Running a 200 Mile Ultra

I am nearly 140 miles in, rolling around in agony. The pain in my right knee was all I could think about.
How I can possibly continue?

Lorna was outside the car whilst I was trying to get some much needed sleep. Thankfully she didn’t come open the door in that moment, If she did, I would have tried to give up.

When I entered Wild Horse 200 over a year ago, I knew that it was going to be a challenge unlike anything else I had ever done. It’s safe to say that the 2025 running of Wild Horse, was truly wild.

A Little Introduction

For those who haven’t yet read My Journey to 200 Miles, you might not have heard of the Wild Horse 200. It is a non-stop ultra race where you have 120 hours to get from Chepstow to Worms Head. The route covers 200 miles (334km) and 9000m (30,000ft) of climbing. This year there was 100 starters and 70 finishers.

When I entered Wild Horse 200 over a year ago, I knew that it was going to be a challenge unlike anything else I had ever done. I knew that I was going to go to places I’ve never bee to. It was all the adventure I wanted plus a bit. This blog has taken me a little longer than expect to write. Partly in trying to remember all the moments that happened along the way, and selecting the ones worth a mention. It’s also the last thing I need to do complete the experience, and I don’t want to move on just yet!

It Begins

I had already made a booking to stay in Chepstow the night before before we moved to Monmouth. It was worth taking advantage of staying close by and having the maximum amount of sleep beforehand. Starting at 6am, I woke at 4:30 to have a decent breakfast and let it settle before starting. I had practiced a morning routine many times in training and this timing seemed to work best for me. The nerves still got to me and my stomach though. Once I had settled on what layers to start in, I took me and my massive drop bag down to the start line. Having registered and collected my tracker the night before.

The weather was misty rain for the first few hours, with it heating up throughout the day. 6am finally comes and we are off. Months of prepping.
We head up towards Chepstow racecourse and I quickly start chatting to a few other runners. Luke who I had met only a few weeks prior, and Courtney. It was great to connect with others so early on and we continued to leapfrog each other for miles to come.

The first 46km of the route heads up the Wye Valley via some lovely woodlands, fields and villages before hitting Monmouth and heading westward to Checkpoint 1 at White Castle. This is the longest unsupported leg of the route. Once I got to Monmouth I made use of the public toilets and a shop to restock on some water.
I took my time being patient and letting the miles come, knowing the heat was going to be a big factor. I will detail all the food, and kit I used along the way at the bottom of the post.

The first 30km up to Monmouth went by in a flash. The section from Monmouth to a little beyond CP1 I was concerned about because of the farm field and livestock. Give me exposed mountain ridges over cattle and horses any day! I hit checkpoint 1 at White Castle I was surprised at the number of runners that been hitting it hard in the sun and paying the price already.

I didn’t want to hang around too long, but take the time I needed. This was the mentality I tried to employ at each checkpoint.
In this case it was food, drink, quick check of my feet and back out on the trail. The one addition was I collected my poles as it was about to get rather lumpy.
A quick tip: I left my Salomon pole quiver on and stored an extra 500ml flask in it, which really helped with the heat and staying hydrated.

Below:
1: Just a few km left!
2: White Castle, Checkpoint 1
3: First view of the hills to come!
4: Trails of the Wye Valley

All went smoothly up to Llanthony Priory (66km) for the most part which is where I met Lorna for the first time. It was time to get the trusty bucket hat out! By this point there had already been a number of people drop out from the heat. It was hard going, being calm and letting the miles come was my strategy. After a feed and check of the feet I was off again on the way to checkpoint 2.
Cutting up to the Mynydd Du Forest where CP 2 is, around at around 80km. This section I had done before and knew that there was a bit of a slog up just before dropping down into the checkpoint. The plan for CP2 was the same as CP1, I also met Lorna for the second time. Refuelled on pasta and pizza with a check of the feet, still in great condition. The only issues I recall was on the steep downhill into the checkpoint, my knees being tender, but once on the flat or up I had no problem with them.

Leaving this checkpoint I was going into the first night, heading up to the highest point on the route, Waun Fach I was between groups. The first time I felt a sense of being alone. It was such a clear sky and with the moon light it was around 10:45pm I put on my torch for the first time. I could see lights ahead of me, but couldn’t work out if they were getting closer or further away!

