The Legends Trail

The Legends Trail, Belgium 2017

‘Seventy miles in to The Legends Trail. There I was, a grown twenty-nine-year old man running along – feeling sick and with teary eyes – talking out loud to myself and laughing like a lunatic.’

After finishing the Robin Hood 100 in September I was hunting for the next challenge. I wanted something further – with an adventurous element to it – ideally abroad so that I could tie it in with some travelling after a good few months to train. I was also emailing Stef about one of the 100mile races he was posting on FB for September 2017. He must have known I was vulnerable – like a fish hunting for food – he put the hook and line out there…”We also have The Legends Trail, 250km, winter, harder nav”. It was in March, a bit sooner than I would have liked. I was also considering running the VW 150 Ultra in April in the UK – which looked a great race and finished in the county that I grew up in – that race would have meant an extra month to train as well. I looked in to The Legends race over some wine (never a good idea!), it looked tough. 7000m of ascent (more on that later!), at least a 50% DNF rate, winter weather, hard navigation, a tough time limit – the winner last year came in only 5 hours before the final cut-off…and a beer at the end in a foreign country. I was hooked – far easier than most fish are to catch – I basically jumped in the boat and started prepping myself for food after asking the fisherman for an invite!
I booked my leave from work and place on the race at the start of November. A few days after deciding to DNF from the White Rose Ultra 100. It was only six weeks after the Robin Hood 100 and my legs weren’t recovered – and now I knew I was short on training time for The Legends Trail and had my heart set on doing it. It was the best decision I could have made, giving me the quickest recovery and therefore the most efficient amount of training time. I figured if I could be fully recovered by the end of November it would give me two and a half months of hard training before having to taper about half way through February. I was already feeling fit and had built a good base after training for the RH100. Training went well and I began to target the hills and long runs, still being trained by Ronnie Staton. I spoke with some previous competitors and started to research the weather and kit requirements. I wouldn’t be able to recce the route before-hand but that would only mean more fun navigation during the race and the Lake District had similar terrain! Training was on course right up until New Year – I took a break and went to Poland to visit friends to celebrate NYE which was a welcome – alcohol fuelled – break. On my return after a blast on the Pennine way I became ill. I was smashed for 2 weeks, low energy and fever spells etc. so I decided not to train until I was sorted. I then volunteered on The Spine for a week – managing to get in some light training – but in essence had a forced 3 week break. And so the panicking began!
The final month of training was full on, the hardest I have ever trained – no point in worrying about the time off sick, I would just have to deal with it and make the best use of time that I had left. I began to train using my poles to get my arms used to them. I spent more time in the hills and was running more consistently on technical terrain – I was now running 7 days a week. I run in my intended race kit, tweaking and moving kit as required so it was set up as comfortably as possible and was out in all weathers with no excuses. Finishing work and heading to the hills only to strip in some random carpark and get in to my running clothes in the rain became the norm. Work, eat, train, eat, sleep, repeat. All too soon it was time to taper. I was sorting the last minute things like accommodation and panic buys – and then I was on a plane where it still hadn’t quite sunk in that the race was only in three days!
I had two weeks for this trip. As usual I left the packing until the last night and struggled to meet the 20kg baggage allowance so had to leave behind half of my race food and some other compromises to make the weight. Rather than travel around hitch-hiking or using public transport – my usual favourite travel style – I decided to rent a car for this trip, anticipating I would be struggling to walk after the race! It was the first time I had driven on the other side of the road or in a left-hand drive vehicle. I immediately sat in the passenger seat and then hit the left door trying to change gear on the first junction. Leaving Brussels was a hilarious nightmare – I should have just run to the start! At one point I gave myself a heart-attack thinking I’d drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway! Midday on Wednesday I arrived at Achouffe, the start location of The Legends Trail. I satisfied the caffeine addiction and then took a hike up the course for an hour getting a feel for the terrain and setting up the GPS. By setting up I mean working out how to use the damn thing, something I hadn’t practised before arriving – bad drills! After some panicking and Watsapp problem solving it was sorted and it seemed to be easy enough to work! The route was on it at least. I checked in to a nice B&B and had the best night sleep I’d had in weeks! I’d learnt my lesson Pre-race now, it’s one of the reasons I arrived two days early to ensure I could sleep properly. On Thursday I went to the finish location, the building was open and I met the race directors Stef and Tim. Other racers had also arrived, fellow Brits Alan, Dave and Stu amongst them. We had some food and drink whilst talking about the race and tactics people were using before I headed back to sort my kit and grab another good sleep! Before hitting the hay I took a short walk outside to get a feel for the night-time temperature. I still wasn’t sure whether to wear my shorts or leggings for the race. On the one hand it seemed warmer than I was expecting and shorts would keep me cooler, I also didn’t want to risk chaffing from the leggings. It was decided for me – it was freezing – leggings it was! I could always change option at the first checkpoint if needed.
On the morning of the race I finalised the kit and checkpoint bag before grabbing a monster of a breakfast.

