Imo Boddy started her supported attempt at the National Three Peaks FKT at 07:00:00 on 15th May 2024. She followed the original sea-level to sea-level route established in the 1970s by Arthur Eddleston and Ann Sayer, starting at Fort William Ferry Port and finishing at Caernarfon Jetty.
The whole challenge took place under great (but very warm!) weather conditions. Support was provided by a 7-person crew utilising 3 vehicles. Vehicle 1 was a motorhome, which provided food/water and a place to nap, manned by Imo's parents Julian Boddy and Laura Boddy. Vehicle 2 was a campervan and treatment vehicle, manned by physio Jonny Heath. Vehicle 3 was a media car, manned by social media manager Hannah Tyldesley, videographer Matt Stone, and photographer Tommy Leeming. I (Chris Taylor, Imo's running coach and logistics manager) was by her side throughout the duration of the challenge (either on a bike or by foot), navigating for her and carrying food/water.
Day 1 went perfectly to plan in terms of timings. Imo reached Ben Nevis summit at 08:59 and Ardlui Hotel (her finish location) at 20:50. However, the heat really took it's toll, a theme that was to continue throughout the week.
Day 2 was another very warm day. Prior to the challenge (and after several recce trips) we had decided to take the A82 (as opposed to the West Highland Way), as road running plays to Imo's strengths. To mitigate the risk of running the A82, Imo started Day 2 at 02:27 when the roads were very quiet. Day 2 was the longest distance day (128km) and Imo finished at Abington Services at 19:36.
Day 3 was another road running day. Imo started at 05:03 and finished at Caldbeck at 21:46. Imo was joined by fell running legend Martin Stone for the final few km's, which was a real boost at the end of a tough day.
Day 4, another warm one!! Imo started at 04:53, summited Scafell Pike at 12:11, and finished at Milnthorpe at 21:24. Being a Saturday (and Keswick Mountain Festival day), Imo was joined by lots of support runners on this day. One of the highlights of the entire challenge was reaching Scafell Pike summit with dozens of people cheering Imo on.
Day 5 began at 04:56 and was a road running day. This was one of the tougher days for Imo and the first day on which she took a mid-run nap, stopping at Whitestake (the 500km mark) for 60 minutes head down. As low energy levels had reduced Imo's progress significantly, the decision was made to finish Day 5 10km shorter than originally planned, get some sleep, and begin Day 6 slightly earlier.
Day 6 & 7 (one long session!) began at 03:45. We had previously discussed the possibility of running through the final night, as there would likely only be around 40km remaining at nightfall. Instead of stopping for a continuous sleep, Imo instead took three naps: 45 minutes at Ellesmere Port, 1 hour at Denbigh, and 2 hours at Pandy Tudur. Imo reached the summit of Snowdon on Day 7 (21st May) at 09:14. The final run, completed across two days, was 154km. Imo reached Caernarfon Jetty at 12:43:48 on 21st May 2024, where she was welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Caernarfon (as Ann Sayer was back in 1979).
Imo's final time was 6 days 5 hours 43 minutes 48 seconds.
Day 1 (15/05): Fort William > Ben Nevis > Ardlui. 103.5km / 3,053m D+.
Day 2 (16/05): Ardlui > Abington Services. 128.3km / 963m D+.
Day 3 (17/05): Abington Services > Caldbeck. 113.5km / 836m D+.
Day 4 (18/05): Caldbeck > Scafell Pike > Milnthorpe. 96.7km / 2,215m D+.
Day 5 (19/05): Milnthorpe > Carr Mill. 93.9km / 700m D+.
Day 6 & 7 (20/05 & 21/05): Carr Mill > Snowdon > Caernarfon. 154.4km / 2,827m D+.