Incredibly, just six weeks after becoming an ultra running world record holder, Sarah Perry has won big again – this time claiming outright victory in one of the world’s craziest ultramarathons.
‘The Hill’ – staged December 5th-7th – saw runners attempting to complete 56 laps up and down The Wrekin (Shropshire, England) in 48 hours.
From the 24 who set off in the pouring rain on Friday night, Sarah was the sole finisher, completing the 160-mile challenge in 47 hours and 01 minute. Her total ascent accumulated was approximately 47,000ft (more than 1.5 x Mount Everest).
Sarah said: “I knew that six weeks to recover and build back up was a big ask, but I've wanted to do The Hill for so long and this was the first time it’s been run in five years, so I just had to be on that start line. I'm thrilled to have finished and, quite honestly, can't believe that it was possible for me.”
Despite the tough winter conditions, runners set off strongly in the low-key challenge, organised by Cockbain Events. Several retired during the first night, with more tapping out on the Saturday and Sunday.
In the end, it left just Sarah and Iain Prentice on the hill, with the latter completing 41 laps.
Sarah’s ascent times throughout the 48-hour challenge varied from 21:26 to 49:50, while her descent times ranged from 14:31 to 38:33.
Each ascent started from the base hut (halfway up the hill) and went to the 1,335ft summit. Each descent saw runners return to the base hut.
The challenge follows strict rules that means runners are largely self-sufficient. No poles, headphones, outside assistance, crew, pacers or supporters are allowed.
Runners are only permitted to stop for a maximum of 30 minutes at a time in the base hut and must provide their own food.
Sarah’s latest win followed her world record run at Big’s Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships in October. She completed 95 laps of the 4.167 mile course in Tennessee, US, to set a new women’s world record.
Sarah said: “The last third of the race was HARD. The biggest difficulty was the lack of time. Unlike the backyard, there are no scheduled breaks so I was constantly doing the calculations in my head to figure out whether I could complete. Often there was no wiggle room.
“I chose to skip breaks and ignore things that I'd usually get sorted, like wet socks and sleep deprivation, and instead chose to keep on the hill.”
She added: “I loved the vibe in the hut before we started, organiser Mark's events are so niche and attended by lots of the same crowd. I really enjoyed chatting to everyone before the race – it didn't feel as though we were getting ready to run 160 miles!
“I enjoyed a lot of the day laps, while the night ones were harder. Overall, I’m really pleased with how it all went and that I completed it.”
Sarah wore her trusty TRAILTALON MAX shoes for most of the challenge, before switching into MUDTALON SPEED V2 shoes for extra muddy grip confidence over the last 12 laps.
*All photos by David Miller - @davidmiller.photography (IG)
