Navesey's gruelling Lakeland 100 run

With Kat Barrett at the start of the race

Held every July, the race starts and ends in Coniston, Cumbria.

Beginning at 6pm on the Friday evening and running through until 10am the following Sunday, there is a 40 hour cut-off time to complete the 105 mile course, with additional cut off times at various points along the course.

These points are located at the 14 manned aid stations situated along the course at roughly seven mile intervals.

Haywards Heath Harrier Steve Navesey crosses the finishing line at the end of the Lakeland 100

Whilst completing such a feat can be exhausting, Navesey was keen to notice the beauty of the countryside: “Leaving aid station three at Wasdale and heading up the long steep climb to Blacksail Pass, I always take a moment to stop and look back from about two thirds of the way up. To see the snake of bright head torches winding its way up the pass was beautiful sight. Sadly it was not one I could enjoy for long.”

Reflecting on his food management, Steve felt there was room for improvement: “Going too quickly through the aid stations had meant I hadn’t eaten enough and now my energy levels were on the floor. Although, that was mitigated by taking in some additional food that I was carrying for such an event.”

Navesey suffered a minor injury and hailed the medical staff who were on hand to help: “Two tiny cuts on my toes were rubbing together and sending shooting pains through my foot with every pace. Some foot care assistance and patching from the aid station crew got me back in the race feeling (briefly) like I’d just started.”

Through heavy rain at Troutbeck, Steve described how he experienced a “wobble” and wasn’t sure if he had taken the correct path down Ambleside.

Nearing the end of the race at Elterwater, Steve said: “This was the point that I could have simply stopped and sat down in the middle of the trail.

“This is the point where one finds out if they actually want something.”

At the end of the race, Navesey stated: “Running that last couple of miles off the Fell and down into Coniston and back to the John Ruskin school to finish my final Lakeland 100 in 39 hours and 15 minutes.

“Because at two and two I’ve decided to take the draw and put this brutal, wonderful, supremely challenging race to bed. Of the 360 starters, 137 of them didn’t see the finish.

“Amongst them were previous winners of this and other leading ultramarathons. It doesn’t take any prisoners and it doesn’t care who you are.”