It still hadn’t sunk in that it was about to start! One thing I immediately liked about this race was the ‘grown-up’ approach to the kit list. It was minimal, but safe. Not too specific. Of course there were the safety elements like a survival-bag, whistle and red light attachment, but it wasn’t excessive and my bag was light. Anyone with experience (Hopefully everyone racing!) knew what to take and leave to help themselves in bad weather. The maps were also quality, plastic and foldable, waterproof and tough.

I was surprised to see a post on FB where my Mum had tagged herself in Belgium with me…Over the next few hours I worked out that my family had flown to Belgium to see me off at the start line! A great surprise but in keeping it secret and failing to make a joint plan they had set on a logistical nightmare trying to get to the start line – even the locals said it wouldn’t be possible! South Belgium near the Ardennes seemed very relaxed and quiet, there didn’t seem to be much happening but I enjoyed the atmosphere. I also knew there would be no public transport to the start for my family. It was very hilly, for as far as I could see it was just rolling hills, and much warmer than I was expecting! I dropped my car at the finish line – the ultimate sign of an optimist on this race! – and was given a lift to the start where I went through the check-in process before getting more food. Alan and Dave arrived and I was trying to help my Mum, Dad, Brother and his Girlfriend get to the start. They weren’t having the best of luck! It came down to a last resort and having got as close as 20minutes away to their hotel I asked Stef and Tim if they had any ideas. Without hesitation they came up with a helpful plan and saved the day, one of their volunteers was driving past that location on a job and could collect them! Mum chances her way through life and gets away with it again ha! By now Stef and Tim had seriously impressed me, they really seemed to know what they were doing with this race and the vibes I was picking up were great. As busy as they were, to help me out and collect them was just awesome – best race directors ever! My family were equally impressed, they even got fed after the racers started I hear! It was a great introduction to the ultra-running community for them and I’m glad they really got to see the best side of the sport I love so much for so many reasons, the people involved in it being a large one of them. We disappeared for a quick drink thirty minutes before the start and I was starting to get seriously excited. Fifteen minutes before the race I headed off to do a bit of mobility and warm-up slightly. I worked out on the hike yesterday that the trail soon turned very narrow and I wanted to be at the front to make sure I avoided the traffic jam. I also decided I would be taking a bit of a risk on this race and going slightly faster to stay near the front, something I wasn’t sure I was capable of but would work it out along the way. I was feeling strong and thought I could finish the course faster than the winning time last year.

Start – CP 1 (63.3km, 39 mile leg)

I toed the start line on this race and went out at the front to get ahead of the crowd and not get involved in the traffic jam on the trail over the next few miles. I was aware for the first couple of hours at least that I was going way too fast but held it knowing I would slow down once I’d created a gap. As soon as we left the main road and on to a trail it became apparent how hard it would be to follow them. We were already struggling to locate it! The GPS came out and I thumbed the map. Another mile and I was running with a group of 4 in the top ten. We were talking as we run and then noticed we had made another navigation error! We had completely missed a turning which would of took us an extra couple of km in a loop to get us where we were, we back-tracked to make up the distance and then turned around and carried on, letting a group pass us as we did. Night time came and the head-torches went on. The trail was awesome, just how I like it. Technical, fast, constant direction and ascent / descent changes. I wasn’t thinking about pacing but just having a seriously good time! Some of the climbs were very steep and I was aware we were running high up on a knife edge, the views in the daylight would be epic I’d imagine. It was a constant assessment of the ground to make sure I didn’t go over on an ankle which would happen all too easily. The trail was following a river which meant for reasonably easy navigation but was swamped at times. We made the first river crossing which involved negotiating the tree logs that were chucked across instead of a bridge – awesome!

