 Victoria and I are so shattered we can hardly move but it is still tight to get Victoria in on her first 100 miler inside the cutoff. Not content with running three marathons in three weeks in three different countries last month. This month my wife Victoria decided that now would be a great time to run her first 100 mile race. So having volunteered at the event last year we rocked up at the start of the 2023 Centurion Thames Path 100. So it's a hyper activity in the town hall here at Richmond. It is drizzly but it's not absolutely pouring with rain. There's two bag drops and a bag at finish so they go in these trucks here. It's a beautiful location for the start. It's even nicer when it's sunny. Thank you. Cheers. Thank you. Right that's my finish line bag dropped off. Victoria's got two drop bags along the way as well so I've got a little bit of stuff in there. Some 340 runners towed the start line hoping to make it to Oxford within 28 hours. So we're at the start line of the Thames Path 100 for Victoria's very first 100 mile race. Let's see if we can get her through it. We're aiming for around about 24 hours but we'll just see what happens. We're not bothered as long as we're getting under the cutoff and we're here today with Oladance who provided us with two sets of their wireless over ear earphones which we're going to use to communicate with each other if we get separated and we're going to test out how long the battery lasts because these earphones apparently have a 16 hour battery life so a 100 mile race is going to really test their methyl. Huge thanks to Oladance for sponsoring today's video. Look who's back after about three billion years of injury but we won't be running with Richard. He's going a little bit ahead of us. It was great to have Richard back and to see so many usual suspects and new faces in the crowd. This is David's first 100 as well as Victorians. It is. There are loads of people here today with their first one. Anyone else with their first 100? Here we go. Thames Path 100 with Oladance and we are off on the Thames Path at Richmond in the rain. Let's see how long these headphones last then with their 16 hour battery life. Currently listening to the radio. I don't know. I should be listening to some inspirational dance music or something shouldn't I? The Thames Path 100 is notorious for people going off too fast in the opening miles and yet we were still surprised to find ourselves near the back of the field early on because our pace was also faster than it should have been. So this is Kingston in the rain and we are about 7k in which is four and a half miles or so just crossing over the bridge heading towards Hampton Court Palace. Just under 12 kilometres in and here is the Hampton Court Palace or the rear of it anyway in the gardens. One hour 32 minutes in to the Thames Path 100. Feeling nice and comfortable so we've just been to the first aid station. We were so concentrated on getting food that I didn't get the camera out. But we have marmite and cheese. We have marmite and cheese sandwiches. I've got some peanut butter sandwiches a packet of crisps as well so that'll do us until the next aid station which is about 11 miles from here and we are we are adopting a very very disciplined walk run strategy. One thing I keep worrying about is these Oladance headphones because they're so light. Like I keep thinking I'm not wearing them and then I go to touch them and they're there even though they're light and very comfortable. Well so comfortable you can't feel them. They're not budging and I can feel mine. Mine aren't really budging so it's good. The drizzle at the start had turned to full on rain by now. Thankfully the Oladance earphones are not only sweat-proof but waterproof to IPX4 standards. You're paying California. From California first time doing the Thames Path 100. Yeah. You enjoying it? Yep. Despite the rain, Victoria was comfortable and relaxed in the early miles. We are 30 kilometers into the Thames Path 100. That's taken us four hours and 12 minutes and we came across an ice cream van and we kind of couldn't resist. It's not really the weather for ice cream but hey. So there we are. We're having an ice cream. It's very easy to get carried away on a flat route when your legs feel fresh. We tried to remain disciplined sticking to our run walk strategy as we made our way through Walton on Thames, passed the Lock Gates at Sudbury and Bellweir and on towards Runnymede, site of the signing of the Magna Carta before arriving at the second aid station at Resbury. Right 36k, five hours and we're arriving at Resbury aid station which is aid station number two. So let's have some sandwiches. Right because we've arrived quite late in the day all the Gannets of course have been here already so there's not an awful lot remaining but we've had our fill and we're on our way. That's Kerry. What's your name? Kerry and Helen. Thank you very much guys. See you. So let's go, let's carry on. Whilst the boats and the river water itself journeyed past iconic landmarks in our country's history our proximity to Heathrow airport reminded me that we're all heading somewhere but it's how and why we choose to travel that makes life different and interesting. It's raining. Six and a half hours into the Thames Path 100 we're arriving now in a very important town today because this is Windsor and it's the coronation of the king. There's look there's there's Windsor Castle right there. So it's unfortunate that it's pouring with the rain but I've been listening on my Ola Dan's earphones to the coronation on the radio and yeah so it feels kind of like we're a little bit in in a bit of royal territory now that we're in Windsor. So the bells are ringing out for the coronation of the king. Windsor Castle behind me here. We're