Now comes the time for reflection and reminiscence.
Who would ever have thought that at my time of life, I would voluntarily leave the security and comfort of a loving family home to tour around the UK in a monster of an RV with one very good friend and 3 other perfect strangers - madness! Those that know me understand how restless I get when taken out of my comfort zone . . . . . and let me tell you this was way out of it!
When I first met the team at Barry’s home in Wetherby on the Monday before the Challenge began, one thought kept leaping again and again into my head . . . . Big Brother (and I’m not talking 1984!)
What a mixed bag we were:
· A retired Lieutenant Colonel OBE as Project Director
· his daughter, fresh from university assisting with project administration
· a young female Sports Therapist, 5 foot and a peanut who was tasked with the challenge of keeping Andy on his feet
· the star of the show, Andy who’s single mindedness and commitment to the Challenge had ultimately persuaded me that this was an opportunity not to be missed
· and yours truly, a retired 62 year old businessman who’s most extreme Challenge prior to this had probably been a day at GO APE, in Dalby Forest (or perhaps the Three Peaks Challenge with his wife, last year!)
I’m sure that we must all have viewed our situation with some trepidation but I knew that I could fulfil my duties as RV Driver regardless of any distractions that might arise and was also confident that my experience and maturity of years might add to and strengthen the stability of the team . . . . . only time would tell, and we had at least 66 days to find out!
Ellie and I had discussed in depth the issues that we perceived would arise during the Challenge and based on mutual trust and understanding, felt that we could handle anything that came up. I can tell you unequivocally that without Ellie’s 100% backing I would not even have considered participating in this venture.
That said my already self defined priorities for the duration now became a focus that would direct and carry me through the problems, stresses and individual challenges that would arise during the adventure.
The RV
Firstly, I had to come to terms with my charge, the RV; our mobile headquarters; the Battle Bus; the Beast; or whatever else it got called at different times.
Whilst I was in no doubt that by the end of the Challenge, I would be comfortable with the vehicle’s size and handling characteristics (well maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement!) I was very aware that in the early days I was likely to get into situations that at the very least might be described as challenging in their own right and that I was going to be the one that would have to recover things back to normal. So the learning curve was necessarily steep. My initial driving experience in the RV demonstrated a tendency for me to focus primarily (and almost solely) on its position relative to the nearside edge (and I guess ultimately to the centre) of the road almost to the extent of ignoring what was happening ahead. But as the days and miles passed, a more comfortable and open style developed that hopefully gave my co-driver (usually Nikki) the confidence to relax and enjoy the ride as well.
I very quickly defined a basic set of rules that would make my life easier whilst on the road. These covered areas such as keeping the fuel, LPG and fresh water levels topped up and waste water dumped at every opportunity. Because of the RV’s size and the fact that it used petrol rather than diesel, it was not always possible to find suitable service stations or waste points to attend to these matters. The penalty for ignoring these essentials, however, could potentially result in lugging 5litre cans of fuel or 30litre containers of fresh water to keep the beast functioning! Or just as undesirable, disposing of the copious amounts of grey water waste that we generated - a bucket at a time!!
Experience certainly was to prove an effective teacher!
So now I was at one with my charge with an above average level of anticipation being the secret of safe, smooth progress and a strong preference of avoiding night driving wherever possible as the headlights (and brakes) would in my opinion, be more suited on a bicycle!
There were then the routes to plan, not always the most direct but always with consideration of the size and weight of our pseudo HGV. Wherever possible we avoided narrow roads, always avoided low bridges and just generally applied common sense in directing the vehicle to its destination. When planning the short distances from overnight parking or hotel to marathon venue, Barry and I developed a system of reconnoitring the route using one of the other support vehicles before attempting to move the RV there.
Practically then the driving duties settled into a routine with only the occasional hiccup to remind me of the nature of the Beast . . . . . . the least said about those the better!
The Lifestyle
My original intentions were to use this opportunity to eat healthily, exercise regularly and exit in 66 days looking and feeling a new man!! Well – guess what . . . . . . it didn’t quite happen like that.
Eating healthily on the road proved more difficult than I ever imagined. We certainly ate well with most lunchtime and evening meals being taken in the RV and breakfasting in hotels only when appropriate and economically sensible and convenient. Lunch inevitably meant sandwiches, and puddings were all too often Yorkie bars that seemed to be available in an endless supply! I have to say that yoghurts were also mostly available but not always chosen as the healthy option!
Dinner was varied but for ease of cooking with the relatively limited facilities available, there was a tendency towards pasta, baked potatoes and stir fries. We did push the boat out occasionally, however, and slightly more exotic meals would feature on the menu at one time or another. Breakfast was the usual mix of porridge, cereals and toast – sometimes all 3 for Andy who needed to” carb load”!
The biggest problem for me was the ease with which one could snack all day long on biscuits, Yorkies and Nine Bars and then there was the endless supply of Easter Eggs! Those of you who know me are aware of my weakness for anything chocolaty!!
On the positive side, the fact that we were all “on the wagon” whilst on Challenge 66 and that alcohol was strictly banned from the RV did help in my attempts to keep the pounds off!