Below:
I had just missed a great sunset by the looks of it!

As I was ascending up to the point picutred above, I could see a person silhouetted where I took this from. I remember having a thought about hallucinating, and thinking wouldn’t it be strange if I saw him grow wings and fly off like a majestic bird of prey. Yep, that does sound even more strange writing it down!

The night section was magical. The first time I had a sense of being on my own, it was so incredibly peaceful. I wasn’t thinking about anything. My mind was empty and I felt so comfortable and connected to the environment. It gives me goosebumps just thinking back to that moment. For hours through the night it was just the sound of my shoes and poles dancing off the trail.

I had been thinking about the upcoming decent into Crickhowell at 108km(checkpoint 3) since I did the recce. It’s long, steep and has some big boulders in places to negotiate. With my knees already tender, I knew I needed to preserve them as long as possible. Not a big problem yet, but the first signs of a battle developing.
I got into checpoint 3around 2am. My watch needed charging, but it froze. Frantically resetting it did the trick, but I had lost the last 110km and 22 hours of running. Needless to say my watch was now pretty useless apart from showing me direction. In someways this was a good thing as it gave me less reason to look at the time/distance and compare it.

Below:
1: Looking back towards Checkpoint 1
2: Llanthony Priory
3: Leaving Llanthony Priory
4: Eating like a hungry horse at Checkpoint 2

As it was close to home Lorna had managed to get a few hours sleep before seeing me again at Cwmdu which was a nice surprise. Another chance to grab some decent food and check out my feet.

I knew that finishing this adventure wasn’t going to be limited to just my physical ability, but all additional factors such as my eating/drinking, footcare and general selfceare. Each time I had the opportunity to look at my feet and manage them was worth the time to do so. The picture below of my feet at the end will prove this was worthwhile!
Getting into Llangynidr at 129km (checkpoint 4)seemed to take me forever. Each time I knew I was coming closer to a checkpoint, time seemed to slow down. I think that was a mental battle, knowing that rest should be soon. Lorna was there again and this time Al arrived to help pace me for some miles. I had settled into a checkpoint routine, with getting my watched charged, eating/drinking and feet checking.

My feet the day after finishing, Not bad for running 330km on them!

At each aid station I made sure to at least take my socks off and reapply either lube or powder. I only needed to have some tape around 130 miles in to help with a sore spot.

I used La Sportiva Prodigo Pro shoes for nearly the whole route, the last 30 km with The North Face Summit Pro. Socks I used Injini toe socks and waterproof socks for a short section.

Al and I had a great catch up having not seen each other in a long time. His race experience, pacing skills and general niceness made the miles come much easier. We did the long steep climb up Tor y Foel out of Crickhowell and headed around to the remote section above Talybont and Pontsticill Reservoir. again, it felt super remote and we didn’t see any other runners for miles. A pit stop with Lorna at Torpantau train station before heading off to Brecon. With a nice downhill/ flat section and motivation from Al we picked up the pace and knocked out to Llanfrynach (checkpoint 5) at 171km.
A nice surprise to see Ellie there as well. I needed some rest so sorted myself out and got 30 minutes of broken sleep on the camp beds they had set up.

Waking up, my right knee has fully seized up and was now in real pain. My crew were amazing and helped me to warm up and get it moving. Had I not had crew at this point, Im confident I would have handed in the towel. Once I was warm and on the move I was amazed that I was able to move it so freely after the pain I was in waking up. Al continued with me up to the Storey Arms which was amazing as I wasn’t sure how long he would be able to pace me for. He ended up doing over 60km with me!

Below:
1: Descening the backside of Tor Y Foel
2: View from the top of Tor Y Foel
3: Road section on way to Storey Arms

After a crew stop I left Storey Arms confident, but unsure on what the next leg would bring.

I started to see things.

Long grass that was in shapes of lions, or moss dangling of a tree that was a horse’s mane. Otherwise the nothingness was incredible. I felt so alone in those hours.
The faintness of headtorches In front of me, or are they stars on the horizon? I couldn’t really tell, but it kept my mind occupied at least.

