK athletics will send me to one of the major championships, I would also like to do one of the continental races such as Appeldorn, and then I just need to find one other. It just remains to say, "thank you" to Shankara Smith and her Sri Chimnoy team, for organising another great race, and also to thank Andy for the great support he gave me during the race.

"The determination in your heroic effort will permeate your mind and heart even after your success or failure is long forgotten"

Sri Chinmoy

RESULTS (ALL)

Distance	Distance	No	First name	Name	Club
Miles	Kms
147m 357y	236.889	1	John	Pares	Buckley RC
143m 1748y	231.627	12	Ken	Fancett	Beckenham RC
137m 86y	220.549	25	Stephen	Mason	Dundee Hawkhill H
131m 1544y	212.226	14	Sharon	Gayter	New Marske Harriers
127m 337y	204.685	2	Lucio	Bazzana	AS Pro San pietro-Sanremo
125m 1634y	202.653	6	Chris	Carver	Otley AC
125m 882y	201.965	90	Vicky	Skelton	North Devon RR
120m 533y	193.6	86	Stephen	Pope	u/a
117m 799y	189.015	10	Marie	Doke	u/a
112m 1144y	181.284	23	Colin	Jones	Barking RR
110m 89y	177.101	29	Geoff	Oliver	100km Association
104m 833y	168.126	28	Smiler Sid	Morrison	100km assn
104m 254y	167.596	93	Lindsey	Stewart	u/a
102m 293y	164.413	24	Derek	Martin	100km Association
101m 1254y	163.683	96	Paul	Tranter	u/a
100m 299y	161.2	26	Ian	McCuaig	Newark AC
96m 1095y	155.491	97	Kate	Tytler	Reading RR
95m 845y	153.653	92	Richard	Speller	Worthing Striders
94m 766y	151.972	13	Karl	Fursey	Black Combe Runners
93m 807y	150.4	88	Jurgen	Schmicker	Athletik
92m 1262y	149.207	7	Susan	Clements	London Vidarians
90m 964y	145.716	87	Jane	Riley	Holme Perrepoint
87m 1743y	141.6	4	David	Bowker	Agyston Runners
87m 302y	140.283	22	Gilbert	John	Les Croupiers
86m 250y	138.626	99	Abichal	Watkins	Sri Chinmoy AC
86m 111y	138.499	89	Patricia	Seabrook	Finch Coasters
85m 865y	137.579	91	Petr	Spacil	Sri Chinmoy AC
84m 1043y	136.132	8	Steve	Coote	Vegetarians C & AC
83m 712y	134.22	95	Ramona	Thevenet-Smith	Woking AC
81m 1141y	131.394	15	John	Borland	Finch Coasters
80m 1223y	129.86	9	Andreas	Doerfler	HVB Club
78m 425y	125.912	3	Sam	Black	100k Association
77m 404y	124.283	17	Katherine	Hay-Heddle	u/a
75m 710y	121.344	16	Peter	Hammond	u/a
69m 924y	111.884	19	Dave	Holloway	u/a
66m 643y	106.8	20	Mark	Howard	RRC
64m 764y	103.692	27	Ray	McCurdy	100 Marathon Club
61m 257y	98.4	98	Jim	Wallace	Middlesex Casuals
59m 714y	95.6	11	Andy	Eccles	Wiggan Phoenix
56m 1272y	91.282	5	Tess	Burrows	u/a
56m 745y	90.8	94	Pam	Storey	Serpentine RC
10m 1211y	17.2	21	Ray	Hoyle	Watford Harriers

RESULTS (WOMEN)

Distance	Distance	No	First name	Name	Club
Miles	Kms
131m 1544y	212.226	14	Sharon	Gayter	New Marske Harriers
125m 882y	201.965	90	Vicky	Skelton	North Devon RR
117m 799y	189.015	10	Marie	Doke	u/a
104m 254y	167.596	93	Lindsey	Stewart	u/a
96m 1095y	155.491	97	Kate	Tytler	Reading RR
92m 1262y	149.207	7	Susan	Clements	London Vidarians
90m 964y	145.716	87	Jane	Riley	Holme Perrepoint
86m 111y	138.499	89	Patricia	Seabrook	Finch Coasters
83m 712y	134.22	95	Ramona	Thevenet-Smith	Woking AC
77m 404y	124.283	17	Katherine	Hay-Heddle	u/a
56m 1272y	91.282	5	Tess	Burrows	u/a
56m 745y	90.8	94	Pam	Storey	Serpentine RC

Full results with split times (ALL). Full results with split times (WOMEN).