About six hours and twenty-two miles in to the run I went through La Roche-En-Ardenne, The town my family were at in their hotel. I gave them a quick heads-up that I was coming down the hill from the castle and enjoyed a run through the lovely town at night. I approached a group which my brother and his girlfriend were in, I was running fast and feeling great. I stopped here for a quick water refill and was surprised I hadn’t used too much. One of my worries planning for this race was how much hydration and fuel should I take – I figured I could judge it on the course from CP to CP – Luckily it seems I had judged it correctly. It was a nice cool night with no rain, at times the forest trails completely disappeared and the map and GPS had to be brought out and studied, the head-torches panning side to side like some kind of rave looking for the path. The rest of the miles came in relatively easy and fast, I joined people from time to time and run with them for a bit and we approached the first checkpoint at mile thirty-nine at about half three in the morning, the last two miles of which seemed endless as I was already expecting the CP earlier than it actually came – I was glad to see civilisation! The first thing I did in the CP was sit and take my shoes off in the designated place by the front door whilst the medics assessed me. I had never had this at a race before – as organised and planned as this – they asked me questions about how tired I was feeling, blisters, any issues etc. I told them I was all good apart from feeling slightly sick since the start, my stomach had just felt dodgy, like something wasn’t settling properly but it never got too bad. Maybe the meal I had a couple of hours before the start. I went through and immediately started my checkpoint drills which I had typed out on a piece of paper and put in my kit-bag so that I didn’t forget anything. I ordered my food and drink before changing batteries, maps, fluids, fuel and adapting layers. Sitting at the table I noticed the room was full of American flags and a bar. There were about 10 racers inside. The volunteers were being very helpful bringing us whatever we needed and offering assistance when required. I asked for the rice and vegetables and enjoyed some coke. The only time I ever crave fizzy drinks is during a long race! It was when I stood up to go and was getting ready to leave that I realised my mistake…my legs were shell-shocked, a bit confused that I was asking them to go again. I had pushed myself pretty hard on the first leg without thinking too much about it. Stef told me in this checkpoint that the first leg was the least runnable, and that the next one was the most runnable! Damn, I’d raced it the wrong way around! I should have relaxed more at the start and then turned it up on the next leg. But I’d had a lot of fun at least! The head torch went back on and I was back out on the course after an efficient checkpoint turn-around, about 20minutes I would guess. When people say regarding this race – “start slow” it’s not just the usual generic ultra-marathon advice. For this race it really is important! START SLOW! My legs took some convincing to start running again but eventually stopped protesting.

