Day 10 – the one where the journey came to an end

I’ve left it a couple of days to write my final blog to try to let what happened on Sunday sink in, and get my thoughts together on what has been an amazing eleven months since I got the phone call from Aly telling me I was on the 2017 team.

Sunday was just amazing. Day 10 is the ‘lap of honour’, but it’s still a marathon and needs exactly the same preparation as the previous nine, if not more focus. I had a really tough time out on the course. I spent every step mentally fighting myself not to slow down, not to stop, not to ‘just walk this bit’.

Since the end of day 7, I’d known that if I didn’t have a disaster I was on target to run one of the fastest ever cumulative times for the 10in10. That resulted in me putting more pressure on myself over the last three days, not just to get around, but to get around in a similar time to the previous seven days with an increasingly fatigued body.

I was constantly worrying that something was going to go wrong, that I was going to hit the wall spectacularly, calculating how slowly I could afford to run the next few miles and still achieve the target. That took its toll, but to get through and complete the challenge was a feeling words can’t describe. And to get the second fastest ever time was the icing on the cake.

I had lots of wonderful support both on the course and at the finish, and it was wonderful to share that experience with all of you.

Without wanting this to turn into an Oscar awards speech, there are a few ‘thank yous’ I need to make:

• My amazing wife Emma. I did this for you, and couldn’t have done it without you. You are my rock. How you have coped with adversity over the last 18 months has been amazing, and yet still had the strength to support me in this crazy challenge. I promise to spend a lot more time with you now!
• My parents who have been cheering me on throughout, turned up unannounced on ‘apocalyptic Monday’ (Day 4), have helped hugely with fundraising and just been generally brilliant.
• Rich, who took a week’s holiday to be on the course every day supporting not just me, but some of the other runners as well. You running backwards in your cycling cleats to hand me my drinks bottle will be an image I never forget. Knowing you would be at the next box helped a lot.
• My physio Martyn. This guy is an absolute legend for putting me back together every day and getting me mentally and physically ready for another lap of the lake. There is no way I would have made it to the end without him.
• All the other members of the 2017 team. The runners, the support staff, the physios, the staff at Brathay Hall. It was an honour and a privilege to share this experience with you all.
• Everyone who has supported me through your donations, kind words, messages and cards. You cannot appreciate just how much those have meant to me. We have raised over £11,000 (yes really!) for two truly wonderful charities, which will allow them to continue their invaluable work. I know I keep saying it, but I am truly blown away by that number.

There is no doubting that is the hardest thing I’ve ever done both mentally and physically, but at the same time it has been immensely rewarding. You think you have a good idea of what your limits are, but then you do something like this and it completely changes your perceptions. As Aly says: ‘Ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things’.

I’ve shared this experience with some absolutely amazing people. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the laughter and tears.

10in10 team 2017 – you are all truly truly wonderful. Thank you so much for a life-changing experience.

I’ve been told that the Brathay 10in10 is a bit like Hotel California. You can check out, but you can never leave. It’s certainly feeling that way at the moment.

I’ll be back next May, but only for one marathon this time!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot