Ridgeway Challenge Report – Anna Finn – EIGHTY SIX (86) MILES

Report in from Anna – how she can be awake I do not know – I was tired enough yesterday and all I did was bimble around the checkpoint making tea (with soya milk for our vegan ultrarunner!).
This was also the UK Trail Running Championships and Anna was fifth lady (ETA: not fourth as I said earlier) – results take aaaages to come out officially but there’s an update thread on Fetch. She will I know be very pleased (though as you see too modest to mention it).

I enjoyed the first 65 miles or so a lot,[as I said, she looked – I kid you not – as though she’d just walked round the corner rather than come from Ivinghoe under her own steam!] but after that my feet hurt too much to really like it. My favourite bit was Grim’s Ditch (downhill and interesting-looking) – I got there in the light and managed not to trip over the roots. [Again, this shows what sort of stuff Anna’s made of – I did this bit for the Ridgeway Relay and it is not easy underfoot – Ed]
I think I wore the wrong shoes – my heels have blisters on the soles and the balls of my feet were prodded by many sharp stones. There are some really rutted tracks towards the end that my feet just didn’t get on with. So, I’ll have to go back and do it justice with some well-cushioned shoes and get a better time (it was 21:11). I’d really like to do it again and be able to enjoy the whole thing properly. 
Based on her other results, I think Anna could easily knock an hour or more off her time – so what can we say but “see you next year!” then!
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