Rob Emmerson

Wrap Up !!

Sunday 3rd Aug

Thank You – 100 Miles Later…

Wow. It has been just about 2 months since the run, and after a good amount of time to reflect, recover (work in progress !), and have a bit of a detox from running - I just wanted to drop out a quick note to share a bit about the run and say a massive thank you for all the donations, support, and encouragement along the way !

Running 100 miles was definitely one of the harder things I’ve done, both physically and mentally exhausting – here is a bit of a race wrap up !

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San Diego 100

The run started well (aside from losing my Oakleys at the first aid station!!) and I made it through the first four checkpoints in good time. Around mile 40, my feet started to really hurt, but a quick bit of treatment and a shoe change helped me push through to the 50-mile mark - still moving well and hitting the halfway point in around 12 hours

Despite starting to feel it, I continued moving fairly smoothly through to around mile 62 (the 100K mark), just as night fell. The night shift then hit different. Tiredness and sleep deprivation kicked in around midnight, right as Priya joined me to pace the next 35K. I don’t think she knew exactly what she’d signed up for, but she was a star and put in serious work to keep me moving. We ran, walked, and hobbled for the next four hours - and I lost a lot of time. Physically I was doing okay (other than the feet), but if I’m honest, mentally I really struggled. Sleep deprivation got the better of me and trancing through the wilderness, I lost a lot of time to the course.

Then came checkpoint 11 (~75 miles) at ~4:00am which changed everything. As we were fuelling up, a young woman ran in crying, devasted that she was going to miss the cut-off. Thinking I was well clear at the time, it hit hard and proved to be a serious wake-up call. Somehow, from somewhere, I managed to flip a switch. My legs came back to life, and as day broke, I picked up the pace. I felt like a completely different runner. This really was a case of Mind over body.

The darkness gave way to some stunning dawn views across the San Diego mountains. Priya left me at around mile 84 to grab the car (where she proceeded to have a close encounter with a snake !!). What followed was the hardest 25K of my life - never-ending mountain switchbacks, brutal heat, massive exposure, and creeping dehydration. I kept focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and somehow I managed to crawl over the line in 31 hour -  just one hour short of the final cut-off.

Overall verdict - Incredible scenery. Technical terrain. Relentless heat. Pretty bloody tough. Would I recommend it? 100%. In hindsight, the overall experience has left me with an immense gratitude for being alive, fit and healthy and so grateful for what our bodies are able to do. We all have a short time on this earth, so we better make the most of it. That said, I can confirm I won’t be running 100 again… at least not this year.

On the fundraising front, I’m genuinely blown away by the generosity from everyone. Every donation made a difference and helped raise vital funds for Asthma & Lung UK – to help give others the opportunity that we have – a clear shot at life.

Thank you again — couldn’t have done it without you.
Here are a few photos from the day that nearly finished me off 👇

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Almost Go Time.

Thursday 5th Jun Less than 24 hours to go now until San Diego 100… Excited, nervous and a whole load of stuff in between 🙌🏼 Can’t say I’ve had the best 4 weeks prep since London - Mileage has been low and achilles is in bits but that’s what life apparently has for me - people have and continue to go through worse and that’s why we do it 🫶🏻 Very grateful to be able to give this thing a crack. Going to be a scrap. Appreciate all the sponsorship - such a worthy cause. Big love and see you all on the other side. Rob x Share

London Marathon ✅

Thursday 5th Jun London Update 🙌🏼 Epic day. 2:56. Tough battle out there - inspiring to see soo many people in the trenches scrapping it out - absolutely love it. Special place London. Thanks for having me 🫶🏻 Not long until San Diego 100 now - thanks for all the sponsorship - means the world 😎 Share

Update.

Monday 21st Apr Back in the UK for 2 weeks now. Have managed to put down a decent bit of volume post Addo whilst dancing through a few niggles. Less than a week to go until London, then 6 weeks till San Diego 100. Body hanging in there. Time to taper up. Hungry x Share

Addo 50 Miler. ✅

Monday 21st Apr Crazy day. Had everything. Gnarly single track, loose shale, serious elevation (~3,000m) 🗻, exposure, countless water crossings, thunder and lightening ⛈️, heat heat heat 🥵 Gave everything. Not a crazy field but managed to come in just over 12 hours later and nab 3rd male. Good day out. Would recommend. Share

Addo.

Monday 21st Apr Humbled. Share

T Minus 2 Days to K/O - Addo 50M

Thursday 20th Mar Weekends shaping up to be a hot one… 37 degrees and counting… erugh. Game on x Share