What is 127 miles in distance and 48 hours in duration? Later this week George Bartlett will be running his way along the 127 miles of the Leeds Liverpool Canal in 48 hours.
The ultra running challenge will raise money for Dementia UK. Jim Corah put questions to George ahead of the run.
George’s efforts will help the nursing charity support families affected by dementia, such as his own family after his mum, Linda, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.
The 127 Miles For Dementia Challenge will start in Leeds City Centre then follow the canal all the way to Liverpool, taking in Saltaire, Skipton, crossing the Pennines then passing Blackburn, Wigan, and ending in Liverpool.
Ultra-running is simply running any distance beyond 26.2 miles of a marathon. George set a fundraising target of £2,500 for Dementia UK (at the time of writing 96% had been raised), which will help the charity support families with Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses.
What have your challenge preparations been like?
I’ve been training for this challenge for about a year. Generally, my training has involved increasing my mileage beyond a marathon distance. When I started training, I was new to the world of ultra-running. Ultra-running is simply running any distance beyond a marathon (26.2 miles) and up to this point, a marathon was the furthest I’d ever run.
I first entered the world of ultra-running when I ran 30 miles along the Leeds Liverpool Canal. I didn’t even know there was a word for running this kind of distance, and I certainly never imagined that people regularly completed races of this distance and beyond.
But when I first ran this distance, I realised I got immense satisfaction from completing this kind of challenge. And because I’d been running along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, this idea started to brew in my head of running all the way from Leeds to Liverpool along the canal.
By the start of 2024, I’d decided that I was going to take on this challenge to raise funds for Dementia UK.
Taking on a challenge like this also requires me to complete lots of other forms of exercise such as strength training, conditioning and active recovery, all of which amount to a varied training programme that helps me not just to improve my overall fitness but, most importantly, to ensure that I remain injury-free and recover well from those long training runs.
In terms of the distance, how does 127 miles compare to your regular runs? How long have you been running for?
I’ve been running for about a decade, but entering the world of ultra-running has been an enormous change.
Ultra-running is all about endurance rather than speed. Once you lace up your running shoes, you can be out for hours (or even days!) before you cross the finish line.
Running such long distances requires mental stamina as well as physical. I think the time I’ve spent ultra-running has improved my resilience and given me a lot of mental toughness. There have been some tough times throughout my training, including running alone through the night and completing some gruelling races. Enduring these challenging times has given me a lot of self-confidence; I’ve achieved things I never thought possible!
There are also some challenges that you don’t anticipate until you take on a challenge like this. For example, fuelling appropriately becomes important when taking on such long distances, as does looking after your body (especially your feet!). You have to learn how to take care of yourself: how to conserve your energy, how to fuel, and when to rest. It’s taken some time, but I’ve developed a few methods and rituals which help me to endure those long runs.
The aim of your challenge is to raise money for a Dementia UK Admiral Nurse, what support do they offer?
Admiral Nurses are dementia specialists who provide life-changing care for families affected by the disease. They help people living with dementia to stay independent for longer and are always there when people need help. I can speak from experience when I say that facing dementia can be incredibly isolating. It means the world to know that there is always someone there to listen and to help solve problems.
If you are comfortable saying so, what has been the impact of your mum’s dementia?
My mum was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease over six years ago. It has been devastating for us as a family to see her slowly lose her independence and her sense of self.
Dementia can affect individuals very differently. In the case of my mum, because she was diagnosed so young, the disease has not just affected her memory but also her communication and her motor skills. Everyday tasks such as writing, reading and cooking became increasingly difficult.
Over time, my mum was less able to perform these tasks without help. Eventually, my dad became a full-time carer. About a year ago, they moved into a bungalow where my dad is more easily able to provide full-time care to my mum, who is now in a wheelchair and unable to perform any tasks without help. She now really struggles to communicate and can become overwhelmed or distressed. However, she laughs a lot, enjoys listening to music, and is taken out in her wheelchair with my dad multiple times a day as they walk the dog (and occasionally go to the pub!).
The disease has been very difficult for the whole family, but it has also brought our family closer together in some ways. My sister and I spend a lot of time with our parents, visiting our mum and making sure that our dad is coping okay. It is very upsetting that we’re not able to connect with our mum in the same way that we used to, but we’re also grateful that we can all still spend time together and try our best to make sure that our mum is happy.
How will you be supported along the route? Do you have timeframes for resting, eating, and sleeping? Or are you taking a more flexible approach?
I am lucky to have friends and family joining me along the route.
I will be leaving Leeds with a few friends, who will be running the half marathon or so with me. It will be very motivating to kick off the run with a few other runners and will give me the motivation I need to keep moving as I enter the next section alone.
My parents will be meeting me at the 30-mile mark. After completing a significant chunk of the challenge, it will mean a lot to meet to see them, and by this time, I am likely to need some of the supplies they’ll be bringing me (e.g. water, snacks).
At the halfway mark, I’ll be meeting a friend of mine and checking into a hotel where I plan to rest and reset. I’ll be refuelling, restocking and, hopefully, having a quick nap, even if it’s only for an hour or two.
I’ll be meeting friends and family at regular intervals. For example, my sister is meeting me around the 100-mile mark to run with me, and my dad is even planning to meet me near the end to cross the finish line with me.
It’s going to be an incredible feeling to be running alongside some of the people who matter the most to me, especially those like my sister and my dad who really understand the importance of the cause we’re raising money for.
Everyone will be there waiting for me when I finally arrive in Liverpool. To complete the challenge surrounded by all of those people who’ve supported me will mean the world to me. I dare say it will be a bit emotional!
Dementia UK are a specialist dementia nurse charity, whose Admiral Nurses provide life-changing care for families affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Readers can support George in his challenge with donations here.
Leeds community hero! Well done & good luck George