(L to R)
Sister Joan receives funds raised by the Hell Run from Francesca Warner, who
in turns receives a certificate of thanks from the Fountain of Life and
Jesters Care for Kids, presented by Lewis “Woody” Underwood.
Francesca Warner
It’s not every 17 year old that can proudly announce
they’ve been to Hell and made it back, just! But on Saturday 12th February,
my mother, younger sister and I, all travelled to Rugeley, a small town just
north of Birmingham, England, to take part in an increasingly popular (and
also more torturous) Hell Runner event.
If you can only imagine the sight of 7000 men and women
gathered behind a large, inflatable starting gate, already ankle-deep in
thick mud, peering out across the large expanse of hills, copses and pine
forests known to the locals as ‘Cannock Chase’, then you can gauge the
atmosphere amongst the competitors. For some, fear was creeping inside with
every thud of the pounding drums. For more experienced Hell Runners,
anticipation was visibly coursing through their veins. But for me and my
family, there was a mix of several emotions; quite honestly it was only
then, watching a large devil start the race, that we actually realised what
we’d signed up for.
Francesca splashes on.
In essence, a Hell runner race is a trail run -
cross-country but for those with a few loose screws. There are now three
courses in England; North, South and our course - Hell in the Middle. They
take place in naturally hilly, uneven terrain, and you will cover around
10-12 miles. Our course was just over 11 miles; however, this is the catch,
11 country miles, which do not account for hills and valleys. We thought we
had trained adequately, but nothing in Norfolk, our notoriously flat home
county, could have prepared us for Cannock Chase.
We got off to a good start, thankful for the sun as it
encouraged great morale amongst the participants, and the mud was so
ridiculously thick it became a game to wade through it. I must tell you that
during training my mother had damaged both knees, but was so determined to
finish what we had started that she ignored doctors’ advice and ran anyway.
I resolved to stay with her throughout the race, but we both encouraged my
younger sister, Jessica, aged 15, to run as fast as she wanted. She battled
the starting crush and joined my auntie, uncle, and their three friends,
also bravely fighting forward. Having run the London Marathon years
previously, my mother, Vicki, advised that we wait for the crowd to
disperse, as we were already struggling to find a constant pace; essential
for a long distance event, as any runner will tell you.
(L to R)
Vicki, Jessica & Francesca sporting their Jesters shirts.
Along the way we passed fleeting conversation with other
runners - many were doing it for personal achievement, but there were also
some in costume running for charities, just as we were. The Fountain of Life
in Pattaya is an enormous part of my family, and we had been raising money
for them about a month, at home, work, and school. But despite our pride at
running for such a fantastic organisation, it still embarrasses me to admit
we were overtaken by a mud-soaked man in a foam banana suit! There were also
runners from around the world, not just all over Britain, which really
impressed me since I had only heard of the Hell runner when my uncle
suggested we ran it.
So far it hasn’t sounded too bad, eh? For the first four
miles, aside from the ‘gentle’ hills, I actually enjoyed the run as the pine
needles from the sheltering trees provided a soft, spongy footing that made
running very fun indeed. The path was by no means smooth, but as it was
little more than we had expected the going was good. But then we hit our
first stretch of water. I will never forget how quickly things changed. The
organisers had kindly hidden logs and debris in the murky depths of the 12m
pond, so as you half-ran half-swam through, you couldn’t help but trip and
fall deeper. I ended up neck-deep.
Jessica
scrambles up the shingle bank.
Despite the brilliant sunshine, the water was ice-cold,
and I found myself gasping for air. I was so glad to be out of that. My
mother loved it - the water clung to her lycra running leggings creating a
perfect ice-pack for her knees! She found she could run almost painlessly,
which in turn was better for me as she could then help me when I hit the
wall later on.
