Two years ago, my brother Jack took part in his first ever ultramarathon: the London 2 Brighton challenge. How did it go? Not too well. Considering that the furthest he ran during training for the event was 8 miles (no joke), it’s a miracle he made it to the finish line alive and in one piece. Despite a short hospital trip the next day to get a recurrent headache checked out (it was nothing serious and just dehydration from the run), he vowed to himself that he would take it on again someday and do it properly. When my brother made this personal commitment, I said that I would join him and take on the challenge too.
Up until this London 2 Brighton challenge, I had never run further than 33 miles in one single run nor had I ever taken on an ultramarathon. With 100km being roughly 62 miles, you could say that it was an incredibly risky gamble for me to be taking on such a challenge. If you think this, I would agree with you. I’ve always thought that it sounds insane to even say ‘running from London to Brighton’ and now after having taken it on I still do!
I took part in the London 2 Brighton challenge of 2021 on the 29th May and us participants were met with incredibly harsh and hot sunshine all day that, had it not been for the excellent aid stations, would have caused severe dehydration very quickly. In addition to that, the London 2 Brighton course is loaded with lots of beautiful views, some tricky trail sections, a couple of miles of mud, and an incredibly steep hill at the end (watch the video to see how steep I mean).
Overall, I really enjoyed this challenge, and it was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was great to take this on alongside many like minded runners, many of which I had good conversations with throughout the day.
I left Richmond in London at 6:55am and my official time was 12 hours and 30 seconds. Needless to say, I had a few cups of tea afterwards which were well deserved!
If you’re interested in checking out my detailed stats, click here and then type in ‘Craig Barden’ https://london2brighton.livetrail.run...
My Strava performance on the day: / strava
🏃♂️ MY RUNNING GEAR
Get 10% OFF Mount To Coast products with code: CRAIG10
Road Shoes (MTC R1): https://uk.mounttocoast.com/products/...
Trail Shoes (MTC T1): https://global.mounttocoast.com/en-gb...
Hybrid/Gravel Shoes (MTC H1): https://global.mounttocoast.com/en-gb...
Alternate Trail Shoes: https://amzn.to/3Nk5HtY
⌚ THE TECH & ESSENTIALS
GPS Running Watch: https://amzn.to/3YExOGN
Wireless Earphones: https://amzn.to/3Lgf1yx
Running Backpack: https://amzn.to/4bg7URl
Water Bottles: https://amzn.to/3NJ6Efq
Energy Gels: https://amzn.to/4sT25Q6
🛡️ WEATHER & PROTECTION
Waterproof Jacket: https://amzn.to/4qqEWD0
Headtorch: https://amzn.to/49iTGh1
Travel Sunscreen (SPF 50): https://amzn.to/49IobMu
📷 MY FILMING SETUP
Camera: https://amzn.to/4pA5xfi
Voiceover Mic: https://amzn.to/4qQIrSH
Music by Epidemic Sound: https://epidemicsound.com/referral/5qaq9
✅ LET'S CONNECT!
Strava: Craig Barden
Instagram (Running Cafe): @craigbarden_runningcafe
Instagram (Personal): @craigbarden1
0:00 - Introduction
0:50 - Race start
1:11 - 0km - 12km
2:51 - 13km - 25km
4:39 - 26km - 40km
8:15 - 41km - 56km
10:26 - 56km - 67km
13:10 - 68km - 80km
17:20 - 81km - 90km
18:51 - 91km - 100km
22:10 - An epic finish from my bro
#london2brighton #ultrachallenges #100km #ultramarathon #brighton #london #runner #longdistance #longdistancerunner #running #run #fitness #cardio #cardiovascular #UKultramarathon #craigtries #challenge #london2brighton2021
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