(some browsers may prompt you for a password when trying to view these excel files - no password is required - just leave password blank and click OK)

Self Transcendence 24 Hour Race 2007

By Garga Chamberlain

1 September

Originally I started this report with a quip about how a blown flood light was the perfect thing for livening up the bleak side of the track during a 24 hour race, but before I could complete it our Beloved Sri Chinmoy, founder of the worldwide running club Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team passed on. So now I am starting with the last message I ever received from Him, someone had told Sri Chinmoy of the great success of this year's race and of the memorial trophy that the RRC had created in memory of my late father. His response was 'tell her I am very happy', a simple message but one that I was very grateful for as I knew how sick He was at the time.
Sri Chinmoy's life was dedicated to inspiring humanity to reach for the best in themselves. One of the ways He did this was through running; He believed running was a way to challenge perceived limitations and also to clear the mind. A very talented decathlete in His youth, after moving to NY, He took to long distance starting with marathons and later an annual 47 mile race, held each year in honour of His birthday, this led to setting up ultra races in many countries through the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. Our own 24 hour race first took place in 1989 and has happened almost every year since.
Now for how this year's race went (which is after all what this report is supposed to be about), we had 42 runners on the start line, a good mixture of experienced 24 hour runners and novices (though experienced in ultra distance). The weather was perfect, dry but not too warm, and everything started off very smoothly, but the surprising thing was that it continued smoothly, all the way to the end, the only problem coming from an old bird's nest catching fire in one of the floodlight pillars at about 20 hours, this did cause a bit of a circus: full power shut down, fruitless search for a map to show where the relevant fuse box was, fire engine, police, indeed the only person who didn't show up was the only one really needed - the electrician! But we no longer needed the floodlights and everything was cleared up enough for electricity to be on again for the showers after the race, the big hassle of course were fumes from the smoke, far from ideal for the runners and I just hope it didn't have too negative an effect on their milege. Apart from this excitement, it was the calmest race I've ever known, to the point that I mistakenly thought the results wouldn't be as impressive as the previous year's but the reverse was true, of all runners who competed in both races, only 3 failed to improve on their 2006 mileage, and we got a new women's course record from Sharon Gayter (131 miles). There were some very impressive results from runners taking part in their first 24 hour, Stephen Mason managed to keep pace with John Pares for a long time, which rewarded him with 3rd place and 137miles, Vicky Skelton also had a very impressive debut with 125miles. It was great to see Ken Fancett notch up 143miles, looking nothing like his 58 years, and still managing to look fresh come the medal ceremony; I swear he looked more awake than half the helpers!
There was a welcome return for Geoff Oliver who did 110miles, not bad for 74 years young! And of course John Pares put in a magnificent performance with 147miles, the furthest we have seen at Tooting for ten years. Overall twenty runners passed the magical 100 Miles. The helpers were their usual amazing selves, from tea making to lap counting, everyone did a top notch job, and cheerfully too. I must give special thanks to Eddie Gutteridge who agreed to be timekeeper at quite short notice, Ian Champion who does so much for the race and Devashishu Torpy who acts as my right hand man and didn't even grumble when I pulled him from his very short nap to help out when the Fire engines came I was worried they might try to stop the race.
At the end of everything as we were packing up I was simply filled with happiness, yes I couldn't walk in a straight line or get a sentence out in the right order but that was irrelevant, the race was a huge success and I simply loved every moment. I swear my father was looking down at the medal ceremony, full of pride in everyone. In the days following the race I received so many nice emails from runners thanking everyone and praising the organisation, but I am equally full of praise and thanks to them for making it such a great event. When Sri Chinmoy passed away a few days later I travelled to NY for the memorial service and burial, during those few reflective days I mused on the race, how much I enjoyed organising it, how Sri Chinmoy and my father had taught me all I needed to know to pull it off and how the best way I can honour their memory is to continue putting on the races and aiming to provide the best environment for the runners possible.
Shankara

You can see brief personal summaries of the entrants in the Race Program (please ignore any password prompt and just click ok - it's a bug, sorry!).

Photos from this and previous Self Transcendence ultras will be found in the Sri Chinmoy AC UK Galleries
For information and details on how to enter, please contact Shankara Smith at Run and Become.

Results and stories from previous 24 hour races are still online for you to take a look (see side menu)

Yours sincerely

Shankara Smith (Race Director)