Caldecott's Peter Conquers "The Wall"!

Caldecott Foundation teacher and long distance athlete Peter Lane has completed his greatest feat to date: running sixty nine miles in under twenty three hours and conquering “The Wall”.

The annual endurance event follows Hadrian’s Wall from Carlisle Castle to Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge.  Entrants are required to cover the route in twenty six hours or less – but while Peter successfully smashed the time limit, many other runners were forced to drop out along the way.

“It took about a week but I think I’m fully recovered now!” said Peter, who used his “Wall” challenge as an opportunity to raise money for the Caldecott Foundation through sponsorship.  “It was an amazing experience and definitely the toughest thing I’ve done, mentally and physically.”

As part of the process to help himself go the distance, Peter broke up the race into sections and focused on reaching each checkpoint.

© Photo by MyBibNumber Ltd

“The first leg was fifteen miles and relatively easy”, Peter continued.  “The next two sections were both nine milers and it was getting hilly.  After the pit stop at around thirty three miles it began to get tough as my calf was getting tighter and starting to cramp up, so I was now moving slowly; running when I could and walking all the hills.

 

“I limped into the pit stop at forty four miles ready for a complete change of kit and a warm meal.  I couldn’t run at all now but I managed to get a reasonable pace walking, determined to finish.  This was the toughest point – so many runners were dropping out and it was so tempting to pack in and get back to a nice hotel room.”

At the fifty five mile point, Peter was joined by two fellow runners who were also now walking.  By working together, the three of them pushed through to the next checkpoint.

“I now felt I could complete the challenge and began to relax”, Peter said.  “It’s amazing how a warm coffee and a piece of carrot cake can revive you at about 2am!  The marshals were great and really checking people over carefully.  Other than my calf I was fine so I pushed on through the final eight miles as the sun came up and I entered Newcastle.

“My Dad hadn’t slept, following my progress on the online tracker all night and it was a nice surprise to see he had got up at dawn to walk down and join me for the final mile.  I crossed the line twenty two and a half hours after leaving Carlisle.”

© Photo by MyBibNumber Ltd

Looking back on the experience, Peter said he learned a lot about himself, especially during the most challenging sections of the race: between the forty fourth and fifty fifth mile.

“I realised that I’m tougher than I thought and not wanting to let my own children down, as well as the young people I work with, was the best motivator to keep me going when everything hurt and it would’ve been easier to pack in.  I couldn’t walk for two days afterwards but a week later I can now run again and I’m already on the lookout for what’s next.

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated to my fundraising appeal.  We raised more than expected and the young people here are already excited about getting some new equipment to aid outdoor learning.  I’ll definitely look forward to securing sponsorship before my next challenge.”

Inspired by Peter’s story? Click here to find out how you can fundraise for the Caldecott Foundation.