CP1 – CP2 (117.3km, 33mile leg)
After realising I had made a bit of a mistake with the pacing, my shell-shocked legs warmed up after a couple of miles. It would be a thirty-three mile leg until the next CP. I got slightly lost – surprise – but found the original trail again as it was an out and back to get to the checkpoint. Back to the endless forests, trails and hills which felt like they were coming in closer in the darkness. My stomach was getting more uncomfortable and I started to think I would be sick in the race at some point. Occasionally we went through a small hamlet or village which broke the forests up, which were starting to get pretty damn lonely. You had to constantly pay attention to the navigation as well or you were guaranteed to get lost. I came across runners occasionally but looked forward to daylight. Stef was right, this section so far was much more runnable but it still had a lot of hills! The terrain was less technical, more soft muddy trail. Only a couple of hours in to the section and I began to think of making myself sick to relieve the feeling. But I didn’t need to, I ate a cereal bar and within ten minutes my order was delivered – I became dizzy and had to run off the trail to bring it back up. The dizziness stayed for about ten minutes before disappearing leaving me feeling light headed. I began to wonder why I was having issues – I had not tried anything new during the race, but had eaten a lot before it started and maybe something then didn’t agree with me, I had a lasagne at one of the cafes near to the start and Later Alan told me it also didn’t agree with him either. The daylight was here now. I knew that for this distance getting dehydrated or ‘bonking’ as it’s referred to in ultra-running (completely running out of energy – the wall, big style!) would be a finisher. So regardless of feeling and being sick I would have to eat and drink. Besides I felt slightly better. I ate another chocolate bar and drank some water only to repeat the cycle – twenty minutes of feeling slightly more noxious until I had to puke again. This was a problem. I was just coming up on ten miles in to this leg and all my energy had drained. Every time I ate or drank it resulted in me feeling and being sick. The prospect of another twenty-three miles was not attractive! But on the bright side the course was beautiful and the sun was up. I started to take walking breaks, my energy was sapping. The climbs became horrendous, every step up using my poles to launch myself upwards brought a grimace to my face. The dizziness stayed longer and I began to think about quitting – there was no way I could do this for another one-hundred miles, surely?! The forest trails continued and I was having a really bad time. I told myself that I had a good reason to quit – I had the imaginary conversation in my head that I would have with the medic at the next checkpoint – which was emotional enough to make me believe it was happening and I welled up. I knew calling it quits would be absolutely gutting. Did I really come all the way to Belgium to DNF? I was texting some friends – my rule of not using my phone had been broken in search of an answer – I got great advice and abuse depending which friend was replying. But I was trying to justify my upcoming DNF to them. They were having none of it and it got through to me, luckily. I knew deep down that I didn’t want to quit and that I’d regret it, that my excuses were not good enough. I’d never been this ill during a race before. But I had been here – in this ‘I’m never doing this again’ zone – where I wanted to quit. And just like those last times, I knew that if I simply refused to quit and tried to find a solution, I would get to the end. Seventy-miles in to The Legends Trail. There I was, a grown twenty-nine-year old man running along – feeling sick and with teary eyes – talking out loud to myself and laughing like a lunatic. Taking control. Speaking out loud and getting myself psyched. Reminding myself of every reason why I would not quit. Of every inspiration I had seen go through this ‘place’ who had also refused to quit. I spoke of my plan. What would I do? Get to the next checkpoint – it was only ten miles away – speak with a medic. I have plenty of time, have a rest, get some food and fluids, let the legs settle, even grab a power nap if you had to. And then put on my bag and do it all over again. Relentless forward progress until the end. I did not come all this way to wimp out because it was getting hard – this is the arena, this is where some finish these things and others DNF. From this moment onwards my whole mindset changed with the flick of a switch, I just needed to get out of the rut. I would carry out the plan and refuse to quit. As I came down from Xhignesse I was aware of 3 runners who had been gaining on me. I crossed the bridge to join the river pass and they had caught up. It was Maarten, Robin and someone else who’s name eludes me (I’m so bad with names!). They were moving well. Looking at the map and speaking with them, the next few miles would be flat and follow the river and then it was only a short climb or two until the next CP. I was still feeling tender but I joined them for a bit of company. Pacing with one of their GPS watches we intended to run eight-hundred metres and walk two-hundred for the next few kilometres which made sense to me and worked well. They were moving fast so if I kept with them, enjoying the company and talking it would take my mind off feeling ill and I would get to the CP in the fastest time – win win. The miles went past and gradually they pulled a lead of a few minutes. As I crossed the bridge in to Comblain-Au-Pont they were sitting in the town by a shop. I went in to the shop as well and bought a large banana milk shake which I seemed to be craving! It would only be a few kilometres to the CP now but hopefully this would settle my stomach, I hadn’t been sick or dizzy in a while, thankfully – I just felt a bit light-headed and spaced out. I spent a few minutes sitting and relaxing before getting ready to leave, I was joined by Joel. Company for the last part would be great. We spoke and it quickly became apparent to me that this guy was having a great time, he was on holiday! He was relaxed and wasn’t feeling particularly tired – fit guy – his plan said with a Spanish accent was to simply take his time with an efficient pace and “enjoy the race, the volunteers, Belgium, text my girlfriend, If I get timed out – oh well”, I laughed at how laid back he was. I loved his approach to the race. I thought that hopefully I would spend more time with him throughout the race and hijack some of his vibes, we walked in to the second CP at the same time about three o’clock. I had made it finally! Again the CP was brilliant, I got straight on to my checkpoint drills. now was the time to put my plan in to action. Spending too long here in this chair of death was a DNF (did not finish) in the making I needed to ignore the thought and get back out. I squared away all my admin first and happily chatted with the staff whilst getting some food and drink, they really were great. Positive and happy, it was impossible for my mood not to lift in here. I noticed there was a good few runners, some trying to sleep. I was thinking a power-nap here might save my race – but I had woken up and felt slightly better – it was only twenty-two miles until the next checkpoint so I intended to use the daylight and get there as fast as I could where I would sleep. And so with a sense of urgency I prepped to leave, spoke with the medics and left on my own. I wasn’t waiting for anyone because I was going to push a selfish pace on this leg and hopefully get it done in good time. I left running and intended not to be caught as it would push me faster playing this game.

