#TrueChallengers – Running From London to Edinburgh in 10 Days
By Team EtchRock in Challenges,EtchRock,Running
In our latest True Challengers series we are talking with Chris Morley who in April, is running from London to Edinburgh in 10 days. He will cover on average around 40 miles a day and will run a total of 400 miles. Chris is running to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, a disease that a relative currently suffers from. You can find out the route of his challenge on his website HERE and even run with him as well. To help raise awareness for the challenge & the CF Trust, he has also created a virtual running challenge called ‘I Run For Cystic Fibrosis’ that anyone can part in. We got the chance to sit down with Chris and talk about his upcoming challenge, here’s what he had to say:
Where did you get the idea for the London to Edinburgh Challenge?
Well it’s always been on the bucket list to run the length of the country, I know crazy huh, some people want to swim with dolphins or see the northern lights but I’m a runner so for me this is on the list. I try and limit myself to just one challenge for charity a year to maximise its potential, so really, I just thought what a great way to help my charity and get a tick on my list!
Have you had much experience in ultra running? What has been your longest run to date?
I’ve been running all my life, but only got into the big stuff only in the last few years, It’s a whole new ball game that takes your body and more importantly your mind to a new level. I love testing myself to my absolute limits, and ultra running does that.
Recent ultras I’ve completed include Race to The Stones, Thames Path and London to Brighton, all different in terms of terrain but at the same time all the same – needing immense mental toughness ! The longest run I’ve done recently would be a 50 mile trail race, luckily it involved laps so was able to stop for a few mins to recover every so often.
You are running to raise funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis, can you tell us why you have chosen this charity?
Cystic Fibrosis and my family are so closely linked as my nephew who’s only 7 has CF. I do all my challenges for cystic fibrosis, as its not as well publicised as other charity’s and therefore can struggle for support. The charity theme this year is ” a life unlimited” and if you were to meet my nephew those few lines sum him up brilliantly, full of life, energy and love. CF suffers and also those who live and care for CF suffers have to deal with so much emotional and physical pain but yet are some of the bravest and loving you will meet.
You hope to complete your challenge in just 10 days, how far will you be running everyday?
So the route has been worked out, and it comes out at just over 400 miles, if people head to the website they will be able to see the the route, the daily mileage breakdown which is approx. 40 miles but more importantly all the points you can come and join me run, regardless of the distance come and support the challenge as it passes through your local area. That’s the point really, meeting people, getting the message out there about CF, so everyone is welcome to come run, and get involved.
How have you been training for this challenge?
Training not only the body to cope with the physical demands, but also the mind to switch off and relax into it. You can’t really run solidly for 8-10 hours every day without allowing yourself to day dream about big warm beds and second helpings of cake !
I’ve actually not started on the “hard miles” yet, I’m training up to 15 miles which sounds crazy, but doing this repeatedly, once or twice or even three times a day actually mirrors what will be happening in the challenge as I’ll break every day down into stages and semi-stages. I don’t think it would be sensible to look at it as 40 miles a day its more like 4×10 miles and deal with it that way. It’s going to be more about going, and then going again, than one long continuous slog.
Is this your first big challenge? Have you done anything similar in the past?
My fiancée would probably tell you that I’m always bouncing from one challenge to the next ! Yes I’ve done” my share” of races, challenges and epic adventures from running up mountains to zip wiring down them and crossing some pretty iconic finish lines. However I’ve never taken on such a massive challenge in terms of distance, time or organisation.
Where do you draw motivation from for your challenge & training?
It’s a cliché but it’s a true story in my case, running literally saved my life, and it’s always be there for me. I can pick it up when I need it, and it never stops giving me happiness and fulfilment. Running 400 miles is going to hurt, no doubts not even the pro’s can tell me otherwise however doing something you love kind of helps with the pain. When I finish on the 4th May in Edinburgh my challenge will be over and my blisters will heal and my legs will recover, CF suffers cant just ‘finished’ and say ‘thanks I’m glad that’s over’, and that’s the point, look at the bigger picture, when those 400 miles start taking there toil, have I “really” got it tough compared with my nephew and others.
Once you finish this challenge, have your eyes on another?
Who’s going to see this ? Ha ha….. I’ll probably be in trouble but I can’t help it, I honestly believe it is in your make up, if your the kind of person who takes pleasure from doing things that your everyday person wouldn’t / can’t then your always in for “the next” challenge.
‘I’m open to offers’ is a very powerful mind set, I never thought I would have done the things I’ve achieved but with the support of some great friends and family the challenge bucket list is closer than you think. I going to do South to North, so its only natural to do East to West right?
What advice would you give to someone who is about to undertake a big challenge themselves?
Well if you’ve already committed to a challenge, fair play, the hardest part is convincing yourself that this is going to be a good idea and not let others put you off. Challenges and experiences might only last a day, week etc. but if there personal and you’ve given everything to them, the feeling you get of immense pride and accomplishment will last a lifetime (especially if you keep the pics and the medal where you can see them every day!)
If you could do any challenge in the world, what would it be?
Good question – Well for me It has to be something that hardly anyone has managed so far, I love the statistic that less than 1% of the world has completed a marathon. It would have to be a running related challenge, the Marathon de Sables looks too hot for me, maybe the Arctic Ice Ultra race, now that would some achievement.
What is the ‘I Run For Cystic Fibrosis’ Virtual Challenge?
I set the up the ‘I Run For Cystic Fibrosis’ Virtual Challenge as a way of raising awareness for this debilitating disease and also my big challenge. The challenges that the sufferers of CF go through everyday go largely unnoticed by the general public. If we are well enough to log a couple miles on the track, then we can log those miles in the name of a good cause. Hopefully it will bring attention to the good work that the Cystic Fibrosis Trust do and will grow into a community of supportive runners that support the charity!
How can people get involved / keep up to date or donate to the challenge?
So we would love it if people from all levels of running would join me for a mile, few hundred yards or even a day !
Check out the website for all the dates and places to meet me on route, and of course get in touch with and donate to what is a great charity that needs all the help it can get at our Facebook page
Are you inspired by Chris’s story? Has it brought about a desire for a big challenge? Let us know what your next challenge will be on our Facebook or Twitter page!
Visit EtchRock.com to get started and find your next challenge!
Team Etchrock
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