The journey for Chris began last year in 2016 when he caught wind of the 100 mile ultra-marathons when he took part in the 50 miler South Downs Way run. Despite 50 miles being almost twice the distance of a standard marathon, Chris found this wasn't pushing himself enough and was on the hunt for something bigger. Later that year he then took part in the South Downs Way 100 miler and then the North Downs Way 100 miler. He was too late to get the grand slam as the first two had already been and gone but with some experience under his belt, he was ready to conquer all four in 2017.
That is exactly what he did. The first of the four races was in May; the Thames Path 100 miler. Next up was the South Downs Way 100 miler in June. Two months later it was time for the North Downs Way 100 miler, before finishing off with the final 100 miler race in October of this year. You receive a medal for each 100 miler race you complete and if you complete all four in the same year you receive the ultimate medal; the Grand Slam buckle.
"This was a great experience and one I am truly proud to have completed. The grand slam buckle I now display proudly at home is a constant reminder to myself that the body achieves what the mind believes, and when my kids say to me “daddy,, I still can’t believe you ran 100 miles in 1 day”, I hope it inspires them to believe in themselves, dream big and have courage. There were times when I thought I was going to fail but pushed through the bad bits and embraced the good." - Chris Larmour