heading towards Eton as well. Eaton College, very famous private school. Whatever your feelings about the monarchy there's no denying the palpable sense of history chaptered by the reigns of our various kings and queens that running along the Thames Path can elicit. What's really good about the Ola Dan's sometimes is invariably Victoria wants to talk to me and if I've got the radio on or the music on I can't hear her. So what you do to change the volume is dead easy. You just swipe down like that to turn the volume down and then swipe your finger up like that to turn the volume back up. So we're 47 kilometers into the Thames Path 100 we've been running for six hours and 40 minutes. We are I mean we are pretty much at the back of the pack but we're slowly over the next 60 miles going to pick our way through and hopefully we won't be at the back by the time we've finished. Isn't that right Victoria? Hopefully. We arrived at Dornierd station where we volunteered last year feeling pretty good after 30 miles. We were both eating well and we were pleased to learn that we weren't right at the back. It's very pleasant isn't it? There were about five runners behind us on the course and we noted one or two who had been ahead of us had dropped from the race at Dornierd. The rain was still falling but the ground underfoot was holding up with only a few muddy puddles to avoid. We made our way past the decadent properties on the other side of the river and on towards Maidenhead and a reunion with what has become arguably my favourite road name. Nearly 58 kilometres into the Thames Path 100 and for the purists among you is Derrick Road. We love Derrick Road. Anyway we're eight hours and 19 minutes in and we've covered nearly 58 kilometres waiting for the next aid station. This is Maidenhead we're in now. Victoria is a little bit further up ahead actually so actually while she is because I can't see her let's see if we can give her a ring with with the Eau La Danse headphones. Hey Siri, call Victoria. See if this works. It is ringing. It's ringing. It's actually ringing. I don't know if you I can't make you hear it but she's not answering. Oh she hello. I'm calling you I'm calling you on the headphones. I can actually see you you're about actually about 200 metres ahead of me. I just thought I'd call to see if it works. Yeah no it works fine. All right I'll catch you up in a second. By 6 p.m the king had been crowned and the rain had finally abated. So just arriving at Cookham aid station I think it's Cookham 40 miles. I was still managing to stuff my face with sandwiches, peanuts and crisps. However Victoria was starting to go off her food and was beginning to feel nauseous and more fatigued than she felt she should be at under halfway. Nearly 68 kilometres into the Thames Path 100. Darkness is not far away have you seen some of the houses on the other side of the river? Psychologically this is a tough stage for many people in a 100 miler. You've run quite a long way already but you're not even halfway there. That can play on your mind and when it's your first 100 you simply have no reference for how you're feeling. You've no experience of fighting through that negativity and coming out of the other side but what we have learned over the ultra runs that Victoria has done is that she does have a head for these things and I was confident that she could pull through. Right we're 11 hours and 13 minutes into the Thames Path 100 and the Oladans headphones are still going strong. We are both in the pain cave a little bit now we're 76 kilometres in we're starting to feel it quite a bit the light is going we're going to head into the dark and this is where it gets a bit tough so both Victoria and I have put the music on to just kind of drown out any other thoughts and just focus on the music and focus on keeping moving forward. What are you listening to Victoria? What are you listening to? Oh um ACDC. Okay it's safe to say that Victoria and me have completely different music tastes. I am not listening to ACDC so yeah a long way to go still and we are hurting now so we just need to plod on. Darkness fell just before we reached halfway and we had our head torches on by the time we arrived at Henley where we could pick up our first drop bag at around 51 miles into the race. Victoria had packed some dry clothes and we both had some extra drinks. Yeah we need the battery charger and cable for the for your phone and for the camera. Victoria said she felt terrible. Fair enough. Still smiling. Still smiling though. Yeah still making jokes. That jovial spirit. Make it down the road. Okay this is Henley aid station so this is over halfway now we have 79 kilometres left we've done 82 in a bit 83. The older dance headphones are still working they're still working after 12 hours and 35 minutes. They're still going. I've got coffee and pasta and Victoria is just checking her feet she's over there she's just checking her feet because she's got a blister. She's also feeling a bit sick so we're wondering if she might throw up at some point and we've both got something to eat something to drink just rest here for five or ten minutes and then we'll get on our way again. It's important to try and stick to a time limit at these stops or once you sit down you could be there forever. Right that is Henley done thank you very much guys thank you everyone. All right thank you. Thank you. Yeah we'll be there. We made our way through the darkness to the next aid station. All right we are good. How are we doing that's the question. She's okay she's okay. This is Reading Aid Station we're well ahead of cut off here an hour and a half ahead of cut off at Reading it is midnight just about midnight and we're just going to get a quick drink here we're not going to spend a