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We spent a happy couple of hours yesterday afternoon sitting on the wall out front and handing out cold water to about 500 walkers and I reckon about 50 runners who came past, hot, thirsty and most of them with dry bottles. They had already done 25 miles and were aiming to complete 100 miles by Monday. Many were quite elderly, some looked quite overweight, most were hale and hearty middle aged types and there was a handful of younger walkers. Some looked woefully ill-equipped and others well set up. Most were grateful for the cold drink and we banked some serious good karma - should have gone and bought a lottery ticket really.
They had started at Rivington at 10.00 on Saturday morning and the event was being run by the Long Distance Walkers' Association.
Has anybody on here ever walked 100 miles non-stop? I once did 40 for a sponsored walk and for three days afterwards I could hardly move.
Not me personally. I get super bored by 50 miles, unless it's proper rough mountain stuff. And then I'm just not fit enough/mentally strong. I think I'm really happiest with 30-50 mile routes on mountain terrain.
Know plenty that have done those sorts of distances. Although my favourite story was from a former club mate that ran the Pyrenean High Route over a few days. They'd hoped to forage most of their food, they ended up eating toothpaste.
currently enjoying reading Clear Waters Rising by Nicholas Crane. I think I was recommended it in here. It's his account of an 18 month, 10,000km walk across the mountain ranges of Europe from Fisterra in Galicia to the Bosporus. I'd love to be able to similar one day, when the kids have flown the nest. As it is, I make do with day/2day/3day walks of around 25 miles per day. In his book he talks of being crippled after walking 10 days in a row, when he really ought to do 3days with a day of rest between.
The London to Brighton walk is on this weekend as well - that's only 100km though.
I did a very modest walk with a mate a few years back - just 26 miles. We set off all superior to the rest of the walkers who were all well into retirement age. A different story a few hours later when we had been thoroughly overtaken and crept in last - they were incredible. I think we ended up having to blame it on the dog - poor fella, he was the only one of us still perky!
I walked 200 miles in 2 weeks.
First 3 days were tough. Especially as I did zero training other than standing at work.
Carrying 4 litres of water and food etc as it was 28C.
Loved it. Beautiful countryside. Start as early as 0800.
Blisters - so I used electric tape.
Buy quality socks. And change them 2-3 times a day. Use quality hiking boots/shoes.
Dropped 7 kg of lard/water. Quickest weigh loss method for me.
Sorry could not resist.
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IWGMC
Read "The Long Walk" & "As far as my feet will carry me" man up a bit will you.
And big parcel of karma to globalti.
Our local half marathon comes past every year, at the end of the last climb, 12 miles in.
I thought about setting up an unofficial water station. 🙂
52 is the most I did in one go. Many years ago and much fitter. It was the rag week Spider Walk around Sheffield. Then back to the digs for a well earned meat and tater pie with Hendo's.
Respect indeed. Longest I have done was 28 and I certainly felt it, Imwas 20 then 🙁 OP into older age you retain your endurance much more than strength or speed so long distance walking is perfect.
when on track leaders, i drop in on this from time to time
cyan is walking, pink is cycling
http://trackleaders.com/strangeloop
blogs here
http://krudmeister.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Strange%20Loop
I met a guy on Route 50, Nevada who was walking E-W across the USA. So nearly finished. He was pushing a trailer with all his gear as he had found early on that carrying a rucsac wore him out. It seemed to defeat the point of walking though. If you are restricted to good surfaces cycling is the way to travel.
Did the west Highland way in 3 days, which isn't difficult, but was a great experience. Will def do again! Maybe a Scottish c2c next though.
ononeorange - whatever you do, don't try an audax event.....
Not 100 miles, but I've done Trailwalker - 100km non-stop on the South Downs, finished in just over 29 hours. I did quite a bit of training so it was manageable, but it was miserably wet most of the way, which made for unpleasant in-boot conditions, and I made the mistake of changing my gear before the event by adding a gel insert to my boots which ended up putting painful pressure on my big toe joints.
We were a work team, and we had a support crew meeting us at the checkpoints including bringing us takeaway pizza at one point, which made us the envy of all the other groups! One of our team fainted at about half-way and had to cancel, but it was actually pretty fun overall and didn't leave me crippled for a week as I'd feared.
Read "The Long Walk"
If it's the Slawomir Rawicz book you are referring to then there is some doubt as to its veracity.
If you like hills, try walking the Cotswolds. Breath taking views.
Friendly villages.
Took me 2 weeks and I wasn't prepared for the hills lol
Thames path is flat-ish for folks with bad knees.
Best thing was ginger beer at every pub 🙂
I asked quite a few of the walkers yesterday why they were walking when God had allowed Man to invent bicycles.
when God had allowed Man to invent bicycles.
Anything as much fun as a bike must be the devil's work.
I've done a few mountain ultramarathons, longest was "only" 100 km though - a lot of that is walking, particularly towards the end when you hit any kind of hill. 100 miles [i]walking [/i]doesn't sound too hard tbh.
Agreed
Only down one 100 miler but several 50s - all in the mind, yes you are tired but stick to "one foot in front of the other and repeat.."
LDWA events are absolutely brilliant. Best value in sport...
Did the Trailwalker 3 years in a row, which as mentioned above is 100kn, so about 60 miles.
The first time it definitely ruined me, and walking downstairs was a struggle for days afterwards. By the third time the legs were fine afterwards, back to work on the Monday, back running by Wednesday. The fact that its a team event makes it for me, the idea of walking that far on my own really doesn't appeal, but as a group it really is more fun than it sounds. 19 hours was our best time for the 100k
My pipe dream retirement place in to thru hike the pacific crest trail, great photo blog of some guys doing just that [url= http://www.captainsofus.com/ ]here[/url] - one of those start at the bottom and read up to the more recent post type blogs, but stunning photos. I revist this and dream once every few months.
Right, looks like I am off to ebay to buy all the books mentioned above.
Ihave been a member of the LDWA for nearly 40 years and their events are great, not done a hundred yet though.
You are correct in that most don't look like athletes, but they walk nearly every weekend and have great will power.
Some of the walkers must have been in their seveties. Many were very small in stature and quite stooped, or walking unevenly.
Anyone here done the Pennine Way? I quite fancy doing that. I've been listening to Mark Radcliffe's programme on R4 where he walked it. Got me planning.
Frankenstein - Member
If you like hills, try walking the Cotswolds. Breath taking views.Friendly villages.
Took me 2 weeks and I wasn't prepared for the hills lol
Thames path is flat-ish for folks with bad knees.
Best thing was ginger beer at every pub
Stand on the A420 at Marshfield and look North, it looks dead flat, looks can be very deceptive.
The South Coast Path is worse, read Bill Bryson's description of walking a section of it.
Did a trek in Vietnam 4 years ago - about 100km in total that was great. We also did the West Highland Way more recently. At 97 miles i sort of wish we had done an extra 3 just to make it to the ton!