Day Four from the battlefront that is the Brathay 10marathons in 10 days challenge

I believe in miracles
Where you from
You sexy thing
I believe in miracles
Since you came along
You sexy thing

IF anyone would have told me two years ago that I would be able to run four marathons in four days, I would have quietly pushed them in the direction of the nearest psychiatrist.
If anyone would have told me six months ago that I would be able to run four marathons in four days, and run the quickest on the fourth day, I would have taken the empty whisky bottle from their clutches and had a quiet word with the landlord.
Today, I ran the fourth marathon of the 10 marathons in 10 days challenge set by Brathay Trust in a time (4.37) three minutes faster than on the first day (4.40) and 14 minutes quicker than the day before.
OK, faster than a hedgehog, slower than an ant, but who cares. I have defied the restrictions of an ageing body and proved to myself that I have the resolve (mental as well as physical) to complete this ridiculous challenge – 262 miles in 10 days up and down some of the nastiest road undulations that you will ever care to encounter in your life.
So, I’m 104.8 miles into the Brathay 10in10 and in a perverse kind of way I am thoroughly enjoying it. Not because of the pain of pounding my feet on the highways and byways that encircle Lake Windermere.
But because of everything/everyone else:

1.     The wildlife along the route (the deer and squirrels), the livestock (sheep, sheep and more sheep) and the farmers (moody most of the time) and the pungent smell of the wild garlic.

2.     The camaraderie of the runners. I know my dear colleague Adrian Shandley has referred to us as the Foreign Legion in his latest awarding winning blog and he is spot on. We are a bunch of misfits and miscreants who are bonded by one magical thing: madness. We come from all walks of life, we come in all sizes but we fit together like a jigsaw because we are all determined to complete the Brathay10in10 challenge and raise much needed money for Brathay Trust - www.justgiving.com/jeff-prestridge

3.     The miracle camerawork of Martin Campbell who follows us around like a leech and takes video footage of us in our moments of despair. Check out his splendid video footage of the challenge on www.cumbrialive.tv/brathay10in10.

4.     The miraculous hands and elbows that make up Staveley based BodyRehab. I know for a fact that if they were not there day and night for us at least four of us would be in no state to carry on. The runners owe them a huge huge thank you.

5.     The dedicated support of everyone at Brathay Trust. I cannot think of a better loving pair of individuals (welsh firebrand Alyson Knowles and solid Mac) to support the runners as they progress around the course, dishing out coffee, jaffa cakes and jelly babies with gay abandon. Aly and Mac should be knighted for the work they do to help us raise money for Brathay.

Love you all, you sexy things.
And yes, I believe in miracles.
Make my day. Make Brathay’s day. Make a child’s day. www.justgiving.com/jeff-prestridge