210 to 220km were tough. The sleep monsters we real, I couldn’t picture or really understand how far the next checkpoint was, but knew it was close. I needed the toilet, food and sleep but couldn’t make a decision on what to act on, my mind just kept running a blank. I rested on my head on my poles and shut my eyes trying to think. Instead what happened was a 5 minute standing power nap. I actually managed to fall asleep standing up, and not fall over!

I woke up and felt fresher, and dragged my sorry caracas over the next hill. I could suddenly see the checkpoint, and Lorna parked up, my mood instantly lifted.

Sunrise just before heading down to the Caving Club

After a long night seeing the sun coming up was a refreshment to say the least. I had been alone nearly all night.

Lorna set me up in the back of the yeti to get 40 minutes sleep. What I awoke to was the pain I described in the introduction. My knee was swollen and wanted to quit. Thankfully there was no one in that moment to cry to. Back around 2017 I had a mountain biking injury where I impaled myself on my handlebars and put a split in my kidney. I don’t know if it was the tiredness, or 130 miles already on my legs, but in that moment, the pain was worse.
I honestly don’t know how I came out of the hole I was in.
Whilst Lorna had a 40 minute timer on I spent around 20 minutes actually sleeping, the rest rolling around groaning. I wanted so badly for anyone to open the car door and come to help, to give me an exit. I am so thankful that no-one did.
By the time Lorna came to open the door, I knew I had to move and at least get some food. Still thinking on the 100 meter walk to the checkpoint that I could quit.
It took barely anytime at all for me to have a mental flip. I certainly wasn’t in a good way, but I was an inch more willing than 5 minutes earlier.

It was slow and painful, but with Lorna’s help, I was eventually on the move again, still unsure if it was the right thing to do. Thankfully out of the checkpoint was a small road section before a downhill.
By the time I got to the climb up to Llyn Y fan Fawr and Fach I was moving with purpose.

‘I haven’t come this far to only come this far.’
’I haven’t come this far to only come this far.’

I had gone from the lowest hole I’d ever been in, and was mentally and physically climbing out of it. The route up to the lakes is one of the most beautiful spots in South Wales, and enjoyed every single step of it.
It couldn’t have come at a better time given my motivation.

I was convinced I could see Worms Head in the distance!

Regardless of if I could see the finish or not, putting the finish as a physical location, made it that much easier. Only 90km more to go and I would be there. On the downhill to checkpoint 6 I overtook a few people and one person walking down some steps said how much their knees hurt, I chuckled and thought, ‘yeah, no Sh*t.
My knee hurt a lot still, but it hurt if it was standing still, or moving forwards.

Relentless.
Forwards.
Progress.

Leaving the checkpoint at Llanddeusant little did I know that the next section is known as the boulder field. Safe to say I could have been a geologist come the next checkpoint given how many rocks I was having to constantly stare at!

I came to the top of a decent and knew I should be seeing Lorna soon at the Mountain Road Carpark. That’s the car! Amazing! I waved my poles in the air and gave out a loud HEY! And a WHOO! I got closer and thought, that’s a remote car park, I can’t even see a road to it, how has she got there? Well what I thought was the car, to my disappointment, was a peat cutting. The sleep monsters struck again.
I had a chuckle and whelp as it dawned on me, I had another hill to go up and over before the actual car park.

 Eventually when I got the actual meeting point ( I didn’t shout this time, just in case). My mood was up. Lorna fed me and I sorted out my feet. This felt like a big mildstone. I was coming out the back end of the mountains. 

Just outside of Llandybie, my sister and her family made a surprise visit. Seeing some unexpected faces was a really nice lift. Before getting to the checkpoint I had a badger charge at me, I managed to scare it off and thankfully Mike the runner just behind me saw it as well, I wasn’t seeing things! Lorna joined me for a few hours, which was really nice and helped to navigate back up to the hills. After crewing and driving all over, to come out at 2am until the sunrise was really amazing and fun to do together.

Below:
1: Smiles for Miles.
2: My nephews and niece
3: THE boulder field (Thanks Mike for the picture!)
4: The section Lorna paced me on just before sunrise

 I caught up with Lorna at Loughor foreshore car park. A switch had been flipped. I was in a completely different mental space than I had been the rest of the route.

