Three down, nine to go: 12 Marathons Challenge completes Yeovil, Somerset

Brighton, Exeter and now Yeovil. Emma Preston, Regional Manager for GPEA and Clint Nykamp from Fine & Country West Midlands have successfully completed the third race in the 12 Marathons Challenge to raise money and awareness for homelessness.

Please support Emma and Clint's mission here.

Highlights from the day
The pair made their way to Yeovil, Somerset for a hot and humid race on Sunday 10th June. The two-lap course was accompanied by cheering crowds, committed Marshalls and stunning views.

Emma has been struggling with a knee injury over the last month so tensions were high in the build up to the third marathon. Thankfully, she powered through her knee pain and completed the race with some much-needed support.

Emma
Race time: 6 hours 1 minute
Emma said: “This was the most difficult race so far. It was a triple threat – hot, humid and hilly. There were fewer participants than our previous races so I spent a lot of the race running alone. I am so grateful to the Marshalls for cheering me on so my mental strength didn’t waver. One of the Marshalls ran the final mile with me, which made my day because I hadn’t seen another runner in miles. 

“I will give myself a few days to physically recover, enjoy my birthday this week, then get back into training for the Stoke-on-Trent marathon on the 15th July.”

Clint
Race time: 5 hours 21 minutes
Clint had a different experience in his race as his military past fuelled his excitement as the race was around the Naval Base which helped him run through the heat.

Clint said: “The atmosphere was brilliant at the Naval Base with lots of support from military medical team. One of my favourite moments of the race was seeing a man attempt the world record for dribbling a hockey ball through a marathon in under four hours. 

“I really enjoyed the day, and hope that the next race won’t be quite as humid. We would love to see more supporters with us in Stoke-on-Trent next month.”

However, it wasn’t all plain-sailing for Clint. Halfway through the race he hit ‘The Wall’. The dreaded moment during a marathon where your body can only feel pain, your legs turn to jelly and your mental strength is giving up on you. 

Clint filmed the moment he hit ‘The Wall’. He broke through and completed the race is good time.

Clint is now on a mission to continue improving his times as he shaved another 30 minutes off his time this month. He plans to complete the sixth race in four hours, 30 minutes and get as close to four hours as he can for the final race in Cambridge in March 2019.

Join Emma and Clint for their next race on Sunday 15th July at Stoke-on-Trent! Find out the full list of races to cheer from the sidelines or run alongside our volunteers here.

To support their mission to raise money and awareness for homelessness on local, national and international levels through The Fine & Country Foundation, please click here. 

P.s. Happy birthday Emma! Have a great day!

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