SUPERFIT Wellington man Martin James, who ran seven marathons in seven days on a treadmill at the town sports centre in December, has now completed the 69-mile Hadrian’s Wall Ultra-Marathon.
His latest challenge, in aid of Help for Heroes and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, was very tough on a hot day. He said: “It was the most physically and mentally challenging event I’ve ever taken part in, and I’m 100 per cent certain that doing it for charity got me to the finish line.”
Some 1,000 runners set off and 176 did not manage to complete the course, which began in Carlisle on the west coast of England, crossed the Pennines and ended in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the east coast. The lead runner finished the course in 10 hours 30 minutes – a long way ahead of the second-placed competitor in 11 hours 42 minutes. Martin, 30, from Beech Hill, finished 137th in a time of 16hrs 29mins.
He added: “We set off from Carlisle Castle at 7am and within a few hours were in the hills taking in the spectacular scenery. The weather was blistering hot and I believe reached 30 degrees at the height of the day. I found myself in a good group where we could chat to pass the time and set a comfortable pace.
“After about 35 miles our small group began to disband, simply due to the exhausting effect of the midday sun. I began to suffer from 45 miles, where I needed to walk for a few miles before trying to jog again. In the end, with continuous muscle cramps in my upper legs, I had to walk the final nine miles to the finish line.”
Martin was deputy head boy at Wellington School in 2004 and has swum the English Channel with his brother Daniel, played professional hockey in Italy and completed four Ironman triathlons in the last three years.
Donations to Martin’s good causes can still be made online via his JustGiving pages – search for Martin-James111 or Martin-James252 on the website.