Jonathan Millar placed 21st equal in the Ultra Great Britain race along the Southern Upland Way from Portpatrick in the West to Cockburnspath in the East, a mere 212 miles, earning him a “Gold Buckle” for his efforts. Jonathan completed the challenging course in 83 hours 31 minutes, no mean feat (no pun intended) in an event in which over 50% of the field failed to finish.
The race started at 6.00 am on Saturday 18th August and runners had 100 hours to finish it. The rain in the days leading up to the race and on the Saturday night turned much of the early part of the course into a marsh resulting in many of the runners suffering from bad blisters and trench foot and pulling out.
Jonathan’s support team did a great job of taping up his feet and making sure he kept on route when navigation was particularly tricky in places. A few club members appeared on route to give words of encouragement. Throughout the race Jonathan frequently had company in the form of first lady Lesley Lynn with whom he crossed the finish line.
After such an epic adventure, we wonder what will be Jonathan’s next challenge?