Fun Before Fifty Diaries: Good things come in threes

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Good things come in threes. Well supposedly they do if I am to believe what I learnt doing Latin GCSE!! (please don’t hold that against me! 🤣) Latin was definitely a subject which was learnt in parrot fashion and the phrase, “omne trium perfectum” has never left my ageing brain! It translates, as near as possible, to “everything that is three is perfect“.

Anyway, this post is not meant to teach anyone Latin but to update you on the Fun Before Fifty adventure. We are now in full swing, so to speak, with 12 marathons already completed after last weekend’s cheeky double.

There are three remaining marathons scheduled for August before a very adventurous September. In the eight days between 18 and 24 September, I’ll be running 5 marathons and riding the New Forest Tour of 100 miles. They might be the main course but this is a month where the real sizzle is in the starter.

The Main Event

The real test will come at the very beginning of the month. I will find out if good things come in threes over 24 hours on 1st and 2nd September.

Ten marathons in ten days was epic, this will be equally so. I will be running 3 marathons in 24 hours, all around an athletics track! If you are gulping and taking a deep breath, don’t worry because I am too. But remember, good things come in threes!

I was still smiling after Ten in Ten… we’ll see what I’m like after Trio on the Track.
Trio on the Track

I’d love to give you a reason why running 3 marathons in 24 hours is a good idea but I have none! This won’t be accidental (see accidental streak) although I confess that the original plan was for two marathons in a day. However, I have said repeatedly that if this is my last fundraising campaign, then I’m going spectacular.

The options were to do a single marathon, two marathons, an ultra or a non-stop 24 hour event. Many might argue that the latter is the most spectacular option but I disagree. A non-stop 24 hour event is incredible by any standards, don’t get me wrong, but it is not the option that appealed to me.

My quest, after all, is to run 47 marathons in 46 weeks so why run a single event when I can run THREE? This is how Trio on the Track came into my imagination. More accurately, it came into my imagination because Phoenix Running continue to host amazing events and, often, pretty crazy ones!

The actual events, as per the Phoenix website, are Track Wars XVII, XVIII and XIX. The timings are below:

  1. Track Wars XVII – Friday 1 September, 8am
  2. Track Wars XVIII – Friday 1 September, 2:45pm
  3. Track Wars XIX – Friday 1 September, 11:59pm

The most I’ve run in a 24 hour period is 100km (62.13 miles). On the three occasions I’ve completed that distance, it has always been a single event and never lasted much longer than 11 hours. This is, therefore, a very different challenge.

The challenges
  • That it’s on an athletics track – when you run an ultra, you typically walk on the uphills, so it will be imperative to know when to do similar on a constant flat. Moreover, the variety is what keeps the mind going so only seeing one place for 78.66 miles will really test mental strength.
  • Regulating pace – over the TiT, I averaged in the region of 3 h 38 mins over the ten days. To run 78.66 miles over the span of 24 hours, I will need to be running at a much slower pace which may be unnatural on the track.
  • Resting and starting again – in an ultra you rarely stop for more than a few minutes at an aid station. This challenge will give the body and mind plenty of time for fatigue to set in especially in the longer break between marathons 2 and 3.
  • Head Torch – I’ve never run with one!
  • Fuelling and rest – how do I fuel and rest sufficiently between events? This is an absolute unknown and I will definitely be making it up as I go along.

With the last point, I suspect it will be different between marathons 1 and 2 than 2 and 3. If pace is right in marathon 1, I should finish at around 12:30pm. That leaves around two hours to eat and digest, massage and stretch, before marathon 2.

This is where it gets interesting! I should finish marathon 2 between 7.30pm and 8pm, leaving around 4 hours to again eat, digest, massage and stretch. However, I expect to need at least an hour or two of sleep! I think we have access to a changing room area although I may be at the mercy of my wife’s generosity in bringing the car over to Walton!

Fun over fear

In choosing to take on this kind of challenge, I forfeit the right to fear. Besides, there is no fear in doing something that you love… and I love running. Beyond that still, I love running with my friends at Phoenix (as I wrote here, so I’m hugely excited at this challenge.

It will, inevitably, not be easy. To run a single marathon is not easy, that’s why so few people do it, so to run three of them in 24 hours is definitely pushing it to the limit. I thrive on that challenge and on the fun of sharing it with friends.

Good things come in threes and this trio on the track will be very special and a lot of fun.

Mentally and physically, I’m in the shape of my life. Time to enjoy it rather than waste it!
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