Training this year has been a bit hit and miss. I’ve been injured on and off since May and I’ve had to cross train a lot. I only really got ultra fit again at the beginning of September when I took myself for a 40k run on my birthday at the peak of my training.
So I had no idea how Equinox 24 last weekend was going to go (particularly as I was ill in the days leading up to it). Would my knee play up within 12 miles like usual? Did I have enough miles in my legs? Had my strength training actually been working?
It was time to find out.
Equinox 24 is a 24-hour race held at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. The format is simple: a 10k loop made up of both trail and road, repeated as many times as you want in 24 hours.
I went into it with a range of goals, from “just keep moving” to a stretch target I wasn’t sure I could reach. My preparation hadn’t been ideal and realistically, I didn’t know how things would go.
I was running with Emma Wilkinson, and we’d decided to make this challenge a way of celebrating the publication of our book Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport, which came out in May (and was Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year this week!!!). The women we wrote about had tackled extraordinary feats. Doing our biggest challenge yet felt like the right way to honour their stories.
The opening laps were steady, maybe even a little quicker than planned. We soon worked out our rhythm: sections we’d run and others we’d hike. Our favourite stretch was an early three-kilometre run around a sheep field, along a road and down a hill. Many people took that section slowly, but we loved running it in one go. A long climb followed, with a toilet at the 5k mark which was oddly reassuring, as it broke up the 10k loop.
The whole set-up felt really female-friendly and inclusive, from period products in the toilets to the absence of time pressure. You could run or walk as much as you liked, and the community atmosphere made it all feel accessible.
The course gave everything in small doses: fields, woodland, road, ups and downs, a sweeping view of Belvoir Castle, then a steep climb before the descent back to the campsite, where supporters cheered every finisher around the final claggy curve. It was varied enough to keep the loops interesting without ever feeling intimidating.
But then came the storm. By late evening the rain was heavy, winds were hitting 50mph, and Emma started struggling with a knee issue she’d never had before. We made the difficult decision to split up — I get cold easily, so I needed to keep running. With my headphones in and head down, I kept moving, focusing only on staying warm. Surprisingly, my own knee felt fine. The strapping and support bandage I was using seemed to solve my ongoing problem completely.
Running through the storm was surreal. At one point, in the dead of night, I caught flashes of what I thought were head torches beside me, or the shadow of another runner, only to turn and find no one there. Hallucinations, perhaps, brought on by exhaustion, the rain, and the glare of my own torch.
By 3 a.m. the weather eased and I finally allowed myself a break, climbing into the van to eat hot noodles before heading back out. It seemed to take forever for the sun to rise, but when it did, the world felt different. Emma messaged to say she was hobbling but still going, so I pushed on to find her. We finished the last loop together.
By the end, I had run 13 laps - 80 miles - the furthest I’ve ever gone. Emma finished with 11 laps her furthest distance too. I knew I could have fitted in a 14th lap, but I didn’t want to push my luck. Eighty felt right: a milestone achieved, everything gone to plan. More importantly, it gave me confidence that 100 miles is now within reach and I’ll be signing up for one next year.
Throughout the entire 24 hours, I only felt bad once - weirdly on the second loop around 12km in, when the humidity before the storm made me nauseous. Taking off my cap helped immediately and I started to cool down. Otherwise, my fuelling, pacing and mindset held together. I ate on every lap and never pushed the pace. The familiarity of the course felt comforting and I never got bored. The runnable route played to my strengths and my legs weren’t trashed by technical terrain or steep mountainous climbs. It was my kind of ultra running.
The only problem was the soreness in my feet on the final lap, which made walking harder than running, and was something I’d never experienced before. I suspect the grit in my shoes from the rain and mud was irritating my feet even though I had cleaned them and changed my socks.
Despite the final lap of pain I finished in 9th position out of a field of 276 female runners and was delighted to have hit one of my targets.
Remarkably my recovery has been really quick. My legs hardly ached the next day and my knee was absolutely fine. It was the best I’d felt physically after an ultra marathon. I think the steady flow of food during the race plus my gentle pace, together with the strength training I’d done throughout the year, all paid off.
My longest run in training had been 25 miles. I didn’t need to go overboard with the running instead I focused on time on feet with plenty of dog walking, treadmill hiking and one long run a week.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t do things differently next time. Looking back, there were key things I learnt:
Shoes matter: I should have changed my shoes for the final lap. Switching to softer road shoes might have saved my feet.
Food preferences change: I had packed loads of Veloforte bars but when it came to it I just couldn’t eat them, finding them too sweet. Instead I relied more on gels towards the end and Precision Hydration Chews which I normally can’t stomach were a real lifesaver. I actually wished I’d packed more of them. The lesson? Having a mixture of fuel is so important.
Transitions are costly: I used up time in the transition area stopping for food and drinks. Next time I’ll have bags labelled for each lap so I can grab and go.
Toilet breaks add up: By lap seven I was stopping four times per lap for a wee, which probably cost me nearly two hours overall. I need to work out why and whether I can reduce it.
Always carry essentials: I should have kept my first aid kit with me. Rennies for my stomach, paracetamol for foot pain, Imodium just in case — all would have been useful mid-lap.
Get the drop bag right: Organisation is key. Food, clothes and layers should all be quick to grab without rummaging.
Strength pays off: My quads were fine thanks to the strength work I’d done. No soreness at all, which made a huge difference.
Format is everything: The loop system suited me perfectly — runnable, varied, and mentally manageable in bite-sized chunks.
Overall, Equinox 24 showed me my body is more resilient than I thought. Eighty miles is a huge personal milestone, but it feels like just the beginning. For the first time, I believe 100 miles is within my grasp.
Here is some of the kit and nutrition which helped me through the race:
Montane Minimus Nano Waterproof Trousers
Montane Minimus Lite Waterproof Jacket
Compressport Hurricane Waterproof Jacket
Montane Respond Insulated Gloves
HOKA Mafate X carbon trail shoes
Hilly Marathon Fresh Socks
Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Cap
T K Maxx cycling shorts
Harrier Curbar 5L race vest
Truefuels 40g Gel
Precision Hydration 30g Chew
Peanut butter sandwiches on white bread (with no crusts)
Boiled salted potatoes
Jam donuts, salted peanuts, satsumas
Plain noodles x2
Portion of salty chips x2
Pick of the Week
This week it has to be my Montane Nano Waterproof Trousers. They got me through the storm on Saturday night during Equinox 24 and made everything so much easier. Although they eventually got wet, they dried super quickly in the wind and most importantly I never felt cold. I wore a pair of shorts underneath and the thin layer of the trousers was enough to keep me toasty. They were also super lightweight so I never felt like I was being dragged down with the weight.
Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. If you have any running news for me, let me know! Feel free to send feedback to lilycanter@yahoo.co.uk or suggest topics you’d like me to cover.
Given the risk of wet feet I would have thought it would be common for people to change shoes and socks many times especially with the race being loops.