I had roughly 40km to go and knew that finishing was inevitable. The distance was suddenly relatable. A distance I have done plenty of times. Just a weekend long run left. I changed my shoes, had another Tenzing and safe to say I was buzzing, regardless of the near 300km already on my body.

I shot into Penclawdd Checkpoint and was greeted by both Lorna and Matt. This was the first CP since 1 that I really wanted to keep moving. I still took my time though and sorted myself out before embarking and the last leg.

Below:
1: Matt and I leaving the last checkpoint
2: Leaving Llanddeusant
3: Everything is a struggle

I should have taken more note of the sign. No public toilets until the finish.

I nearly eventually found a bush, but upon entering it, I found was in fact, a thigh deep bog I nearly lost a shoe to. I managed to do 300km with dry, healthy feet and now this, you couldn’t make it up!

Having made my deposit, I crawled out the shitty situation and carried on.

Kasabian ‘Fire’ was playing on my phone and I was loving life. The highest runners high I have ever experienced was that last 30km. I hit the top end of Rhossili Beach; I could SEE the finish. Between Cp 9 and the finish I ran up all the hills and over the sand. Nothing was stopping me. Looking back at the splits this was my fastest average speed since the start to checkpoint 1.

I think I passed 8 other runners on that section. I knew if there was ever any moment to empty the tank, this was it. Leaving everything I could out there.

I finished in 80hr, 40 minutes. I noticed the other day just shy of two weeks of fulltime work!

The experience and feeling of finishing my first 200 mile ultra was incredible. It has shifted my perspective on what I find hard and where my limits are.
 I 100% would not have finished if it wasn’t from the help and support of my amazing crew, and the volunteers. Your persistence and determination to help all of the runners on this adventure was amazing.

You didn’t just get more out of the well, but you helped me dig it deeper.

I could continue to talk more about this adventure but think that fits well. If you are considering doing a 200-mile race, or Wild Horse 200, then feel free to message me and I can tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t… wait to sign up.

The Food

I had a plan going into the race and was able to stick to it fairly well. There were only a few occasions where I couldn’t eat what I thought I wanted. Otherwise it was a bit of stuff it in before thinking too much. For the most part out on the route I relied on sports nutrition products. On each of the items I had written the number of carbs in it. just as a subtile reminder, I wasn’t directly aiming for a certain number, it was more as a easy way to think about how much I had consumed. I think I stated at around 110g carbs an hour. In the heat I think I should have reduced that as I did feel more bloated than ideal.

-Mountain Fuel Gels
-Mauten Gels
-Strykr Bar+
-Strykr Mix 90
-Clif Shot Blocs
-Tailwind
-Mountain Fuel Endurance Fuel
-Snickers
-Bounty Wafer Bars
-Mars Bars
-Flaming Phoenix Flapjacks

Other food I ate along the way consisted of:
-Fruit: Melon, Grapes, Oranges, Pineapple
-Pizza
-Pasta Pots
-Tomato Soup
-Bacon Baps
-Crisps
-Jelly
-Ice Lollies
-Cheese Rolls
-Cheesey Garlic Bread
-Cheese Toast
-Peanuts and M&M’s
-Porridge
-Waffles
-Ginger Tea
-Coffee
-Tenzing Energy Drink

The Kit:
Here is a list of the kit I carried with me on the route. There are endless options out there now (too many really). The important thing is you have to find what works for you. It’s no good having the latest and greatest if you don’t know how it packs down, or just simply doesn’t fit you well.

-La Sportiva Prodigo Pro. I did 300km in these with no issues, I used The North Face Summit for the last leg
- Injinji toe socks, had some waterproof socks for one very wet section
-The North Face Summit Series Shorts
-CXP running underwear. Didn’t change at all and no chafing even after 200 miles
-The North Face Summit top, short and long sleeve
-Salomon Adv Skin 12 L pack
-Salomon pole quiver
-Inov-8 Waist pack. For some of the distance with longer legs
-Rab Phantom Waterproof Smock
-Rab Phantom Waterproof Trousers
-BearHug Knee Support
-Garmin Fenix 7
-Compressport Calf sleeves
-Patagonia 3in1 Gloves/mitts