1 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:32,280 Today I'm joined by a fellow Bridge contestant, veteran of 2 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:39,080 the Mark Cobain events, Carl Baxter, and we're sitting in the 3 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,800 back of the van hiding from the rain. 4 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:51,280 This in about 3 hours time we both start the bridge and so 5 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,080 Carol, before we got onto the bridge, tell me, how did you get 6 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,720 into running? Well, a long time ago when I was 7 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,120 13, I used to. I was quite a naughty kid at 8 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,880 school and at school I used to get chased by the police and 9 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,480 they couldn't catch me. And I I got expelled and I went 10 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,720 to an approved school in the Lake District and that was a lot 11 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,320 of outdoor pursuits. And they knew, they saw I was 12 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:19,200 good at running. So they put me in orienteering 13 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,320 team and I fell in love with running then up in the lakes and 14 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:29,720 that's how I got into running. How did how did that lead on to 15 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,200 what you do now? Well, Oh yeah. 16 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,960 Well, then I joined the Army and I was out in Germany. 17 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,240 I wasn't really that fit in Germany because a lot of 18 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:43,920 drinking and other side of that, that lifestyle, women, etcetera. 19 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,960 And then when I came back to London and I saw an 20 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,680 advertisement for the London Marathon in 96 and I thought to 21 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,960 myself, I'm going to do that. And that's where it started. 22 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:01,000 I did my first London Marathon in 96, second one in 97, but I 23 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,920 collapsed at a 21 mile point because I'd been out drinking 24 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,039 the night before and I was hungover. 25 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,920 So I did that and I've been doing it ever since. 26 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,720 Not falling over getting drunk, by the way, but just yeah, 27 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,080 running ever since, really. OK. 28 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,880 Marks obviously an influence on both of our running. 29 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,440 What was the first one I has eventually did? 30 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:31,880 The first one I did, it was really in lockdown and it was 31 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:36,360 all the the challenges that you set like the the backyard ultra. 32 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,160 So I said to myself, I've seen it on the Internet on the way 33 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,960 home I thought, right, I'm going to do that. 34 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:46,240 So I live in a communal garden and one lap was 42 meters. 35 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,560 So I said to myself, just in the garden I'm going to run 60 miles 36 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,280 and that's the first event that I did of his. 37 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:57,000 So I ran over 3 1/2 thousand laps in my garden and did 60 38 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,360 miles. So the kind of events like the 39 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:06,560 tunnel and the bridge and you're doing 42 meter repeats, yeah, 40 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,280 then doing a four mile, that's easy. 41 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:10,720 Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's. 42 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,760 And I don't worry because it doesn't matter where you run, 43 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,120 you've just got to run. And so it doesn't. 44 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,680 If it's a lap or just out and back, I don't worry. 45 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,040 I don't think about, oh God, is that another lap. 46 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,120 I just think I've got to get to there and back and just keep 47 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,440 going. Well, you're saying about what 48 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,080 you think about. I'll go on to the questions that 49 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,040 everybody asks me. So what do you think about when 50 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,360 you're doing 200 miles? I think, I think about what I've 51 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,680 done in my life. How can I, how can I improve it? 52 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,400 How can I be a better person? Also, why am I doing it? 53 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,720 Why am I doing it? I always come back to the 54 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,080 question or the answer. Why shouldn't I do it? 55 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,720 Or because you know, we're not here for a long time, I just see 56 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,000 how far you can go. As I'm getting older I'm getting 57 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,440 slower, but I can see how far I can go. 58 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:08,760 When when the times get tough, you're 150 miles in, what keeps 59 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:13,120 you going? Well, I've done the end, the 60 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,680 end, because you can see it's the light at the end of the 61 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:20,720 tunnel of, you know, why stop there when you've only got in 62 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,200 theory a small, small distance to go, you've covered majority 63 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,840 of it. So just you've got to get to the 64 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:27,360 end. I think once you get to the 65 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,320 halfway, you think right, it's all downhill. 66 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,600 Technically it isn't, but it's the hardest part. 67 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,640 But you, you just have to keep going. 68 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,720 Right. What kind of shoes do you wear? 69 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,680 Or or for the tunnel or for the bridge. 70 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:46,040 Or the bridge today I've got some New Balance fuel cells on 71 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,960 and I've also if I if I'm going to go into another pair I've got 72 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,560 some of the the trail ones because they're like they're 73 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,120 really spongy and I'm going to use that on my neck. 74 00:04:55,480 --> 00:05:00,880 Mark's next event for the tunnel I I had some Nike Alpha flies 75 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,480 and then I went back into me ultras because I think they were 76 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,440 getting 2 spongy here at my Achilles. 77 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:12,080 So yeah, so really New Balance Nike and Ultra. 