Current Queen’s students Harry Kyd (Biochemistry, 2021) and Jack Harper-Hill (Materials Science, 2023), along with their friend Tom from St Hilda’s, are attempting to run four ultramarathons in three days on 5th-7th June. The route follows the Thames (mostly) between Oxford and London. The first day is 85km, the second day is 66km, and the third day is 50km, totalling around 200km, before finishing at Big Ben!
They are doing this in aid of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and you can read more about why on their JustGiving page.
We asked Harry to tell us more.
What inspired you to take on this incredible challenge?
I’ve been wanting to do a challenge for some time now but seeing Kevin Sinfield’s efforts over the past two years for MND charities has really given me the drive to push on. In the past week we’ve received a good luck message from Kevin Sinfield himself and it’s unbelievable for us to know we’ve got followers and recognition from people like that. MND is close to all our hearts and so that in combination with its relevance in rugby at the moment is the reason we’ve chosen to support it.
For those of us who aren’t ultra-runners, what exactly is an ultra-marathon, and what makes it so tough?
An ultra-marathon is actually just anything over a marathon distance (42.4km) but the agreed upon distance tends to be 50km. For some reason though we’ve decided to push it further and do 84km on day one, 66km on day two, and 42-50km on day three! From our training so far, it’s very much a mental game as much as a physical one with keeping the boredom at bay and somehow thinking of conversation with each other for 5+ hours straight! The main things behind it are just pacing and making sure we’re eating properly so that cramps and fatigue don’t come in to bite us.
Who are you running with?
It’s us three (Harry, Jack and Tom) but we’ve got a few ringers coming in for sections of the run; they’ll probably have to slow down to our limping pace nearer the end but it’ll be great to have support! So far we’ve got parents, friends, and mates from rugby team coming to run with us.
How do you train for something like this alongside your degree?
Fortunately, I’m in 4th year Biochemistry this year and so haven’t had finals to revise for (unlike Tom!), which has made it a lot easier. Having an incredibly patient supervisor in the lab this year has made a world of difference as he’s been incredibly supportive of it all and has managed to put up with my moaning and mistakes. At the beginning, it was much easier for us all as the runs were shorter and only taking 30-60 minutes. However, as the training has gone on, we’ve moved to 2-3 hour runs which has taken chunks out of our time. Our group chat is just full of us trying to find the time to run together, with Jack’s Summer Eights training and Tom’s finals making it pretty crammed.
What’s been the hardest part so far, physically or mentally?
I think for me personally the physical part has been tougher. Mentally it’s always felt quite far away and we’ve had a proper training program which has made the whole challenge seem far more manageable. We’re all very active people who have always played sport and enjoyed fitness. However, from a physical standpoint for me it’s been a bit trickier with a past meniscus/medial collateral ligament rugby injury very much hampering my knee. Tom and Jack have also had lots of rugby and rowing respectively to train for and so physically it’s all been about managing the stress on our bodies to avoid exacerbating injuries and preventing new ones.
How has the College community responded to your challenge?
The College community has been unbelievable in helping an supporting us. Archie in the JCR put forward a motion for a donation and also put out a message to everyone about the run which was amazing to see. All of our friends have been keeping up with our training progress which makes the whole thing more manageable and seem worthwhile.
What’s your favourite Oxford route when you need a quick run?
Well, that depends on which one of us you ask! For me, it’s definitely down the river towards Radley but I think Tom and Jack would go for a little Port Meadow plod if it were up to them.
You’ve raised a brilliant amount already. What would it mean to you to reach (or exceed!) your fundraising goal?
It would honestly mean everything to get to our goal of £5,000. At the time of writing, we’re on £4,500 which is already incredible but reaching the 5k mark would make everything come together and the training seem worth it. MNDA is the most amazing charity and there could not be a better cause for the money to go to. £5,000 is the goal but by no means the limit!
What do you hope people take away from your story?
Just that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. I can assure you when I raised the idea to Jack and Tom over a pint in Chequers the response was not that of overwhelming positivity. I think the exact response was “you’re crazy”. However, two more drinks in and they were on board and here we are!
What’s your favourite running snack and your go-to running song?
Snack has to be Pip and Nut peanut butter bars. As a group we tend to rawdog runs without music which may seem very strange to people (and admittedly definitely is) but it’s good practice for the long runs. If I had to listen to something it would be a podcast, either Jamie Laing’s or True Crime.
Can you recommend a book?
The SAS thriller Who Pays the Piper by Hugo Mackenzie-Smith.