lot of time here. Now the thing about the headphones is I am going to put them on charge they haven't died but I think a good place a good time now is to charge them. I packed the Ole Danse earphones in the charging case and put them away for the next couple of hours. It was another 10 miles from Reading to the next stop and once passed the tarmac of the town the path heads into the woods. There's a lot more single track and as a result of the rain much of it had become particularly muddy. You tend to slow down in the dark anyway but the mud was making forward progress even more arduous. Right we're at Pangbourne Aid Station at uh some miles into the Thames path one oh yeah 66.6 isn't it the number of the beast and it is a bit of a beast we are oh yeah so now officially Victoria's longest run how are you everything hurt thank you absolutely hideous why did I think this was a good idea there was no let up in the mud throughout the night and into the next morning even in good conditions we'd be tired and slowing by now we'd kiss goodbye to the 24 hour goal sometime before and we were now beginning to worry about the cut off at the finish line good morning it is quarter to six a.m on sunday morning and we have had one heck of a night with the mud. Victoria has fallen over I fell over earlier on I've charged my Ole Dan's headphones so Victoria's headphones are not working anymore but that was way past it's way past 16 hours and I think she's just too tired to put them in the charger the state of play is this we have 36 kilometers to go we have just over seven hours to do that in now that might seem like a lot but the way we are feeling right now trashed legs horrendous in the mud you may have seen a bit of video of the mud that we've been running through it is going to be very tight the cutoff for this race is 28 hours so we've got a job on now to get Victoria to the finish line within the cutoff it was now a race against time the funny thing was that it was supposed to be me pacing Victoria but more often than not during a walking break it would be Victoria who would start running first and be ahead of me she would leave the aid stations before me and I could see a steely determination in her face to get the job done no matter what there was no time now to enjoy the scenery no time to sit down although we were passing quite a few other runners we were still effectively at the back because many of those other runners were moving too slowly and weren't going to make it we are about 14 miles from home we are still pushing to get Victoria to the finish line in under 28 hours under the cutoff it's still going to be tight if you've enjoyed watching this video and you're ready for the big climax then please subscribe for the film I run channel click that notifications bell I am really tired but I'm so determined to get to the end we knew we had to run but we were exhausted field after field eventually brought us to the penultimate aid station so this is Clifton Handen aid station where I DNF'd on my first attempt at the Thames Path 100 we stayed only briefly at Clifton Handen we had to keep moving or my attempt at the Centurion Grand Slam would be over before it began and Victoria's first 100 mile race would end in disappointment everything hurts I'm really not enjoying this it's the most horrendous thing I've ever done and there's about 50 million times more mud on this route than there was at UTS 50k last year so a ringing endorsement for the Thames Path 100 with just 13k to go and this is Abingdon behind us even in those final few miles the mud simply would not give us a break it was relentless and frustrating but Victoria would not give up final aid station on the way home um I would love to eat food but I just I think we better get on and just go haven't we you'll notice there's no sign of Victoria here she's already on her way she was running stronger than me now approaching the last four kilometres of the Thames Path 100 Victoria and I are so shattered we can hardly move but it is still tight to get Victoria in on her first 100 mile inside the cutoff so we are moving as fast as we can how are you feeling Victoria absolutely wrecked everything hurts I want to get to that finish line I want that buckle with three kilometres to go the path finally became a little easier and we gave it one last push we passed a couple more runners as we crawled ever closer to Oxford and eventually after nearly 28 hours on the Thames Path we turned the final corner so here we are coming up to the finish of the Thames Path 100 Victoria's first 100 mile race thank you to all the dance for sponsoring this review if you've enjoyed it give it a like and subscribe to the channel and here we go back to the finish line the finish line of a 100 mile race is a unique experience and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in Victoria's achievement she is blessed with an unshakable drive and determination which has seen her complete the Paris Boston and London marathons and now her first 100 mile race all in less than six weeks and she is my absolute hero huge thanks once again to Ola dance for sponsoring this video please click the affiliate link in the description to buy their very impressive wireless earphones that's how to finish a 100 miler just inside the cutoff we made it so proud of Victoria she did incredibly well we started at a slow pace and we gradually just kept moving through the field because the weather conditions just put paid to a lot of people's races 40% DNF rate for the Thames Path and that is unheard of for this race but Victoria and I made it to the end so I'm very very proud of that and that's it that's it we'll see you for the next one the next adventure the next marathon the next ultra we'll see you on the start line bye bye