With the Spartan Scotland Ultra complete and the first of his Endure4 Challenges ticked off, Thomas has taken the time to reflect on his race journey and update us on his epic ongoing endurance challenge. Give it a read and don’t forget to donate if you can!
ENDURE4 Challenge Update
So on Saturday (25th September 2021) I put some demons to rest. I completed the Spartan Ultra and kick-started my fundraiser!
This was my one and the only race where I have quit. In 2019 I took on the ultra and dropped out at the halfway point! This 52km/60+ obstacle race is no mean ft and this time I was going in a better mindset, I enlisted the help of Team Grit to get me race ready! I felt stronger, the distance was in my legs, albeit there were a fair chunk of walking, the carries felt easier (20-50kg buckets/sandbag carries) I trusted the training and work I had done with team grit and this time I completed it in 10:37 and genuinely had a good time and enjoyed the race and would even consider a second one!
I am very proud to have redemption on this, to put all the hours, all the intervals, the runs, the Tough Mudders, the spartan races and come out with a shiny medal and a big smile on my face!
I could not have done this without Team Grit, they got me running more than I would, they got me doing the heavy strength exercises which I would not than done, and gave me the confidence and encouragement to go into the race!
This one was for me, and grandad, the first of my Endure4 is done and dusted! Onto the next!
Ultra Race Recap
Setting off at 6:45 (ish) it was still a bit dark, lots of nervous energy, but I had a fellow team grit person with me as well as seeing familiar faces from tough mudder and Spartans. The first few obstacles came quite fast with walls, OUTs, a frame, and a balance beam. I enjoyed having 4 obstacles down to get rid of the nervous energy, the climbing obstacles like the walls are my strengths. We were going at a good pace and then came across the big obstacles I was nervous for, the monkey bars, bucket carry, rope climb, and sandbag carry! I have historically struggled on the carries but this time I passed the monkey bars with ease, and the carries felt good and easier than before! Next came the slip wall which people were a bit worried about but I knew I liked this sort of obstacle and breezed up!
There were then long periods of running mixed with the odd obstacle, the walls were getting taller which as I’ve said, absolutely loved and played to my strengths!
Pace was still strong, with the occasional walking, sipping on my tailwind with the occasional haribo tangfastic we were clocking up the KM, next Olympus came which was the first fail, this is a hard obstacle at the best of time, but they doubled the length for the ultra. Shaking off with burpees we pursued! Mixed lots of elevation the next part was a bit of a blur we hit transition before I knew it in under 5 hours (I was pleasantly surprised at this) we set off for lap two with restocked haribo and bilton with a smile on my face (the same can’t be said for some of the other racers we saw) lap two consisted of lots of walking which was expected but we had some good stints of running! Monkey bars came and failed, this point it was raining and the bars were wet, but the carries went just as well as the first lap as did the slip wall!
More walls, continued the strong form to the others amazement! Still smiling! Shoes were starting to rub but we had 20-15km left, I was feeling good! Catching up with others who were feeling the distance!
Fast forward to last two Km spirits were high, the last wall (8ft) smashed it, big confidence boost to finish strong! The z-wall, again ticked off! Next came the Hercules hoist, may be considered cheating but we were 10 hours in I paired up with a fellow straggler and did the bag together! Nailed the final spear throw and before I knew it we were jumping over the fire as a team! I may have started with just one other, but we finished a group of 5 and that is what I loved! Great race, went better than the plan! Sad it’s over!
CONNECT WITH TOM
Give Tom a follow on Instagram to watch his journey at @mrtomnicholas
You can also keep up to speed with Tom’s journey (and go make a donation) over on Tom’s Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thomas-nicholas3
Finally - go check out the article about Tom that the Wales Ambulance page wrote to read even more about this epic journey - https://www.walesairambulance.com/news/tom-will-tackle-four-huge-challenges-in-aid-of-the-wales-air-ambulance
