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Temple Run Warm-up for Brother Guy Smith -

Bamburgh to Edinburgh 

On Saturday 19th July, over 500 people lined up on the start line to take part in the Rat Race 100 mile Castle to Castle run. This included Worshipful Brother Guy Smith, who’d decided to use this event as a long distance training run, in preparation for his Temple Run which is to take place on 2nd September. 

Guy says "It was a chilly morning with damp hanging in the air. There were a lot of nervous people on that start line and when the official asked the question “Is this anyone’s first ultramarathon?”, almost every hand shot up. They had no idea what was in store. The event had been sold to them as “the ultramarathon for people who don’t do ultramarathons.“ This was due to the generous 48 hour cut-off time. With a steady 2.5 MPH walking pace you could complete it within the time frame. Mother Nature however would have other ideas….

 

07:00 the bell rang and we were off. Meandering our way around the Northumberland coastline northbound headed towards Scotland. Shortly into the run the skies went dark and the winds picked up. The rain began to fall and you could barely see a hand out in front of you. This made for a very dangerous situation as we were all running along the edge of the cliffs. I found that my trail shoes were fantastic on tarmac, trail and grass, however the moment I stepped on mud, I was like Bambi on ice. No grip at all. It took so much effort to concentrate on the ground picking out clumps of grass to leap to and from in order to find traction. Two really memorable moments came when a deer stepped out in front of me just around three metres ahead, looked up at me and then ran off down the track. The next was when the mist lifted briefly just before the Scottish Border and there were a full pod of Dolphin playing in one of the bays down below. 

I arrived at Musselburgh with seven miles left to go. The wind, rain and mist still not abating, there was no glorious view of Edinburgh Castle in the distance. Only puddle after puddle and pain from feet which resembled a bad case of trench foot. Following the arrows we were led onto a small footpath up the back of Arthur’s Seat. A massive climb when you’ve already come so far. Dropping down the other side we were led through Holyrood and around to the bottom of Castle Hill. Another climb all the way up to the top and then all the way back down to Princess Gardens and the welcome sight of the finish line. In total 104 miles of rain, mud, and wind which battered each and every one of us for the whole route, which took me 38 hours. Very cold and extremely tired and hungry but with an internal joy and satisfaction. 

Of the 597 who entered the run, only 534 made it to the start line and 208 people retired without completing it. I felt that this was always going to be the case given that most hadn’t done an ultramarathon before." 

There were nine checkpoints on the route which were well stocked with some lovely food and drinks which were warmly welcomed by all. Everyone freezing cold and soaked to the bone. This was going to be an extremely long night. After running all day, when the night comes it adds a different dimension to the experience. Obviously your sight is significantly reduced although we hadn’t been able to see for most of the day due to the mist and rain but there were the odd break. In the dark you just can’t see. The path is way marked with yellow arrows which must be followed because if you stray off course you can end up in serious trouble. At one section through the night we had to cross one of the many beaches, but this one was covered in seaweed. The seaweed was home to at least 100 billion flies. As we ran over it the flies were up and airborne. They were all attracted to the lights from our head torches. Our faces were completely bombarded by hundreds of flies bouncing off everything, it was really the stuff of nightmares. 

It’s not too late to sponsor Guy for his 200 mile temple run in September with all proceeds going to The Alzheimer’s Society in memory of his late mother. Please visit his Go Fund Me page and look for The Temple Run or click the link below. 

 

Byker Breakfast Club

Brethren, Byker Breakfast Club is a chance to have a cracking full English with unlimited tea & coffee, fresh orange, toast and a great, varied, assortment of Breakfast items, in a relaxed, informal, social atmosphere and a chance to just have a chat about Masonry or in fact anything at all ! Non-Masonic Friends and family members are most welcome. It’s a great opportunity to invite a potential member along to see the ‘family’ environment that Masonry provides. We can always arrange a look inside the Temple for anyone interested.

It’s £10 per person (£5 for kids 12 years or younger). We run on the 4th Saturday of every month - even through recess, so next month we’re open Saturday 30th August from 10:00 hrs. Booking is easy - just click on the Eventbrite Link below and select your ticket ‘type’(s) (Adult or child). Pre-payment by BACS is preferred, as our caterer has to buy the stock in before we get there. If you’re paying on the day, in cash, please do pitch up, as the caterer has to be paid for all booked breakfasts.

Look forward to seeing you if you can make it !

Got any news ?

E-mail us at: info@bykermasonichall.com