Trailwalker - Mnemosyne's View

The team and (most of) the support crew met up early friday afternoon about an hours drive from the start of the event. After getting our fantastic minibus, donated to us by some utterly lovely people, all lovingly badged up. The amount of kit was colossal but somehow it all fitted in and we were off.

Our Bus

An hour later and we'd made camp, feeling grateful to have arrived early enough to get all our tents pitched together. We got ourselves registered, organised and fed (thanks to the Gurkhas) and heard the safety brief - alas due to the fantastic weather (for wellie and waterproof manufacturers) checkpoints 3 and 6 were closed; unfortunate but  we figured we could work around it. Soon it was time to try and sleep (some were more successful than others in this), the rain helping some to sleep and keeping others awake.

The morning was a little drier than the night and in true style team ouch got to the start line thirty seconds before the off. The first checkpoint was made in good time (127 minutes).

We were still early to checkpoint 2. This was a long checkpoint to make up for the lack of support crew at checkpoint 3. After a little rest we kept going. The weather looked set for the day and our waterproofs only came off when overheating became an issue.

At checkpoint 3 we just decided that our break would be to sit in a muddy field rather than walk across one. Its a surreal experience watching people, covered head to toe in waterproofs, all decided that this slightly downhill field would be the ideal spot to have a quick brew and a snack in the pouring rain. Any other day you'd think they (and yourselves) were just plain barmy but it felt like a really normal thing to be doing.

At checkpoint 3 we found that checkpoint 4 had reopened and we were all much buoyed up by this news. We'd done the muddy hill out of checkpoint 3 in the 'dry' part of the year and found it boggy, today it took that reputation to new levels; but after a while it dried out.

A not so muddy part of the trail

At checkpoint 4 our support crew swelled to 6 and cake was eaten. The crew were great to see and provided a real boost of energy to my flagging reserves of energy.  On leaving checkpoint 4 we were greeted with yet more mud, but previous experience of the route made the going easier.

A little over halfway between checkpoints 4 and 5 I started to struggle to find the energy I needed, and started getting cold. I slowed down and slowed everyone else in the team. At the checkpoint and 3 cups of tea, a jumper and change of clothes, I was still cold and I couldn't get my boots on. It was all over for me and I felt terrible for forcing the rest of the team to stop for so long and not going with them. For more about the rest of the route you'll have to ask them. Prometheus got to checkpoint 7 before his knee said no more. Theia and Medusa reached the end and we were all there to cheer them across the finish line.

The end

Our support crew was amazing and its hard to thank them enough. So again THANK YOU; you are amazing. Also all our family and friends who've had to listen to talking and planning and us missing things for this walk for the best part of a year. And everyone who sponsored us, without you we'd never have been able to raise £2000 for Oxfam and the Gurkha Trust, thank you for your generosity. Not forgetting the Gurkhas and volunteers at the crossings and checkpoints with their smiles and encouragement.

It's been a fun and interesting experience, which I'm grateful to have had on, it was good to have friends with me (walking, supporting).

I'm not thinking of doing this again (but never say never...) but if there were three things I would advise

1. Support crew are vital. Remember to thank them often.
2. Walk the route before hand - it's easier when you know where your going.
3. If your a light/bad sleeper find a hotel, not sleeping/not sleeping well before the event means your energy is already low.