CP2-CP3 (150.7km, 22mile leg)
I left the checkpoint feeling refreshed and with a new enthusiasm, I felt great about my decision not to quit. Within half an hour and on the long downhill section the rain started. I have rarely experienced such a change in temperature and weather in such a short period of time. It seemed like within 5 minutes of a light drizzle starting, it had turned in to torrential rain and the temperature had plummeted. The wind picked up and I found some shelter under a tree to adopt the heavy waterproofs. I originally packed my light-weight running waterproofs but was glad I had made the choice to change to the heavier set when I heard heavy rain was coming in. Making my way along the muddy trails I run wherever I could. It was along here that I experienced my first hallucination of the race. I had seen a couple of competitors further ahead wearing red and white (I think!). As I turned a corner to begin the downhill section, I saw them walking through the woods about 30 metres away to my left. I assumed the trail must do a U-turn further down the path and come back on itself on a parallel path. I looked at the map and realised this wasn’t the case at all, in fact the path just carried on straight. I stopped and looked for their red lights or head torches but couldn’t see them anymore. It was surprising to hallucinate so early and whilst feeling relatively fresh, the forest can play tricks on the mind! I was thankfully feeling so much better now, and this weather plus the spectacular forest trails had woken me up, I was enjoying myself again! I remember running through Aywaille wondering what the residents – sitting in the pubs and restaurants enjoying their warmth, food and alcohol – were thinking about the crazy runners out in the heavy rain with red flashing lights attached to their bags. I would enjoy the same comforts, but after the race. On the steep climb out of the valley Maarten and Robin caught me up. My memory of the rest of the leg is a bit fuzzy. I was in the ‘head down’ zone. Marching uphill, running downhill, running on the straights. Relentless forward progress. On one of the roads going through a village it became that cold I had to shelter under someone’s garage and put on my emergency synthetic down top. I had lost Maarten and Robin on this road but later caught up Robin. We run and hiked the last few miles to the checkpoint, which seemed endless. I was hunting for the giant inflatable leprechaun which would invite me in for some sleep! I was hallucinating again. I looked in to a ditch we were walking beside and could see faces and heads! I also spotted the giant leprechaun by a manor on the road where we were looking for the CP, we walked towards it down the drive and Robin said to me, “Where did you see the Leprechaun?” It was a large bush I had seen! I was very glad to get in to the CP just after eleven in the evening, it had been a cold and wet section. We made no plans to stick together and before I knew it Robin had efficiently disappeared for sleep before I could find out how long he was stopping for! I ate, drank and sorted my kit before heading to a cold room for a two-hour sleep. Once in my sleeping bag on a bunk bed I soon warmed up, but sleeping was a big struggle. My hips and pelvis had that deep, throbbing pain that I associate with long ultras. I constantly had to change position to relive the pain and didn’t manage to get any sleep. But at least I had rested and took the weight off my legs. Once I came back downstairs they felt much fresher for it. Before long I was out the door on my own and ready for a cold night. It would be a thirty-three-mile leg to the last CP.

