Kim Collison and Lisa Watson both set new records in the 300km 2022 SILVA Northern Traverse at the weekend. Kim’s time of 44 hours and 24 minutes beat the previous record for the race across England – from St Bees on the west coast to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast – by seven hours. Meanwhile Lisa reduced the women’s best time by more than 10 hours to finish in 52 hours and 52 minutes.
English ultra runner Kim enjoyed the first half of the race, before pain inevitably hit. He said: “I loved the first half because I was fresh and had lots of bounce. The weather was really stunning with the orange sunset over Angle Tarn and some red deer.
“However, after you go through the first night, that’s when things start to get a little bit hard and ‘hurty’. It becomes more about managing those things and trying to psychologically keep pushing yourself on. I’ve managed to do that and finish, which was the main goal.”
Sleep deprivation had strange side effects, too. Kim, also a Munros record breaker, said: “I was seeing a lot of hallucinations and hearing loads of voices. It was most bizarre.”
Lisa said after her impressive won: “It’s a bit weird isn’t it? I thought 60 hours was completely unachievable.”
See SILVA Northern Traverse for more details.