78 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,560 What do you eat during a run like this? 79 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,600 Oh, I just this for the next two days. 80 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:25,000 It's Tesco Meal Deals and chocolate flavoured popcorn 81 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:26,880 orange. Oh, it's delightful and it's 82 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,600 light and you can stuff loads in your mouth and it's not heavy on 83 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,800 your stomach. Yeah, that's what I like at the 84 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:33,480 moment. Oh, and salt? 85 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:34,280 Vinegar. Pringles. 86 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:42,080 The I noticed on social media that you were doing something 87 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,160 that you thought of a charity event doing 4 races. 88 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,920 Yeah, I did the tunnel. I had to pull out 110. 89 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,880 I'm doing this. I'm doing Mark's the line. 90 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,600 That's from Sandlin Moore down to Peace Haven. 91 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,800 He's he's worked it out. It's 328 miles and I was going 92 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:06,600 to do Long Lass 4 marks races all for Combat Stress military 93 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,560 veterans, charity. But so I was fortunate enough to 94 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,440 get into the the Spartathlon in Greece in September. 95 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,720 So I'll have to forego the long last because I really want to do 96 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,960 the Spartathlon. Tell me what for for listeners 97 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:22,720 that don't know what is Spartathlon? 98 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,200 Spartathlon's a race. It's 158 miles, starts at the 99 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,360 accomplice in Greece and finishes off at Sparta and 100 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:35,120 you've got 36 hours to do the distance end of September. 101 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:40,080 And last year I think it was about 28° heat, so that's going 102 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,000 to be really tough, especially for me. 103 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,400 How do you that that kind of temperature? 104 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:51,000 Yes, you're from further South in the UK than what I am, so 105 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:56,000 temperatures possibly less in effect, but it's still not 28°. 106 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,760 No, no it's not. I live in in East Anglia so it 107 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,760 does get quite warm. But again, it's only for the odd 108 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,720 data, so I don't know how I'm going to train for it. 109 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,440 Just several layers on when I'm going out and running and 110 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,040 hopefully on my days off or as soon as I get hot day get out 111 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,000 there running, just hopefully to acclimatize as best. 112 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,480 As you can sauna steam room. Yeah, yeah. 113 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,360 And I was jogging the other day in the in the in a sauna and the 114 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:23,600 guy just looked at me and said what the hell are you doing? 115 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:25,680 You know, just to give it a a test out. 116 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,320 But yeah, it's going to be hard. I'm going to speak to a couple 117 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,320 of people who have done this for tap on last year and just pick 118 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,800 their brands. The another event that you've 119 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,840 done is the National Three Peaks. 120 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,640 That was last year. Yeah, last June. 121 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,600 Yeah. Yeah, that, that. 122 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,040 Would be the Thunder lining on. That's what we're expecting 123 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,560 during this race. But now back to the Three Peaks. 124 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,600 Yeah, What did that involve? Well, that was obviously another 125 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,200 Mark Cockburn event and it was doing the National Three Peaks 126 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,080 Challenge on foot staff at obviously up and down Ben Nevis, 127 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:06,520 run to the lakes up and down Scarfeld Park then have a little 128 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,640 chop down to Snowdon and finish up the bottom of Snowdon. 129 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:14,480 Best thing I've ever done. Best thing I've ever done and 130 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,680 one of the funniest things I've ever done as well. 131 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,440 And I did it from start to finish with a friend of ours, 132 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,720 Alan Cormac. Funny, funny as hell. 133 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,520 Couldn't stop laughing and and it was one of the best things 134 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,240 I've ever done. One of the best experiences I've 135 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:30,880 ever done. Yeah, good. 136 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,880 So what's the the biggest running achievement that you've 137 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:42,760 had? I think finishing the tunnel, 138 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,640 that was hard. That was, Yeah, that was hard. 139 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,680 It was the hallucinations for me. 140 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:53,440 It really got to me. It was the year that you did. 141 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,400 You you, you came third. But yeah, that was for me. 142 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,960 So that was, you know, I got to a level thinking I always used 143 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,080 to. I always, I still think now am I 144 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,080 good enough to be in these people's company. 145 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,120 And I generally, I think that. So when I completed my first 100 146 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,120 mile, I think, oh, yeah, I'm all right. 147 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:18,440 But then I think, right, OK, I did 150 miles of marks, one of 148 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,840 these lockdown challenges. And then obviously I went to the 149 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,560 tunnel and I completed that and I thought, well, yeah, I'm, I'm, 150 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,600 I'm belong here. So now I feel so that was the 151 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,280 biggest challenge the the achievement I feel personally 152 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:34,920 doing his 1st 200 Miller. They definitely belong, and 153 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,360 you're selling yourself short because you came third and I was 154 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,040 second. Oh, oh, yeah, that's what I do. 155 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,400 Sorry you had no, but you were. I don't want to demote you. 156 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,200 No, no. You thought you were 4th, but 157 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:46,320 you know you were higher than that. 158 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:47,160 You. Were third, yeah. 159 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:49,440 Yeah, it was. Man, yeah. 160 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,840 She was the only other finisher. Yeah, she was the only and the 161 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,120 first female to finish the tunnel. 