CP3-CP4 (202.3km, 33mile leg)

Within a couple of kilometre’s I had joined with the two runners who had left just before me, Francois and Robert. We moved together up a valley which became my favourite part of the whole race. Annoyingly my new Petzl headtorch wasn’t working properly and I had to change to my spare one, the rain the night before must have damaged it. It felt like a proper night-time adventure through an awesome forest valley. The trail was barely noticeable, we were constantly scanning the ground and having to navigate across, over or under fallen trees. We were following a river uphill and had to cross it multiple times using whatever pass we could find, usually crawling on our hands and knees across a fallen tree. At one point we found a bridge which was just a large plank of wood that had been placed across the river. Unfortunately, Francois tried to cross it without realising it was at a slant. It was wet and I watched in slow motion as he took a bad fall, landing on his side on top of the plank. I hoped he wasn’t injured but it could have easily been so. He went quiet and got back up, it seemed he had hurt his arm but he just wanted to carry on. Robert fished his pole that he had dropped out of the river and we continued.

As we found our way out of the forest daylight joined us. There was a welcome surprise on the exit, a mini-checkpoint had been set up with a car and some volunteers who had food and hot drinks which we enjoyed for a few minutes before leaving. I scanned the map ahead and was thankful that the next few miles seemed relatively easy and flat trail. The previous eight miles had passed quite quickly and we were already nearly a third of the way through this section. On one of the flats the legend that is Joel passed us, I was amazed he had caught us up. We spoke briefly, he had slept for four hours at CP3. Four hours?! I had taken two and he had still caught us up! Watching him gazelle off in to the distance it was easy to see why, he was no longer holding back on his pace and saving himself meant he was going incredibly fast. He also told me about his umbrella as well – he had used an umbrella during the torrential rain – none of this expensive runners stuff – an umbrella! And it had worked well! He was still happy and smiling, part of me wanted to run ahead with him but I could tell there was no way I’d keep up with his pace. Me, Francois and Robert started to run and I soon gathered that their pacing suited me well. We were running the downhills and putting in some good distance as often as we could. Working the navigation between us to solve little problems here and there. The trail was decent, but the hills again countless. Up and down, up and down, up and down.

Never enough of a flat to get in to a comfortable rhythm. The daylight had been here for a few hours and my failed power-nap was making itself known. I was at the back of the pack, impressed by the endurance these guys were showing, we were running well despite the distance. The downhill sections were long but we used them to claw in the distance whilst destroying the quads just a little more with each step. I was trying to hide my zombie face as the sleep deprivation spent miles hitting me like a spade in the face. I made it known that I was struggling and that I would need to sleep at the next CP. I have to admit that I spent a lot of time in this section with “I’m never doing this race again” going around my thoughts! On one of the climbs it became apparent to me that Francois was hurt, I saw his face grimacing and heard him yelp on a few occasions. He had to stop and asked in a panicked voice to Robert for his pain killers. He had pulled his groin on his fall in the woods and had been putting up with it until now but it had become too much – this guy was tough! I immediately told myself to stop being such a wimp, I wasn’t even injured and I had been struggling to keep up with these two! I seriously thought at one point he was going to have to call it quits as he looked in so much pain. But – when the going gets tough – he got back up and said we should go. It was about six miles to the checkpoint now, thankfully! We passed another welcome volunteer tent around here and had some soup.

I was desperately tired. As it came closer I became more and more desperate, “where is that fu%$ing leprechaun?!”. I swear the miles get longer the closer you get. Thankfully and still in daylight, just after three o’clock a couple of volunteers were waiting and walked us in to the checkpoint. I was very relieved. But again – as tired as I was – the enthusiasm and energy of the volunteers woke me up! I had my feet checked by the nurse. “You have wet feet, starting to show trench-foot”, but other than that they were all good. Straight in to food and checkpoint drills again before hunting for somewhere to sleep. We had agreed to leave at half past five which gave me one hour to sleep. But the same happened again, the hips were too painful. I rolled around and had a good rest – but no sleep. It was apparent as I came downstairs and got ready to leave that my legs appreciated the lie-down. I had been warned that there was a heavy rain and cold weather system moving in. And after experiencing how dangerous that could be the night before I adapted my layers (Four or five competitors had pulled from the race with hypothermia during the race). Before my waterproof trousers against my leggings became extremely cold, so I put a pair of trousers on. I also used my soft shell under the overcoat as a second layer to stop the wet getting through, I would be comfortable whatever the weather. This was it, the final push…

