19/05/2026
UTS 100 Mile — A Hard Day, A Honest One
47 km.
9,500 m of elevation.
Sitting in 22nd place deep into one of the toughest mountain ultras in Europe.
And with 24 km to go, my race came to an end.
Not the outcome I wanted, but the one the day gave me
Looking back, I didn’t realise how much my body had been dealing with before I even reached the start line. A viral or bacterial chest infection had been quietly rumbling on in the background, not enough to stop me from starting, but enough to weaken me without noticing.
On top of that:
- A cold had been running through the whole family
- A 9‑hour drive left my hamstring tight and my legs flat
- My legs never really “switched on” from the first climb
- A GI issue caused discomfort and lower‑back tension
- Some early stress around my bib placement didn’t help either
None of this is an excuse, it’s just the reality of the day.
Sometimes you arrive at the start line with more in the tank, sometimes less.
Somewhere deep into the race, everything changed.
My lungs tightened.
Breathing became shallow.
I started coughing up phlegm and solid mucus.
And on a climb, I had a moment where I simply couldn’t get air in.
This wasn’t a rough patch or a mental wobble.
This was my body telling me it had reached its limit.
I tried to slow down, reset, breathe through it, 5 times! But it only got worse.
Continuing would have been unsafe, and that’s a line I won’t cross.
So I stopped.
Not out of weakness, but out of respect for my health and the sport.
One thing I need to say clearly:
I had the best support crew I could ever ask for.
They kept me fed, hydrated, organised, calm, and genuinely looked after from start to finish.
Every checkpoint felt like a safe place to reset.
They did everything right, and I’m incredibly grateful.
This outcome is on my body, not on them.
Their support was world‑class.
What I’m Taking Away?
Even with everything going on — the infection, the travel fatigue, the GI issue, the legs not firing — I still covered 147 km and 9,500 m of elevation.
I still fought my way into the 22nd place.
I still gave the best I had on the day.
It wasn’t the finish I hoped for, but it was honest.
And honesty is part of this sport.
Moving Forward
Now it’s time to recover, reset, and rebuild.
No drama, no excuses, just the quiet work that always comes next.
Thank you to everyone who followed, supported, and believed in me.
This one didn’t end with a medal, but it ended with perspective, gratitude, and plenty of unfinished business.
