Running further than I have before at The Serpent Trail Race 75km ~ Helen Farr

Serpent Trail, Running Festival

We travelled down on the Friday evening, with me camping at the event while my family stayed in a nearby hotel. The race village had a fun atmosphere. After putting up my tent, we had pizza before I made one last unsuccessful attempt to persuade Daniel to take part in the kids' race. Once they left for the hotel, I spent some time pottering about and listening to the rangers' talk about the heathlands, before heading back to my tent to get organised for the morning and relax. Most people seemed to be turning in early too, and the campsite chatter gradually settled down.

I woke up before my alarm as the campsite started to come to life. There was plenty of time for breakfast while the 100km runners were being briefed and getting on their buses. I got myself organised and soon we were being called to the buses for the short ride to the start. We emerged into a clearing in the woods, complete with a single portaloo, which several of us promptly formed a queue for! We were told to follow the path a short distance to the start flags. I was near the back, but wasn't worried about that.

My plan for the first section was to balance starting easy with making the most of the cool morning conditions. I had a rough schedule in mind for a 10-hour finish, averaging 7.5kph. The hills were all in the first half of the course, but it would be cooler then. On the other hand, if I went too hard early on that would come back to bite me, while the longer I took the hotter it would get... and so on. Despite all that, I felt very calm. I kept it easy, kept hydrating, and enjoyed the beautiful woods.

I wouldn't criticise the course marking, but in the first 25km it was marked with purple triangles and, while these were easy enough to spot, you did need to actively look for them. Once I missed a turn and was called back by the lady behind me. The second time, I was met by the people ahead turning back. I was lucky on both occasions that I hadn't gone too far.

On the second occasion, when we found the correct turn it led us through what must have been the only stretch of deep mud left in Hampshire! One lady lost a shoe.

At Petworth, after the second aid station, a passer-by asked what event we were doing. I told him, and he replied, "Who the allowed that!?" I didn't have an answer to that...

There was a long climb up a grassy slope next, the first time we were really out in the sun and felt the heat. Soon afterwards the 50km runners joined us. I believe there were two waves, and these were the faster runners, coming past me at pace. There were a lot of narrow paths here, so I'd step to one side whenever I could to let people through. It wasn't my favourite section, although arriving at around 30km it at least distracted me for a while.

My watch was in kilometres on ultra-run mode, but the autolap was still set to miles, and I'd accidentally pressed the lap button twice while trying to change screens. As a result, I spent a lot of the race slightly confused about how far I'd gone! At the checkpoints the signs showed distance remaining rather than distance covered, so it was generally quite a maths-heavy experience. In a way, though, that helped me forget about the total distance and focus only on the next checkpoint, which was probably useful when you've already run a marathon and still have another 30-plus kilometres to go.

The scenery was lovely throughout. I took a few photos, but they don't do it justice (great photos from the race photographers though). We had a short diversion around an area where nightjars were nesting and, thanks to the talk the evening before, I could recognise one calling.

Nutrition went pretty well up to 60km. I had a 40g gel every hour, plus Clif Bloks, watermelon or Jaffa Cakes from the aid stations. All the checkpoints had PF&H electrolyte tabs available, so I was able to keep those in one bottle throughout the race, which I think helped a lot.

The second half was much flatter, but after 60km there was less shade and it was hot. A couple of people stood outside their houses with water for passing runners, which was very welcome, and I even told one aid station volunteer that I loved him after he poured a jug of cold water over me! Any time I tried to run in direct sun, I felt like I was going into the red: sick and dizzy. So I focused on walking as quickly as I could and then running whenever I found shade or a downhill section.

With 2km to go, I had a little celebratory cry before pulling myself together. At 1km to go there was a slight downhill section in the shade, so it was time to start running again. I made one guy laugh when I told him I was doing my sprint finish as I shuffled past. I could hear the finish line and then emerged from the trees into the finish area. I didn't spot my family until Daniel ran alongside me, took my hand and pulled me over the finish line. Happy tears!

I still can't quite believe how well it went. My legs felt surprisingly good throughout and, mentally, I think I managed myself really well too. I felt calm and positive all day and never doubted that I was going to get to the finish.