Over 650 competitors pushed their limits whilst taking part in the 16th edition of the Endurancelife Classic Quarter last Saturday. The Classic Quarter is a relentless Ultra Marathon along the South Cornish coast in the UK from Lizard Point to Land’s End.
The task is brutally simple: to run non-stop from the southernmost point of England (Lizard Point) to the western most tip (Land’s End), along the legendary South West Coast Path. This translates to running 90 degrees of thecompass, hence the name, Classic Quarter.
This Cornish Ultra Marathon challenge can be undertaken as a solo, a relay team of two, or as a relay of four.The atmosphere is of keen and friendly rivalry and has become an annual favourite with Cornish runners.
£1000 in prize money, split between the winner and a charity of the winner’s choosing, was up for grabs this year if the existing male and female solo course records could be broken. Whilst Zelah Morrall finished 3rd overall and came tantalisingly close to breaking her own record in a time of 07:04:07 in the female competition, Jamie Stephenson produced a terrific run to set a new course record in the male competition. Over the 44 mile course, he managed to better the old record, held by Alex Van Tuyl, by a mere 3 seconds to finish in 06:26:57! Jamie’s chosen charity to donate 50% of the prize money is Papyrus, a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
On what it took to break the record, Jamie said:
“This course record had been several years in the making. I attempted to break it in 2020 but blew up with 20k to go. This year things felt different. I was more experienced at running this kind of distance, I had put in some great performances in races earlier in the year and, most importantly, I had been enjoying my running. Everything was clicking and I was understanding my body better than ever.
The day didn’t go entirely to plan – a stomach upset at 50k had me leaning into a hedge! The last quarter of therace was a real struggle because of this. However, mentally I was stronger and ready to grit it out to the finish. Over the crest of each hill I would urge myself to break into a run and open up on the descent.
It turned out, with just three seconds separating me from the previous record holder, I couldn’t have afforded to let my concentration to lapse once! Crossing that finish line brought feelings of pride, euphoria and relief. This one’s been lay to bed…or at least until someone betters my record”
Every year, participants raise significant sums of money for charity (In 2021 Classic Quarter participants raised over £21K for good causes) and this year is no exception with many runners fundraising for charities close to their hearts.
Endurancelife offer free event entries to anyone who raises at least £400 for a charity and encourage as many people as possible to take up this offer for the 2023 edition next May!
Find out more at www.endurancelife.com