The Path Less Travelled.....

WHELK - Mark Barnes

At about 1930 last night, Mark called time on his attempt to break the record for completing the 630 mile South West Coast Path. Extremes of weather and fatigue stopped him. Lots of lessons learnt, and the flame of the quest for adventure candle burns no less brightly this morning. There may be some well worn pairs of Skins pants on Ebay soon, no need to pay postage - they will walk to you on their own. Well done Mark. Next stop the UTMB. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

WHELK - the album ....

My present this morning was 97Mb of photos and videos to download from Elizabeth Barnes from her RV with Mark yesterday. I will post a few below, send a few to the really helpful team at The Climbers Shop for their blog (share the love !!).
I will also spin the whole 97Mb in to another Vimeo treat once i get the time. Please send me any suggestions for tune of the day.

The detail of Mark's progress is best left to Elizabeth:

Monday evening late. Met up with Mark today Watergate Bay(almost Newquay) so he did aprox 64 miles Epic day to say the least.
I walked with him for a few miles, gave him a change of kit, and he sat on the beach with fish and chips, while our youngest daughter
buried herself in the sand. We found him a campsite a small walk from the path and are hoping that he gets his head down and has
more than the 3-4 hours sleep, that he has been averaging of late. But we will see. He is looking very tired, but still going strong
(I think would he tell me otherwise.....)
 
We are hoping to meet up with him tomorrow somewhere around Porthtowan. The weather is not looking too good for the
next few days, but hes allready run through 4 seasons in 1 day (well almost).
 
I am sending you some more pictures but the damn computer is only allowing me to send 3 pics per email, so I am slowly
loosing the plot. My IT specialist is unavailable. So bear with me there should be a few emails coming your way.
 
Im off to send a few more pics.
 
Cheers Mate 
 
Elizabeth

 

 

 

 

Brilliant effort yesterday fella - amazing the lure of clean undies !!!

Christian Stangl - Skyrunner

The marvellous media pick n mix that is TheFirstPost have an article on an Austrian chap called Christian Stangl, who, as the title, suggests, more or less legs it up mountains. No, not like Scafell or The Ben, like the 7 continental summits (highest mountain on each continent) in a total running time of 58hrs and 45 mins.
(4hrs 25mins to leg it up Aconcagua !!!!)
Bajeezus.

"the Austrian takes on a training regime which requires he maintain a pulse rate of 164 beats per minute for 20 hours straight".

His website is here.

 

WHELK - a long way for fresh pants

Well it seems the night owl bug has bitten.
As i relayed yesterday, Mark had a 0230 start on Sunday, and therefore was in his "tent" by early o' clock in the evening. The net result of this was that he was in bed early and up and about early. He is on a promise today (no, not like that), there is a pair of fresh pants waiting for him in Mawgan Porth.
So, today is the inaugural "Race to the Pants" ultramarathon - 54 miles along the SWCP.
When i say "today", i mean he started at 0030hrs this morning, such is the attraction of not having to wear the current grundies for another day !!

At the moment there is the odd cloud in the sky, the sun is beating down, and Mark is on a mission. Doing well. Elizabeth (aka Mrs Barnes), family, Sealskinz and fresh pants at the finish line for day 4. 185 miles done.

Now then, what shall we have for song for the Whelk day ...... err ....

WHELK - Rain starts play

(A bit of a tumultuos day in the UK ultra running community, forgive me if i omit some detail of the adventures of Mark Barnes).

I had a conversation with Mark yesterday about the weather, and, with a window of opportunity in the very early hours of today, we discussed then disregarded the idea of a 0230hrs start. Sod that far too early.

At about 0230 this morning most of Mark's worldly goods were soaking wet and he was hanging on to his tarp in horrendous weather. The 0230hrs start, so readily disregarded the previous evening, became a reality. Get up, get going, get warm.

When i spoke to him around about 1800hrs today he was camped in the corner of another farmers field, sunburnt, dried out, digesting two bags of cous cous.

I believe he has done about another 43 miles and is in the proximity of Dizzard Point.

Thanks for all your effort re: the Sealskinz socks, Mark's family will hopefully purchase some for him in Newquay tomorrow, and hand them to him the same day.

Long distance anything in the UK in summer is challenging in that you need to pack and prepare for flooding and sunburn on the same day. Carting all that for 630 miles is not easy.

Song for Mark (ignore the video).

"that was just shite ..."

Mark Barnes is under one of these

which in turn is pitched under a hawthorn tree in the corner of a farmers field 20 mins South of Westward Ho. He has trench foot. He has been happier.
He "didn't enjoy today, that was just shite". The SWCP involved a 20 min detour round the back of B&Q.
He has had fish and chips for his tea (boil in the bag ???), and has spent most of the day only seeing the inside of the hood on his Go-lite waterproof.
He packed sunglasses and suncream and today, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will encounter heavy rain most of the day. Tomorrow, Sunday, it will lighten up slightly.

On a serious note if anybody can get to an outdoor equipment shop in the SW, buy a pair of Sealskinz socks and then intercept Mark tomorrow (somewhere on the 50 mile stretch South of Westward Ho), it will stop his feet disintegrating, and i will stump up a gallon of ale.
Contact me via this site or on Twitter if this is feasible.

On a lighter note. Altogether now .......

Whelk - mark barnes

Just spoke. He's at Chivenor. Wet day. Hoping to make Westward Ho today = 85ish miles end day 2. In fine fettle Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

WHELK

As at approx 0930 Saturday Mark was at Santon Sands about 60 miles in on a sunny day. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

WHELK - Modern Technology

He has started. It was witnessed.

I tried to ring him several times, but his phone doesn't work.
Modern-bloody-iPhone-e-mail-Blackberry-mobile-GSM-isms-technology.
Mrs Barnes has saved the day and sent me a pile of photos.
I've spun them in to a short film about the start of his SWCP run.

SWCP Record Attempt - Day 1 from tomo thompson on Vimeo.

Fresh Underwear Needed - NOW

When you go in to hospital your Mum or your Missus (or Dad or Fella... or whatever), bring your clean undies, your favourite book, your iPod and your phone charger.

If your Snatch vehicle in Afghanistan get blown up, your Mum can't really jump on the Number 47 down to Camp Bastion to deliver the goods. Often on operations your personal equipment is damaged too, or the speed of evacuation makes it unlikely that your last remaining pair of clean kecks are going to catch up with you before you arrive at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Troop Aid was set up in 2006 to provide a small bag of the essentials that service men and women will require when they are admitted to hospital. The ability to put on a clean t-shirt, wash your teeth, stick on some clean shreddies. The basics that make the difference. Troop Aid bags are now available to every service man or woman hospitalised as a result of operations, be they in Iraq, Afghanistan or back in Birmingham.

Every Troop Aid Pack contains a letter from a British school child and a note from the sponsor of the pack (folded neatly next to the clean Grundy's)

£25 pays for a pack
The £5 down the back of the sofa will help towards paying for one  

There have been more than 400 service personnel hospitalised in Afghanistan in 2009.

 

£25 pays for all this (including fresh Calvin's)

Yes, there are lots of words in the dpm thesaurus for "underpants"