After that puddle, things started to get a bit messy. We
faced three-tiered, steep hills and got so high we had to fight for oxygen -
I take my hat off to anyone who managed to run up those! My uncle’s nemesis
was the rolling ‘Hills of Hell’ - five consecutive hills which just as you
reached the peak of each one, you found yourself face to face with the next,
muddier, steeper slope. I’d love to meet an event planner - I’ve got a few
strong words regarding those hills myself.
The Hell runner toyed not only with your physical
strength, but most importantly your mental stamina. It takes a strong,
enduring mind to see an endless task and not give up hope. Often the most
beautiful scenery was also the cruellest - I normally would have happily
walked along the bank of a hillside brook, tumbling into the valley and
casting out sparkles of mist in the sun. But this little stream was
surrounded by mud the consistency of Christmas pudding - so you had a
choice; lose your trainers to the bank or freeze your feet in the brook.
Yuck. As if running uphill wasn’t bad enough!
Vicki
and Francesca finished at last.
My favourite section was the ‘Bog of Doom’ - all the
major components were named appropriately. The planners had carted in fresh
animal manure and dumped two truckloads in an already boggy area. You could
smell the pit miles before you could see it. It was impossible to run though
it; your feet were sucked deeper into the manure with every step, so as you
tried to escape you got pulled further into the grotesque water. They had a
DJ alongside the bog pumping out dance music to spur you on - but I didn’t
need the music to enjoy it - it was like pushing through a mud-pie I’d made
when I was little, and I giggled every time I nearly lost my shoe.
The final stretch was by far the hardest - I was out of
energy, freezing cold, and the amusement of being covered in dirt was now
lost on me. The trail was such that we had seen the finish many times, but
at each point been lead away, further into the forest. With tireless support
from my mother we ran through the final horror - a wide sandy crater with
yet more water in the centre, ran up both sides of it twice, and then on
towards the great red inflatable finish line, which we crossed together. It
was an amazing feeling to have made the entire course, in three hours and
twenty-seven minutes. My sister was there to meet us along with the rest of
my family, all covered in grime and filth, but now swaddled in blankets too!
We were quick to join them.
Retrospectively I had an amazing day, and it was a lot of
fun. I want to congratulate everyone who took part, and to those watching
and supporting. At the time however, I wanted to be away from the place as
soon as possible. Hell runner - they got that right!
The amount we raised for the Fountain of Life was an equally great
achievement - the current total is over 61,000 baht - and counting! I have
just finished a week volunteering at the centre. The children there are so
wonderfully polite, joyful and kind - I was thrilled to be able to run
through Hell and back to keep their hopes and happiness alive.
Reg Warner
My wife and I have fortunately been able to visit
Thailand for each of the last 21 years.
During our time in Thailand we have enjoyed all of the
many things it has to offer, in particular, the delightful Thai people.
Sadly we have seen many people, young and old, in very
difficult circumstances. Like many others, we wanted to help but found it
difficult to find an effective way of achieving this. That was until we
discovered the fantastic work being carried out by the Jesters. What a
fabulous job these people are doing. Not only do they raise a huge amount of
money each year, they ensure every baht is very carefully spent. Their
primary charity is the Fountain Of Life Centre in Pattaya, where
disadvantaged children can experience the joys of childhood in a safe,
caring and calm environment. This is the charity that we decided to support
in 2006. Each year since, we have been pleased to be Platinum Sponsors in
the Jesters Annual Charity Drive.
Last year we were in Thailand when we received a
surprised visit from our son, his wife and two daughters. Whilst here, they
visited the Fountain Of Life Centre and were much impressed by the fantastic
work being carried out by the Roman Catholic nuns and staff in supporting
unprivileged children in so many ways. Unbeknown to me, they quietly
resolved to help in some way. Subsequently they decided to enter the Hell
Runner in Cannock Chase, England, seeking as many sponsors as possible. This
involved months of training because to say the least it is an arduous event
to participate in. My wife and I are thrilled and somewhat proud of what
they have been able to achieve.
If any of your readers would like to help in any way,
information can be found at: www.care4kids.info