CP4 – FINISH (250km, 30 mile leg)
About thirty miles separated us from the finish, and on the scale of the distance we had already come this wasn’t intimidating. We had fourteen hours until the finishing cut-off and unless something serious happened…this was in the bag! We all commented on how much less stress we felt now that we had made it to the final CP. We came up with a pacing strategy that would bring us in no later than six in the morning and hiked out fast. The whole atmosphere became enjoyable and pleasant, everyone was talking, the weather was surprisingly nice and we knew this would be the last effort. I felt good after my rest and knew I felt like running, but after spending many miles with Robert and Francois I was happy to just enjoy the end of this race in their company, even if it meant finishing slower. I was still feeling grateful for the fact I no longer felt ill and was still in the race! We hiked down the miles, joined by Robin and it really was enjoyable. At one point we made a steep climb up a ski-slope to be surprised at the top by another volunteer tent! I had said I hope we get one more of these before the finish! It was a large tent, inside were lights, chairs, heaters, music, food and drink – party! We sat down and got far too comfy. Robert looked like he was falling asleep in his chair and needed helping up! We needed to get out before we decided to DNF and just party the night away!

Another great experience thanks to the volunteers. Over the next few miles the group became slower and slower, I believed we were going to hike in the entire 30miles at an efficient speed but I was feeling great and wanted to run. The trail turned in to a swamp like path – like those tiny rivers you see people canoeing down in the amazon! Dry feet disappeared and it became slow going, but still I felt good. I could tell Robin was also feeling ready to run as he kept putting in little trots behind the group – I hoped they would break in to a run. I asked him how he felt and he stated he felt like running. Ok, it was time for this group I had enjoyed being a part of to separate. I thanked them for their great company and hoped there was no bad feelings at breaking away from them on the last twenty miles but I just felt too good not to run it in, they seemed fine with my choice. Me and Robin started running ahead. Funnily enough over the next mile we became quite lost – took the wrong turning, had to detour through the forest to get back to the right track – embarrassingly behind the group we had just left! Oops! Pay attention to the nav! We joked about it and then took off running again, fortunately we were starting to leave the forest now and were using roads. Robin was running strong, I was keeping up with him and looking forward to the next walking break or hill to slow the pace. At one point he even said to me “by the way – we are ultra-runners – not walkers” which had me howling. He was right! We were nearly there, no time to relax. Get it done. He generally was moving faster on the straights and I would take lead on the downhill and technical sections. We shared the navigation and talked about upcoming races and plans. Only ten miles left now, tired and desperate to get it finished we moved back in to the forest. We had been told about another possible volunteer tent at Chouffe which I was looking forward to, it would be only six miles from the end. On the long downhill in to the lake valley I realised on the map that we didn’t in fact go in to Chouffe, there would be no tent here which I really had my hopes up for. I turned around and I couldn’t even see a headtorch – Robin had slowed on the descent and I had lost him. I was sure he hadn’t fallen or I would have heard him shouting me even with my hood up. I walked for a bit – still demoralised after realising there was no tent – and then realised I just had to get this done. There was still no sign of Robin and in one last push I decided to just crack on and get it done as fast as I could – I was so close – I would see him at the end. I took off, one and a half hours of maximum effort and this would all be over. The path was consumed by the lake and my feet were soaked constantly – I didn’t care. I played some music on my phone for the first time in the whole race to really distract me from my painful legs. I had headphones but just played it over the speaker to break up the pain-cycle. I hadn’t been able to listen to music at all so far because so much attention had to be paid to the navigation! The last few miles were never-ending! Finally the lights of the finishing town Mormont came in to view. I passed through a street I recognised from my recce before the race. Last mile now, this was done. It had been raining for some time and I looked forward to the warmth. At the start of the race and after seeing the large inflatable leprechaun it became the finishing emblem to me. Like the wall or line you have to touch at the end – it was getting a slap or a hug – I saw it outside the building. With a big smile on my face I gave it a cheeky slap before walking in the front door at about half past three in the morning, roughly fifty-seven hours after beginning this great adventure. I walked in to the main room extremely relieved and was glad it appeared to be a relaxed atmosphere, to people’s surprise – I was supposed to go around the back where everyone was waiting for me! Back out the front door and being guided by a volunteer I was met by a group and clapped in to the finish. It was a truly proud moment. Stu was there to give me my medal and Tim to give me the finishing case of La-Chouffe beer. It was finally over. 

