Matt Richardson | 7 marathons in 7 days | Race diaries
A friend of OnVenture, Matt Richardson, will be taking on a massive endurance challenge starting on Saturday, 22nd July.
Matt will attempt to complete 7 marathons in 7 days at The Great Barrow Challenge. He is taking on the incredible feat to raise money and awareness for a fantastic charity called WAY Widowed and Young.
Matt will be sharing a daily blog with OnVenture following each of his marathons, giving great insight into endurance events, race preparation and recovery.
Day 5: Wednesday 26th July 2023
Start time: 9.00am
Route: Route change to clover – 13.1 loop x2
Matt’s Diary Entry:
After a really good and pretty quick run yesterday, I am feeling really confident about being able to finish the 7 marathons in 7 days, however I have learned the hard way over the years never to take a marathon lightly.
The preparations went well again yesterday afternoon, and got plenty of food, rest and a good night’s sleep.
The drive to Barrow was not looking good as the sun was already shining, and the weather forecast was looking hot with no cloud cover.
The initial route was going to be Dalham Kiln today, but due to last-minute issues, it was changed to Clover, which we did a couple of days ago, which is a very up-and-down course.
My legs felt good, but the sun was shining, although there was a nice breeze and some shade. I got to halfway, had some water, a salt tablet and a shot block, I chucked a Peperami and more shot blocks in my pocket, dipped my cap in a bucket of ice water and went for lap 2.
This was definitely the hardest run so far, and the sun continued to beat down; the breeze and shade had got less. I was getting through water very quickly and filled up at the aid station, as well as another dip of my cap in an ice bucket. I had to dig deep to get around and ate my Peperami and another shot block to see me to the finish in just over 4 hours.
That was a tough day, and I was wiped out at the end. I made sure I got some water, squash, a fizzy drink and some caffeine to rehydrate, and spent ages stretching out.
I was expecting to struggle a few times during this challenge, and today was one of them. But it also makes it more satisfying.
I am now going to spend ages in the river, get some more stretching in and rest loads tonight, ready to go again tomorrow.
See you then
Forever Blue
Matt
Matt is completing his 7-in-7 in aid of Widowed And Young (WAY) a fantastic charity and one that is extremely close to his and his family’s heart, so if you can spare a few pounds, please donate to Matt’s Justgiving page. We know that Matt is extremely grateful of all of your kind donations, and it will drive him forward on each of his 295,000 odd strides he takes during his 7 marathons.