162 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,320 Yeah, yeah. But yeah, that's what I 163 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:57,880 generally did. That was my biggest achievement. 164 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:01,280 So you said about hallucinations. 165 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:05,040 What did you hallucinate? Well, I saw a family of 166 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,960 abandonable snowmen attached to the wall and I think about OK, 167 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,720 and then a bit further on in the race, a big slug coming towards 168 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,840 me with a cigarette in his mouth and that really I'm like that 169 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,640 what's going on here? And I just, I just thought I'll 170 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,560 just run past it and just carried on. 171 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,320 I was calling people by their other names. 172 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,880 I've seen waterfalls. I was thinking and actually 173 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,520 thought when I was going out from the start they were saying, 174 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,400 oh, you're going really slow out. 175 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:36,520 When you're coming out, you're coming back really quick. 176 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:37,960 I said yeah, because I'm running uphill. 177 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:41,240 I actually thought I was running uphill, going out, but coming 178 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,160 back I was running downhill. Yeah, it was just. 179 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,720 There was a ever so slight hill that you couldn't really. 180 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,920 No, with sound mind you couldn't notice that hill but it. 181 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,120 Was. I thought I was generally going 182 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,040 up a steep gradient. Yeah. 183 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,360 What's? Going back to your history, what 184 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:02,800 was your first race that you ever did? 185 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,600 It was the 96 London Marathon, yeah. 186 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,160 Straight into marathon. Yeah, I didn't do, I didn't do a 187 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,480 half marathon. I just thought I saw the sign 188 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,720 and I went home to Fleetwood near Blackpool and I said to him 189 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,400 in the local pub, I've just signed up for a London Marathon. 190 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,720 I'm going to, I'm going to sign up for a London Marathon and my 191 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:22,080 friend said you'll never do that. 192 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:24,120 And that was it then. So I did it. 193 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:28,280 It was 4 hours 11 minutes but I only did it in training. 194 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,160 I was like I ran with a yellow T-shirt and yellow shorts. 195 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:37,280 I look like a fat banana. But then I got and then I got 196 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,400 hooked. I will do it again but I said 197 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,120 the following year I collapsed being drunk but then by the end 198 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,640 of it, my 4th one. I did 3 hours 7 minutes. 199 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,920 There is the tunnel, London Marathon, the Bridge. 200 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:56,400 They're all relatively flat. Do you prefer flats or hills? 201 00:11:56,680 --> 00:11:58,320 I like hills. I do, I do. 202 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,040 But where I live in Norfolk we haven't got any. 203 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,200 There's there's a there's a small incline well compared to 204 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:06,080 where you live and obviously other runners. 205 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,480 It's it's a back of Sherman, it's called Roman camp and the 206 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,760 steepest part is 115 feet. So I just go running up and down 207 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,000 there until like last week I did 4 1/2 thousand feet of elevation 208 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,200 just kept running up and down because I think it becomes makes 209 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,800 you a better runner. But yeah, I would have and it's 210 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,960 more interesting, but unfortunately where I live I'm a 211 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:33,040 little bit. Restricted races that you're 212 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:37,160 saying that you're doing, at some point you're going to bonk. 213 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,160 You're possibly even lead to DNF. 214 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,720 What's your your biggest bonk that you've had? 215 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:53,320 I think the first time I did the tunnel again, I just went and it 216 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:54,440 really affected me. I didn't want. 217 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,360 I didn't speak to people for days because I thought I was fit 218 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,320 enough to do it. But I I went in with a brand new 219 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,360 pair of trainers. I only run 6 miles and it it 220 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:06,520 killed my knocking, my Achilles and yeah, that I'm really 221 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,560 affected by that. This one that I've the tunnel 222 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,080 this year, that I've stopped 110. 223 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,920 I wasn't too concerned because it was a genuine injury. 224 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,400 It was so. But the first tunnel, yeah, I 225 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,040 thought it was. I was really angry with myself. 226 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:23,760 I didn't want to speak to anyone. 227 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,280 Right. Well, leading on to the race 228 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:36,280 that we're both doing today, which is Wales to England, 2 229 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:43,080 miles out, two miles back. Are you nervous about the race? 230 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:44,440 No, I'm not. No. 231 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:48,360 I don't get nervous about races. I get more nervous doing the 232 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:52,240 park run then I do these because I think I've signed up for that. 233 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,680 So I want to enjoy it. And I don't get nervous. 234 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:59,760 No, I'm not nervous about this. I'll say that now. 235 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:01,360 I may be at the start. Yeah. 236 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:06,320 Yeah. Well, I think since you're not 237 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:13,760 nervous yet yet, I'm going to let you go and wrap it up there, 238 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,120 but best of luck. Yeah, you too, man. 239 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:16,680 Yeah.