I walked inside and sat down before being handed a beer! A pizza was being made for me and the warmth hit me like a brick. Wow I was tired! My feet were placed in a nice warm bucket of water and I enjoyed the fact it was over. Sitting there with my medal on amongst other finishers. Robin arrived about twenty minutes after me looking equally tired and happy. I soon disappeared for a couple of hours sleep, coming down to possibly my favourite moment of the entire race. The realisation that Alan, who had finished whilst I was asleep – in true British style – had got straight on the beer. He hadn’t slept and seemed plastered! Hero!

I grabbed a shower and retreated to a B&B that I had booked for a great six hour sleep just down the road. Returning in the evening to join the volunteers and some finishers for beer and a take-out, a perfect way to end the race.

Post-race thoughts
I have spent the last few days after the race travelling around Belgium and Luxembourg. Relaxing, sleeping, drinking, eating, couch surfing. Currently I am in Leuven and joined Stef and Tim for beers last night, Stef was kind enough to let me stay around his.
I can honestly say that The Legends Trail has been my favourite Ultra-race experience so far, in a lot of ways. Hilariously, after spending so many hours saying I will never do it again – I already know that I will be returning to correct my mistakes and beat my time. Why is it my favourite? People spent a lot of time talking about and comparing it to The Spine. Of course, The Spine is harder in many ways, and further in distance – It will always hold those titles until I decide to do something very silly and even bigger but that does not mean this race is easy by any means. For the overall experience I have enjoyed this race so much more. Firstly – the price – this is extremely reasonably priced for what you get – which is a lot – at $190, with a holiday and adventure abroad included. And now that the logistics are in place you can even stay in the race accommodation before and after the event and be treated with good company, food and beer for only $25 a night! If enough Brits come across a mini-bus would easily be arranged to collect you all. The whole race has a relaxed and easy going – beer drinking – vibe around it, the directors even had a beer in hand on the start line ha! And rightly so, it has no need to shout and advertise how hard it is – the race does that all by itself. They know full well that it is way more than the advertised 7000m ascent but chose to leave it at that and let people work it out on route (more like 8500m, Everest height!). I felt fitter during this race then I ever have, and amazed myself at my ability to still run well right until the very end – so my training went right and I know I am learning and progressing in this game. I made mistakes, but I know what I need to change – which is what I love about being so young in this sport – there is endless room for improvement and growth. The volunteers were absolutely amazing. The checkpoints and intermediate tents were a reflection of this. Warm buckets of water for your feet, great food, hot drinks, medics checking you over at every stop and even cleaning your feet without even being asked, people couldn’t do enough to help you get sorted and back out on the trail as efficiently as possible. The sense of adventure was there for me, hours and hours spent negotiating tree logs and rivers through the forests at night time whilst hallucinating. It is an extremely challenging course – it’s happy to destroy your legs and cadence – and testing for anyone wanting to push their limits. The fact that it is ‘shorter’ than The Spine for me made the experience feel all the more intense and fast. Under-pinning all of this are the directors – Stef and Tim – I love how much ambition they have had to set up this race – and their other races – to challenge the lack of long distance races in Belgium (They are from Belgium by the way, I mistakenly referred to them as German in my Spine blog and have regretted it ever since!). They have done a superb job and their knowledge around running an event shows whenever they talk about it, they are fixated on the quality and experience – they have studied all the other races and have taken the best parts. They are constantly refining the race, they are already making changes for next year! Their hearts are truly in line with the ultra-running experience and community. I can’t thank them enough for going out of their way to get my family to the start line and back during the chaos of organising the race, it says it all. They are top guys. It is amazing that within only two editions such a ‘legend’ family and team have grown, there are as many volunteers as there are runners! And as usual I have met and made some great friends! I love the ultra-running community!
Have you got what it takes to become a Legend in the ‘flat’ lands of Belgium? It’s next March…Commit. Train. Achieve.

Ryan