With regard to regular exercise, there is no doubt that there was always the opportunity to participate in this – unfortunately, there always seemed to be admin, route planning, housekeeping, maintenance or a myriad of other issues to attend to during Andy’s marathon running time – there were actually very few times when I was able to sit down twiddling my thumbs!
I did keep Andy company on quite a few of his early marathons when the pace was more in line with mine and he was in need of company, any company to help him work through some of the more tortuous times. As his fitness improved, however, I bowed out gracefully, not wanting to interfere with his natural pace in any way. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!
The outcome of this restricted exercise and limited healthy eating programme is that one week after finishing the Challenge, I am at exactly the same weight as when I entered the programme - and in need of shedding 21lbs to reach my target weight. Still - that’s for another time and maybe another blog!
The Team
Have to be careful on this one but I really can’t finish the blog without some comment, can I!!!
It still amazes me that whilst I wouldn’t dream of spending a couple of weeks on holiday with someone I didn’t know well, I had accepted almost without question that I was going to be in extremely close proximity to 4 relative strangers for over 2 months!
In the event, we actually worked extremely well as a group, forming different liaisons at different times to cope with the minor stresses, differences and conflicts that were inevitable given our situation.
I shall remember with fondness Barry’s Mr Grumpy act in a morning (or whenever he had to deal with expense matters); Sophie’s amazing commitment to vegetarianism and her determination and resolve to air dry naturally all of her and Andy’s laundry (even on Horse Guards parade!); Nikki’s tendency to turn any conversation into something involving partying, dancing, alcohol or at the very least something social and Andy’s calm, uncomplaining, level headed approach to anything that the Challenge threw at him.
And then there’s Kevin, our part time driver / trainer / Jack of all trades who had an amazingly laid back and accommodating approach to anything that was thrown at him. And Karen who stepped in so readily to cover the driving during my absence on holiday – despite its relatively small size compared to her normal working vehicle, a tank transporter, she was to admit to me that the RV did present certain “differences” that she had to contend with and overcome!
Jim Duffy – what’s to say about our Jim from ABF? Involved in the early stages of the project before moving out of his geographical area and then latterly as we came back “up north “ and into Scotland, Jim’s commitment to Team66 and fund raising for the ABF was a real tonic to us all. His enthusiasm, energy and ability to extract donations from the public knew no bounds and was a real morale booster at times. Although not officially part of Team66, to all intents and purposes he was as much a member as anyone else and very welcome too!
. . . . . . . I just wonder what the team members would say about me!!
The experience
Without doubt, Challenge66 has been the single most challenging project that I have ever been involved in.
With relatively little time to consider the personal implications of volunteering my services, I had no idea what lay in store for me. My objectives and the singular reason for my decision however was crystal clear – I wanted to be on board to do whatever was necessary to support Andy in his efforts to achieve his world record.
Within two or three days of starting Challenge66, the measure of the man became apparent as he battled against a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that would have any practising Physiotherapist demanding that he (Andy) be rested for a couple of weeks to allow the injury to heal. Not so for Andy – not a word of complaint – just “come on, let’s sort it!!” And sort it he did (ably assisted by Sophie and a pair of mobility support trainers) and soldiered (excuse the pun) through the next 15 days before the injury cleared.
If the torn Achilles was to test the man then his subsequent tendonitis reaching critical levels as he struggled valiantly to complete his marathon in the city of Wells was to shake him to the very core and he must surely have considered whether he could continue or not! But continue he did, and shame on you, Ray Birch for ever doubting that he would! Nothing short of major physical trauma would ever stop this man. He coined the phrase – “I didn’t start this to Fail…I started this to FINISH!“ and there was never a truer word said.
I don’t know whether Andy ever came close to tears during this period but I for one, freely admit that I cried for him on more than one occasion and I suspect that there were others on the team that may well have done so.
The Statistics
For those of you who are interested, here are a few facts and figures.
These are based on my own simplistic recordings and calculations and I make no apologies for any discrepancies, errors or generalisations that may be in evidence. My thanks to Excel for making it easier for me!
For those of you who are interested, here are a few facts and figures.
These are based on my own simplistic recordings and calculations and I make no apologies for any discrepancies, errors or generalisations that may be in evidence. My thanks to Excel for making it easier for me!
- The RV covered just under 3,000miles since leaving Wetherby on March 15th and consumed petrol to the value of £3,500 - Ouch!!
- Andy has covered over 2,050 miles in his Ultra Marathons - (Compare that to the RV mileage lol!)
- Andy's total running time over the 66 days amounts to 456 hours - that's 19 days!!
- His average pace was 13mins 45secs per mile with a fastest of 10mins 56secs (Carlisle) and a slowest of 21mins 10secs (Wells).
- He covered an estimated 3.3million paces in his 66 Ultra marathons (not 4 Billion as reported in the Press!)
Finally - My thanks to the man who made this all possible, Andy McMenemy . . . .
To listen to him is to be inspired. To analyse what he is saying is to acknowledge his consistently high values and standards. The proof that his formula for success works is surely evidenced by his personal achievements and underwrites the doctrine that he preaches.
